Coronavirus Updates: Chaos at airports

How will we know it's safe to go back to normal? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online What to know about the novel coronavirus outbreak, from To Your Health.       By Angela Fritz  Email The Post's coronavirus coverage linked in this newsletter is free to access from this email.   The latest American airports are in chaos as they try to implement the Trump administration's hastily-arranged health screenings for travelers returning from Europe. Arriving passengers were jammed into close spaces in long lines for hours as they waited to be questioned by federal officials, creating the exact conditions people are being told to avoid. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was incensed, tweeting: "The crowds & lines O'Hare are unacceptable & need to be addressed immediately. @realDonaldTrump @VP since this is the only communication medium you pay attention to—you need to do something NOW." The Federal Reserve dropped interest rates to zero in its most significant act since the 2008 financial crisis. It also announced at least $700 billion in bond purchases and took other actions to enable banks to continue lending as the nation surges toward a recession with unprecedented force and speed. Veterans of the 2008 housing market crash and subsequent recession say the coronavirus pandemic could be even more difficult to combat economically. Triage tents are popping up outside emergency rooms in the United States, and health-care workers are physically squeezing extra beds into break rooms and physical therapy gyms to prepare for what seems like the inevitable surge in patients. No one knows if it will be enough. "We are absolutely in a race," Jenna Mandel-Ricci, a vice president at the Greater New York Hospital Association, told Washington Post reporters. An exclusive Post investigation found that federal vaccine development sites are ill-suited to counter the covid-19 epidemic. Instead of rushing to develop a vaccine or treatment, two of the sites are taking no role, and the other two expect to conduct small-scale testing of potential coronavirus vaccines. Read this investigation and more on our coronavirus page. President Trump's coronavirus test was negative, according to a letter from his doctor. Former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will likely field questions on the coronavirus during their first one-on-one debate tonight, which will air on CNN at 8 p.m. Eastern. The event will have no audience, and the candidates' podiums will be positioned six feet apart.  On Saturday, Georgia became the second state to postpone its primary, moving it from March 24 to May 19, following Louisiana's decision to delay from April 4 to June 20. Europe's danger zones are seeing a staggering rise in death tolls. Spain's doubled in the last 24 hours to 288. Italy reported its deadliest day yet with 368 new fatalities, bringing its total to 1,809. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) is urging Trump to activate the Army Corps of Engineers to prepare emergency medical facilities in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, the New York City comptroller tweeted that he's recommending a citywide shutdown. Gov. Mike DeWine (R) warned Ohio schools could stay closed for the rest of the academic year. Ohio was the first state to shut down schools, and many others quickly followed. Nationwide hospitalizations might not peak until May, according to 21 infectious disease experts who were surveyed last week. Two emergency physicians are in critical condition because of covid-19, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians — a 40-year-old in Washington state and a 70-year-old in New Jersey. NBA star Rudy Gobert, who notoriously dismissed the threat of the coronavirus and then tested positive, said he regrets not taking it more seriously. The Utah Jazz center pledged $500,000 to employee-related relief efforts connected to the coronavirus outbreak.   'Flattening the curve' Post graphics reporter Harry Stevens explains in four simulations how viruses spread and shows how measures can be used to slow the infection rate. This is the concept of "flattening the curve" that we've heard about from health experts. In lieu of a vaccine, we need to prevent an Everest-like peak in cases; a flatter curve means our healthcare system can more easily handle the outbreak. Below is a simulation of a virus spreading through a town of around 200 people. It starts with just one person contracting the illness.  "Notice how the slope of the red curve, which represents the number of sick people, rises rapidly as the disease spreads and then tapers off as people recover," Stevens wrote. This is what health officials would like to prevent in the United States, with a population of around 330 million people. Click here or on the image above to explore the other three simulations. Share Coronavirus Updates    Your questions, answered What does the "end" look like? What are the metrics that will tell us it's safe to go back to our normal lives? Do we all have to get it, or a large percentage of us? — Cara Gutstein, Evanston, Ill.  The metric we should watch is the rate of infection, not the total number of infections. Until the rate drops, everyday life will be disrupted. Peak spread of the coronavirus in the United States, an optimistic person could hope, is a month or two away. But no one actually knows. After the peak, people will still contract the illness, but our healthcare system will be less burdened and more equipped to handle it and prevent serious outcomes. Health experts suspect — but still don't know — whether a person gains immunity after they kick the infection. But if that's the case, then population immunity will eventually help slow the spread to a trickle. Justin Lesser, a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, says the virus will continue to spread in waves. The first wave will probably infect 40 to 70 percent of the population. The second wave would infect fewer people, and so on. If most adults have immunity after the first wave, the spread will then concentrate among children who have much less serious outcomes from covid-19. "A buildup of population immunity will also moderate the yearly impact of the novel coronavirus in less obvious ways," Lesser wrote for The Post. "Epidemics are like fires: When fuel is plentiful, they rage uncontrollably, and when it is scarce, they smolder slowly." The coronavirus will continue to linger in the population in the years to come. But after the first big wave of infections, it will transition from a global emergency to "a mild annoyance," Lesser wrote. Related reading: Here's how other epidemics similar to coronavirus played out   Live updates Track the spread of the outbreak in the United States and abroad with our updating map. Post reporters around the world are publishing live dispatches 24 hours a day. Follow live updates about the cases and impact in the D.C. area this weekend. Find answers to your frequently asked coronavirus questions. Want to know more? Submit your question and The Post may answer it in a future story, live chat or newsletter.   Today's top reads Find more stories, analysis and op-eds about the outbreak on our coronavirus page, including: An exclusive investigation that found federal vaccine development sites are not equipped to handle this pandemic Fact checks on President Trump's false or misleading coronavirus claims A look inside the Trump administration's troubled coronavirus response How a tiny rural hospital is steeling itself to the virus's impending arrival    Without guidance from the top, Americans have been left to figure out their own coronavirus solutions By Jose Del Real, Julie Zauzmer and Ava Wallace ●  Read more »   How to cook for and with your kids during the extended coronavirus school closures By Becky Krystal ●  Read more »   Fears mount about impact of coronavirus on homeless By Jeff Stein and Tracy Jan ●  Read more »   The nightmare of rationing health care Opinion ●  By Thomas D. Kirsch ●  Read more »   You're reading The Post's newsletter guide to the coronavirus outbreak. Not on the list?  Sign up     We think you'll like this newsletter Check out Must Reads for a curated selection of our best journalism in your inbox every Saturday, plus a peek behind the scenes into how one story came together. Sign up »

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