As the second and third waves begin to emerge in countries that have eased the restrictions, and the WHO confirms evidence of airborne transmission, the political and cultural war on facial coatings continues.
The top three countries on the pandemic list – the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom – are those where people still resist wearing masks. Until last week, the use of masks has been rejected and even ridiculed by the leaders of the most affected countries: the United States and Brazil.
But the science is clear. Taiwan, South Korea, and mainland China, all places with widespread use of masks, have been most successful in preventing major outbreaks or controlling them once they start. And new research shows that masks can help reduce one of the main drivers of cases: “silent separators” or asymptomatic or presymptomatic people.
YOU ASKED. WE RESPOND
Q: If you do the Covid-19 test on Friday, will those results still be accurate on Monday?
A: It depends on the type of test you take, says CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. There are two:
- A viral test, which can be taken with a nose or throat swab as well as a saliva sample, will tell you if you are currently infected with Covid-19. So if you did the test on a Friday and the results were negative, it means you were free of Covid-19 on Friday. But anything can happen after that. According to the CDC, a person infected with Covid-19 could initially test negative one day and then test positive after the infection develops.
- An antibody test uses a blood sample. It can take a few weeks for your body to make antibodies after a Covid-19 infection. So if your result is positive, it means you had Covid-19 in the past and probably have some immunity. But we still don’t know how long those antibodies last, or immunity.
Neither test is 100% accurate. There could be false positives and false negatives. No matter the outcome, we must be careful to protect ourselves and others from contracting the virus by wearing a mask and physically distancing ourselves.
THE IMPORTANT TODAY
Florida virus registry exemplifies first openings disaster
The Sunshine State recorded more than 15,000 new infections on Sunday, the highest number of new cases in a single day by any state, and has run out of ICU beds in 40 hospitals, as the pandemic spreads across the heart of the South and the west, including Texas, Georgia, and Arizona. The increase came two months after many states, regardless of government guidelines, opened bars, gyms, hair salons, and other businesses.
Florida Rep. Donna Shalala, a first-year Democrat and former secretary of health and human services under President Bill Clinton, said the virus was out of control partly because the governor, a Trump ally, would not tell everyone them to wear masks and he told CNN: “This is an American tragedy.”
The White House targets Fauci
The move to treat Fauci, who has been a trusted voice in the crisis in the United States, as a political opponent of the White House comes when Trump and the epidemiologist are not speaking in terms. The tension between the two men has grown publicly as the two have responded to each other through interviews and statements.
Bollywood reels while the best stars test positive
Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, whose face is plastered across the country, her son Abhishek Bachchan, and her daughter-in-law, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, have been admitted to the hospital after positive tests.
There are hopes that her hospitalization will encourage Indians to get tested. So far, India has conducted fewer tests of coronavirus per capita than many other countries.
The pandemic pressed the pause on tourist tourism. Now Asia is rethinking the industry
Before the pandemic stopped most international travel, millions of people flocked to white sand beaches, ancient temples, and the diverse wildlife of Southeast Asia every year. In some places, the crowds became so intense that they made locals, environmentalists, and even governments complain that tourism was pushing the region’s fragile ecosystems to a head.
But experts say the global pause in tourism has offered countries an unprecedented opportunity to examine how to rebuild their tourism industries in a way that benefits their economies and also protects the planet.
ON OUR RADAR
- Hundreds of people celebrated the weekend of July 4 at a Michigan lake, grouped together in floating rafts and boats. Now they start to test positive.
- US military personnel on the Japanese island of Okinawa are in virtual closure after multiple cases of coronavirus emerged at various US Marine Corps bases.
- After closing due to the pandemic, Disney World in Florida officially reopened two of its four parks on a scorching Saturday. Take a look at our insider look at the new Magic Kingdom.
- Consider it a reset. Many single people, and dating experts, say that the pandemic has really helped people find their partners more easily.
- South Africa will resume the ban on the sale of alcohol and restore the daily curfew to free up hospital capacity as Covid-19 cases in the country continue to rise.
- Scotland has hinted at asking visitors to England to quarantine upon arrival in Scotland, the latest sign of Covid-19 policy differences across the UK.
- Thousands of Israelis filled Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square over the weekend to protest the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.
- The WHO sent an advanced team of two people to China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus and how it leaped from animals to humans.
TIPS
How do you explain to children that the challenges of pandemic life, from missed social events to physical estrangement, will not end soon? It’s a question that many parents are dealing with, since Covid-19 shows no signs of diminishing.
But although the virus is unlike anything the world has ever faced in living memory, previous generations of children and youth have lived, grown, and even thrived through great difficulties. Their stories can be models of resistance, said children’s book author and librarian Glenda Armand.
TODAY’S PODCAST
Think of it like a spray bottle versus an aerosol can. ” – CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta
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