Stock up on masks and wipes, the country’s reopening
We’re still in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Maybe wave 1.5?
While a few states have gestured toward rolling back their reopening plans, on the whole this country is back open for business, ready or not. Several states are still showing record increases in COVID-19 cases, and the death toll could reach 200,000 by the fall. Meanwhile, masks are becoming more politicized, despite new evidence of their efficacy in fighting the spread.
We talked with Loren Wold about testing and vaccines back in late April, which may as well be the Paleolithic era now. Wold went to high school with Molly, and now he’s a professor and assistant dean for biological health research at Ohio State University. His lab is one of many working on a coronavirus vaccine.
Today we’ll talk with him about the surge in cases, face masks, when he’s expecting a vaccine and if he’d get on a plane right now. The answer to that last one might surprise you.
Later, we’ll hear from you about defunding the police and working from home. Plus, filmmaker-public health official-psychiatrist Gary Tsai answers the Make Me Smart question.
When you’re done listening, tell your Echo device to “Make me smart” for our Alexa explainers, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter! Here’s the latest issue.
Here’s a list of some of the stuff we talked about today:
- Axios’ coronavirus dashboard
- “Amid threats and political pushback, public health officials are leaving their posts” from The Washington Post
- “How the Protests Have Changed the Pandemic” in the New Yorker
- “The Second Great Depression” in the Atlantic
- “Most Americans believe the government should do more to combat climate change, poll finds” from the Washington Post
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