I am living in the middle of the emergency over coronavirus in Finland. Due this reason the update cycle to make posting to this blog could be slowed down.
The Finnish government announced on Monday nationwide school closures in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Read more on the following aricles:
Finland closes schools, declares state of emergency over coronavirus
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finland_closes_schools_declares_state_of_emergency_over_coronavirus/11260062
Daycare centres are to stay open but parents were asked to keep their kids home if possible. The government also published a 19-point list of emergency legislation that takes effect on 18 March.
Coronavirus latest: 359 cases confirmed in Finland, S-Group shuts its Helsinki eateries, bankruptcy fears mount
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/coronavirus_latest_359_cases_confirmed_in_finland_s-group_shuts_its_helsinki_eateries_bankruptcy_fears_mount/11249610
Here is a link to an earlier post related to Coronavirus:
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2020/02/12/mobile-trends-2020-mwc-canceled/
1,657 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kotimaisten kasvomaskien valmistus käynnistyi Tampereella https://www.is.fi/taloussanomat/art-2000006511256.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Many People Die Each Day?
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-many-people-die-each-day/
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the media continues to rattle off statistics at full force.
However, without a frame of reference, numbers such as the death toll can be difficult to interpret. Mortalities attributed to the virus, for example, are often measured in the thousands of people per day globally—but is this number a little or a lot, relative to typical causes of death?
Tomi Engdahl says:
When you speak, sneeze, or cough, where does your spittle go? Researchers present more about why it’s important to wear a mask and keep your distance.
Six Feet Is Not Always Enough: How Saliva Droplets Spread Through the Air
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/imaging/six-feet-is-not-always-enough-how-saliva-droplets-spread-through-the-air
In Maryland, restaurant patrons stand inside bumper-style tables to keep 6 feet apart. In New York, sunbathers maintain distance by lounging in white chalk circles painted on a grassy field.
As the United States slowly begins opening public spaces, organizations are getting creative about how to encourage social distancing. But two new studies on the airborne spread of saliva droplets, which can harbor virus particles from respiratory diseases like COVID-19, suggest those 6 feet alone are not always enough.
loud speech produces thousands of saliva droplets per second, and those droplets can linger in enclosed spaces for up to 14 minutes. Using computational modeling, a team at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus found that a mild cough outside in a light breeze can carry droplets up to 18 feet away.
“Two meters does not suffice if you are in an open space,”
“Two meters is okay if there is no wind or very little, but beyond that situation, saliva droplets can travel a considerable distance.”
a cloud of saliva droplets released by a cough falls to the ground quickly if there’s no wind. But in even a slight breeze, those same droplets can travel 18 feet in 5 seconds. An even stronger wind will propel droplets the same distance in less than 2 seconds
“Wind in an open space will influence the propagation and distance that saliva droplets can travel,”
speaking loudly generated thousands of small droplets per second. Some of those droplets dried out and shrank from 12–20 micrometers down to about 4 micrometers, then lingered in the air. Overall, droplets remained airborne in a stagnant space for an average of 12 minutes, the authors report.
“For asymptomatic people, saliva droplets created from simple speech likely account for the majority of droplets a person expels,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg:
Sources: Facebook will limit offices to 25% occupancy, put people on shifts, and require temperature checks and masks when it reopens workplaces in July — – Company plans to put employees on shifts to reduce numbers — Grab-and-go meals, temperature checks, updated shuttles coming
Facebook to Limit Offices to 25% Capacity, Require Masks at Work
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-20/facebook-to-limit-offices-to-25-capacity-require-masks-at-work
Facebook Inc. will limit offices to 25% occupancy, put people on multiple shifts and require temperature checks when it lets employees back into workplaces beginning in July, according to people familiar with the matter.
The social media company outlined to staff globally how it plans to handle a return to major job sites starting July 6, providing a glimpse at what offices may look like more broadly when businesses reopen their doors in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Facebook will also limit how many employees can gather in meeting rooms, create 6-foot spaces between work stations, replace cafeteria buffets with grab-and-go meals and initially keep office gyms closed, according to the people, who asked not to be identified
Staff must wear masks in the office when not social distancing, and in some locations, masks will have to be worn at all time while working. Facebook doesn’t plan to test employees for Covid-19, but it may do so in the future once quicker testing becomes more readily available, the people said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Verge:
Interview with Sundar Pichai on Google’s diversity, long-term plans for its hardware division, the pandemic’s effect on its ads business, and more — Like all big tech companies, Google and Alphabet are playing an outsized role in our lives as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Sundar Pichai on managing Google through the pandemic
The CEO of Google and Alphabet joins The Vergecast
https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/19/21262934/google-alphabet-ceo-sundar-pichai-interview-pandemic-coronavirus
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pandemic Delays Electronic Product Launches
A survey finds component prices are surging as supply chain disruptions continue. 53 percent of electronics industry product launches have been delayed.
https://www.eetimes.com/pandemic-delays-electronic-product-launches/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facial Recognition Firms Pitch Covid-19 ‘Immunity Passports’ For America And Britain
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/05/20/facial-recognition-firms-pitch-covid-19-immunity-passports-for-america-and-britain/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie/#676f7264696
When the world economy reopens and populations want to traverse borders again, some governments are going to want proof people aren’t coming in or leaving with Covid-19. Employers are also going to want to know their workforce isn’t going to be the epicenter of another outbreak. And so a handful of companies are bidding for business that will help the Trump and Johnson administrations on either side of the Atlantic keep tabs on travel (or attempted travel) of the infected.
One of them is facial recognition startup FaceFirst. Located in Encino, California in 2007 and with $10.4 million funding, it’s been promoting the idea of a “coronavirus-immunity registry.” This will be based on a database run by medical providers, which will feed a smartphone app with your immunity status. Just as your iPhone opens if you show your face, the app will verify it’s you by using your face.
The app will also tell employers and border control staff more about a person’s experience of Covid-19, says CEO Peter Trepp. It will know what kind of test you received, in case it was a defective one; it will include a record of whether you’ve been near infected folk or not; and it will note if you’ve had an antibody test too.
Trepp doesn’t think there’s a decent alternative to the conundrum of keeping a second Covid-19 wave at bay. “The other solution, of course, is let’s hire thousands of people and make phone calls and build a big Excel spreadsheet and just ask people whether they’ve had it and whether they’ve been tested. That is laughable, in my view… It doesn’t work when you consider the power of a more centralized system.”
There are obvious anxieties about any system that involves monitoring of people’s medical records. This week the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) raised concerns about such immunity passports, saying it could create “a new health surveillance infrastructure that endangers privacy rights.”
If it does ever get the green light, such a centralized system will have to have the backing of the White House and Congress, Trepp says. He tells Forbes he’s in “indirect discussions” with the U.S. government, though doesn’t elaborate. When Forbes asks whether the $10,000 the company has spent on lobbying, according to a Senate record from this April, Trepp says it wasn’t for discussing his passport idea. But they show the company has talked with officials at the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the White House about “issues related to biometrics and facial recognition and entry and exit screening.”
In the U.K., Onfido has been pushing for a similar rollout. The startup, which has (according to Pitchbook data) secured $265 million in venture funding and is perhaps best known as the provider of the verification technology behind challenger bank Monzo, has been pitching “a system for citizens, guests and employees to have proof of immunity that is designed to help an individual prove their health status, but without them having to share any other personal information.” Similarly, Trepp says his system would have a focus on privacy and that the user would have control over their medical data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
First Reported Case Of Covid-19-Related Psychotic Delusions
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/first-reported-case-of-covid19related-psychotic-delusions/
A new psychiatric case report tells the story of a man whose psychotic delusions revolved around the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s an example of how prevailing topics can become the main content of psychotic thinking,” Matthias Fischer, study author from the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Rostock, told IFLScience.
The report doesn’t suggest that the psychotic episode was necessarily caused by the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it does indicate this global event was coloring his delusions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
PPE Industry Experiences Turbulence in Wake of COVID-19
https://www.designnews.com/medical/ppe-industry-experiences-turbulence-wake-covid-19/59986168263019?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13218&elq_cid=876648
If you’re not a healthcare provider or a worker exposed to hazardous conditions, chances are you didn’t pay much attention to personal protective equipment (PPE). That all changed with COVID-19. Frost & Sullivan recently hosted a webinar on the almost $60-billion PPE industry, highlighting how the outbreak has changed the business going forward. As always, there will be winners and losers within this industry that includes such major players as 3M, DuPont, Honeywell, Moldex, and Cardinal Health.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Are Manufacturers Holding Up During the Pandemic?
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/how-are-manufacturers-holding-during-pandemic/124103992863029?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=13218&elq_cid=876648
Reshoring and automation have both gained traction during a time when the global supply chain is stressed.
This week Thomas released a survey reporting on the impact of COVID-19 on US manufacturing and industry. The survey quizzed more than 1,000 North American manufacturers and industrial suppliers to find out how they have been affected by the global pandemic. The survey also looked at trends in a post-pandemic world.
Both reshoring and the deployment of automation have become more interesting to respondents. The survey reveals that 64% of manufacturers say they are likely to bring manufacturing production and sourcing back to North America, which is a 10% increase from the same sentiment reported in Thomas’ March survey of manufacturers. Another key finding shows that 25% of US manufacturers are considering expanding industrial automation as a result of COVID-19.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tough and Unpredictable Times Ahead
https://blog.semi.org/business-markets/tough-and-unpredictable-times-ahead
March and April world data clearly showed the impact of the global manufacturing slowdown driven by COVID-19. The world purchasing manager’s index plunged from 47.3 in March to 39.8 in April (Chart 1). Values below 50 indicate a manufacturing contraction. April’s global PMI was its lowest since the financial crisis of 2008 and its trajectory was still headed down as the month closed.
All countries and regions have seen a sharp manufacturing slowdown (Chart 2). China, hit hard in February, recovered in March and then dipped in slightly but the balance of the world saw manufacturing plunge in April as COVID-19 forced factory closures. Unemployment skyrocketed and GDPs plunged.
Electronic Supply Chain Response
The entire global electronic supply chain has been affected by this current large, sharp downturn. Based on preliminary financial data from 213 global electronic equipment manufacturers, revenues in U.S. dollars were down almost 6% in 1Q’20 vs 1Q’19. (Chart 3). A group of 52 public EMS and ODM companies saw its sales drop over 10% in the same period.
In this first quarter the U.S. GDP declined 4.8% and the domestic civilian unemployment rate rose to 14.7%. Times are tough!
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Finland
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely Bots
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/20/859814085/researchers-nearly-half-of-accounts-tweeting-about-coronavirus-are-likely-bots?utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com
Nearly half of the Twitter accounts spreading messages on the social media platform about the coronavirus pandemic are likely bots, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University said on Wednesday.
Researchers culled through more than 200 million tweets since January discussing the virus and found that about 45% were sent by accounts that behave more like computerized robots than humans.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish-developed, open-source coronavirus vaccine nearly ready for testing
A Finnish team has developed a coronavirus vaccine for testing, but fears nags in production
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/finnish-developed_open-source_coronavirus_vaccine_nearly_ready_for_testing/11342151
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/covid-19-the-long-term-implications/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Three quarters of workers don’t want to go back to the office full-time
https://www.zdnet.com/article/three-quarters-of-workers-dont-want-to-go-back-to-the-office-full-time/
Even as businesses start reopening, bringing staff back to work is by no means a given.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Initial surge in news use around coronavirus in the UK has been followed by significant increase in news avoidance
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/initial-surge-news-use-around-coronavirus-uk-has-been-followed-significant-increase-news-avoidance
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus, ‘Plandemic’ and the seven traits of conspiratorial thinking
https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-plandemic-and-the-seven-traits-of-conspiratorial-thinking-138483
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://ka.se/2020/05/14/mindre-stress-tack-vare-coronakrisen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Työstä on helpompi vieraantua etänä
https://ylioppilaslehti.fi/2020/05/tyosta-on-helpompi-vieraantua-etana/
Etätyö voi parhaimmillaan mullistaa työelämän. Todennäköisemmin se kasvattaa merkityksettömyyden tunnetta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/marketplace-anti-vaccination-hidden-camera-washington-1.5429805
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facial recognition firms are scrambling to see around face masks
https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/facial-recognition-firms-are-scrambling-to-see-around-face-masks/
Because of face coverings prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, companies are trying to ID people based on just their eyes and cheekbones.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/t-cells-found-covid-19-patients-bode-well-long-term-immunity
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3084060/multiple-vaccines-and-global-approach-needed-fight-coronavirus
Multiple vaccines and global approach needed to fight coronavirus, say top US scientists
The researchers, including White House task force member Anthony Fauci, set out why coordinated international approach is necessary
The paper goes against Donald Trump’s go-it-alone approach
Tomi Engdahl says:
American Idol is shooting on iPhones amid stay at home orders
https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/11/american-idol-is-shooting-on-iphones-amid-stay-at-home-orders/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Miten COVID-19 muuttaa tapahtuma-alaa?
Tapahtuma-ala on tänä keväänä kohdannut mustan joutsenensa. Alalla vallitsee epävarmuus, joka tekee tulevaisuuden ennustamisesta lähes mahdotonta
https://www.lyyti.com/fi/state-of-events-2020
Tomi Engdahl says:
Uusi normaali
https://www.mandatumlife.fi/life-magazine/uusi-normaali/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Halu koskettaa eli miksi etäkaljat eivät riitä
https://ylioppilaslehti.fi/2020/05/halu-koskettaa/
Sosiaalinen etäisyys ei voi kestää kauaa, koska viestintävälineemme osoittavat meille päivittäin, miten huonoja korvikkeita ne ovat sosiaaliselle elämälle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Preparation for introduction of an application to trace chains of transmission continues – proposal for a roadmap circulated for comments
https://valtioneuvosto.fi/article/-/asset_publisher/1271139/tartuntaketjuja-jaljittavan-sovelluksen-kayttoonoton-valmistelu-jatkuu-esitys-etenemisesta-lausunnoille
Tomi Engdahl says:
Koronaviruksesta johtuva eristys voi aiheuttaa lapsille pitkäaikaista ahdistusta
https://www.pelastakaalapset.fi/uutiset/koronaviruksesta-johtuva-eristys-voi-aiheuttaa-lapsille-pitkaaikaista-ahdistusta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why do some COVID-19 patients infect many others, whereas most don’t spread the virus at all?
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/why-do-some-covid-19-patients-infect-many-others-whereas-most-don-t-spread-virus-all
Other infectious diseases also spread in clusters, and with close to 5 million reported COVID-19 cases worldwide, some big outbreaks were to be expected. But SARS-CoV-2, like two of its cousins, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), seems especially prone to attacking groups of tightly connected people while sparing others. It’s an encouraging finding, scientists say, because it suggests that restricting gatherings where superspreading is likely to occur will have a major impact on transmission, and that other restrictions—on outdoor activity, for example—might be eased.
“If you can predict what circumstances are giving rise to these events, the math shows you can really, very quickly curtail the ability of the disease to spread,”
Most of the discussion around the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has concentrated on the average number of new infections caused by each patient. Without social distancing, this reproduction number (R) is about three. But in real life, some people infect many others and others don’t spread the disease at all. In fact, the latter is the norm, Lloyd-Smith says: “The consistent pattern is that the most common number is zero. Most people do not transmit.”
That’s why in addition to R, scientists use a value called the dispersion factor (k), which describes how much a disease clusters. The lower k is, the more transmission comes from a small number of people.
Estimates of k for SARS-CoV-2 vary.
in a recent preprint, Adam Kucharski of LSHTM estimated that k for COVID-19 is as low as 0.1. “Probably about 10% of cases lead to 80% of the spread,” Kucharski says.
If k is really 0.1, then most chains of infection die out by themselves and SARS-CoV-2 needs to be introduced undetected into a new country at least four times to have an even chance of establishing itself, Kucharski says. If the Chinese epidemic was a big fire that sent sparks flying around the world, most of the sparks simply fizzled out.
SARS-CoV-2 appears to transmit mostly through droplets, but it does occasionally spread through finer aerosols that can stay suspended in the air, enabling one person to infect many. Most published large transmission clusters “seem to implicate aerosol transmission,” Fraser says.
Individual patients’ characteristics play a role as well. Some people shed far more virus, and for a longer period of time, than others, perhaps because of differences in their immune system or the distribution of virus receptors in their body.
Researchers in China studying the spread of the coronavirus outside Hubei province—ground zero for the pandemic—identified 318 clusters of three or more cases between 4 January and 11 February, only one of which originated outdoors. A study in Japan found that the risk of infection indoors is almost 19 times higher than outdoors.
The report about the choir in Washington made her realize that one thing links numerous clusters: They happened in places where people shout or sing.
After South Korea relaxed social distancing rules in early May, a man who later tested positive for COVID-19 visited several clubs in Seoul; public health officials scrambled to identify thousands of potential contacts and have already found 170 new cases.
“Shutdowns are an incredibly blunt tool,” he says. “You’re basically saying: We don’t know enough about where transmission is happening to be able to target it, so we’re just going to target all of it.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Life at US universities facing COVID-19 restrictions will look very different. The CDC outlines how.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/life-at-us-universities-post-covid-19-will-look-very-different-the-cdc-outlines-how/
From lectures to lunch, the novel coronavirus will change the campus landscape, perhaps for years to come.
The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked the world to the core, causing not only public health emergencies across the globe but also severe economic disruption.
The educational sector is one of many that is facing an uphill struggle. Schools, colleges, and universities — as well as other adult training providers — have had to rethink how teaching can go ahead when the most basic premise, packing individuals into a room, is no longer possible while adhering to social distancing measures.
Digital learning and virtual platforms, once considered simply useful tools, are now becoming critical components in the creation of new approaches to delivering courses.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: Nissan looks at culling up to 20,000 jobs worldwide
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-nissan-looks-at-culling-up-to-20000-jobs-worldwide-085309068.html
The carmaker, which is part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, has seen sales and profits slump. Kyodo News said that Nissan is expected to announce the extensive job cuts as part of its new mid-term strategy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lie To Your Employer About Having COVID-19? The FBI Can Arrest You
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/05/22/lie-to-your-employer-about-having-covid-19-the-fbi-can-arrest-you/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie/#676f7264696
Thinking of taking advantage of the pandemic and pulling a sickie? Maybe think again. If you tell your employer you have COVID-19 when you don’t, it could leave you with a criminal record, a hefty fine and possibly prison time.
A criminal complaint in Atlanta, Georgia, claims that 34-year-old Santwon Antonio Davis committed wire fraud in trying to convince his employer he had the virus and that it forced the unnamed Fortune 500 company to shut down for cleaning. That cost the business $100,000, according to prosecutors.
The company asked him for a copy of the results, which he never sent, though he did pass along a “work/school excuse letter,” which indicated Davis was admitted to Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center Hospital South on March 20. The letter, sent from his iCloud account, also said Davis should quarantine for 14 days and avoid all contact with people if possible, though didn’t mention any COVID-19 results, prosecutors said.
Despite that, on March 23, the company closed the plant where Davis worked for cleaning and quarantined four employees who’d been in close contact with the accused, costing the business in excess of $100,000, prosecutors said.
“The defendant caused unnecessary economic loss to his employer and distress to his coworkers and their families,” said U.S. attorney Byung J. Pak. “We will take quick action through the Georgia COVID-19 Task Force to put a stop to criminals preying on Georgia companies and the public with Coronavirus-related fraud schemes.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coronavirus: Japan shows our faith in lockdowns and working from home is misplaced
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3085492/coronavirus-japan-shows-our-faith-lockdowns-and-working-home
Crowded Japan found itself unable to embrace either measure, leading to dire predictions. Yet it now has one of the lowest infection rates in the world
This suggests another force is at work. Asian hygiene standards, take a bow
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-learning-how-to-dance-b8420170203e
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-how-to-do-testing-and-contact-tracing-bde85b64072e
Tomi Engdahl says:
Professori lyö tiskiin rankan laskelman: Koronatoimien kustannus on yli 0,5 miljoonaa euroa per säästynyt elinvuosi – “Lockdownissa ei ole mitään järkeä”
https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/professorii-lyo-tiskiin-rankan-laskelman-koronatoimien-kustannus-on-yli-0-5-miljoonaa-euroa-per-saastynyt-elinvuosi-lockdownissa-ei-ole-mitaan-jarkea/7809974#gs.742wjo
Tomi Engdahl says:
Central banks are creating ‘fake markets,’ Bank of America strategists say
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/22/central-banks-are-creating-fake-markets-bank-of-america-strategists-say.html
Central banks have deployed a total of around $4 trillion of asset purchases over the past eight weeks, and the global equity market cap has surged by $15 trillion.
Despite the economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, risk assets have been rallying of late.
Stocks have become detached from reality due to recent interventions from central banks into the bond markets, according to analysts at Bank of America.
In a research note Friday, the Bank of America Securities division highlighted the question of why the stock market is so divorced from reality as one of the most frequently asked by investors.
Despite the economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far seen 38 million Americans file for unemployment and brought about sharp contractions in global GDP (gross domestic product), risk assets have been rallying of late.
As of Friday morning, the S&P 500 is up more than 14% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average more than 11% so far this quarter, rebounding from a historic sell-off in March as the coronavirus spread in the U.S. and throughout the rest of the world.
central banks have been buying $2.4 billion per hour of financial assets, which Bank of America strategists expect will fade to $608 million in the coming weeks.
However, with 2,215 out of 3,042 global stocks remaining in bear markets, more than 20% down from their all-time highs, Hartnett said this market rally should be seen in the context of the $30 trillion collapse in February and March.
The rally has been concentrated in growth-focused tech names, and the market cap of the FAAMG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google) stocks now exceeds that of the entire euro zone equity market.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3084060/multiple-vaccines-and-global-approach-needed-fight-coronavirus
Tomi Engdahl says:
Car Rental Company Hertz Files For Bankruptcy
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/05/22/car-rental-company-hertz-files-for-bankruptcy/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie/#676f7264696
Hertz, one of the largest car rental companies in the U.S., filed for bankruptcy Friday after the coronavirus devastated its business, making it another major company that has filed for bankruptcy amid the pandemic.
Hertz will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but will remain in business during the proceedings using its $1 billion cash on hand.
Hertz’s Europe, Australia and New Zealand operations aren’t included in the bankruptcy filing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
More than 40% of Republicans think Bill Gates will use COVID-19 vaccine to implant microchips, survey says
https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/more-than-40-of-republicans-think-bill-gates-will-use-covid-19-vaccine-to-implant-microchips-survey-says/
A survey from Yahoo News and YouGov finds that the conspiracy theory is popular among Fox News viewers, Republicans and Trump voters.
Fighting misinformation and conspiracy theories about the novel coronavirus has almost been as hard as battling the pandemic itself. And a new survey has found that one conspiracy theory about Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is taking hold.
A conspiracy theory that Gates is planning to use a future COVID-19 vaccine to implant microchips in billions of people in order to monitor their movements has gained supporters particularly among Fox News viewers and Republicans, the survey found.
half of respondent Americans who say Fox News is their primary television news source believe the conspiracy theory. It’s the largest group responding this way, followed by self-described Republicans and “Voted for Donald Trump in 2016″ — 44% of both those groups said they believed the conspiracy theory was true.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bankruptcy Tsunami Begins: Thousands Of Default Notices Are “Flying Out The Door”
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/retailers-reel-commercial-landlords-issue-thousands-default-notices
Two weeks ago, when showing the uncanny correlation between defaults and the unemployment rates, we predicted that the number of Chapter 11 filings that is about to flood the US will be nothing short of biblical.
All that was missing was a catalyst… and according to Bloomberg that catalyst arrived in the past week or so, as retail landlords have been sending out thousands of default notices to tenants, who in turn have experienced a collapse in foot traffic, sales and cash flow due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are simply unable to pay their debt obligations.
According to Bloomberg, restaurants, department stores, apparel merchants and specialty chains have been receiving notices from landlords – some of whom have gone as long as three months without receiving rent.
The stakes are enormous, and landlords are suffering, too. An estimated $7.4 billion in rent for April hasn’t been paid, or about 45% of what’s owed
That said, receipt of a default notice don’t necessarily mean a retailers will get booted anytime soon, especially since there is nobody waiting in line for the real estate: some landlords are merely sending letters to preserve their legal rights while discussing the situation with tenants, and to assure their spot as a prepetition creditor once the default tsunami begins in earnest.
“The landlords do have the legal contract,” said Green Street Advisors senior analyst, Vince Tibone. “However, from a practicality standpoint, a lot of these retailers are on the brink of bankruptcy and simply cannot pay right now.”
the real bankruptcy wave was just waiting for the unspoken covid-related grace period to end, and for the default notices to start flying.
“The only thing worse than being a retailer right now is being a retail landlord.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Coding that led to lockdown was ‘totally unreliable’ and a ‘buggy mess’, say experts
https://news.yahoo.com/coding-led-lockdown-totally-unreliable-164133453.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cDovL20uZmFjZWJvb2suY29t&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALOdkxZ7u_Rp2r-uvOxj1Vy0EdwCiZAQOR1dGchquSv6RPtP2iiqdrkYNI6gSTCH-knhbHuifa2UIENAO8ddADR-2UXzyBfouGU6aImTVo9KKQjKHrAxtRobenvscM0d6SxL_HzGc5HYrfEmfl-4P-kIY9liY_s0kICR6ShGU6oS
The Covid-19 modelling that sent Britain into lockdown, shutting the economy and leaving millions unemployed, has been slammed by a series of experts.
Professor Neil Ferguson’s computer coding was derided as “totally unreliable” by leading figures, who warned it was “something you wouldn’t stake your life on”.
The model, credited with forcing the Government to make a U-turn and introduce a nationwide lockdown, is a “buggy mess that looks more like a bowl of angel hair pasta than a finely tuned piece of programming”, says David Richards, co-founder of British data technology company WANdisco.
“In our commercial reality, we would fire anyone for developing code like this and any business that relied on it to produce software for sale would likely go bust.”
Up until now, though, significant weight has been attached to Imperial’s model, which placed the fatality rate higher than others and predicted that 510,000 people in the UK could die without a lockdown.
It was said to have prompted a dramatic change in policy from the Government, causing businesses, schools and restaurants to be shuttered immediately in March. The Bank of England has predicted that the economy could take a year to return to normal, after facing its worst recession for more than three centuries.
The Imperial model works by using code to simulate transport links, population size, social networks and healthcare provisions to predict how coronavirus would spread. However, questions have since emerged over whether the model is accurate, after researchers released the code behind it, which in its original form was “thousands of lines” developed over more than 13 years.
In its initial form, developers claimed the code had been unreadable, with some parts looking “like they were machine translated from Fortran”,
Many have claimed that it is almost impossible to reproduce the same results from the same data, using the same code. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh reported such an issue, saying they got different results when they used different machines, and even in some cases, when they used the same machines.
“There appears to be a bug in either the creation or re-use of the network file. If we attempt two completely identical runs, only varying in that the second should use the network file produced by the first, the results are quite different,” the Edinburgh researchers wrote on the Github file.
The Github developers explained this by saying that the model is “stochastic”, and that “multiple runs with different seeds should be undertaken to see average behaviour”.
However, it has prompted questions from specialists, who say “models must be capable of passing the basic scientific test of producing the same results given the same initial set of parameters…otherwise, there is simply no way of knowing whether they will be reliable.”
Writing for telegraph.co.uk, Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Principal at Jesus College, said that “having a diverse variety of models, particularly those that enable policymakers to explore predictions under different assumptions, and with different interventions, is incredibly powerful”.
Like the Imperial code, a rival model by Professor Sunetra Gupta at Oxford University works on a so-called “SIR approach”
while Gupta made the assumption that 0.1pc of people infected with coronavirus would die, Ferguson placed that figure at 0.9pc.
That led to a dramatic reversal in government policy from attempting to build “herd immunity” to a full-on lockdown. Experts remain baffled as to why the government appeared to dismiss other models.
In the early 2000s, Ferguson’s models incorrectly predicted up to 136,000 deaths from mad cow disease, 200 million from bird flu and 65,000 from swine flu.
“The facts from the early 2000s are just yet another confirmation that their modeling approach was flawed to the core,” says Dr Boudnik. “We don’t know for sure if the same model/code was used, but we clearly see their methodology wasn’t rigourous then and surely hasn’t improved now.”
“Multiple groups using different models concluded that the pandemic would overwhelm the NHS and cause unacceptably high mortality in the absence of extreme social distancing measures.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Pure Fabrication’: Wuhan Lab Director Rejects Theory That Coronavirus Leaked From Facility
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2020/05/24/pure-fabrication-wuhan-lab-director-rejects-theory-that-coronavirus-leaked-from-facility/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Gordie/#676f7264696
The explosive theory that Covid-19 leaked from a lab in Wuhan is “pure fabrication,” the facility’s director said Sunday, and comes amid tension between the U.S. and China over the origin of the virus, and repeated attacks by the Trump administration to deflect criticism of its own response to the outbreak.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, said during his annual news conference Sunday that in addition to coronavirus, a “political virus” is raging through the U.S, and called out politicians for ignoring “basic facts” and plotting conspiracies.
Wang Yi also rejected calls for China to pay virus compensation, a course of action the Trump administration has reportedly taken under consideration in recent weeks.
Nish Capio says:
Do you think, now is not the right time to invest in advertising? Right kind of advertisement can reach more number of people than ever. Brand should spend a considerable quality of time and investment to create brand awareness through digital marketing platforms. Read more on: https://capiointeractive.com/bad-time-is-good-time.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Monkeys Gain Immunity From Covid-19, And Potential Vaccines
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/monkeys-gain-immunity-from-covid19-and-potential-vaccines/
Surviving Covid-19 or receiving preliminary vaccines gives monkeys protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Although we don’t yet know how long the protection lasts, or if the same will be true in humans, the work bolsters hopes for a vaccine and lowers the chances our worst fears about the virus will be realized.
Many potential vaccines that appear promising in animals fail in humans, which is why we go through the expense and delay of clinical trials, but success in a fellow primate is a better indication than in more distantly related animals. The specific vaccines used in the second paper are preliminary, and may require considerable modification, but Barouch said in a statement, “Our findings increase optimism that the development of COVID-19 vaccines will be possible.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Highest Daily Rise In Global Covid-19 Cases Show The World’s Battle Is Far From Over
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/highest-daily-rise-in-global-covid19-cases-show-the-worlds-battle-is-far-from-over/
Over 106,000 cases of Covid-19 were reported globally to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, May 20, the highest number in a single day since the outbreak began in December, with the total count reaching the “tragic milestone” of 5 million reported infections.
Some parts of the world have started easing lockdowns as they slowly slide down the scale of new Covid-19 cases. However, the latest figures show that the global battle against Covid-19 is far from over.
“We still have a long way to go in this pandemic,”
Jane says:
Quite logically, consumers have been preferring to buy online instead of offline due to COVID-19. Here are some numbers: https://competera.net/resources/articles/ecommerce-online-shopping-behavior-retail-infographic
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ryan Broderick / BuzzFeed News:
An in-depth look at the baseless conspiracies attempting to turn Bill Gates into the pandemic’s villain, widely shared on Facebook and YouTube — After months of conspiracy-mongering, people around the world are demanding Gates be arrested for crimes against humanity. Here’s how things got so bad.
Bill Gates Conspiracy Theories Have Circulated For Years. It Took The Coronavirus Pandemic To Turn Him Into A Fake Villain.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/coronavirus-bill-gates-conspiracy-theories
After months of conspiracy-mongering, people around the world are demanding Gates be arrested for crimes against humanity. Here’s how things got so bad.