A new aid package moves forward in the House, Europe approves a 15-minute Covid-19 test, and researchers propose applying the US HIV/AIDS strategy to Covid-19. Here’s what you should know: Headlines Pelosi and Mnuchin collaborate in the hopes of passing a skinnier stimulus bill before the election House Democrats’ new, less expensive $2.2 trillion aid package may come up for a vote as soon as today. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin spoke at length yesterday in the hope of reaching a deal for coronavirus relief before the election on November 3. The new bill includes another round of $1,200 direct checks to taxpayers, plus $500 per dependent, and would extend the Paycheck Protection Program. 15-minute Covid-19 test is approved for commercial use in Europe A Covid-19 antigen test that returns results in 15 minutes was approved for use in Europe today. The test is portable and can be done at the point of care. It should be commercially available in participating countries by the end of the month. It was granted emergency use authorization in the States in July, but the FDA recommends that negative results be confirmed by another, more precise testing method. Now its manufacturer says a new clinical study affirming its accuracy has been submitted to the FDA for review. Public health experts propose modeling national Covid-19 strategy on the HIV/AIDS response A group of HIV researchers has proposed using the US’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy as the blueprint for a comprehensive, nationwide Covid-19 response. The US’s current predicament is similar to its early days of HIV in that different federal agencies were left to handle elements of a response on their own in the absence of a national plan. If that disease doesn’t provide a sufficient model, other existing national plans for fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria or pandemic influenza might. Daily Distraction Our national surplus of new TV and movies is dwindling, but books are never in short supply. Here are our favorites you should pick up this fall. Something to Read Back in February, Israeli cyber intelligence researcher Ohad Zaidenberg set up a Slack group with a few fellow hackers called the Cyber Threat Intelligence League. Their goal was to help hospitals, newly strained amid the pandemic, fend off potentially crippling attacks. Within a month, their league was more than a thousand strong and had found more than 2000 healthcare software vulnerabilities in 80 countries. Here’s the inside story of how a group comprised of everyone from volunteer hackers to FBI agents is keeping the world’s medical facilities safe. Sanity Check Photos are among the more precious things any of us has on our phones, and backing them up will only set you back five minutes. Here’s how. One Question Will testing alone stop the spread of Covid-19? Everyone knows the US needs more and better testing to contain coronavirus. But citing testing as the one thing standing between Americans and Covid-free life is a dramatic oversimplification of the situation at hand. It’s crucial for identifying where the virus is spreading, but stopping its spread hinges on one thing: human behavior. Covid-19 Care Package ❓ From social distancing to viral spread to staying sane, here's everything we know and advise about the coronavirus. 📦 The Covid-19 virus can linger on objects for as little as a few hours or as long as a couple of days, depending on the surface. Here's the research. 😷 If you're planning to go out in public anytime soon, you're going to need a mask. Here are the best ones you can buy, or how to make one at home. 🧼 It's not just your hands that need washing—your gadgets, clothes, and home need it too. Here's how to properly disinfect your stuff. 💻 Some of you are work-from-home pros, but if you're new to it, here's how to stay productive without losing your mind. 😔 It's hard not to be anxious about a global pandemic, but here's how you can protect yourself and your family without spiraling, and how to not hate the loved ones you're quarantined with. ✂️ It may still be a while before you can see your hairstylist, so here's how to cut your hair at home, plus other ways to keep yourself lookin' fresh. 🦠 Read all of our coronavirus coverage here. |