NewsHero (beta) Afternoon Update Issue 24
Jan 31, 2020
Welcome to today’s edition of NewsHero for Friday, January 31, 2020.
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NewsHero Notes
Boldly going… Since the U.K. voted to leave the EU, today’s the day. At 11 p.m. the United Kingdom leaves the club it joined in 1973 and moves on into a world of transition.
Katie Sowers is making history at the big game on Sunday in Miami as the first woman—and first openly gay—coach to work the Super Bowl. Sowers has been an offensive assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers since 2017. For you non-sporters, the 49ers are playing the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 2 in the 54th NFL Super Bowl.
Afternoon Brief
Impeachment
Despite two Republican senators—Mitt Romney from Utah and Susan Collins from Maine—joining the 47-member Democratic caucus to support additional testimony in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, the Senate Friday opted with a 51-49 vote to have no witnesses. The move is said to have essentially cleared the path for Trump’s acquittal.
Gun Safety
The Virginia House of Delegates passed seven pieces of gun safety legislation on Thursday, addressing issues like universal background checks and “red flag laws" and limiting the number of handgun purchases by a person to one per month. (A dozen new guns a year is still pretty good though—ed.)
Equal Rights
Speaking of Virginia, we reported that on Monday it became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which guarantees women equal rights under the law. Now, three Democratic state attorneys general—from Virginia, Nevada, and Illinois—have sued to force a U.S. government official to recognize Virginia’s landmark vote and adopt the ERA in the Constitution.
WHO Declares Coronavirus ‘Global Emergency’
CDC, health professionals say influenza remains bigger threat
A doctor puts on a protective suit and goggles at a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. China counted 170 deaths from a new virus Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical observation and even isolation. (Chinatopix via AP)
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Thursday the outbreak caused by the coronavirus in China to be a global emergency. Cases have now spread to more than a dozen countries. The U.N. health agency considers an international emergency to be a major event that poses a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.
“The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Speaking at a news conference in Geneva he praised the “extraordinary measures” Chinese authorities had taken, and said there was no reason to limit trade or travel to China. “Our greatest concern is the potential for this virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems which are ill-prepared to deal with it,” he said.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
For most Americans however, the risk of getting influenza is much greater than the risk of coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that since October this season’s flu has already taken between 8,200 and 20,000 lives, and that the numbers will likely get worse.
Influenza kills roughly 650,000 people worldwide each year. “When we think about the relative danger of this new coronavirus and influenza, there’s just no comparison,” Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told Kaiser Health News. “Coronavirus will be a blip on the horizon in comparison. The risk is trivial.”
Doctors look at a CT scan of a patient at a hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. China counted 170 deaths from a new virus Thursday and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China's worst-hit region returned home to medical observation and even isolation. (Chinatopix via AP)
Harvard Medical School’s Todd Ellerin, the director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health in Massachusetts, posted in a Harvard blog: “In the U.S., the average person is at extremely low risk of catching this novel coronavirus.” Adding that, “This winter, in fact, we are much more likely to get influenza B—the flu—than any other virus: one in 10 people have influenza each flu season.”
James Lawler, an infectious disease physician at the University of Nebraska, said pandemic viruses like the coronavirus create more worry because, unlike the flu, there are not readily available vaccines and antivirals. “The flu is just not as new and headline-grabbing because we see it every year,” said Emily Martin, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan.
“It is currently flu and respiratory disease season, and flu activity is still high and expected to continue for a number of weeks,” the CDC said in a statement. “CDC recommends getting a flu vaccine, taking everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs, and taking flu antivirals if prescribed.”
As journalist Bob Herman wrote on Axios: “If you’re freaking out about coronavirus but you didn’t get a flu shot, you’ve got it backwards.”
Extra! Extra!
This week we mentioned that far-right conspiracy theorists QAnon suggested a cure for coronavirus might be drinking what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has called a “dangerous bleach.” While not quite as dramatic, famed hand sanitizer company Purell has been told to stop staying it can eliminate diseases. The FDA sent Purell a letter regarding claims its over-the-counter hand sanitizer can reduce the risk of illnesses including Ebola, norovirus, and influenza. The FDA said, “We are not aware of evidence demonstrating that the Purell Healthcare Advanced Hand Sanitizer products as formulated and labeled are generally recognized by qualified experts as safe and effective for use under the conditions suggested, recommended, or prescribed in their labeling.” D’oh! Still though, most of us are probably going to splurp a mini pile of the goo into our palms every time we see someone on TV sneeze…or read another article about coronavirus. Oh well, better safe than *cough* sorry, right?
Sources:
Brexit day: Britain quits EU, steps into transition twilight zone - Reuters
Katie Sowers trailblazer as 1st woman coach at Super Bowl - AP News
Senate rejects impeachment witnesses, setting up Trump acquittal - The Hill
The Senate just rejected witnesses in Trump’s impeachment trial — clearing the way for acquittal - Vox
Trump Impeachment Trial: Live Updates as Senate Votes Against Admitting Witnesses - New York Times
Gun control bills passed Virginia despite show of force from opponents - ABC News
Virginia House passes a slew of gun safety bills - CNN
Virginia counties move to become 'Second Amendment sanctuaries' - CNN
3 states ask judge to declare Equal Rights Amendment part of the Constitution - NBC News
Democratic AGs sue to force US to adopt ERA in Constitution - AP News
Three Democratic attorneys general sue to have Equal Rights Amendment added to Constitution - CNN
Coronavirus declared global health emergency by WHO - BBC News
UN agency declares global emergency over virus from China - AP News
Opinion: For now, the flu is a bigger risk than coronavirus - MarketWatch
Why we panic about coronavirus, but not the flu - Axios
The New Coronavirus Is Scary—But This Year’s Flu Is Much Scarier! - Mother Jones
nCoV-2019 isn’t novel, and we know what to do - USA Today
FDA sends hand sanitizer brand Purell strict warning - Fox Business