Please Note
The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.
Speakers at Monday’s Democratic National Convention slammed President Trump’s response to the coronavirus crisis, with some of the most searing remarks coming from Kristin Urquiza, a woman from Arizona whose father is among the 167,000 fatalities.
“His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that he paid with his life,” Urquiza said.
Here are some significant developments:
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the largest schools to insist on holding in-person classes, is switching to an entirely remote model for undergraduates after just one week. Clusters of novel coronavirus cases had been reported in a fraternity house and several residence halls.
- Two Utah fur farms have seen the first U.S. coronavirus cases detected in mink, according to the Department of Agriculture. Several European nations have found that the animals are unusually vulnerable to the virus and Dutch research suggests they may be able to transmit it to humans, though the science remains unsettled.
- Texas became the fourth U.S. state to record more than 10,000 coronavirus deaths on Monday, according to data tracked and analyzed by The Washington Post.
- The president of Mexico volunteered to receive the recently developed Russian vaccine against the coronavirus, saying he would welcome an injection if the method is proved to work. Public health experts have expressed concern the vaccine was not properly vetted before Russian authorities approved it.
- In Wuhan, the initial epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, an electronic music concert at a water park brought together thousands of maskless, swimsuit-clad revelers over the weekend, Agence France-Presse reported.
August 18, 2020 at 1:36 AM EDT
After coronavirus forced school closures, the U.K. used an algorithm to estimate exam results. It favored elites.
LONDON — Following a national outcry, the British government on Monday made a dramatic U-turn on using an algorithm to estimate how students would have done on exams they weren’t able to take because of the coronavirus lockdown.
The algorithm, which relied heavily on a school’s previous track record on exams used in university admissions, appeared to benefit students at exclusive fee-paying private schools and penalize top-performing students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The estimates it generated threatened to lose some students the spots they had been offered at universities this fall, and that sparked outrage in a country where educational opportunities disproportionately favor those from elite backgrounds.
By Karla Adam
August 18, 2020 at 1:01 AM EDT
Daughter of coronavirus victim blames Trump for her father’s death
Urquiza said her father believed Trump when the president said that healthy people with no preexisting conditions would probably survive the virus. When Ducey lifted Arizona’s stay-at-home order, Urquiza’s 65-year-old father went to a bar, trusting that officials knew best. After he fell ill, he was put on a ventilator and died alone.
“His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that he paid with his life,” Urquiza said Monday.
She added that once she shared her story, others who lost loved ones began to reach out with theirs.
“They asked me, a normal person, to help because Donald Trump won’t,” Urquiza said. “The coronavirus has made it clear that there are two Americas: the America that Donald Trump lives in, and the America that my father died in. Enough is enough.”
By Chelsea Janes
August 18, 2020 at 12:16 AM EDT
From Black Friday to parking lot pop-ups: 5 ways holiday shopping will change
The global pandemic and economic crisis have reshaped nearly every aspect of American life, and the holiday season will be no different.
Retailers are reimagining a shopping experience that has long hinged on Black Friday doorbuster deals and shelves of impulse buys. This year, analysts say, they are rethinking what they want to sell — and how.
The stakes are higher than ever: More than a dozen major retailers have already filed for bankruptcy during the pandemic and many others are at risk of running out of cash if sales don’t pick up soon. And persuading cash-strapped Americans — including nearly 30 million who are collecting unemployment benefits — to splurge on clothes, toys and electronics will be tougher than usual.
Here are five ways holiday shopping will be different this year.
By Abha Bhattarai
August 18, 2020 at 12:15 AM EDT
Trump says mail-in voting could be ‘catastrophic.’ Here’s how other countries do it.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has made voting more complicated — and potentially dangerous. For many countries, remote voting, either by mail or online, could offer a solution. Some nations that have held elections during the pandemic, including Poland and South Korea, promoted mail-in voting.
Ahead of the November presidential election, the Trump administration has done the opposite. At a news conference Saturday, President Trump said universal mail-in voting would be “catastrophic” for the United States. “It’s going to make our country the laughingstock of the world,” he told reporters.
Trump blocked an emergency infusion of federal funds for the U.S. Postal Service because he wanted to restrict voting by mail, he said last week. Elections by mail pose a fraud risk, he said without evidence, and argued that ballots would take too long to process. But Trump’s critics say he is blocking, for political reasons, a practice that is common around the world.
By Adam Taylor
August 18, 2020 at 12:13 AM EDT
Karaoke is a health risk during a pandemic. These superfans are desperate for it to return.
You could call Gian Gozum a karaoke superfan.
Among his group of friends, the 30-year-old government analyst was the one to suggest starting or ending their night at a karaoke bar. Singing pop hits was his favored way to celebrate a promotion or gather for a team-building exercise, and it was also how Gozum chose to celebrate his birthday: Bringing a crew to a D.C. karaoke hotspot, such as Chinatown’s Wok and Roll or Adams Morgan’s Muzette, and renting a room for a couple of hours. He’d kick the party off with Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer.”
Like so many other things, his birthday bash this year fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic, as the District’s karaoke bars — like many around the country — have remained silent since March. “These days, I haven’t found much of a solution for karaoke,” Gozum says. “I’m mainly singing in the car, or singing as I do household chores.”
It may be a long time before Gozum, or anyone else, belts out their favorite song in front of friends and strangers in a crowded room again.
By Fritz Hahn
