- India has commenced a 21-day lockdown, after prime minister Narendra Modi ordered the country's 1.3 billion residents to remain in their homes from midnight last night. With the world's second largest population, the scale of India's lockdown will dwarf other nations. Currently, the country has roughly 500 reported cases, and 9 reported deaths, with many infections probably going undetected. (Nature | Continuously updated)
- An epidemiological analysis of Lombardy, the epicentre of the outbreak in Italy, reveals that the first onset of symptoms in the country occurred weeks before the disease was reported there on 20 February. The preprint article, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, looks at nearly 6,000 laboratory-confirmed cases. The advice from infectious-disease modeller Michele Tizzoni: “Be prepared. Even if you don’t see much.” (Nature | Continuously updated)
- Hospitals in New York City — now the US epicentre of the outbreak — will start treating COVID-19 patients with the blood of people who have recovered from the disease. Researchers hope the antibody-laden blood might reduce severe infections, and ease the burden on hospitals. A big advantage of the blood is that it’s available now and relatively safe, if it is screened for infections. China tried treating some patients with plasma from recovered patients, but results of its effectiveness are preliminary so far. (Nature | 7 min read)
- Last week, NASA halted work on the world’s most expensive telescope — the US$8.8-billion James Webb Space Telescope. The outbreak also threatens to delay the agency's goal to send astronauts back to the Moon, and possibly a major mission to Mars this July. (Nature | 4 min read)
Read the latest coronavirus news, continuously updated on Nature. |
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