Category: viruses
US State Department issues unprecedented ‘do not travel’ warning over coronavirus
The U.S. State Department has issued an unprecedented “do not travel” warning to U.S. citizens, as the number of coronavirus-related infections jumped sharply overnight. The advisory said U.S. citizens should “avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19,” the coronavirus strain which last week was declared a…
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Home diagnostics startup Everlywell is launching an at-home coronavirus test sample kit
The state of testing for the novel coronavirus currently spreading globally in the U.S. is abysmal, relative to other developed countries, but there are a number of efforts underway to help improve availability. One company doing their part is at-home lab testing startup Everlywell, which has been offering a number…
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Israel passes emergency law to use mobile data for COVID-19 contact tracing
Israel has passed an emergency law to use mobile phone data for tracking people infected with COVID-19 including to identify and quarantine others they have come into contact with and may have infected. The BBC reports that the emergency law was passed during an overnight sitting of the cabinet, bypassing…
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White House says to avoid gatherings of 10 or more, Trump suggests US coronavirus pandemic could last until August
The White House held another press briefing on Monday to provide an update on its response to the continued coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. President Trump opened by identifying new guidelines in place to mitigate and slow the spread of COVID-19. These include advice to begin homeschooling kids wherever possible,…
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Amazon asks all employees to work from home, if they can
Amazon issued guidance Thursday in response to the COVID-19 outbreak recommending that global employees who are able to work from home to do so through the end of March. “We continue to work closely with public and private medical experts to ensure we are taking the right precautions as the…
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Hackers are jumping on the COVID-19 pandemic to spread malware
If there’s one thing certain during a pandemic, it’s that hackers will use it for their own gain. Don’t be too surprised. Every time there’s a major news story, a world event or even regular national events like tax preparation season, hackers jump at the chance to take advantage of…
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