Forbes - COVID Contradictions

Plus: Quarantining as a couple

One of the difficult things about this pandemic, in my opinion, is not quite knowing what to believe. Government officials, drug companies, and businesses are contradicting themselves and each other, leaving everyone else anxious and confused. For example, here are just a few contradictions that happened recently. The WHO accidentally released information saying that remdesivir has no benefit for coronavirus patients, but Gilead disagrees. President Trump tweeted that states should be liberated, but later said that he doesn’t support Georgia reopening some businesses. Japanese officials were told that no crew members had left a cruise ship for weeks, only for 48 cases of the virus to crop up. And new research from Hong Kong shows that Chinese officials may have grossly underreported the number of coronavirus cases, which the country denies. It’s enough to make someone’s head spin. So, what’s the truth? We’ll be reporting it as we find it.

Business

More than 26 million Americans have filed for unemployment this week, but investors hope that we’re over the peak.

Despite protests on the news, the majority of Americans want officials to prioritize public health over reopening the economy.

Sweetgreen, the latest big business to receive a “small business” loan, is trying to send the money back.

Twitter has updated its guidelines to ban 5G coronavirus conspiracy theories (imagine reading that sentence six months ago).

Science & Health

The director of government agency BARDA says he was removed from his role for disagreeing with the president about hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment.

“COVID toes” are the latest strange symptom plaguing coronavirus patients.

Communities across Africa are bracing for an influx of coronavirus cases across the continent.

Tracker of the day

Coronavirus Business Tracker: Here’s how the private sector is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.