The Daily Moth 3-27-2020
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Friday, March 27. Here are updates on coronavirus.
The U.S. now has the most cases of coronavirus in the world. As of 3:45 p.m. this afternoon, there are over 97,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. 1,475 have died while 816 have recovered. New York City has the most infections, but there are several cities that are seeing large increases in infections — such as Detroit, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Miami, and Atlanta.
The New York Times reported that officials in about 200 cities said they have a serious need for face masks, ventilators, and other emergency equipment as hospitals and emergency responders start to become overwhelmed with sick patients. There are also reports of shortage of test kits. The cities need almost 30 million face masks, about 25 million personal protection equipment (PPE), 8 million test kits, and about 140,000 ventilators.
After some pressure from President Trump, General Motors announced they are working with a ventilator manufacturer Ventec to mass-produce ventilators and would start shipping the machines next month with a goal of producing 10,000 a month. GM will also manufacturing surgical masks with a goal of 50,000 a day in two weeks and have it go up to 100,000 a day.
Ford announced they have worked with 3M to produce tens of thousands of face shields and have started delivering them hospitals and police agencies. Ford also said they are working with GE Healthcare to produce simplified ventilators.
The House of Representatives has passed the $2 trillion economic stimulus bill that passed out of the Senate on Wednesday night that includes direct payments of $1,200 to most Americans and hundreds of billions of dollars in loans to businesses. President Trump said he would sign the bill today. It is the largest rescue bill in U.S. history. There might be another stimulus bill in the future, but there’s just this one round for now. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “this cannot be our final bill.”
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he tested positive for COVID-19 and has mild symptoms. He said he had a fever and a cough and was tested yesterday. He said he would isolate himself but continue to work.
Italy reported that more than 950 people died from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours. The country has the highest rate of deaths with over 9,100 fatalities. Why is that? CNBC did an analysis and interviewed an expert who said Italy was slow to issue lockdowns, did not test enough people, and has a high population of elderly people. Spain is dealing with similar issues — they currently have over 64,000 cases and almost 5,000 deaths.
There is a viral video of people in China angry with police at a bridge between the Hubei province, where Wuhan is in, and another province. Hubei has been under a very restrictive lockdown for two months and this week it’s allowing residents to leave, and it seems like the residents from the other province are not happy about it.
A Holland America cruise ship had four elderly passengers pass away on it and there is over 130 people on it with flu-like symptoms. This is yet another cruise ship that has been impacted by coronavirus. The ship is in limbo near Panama and it is not known when it can dock so passengers get off.
That is all the updates for now.
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1243496858095411200
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/why-coronavirus-deaths-are-higher-in-italy-spain-than-in-china.html
—
Deaf Asian-Americans describe anxiety during time of coronavirus
There are news reports that say Asian people are experiencing anxiety because of reports of targeted harassment and physical attacks by those who blame them for the coronavirus pandemic.
Those feelings are present in the Deaf community.
I will show you two vlogs by Deaf Asian-Americanas who have already posted their videos on Facebook, but I will share it again and I have their permission to do so. The first is by Cameron S.
CAMERON S.
Hello, I’m Cameron Symansky. (signs name)
Why am I making this vlog?
I want to share some raw feelings. I want to talk about the current coronavirus pandemic. What does that have to do with me?
I’m sure you’re identifying me as an Asian person. I’m living with fear right now. I’ve been truly impacted by articles of stories that other Asians are sharing. I live in America and I live in Kansas. Whenever I go out, it’s with fear. I do admit that I got uncomfortable after quarantining myself, so I went out for necessities. I was scared because of any possible aggression I would face. There are many articles that have bothered me and there’s one in particular. A 16-year-old boy in high school in California was brutally bullied and ended up in the hospital with a concussion. It was only because he was Asian-American. Asian-American, hello?! He was an American and they beat him saying he brought the coronavirus here. Shame on you, Americans. You did not even think twice. Other issue that concerns me in the rise in gun purchases in Maryland. High amounts of them were Chinese-American or Asian-American customers. Don’t get me wrong, but this is not normal. Now, we’re buying guns in order to protect ourselves. That’s just incredibly sad to me. There was a mother who bought guns also. She said she bought it so she could protect my daughter. That’s so powerful to me and scary too. It’s made me think that I should forget any ideas of going out. I’m just too scared to go out and it’s all because I’m Asian! I’ve lived in America since I was 3 years old. Yet you think that we’re responsible in bringing the coronavirus? No, and in fact, I’m from South Korea, not China! You’re making judgements based on my looks, that’s all. Shame on you, Americans. You could’ve done better. You know who you are. So, these are my feelings. Stay safe, stay healthy and wash your hands. Thank you and good night.
THE DAILY MOTH:
The next video is by Ketsi H.
KETSI H.
Today, I want to focus on a particular group, Deaf Women of Color. It’s in their nature to give back to the community even though they experience oppression, discrimination and degradation on a daily basis. They still always think of how to make sure that other people feel comfortable. I just flew to Atlanta in midst of this coronavirus outbreak. I’ve been scrolling through Facebook and saw Asian people start coughing leading to the surrounding crowd backing up in fear. That really stuck with me knowing that I’m an Asian myself. I’ve had to go onto a plane and usually Asians are nervous whenever they go traveling. I already had a bit of a cough beforehand, but it had gone away. All that was left was a little sore throat due to the coughing, but a sip of water helps. When I came onto a plane, I forgot to bring along water. I saw a pair of two white men wearing earbuds sitting, with legs agape, alongside the middle seat reserved for me. The whole time while I was seated, they didn’t bother to give me room. I didn’t feel any discomfort in my throat at first. An hour into the flight, I started to feel some irritation in my throat. I looked at the back hoping someone would be coming by with some water. I looked back again and could see someone coming with a car, just in time! I was sensing some irritation building up in my throat and I tried to resist coughing. I knew that I needed to be careful because it would make people nervous. It started to get worse and I had to stand up. I was really trying to not cough, but I was starting to choke. I could imagine that everyone would look directly at me if I coughed which I didn’t want to happen! I tried to look positive and even started to sweat. The man next to me looked at me in puzzlement. I thought I was about to lose it and the cart felt like it was taking forever to arrive. When it finally did, I immediately asked for water. After taking a sip, I sat down and I felt so relieved! I kept imagining the worst, but I made it! Now, I wonder why I’m making these sacrifices to make sure that others feel comfortable. That’s just who we are. We do understand. You know, I look at our people like a big black rock and on the outside, there’s nothing much to see. Yet when you break that same rock, inside you will find glistening beauty.
That demographic is easily overlooked, but they shouldn’t be! We must continue to elevate and acknowledge. We need to continue finding connections and continue to grow. It’s not our desire to take over and dictate terms. We want to…spread love.
THE DAILY MOTH:
Thank you for your boldness in sharing your feelings and stories on social media. We as a community must be better than that, rise above racism and unite as one humanity to defeat the virus.
———
That is all for today. Follow “The Daily Moth” on Facebook or YouTube for the latest. I may post videos over the weekend. Please stay home as much as possible and practice social distancing. Stay with the light!