Good morning! Today we have analysis on how contact tracing may play out in the US, plus why it's probably time to retire the word "viral." Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day.
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Why contact tracing may be a mess in America
The plan: Contact tracing is a proven tool in containing outbreaks of infectious diseases. Dozens of states across the US are pinning their hopes on it to enable regions to reopen without sparking major resurgences of the outbreak.
The problem: Stubbornly high new infection levels in some areas, the continued shortage of tests, and American attitudes toward privacy could all hamstring the effectiveness of such programs.
An example: One study suggests that if contact tracers successfully detected 90% of symptomatic cases and reached 90% of their contacts it could reduce transmissions by more than 45%. But this will be difficult in regions still grappling with lots of new infections. Take Massachusetts, which put to work a 1,000-person contact tracing task force at the beginning of the month. New confirmed cases in the state are still generally exceeding 1,000 daily.
What about the apps? Smartphone apps that inform someone who’s been in close contact with an infected person have helped nations like South Korea flatten the curve of their outbreaks. But there are serious doubts about how effective any of them could be in the US. Read the full story here.
— James Temple
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Is it time to retire the word “viral’?
For years we've been using the phrase “gone viral” to describe something that becomes wildly popular on the internet. But it strikes a different note in the middle of a global pandemic, especially when the viral content is about an actual virus that is killing people. It’s even worse when you’re talking about “viral” content containing dangerous misinformation and conspiratorial thinking about such a virus.
These past few months I’ve started catching myself whenever I write or speak about something “going viral,” searching for another way to put it. A couple of weeks ago, I started wondering whether we should even be using the word in this figurative way at all anymore. Turns out I am not alone. Read the full story here.
—Abby Ohlheiser
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We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times.
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The top ten must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 100 countries are pushing for an investigation into China over the pandemic
China has reacted angrily, calling the motion “irresponsible.” ( CNN)
+ What is the proposal? ( Guardian)
2 What is the new strange ailment affecting children with covid-19?
Kids have been showing up in hospitals with fevers, rashes and bloodshot eyes. ( Wired)
+ The story of one 14-year-old who suffered the new condition. ( NYT)
3 I enrolled in a coronavirus contact tracing academy
“Test, trace and isolate” only works if you have enough tracers. ( Wired)
+ What it's like to be a contact tracer. (TR)
+ Check out our tracker of the covid-trackers. ( TR)
4 A second geopolitical wave has got leaders worried
The array of possible second-wave consequences is dizzying. ( The Atlantic)
5 The front-runners in the race for a vaccine are emerging
There are more than 100 vaccines in development. At least 8 are now in human trials. ( WSJ)
+ A vaccine will take 18 months—if it even works. ( TR)
6 We may have seen hints of a fifth fundamental force of nature
But we don’t know what it is yet. ( New Scientist)
7 What Facebook buying Giphy might mean for iMessage and Twitter
The GIF-maker is integrated in all sorts of third-party apps. What now? ( The Verge)
8 How one Chinese giant made chatting—and surveillance—very easy
iFlytek’s close government ties have raised… concerns. ( Wired)
9 New rules on selling chips to Huawei could hit the tech giant hard
No wonder it’s fighting back. ( WaPo)
10 The epidemiologist who led Sweden's very different approach
Anders Tegnell insists his nation's voluntary measures are more sustainable. ( BBC World Service, audio)
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"More than anything, this pandemic has fully finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge."
—Barack Obama makes it clear what he thinks of the US response to the pandemic in a commencement speech for historically black colleges and universities on Saturday May 16, that he delivered by video.
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