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Scientists have identified coronavirus-related strains in Malayan pangolins seized during anti-smuggling operations in southern China. The international team of experts says that the presence of the SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses means that pangolins, a species of scaly anteater, should be viewed as a possible carrier in the ongoing pandemic. In addition to selling fresh meat, fish and produce, wet markets typically sell an array of exotic animals and pangolins have already been eyed as a possible host. The seized Malayan pangolins could shed more light on the potential role of the species in spreading coronavirus. “Metagenomic sequencing identified pangolin-associated coronaviruses that belong...

If you want to maintain job security at the Washington Post, you must adhere to the Orange Man Bad narrative- whether you are a conservative, or a "conservative" such as columnist Kathleen Parker. On Tuesday, Parker stuck to that policy by writing yet another column based on the Orange Man Bad narrative concerning the response to coronavirus "Let Andrew Cuomo speak for America, not Trump." Unfortunately for Parker, her attempt to boost Cuomo backfired on her in a most embarrassing way just a short time later. But before we get to her self-inflicted pie on the face, let's take a...

... The U.S. government’s foremost infection disease expert says the United States could experience more than 100,000 deaths and millions of infections from the coronavirus pandemic. ... “I would say between 100,000 and 200,000 cases,” he said, correcting himself to say he meant deaths. “We’re going to have millions of cases.” But he added “I don’t want to be held to that” because the pandemic is “such a moving target.” ...

Laboratory confirmed flu activity as reported by clinical laboratories continues to decrease; however, influenza-like illness activity is increasing. Influenza severity indicators remain moderate to low overall, but hospitalization rates differ by age group, with high rates among children and young adults.Key Points Nationally, the percent of laboratory specimens testing positive for influenza at clinical laboratories continued to decrease while ILI activity continued to increase. More people are seeking care for respiratory illness due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses are the most commonly reported influenza viruses this season. Previously, influenza B/Victoria viruses predominated nationally. Laboratory confirmed influenza-associated...

Thousands of migrant workers in India descended on state borders and bus stations as they tried to get back to their rural eastern villages during the country's three-week coronavirus lockdown. Some walked for hundreds of miles in prosperous western areas including Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi as there was no public transport available to them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has apologised for imposing the national COVID-19 lockdown, admitting it was harsh, especially for poor people, but was needed to beat the pandemic. The restrictions, brought in on Wednesday, are meant to prevent the virus spreading and overwhelming India's already strained...

Today's Quotefall Puzzle features a quote by John Wayne. Click puzzle (or click here) for full size rendition, then use your browser's print command to print puzzle. John Wayne was considered one of the greatest actors in history. Nicknamed "Duke," Wayne's portrayal of characters from tough, fair-minded western men to seasoned military officers resonated in his personal life, full of respect of our country and its conservative traditions and patriotism.Note: This Quotefall actually contains two short quotes by John Wayne, who was always one to communicate effectively in few words. All hints, along with the answer, are provided in the first reply...

Yesterday's thread here: https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3828913/posts?page=1

Traffic jams are returning to cities in China, and shopping centres, bars and nightclubs are reopening after weeks of lockdown as the government declared victory over coronavirus. Normal social and economic order “must be fully and urgently restored”, decreed president Xi Jinping. China is now seeking to take an international leadership role in the war against Covid-19. A concerted wave of articles, social media posts and public announcements have appeared in a wide variety of languages to laud Beijing’s achievement. “China’s signature strength, efficiency and speed in this fight has been widely acclaimed”, declared foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. “A...

London (AFP) – The British government admitted on Sunday that the coronavirus lockdown could last a “significant” time as a leading expert warned it could be in place until June. “I can’t make an accurate prediction but everyone I think does have to prepare for a significant period when these measures are still in place,” cabinet minister Michael Gove told the BBC. Britons have been told to stay inside wherever possible to limit the spread of COVID-19, joining millions of people on lockdown worldwide. The measure was introduced amid warnings that infection rates were spiralling, and new figures Saturday revealed...

Interesting Watch...

Sunday, March 29 General Election: Trump vs. Biden ABC News/Wash Post Biden 49, Trump 47 Biden +2

AN AER LINGUS cargo flight from China carrying €28 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) for Irish healthcare workers has landed at Dublin Airport. The Airbus A330-302 cargo plane was loaded with PPE including masks, gowns and goggles in Beijing before making the over 8,000 km flight back to Ireland. The shipment from Beijing, worth an estimated €28 million, is made up of 11 million masks, 2.3 million eye protections, 2.4 million gowns, and 9 million gloves. This is the first delivery flight of the HSE’s €208 million order of PPE from China. The first ten cargo flights of...

VIENTIANE -- A team of Chinese medical experts, along with medical materials, arrived in Lao capital Vientiane by a chartered plane Sunday morning to assist Laos to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Somdy Douangdy, Lao deputy prime minister and chair of the Task Force Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, and Chinese Ambassador to Laos Jiang Zaidong received the Chinese medical experts at the Wattay International Airport in Vientiane. The Chinese medical team includes experts in various fields such as infection prevention and control, intensive care, epidemics, and laboratory testing. They also brought along with medical supplies. The team came to...

Gatherings have been further restricted to two people, under "radical" and unprecedented measures agreed to by National Cabinet to slow the spread of coronavirus. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the previous gathering limit of 10 people had been cut to two, after meeting with state and territory leaders on Sunday night. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said the changes were strong but necessary. "This is radical", he said. "The vast majority of Australians have done the right thing in the last week". "We have seen huge evidence of that, but have also seen some very silly behaviour of people who...

China sent an expert team and a large shipment of medical equipment to the United Kingdom on Saturday to help in the fight against COVID-19. The team, sent from East China' Shandong province, comprises 15 experts and doctors who are specialists in disease control, traditional Chinese and Western medicine, psychology, nursing, and other fields. In addition to conducting epidemiological investigation and epidemic prevention education in the UK, they will also participate in disease prevention and treatment work. They brought with them up to 17.5 tons of medical supplies, including traditional Chinese medicine, personal protective equipment, epidemic prevention educational materials, and...

I don't believe we are being told everything. Until we know, we could just as easily die from the cure, as from the disease “Your mind picks up signals very fast when something is not right…you don’t always have to figure it out completely, you just know.”—unknown author Something is not right. Too many things do not add up. Both Covid-19 and the influenza virus are contagious viruses that cause respiratory illness. The flu in America, so far this season, according to the CDC, has caused about 46 million illnesses, 550,000 hospitalizations and about 41,000 deaths. And yet, we have...

You must also be aware that the potential for many of these uprisings will have been well planned, funded and orchestrated, with very few initially spontaneous But, the timely question that must be asked is, how will all the liberal-governments, with their propaganda-driven-media, now gingerly back away from their self-generated hysteria, along with their de facto Martial Law—before it is too late? In an earlier piece, I used the term ‘exploitation’ for when the liberal state and local governments thought they found a silver-lining in the COVID-19 crisis as another opportunity to take down their abhorred Orange Man. These same...

Alex “Alejandro” Roubian has been attending press conferences with Governor Murphy since becoming elected. In that time, he acquired press pass instructions from the New Jersey Press Association. Per the New Jersey Press Association: “A New Jersey police credential is not required nor intended for use related to covering municipal, county or state government meetings. Nor is it for access to events, e.g. sports and entertainment. In such cases, an identification card issued by the employing news organization may be presented.” He has attended numerous events as a news reporter and questioned the governor many times. Alejandro’s content, videos, and...

Scoring cheap political points is always distasteful, but it is especially offensive when lives are in danger The United States has now become the world leader in a rather unfortunate category with the largest number of coronavirus victims. This is due to the vast expansion of tests that have been made available in the United States. In contrast, the reports out of China cannot be trusted. As of Saturday March 28, there were 121,117 confirmed cases and 2,010 deaths associated with the coronavirus in the United States. The area with the fifth highest total of deaths in the country is...

For chicken hatcheries, the weeks leading up to Easter are always the busiest. Spring is in the air for people shaking off long winters spent watching Netflix under a blanket who had hoped to emerge into a world of budding flowers, green grass and baby animals. While spring might be calling people to congregate outside, health authorities are saying the opposite. Many schools and businesses are closed, and states and cities are implementing “shelter in place” orders to keep cases of the new coronavirus from skyrocketing. The combination of an enormous rise in unemployment, anxious free time for those not...