BitGou: Wednesday Morning Briefing: Japan supercomputer suggests changes to travel, work amid airborne virus threat

What you need to know about the coronavirus today

Warning of airborne spread
Supercomputer-driven models simulated in Japan suggested that operating commuter trains with windows open and limiting the number of passengers may help reduce the risk of coronavirus infections, as scientists warn of airborne spread of the virus. In an open letter published on Monday, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined evidence that they say shows floating virus particles can infect people who breathe them in.

Grim milestone
The U.S. coronavirus outbreak crossed a grim milestone of over 3 million confirmed cases on Tuesday as more states reported record numbers of new infections, and Florida faced an impending shortage of intensive care unit hospital beds. Authorities have reported alarming upswings of daily caseloads in roughly two dozen states over the past two weeks, a sign that efforts to control transmission of the novel coronavirus have failed in large swathes of the country.

Neurological complications
Scientists warned of a potential wave of coronavirus-related brain damage as new evidence suggested COVID-19 can lead to severe neurological complications, including inflammation, psychosis and delirium. A study by researchers at University College London described 43 cases of patients with COVID-19 who suffered either temporary brain dysfunction, strokes, nerve damage or other serious brain effects.

Melbourne’s “sacrifice”
Australia should slow down the return of its citizens from abroad, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, as the country grapples with a fresh coronavirus outbreak that has forced it to isolate its second most populous state. The border between Victoria and New South Wales, the busiest in the country, was closed overnight and around 4.9 million residents in the Victorian capital of Melbourne will return to partial lockdown at midnight following a spike in COVID-19 cases in the city.

Rioting in Serbia
Dozens of demonstrators and police were injured in overnight rioting in Belgrade, triggered when a crowd stormed Serbia’s parliament in protest at plans to reimpose a lockdown following a surge in coronavirus cases. Footage showed police kicking and beating people with truncheons while protesters pelted officers with stones and bottles, after thousands chanting for the resignation of President Aleksandar Vucic gathered outside the building. Vucic announced the new lockdown on Tuesday, saying it was needed because of the rising number of coronavirus cases.

From Breakingviews - Corona Capital: Greyhound buses, Chinese broth. FirstGroup’s plans to sell the iconic Greyhound buses hit a pothole and Haidilao’s results give a warning of how tepid the recovery will be for restaurants everywhere. Catch up with the latest financial insights.

Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

We need your help to tell these stories. Our news organization wants to capture the full scope of what’s happening and how we got here by drawing on a wide variety of sources. Here’s a look at our coverage.

Are you a government employee or contractor involved in coronavirus testing or the wider public health response? Are you a doctor, nurse or health worker caring for patients? Have you worked on similar outbreaks in the past? Has the disease known as COVID-19 personally affected you or your family? Are you aware of new problems that are about to emerge, such as critical supply shortages?

We need your tips, firsthand accounts, relevant documents or expert knowledge. Please contact us at coronavirus@reuters.com.

We prefer tips from named sources, but if you’d rather remain anonymous, you can submit a confidential news tip. Here’s how.

Emerging from lockdown

Africa could face a “silent epidemic” if its leaders do not prioritize testing for the coronavirus, the World Health Organization has said. Just over 420 tests per 100,000 people have been carried out across the continent of 1.3 billion, a Reuters analysis found. Interviews with dozens of health workers, diplomats and local officials revealed not just a scarcity of reliable testing in most African countries, but also the lengths some governments have gone to prevent news of infection rates from emerging.

When the phone rang Tuesday morning, Raul Romero had barely slept. The 21-year-old Venezuelan, on a scholarship at Ohio’s Kenyon College, had spent hours pondering his options after Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday that international students taking classes fully online for the fall semester would have to transfer to a school with in-person classes or leave the country.

COVID Science

Exclusive: The European Commission has struck deals with drugmakers Roche and Merck to secure supplies of experimental treatments for COVID-19, a Commission source told Reuters. The deals cover Roche’s arthritis medicine RoActemra and Merck’s multiple sclerosis drug Rebif - both seen as potential treatments for COVID-19 - and will secure supplies to any of the 27 EU member states willing to buy them, the source said.

Technology firm Smiths Group said it would help produce a blood-based COVID-19 antibody test approved by the British healthcare regulator, another move by the company to develop products to combat the pandemic. The UK-based company, which makes a range of technology from baggage screeners to explosive detectors, had in March delayed a long-sought separation of its medical unit to focus on making and delivering ventilators to Britain as part of a consortium.

Reuters Special Report

As the ruling Chinese Communist Party steps in to extinguish the popular challenge it faces in Hong Kong, police chief Chris Tang has become the dominant figure in a city administration whose top priority now is regaining control. Hong Kong's police chief has likened the actions of some protesters to terrorism - a line that the leadership in Beijing has used to justify a new national security law that came into effect last week.

Follow the money

Coronavirus 'collateral damage' hits U.S. rural power providers

Electric cooperatives, which serve about 42 million rural Americans, are a window of sorts into the far-reaching effects of the pandemic. Revenues of the cooperatives have taken a hit as the outbreak has curbed demand from commercial users and left many workers unemployed and unable to pay their bills.

6 min read

Dollar drifts as risk sentiment proves elusive

The dollar edged lower against its rivals as investors weighed hopes for a swift economic recovery against fears about a resurgence in the pandemic, particularly in the United States.

4 min read

End of an era? Series of U.S. setbacks bodes ill for big oil, gas pipeline projects

A rapid-fire succession of setbacks for big energy pipelines in the United States this week has revealed an uncomfortable truth for the oil and gas industry: environmental activists and landowners opposed to projects have become good at blocking them in court.

5 min read

Cars, a cocktail and a celebrity: South Koreans succumb to Tesla fever

From an eponymous cocktail to eager buyers following the shipping routes of long-awaited cars, Tesla is having a moment in South Korea, particularly among tech-savvy professionals. Kang Sung-mo, who runs an advertising production agency in Seoul, is a convert.

4 min read