POSTVILLE, Iowa — It wasn’t until their colleagues began to disappear that workers at Agri Star Meat and Poultry realized there was a killer in their midst.First came the rumors that rabbis at the kosher plant had been quarantined. Then a man who worked in the poultry department fell ill. They heard whispers about friends of friends who had been stricken with scorching fevers and unbearable chills — characteristic symptoms of the novel coronavirus.Where was the contagion coming from?No one would say. Not Agri Star’s wealthy owner, who didn’t shut down production lines after cases were...…POSTVILLE, Iowa — It wasn’t until their colleagues began to disappear that workers at Agri Star Meat and Poultry realized there was a killer in their midst.First came the rumors that rabbis at the kosher plant had been quarantined. Then a man who worked in the poultry department fell ill. They heard whispers about friends of friends who had been stricken with scorching fevers and unbearable chills — characteristic symptoms of the novel coronavirus.Where was the contagion coming from?No one would say. Not Agri Star’s wealthy owner, who didn’t shut down production lines after cases were...WW…

Add to list On my list Estimated daily carbon emissions in 2020 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per day Range of uncertainty 50 0 Jan. May 1960 2000 2019 2020 1980 Source: Le Quéré et al., Nature Climate Change Estimated daily carbon emissions in 2020 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per day 75 Range of uncertainty 50 25 0 May Jan. 2020 1960 1980 2000 2019 Source: Le Quéré et al., Nature Climate Change Estimated daily carbon emissions in 2020 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per day 75 Range of uncertainty 50 25 0 2020 May 1960 1980 2000 2019 Jan. Source: Le...…Add to list On my list Estimated daily carbon emissions in 2020 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per day Range of uncertainty 50 0 Jan. May 1960 2000 2019 2020 1980 Source: Le Quéré et al., Nature Climate Change Estimated daily carbon emissions in 2020 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per day 75 Range of uncertainty 50 25 0 May Jan. 2020 1960 1980 2000 2019 Source: Le Quéré et al., Nature Climate Change Estimated daily carbon emissions in 2020 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per day 75 Range of uncertainty 50 25 0 2020 May 1960 1980 2000 2019 Jan. Source: Le...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareWhen it comes to battling the spread of the novel coronavirus, Kentucky and Rhode Island might look similar on paper. They’ve done comparable numbers of diagnostic tests and lost similar numbers of residents to the disease.But there’s one key difference. Kentucky has more than four times Rhode Island’s population, meaning it has tested 0.7 percent of its residents, compared with Rhode Island’s 3.7 percent, the highest per capita testing level in the United States.The difference suggests Rhode Island probably has a better...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareWhen it comes to battling the spread of the novel coronavirus, Kentucky and Rhode Island might look similar on paper. They’ve done comparable numbers of diagnostic tests and lost similar numbers of residents to the disease.But there’s one key difference. Kentucky has more than four times Rhode Island’s population, meaning it has tested 0.7 percent of its residents, compared with Rhode Island’s 3.7 percent, the highest per capita testing level in the United States.The difference suggests Rhode Island probably has a better...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe coronavirus outbreak in New York state, now larger in scale than in any other country in the world, also appears to be the most highly concentrated, state statistics show.As of Monday, over 1 in 100 state residents, or 1 percent, have now tested positive for the disease — far higher than in even the hardest-hit nations like Spain, where that figure is only a third of a percent.There are 195,031 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York, per the state officials released Monday. With a , that equates to an infection rate...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe coronavirus outbreak in New York state, now larger in scale than in any other country in the world, also appears to be the most highly concentrated, state statistics show.As of Monday, over 1 in 100 state residents, or 1 percent, have now tested positive for the disease — far higher than in even the hardest-hit nations like Spain, where that figure is only a third of a percent.There are 195,031 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York, per the state officials released Monday. With a , that equates to an infection rate...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe world’s wealthy will need to reduce their carbon footprints by a factor of 30 to help put the planet on a path to curb the ever-worsening impacts of climate change, according to new findings published Wednesday by the United Nations Environment Program.Currently, the emissions attributable to the richest 1 percent of the global population account for more than double those of the poorest 50 percent. Shifting that balance, researchers found, will require swift and substantial lifestyle changes, including decreases in...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe world’s wealthy will need to reduce their carbon footprints by a factor of 30 to help put the planet on a path to curb the ever-worsening impacts of climate change, according to new findings published Wednesday by the United Nations Environment Program.Currently, the emissions attributable to the richest 1 percent of the global population account for more than double those of the poorest 50 percent. Shifting that balance, researchers found, will require swift and substantial lifestyle changes, including decreases in...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMayor Tim Kabat was already on edge as thousands of students returned to La Crosse, Wis., to resume classes this fall at the city’s three colleges. When he saw young people packing downtown bars and restaurants in September, crowded closely and often unmasked, the longtime mayor’s worry turned to dread.Now, more than a month later, La Crosse has endured in coronavirus cases — a wildfire of infection that first appeared predominantly in the student-age population, spread throughout the community and ultimately ravaged...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMayor Tim Kabat was already on edge as thousands of students returned to La Crosse, Wis., to resume classes this fall at the city’s three colleges. When he saw young people packing downtown bars and restaurants in September, crowded closely and often unmasked, the longtime mayor’s worry turned to dread.Now, more than a month later, La Crosse has endured in coronavirus cases — a wildfire of infection that first appeared predominantly in the student-age population, spread throughout the community and ultimately ravaged...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday removed language from its website that said the novel coronavirus spreads via airborne transmission, the latest example of the agency backtracking from its own guidance.The agency said the guidance, which went up on Friday and largely went without notice until late Sunday, should not have been posted because it was an early draft.“Unfortunately an early draft of a revision went up without any technical review,” said Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday removed language from its website that said the novel coronavirus spreads via airborne transmission, the latest example of the agency backtracking from its own guidance.The agency said the guidance, which went up on Friday and largely went without notice until late Sunday, should not have been posted because it was an early draft.“Unfortunately an early draft of a revision went up without any technical review,” said Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareIn Michigan, two coronavirus infections in the same workplace constitutes an outbreak. In New York City, must close when two people in two different classrooms catch the virus. But Iowa will not announce coronavirus outbreaks at many businesses unless 10 percent of employees are actively infected, and even 10 percent of students becoming ill may not be enough to close a school.The nation’s patchwork pandemic response has led to wide disparities in data reporting and even in definitions for basic medical concepts. In the...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareIn Michigan, two coronavirus infections in the same workplace constitutes an outbreak. In New York City, must close when two people in two different classrooms catch the virus. But Iowa will not announce coronavirus outbreaks at many businesses unless 10 percent of employees are actively infected, and even 10 percent of students becoming ill may not be enough to close a school.The nation’s patchwork pandemic response has led to wide disparities in data reporting and even in definitions for basic medical concepts. In the...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe coronavirus pandemic’s economic downturn may have set off a sudden plunge in global greenhouse gas emissions, but another crucial metric for determining the severity of global warming — the amount of greenhouse gases actually in the air — just hit a record high.According to readings from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the amount of CO2 in the air in May 2020 hit an average of slightly greater than 417 parts per million (ppm). This is the highest...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe coronavirus pandemic’s economic downturn may have set off a sudden plunge in global greenhouse gas emissions, but another crucial metric for determining the severity of global warming — the amount of greenhouse gases actually in the air — just hit a record high.According to readings from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the amount of CO2 in the air in May 2020 hit an average of slightly greater than 417 parts per million (ppm). This is the highest...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThis article is free to access.Why?The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.Follow this story and more by With government officials debating how and when to reopen the economy, a fundamental question about the coronavirus pandemic remains unanswered: Just how deadly is this disease?The “case fatality rate” of covid-19 varies wildly from country to country and even within nations from week to week. In Germany, fewer than 3 in 100 people with confirmed infections have died. In...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThis article is free to access.Why?The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.Follow this story and more by With government officials debating how and when to reopen the economy, a fundamental question about the coronavirus pandemic remains unanswered: Just how deadly is this disease?The “case fatality rate” of covid-19 varies wildly from country to country and even within nations from week to week. In Germany, fewer than 3 in 100 people with confirmed infections have died. In...WW…