THE BIG STORY

More testing means more cases

The number of new coronavirus cases in the US is surging, due in large part to a significant increase in the number of people being tested. The total number of confirmed cases in the US crossed 10,000 yesterday; it topped 14,000 this morning and has doubled since Tuesday afternoon. The number of cases in New York has doubled in 48 hours.

The great mask hunt

A grassroots army of volunteers have launched a nationwide search for every face mask they can get their hands on, as hospitals struggle with a serious shortage of safety equipment for their staff. The mask hunters are using social media, text messaging and email to find stores of masks — some stockpiled in garages during the California forest fires, others in college science labs — delivering their hauls to nurses and doctors who badly need them right now.

The search for a treatment

One hope for fighting the outbreak is to figure out how better ways to heal people infected by the virus. And there’s a lot of work happening on that front, Dan Vergano reports. Two drugs used on infected patients in China and South Korea — the experimental Ebola drug remdesivir and chloroquine, a malaria medication that's been in use for decades — will be offered to patients in the US, with scientists keeping a very close eye on the results. There are currently more than 100 clinical trials underway focused on coronavirus treatments.

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

Let’s remember what this newsletter is really about

Chihuahuas, and specifically, my Chihuahua, Max. But it’s also about dogs more generally, and pets, in the broadest possible sense — I want to see all of them, every single one of them. Yesterday I shared a picture of Max, and a tribute to the way he’s making life under lockdown just that little bit better. In return, I was blessed with a number of reader pets in response. I want more, obviously, but here are yesterday’s highlights.

Mughda sent me Princess Jamie, “first of her name, destroyer of beans and protector of all that is cute and fluffy.”

This is Dulcinea. “She is my heart,” writes Laurie.

Here is Angela’s absolutely REGAL chihuahua

Richard sent in a pic of what he described as “two of my four” and honestly, Richard, I want your life.

As a reward for all these incredibly good pets and/or a plea for you to send more, I’ll post another photo of Max at the end of today’s newsletter.

SNAPSHOTS

All of California, more than 40 million people, has been ordered to stay at home “until further notice”. The order by Governor Gavin Newsom allows essential services, including grocery stores, laundromats and take-out restaurants, to remain open.

Two more employees at Costco’s corporate headquarters have tested positive for the virus, days after a co-worker died. The company yesterday told HQ staff to work from home if they felt uncomfortable coming into the office.

The French health minister recently warned against taking ibuprofen, saying it could worsen illness caused by the coronavirus. The World Health Organization now says there's no evidence to support that claim.

Offices across the country are switching to work from home, but Congress is still open for business — and congressional staffers are still coming into the building each day. “It’s unbelievable that any office would make their staff come into work when the CDC has recommended the exact opposite,” said one staffer.

LOVE UNDER LOCKDOWN

A relationship and a quarantine

On March 9, Rita Grosso went out to buy a birthday present for her boyfriend, Marco Bianco. That night, Italy went into a national lockdown, and she hasn’t seen him since. How are they making love work when a country is shut down?

“Technology helps, but it’s never going to be the same thing. I know this could’ve been even worse if social media didn’t exist. But no way you can compare FaceTime to a real hug,” she told Stefania D'Ignoti. “We don’t even live that far from each other, just 5km away. And I think that’s what makes it even harder: realizing that normally I could just bike to his house. If it was a longer distance I think I’d get over it more easily.”

Bianco says this is all a test, and they’re making it work. “It’s in times of crisis that you understand if a person really loves you. It’ll be our second anniversary in early April, and we still aren’t sure if we’ll be able to celebrate it together. But I know she will do everything possible to make it special despite the distance.”

Courtesy Marco Bianco and Rita Grosso

I AGAIN PROMISED YOU A CHIHUAHUA

Here’s the thing. I got a few responses to yesterday’s picture saying Max needs a nail trim. The thing is, he resists nail trims like they’re medieval torture, and throws massive tantrums at the mere sight of a trimmer. But the public shaming worked, and here’s evidence: Emperor Maximus, with newly trimmed nails, again demanding I entertain him despite my betrayal.

This is Max’s newsletter now, I just write it,
Tom