Laura Gao was born in Wuhan before moving to the US at the age of 3. An experienced graphic designer who now works for Twitter, Gao has been — understandably — frustrated with the virulant racism that's accompanied the worldwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus, and Trump's continued insistence on blaming China for the virus.
But Wuhan isn't as well-known as other cities in China, even though it has a larger population than London or New York. So instead of letting her hometown continue to be associated with a pandemic, Gao wrote and illustrated a new webcomic to help people get to know the city where she was born, beyond those gross racist implications.
It's a short read, but it will remind you that Wuhan is indeed a place of humans, culture, and history, all of which deserve appreciation and respect.
The Wuhan I Know [Laura Gao]
Image: Creativity City in Wuhan by Majorantarktis / Wikimedia Commons (CC 4.0) Read the rest
The White House is now insisting that all scientific and government-health related communication about the cdc be routed through the Trump administration before going public. And that person in charge of this communication funnel? Vice President Mike Pence, who as a governor previously took his sweet-ass time doing anything to address a major HIV outbreak in Scott County, Indiana.
From The New York Times:
The White House moved on Thursday to tighten control of coronavirus messaging by government health officials and scientists, directing them to coordinate all statements and public appearance with the office of Vice President Mike Pence, according to several officials familiar with the new approach.
[…]
Officials insist the goal is not to control the content of what subject-matter experts and other officials are saying, but to make sure their efforts are being coordinated, after days of confusion with various administration officials showing up on television. And they say they are not focused on specific news releases rather with a streamlined effort around television appearances.
The instinct to try and control epidemic news isn't necessarily bad if it's in good faith. People can panic and make bad decisions when they're scared, which can also make it easier for predatory conmen to exploit that fear for profit. Scared and panicked people could potentially overwhelm medical services out of paranoia, preventing people who are actually infected with the condition from getting the help they need. Hell, I can even understand why my own doctor lied to me about swine flu. Read the rest
Nearly 200 Americans who were evacuated from the coronavirus outbreak zone in China might be released soon from quarantine at a U.S. Air Force base in California. Read the rest
• UPDATE from WHO: China has reported 42,708 confirmed cases of "COVID-19" (coronavirus disease 2019), and 1,017 deaths
• Fewer than 400 cases reported in 24 other countries, one death
• World leaders must “wake up and consider this enemy virus as public enemy number one,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today
The global outbreak of Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV represents a “very grave threat for the rest of the world,” and should be seen as a global “Public Enemy Number 1”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday. Read the rest
This essay on the Wuhan coronavirus by Xu Zhangrun, translated from the original Chinese and annotated by Geremie R. Barmé on Chinafile.com, is absolutely amazing. I'm grateful it is now available for English-speaking audiences. Read the rest
The death toll from the Wuhan virus has officially passed 1,000, according to China's health commission. Read the rest
Leaked emails reveal that Amazon.com is stockpiling products made in China over fears that coronavirus will harm its supply chain — after the company said the outbreak will cause 'no interruptions' to operations. Read the rest
After 12 days out of sight while the coronavirus death toll surged, Chinese President Xi Jinping finally made a public appearance on Monday. He wore a face mask and a medical worker took his temperature at a “front-line” coronavirus facility in the Chaoyang district of Beijing. Read the rest
On Saturday, February 8, the United States Embassy in Beijing confirmed that a 60-year-old American national died of the new coronavirus last Thursday at Jinyintian Hospital in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Read the rest
The so-called Wuhan Coronavirus has killed more than 700 people, mostly in Mainland China, and the outbreak continues to spread with new cases on new continents. In China, Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV is also exposing the surveillance state -- apps show locations of the infected, heat-sensing cameras spot feverish disease suspects, and identify them even with ubiquitous paper face masks on. Read the rest
Japan's Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday that Chinese authorities have blocked a plan by Apple supplier Foxconn to resume production at China factories on Monday, as Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV continues to spread. Read the rest
• Online tributes and expressions of grief for doctor who tried to sound alarm on NCoV
Online in China, where Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV has now killed at least 630 as of today, one death seems to have affected the entire country profoundly. Read the rest
VIDEO: Episode One of “Our Coronavirus Diary.”
There is an incredible series of videos making the rounds today, and they are identified as being produced by a man in Wuhan, China, self-quarantined in his apartment with his wife--who is infected with the deadly Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV. Read the rest
The number of deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus now stands at 630, China state media reports today.
China's Hubei province reports 2,447 new cases of the deadly virus, and 69 new deaths as of Thursday.
Multiple news agencies are now confirming.
Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV continues to spread throughout the world.
Read the rest
Li Wenliang, 34, was reprimanded by Chinese police for warning of outbreak
• Coronavirus, which WHO declared a global health emergency, threatens to disrupt Chinese manufacturing
The deadly virus outbreak that began in Wuhan, China continues to spread and claim lives around the world. At this time, still, the vast majority of infected patients and deaths are in mainland China, Hubei province.
The epidemic is also impacting business, finance, and technology production in China.
Apple's iPhone production relies in part on a Foxconn factory that has been shut down by the Chinese government.
If the halt is extended, Reuters reports today, this could impact iPhone production, availability, and sales. Read the rest
Chinese WHO delegate warns of “deliberately creating panic” over Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV
