What We’re Reading: 04/10/20

Continuing to lead with news around COVID-19. Here are a few highlights from the week that we recommend you check out and follow— 

Daily COVID-19 Updates from Dr. Craig Smith, Chair of the Department of Surgery 

Sticking with what works; the best place to start. Every evening we share Dr. Smith’s daily COVID-19 memos with the public. Look no further to stay up to date on the coronavirus crisis in NYC. 

Most New York Coronavirus Cases Came From Europe, Genomes Show  

As virologists and researchers race to evaluate and track the COVID-19 outbreak, the virus’s genome is starting to give us answers. Research indicates that travelers from Europe brought the virus to New York City. Another point of note—the coronavirus first originated in bats and there have been many mutations, but unlike the flu, COVID-19 has a slower mutation rate. What’s particularly interesting is how these mutations occur, creating a hybrid able to infect humans on every continent. A good read. (From nytimes.com)

The ventilator shortage is here. The medication shortage is next. 

A plea from an emergency medicine physician on the front lines in Boston—ventilators won’t do much good without critical care medications to support and sedate intubated patients. We should all be paying close attention. 

“As an emergency physician, I am making an impassioned call to focus state and federal attention on this looming shortage of the medications required to treat patients in respiratory failure, particularly sedatives, neuromuscular blockers, analgesics and vasopressors.” (From washingtonpost.com)

Now for some related yet unrelated reading to inject a bit of texture into a few moments of your day.

Postcards from a Pandemic 

The planet is now empty streets and dormant cities. Parks and beaches are vacant, society is largely out of view. Illustrators from around the world share scenes from their corner of life, both eery and beautiful. Take a minute to stew in the calm of our collected human experience. (From newyorker.com)

The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees 

by E Lily Yu

It’s not just a battle of wasps and bees, this story is about our humanity and how cruelty repeats over generations. There are interesting and poignant questions about authority and the fabric of violence. All the while you’re left pondering what occurs in a world without middle ground. A pleasure to read. (From clarkesworldmagazine.com)

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