News Headlines - 17 March 2020
▽White House Wants to Send Coronavirus Stimulus Checks Soon - Bloomberg
The Trump administration is discussing a plan that could amount to as much as $1.2 trillion in spending -- including direct payments of $1,000 or more to Americans within two weeks -- to blunt some of the economic impact of the widening coronavirus outbreak.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pitched $250 billion in checks to be sent at the end of April with a second set of checks totaling $500 billion four weeks later if there’s still a national emergency, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Trump administration attempted to persuade a German firm developing a possible vaccine for coronavirus to move its research work to the United States, German officials said, raising fears in Berlin that President Trump was trying to assure that any inoculation would be available first, and perhaps exclusively, in the United States.
The offer arose from a March 2 meeting at the White House that included the chief executive of the German firm CureVac, Daniel Menichella. President Trump briefly attended the meeting and Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, was also there.
▽Trump Refers To The Coronavirus As A ‘Chinese Virus,’ While China Promotes U.S. Conspiracy
The U.S. and China are engaged in a propaganda battle over the coronavirus, with President Donald Trump repeatedly referring to the disease as a “Chinese” or “foreign” while Chinese officials promote a conspiracy theory that the U.S. army brought the coronavirus to China.
▽JOC deputy head, JFA chief Kozo Tashima tests positive for coronavirus | The Japan Times
Japan Football Association President Kozo Tashima has tested positive for the coronavirus, a JFA source said Tuesday... The 62-year-old had traveled to England, the Netherlands and the United States from late February to early March on official business... During the trip, he watched international friendly matches and attended meetings about the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which Japan is bidding to host.
▽What the U.S., Europe Can Learn From Asia’s Brutal Virus Fight - Bloomberg
South Korea, which has the highest infection tally in Asia outside of China, is testing more than 10,000 people a day, the fastest pace globally. Researchers there began developing a virus test kit at the end of January -- when Korea had less than 10 infections -- aided by a fast-track regulatory approval system that was set up after the MERS outbreak in 2015.
Efficient testing has allowed South Korea to isolate and treat infected people early, thereby slowing the virus’ spread and lowering the mortality rate to less than 1%.
On the other hand, Japan drew criticism for not testing enough people, which raises the prospect of scores of undetected infected people remaining un-quarantined and spreading the virus more widely. There is rising concern that the U.S. is facing such a quandary as it emerges that the pathogen has been circulating for much longer than known in some states.
