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Three months into this pandemic, scientists are coming to understand the novel coronavirus. They know, for example, that as horrible as this virus is, it is not the worst, most apocalyptic virus imaginable. Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, is not as contagious as measles, and although it is very dangerous, it is not as likely to kill an infected person as, say, Ebola. (Achenbach, 3/28)

In the one month since the first U.S. coronavirus death, America has become a country of uncertainty. New cases of infection and casualties continue multiplying. New York and Louisiana hospitals are grappling with a flood of patients that threatens to overwhelm their health-care systems. Meanwhile, the president and political conservatives are increasingly agitating to end drastic restrictions meant to buy time and save lives. (Wan and Blake, 3/27)

Soon after President Trump first uttered the phrase “Chinese virus,” Representative Grace Meng got a call from her parents, who had read about it in the newspaper. Had Mr. Trump, they wondered, really given the coronavirus that corrosive moniker? Yes, she told them, indeed he had. And no, despite being a member of Congress and her parents’ continued pleas, there was nothing she could do to make him stop. (Stevens, 3/29)

Newborns and babies have so far seemed to be largely unaffected by the coronavirus, but three new studies suggest that the virus may reach the fetus in utero. Even in these studies, the newborns seemed only mildly affected, if at all — which is reassuring, experts said. And the studies are small and inconclusive on whether the virus does truly breach the placenta. “I don’t look at this and think coronaviruses must cross across the placenta,” said Dr. Carolyn Coyne of the University of Pittsburgh, who studies the placenta as a barrier to viruses. (Madavilli, 3/27)

In the race to control the coronavirus, some public health experts have great expectations for a humble tool: a “smart” thermometer that is feeding data about surging fevers into a new online “Health Weather” map of the United States. Especially while diagnostic tests remain scarce, the device may provide early warnings for officials chasing down local outbreaks before the disease can spread. Kinsa, a San Francisco-based start-up, began selling and donating its smart thermometers eight years before the onset of covid-19. (Ellison, 3/27)

A series of studies, starting as a steady drip and quickening to a deluge, has reported the same core finding amid the global spread of Covid-19: Artificial intelligence could analyze chest images to accurately detect the disease in legions of untested patients. The results promised a ready solution to the shortage of diagnostic testing in the U.S. and some other countries and triggered splashy press releases and a cascade of hopeful headlines. But in recent days, the initial burst of optimism has given way to an intensifying debate over the plausibility of building AI systems during an unprecedented public health emergency. (Ross and Robbins, 3/30)

Child abuse reports decrease in the summer and during winter breaks, when children are apart from educators, according to figures from local agencies. But the coronavirus pandemic will likely aggravate the problem, and not just because cases will be underreported with children out of school, say local advocates. The mental and economic strain on parents and guardians could manifest in abuse directed at children. (Londberg, 3/27)

While laboratory-confirmed flu cases continue to decline in the United States, the number of people visiting healthcare providers for influenza-like illness (ILI) rose sharply again last week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) latest FluView report today. The CDC says the increase in ILI activity, which rose from 5.6% to 6.4% for the week ending Mar 21, is likely linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people seek care for respiratory illnesses. (3/27)

Elmo, Rooster and Cookie Monster are doing their part to help keep kids safe as the coronavirus pandemic grinds on.The beloved Sesame Street Muppets are featured in some of four new animated public service spots reminding young fans to take care while doing such things as washing hands and sneezing. One of Elmo’s signature songs, the toothbrush classic “Brushy Brush,” has been updated to “Washy Wash.” Rooster pops up in another of the 30-second spots to remind kids to “wash hands now” before eating, playing sports or using the bathroom. (3/30)

Isolation, Randy Albright has learned after 445 days in recovery, can be a perilous thing. It’s why, until recently, he was showing up three days a week at the Recovery Centers of America in suburban Maryland, leading group support sessions before heading to his midnight shift as a project manager for Metro. “Isolation is a luxury that you have to learn to grow into,” he often told the group, former users of pain pills, heroin, alcohol and other drugs. (Cenziper, Brulliard and Jacobs, 3/27)

Kaiser Health News: Addiction Is ‘A Disease Of Isolation’ — So Pandemic Puts Recovery At Risk

Before the coronavirus became a pandemic, Emma went to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting every week in the Boston area and to another support group at her methadone clinic. She said she felt safe, secure and never judged. “No one is thinking, ‘Oh, my God. She did that?’” said Emma, “’cause they’ve been there.” Now, with AA and other 12-step groups moving online, and the methadone clinic shifting to phone meetings and appointments, Emma said she is feeling more isolated. (Bebinger, 3/30)

With the coronavirus quickly spreading in Washington state in early March, leaders of the Skagit Valley Chorale debated whether to go ahead with weekly rehearsal. The virus was already killing people in the Seattle area, about an hour’s drive to the south. But Skagit County hadn’t reported any cases, schools and businesses remained open, and prohibitions on large gatherings had yet to be announced. (Read, 3/29)

The covid-19 pandemic is pushing human bodies — and human ingenuity — to their limits. As patients flood emergency departments and health-care workers struggle to respond, an international group of robotic experts is making a case for some electronic intervention. In an editorial in the journal Science Robotics, they argue that covid-19 could drive new developments in robotics — and that the devices could help with more effective diagnosis, screening and patient care. (Blakemore, 3/28)