Coronavirus Update: HHS ignored a scientific review process, cases rise in Europe, and more

PLUS: The Covid-19 headlines you need to know, a distraction, and something to read. [View this email in your browser]( | [Manage newsletter subscriptions](newsletter=wir) [(image) WIRED Coronavirus Update Logo] 09.18.20 This is a special edition of our Coronavirus Update newsletter. To receive this email every weekday, [sign up here](. [SIGN UP]( Reports show HHS changed CDC testing guidance while ignoring objections, scientists research animal-to-human diseases, and cases rise in Europe. Here’s what you should know: Headlines CDC testing guidance changed by HHS officials [without going through review]( Last month, guidance on the CDC’s website was abruptly altered to say that it was unnecessary to get tested for coronavirus even if you had been exposed, a change that caused swift public outcry. This week it was revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services made this change and then posted it to the CDC’s website, despite objections from scientists and without going through the agency’s standard scientific review process. [New program will research]( animal-to-human diseases around the world Three weeks ago the NIH announced it was investing $17 million this year and $82 million across five years to create research groups that will partner with 28 other countries to investigate pathogens that can jump from wildlife to humans. It's a surprising move from an administration that has flouted cooperation with China and pandemic preparedness more generally. Called the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases, the researchers met to discuss their launch on Wednesday. If this goes well they could detect the next pandemic pathogen before it even infects a person. [Cases skyrocket across Europe]( after a summer of low infection rates Cases are on the rise in Europe after a summer that saw infection rates plummet. Weekly cases are higher than those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in the spring and more than half of the region’s countries have reported a greater than 10 percent increase in cases in the last two weeks. Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director of the WHO in Europe, said yesterday that these numbers reflect better testing but also “alarming rates of transmission.” Daily Distraction Nintendo just discontinued the 3DS, its iconic portable game console. [Check out our requiem]( for a device that changed the way we game. Something to Read YouTube’s recommendation algorithm has notoriously driven traffic to flat earth videos and other conspiracy theories. Then, in 2019, the platform started training its AI to recognize quackery and misinformation and was pretty successful at demoting conspiracy theories on the site. But then came [the hard part](: teaching the algorithm to keep up with all the bogus ideas proliferating on the platform. Sanity Check Give your eyes and back a break: [here’s how]( to set up a second monitor at home. One Question How can I stay social and in touch? [Staying social]( is important for staving off [isolation]( while we’re all sheltering at home. The [right gear]( can help, and a [well-placed joke]( and [sense of self-awareness]( go a long way. And if you’re a parent, it’s worth noticing how this may be affecting your [child]( or [teenager]( differently. Covid-19 Care Package ❓ From social distancing to viral spread to staying sane, here's [everything we know and advise about the coronavirus](. 📦 The Covid-19 virus can linger on objects for as little as a few hours or as long as a couple of days, depending on the surface. [Here's the research](. 😷 If you're planning to go out in public anytime soon, you're going to need a mask. Here are the [best ones you can buy](, or how to [make one at home](. 🧼 It's not just your [hands that need washing](—your gadgets, clothes, and home need it too. Here's how to [properly disinfect your stuff](. 💻 Some of you are [work-from-home pros](, but if you're new to it, here's how to [stay productive without losing your mind](. 😔 It's hard not to be anxious about a global pandemic, but here's how you can [protect yourself and your family without spiraling](, and how to [not hate the loved ones you're quarantined with](. ✂️ It may still be a while before you can see your hairstylist, so here's how to [cut your hair at home](, plus other ways to keep yourself [lookin' fresh](. 🦠Read all of [our coronavirus coverage here](. [a ball surrounded by other balls]( [The NIH Launches a Global Hunt for Animal-to-Human Diseases]( [It’s a reversal for an administration that’s been loath to prepare for pandemics or cooperate with China, where Covid-19 jumped from wildlife to people.]( [Nintendo 3DS]( [The Nintendo 3DS' Surprisingly Social Legacy]( [Nintendo just discontinued the iconic portable game console, but the real 3DS was the friends we made along the way.]( [robot with YouTube logo holding back people with signs of conspiracy theories]( [YouTube’s Plot to Silence Conspiracy Theories]( [From flat-earthers to QAnon to Covid quackery, the video giant is awash in misinformation. Can AI keep the lunatic fringe from going viral?]( [Image may contain: Computer Keyboard, Electronics, Computer, Keyboard, Computer Hardware, Hardware, Pc, Laptop, and Monitor]( [How to Use a Second Monitor With Your Laptop]( [Need a little more desktop real estate, or just tired of hunching over a small screen all day? Here’s how to give your back—and eyes—a break.]( [(image) Condé Nast Spotlight | The breaking news and top stories everyone is talking about. All in one place. The most popular stories from Vogue, GQ, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, Architectural Digest and more. STAY INFORMED]( [(image) WIRED Logo]( [(image) WIRED on Facebook]( [(image) WIRED on Twitter]( [(image) WIRED on Instagram]( [(image) WIRED on LinkedIn]( [(image) WIRED on YouTube]( [Podcasts]( This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( or [Manage your newsletter subscriptions](newsletter=wir)