Category Archives: Progress

Freshly cast gold ingot bars sit in the foundry at the JSC Krastsvetmet non-ferrous metals plant in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.

Andrew Rudakov | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Gold prices fell 1% on Tuesday,retreating from a one-month high hit earlier in the session asrisk sentiment improved on wider market optimism after therewere tentative signs of progress against coronavirus outbreaksin some countries.

Spot gold was down 0.5% at $1,653.25 per ounce by1024 GMT after rising to a one-month high of $1,671.40. Themetal had risen as much as 2.8% on Monday.

"Risk appetite is back in the markets as new infections aredeclining, that's weighing on gold prices. Also higher yieldsare negative for gold," said Quantitative Commodity Researchanalyst Peter Fertig.

"However, some investors fear that monetary policy wouldlead to inflation. For them, buying gold at these levels remains attractive."

Cautious optimism around a slowdown in new coronavirus casesin some countries lifted European shares higher for a secondday, even as major companies continued to take steps to shore upcash after lockdowns crushed global demand.

More than 1.32 million people have been reported as infectedby the virus across the world and 74,087 have died. BritishPrime Minister Boris Johnson was taken into intensive care onMonday after his symptoms worsened.

The pandemic has rattled financial markets around the worldover the course of the last quarter and prompted nations toextend lockdowns to curtail its spread.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was set to announce astate of emergency for the capital, Tokyo, and six otherprefectures and unveiled plans for a stimulus package to supportthe economy.

"Gold investors are revelling in the level of central bankstimulus and fiscal spending, especially when it raisesgovernment debt levels," said Stephen Innes, chief marketstrategist at financial services firm AxiCorp, in a note.

Indicative of sentiment, the holdings of world's largestgold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust, rose0.5% to 984.26 tonnes on Monday - its highest in over threeyears.

U.S. gold futures rose 0.5% to $1,703, extending alead over London spot prices and signalling market worries thatrefinery closures and logistics constraints could hamper bullionshipments to the United States to meet contract requirements.

The increase came despite measures from the CME Group's Comex Exchange to ease supply concerns and assurancesfrom the London Bullion Market Association.

Palladium was 2.3% higher at $2,203.36 per ounceafter rising more than 3% in early trading. Platinum climbed 1.2% to $744.02.

Silver jumped 1.1% to $15.15 an ounce, having toucheda more than three-week high earlier.

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Gold slips 1% as small signs of progress against coronavirus boost stocks - CNBC

AARP Washington held a tele-town hall and Q&A Wednesday with Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and public health officials in King County on the latest information about COVID-19.

UW Medicine testing app designed to predict next major outbreak

Durkan started off the call with a few updates and reminders for listeners.

The mayor recognized that this pandemic has been enormously displacing, causing social, economic, and health issues, particularly among the older, more vulnerable population.

We know that the things we have to do to fight this virus go against who we are as human beings, she said.

Physical distancing measures, closing seniors facilities to visitors, and other isolation measures have been hard for everyone.

For members of AARP and older people in Seattle, we are on the front line, Durkan said. We know, number one, we are the most vulnerable to this virus, both because of our age and if we have any kind of underlying health conditions. Two, a number of older adults already struggle with not just health issues, but isolation issues and the ability to have mobility and see people.

In addition to the cancellations of gatherings and social events, Durkan said there has also been a huge economic impact. People have lost jobs in every industry.

Weve been working really hard together the city, the county, and the state to see how do we protect the most vulnerable, both on the health care front, but also on the economic and social front.

Durkan said shes proud of what the people in the city are doing to help each other during this time, from buying groceries for their neighbors and getting meals to those who are most vulnerable, to the doctors, nurses, health care workers, scientists, and everyone doing their part to slow the spread.

We are fortunate in Seattle to have such a strong community of first responders, health care workers, public health workers, and a scientific community, she said. Because once we did see the virus come into our community, we were able to see very quickly that the true scale was much greater than we anticipated. And having that information, our government leaders could talk and decide how we could take some quick action to try to flatten the spread of the virus.

At the same time, though there has been some success in King County, there is still more progress to be made, Durkan reminded listeners.

Theres been some press about how we had successes because we worked and started so fast, and people have done what weve asked them to do, but we are not out of the woods, she said. Even though it looks like we are flattening the curve, if we come together again, this virus is voracious and it can take off again.

She urged everyone to stay home, to avoid gatherings, and to wear a face covering and keep your distance from others if you do have to go out of the house.

Dr. Fauci offers WA praise but warns against complacency

These are the only ways we have to stop this virus right now because we dont have a vaccine, we dont have a cure, she added. The cure is how we help each other, and that is what I think is going to get us through this.

The recording of the tele-town hall is available on AARP Washingtons Facebook page here.

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Mayor Durkan: We are not out of the woods despite recent progress in quelling outbreak - MyNorthwest.com

NEW YORK (AP) Stocks jumped in markets around the world Monday after some of the hardest-hit areas offered sparks of hope that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak may be on the horizon.

U.S. stocks climbed more than 4% in the first few minutes of trading, following up on similar gains in Europe and Asia. In another sign that investors are feeling more optimistic about the economys path, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose toward its first gain in four days.

New coronavirus infections and deaths are showing signs of slowing in Spain and Italy. The center of the United States outbreak, New York, also reported a dip in the number of daily deaths, though authorities warned its too early to tell whether its just a blip or the start of a trend.

The S&P 500 was up 4.4%, as of 9:51 a.m. Eastern time and on pace to erase all of its losses from the prior week, when the government reported a record number of layoffs sweeping the economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 991, or 4.7%, to 22,038, and the Nasdaq was up 4.3%.

Markets have been waiting anxiously for signs that the rate of new infections may stop accelerating at some point. The explosion of cases has caused businesses around the world to shut down, layoffs to soar and flights to cancel as authorities hope to slow the spread of the virus. The strict measures mean markets are bracing for a sudden, steep recession.

But a peak in new cases would give some clarity on how long the downturn may last and how deep it would be. Until then, markets are grasping at guesses.

Hundreds of people are passing away each day from the pandemic, but less so than previous days, giving markets hope that the lockdown measures are finally starting to prove effective, Jeffrey Halley of Oanda said in a commentary.

Like the rest of the world, financial markets are searching for any slivers of hope, he said.

The S&P 500 is still down more than 23% since its record set in February, but the losses have been slowing since Washington promised massive amounts of aid to prop up the economy.

In Japan, the prime minister said Monday that hes preparing to announce a 108 trillion yen ($1 trillion) package to bolster the worlds third-largest economy. It would be Japans largest-ever package for the economy and nearly twice as much as expected.

READ MORE: Japans prime minister to declare state of emergency as early as Tuesday

Japans economy was already shrinking late last year before the outbreak forced the global economy into a protective coma induced by health authorities.

The announcement pushed Japans Nikkei 225 index to surge 4.2%. Elsewhere in Asia, South Koras Kospi jumped 3.9%, and Hong Kongs Hang Seng rose 2.2%.

In Europe, Germanys DAX returned 4.9% and Frances CAC 40 jumped 3.8%. The FTSE 100 in London rose 2.4%.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury yield rose to 0.66% from 0.58% late Friday. Yields tend to rise when investors are raising their expectations for economic growth and inflation.

Crude oil fell, giving up some of its huge gains from the prior week when expectations rose that Saudi Arabia and Russia may cut back on some of their production.

Demand for oil has plummeted due to the weakening economy, and any cutback in production would help prop up its price. A meeting between OPEC, Russia and other producers initially planned for Monday, though, was reportedly pushed back to Thursday.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.01 to $27.33 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $1.09, or 3.2%, to $33.02 per barrel.

AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

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Stocks rise sharply on signs of progress in battling virus - PBS NewsHour

Robert Sproston, the Riverhead Town police officer who was seriously injured while responding to a police pursuit March 31, remains in the intensive care unit at Stony Brook University Hospital, according to friends and family, who have organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to offset his medical costs.

By Wednesday morning, the effort has raised more than $50,000. More than 745 individual donations have been made, according to the site.

Hes making progress, Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller said Tuesday. Every day is a little better news, but hes got a long way to go.

Mr. Sproston, 28, served in the Marines before joining the Riverhead Police Department in 2017, and has also volunteered in the Rocky Point Fire Department and most recently the Riverhead Fire Department.

His father Bill, whos a lieutenant in the Riverhead Fire Department, posted an update Tuesday saying his son opened his eyes and is resting.

Im sure that took a lot out of him with all the moving hes been doing the last two days, he wrote. Thank you for all your unconditional love and support.

In an update posted Monday, Bill wrote that everything is going as well as expected with Rob as positive progress. Hes totally moving around more.

On Monday, the hospital staff performed another CT scan, which came back the same, meaning good news, Bill wrote. His family was anxiously awaiting the moment he would open his eyes, which finally came Tuesday.

Last Thursday, the suspect who led police on the initial pursuit that began in Greenport was arrested. Alfred Cowell, 40, of Middle Island, who has a history of fleeing police and has previously been listed with a Riverhead address, was charged with burglary, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, unlawfully fleeing police, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and a number of traffic violations by Southold Town police.

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Riverhead officer injured in crash 'making progress' in recovery while in ICU - Suffolk Times

One of Georgias top public health experts has offered a glimmer of hope, leavening the grim news in the states coronavirus fight.

A new statistical model suggests deaths in Georgia from the novel coronavirus should peak April 23, according to Dr. Carlos del Rio of Emory University. That means infections in the state will likely reach their highest point a few days before, del Rio said.

The prediction is dependent on the resolve of Georgians to maintain their social distance, and on increased testing by the state.

I tell people my phrase is, lets erase April, del Rio said Sunday. The most important thing we can do is stay home. Staying home saves lives. I really think by early May well be fine.

In a conference call with reporters, del Rio, executive associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine at Grady Health System, said the estimated date for a peak in Georgia is based on predictions from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Its probably the best modeling group there is in the United States.

According to that model, the number of Georgians dying from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, will peak on April 23 with an estimated 84 people dying on that day.

Del Rios comments came as the latest numbers in Georgia indicate that new infections in the state are slowing down.

On Monday, for the third day in a row, the number of new coronavirus cases slowed significantly in Georgia, even as deaths continued to climb, according to the latest data released by the Georgia Department of Public Health. There are now at least 3,028 confirmed cases of the virus statewide, according to the state public health agency. One hundred Georgians have died from COVID-19.

The latest data mark a frightful new frontier the numbers of the dead are now in three figures but they represent an increase of 7.7% from Sundays cases, much less than the roughly 30% daily growth the state saw last week. However, with Georgia still rationing its limited supply of test kits to the most vulnerable, those numbers are likely not a true depiction of the viruss impact in Georgia.

AJC COMPLETE COVERAGE:CORONAVIRUS IN GEORGIA

While the pace of infections eased in some places, it spiked in others.

In Albany and surrounding communities, the confirmed death toll took a dramatic turn on Monday. The total number of dead across the region includes 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases. That represents 24 confirmed deaths in Albany and Dougherty County, and 16 cases in neighboring counties, including six in Terrell and five in Lee, according to local officials.

This southwest Georgia community is the hardest hit area in the state and one of the hardest hit in the country based on population size.

Lets keep them in prayer, said Michael Fowler, the Dougherty County coroner. Because its people that you know who are falling dead. Many of them you didnt have time to say goodbye to them.

Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital on Monday reported 586 positive test results across its health system in southwest Georgia.

The states largest nursing home and assisted living trade association estimates there are as many as 30 senior care facilities that have residents whove tested positive for the virus.

One of them, the Rome Health & Rehabilitation Center in North Georgia, confirmed on Monday that 11 residents have tested positive at the facility. Two residents are being treated at the hospital.

Any residents who are symptomatic are being isolated, the facility said in a statement. We recognize the especially vulnerable nature of those we serve and the staff who care for them.

PHOTOS:METRO ATLANTA ADJUSTS TO CORONAVIRUS

Gov. Brian Kemp continued to balk at more stringent restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus, inspiring the leaders of Georgias most influential cities to intensify the pressure on him to take more drastic action.

Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said a consensus emerged from about 50 mayors during a Monday conference call that a statewide stay-at-home order and other policies were needed to remedy the inconsistent, confusing patchwork of policies now in place.

The more aggressive approach comes after a weekend in which city officials were confused and frustrated by a post from Kemp top aide Tim Fleming that was critical of overreach of local government officials instituting steep restrictions.

In a Facebook post late Saturday, Fleming said doomsday models of the diseases path have led to people panicking and local governments across our state overreacting.

As a result of their overreach, many small businesses will struggle and some will not reopen, Fleming said.

A growing number of mayors and county commissioners have authorized curfews, shuttered non-essential businesses and issued shelter-in-place orders in their communities. But it has led to a hodgepodge of uneven restrictions across the state that change by the day.

Powering the states efforts to curb the pandemic was the allocation of $100 million in mid-March to fight the disease. Kemp spent $20 million of that resource 10 days ago and put another $35 million into the fight Monday.

Also assisting in the effort is the University System of Georgia, which announced Monday that it will provide dozens of ventilators and hundreds of thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment from its 26 colleges and universities to help health workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

The states public colleges and universities announced that they will work with Kemps office, the Georgia Department of Public Health and the states emergency management agency to distribute the supplies. The equipment includes 38 ventilators, nearly 20,000 surgical and N95 respirator masks, and more than 375,000 gloves.

Staff writer Brad Schrade contributed to this article.

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Signs of progress in Georgia COVID fight carry a caveat: Our actions - Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Social distancing can slow the spread of Covid-19, and new therapeutics could blunt its death toll, but a true return to normalcy is unlikely without a widely-available vaccine.

There are currently at least 47 vaccine programs under way, according to a list kept by the Milken Institute. Below are details on nine of the most notable. Probabilities of success are impossible to gauge, and it will only take one truly successful vaccine to effectively save the world. Here are some to keep an eye on.

Status: Human trials ongoing. First patient dosed on March 16

This is perhaps the most well-known of the Covid-19 vaccine programs. Moderna, a clinical-stage biotech that develops messenger RNA-based vaccines and therapeutics, has already begun dosing patients with its experimental mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine. Heres an overview of the mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine programs.

Status: Human trials to begin in April

The German biotech BioNTech is designing another mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine. It plans to begin clinical trials of the vaccine in April. Outside of China, BioNTech is collaborating on the development of the vaccine with Pfizer. Inside China, the company is working with Fosun Pharma, a Chinese pharmaceutical company.

Status: Human trials to begin in April

Inovios Covid-19 vaccine program drew enormous attention early this year. The company is developing a DNA plasmid vaccine. Inovio says that it plans to start a clinical trial in 30 healthy volunteers in the U.S. next month.

Status: Human trials to begin in late Spring

Novavax, another small biotech that was among the first to announce a Covid-19 vaccine program, is developing a type of recombinant vaccine to prevent Covid-19. In mid-March, it said it had received $4 million to develop the vaccine from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a coalition of governments and philanthropies. The company says it expects to begin testing the vaccine in humans in late spring.

Status: Human trials to begin in September

Johnson & Johnson, the worlds largest pharmaceutical company, was one of the first drug developers to announce a Covid-19 vaccine program. On Monday, the company said that the vaccine could be available for emergency use early next year, and that it will start manufacturing it immediately. The company is planning to begin testing the drug in humans by September. It said Monday it planned to make the vaccine available on a not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use.

Status: Expects to test in humans by end of 2020

Translate and Sanofi are collaborating on another mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine, announced late last week. Ron Renaud, Translates CEO, said Friday he hoped to begin testing the vaccine by the end of this year, and hoped for the vaccine to be approved by the second half of next year.

Status: Expects to begin in vitro testing this summer

In addition to its collaboration with Translate, Sanofi is also working on another, previously announced Covid-19 vaccine effort, this one with funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). This program is seeking to develop a recombinant vaccine, as distinct from the mRNA vaccines, and will use Sanofis recombinant DNA platform, which has been used to develop a flu vaccine.

Status: Pre-clinical

Arcturus is working on a Covid-19 vaccine that uses a variation on the messenger RNA approach taken by companies like Moderna and Translate. It is collaborating with the Singapore-based Duke-NUS Medical School, and received a grant for the program from the Singapore Economic Development Board, a government agency.

Status: Pre-clinical

This private German company is also developing an mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine. Drama has surrounded the company in recent weeks, including allegations that Trump administration officials tried to lure the company to move its research to the U.S., plus shuffles among its top leadership.

Write to Josh Nathan-Kazis at josh.nathan-kazis@barrons.com

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Coronavirus Vaccine Update: When Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Be Ready? These Programs Are Making Progress. - Barron's

When the season was put on pause, the young Pelicans were hitting their stride and chasing the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With a record of 28-36 and no clear sign of when play will resume, Griffin reflected on his teams campaign There are some wins that you look at and think those are impressive wins. But for the most part, I look at our season and I see such constant growth. And thats the thing that excites me most as weve learned how to integrate Zion into the flow of the offense and hes gotten in better shape. The way that hes started to find himself, the way were all working together and seamlessly working together with the ball dominant presence that good says an awful lot about Lonzo and about Brandon Ingram and Jrue Holiday and what their mindset is. Theyre about the right things. And I think because of that, weve been able to progress rather quickly. So it certainly makes that you hope that when we do come back, and I believe that will happen, that we can pick up where we left off.

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Pelicans David Griffin pleased with progress during season pause - KPLC

Atmore Police responded to a burglary and found a badly decomposed body inside the home.

It happened about 10:20 p.m. last Thursday at 71 Jones Street, Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said Monday. Officers responded to a burglary in progress call at the home. They surrounded the residence and then observed that it had been forcibly entered.

Officers entered the home and began doing a room by room search for any violators, Brooks said. Officers then discovered in one of the bedrooms a badly decomposing body believed to be a female.

The name of the victim is not being released until positive identification is made by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

Brooks said the case is currently being investigated as a homicide, and the investigation is continuing.

Anyone with information on case is asked to call the Atmore Police Department at (251) 368-9141.

NorthEscambia.com file photo.

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Atmore Police Respond To Burglary In Progress, Find Badly Decomposed Body - NorthEscambia.com

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. During a Monday afternoon update from the Sundale Nursing Home in Morgantown, Doctor Carl Shrader says they are encouraged eight days after the first positive COVID-19 test result was received.

We still have 17 of the positive residents here in-house,Shrader said,Three are still at Ruby Memorial and on is at Mon Health in ICU.

Additionally, eight staff members are quarantining at home.

Shrader says they are taking temperatures every four hours on all residents, continuing to treat the COVID-19 patients in an isolated wing and every eight hours they are washing of the residents with alcohol.

He says extensive cleaning and sanitizing work is ongoing.

Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration is coming today to decontaminate again, the hall areas of all the units,Shrader said,Environmental Services is focusing on patient rooms where they continue to clean bed rails, telephones, remotes and switches-all the things we touch with our hands.

The COVID-19 patients are being treated by six workers, Shrader says they have secured housing for the workers and they receive a pay differential.

I feel the next few days are very critical to know what we have,Shrader said,We feel like were in a holding pattern right now, people are stable to improved and thats reassuring to us.

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Sundale doctor: We're encouraged by the progress | 104.5 FM & 1440 AM | The Voice of Morgantown | Morgantown, WV - wajr

The U.S. state of New York has passed the somber milestone of 1,000 coronavirus deaths, while governmentsacross the worldinstituted or extended new lockdownsto try to blunt the effects of the outbreak.

Hospitals in New York City are set to get some relief with Mondays arrival of the Navys USNS Comfort hospital ship, whichwillclear space for coronavirus patients by taking those in need of other care. Its sister ship, the USNS Mercy, began taking patients Sundayat the port of Long Beach,outside Los Angeles.

U.S. President Donald Trump announcedU.S.guidelines on social distancing to prevent the virus from spreading would be extended from an initial Monday end date to the end of April.

The United States has the most cases worldwide.

Italy, which has by far the most deaths and has been under strict lockdown for weeks, reported more than 750 more deaths Sunday, butsawsigns of hope with a slowdown in new infections.

An Italian government officialtold Italy's Sky TG24 television that while everyone wants to return to life as usual, talking about such a move at this point is inappropriate, and that the lockdown measures set to expire Friday will inevitably be renewed.

Several world leaders have focused on the economic impact of the crisis, often drawing criticism amid mounting case counts and death tolls.

Brazilian President JairBolsonaroran afoul of Twitter rules with several posts featuring videos in which he met with groups of people and questioned the need to shut down businesses and keep people from gathering.

Twitter said it would ban posts that go against public health recommendations and encourage ineffective prevention techniques that could increase the likelihood of people getting sick. The social media company deleted two ofBolsonarosposts, saying he violated the policy.

Among new restrictions going into effectMondayare isolation orders in Moscow, where people are only allowed to leave their homes for essential jobs, shopping for food or medicine, or for a medical emergency.

NigerianPresident Muhammadu Buhariannounced stay-at-home orders for the countrys capital, Abuja, and its largest city, Lagos, andsaidthat travel to and from other parts of the country should be avoided.

In Britain, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince Charles are among 22,000confirmedCOVID-19cases, the governments deputy chief medical officer says the lockdown there could last as long as sixmonths, but could be easedif people do as theyre told and conditions improve.

Lockdowns are also being extended in Nepal, Sloveniaand Argentina.

Worldwide, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases stood at more than 723,000 with 34,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics early Monday.

Victimsinclude popular Japanese comedian Ken Shimura, whose death was reported late Sunday. The 70-year-old was hospitalized March 20 with a fever and breathing problems.

Chinas government is starting to encourage businesses to reopen as health officials keep an eye on the threat of imported cases after making vast progress in essentially eliminating locally transmitted cases.

China was the first country to report cases of the new coronavirus and put in place its own strict lockdowns, especially in the city of Wuhan, which accounted for the highest number of the more than 81,000 infections in China.

With hospitals all over the world facing an influx of patients and short supplies, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted their contributions in a late Sunday Twitter post.

Health workers worldwide continue providing critical assistance to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, often through personal sacrifice. Im grateful for their courage, commitment and sacrifice, he said.

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Coronavirus Lockdowns Extended as Governments Hope for Progress - Voice of America