The Atlantic published a piece exploring the problematic rhetoric of “beating” Covid-19. Doctors and researchers described how equating disease with “warfare” and recovery with strength can distort the way we perceive death and disability. Besides that, counting on strength to survive the virus has proven to not be a reliable plan. Immunity is complicated to understand; some people with robust immune systems die because of excessively forceful immune responses to the virus.

Led by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, a team of researchers has developed a CRISPR-based coronavirus test. This testing method not only cuts down the testing time from 24 hours to just five minutes, but also allows researchers to quantify the amount of virus in a sample. Doudna and her team are working on verifying their testing method and commercializing it.

Teams of scientists around the world have worked tirelessly to understand the Covid-19 virus by creating images and analyzing its shape and components. This work was compiled by the New York Times in an [article] (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-unveiled.html) that explores the possibilities that arise from a complete image of the virus and its components.

The United States’ Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to two companies claiming their products can prevent or mitigate the effects of Covid-19. Griffo Botanicals and Prairie Dawn Herbs both offered herbal products as cures for the coronavirus and as preventative medicine. The World Health Organization is partnering with governments around the world to reduce Covid-19 misinformation, even offering a mythbusters page to dispel popular coronavirus-related myths.

Brazil passes the five million mark for coronavirus cases as Jair Bolsonaro’s government seeks to shift the burden of the current state of the pandemic to regular Brazilian citizens. Brazil now has the third-highest number of cases.

As more and more companies race to find a vaccine, researchers have noticed that older adults, a key group, are being excluded from clinical trials.