| The White House reconsiders a ventilator deal, the UK prime minister tests positive for Covid-19, and conspiracy theories continue to endanger lives. Here's what you should know: Headlines After considering a $1 billion price tag for ventilators, the White House had second thoughts Days ago, the White House was nearing a deal with GM and Ventec Life Systems to produce up to 80,000 ventilators. Then they realized it'd cost over $1 billion. Now, despite the urgency, the government is dragging its heels while the president yells at GM and Ford on Twitter. Coronavirus conspiracy theories are a public health hazard As expected, the Covid-19 pandemic has proved to be a prime breeding ground for conspiracy theories. Misinformation about the virus has stoked xenophobia, racism, and bogus medical advice ranging from stupid to life-threatening. Be careful with what information you share and cognizant of where it's from; lives are at stake here. Boris Johnson has become the first world leader with a confirmed case of Covid-19 UK prime minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for Covid-19, alongside the UK's health secretary, Matt Hancock. In a video announcement, Johnson said he is experiencing "mild symptoms," including a fever and a persistent cough. The US surgeon general warns of new coronavirus hot spots While the nation's focus has been on the large outbreaks in places like New York and California, US surgeon general Jerome Adams told CBS This Morning that "hot spots like Detroit, like Chicago, like New Orleans … will have a worse week next week than what they had this week." One grocery store chain was very prepared for the pandemic H-E-B, Texas's largest grocery chain, is one of the few American institutions that was actually well prepared for coronavirus. The company has been talking to Chinese retailers since mid-January, and by the start of February, the grocer was running pandemic simulations. Health care professionals in some countries are under attack Because of their known proximity to Covid-19, health care workers in India are facing all kinds of attacks and discrimination. Landlords are asking them to leave their homes, and one doctor was even assaulted by police on her way to the hospital. Daily Distraction The Georgia Aquarium might be closed to the public, but that didn't stop the Atlanta Humane Society from unleashing puppies within its exhibits. If you were to think a cuter thing has happened, you would be wrong. Something to Read Following the rules in endurance racing is important. But what happens when a person goes too far to enforce them? This is the story of one man's deeply complicated quest to catch marathon cheaters. Sanity Check Have you found that stress-baking and -cleaning helps with your anxiety? That's a real thing, and it has a lot to do with the neuroscience of meditation. One Question How long will this outbreak last? From Backchannel writer Andrew Leonard: No one knows the answer to that, but it will depend entirely on what we do now. If we follow the rules strictly, we have reason to believe it will drastically slow the spread of the disease. The latest data from Italy, where the percentage rise of new cases and deaths has started to fall two weeks after a national lockdown was put into place, is a heartening sign that aggressive social distancing measures do work. After a couple weeks, we will know more about how well social distancing works. We will have more data on where the most drastic measures must be deployed and where we can let up on the reins. Right now we're hitting everything with a hammer because that's the only tool we have. Stay inside, wash your hands, and stay away from your loved ones and things might start to look up. Covid-19 Care Package ❓Not sure what social distancing is? Or flattening the curve? We answered the most popular Covid-19 questions. 💻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. 💉Over 30 companies are working on a vaccine, but it's probably still at least a year away. Here's everything you should know. 📦The Covid-19 virus can linger on objects for as little as a couple hours or as long as a couple days, depending on the surface. Here's the research. 👫Quarantined with a loved one? Here's how to not hate them before all this is over. 🧼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. 🦠Read all of our coronavirus coverage here. | 
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