| Greetings, QuickTake readers! In this edition: Biden takes a lofty lead, Olympic organizers hold out for an on-time Tokyo 2020, and why quarantine concerts are filling up your feed.  Europe's outbreak tops China's Europe surpassed China in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths on Wednesday as Italy reported its deadliest day yet and the virus continued to slow its spread in Asia. Cases in Europe totaled more than 85,000 with 4,000 deaths, exceeding China's 80,900 cases and 3,200 deaths. Italy's death toll alone was 2,978 after reporting a staggering 475 deaths since Tuesday, the most by any county since the virus originated in Wuhan. Even China's highest single-day death toll, recorded on Feb. 23, was 150. Around Europe: - In Rome, the government said it may extend its unprecedented lockdown restricting people's movement beyond April 3.
- In Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel said not since World War II had Germany faced a challenge like the outbreak.
- In Paris, streets were empty amid France's lockdown, as the government pledged billions for workers and small businesses.
- In London, U.K. PM Boris Johnson ordered schools closed until further notice to apply "downward pressure" to slow new cases.
- In Madrid, PM Pedro Sánchez said to a near-empty parliament "the worst is yet to come" for Spain's health system and economy.
$ignificant figures 99%. Almost all of Italy's coronavirus fatalities were people who suffered previous medical conditions, said a study by the country's national health authority, after deaths hit nearly 3,000 with a 150% uptick in the past week. 1,171. The total number of delegates secured by Joe Biden after he swept Democratic primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona, effectively putting the nomination out of reach for Bernie Sanders. A campaign email on Wednesday referred to the former VP as "President Biden." 3 days. How long coronavirus can stay infectious on plastic and stainless steel, an NIH study found, noting it remains stable for up to three hours in aerosols, four hours on copper and 24 hours on cardboard. Highly quotable "It's a war." Calling himself a "wartime president," Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, allowing the U.S. to boost mask production and also said HUD would suspend foreclosures and evictions through April. "No solution will be perfect." Olympic organizers are still hoping the Tokyo 2020 games will go ahead on July 24 despite mounting criticism from athletes accusing the IOC of putting them "in danger." "What else can poor people do?" Some residents of New Delhi's slums, who lack access to clean water, soap and hand sanitizer, worry their conditions are more apt to spread coronavirus than contain it. This is not normal Desert plague. Farmers in Pakistan, like in parts of Africa and the Middle East, are battling the most invasive locust swarms in 30 years as the pests devastate crops, threaten livelihoods and prompt fears of starvation.  The future is now App alert. An app could let users see if they've been exposed to Covid-19 via secure location sharing and crowdsourcing, say MIT developers who created Private Kit: Safe Paths to help identify virus hotspots.  What's good Instajam. Coldplay's Chris Martin, Keith Urban, Pink and John Legend are just a few of the musicians trying to connect with their fans stuck inside by livestreaming self-isolation concerts and jam sessions on Instagram.  Now that you're caught up... Tell your friends to sign up to receive our newsletter five days a week. Follow QuickTake on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. BTW: Which industry is thriving more than most during San Francisco's shelter-in-place order. Cannabis,of course. Thanks for reading!
-Andrew Mach | 
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