Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. MARCH 26, 2020

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With the global coronavirus death toll surging past 20,000 people this week, accelerated efforts to develop treatments are primarily focused on adapting existing drugs intended to fight other diseases.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On March 26, 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk announces he has successfully tested a vaccine against the polio virus. The disease, which mainly affected children, reached epidemic levels in 1952, with around 58,000 new cases in the United States. More than 3,000 died from the paralysis-causing disease. For two years, the vaccine underwent clinical trials, and in 1955, a massive inoculation campaign began.

VIDEO: In an unprecedented videoconference of G-7 foreign ministers, global leaders are pledging to work together to battle the coronavirus outbreak.  The United States says it is ready to work with China to end the global pandemic and restore the world economy.  But as VOA reports, some analysts are skeptical about the ability of both countries to cooperate to fight the global pandemic.

VIDEO: From alcohol distillers making hand sanitizer to car manufacturers assembling ventilators, companies around the world have been joining the effort to combat the spread of coronavirus. A fashion production house in Italy recently went from fancy pants to fancy masks.

Doctors across the United States are telling their patients to put off routine checkups and elective procedures to keep hospitals and clinics free to test and treat anyone who may have coronavirus. This plea for patience and understanding is also coming from veterinarians.

With much of America on partial lockdown, the coronavirus pandemic is altering nearly every aspect of people’s daily lives. The pathogen is also having an immediate and possibly permanent impact on how the nation chooses its leaders.