Cartoon

Poison Control

Written by SK Ashby

(Cartoonist - Nick Anderson)

In other news, scientists at China's Academy of Medical Sciences say they believe the coronavirus will reemerge every year much like the flu because the virus can be carried in so any humans that never display symptoms. They also say summer heat won't kill it.

“The virus is heat sensitive, but that’s when it’s exposed to 56 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes and the weather is never going to get that hot,” said Wang Guiqiang, head of the infectious diseases department of Peking University First Hospital. “So globally, even during the summer, the chance of cases going down significantly is small.”

Meanwhile, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll corroborates the idea that consumer demand won't return to normal levels anytime soon. Most Americans say they won't do all the things they did before until a vaccine is available.

Only about four in 10 who follow sports avidly and go to arts and entertainment venues and amusement parks said they would do so again if they reopened before a vaccine was available, the poll found.

Another four in 10 said they were willing to wait, even if it takes more than a year to develop a vaccine.

Finally, the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, clearly had to stop himself from laughing when he dunked on the UK for arguing that they're negotiating with the EU as an equally sovereign nation.

“The EU’s stance is particularly difficult and challenging,” [British Minister Michael Gove] said to the House of Common’s Committee on the Future Relationship with the EU on Monday. “I’m confident the EU will want to operate in a constructive way.”

Gove’s emphasis on sovereignty exposes the disconnect between the two sides as time runs out for them to seal a deal. The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, last week dismissed the idea that the U.K. is the equal of the EU, saying “the reality of this negotiation” is that it is one between a market of 66 million consumers and the EU’s 450 million.

That had to leave a mark.