World wide there are now well over two million confirmed cases of COVID-19 with nearly 640,000 of those in the United States, however the number of cases in the US is thought to be much higher due to a lack of available test kits.
As the unemployment rate in Oregon continues to rise, the claims system
is suffering breakdowns. New filers have been reporting that the online
claims system has been telling to restart their claim from the beginning
even if they have been receiving benefits. Approximately one in eight
people in the state have lost work in the past few weeks.
Attacking the World Health Organization on Tuesday, accusing them
of mismanagement of the COVID 19 outbreak, and cutting funding for the
organization, Donald Trump has escalated his charges against them.
Trump implied that the WHO deliberately downplayed the situation and
said the organization is overly influenced by China. Trump also put
forth the idea that the virus was made in a laboratory in Wuhan.
Meat processing plants across the country have been shutting down
due to workers becoming infected with the Coronavirus. Smithfield foods
closed their plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota after close to 300 of
the plant's workers tested positive. The plant produces nearly five percent
of the nation's supply of pork. A total of around half a dozen meat
production plants are closing their doors nationwide including Tyson Foods, the
nation's largest poultry producer.
Meanwhile, farmers across the country are plowing under thousands of
acres of crops due to the closures of restaurants and schools which normally
provide a market for approximately half of the nation's produce. Dairy
farmers have also been dumping thousands of gallons of fresh milk again
due to the lack of demand. Many farmers have donated portions of the surplus
to food banks and programs such as meals on wheels, however, there is
only so much perishable food that can be absorbed by these charities.
This has been your daily COVID 19 report from KBOO news. Again we ask
you to stay home, stay safe, wash your hands, and remember we are all in
this together. I'm Joe Clement.
- KBOO