There’s nothing arbitrary about an epidemic. While each disease is the product of a chain of accidental genetic shifts, the process that turns a novel infection into a devastating outbreak is as much social as biological. The vast majority of new conditions will die out before they spread beyond a handful of people. Only rarely will one exploit the fault ...

Bloomberg As US-China ties have deteriorated since the Covid-19 pandemic devastated the globe, the trade deal they signed in January has served as sort of a linchpin in the relationship. Now that also could be coming undone. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly blamed China for the virus’s spread ahead of the US election in November, said the phase-one trade ...

Bloomberg The number of coronavirus infections in the Philippines surpassed 80,000, a level that increases the risk of stricter quarantine measures if the trend continues. The nation added 2,110 cases on Sunday to reach 80,448, the health department said. There were 39 new fatalities, taking the toll to 1,932. The level of active cases of 52,406 is the highest in ...