The week from my desk.

After scrambling to figure out where to set up shop for the unforeseeable future, in Europe at least, the media workforce seems to now have its feet firmly under the new desk.

There’s plenty of analysis to dig into on the science, global trends and knock-on effects of the pandemic.

But first, some pieces that look to a more distant future. 

This is a collection of fascinating and sometimes conflicting predictions on how COVID-19 will change the world. 

A few of those predictions revolve around the use of technology, which is coming to the foreground as a major debate. There’s a health surveillance state coming, and it could stick around, is the message from several sources (Axios + MIT Tech Review + CGD). A concrete example of where worries are founded is the apps and data being used to keep tabs on the virus. This is about Big Tech as well as governments.

And in this long read, science journalist Ed Yong takes a step back to survey what the pandemic terrain looks like until the end of the road. 

There’s a long way to go until then -- read on for a glimpse of where we are right now. And if you happen to have a 3D printer, here’s how to enlist it in the fight against COVID-19.

COVID-19

Insights from science

• Loss of smell looks like a sign of having the virus - NYT + NPR Goats & Soda
• In Iceland, where testing was extensive, about half of cases showed no symptoms - Axios + Buzzfeed
• Diamond Princess data point to a low fatality rate, around 1.1% - Nature
• Little is known about effects on pregnancy - The Intercept + Vox + Science
• Signs that a vaccine could offer long-term protection - Washington Post
• Four out of 69 drug candidates are being trialled - NYT + Science
• A report that mass testing could hit the UK in days was swiftly denied - Guardian + BBC
• ...in fact, widespread testing will probably take a long time to be ready - New Yorker
• Meanwhile, New York tries antibody-rich blood as treatment - Nature + NBC
• Can we do something other than social distancing? Maybe, eventually - Vox
• Air pollution may help spread the virus - Economist
• Why and how SARS-CoV-2 is doing its job so well - Atlantic + Washington Post

Vulnerable places

• Cases rising in poor countries, where the pandemic could be devastating - Wall Street Journal + Economist 
• Syria reports its first case - Al Jazeera
• ...and UN chief urges global ceasefire over fears of escalating conflict - ABC + Straits Times
• Lockdown adds to water stress in Jordan - Reuters
• Violence threatens to break out in locked-down South Africa - Reuters + Reuters
• South America's indigenous people take precautions - Guardian + Reuters
• An internet ban makes it harder for Rohingya to prepare - New Humanitarian
• ...people in other countries are struggling to get online too - Reuters
• ...and support channels shut down for EU refugees - Guardian

Communication & misinformation

• WHO launches WhatsApp messaging service - WHO
• The US is keeping people informed with bots, but reviews are mixed - MIT Tech Review + STAT
• Fake test kits are being marketed - Wall Street Journal
• Conspiracy theorists are working overtime - Coda
• Misinformation visualised - Tortoise
• ...and with real consequences: hundreds die in Iran after drinking poison they believed would kill the virus - AP

Knock-on effects

• Booming cannabis sales, and other winners/losers - Wall Street Journal
• There’s a bean boom too - NYT
• ...but warnings of food price rises and shortages globally - Reuters + Guardian
• Dealing with the mental health burden of the pandemic - MIT Tech Review
• Racist attacks continue - NYT + Guardian
• Recycling suffers in some places - Bloomberg Green
• UNICEF warns of impact on vaccinations - CTV

A few other pieces that caught my eye

• How geoengineering might work best - Axios
• Mysterious chemical discovery reopens debate over mercury disaster - Science

...spotlight on the Global South

• Kenyan farmers brace for new locust swarms - Reuters
• ...food supplies for millions are threatened - Guardian + LA Times
• ...but response is slowed down by COVID-19 - Bloomberg Green
• 50 suspected cholera cases every hour in Yemen - ReliefWeb
• Measles spreading in the Congo as spotlight kept on Ebola, COVID-19 - Reuters
• Tensions rising over the Nile Renaissance Dam - Middle East Monitor
• Cambodia stops plans for Mekong dam, reportedly on the advice of a single consultant - Reuters

There's lots still being shared to help cover the pandemic and cope as a journalist:

• Guidelines to report on the pandemic safely - WIJ
• ...safety and other issues are also covered in this series of webinars - WAN-IFRA
• How to report on the pandemic, whatever your beat - Journalism.co.uk
• Best practices for field reporting during lockdown - Journalism.co.uk
• Register for a free webinar on journalists’ mental health on April 2nd - IJNET
• UK's independent fact-checking charity has a section on Coronavirus - FullFact
• ...the US equivalent also offers resources for factchecking - Snopes
• Tips to survive Coronavirus-related job disruption - Journalism.co.uk + IPSE
• Some journalists qualify for ‘key worker’ benefits in the UK - Press Gazette 
• This is real-time display of Coronavirus information for the UK and for 50 other countries - Crowdtangle

• Filmmakers Without Borders is offering grants for new media projects in various stages of production--closing June 1. 
• The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY is offering a free online course on investigative journalism--no deadline.
• The Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism is accepting applications from freelance journalists, plus local reporters and fixers in developing countries--closing May 31.
• The International Training Program programme is offering fellowships for high-level representatives from media, government and civil society in selected African countries --closing April 1.
• The International Fact-Checking Network and Facebook are offering grants for fact-checkers fighting coronavirus misinformation--closing April 1.
• Filmmakers Without Borders is accepting applications for funding to support narrative, documentary, experimental, and new media projects in various stages of production--closing June 1.

• Take a visual journey along the Rio Grande migration route - Reuters Wider Image
• How do Coronavirus-grounded photographers cope? - National Geographic
• “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” Social distancing tips from Walden - Conversation
• The last note is from Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, who passed away from COVID-19.

Keep well, see you next week.