Despite self-isolating at his home in Delaware, US presidential hopeful and former Vice President Joe Biden will on Monday begin giving "shadow" briefings on the coronavirus pandemic.

The news site Politico reports that the leading Democratic Party candidate for the White House has installed live streaming technology at his house to allow him to give regular updates on the health emergency.

Biden currently leads Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic race to take on Trump in November's US presidential election. The former vice president says the shadow briefings are necessary to help inform and protect the American people due to the president's repeated false statements and downplaying of the health threat during Trump's own news conferences — in which he has stood with a crowd of people and failed to model social distancing.

Read more: What you need to know about the coronavirus

Watch video 02:04 Share Covid-19: US caught off guard? Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3ZgZv USA: Life under quarantine

Malaria drug not effective

For weeks, Trump played down the need for social distancing measures and increased testing to combat the virus' spread. Experts have said that the president has repeatedly made several false statements in his White House appearances, including that a malaria drug will soon be used as a coronavirus vaccine. Health experts say the drug is not that effective against COVID-19 and a shortage of it exists in the US.

Read more: Doctor refutes Trump claim on efficacy of malaria drug for coronavirus

Trump has also insisted that any individual can get tested for the virus, despite the fact that a nationwide shortage of testing kits persists.

Read more: US approves 45-minute coronavirus test to combat testing shortage

On Saturday, Biden on Twitter accused the president of being "behind the curve through this whole response," and called for more "urgency and ambition" in resolving the health crisis.

"Now he's switched to falsely telling us that he's taking action that he has not taken, and promising results that he's not delivering," Biden added. "People are scared. They're frightened. And their president is just exacerbating their concerns."

Biden had previously echoed widespread criticism that Trump's handling of the pandemic had deliberately misled the public, stating that Trump was "unfit to lead us through this crisis." The former vice president cited a New York Times report that the president had been briefed for months about the severity of the impending crisis but did nothing to prepare for it.

The president's supporters have, meanwhile, accused Biden of purely using the emergency for his own political ends. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale did not reply about Trump's misleading statements or poor preparation, and instead accused Biden of taking "attention from real updates Americans should know just to score political points."

Hands off! What can we touch during the coronavirus outbreak? Contaminated door handles Current research says the coronavirus family of viruses can survive on some surfaces, like door handles, for an average of four to five days. Like all droplet infections, SARS-CoV-2 can spread via hands and frequently touched surfaces. Although it hasn't previously been seen in humans and therefore hasn't been studied in detail, experts believe it spreads similarly to other known coronaviruses.

Hands off! What can we touch during the coronavirus outbreak? Not so delicious A certain degree of caution is called for when eating lunch at your work cafeteria or in a cafe — that is, if they haven't been closed yet. Technically, coronaviruses can contaminate cutlery or crockery if they're coughed on by an infected person. But the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) states that "no infections with SARS-CoV-2 via this transmission route are known to date."

Hands off! What can we touch during the coronavirus outbreak? Virus-carrying teddy bears? Should parents fear a possible infection from imported toys? It's unlikely, say the BfR. As of yet, there are no cases of an infection via imported toys or other goods. Initial laboratory tests show that the pathogens can remain infectious for up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel - especially in high humidity and cold settings.

Hands off! What can we touch during the coronavirus outbreak? Packages, letters and shipped goods A recent study from the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in the US found the novel coronavirus can survive up to 72 hours on stainless steel and up to 24 hours on cardboard surfaces — in an ideal laboratory setting. But because the survival of the virus is dependent on many factors like temperature and humidity, the BfR says getting infected from handling the post is "rather unlikely."

Hands off! What can we touch during the coronavirus outbreak? Can my dog infect me, or can I infect my dog? Experts consider the risk of pets being infected with the coronavirus to be very low. But they can't yet rule it out. The animals themselves show no symptoms, so they don't become ill. However, if they are infected, it is possible they could transmit coronaviruses via the air or via excretions (their poop).

Hands off! What can we touch during the coronavirus outbreak? Fruit and vegetables: suddenly dangerous? "Unlikely." According to the BfR, transmitting SARS-CoV-2 via contaminated food is not likely to happen and, so far, there are no proven cases of infection this way. As the viruses are heat-sensitive, heating food during cooking can further reduce the risk of infection. Of course, you should thoroughly wash your hands before cooking and eating — and this goes for anytime, regardless of corona!

Hands off! What can we touch during the coronavirus outbreak? Contaminated frozen food Although the SARS and MERS coronaviruses known to date don't like heat, they are quite immune to the cold. Research shows they can remain infectious at minus 20 degrees Celsius for up to two years. But the BfR gives frozen food the all-clear. So far, there's no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection via the consumption of any food, including frozen food.

Hands off! What can we touch during the coronavirus outbreak? But leave those wild animals alone! The COVID-19 outbreak has prompted many extraordinary measures and China's ban of the consumption of wild animals is no exception. There is compelling research to suggest the novel coronavirus originated in bats before being passed to humans via another intermediate animal. But it's not the animals we need to blame — experts say humans are exposed to these viruses via our interaction with animals. Author: Julia Vergin (cs)



US cases rise exponentially

After watching the pandemic unfold in China and Europe, the US has seen a huge rise in the number of confirmed cases. On Saturday, Johns Hopkins University said 26,747 people had tested positive for the virus in the US, and 340 people had died.

Several US states, including New York, California and Illinois have put severe restrictions on public movement. A ban on non-essential travel to the Canadian and Mexican borders took effect on Saturday, following a ban on incoming non-US citizen arrivals from Europe.

Read more: What you need to know about US travel restrictions on EU citizens

The social distancing measures have prompted Trump, Biden and Sanders to put more effort into their digital campaigns. US media reports that after rallies and door-to-door canvassing was put on hold, video "townhall" events, online fundraisers and social media messaging have been stepped up.

Meanwhile, US senators are continuing negotiations on a massive stimulus package to rescue an already-stalling economy, which expected to amount to between $1 trillion (€930 billion) and $2 trillion.

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