By my count, I have given 53 elbow bumps in the past 72 hours. During that time, I’ve turned down several dozen handshakes and tried, unsuccessfully, to turn this into a thing as the coronavirus spreads. (Want this in your inbox each morning? Sign up here.)

A cure for what ails investors?

Over the weekend, the global death toll of the coronavirus surpassed 3,000, with about 90,000 identified cases in 65 countries. The U.S. reported its first two deaths from the virus, both in a Seattle suburb, while New York City disclosed its first case. The latest developments, as always, can be found in our live briefing.

Stocks can also go up — sometimes. A rare sight in recent days, markets in Asia and Europe posted gains in early trading, recovering some of the ground lost during last week’s rout. (European shares are mixed at the time of writing, and U.S. futures have tipped into the red.) The turnaround, such as it is, began when Bank of Japan issued a statement pledging support to “ensure stability in financial markets,” echoing a similar notice from the Federal Reserve on Friday. Jittery markets are expecting increasingly aggressive, potentially coordinated actions from central banks around the world. (Anybody else getting 2008 flashbacks?)