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COVID-19 Updates: May 26

May 26, 2020
U.S Approaches 100,000 Deaths to Virus; Tech Helping Social Distancing; Merck Buys In to Vaccine Hunt

As the U.S. economy enters its third week straight of gradual opening, the number of novel coronavirus cases in the United States as a whole continues to climb: As of this morning, Johns Hopkins University reported 1,676,401 active cases of the virus. Happily, the rate of new cases per day appears to be dropping, albeit unsteadily.

The rate at which people are dying of the virus is also declining, but slowly. Although data available at press time indicates that 98,787 people have died in the United States to the virus, that number will probably exceed 100,000 before the day is over. The data show that the COVID-19 pandemic has been the deadliest pandemic in the United States in a century. And although the rate of new infections and deaths appears to be dropping, the threat of further isolated outbreaks will remain until a vaccine is created and deployed.

Tech Helping Social Distancing

Reopening manufacturers are under a lot of pressure at the moment to keep their employees safe. Technology is helping take some of the load by making it easier for employees to follow guidelines for avoiding transmission of COVID-19. Kinexon’s “SafeZone” product is one such product doing so.

Like similar employee-safety products, SafeZone includes a physical distance sensor that detects how close employees are to other employees, but the device also allows a user to easily trace chains of infection in the event that an employee is infected, in order to isolate potential other employees who might also be at risk. Read the full story here.

Merck Buys In to Vaccine Hunt

Merck & Co., Inc. announced today they would purchase Themis Bioscience, an Austrian vaccine manufacturer, for an undisclosed sum. The move will allow Merck to compete with other pharmaceutical companies in the race to develop a vaccine to the novel coronavirus. Merck also announced today they would form a partnership with IAVI to work on a separate vaccine candidate.

Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna are all among pharmaceutical companies looking to bring a COVID-19 vaccine to deployment at record speed for a pandemic, with several companies looking to deploy the vaccine in January under emergency use authorizations. Read the full story here.

Igloo Coolers to Hire Up to 500 Due to Soaring Demand

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on manufacturing has not been exclusively negative. Igloo Coolers announced May 26 they would hire up to 500 more workers in order to satisfy a spike in demand. According to Igloo CEO Dave Allen, the company did see an initial drop in demand, but “reacted quickly” to implement strict safety measures and keep its workforce employed. The company has also donated more than $200,000 to COVID-19 prevention efforts.

About the Author

Ryan Secard | Associate Editor

As talent editor, Ryan Secard reports on workforce and labor issues in manufacturing, including recruitment, labor organizations, and safety. Ryan has written IndustryWeek's Salary Survey annually since 2021 and coordinated its Talent Advisory Board since 2023. He joined IndustryWeek in 2020 as a news editor covering breaking manufacturing news.

Ryan also contributes to American Machinist and Foundry Management & Technology as an associate editor.

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