Global Scans · Coronavirus · Weekly Summary

Future potential spread of the coronavirus is impacting world trade and threatens a global economic recession and inflection point. For the first time, Illness is now a major driving force. We first reported this virus way back in 2010 and regularly since July 2015 as a predictable surprise: a known unknown to most. It is not a Black Swan; it was foreseen! Forewarned is forearmed and forearmed is protection against unpleasant possibilities and this inflection point will most likely change everyone's future profoundly.

Here are some actions you could take offered by and our friends at WavePoint and BCG and McKinsey.

Companies are asking people to work from home (we have always worked from our homes since 2003). We think the latter will become a long-term and rapidly growing trend as people reduce traveling time, buy more online, and increasingly recognize the benefits to their health of staying home. More emerging, potential behavioral trends here. Begin regularly evaluating predictable surprises, be prepared and act in time, while others lose their shirt through inattention to the future.

• [New] The current COVID-19 pandemic has created a range of additional challenges testing the resilience of many health-care systems and vulnerabilities at all levels (acute, subacute, community, and individuals) on the global stage. LWW
• [New] During the COVID-19 pandemic, disruptions to malaria services contributed to an estimated 47,000 additional deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
• [New] CMS proposes to increase SNF payments by 2.4% in FY 2027 and remove COVID-19 vaccine measures from the SNF QRP. McDermott+
• [New] The disruptions from Covid, the war on Ukraine, all exacerbated by climate change, erased more than a decade of progress on combating global hunger. New Statesman
• [New] 8.6% of adults 18 years and older, 12.5% of adults 18-64 years with high-risk conditions, and 10.0% of adults 65 years and older reported that they definitely will get vaccinated with a 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine. / USA RespVaxView
• [New] The study in JAMA Network Open found prediabetic adults with certain variations in the vitamin D receptor gene had a 19% lower risk of developing diabetes when taking a high daily dose of vitamin D. Futurity
• [New] The global military AI market was worth $9.3 billion in 2024 and could grow to more than $19 billion by 2030 as governments invest in advanced technologies. Medill on the Hill
• [New] Bangladesh has signed a trade deal with the U.S. that will reduce the tariff on Bangladeshi goods to 19%, as well as providing for an annual quota of textiles and garments that will enter duty-free. JD Supra
• [New] The US tariff environment in 2025-2026 has forced a supply chain reckoning that makes the COVID disruption look like a dry run. Rising Trends
• [New] The Global Fund, which targets HIV, TB, and malaria, estimates that its USD 18 billion dollar replenishment for 2027-29 could avert 400 million new cases and return as much as USD 323 billion in health and economic gains, a return on investment of 19 to 1. FP Analytics
• The 2022 spike in the wake of COVID-19 disruptions and Russia's invasion of Ukraine proved temporary rather than cyclical. Food Security Portal
• LD 2071 expands pharmacists' authority to prescribe and administer vaccines to adults without a prescription, and extends that authority to children for flu and COVID vaccines. CIDRAP
• Rewrites CDC Panel's Charter could hinder public health advancements, potentially blocking releases of studies showing COVID vaccine benefits. Coaio Limited
• Analysts expect the S&P 500 will see 19% earnings growth for full-year 2026, up from a consensus forecast in January of around 15.5%. Morningstar, Inc.
• Current COVID vaccines are expected to continue providing protection against severe disease. TODAY
• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption, particularly in South Asia, highlighting both opportunities and challenges in using digital platforms for sustainable development. Nature
• During times of elevated COVID-19 incidence, clinicians in California had missed opportunities to diagnose TB disease in persons who sought care for respiratory symptoms by testing only for COVID-19. Emerging Infectious Diseases journal

Last updated: 03 May 2026