Welcome back to another week of Robertson’s Reportings! This week, COVID-19 cases passed three million worldwide and one million nationwide. In Guilford County, 357 cases have been reported, and there have been 21 deaths. As many meat plants have closed amid the virus, a meat shortage is expected to peak in the coming weeks. Tyson Foods, for example, closed the country’s biggest pork plant. In Georgia, hundreds of poultry workers tested positive for COVID-19. At this time, various companies have raised prices on meat. Some raised prices on beef by up to three dollars per pound. Many stores such as The Fresh Market now have limits on meat. 

Since no vaccines or cures have been discovered or fully tested yet, some medical officials have been in search of a treatment. After a trial of remdesivir, a medication developed by Gilead Sciences in 2009, the Food and Drug Administration may authorize the use of it as a treatment for the virus if the effects are positive. The drug was originally developed to treat Ebola, but it may also work for COVID-19, as patients taking the medication recovered 31% faster than those not. Additionally, the mortality rate for those on the drug was 8% as opposed to 11.6% for the control group, those taking a placebo instead of the actual drug. Remdesivir also treated SARS and MERS, other forms of coronavirus.

In the midst of the virus, another interesting rumor has spread. Since North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un has not been seen since April 11, many people claim that he is dead or in a critical state. He missed his grandfather’s commemoration which took place on the 15th. Nothing has been reported as a fact, but rumors are spreading quickly despite denial from officials in North Korea. There is one question seeming to be on everyone’s mind: who would take his place if he were to die? Most sources have claimed that his sister, Kim Yo-jong, or his uncle will take his place; however, due to North Korea’s secretive nature, nobody is completely sure. 

See you next time on Robertson’s Reportings, coverage you can count on!