“Readers have heard of Teslas spontaneously exploding over the years but never an electric bus until now. “

We just don't know what to say.

What’s going on in the fifth largest economy in the world arguably points to a major collusion scandal in which the French government is helping Big Pharma to profit from the expansion of Covid-19. Informed French citizens are absolutely furious about it.

This blog's author has done very nice modeling of COVID-19 on a Country basis. We have known and read David Merkel for more than 20-years. He is a statistician and has been an actuary and a bond trader and manager of bond departments for insurance companies. His analysis is very similar to what your state health department uses and what the CDC uses to model epidemic progression in a population. Highly recommended reading.

Update (2015ET):  Perhaps realizing that facing down a second great depression if the US economy is halted indefinitely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic would not improve his re-election chances, President Trump struck a defiant tone at Monday's coronavirus press briefing when he said that the American economy can’t remain slowed for too long to fight the coronavirus, declaring that the country "was not built to be shut down."

Update (1720ET): Now that Boris Johnson has over-delivered by ordering all of Britain to undergo a strict national lockdown requiring all Britons, but especially the vulnerable, to remain inside for 3 weeks (except for certain essential shopping trips, solitary exercise and seeking medical help).

"Update (1620ET): Canadian officials have confirmed six new cases of the virus in British Columbia on Saturday, bringing the total cases in Canada to 57.

Update (1420ET): Following in the footsteps of China and South Korea, both of which eventually locked down the local epicenter(s) of the coronavirus breakout by imposing draconian quasi-quarantines, moments ago Italy announced that on the day the number of new cases in the country exploded by 1,247 hitting a total of 5,883, the federal government has placed the entire region of Lombardy, the province with the most Italian coronavirus infections, on lockdown.   

Update (1350ET): Washington state officials are reportedly considering taking over a nursing home in Kirkland where at least six residents have died, possibly the first example in US history of the federal government nationalizing a nursing home, WSJ reports."

As we reported last night, Tuesday marked a major shift in the coronavirus outbreak: For the first time, more deaths were reported outside China than inside. And already on Wednesday, we've seen some unfortunate firsts: Iraq reported its first death after the virus leaked across the border from Iran.

The EU's decision not to close borders and impose travel restrictions has come back to bite it: Just a few minutes ago, the European Union confirmed the first case of the virus at EU offices in Brussels. It appears to be tied to the European Defense Agency.