There was potentially great news in Thursday’s coronavirus briefing. But the media are largely ignoring it because I think they want us to remain huddled in our homes, unable to do anything but listen as our “masters” tell us how to live.

The good news is that scientists at the Department of Homeland Security have been conducting research on the effects of sunlight and humidity on the coronavirus. What they discovered is that more sunlight, producing higher temperatures and more humidity, otherwise known as summer, is very deadly to the virus. 

Specifically, in summer-like temperatures and humidity, the virus only survives two minutes on surfaces and 90 seconds in the air. We shouldn’t leap to conclusions, but this seems to be optimistic news about the potential for the summer months to seriously suppress this virus. 

Another thing that researchers are watching is what could happen in the fall. Will COVID-19 make a resurgence in the fall, just like the regular flu? 

Well, here’s some more encouraging news: Countries in the Southern Hemisphere, like Australia, are going into fall right now, and there appears to be no surge in the disease. It’s still early, but over the next four to eight weeks, scientists will be monitoring those nations for clues as to what we can expect come October.

New York’s Results

Thursday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the results of random antibody testing in New York. Researchers discovered that 14% of the state’s residents and 21% of New York City’s residents tested positive, meaning they had the virus and recovered.

So far, there have been 141,754 confirmed coronavirus cases in New York City and 15,411 deaths. Look at those two figures. That would suggest that the death rate in New York City is nearly 11%. (City officials are including more than 5,000 “probable” deaths in that total.)

Now, let’s consider the results of the antibody testing.

There are 8.4 million people in New York City. If 21% of city residents have had COVID-19, that means 1,764,000 were infected. 

If 11% of the people who get the virus die, 11% of 1.76 million would be 194,000 deaths. But there’s only been 15,411 deaths. Where are all the other bodies? 

Clearly, the death rate isn’t anywhere close to 11%. If 1.76 million people were infected and 15,411 have died, that suggests the mortality rate is closer to 0.87%. To be certain, that’s high. 

But every study done — in Germany, in Massachusetts, in Los Angeles — has found the same thing – that the virus is far more widespread than we realize. For the vast majority of people, it amounts to little more than a cold. 

For certain segments of the population, the elderly and those with serious preexisting conditions, it is a real threat, and those people should continue to self-quarantine and take serious precautions. 

The Chinese Threat

While the nation battles the coronavirus, there’s an even greater threat we must confront, and it’s the Chinese communists themselves, who are responsible for this crisis.  

The Chinese government refused to share information about the makeup of the virus in the early days of the pandemic. It also hoarded medical supplies and threatened to suspend exports of vital drugs to the United States. Make no mistake: Every American will be enlisted in this battle.

• U.S. corporation with factories in China should implement policies now to bring those factories and jobs home.

• Congress must act now to safeguard America’s medical supplies to ensure that we are not dependent on an adversary when the next emergency strikes.

• College students should find out if their university has a Chinese-sponsored Confucius Institute on campus. These institutes are being used by the Chinese communists for espionage and propaganda against our country.

• Every consumer, whenever possible, should buy goods made in the USA.

• Fly the American flag proudly and redouble your efforts to instill patriotism in your children and grandchildren.

If we do these things, we will be better prepared when the next crisis comes out of Communist China.

More Good News

It seems that it is possible to shame corporate America and academia. Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania have announced that they will return money from the emergency small-business program to the Treasury. So too will Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and a number of other large corporations.

The Moderate Myth

The “moderate” Joe Biden said Thursday that he believes President Trump will come up with some way to delay or cancel the election. This is the kind of conspiracy nonsense we’re used to hearing from the fringes of the far left. But he’s thought it through. 

Biden suggested that Trump may not bail out the Post Office and will resist efforts to force states to adopt the vote-by-mail procedures that the left is demanding. And in the fevered minds of the left, no mail-in voting means canceling the election. 

The Post Office has been in dire straits for decades. The White House is demanding significant reforms before it gets another taxpayer bailout. For Biden to suggest that those needed reforms are evidence that the president is a dictator who wants to cancel the election is insane!