The coronavirus is spreading around the planet at a frightening speed and people are justifiably terrified.

But there are also other things happening in the world right now, too. And we’re missing out on a lot of them because of the wall-to-wall coverage of the pandemic.

AskReddit users shared some things you might have missed in the news lately.

1. That’s kind of weird…

“There’s a shady law trying get rid of encryption.

Link.”

2. Rigged election.

“There’s solid proof that the elected Colombian president campaigned with narcotraffic money. Most likely they bought the presidency for him.”

3. Look what they walked out to…

“The last Ebola patient was discharged in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

4. Icons from the ’80s…

“Corey Feldman accused Charlie Sheen of rape.”

5. Hadn’t heard about this.

“Cairo is flooding because of a thunderstorm. Utilities have been off all day today! People’s homes have been flooded, sewers are overflowing and there are injuries (possibly deaths)

Not to mention the property damage in the millions racking up to private and public property.

Cairo floods every winter due to lack of proper infrastructure, but this storm is severe.”

6. That’s progress.

“A second person was cured of HIV in the UK.”

7. Not good news.

“Parts of Africa and South Asia are having their crops decimated by a massive locust swarm, and its estimated to impact the food security for about 20 million people.”

8. Wouldn’t that be nice?

“Virginia lawmakers have passed a bill that would see insulin prices capped at $50 per month, potentially making the state the third to set limits on the cost of the life-saving medication.”

9. Wow! That’s crazy!

“A new dinosaur the size of a hummingbird was found literally just yesterday. Here’s the link for the article.”

10. I had a feeling about this one.

“The Taliban never intended to follow the treaty recently signed with the U.S.”

11. Oil wars.

“Oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Don’t know much about it but my jaw just about dropped on my way home from a semi remote vacation and saw that gas was almost down to $1.90 a gallon in our city. Think they had oil going for like $30 a barrel or something.”

12. That’s a great story.

“Arguably the best women’s basketball player, Maya Moore, has not played the last couple of seasons because she wanted to focus on trying to release a innocent man from being wrongly accused. A couple of weeks ago she succeeded in that and he was released.”

13. Not surprising.

“Russian parliament passed a reform allowing Putin to stay president until 2036.”

14. That’s amazing.

“A cow in florida has evaded police for two months.”

Link.

15. All these current events.

“Russians killed 36 Turkish soldiers in Syria

All out war between Turkey and Syria

A oilprice war between Saudi Arabia and Russia

A refugee crisis in Greece and border fights between the Greek and Turkish police

2 American and 1 British soldiers were killed in Iraq, the US is currently responding with massive airstrikes

Ceasefire in Syria (ceasefire means a rearmament because the Rebels and SAA have lost a huge amount of people and material in the last few weeks).”

16. A day without women.

“México had a “day without women”.

March 9th we had a national woman’s strike where women were encouraged to not go anywhere. Schools, offices, public places did not have more than a couple of women during the day and it was done to show our disappointment towards gender violence and our anger against the poor actions taken to stop it.

It caused more than a billion of dollars of loses in our country in general.”

17. Corrupt as hell.

“GOP senate crossed aisle to rebuke Betsy Devos for collecting on student loans that were supposed to be forgiven.

They went against Trump’s rich buddy.

She’s still in her position though, despite the corruption.”

I have to admit, I hadn’t heard of a lot of those things that are going on right now.

How about you?

Do you know of some other important news stories that most people have missed lately?

If so, please share them with us in the comments!

The post News Stories That Are Currently Being Overshadowed by the Coronavirus appeared first on UberFacts.

One of the things that’s making things rougher for so many right now is not being able to grab the cleaning and sanitizing products we need to keep our spaces and people safe.

There are a lot of jerks out there hoarding more than they need, leaving others out in the cold…but the Shine Distillery & Grill in Portland, OR, are not those jerks.

View this post on Instagram

Portland distillery turns their alcohol waste into free hand sanitizer – Shine Distillery & Grill in Portland, OR. Is making their own hand sanitizer and giving it away for free. – According to Jon Poteet, the owner, this move is a no-brainer. During the process of distilling their own spirits, the first batch of alcohol that comes out, isn’t drinkable. – Until now, they’ve been using it as a cleaning agent to keep the place shiny and disinfected. Late last week, a customer was sitting at the bar, and asked Poteet if she could have some of the cleaning alcohol to use as sanitizer, and it made him think. – Poteet then reached out to the local authorities and looked at the legalities around giving out their waste alcohol and learned that as long as they’re not making any medical claims or selling it they’re free to give it away. – So, he’s taken the 80% alcohol solution (which is well above the CDC’s recommendations of 60% minimum) and added Xanthan gum to thicken it. Then, added in a little water and tossed it into a branded bottle. – Now, he’s got his very own hand sanitizer that he can replicate easily and give away for free. – Source: thearchive.com – #networkfor #wereforthis #shinedistillery #makingadifference #kindnessmatters #helpingothers #givingback

A post shared by Network FOR (@network_for) on Mar 16, 2020 at 7:05pm PDT

Instead of hoarding and panicking, they’re turning their alcohol waste into hand sanitizer – and they’re giving it away for free.

Jon Poteet, the owner, explained that the first batch of alcohol that comes out isn’t drinkable, and until now, they’ve been using it as a cleaning agent for their restaurant, bar, and distillery.

View this post on Instagram

That time we made our distillery into a hand sanitizer factory during a global pandemic and landed on CNN. #shinepdx #shinedistillery #shinespirits #cnn #donlemon #covid19 #coronavirus #supportlocal #inthistogether #lgbtq #lgbtqbusiness #sanitizer #localspirits #craftdistillery

A post shared by Ryan Ruelos (@ryryworldwide) on Mar 18, 2020 at 4:30pm PDT

Before deciding to turn it into something for the public, Poteet reached out to local authorities to check on the legality of giving away waste alcohol and learned that, as long as they’re not making money off it, it’s fine.

The Shine Distillery is using the 80% alcohol solution, adding Xanthan gum to thicken it, putting in some water and tossing it into a branded bottle.

People are grabbing up the effective and free product, and Poteet says he’s happy to be a part of the local Portland community. As long as he’s helping his friends and neighbors to be happy and healthy, he figures its a good day.

View this post on Instagram

When all the stores are sold out of hand sanitizer, your local distillery comes up with their own solution. #shinedistillery #homemadehandsanitizer #portlandoregon

A post shared by Matthew McKenney (@mtmckenney) on Mar 14, 2020 at 4:20pm PDT

The only thing he asks is that if you take some hand sanitizer, you buy something to go from the restaurant or bar.

And if you use the bathroom while you’re there, he’s got a sign posted to remind people to wash their hands.

This is a stand up guy.

Let’s all be more like Joe Poteet in these uncertain times.

The post A Portland Distillery is Turning Alcohol Waste Into Free Hand Sanitizer appeared first on UberFacts.

There are so many stories out there about how people are coming together during this time of global crisis, which is great. There’s a pandemic, people are scared, people are nervous, people are struggling to live in isolation – but for every so many people going out of their way to make the best out of bad situation, there are always going to be those few looking for ways to stir up unrest or to take advantage of it in some way.

There have been hoaxes and myths and bad information spreading since the very beginning, and the best way to combat those things is to keep yourself informed.

Here are the latest hoaxes making the rounds – make note!

#1. Text messages claiming entire cities will go into complete shutdown.

While some cities have taken more measures than others, instituting curfews and shelter-in-place orders, you’ll want to verify what your own state’s governor’s recommendations are.

#2. A text message claiming the United Nations is going to enforce a total 2-week quarantine.

Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19. #coronavirus

— NSC (@WHNSC) March 16, 2020

There’s no reason to believe any official direction would come from the UN and not from the President.

#3. Audio claiming to be someone with sources at the Pentagon.

Rumors are spreading online and in group chats and also claims to have information about a national lockdown that are not true (as far as we know).

#4. People claiming to have alternative cures for the virus.

US authorities have stated that colloidal silver, vitamins, teas, and essential oils are not approved treatments or valid preventative measures against COVID-19.

#5. Emails that state they are from your HR department.

Hackers are using the virus to pretend to be HR departments, company executives, and personal health organizations in order to gain access to computers and steal credentials.

#6. Your stomach acid will not kill coronavirus.

People are claiming this will work if you drink enough water.

#7. Also, don’t inhale hot air from your hair dryer.

This is dangerous, and half a million people have checked out the YouTube video.

#8. Anti-inflammatory drugs won’t make the infection worse.

This is lighting my timeline up and it's getting on my nerves. To be clear: there is no evidence whatsoever that ibuprofen, NSAIDs, and other anti-inflammatories increase susceptibility to #SARSCoV2 #HCoV19 #COVID19 #coronavirus.https://t.co/BxdP9Bdsio

— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) March 14, 2020

A viral WhatsApp post claimed that 4 different COVID-19 patients got worse after taking anti-inflammatories.

#9. You probably didn’t have the virus back in November.

The first case was confirmed in the US in January, and patients have been known to be re-infected, besides.

#10. You can still answer your door, though I would keep a safe distance (6 feet!)

FAKE

This scary screenshot is circulating in London WhatsApp groups – @MPSCamden have confirmed to me it's a fake.

Follow @JaneLytv for more coronavirus misinformation debunks. pic.twitter.com/SaTJg3DjDI

— Joey D'Urso (@josephmdurso) March 17, 2020

A rumor was circulating that criminals were going door-to-door pretending to be testing for the virus but really casing your house.

There you have it, folks. As with the news and scientific “facts” before the outbreak of this virus, make sure that you’re getting your information from valid sources, and double-checking it, too.

Where are you going to get information during these crazy times? It might be good to make sure they’re accredited and adjust accordingly!

The post 10 Hoaxes About the Coronavirus appeared first on UberFacts.

It can be difficult to find firsthand information about what coming down with the virus is like. We don’t know anyone who personally has it (thank goodness!) but sometimes a lack of details can be scarier than knowing everything right up front.

Which is all to say that many people relying on accounts from celebrities and strangers who have contracted the virus (and survived).

Actress Rachel Matthews (Happy Death Day, Frozen II)  is one of those people who has gotten sick and been comfortable sharing her experience.

She posted it on her Instagram story, beginning with the scary fact that she was officially diagnosed with coronavirus.

After that, she began to detail what her symptoms looked like, day by day.

Days 1 – 4:

Days 5 – 7:

She pointed out in her caption that since tests are really hard to come by, people should be self-isolating if they feel sick and have any/all symptoms of the virus.

“The reality is, [tests] are INSANELY hard to come by,” she wrote. “Our country is very behind and we don’t have much of a system in place. I only got tested because I had been around a confirmed case and had been showing symptoms.

“Please, if you have any symptoms at all but can’t find a test please just treat yourself as if you are positive. Rest, drink lots of liquids, and SELF QUARANTINE.”

Matthews also shared a post from Idris Elba, who has also tested positive.

This morning I tested positive for Covid 19. I feel ok, I have no symptoms so far but have been isolated since I found out about my possible exposure to the virus. Stay home people and be pragmatic. I will keep you updated on how I’m doing No panic. pic.twitter.com/Lg7HVMZglZ

— Idris Elba (@idriselba) March 16, 2020

There you go, friends – I hope these posts and the information they contain can give you a bit more peace of mind about the current state of the world.

If you’ve had COVID-19 or know someone person who has, please add any pertinent information in the comments!

The post Actress Rachel Matthews Talks About a Week’s Worth of Coronavirus Symptoms appeared first on UberFacts.