The latest news and analysis on the spread of and response to coronavirus.

Catholics and other Americans are losing confidence in the medical community, writes political scientist Ryan Burge, who examines new survey data. That could complicate efforts to fight Covid-19.

The normal services of the health and hygiene sector of the Vatican city-state were “temporarily suspended” following yesterday’s positive test for Covid-19 on one patient in order “to sanitize the areas.”

The Lenten season has begun, and more Nigerians are likely to attend religious gatherings. To stall a possible outbreak, however, Archbishop Alfred Martins of the Archdiocese of Lagos said contact should be restricted.

In a small indication of how rapidly the contagion is affecting Italy, by the time the Vatican spokesman sent his communique to the media, the number of victims had risen dramatically—the total number of cases rising to 3,858 and deaths to 148.

The president’s proposal, released on Monday, extends the tax cuts he signed in 2017 for a decade, increases spending on defense and veterans’ affairs, cuts foreign aid and makes significant cuts to safety net programs, including Medicaid and programs created by the Affordable Care Act.