Another major meat processing plant has closed due to coronavirus. Tyson Foods has had to close down its Waterloo, Iowa pork processing plant, just as it is re-opening another facility in Columbus Junction that closed on April 6. The plant will be closed indefinitely as they clean, install infrared body temperature scanners, and plexiglass barriers to protect workers. As more plants close around the country, there are increased worries about the supply chain of meat. Tyler Jett, jobs and economy reporter for the Des Moines Register, joins us for more.




Next, one of the key marks that states must achieve to be able to safely re-open their economies is ramped up testing. Being able to test and trace workers is essential to containing the spread of the virus. But expanding the capacity to test has been difficult because of supply shortages and backlogs. One main shortage important to being able to administer the tests is a lack of swabs. Another highly touted test kit by Abbot Labs, has faced shortages of its own single use cartridges. Chris Weaver- Reporter for the WSJ, joins us for why it has been so difficult to get testing right.




Finally, the Air Force’s flying hospital pods has had its first mission, pulling COVID-19 patients out of Afghanistan and into Germany for treatment. These bio-containment modules date to the 2014 Ebola crisis and are officially called a "Transportation Isolation System." They allow for moving people who are infected with a contagious infection without giving it to anyone else on the plane, or contaminating the aircraft itself. Rob Verger, associate editor at Popular Science, joins us for what we know about this "TIS" system.

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