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It had been a long quarantine for Megan Engles and her family, and they desperately needed a reason to celebrate. So when their dog Linus’s birthday arrived, Ms. Engles, who lives in Kansas City, Mo., did what she would do for any other special occasion: She headed to her local Costco to pick up a sheet cake. But there were none to be found.
Costco’s half-sheet cakes, rectangular creations beloved by shoppers for their affordability and freshness, have long been a staple at birthday parties, graduations and other large events. But like handshakes and crowded bars, the cakes may have become another casualty of the coronavirus.
Half-sheet cakes are not currently being sold at any location in the U.S., and the company has no immediate plans to bring them back, Costco said in a statement on Thursday. The bakeries instead will focus on round, 10-inch cakes that “seem to be resonating with our members,” the statement said.
While Costco would not elaborate on the specific reason for discontinuing sales of the half-sheet cake, the company indicated in a response to several customer comments on Facebook that it was related to the coronavirus pandemic. “To help limit personal contact and create more space for social distancing, Costco has reduced service in some departments,” the company wrote. “At this time, we are not making sheet cakes for special order.”
Costco sheet cakes have played a role in most of Ms. Engles’s family events, from her grandmother’s 100th birthday party to anniversary celebrations.
“They’re delicious,” Ms. Engles said. “I don’t know if they’re fresh or if Costco uses superior ingredients, but they’re delicious.”
The frosting on the grocery store cake she settled for on Linus’s birthday tasted waxy, and the cake was more expensive, she said.
While Ms. Engles realizes that under coronavirus protocol, there are few, if any, large-scale gatherings happening that would require a large cake, Ms. Engles said she thought customers should have the choice to buy one — even if that means having leftovers to freeze. Costco’s half-sheet cakes, which were advertised as serving 48 people, cost less than $20, customers said. Two cake flavors were offered: white, filled with two pounds of vanilla cheesecake mousse and topped with white buttercream frosting; and chocolate, filled with two pounds of chocolate mousse and iced with chocolate buttercream. Customers could choose from a variety of designs, including flowers, lattice hearts or a dinosaur.
The company first announced in a video on Facebook last month that it was discontinuing its half-sheet cake, prompting an online outcry from customers. Several commenters said that sheet cake was the only reason they had splurged on a Costco membership. One customer said she had served the cake at her wedding and had bought it every year for her anniversary.
When Shala Reed, of Yorkville, Ill., became a Costco member, her first purchase was a chocolate sheet cake that read “Congrats on your new Costco card.” She said she had bought a sheet cake every month since.
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Updated June 24, 2020
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A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
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The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
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What is pandemic paid leave?
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
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So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
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What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
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How does blood type influence coronavirus?
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
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How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
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What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
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How can I protect myself while flying?
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
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What should I do if I feel sick?
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
Ms. Reed vowed to flood Costco’s suggestion box until the company brings them back.
Jessica Luke, of Jeffersonton, Va., said she had purchased sheet cakes at least three times a year. The last ones she bought were for her son’s 5th birthday last year. One was a vanilla cake decorated with an American flag, the other a chocolate cake decorated with a red, white and blue unicorn.
“We have been members of Costco for over a decade and purchased those cakes for every excuse we could,” Ms. Luke said. “The cakes have a filling that is rich and sweet and keeps the cake moist.”
This isn’t the first time Costco shoppers have gone to battle for a food item. Customers expressed similar dissatisfaction when the company announced it would no longer sell Polish hot dogs at the food court. (The hot dogs have not returned.)
As for the future of the half-sheet, some customers are holding out hope that the company will reinstate it when large gatherings are allowed.
“Cakes are at the very center of celebrations,” Ms. Engles said. “Entire events are even centered around the cutting of the cake. Being able to have them in this time helps create joy and still allows for celebration in a time that some people may feel there isn’t a lot to celebrate.
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