• The coronavirus outbreak has been expanding across the US in force for more than two months now, infecting almost 1.5 million Americans and killing almost 90,000.
• On CNN on Sunday, Health Secretary Alex Azar delivered a message about why the coronavirus pandemic has been so severe in the US — it’s because so many of us are so unhealthy, with myriad underlying health conditions that exacerbate the COVID-19 virus.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

The Trump administration over the weekend took a surprisingly strange turn in its response to the coronavirus pandemic, which hasn’t exactly been met with universal acclaim in terms of everything from the conflicting guidance issued to the overly-optimistic talk that dominated the pandemic’s early days.

During a Sunday appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar pointed to a culprit of sorts that’s responsible for how mercilessly the coronavirus is rampaging across the US: That culprit is, well, you and me, and the fact that we’re probably not as healthy as we’d like to be.

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Trump official says unhealthy Americans are to blame for the high US coronavirus death rate originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 17:42:25 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Solar activity is waning, and scientists say we’re headed into a period of low Sun activity known as the solar minimum.
• The Sun follows a pattern of active and not-so-active periods on a cycle that lasts approximately 11 years.
• The previous solar maximum peaked in 2014, and it was historically mild, suggesting that the solar minimum we’re entering may be even quieter than usual.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

If you gazed up at the Sun today (indirectly, to avoid severe eye damage) it would look like it’s always looked. It’s big, incredibly bright, and warm. Scientists, on the other hand, see the Sun in an entirely different light (pun partially intended), and based on their observations so far in 2020, our star is going quiet.

Researchers that keep an eye on Sun activity — like the fine folks at Spaceweather.com — have noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of quiet days so far this year. The Sun has already racked up over three months’ worth of days without a single sunspot, which is a huge indicator that the Sun is entering a period known as the solar minimum.

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The Sun is going quiet as we dive deeper into a solar minimum originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 17:21:43 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• New coronavirus antibody tests suggest the first COVID-19 cases in the US may date back to December.
• The two test results came from the same county where the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in late January and the same region where the first official COVID-19 death was registered in late February.
• The antibody test isn’t enough to confirm the date of infection, but the available evidence makes a good case for this hypothesis.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

The first novel coronavirus case in the US was confirmed in Snohomish County, Washington, on January 20th. The first US COVID-19 death occurred in the same state on February 26th. Since then, we’ve learned that the first death actually happened nearly three weeks earlier in Santa Clara County, California, when a woman who didn’t know she had COVID-19 died of complications. A new report now says that authorities in Snohomish suspect that the first coronavirus patients may have gone undiagnosed in the region as early as late December 2019. At least two people tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, which can only be detected in blood tests after surviving the highly infectious disease. Authorities can’t say for sure whether these two people were infected with COVID-19 in December. Still, the new data certainly aligns with similar findings from Europe, as well as the evolution of COVID-19 in Washington state.

Even so, finding the Patient Zero that brought the virus to America might be problematic, and it’s more likely that multiple Patient Zeros spread COVID-19 around the world at the same time.

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1. Today’s best deals: Apple Watch and AirPods Pro at all-time lows, 70¢ face masks, $18 Wi-Fi extender, $20 earbuds, more
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Earliest US coronavirus cases might date back to December originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 17:00:14 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Apple’s iPhone 12 launch will be the first time all new models will boast OLED displays.
• A new leak has shed light on the display technologies Apple will incorporate across its iPhone 12 lineup.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

For years, new iPhone features and specs have leaked out weeks, if not months, ahead of time. And though Tim Cook a few years ago promised to “double down” on product secrecy, the simple reality is that Apple’s supply chain is so vast that it becomes practically impossible to keep information about new iPhones from surfacing.

The iPhone 12 is no different, and we’ve certainly seen a healthy stream of information surrounding the device leak out over the past few months. At this point, it’s no secret that all four of Apple’s new iPhone 12 models will incorporate OLED displays, but a new post from DisplaySupplyChain provides us with even more granular information about each model from both a display technology and pricing perspective.

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Today’s Top Deals

1. Today’s best deals: Apple Watch and AirPods Pro at all-time lows, 70¢ face masks, $18 Wi-Fi extender, $20 earbuds, more
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New iPhone 12 leak sheds light on pricing and display technology originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 16:37:08 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• A Google survey might have revealed the prices of the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5.
• A Reddit user was asked to participate in a random online survey that described the features and the prices of two unnamed Pixel phones, presumed to be the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5.
• Google might price the Pixel 4a at $349 and the Pixel 5 at $699.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

When it comes to high-end flagship smartphones, Google may not be the powerhouse that Apple and Samsung have become, but the Pixel phones have their audience, and we’re expecting to see at least two new models in the coming months. The Pixel 4a likely would have made its debut at the Google I/O developer conference on May 12th, but due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Google was forced to cancel the event.

May 12th has now come and gone without a peep from Google, and recent rumors suggest that the reveal the Pixel 4a has been moved to June to coincide with the launch of the Android 11 beta. Earlier this month, Google announced that it would be hosting a Beta Launch Show for Android 11 on June 3rd, and subsequent rumors have suggested the Pixel 4a reveal might have shifted to take place during this live stream.

While the release date of the Pixel 4a is still a mystery for the time being, Google might have spoiled the prices of the Pixel 4a and the upcoming Pixel 5 in a suspiciously specific online survey.

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1. Today’s best deals: Apple Watch and AirPods Pro at all-time lows, 70¢ face masks, $18 Wi-Fi extender, $20 earbuds, more
2. $50 accessory makes your home internet so much faster
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Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a prices might have been leaked by Google originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 16:14:50 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• The UK government announced that the breakthrough Oxford coronavirus vaccine candidate is making progress in its human trials.
• If effective and safe, 30 million doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine candidates could be ready for use in the UK by September.
• The UK, Oxford, and AstraZeneca will also mass-produce the drug for other countries once it obtains regulatory approval.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Several coronavirus vaccine candidates are in various phases of testing after having performed well in lab trials. Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials are running in multiple countries, including China, Germany, the UK, and the US, using multiple types of vaccine technology. Some of the vaccine candidates might be approved for emergency use as soon as this fall, including a breakthrough drug from Oxford that already works on monkeys.

If the vaccine is safe and effective on humans, as many as 30 million doses might be ready by September in Britain, of the initial 100 million capacity that AstraZeneca has promised.

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1. $50 accessory makes your home internet so much faster
2. Today’s best deals: Apple Watch and AirPods Pro at all-time lows, 70¢ face masks, $18 Wi-Fi extender, $20 earbuds, more
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UK may get 30M doses of a breakthrough coronavirus vaccine this fall originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 15:47:12 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• This handy chart shows all the different ways the novel coronavirus can impact different parts of your body.
• Not everyone experiences the same symptoms, and many COVID-19 patients remain lightly symptomatic or asymptomatic for the duration of their illness.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted all of us in different ways. Those who have actually fallen ill have been impacted the most, but even those who battled COVID-19 fought it in different ways.

Initially, symptoms of the viral infection appeared similar to a cold or flu, primarily affecting the lungs. However, it wasn’t long before doctors began reporting other symptoms their patients were experiencing, including problems with their hearts, kidneys, and eyes. Tracking the myriad of different symptoms is challenging, but Elemental put together a well-designed chart to map all the ways the virus affects different parts of the human body.

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2. Today’s best deals: Apple Watch and AirPods Pro at all-time lows, 70¢ face masks, $18 Wi-Fi extender, $20 earbuds, more
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This chart shows every coronavirus symptom we know about so far originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 15:20:18 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• 180 people were exposed to the novel coronavirus during a church service on Mother’s Day.
• The infected person’s COVID-19 test result returned positive a day later, and all of the contacts were notified of their exposure.
• The incident further underscores the importance of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, especially in areas where stay-at-home orders are still in place.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

The novel coronavirus is far from being contained, and the more time you spend outside of your home, the higher the risk of getting COVID-19. That’s especially true if you go into closed spaces where social distancing measures aren’t possible. The latest example comes from an unidentified church in California, where a single participant who was diagnosed after the service ended exposed 180 other people to the virus.

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Today’s Top Deals

1. $50 accessory makes your home internet so much faster
2. Today’s best deals: Apple Watch and AirPods Pro at all-time lows, 70¢ face masks, $18 Wi-Fi extender, $20 earbuds, more
3. Don’t miss these 5 Amazon deals on kitchen gadgets and cookware

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A single person exposed 180 people in a church to coronavirus originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 14:53:04 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Facebook’s new Avatar feature recently became available for all users.
• Facebook Avatars are similar to Bitmoji stickers and can be used in posts and in Facebook comment sections.
• Creating a Facebook Avatar is an easy process, but requires using the mobile app.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

If you hopped onto Facebook this weekend, you may have noticed that things seemed a bit more whimsical than usual. That’s because Facebook a few days ago started rolling out its Avatar feature to users in the U.S. As the name implies, Avatars are Bitmoji-style stickers that Facebook users can incorporate into their day-to-day posting. Though not a game-changing feature, the ability for users to add custom and playful Avatars does add a sense of creativity and fun when scrolling through your feed.

Like Bitmoji, the customization options for Facebook Avatars are extensive and encompass a variety of different character styles and emotions. Once your Avatar is created, you can use it in Messenger, Facebook Stories, and also in the comments section of other users’ posts. Facebook also notes that it will soon be possible to use Avatars on text posts with backgrounds.

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Facebook Avatars are blowing up – here’s how to create your own originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 14:26:41 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• The most popular iRobot Roomba robot vacuum models on Amazon are the Roomba 960 and the Roomba i7, and they’re both on sale right now with deep $200 discounts.
• Both of those best-selling models are still a bit expensive even at their discounted prices, so there are two more deals we dug up on more affordable Roomba models.
• The $300 Roomba 675 gets a small discount to $269 right now at Amazon, and the $250 Roomba 614 is all the way down to just $224.
• Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Everyone knows that Roomba’s robot vacuums are the most popular options out there, but the best always comes at a price. In the case of iRobot’s top-of-the-line Roombas, that price can be as high as $1,000 and beyond. That’s why it’s so important to be on the lookout for good deals on Roomba robot vacuums, and we’ve come across some killer deals today on several of iRobot’s best-selling models.

Starting with the revolutionary Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum, it’s normally $1,000 but it’s down to $799.99 right now. If you’re wondering why it’s so pricey, you’ve likely never heard of it before so you should prepare to be blown away. On top of having all the bells and whistles you want in addition to the strongest suction ever, the i7+ has a special docking station that sucks all the dirt and dust out of the vacuum each time it returns home to charge! That means you don’t have to empty like other robot vacuums so it can run for months without you even having to think about it.

iRobot Roomba i7+ (7550) Robot Vacuum with Automatic Dirt Disposal-Empties Itself, Wi-Fi Connec…: $799.99

If $799.99 is a bit much but you still want premium performance, the longtime best-selling iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum is also on sale today. With a retail price of $650, this model packs wonderfully powerful suction that is five times stronger than 600-series models, and it also has fun bells and whistles like support for Alexa voice commands. Head over to Amazon right now and you’ll find it on sale for $449.

iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum- Wi-Fi Connected Mapping, Works with Alexa, Ideal for Pet Hair,…: $449.00

Next up is the iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum, which also packs Alexa and Google Assistant support along with plenty more great features. The suction isn’t quite as strong as you’ll find on the Roomba 960, but it’s still more than powerful enough to get the job done. It’s also far better than any low-cost Roomba rivals that you see on Amazon. The retail price on the 675 model is $300, but right now it’s down to $269 for a limited time. That’s the lowest price of 2020 so far.

iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum-Wi-Fi Connectivity, Works with Alexa, Good for Pet Hair, Carpets…: $269.00

Last but certainly not least, the iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum is perfect for anyone on the lookout for a powerful Roomba that doesn’t have all the extra fancy features. It’s great for pet hair and more on hard flooring or on low-pile carpet, and it’s down to just $224 right now if you hurry and grab one before they’re gone.

iRobot Roomba 614 Robot Vacuum- Good for Pet Hair, Carpets, Hard Floors, Self-Charging: $224.00

Today’s Top Deals

1. $50 accessory makes your home internet so much faster
2. Today’s best deals: Apple Watch and AirPods Pro at all-time lows, 70¢ face masks, $18 Wi-Fi extender, $20 earbuds, more
3. Don’t miss these 5 Amazon deals on kitchen gadgets and cookware

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Amazon’s best-selling Roomba 960 and Roomba i7+ are up to $200 off originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 18 May 2020 at 13:59:18 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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