Four “separate lines of evidence” suggest community spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. likely began between late January and early February after a “single importation” of the coronavirus from China, reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday. "Several importations" from Europe "followed in February and March," it said. "It is not known how many U.S. infections occurred during February and March." The CDC finding that COVID-19 transmissions in the U.S. didn’t begin before late January appears to call into doubt the account of science professor Michael Webber that he likely was infected with the coronavirus at the Jan. 6-9 CES (see 2004240041). CTA and the Southern Nevada Health District have said there’s no evidence that COVID-19 circulated at CES. Webber didn’t comment Monday. CDC attached several caveats to the report. The presented data, though “geographically diverse,” can’t provide “as definitive a picture of transmission as would be available had widespread testing been immediately available after discovery of the virus,” it said. The agency also conceded that several studies are “continuing to test samples retrospectively and might find earlier cases than those presented in this report.”
April's $34.4 billion of global semiconductor sales was 1.2% lower sequentially, 6.1% higher than April 2019, reported the Semiconductor Industry Association Monday. COVID-19 disruptions “have so far not substantially impacted overall global sales.” The monthly sequential decline was “in line with seasonal trends,” SIA said. Despite the industry’s “early signs of resilience," it said that “significant uncertainty remains."
Public access restrictions and mask rules at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' Powell Courthouse Complex in Richmond remain in effect through Aug. 31, the court said Monday.
Canon USA introduced video content analysis software that can measure crowd size in real time. “With the current COVID-19 pandemic, it has become extremely important to be able to monitor the density of crowds,” said the vendor Monday. The software “can help to manage crowds in real time and will provide valuable data to help keep people safe once large gatherings and events return,” it said.
Touchless menus from SpeedPro will be used in Breckenridge-Wynkoop Restaurant Group locations in Denver to help customers maintain social distancing, said the company Friday. Restaurants will position SpeedPro’s InfoLnkX signage at high-traffic customer touch points. Customers access menus by holding their phones up to a sign or decal, which opens a restaurant’s menu via web browser on the phone's display, said the company.
Mexico, Costco’s main TV supply chain, was “a few weeks behind China in terms of getting back to normal” after the COVID-19 factory shutdowns, said Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti on a fiscal Q3 call Thursday. “Each week is showing improvement.” U.S. customer foot traffic in the quarter ended May 10 was down 2% from a year earlier, he said. Same-store sales were up 5.9%, but e-commerce sales soared 64.5%, said Galanti. Breaking down the quarter that began Feb. 17 into three four-week periods, e-commerce in the first four weeks was up about 25%, then jumped 50% in the next four and 90% in the final four, he said. E-commerce order fulfillment and delivery “worked pretty smoothly during the quarter despite dramatic volume increases,” he said.
Consumer revenue at Dell Technologies for Q1 ended May 1 was down 5%, “as we shifted supply to direct from retail” with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Chief Financial Officer Tom Sweet on a Thursday investor call. Dell’s consumer-direct orders were up nearly 40% in the quarter, while consumer retail orders were down 37%, he said. April visits to Dell’s online store were up 77% from a year earlier, “driven largely by interest in remote work offerings,” said Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke. In the “new normal,” society is realizing “that work isn't a destination, rather it's something many of us can do anywhere, anytime,” he said. “We are solving customer issues remotely with great success.” The stock closed 8.9% higher Friday at $49.64.
“Financial hardship” from the COVID-19 pandemic will send global PC shipments plummeting 12.4% this year to 360.9 million units, said IDC Thursday. It expects the market to recover slowly after 2020, with a 1.3% five-year compound annual growth rate, it said. The supply chain has “mostly returned to normal,” but logistics “remain a major hurdle,” it said. The “greatly diminished” number of commercial passenger flights that carry cargo, plus the lower availability of ocean freight “has led to an increase in transportation costs,” said IDC. “The closure of retail stores and varying degrees of lockdown around the world have also shifted demand in the near team.” It predicted the increase in demand for PCs and tablets as more economies went into lockdown “is likely to be short lived.”
Odds are against Dish Network making the June 2023 deadline for buildout of cellsites covering 70% of the U.S. population, as stipulated in the T-Mobile/Sprint deal terms, due to COVID-19 supply chain issues, blogged CCG Consulting President Doug Dawson Wednesday. The FCC shouldn't fine the company if it meets "some decent percentage" of the plan, he said. Dish didn't comment.
COVID-19 is expected to send global TV demand plunging 10.5% this year to 257 million units, said Display Supply Chain Consultants Wednesday. Its January forecast before the pandemic was for a 1% increase to 290 million sets. “Economic uncertainty” will force consumers to delay buying replacement sets, it said. “We expect a strong recovery in 2021,” but it will take until 2022 “for the industry to recover to the long-term trend we expected in January,” said DSCC.