As COVID-19 injections spike again, a couple of developments are worthy of note, according to the latest Weekly Briefing from the Insights Collective. Among the highlighted news items: MIT has developed software that can accurately test a person’s cough and determine if it signals COVID-19 or not. It’s 98.5 percent accurate, and can identify those who are ostensibly asymptomatic. In Europe, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have locked down the economy again; in France and the UK, that means travel bans, and in Germany, a call to avoid travel. Could the U.S. follow suit if Joe Biden becomes the next President? In the interim, will the U.S. Congress pass a new round of COVID-19 relief measures? The Collective encourages readers to contact their members of Congress and urge passage of a stimulus package.

The latest Briefing also addresses trends in tourism and private-home rentals.