Thursday 23 July 2020
German sniffer dogs show promise at detecting coronavirus
Read here (DW, July 23, 2020)
Covid-19 compounds developing country debt burdens
‘The unique, but varied and changing nature of the pandemic and efforts to contain contagion, and the specific challenges of relief, revival and reorientation imply that neither ‘one size fits all’ nor other formulaic solutions, e.g., to address financial crisis, are appropriate.
‘Policy measures will not only need to address the specificities of the Covid-19 crises, but must also take into consideration the legacy of earlier problems, including the burdens of accumulated debt and debt-servicing.’
Read here (IPS News, July 23, 2020)
The world needs a 'people's vaccine' for coronavirus, not a big-pharma monopoly: Helen Clark and Winnie Byanyima
Read here (The Guardian, July 23, 2020)
Inside the global quest to trace the origins of Covid-19 — and predict where it will go next
Read here (Time Magazine, July 23, 2020)
Wednesday 22 July 2020
Donald Trump willing to work with China on coronavirus vaccine for US
Read here (South China Morning Post, July 22, 2020)
Dr Anthony Fauci warns the coronavirus won’t ever be eradicated
“I think with a combination of good public health measures, a degree of global herd immunity and a good vaccine, which I do hope and feel cautiously optimistic that we will get, I think when we put all three of those together, we will get control of this, whether it’s this year or next year. I’m not certain,” he said.’
Read here (CNBC, July 22, 2020)
The hunt for the origins of SARS-CoV-2 will look beyond China: The virus may have been born in South-East Asia
‘One explanation, he suggests, is that Vietnam’s population is not as immunologically “naive” as has been assumed. The circulation of other sars-like viruses could have conferred a generalised immunity to such pathogens.’
Read here (The Economist, July 22, 2020)
Trials for three Covid-19 vaccines show promise but much more work still needed, say experts
Read here (Straits Times, July 22, 2020)
Meet the generation changed by lockdown
‘To be a teenager is to be in a state of constant growth and transition; to form values, priorities and plans that will affect your life for years to come. And for a generation of young adults who have seen their lives upended by a global pandemic and then witnessed their communities lit up by grassroots activism, this year might prove crucial in determining how they see the world and their home country as they grow up and gain power.’
Read here (Huffington Post, July 22, 2020)
Dengue fever, second wave: What are the hurdles Singapore faces in its coronavirus fight?
(2) Singapore’s second challenge comes from imported cases, although the city state has limited this risk by shutting its borders.
(3) Singapore also faces the risk of a resurgence in infections triggered by a failure to comply with safe-distancing rules, which remain in place despite the lockdown being lifted.
(4) The fourth challenge is the simultaneous onset of dengue fever in Singapore, which has seen some 19,000 cases so far this year.
Read here (South China Morning Post, July 22, 2020)
Tuesday 21 July 2020
How cultural differences help Asian countries beat Covid-19, while US struggles
EU leaders reach recovery deal after marathon summit
‘Another issue was over linking aid to the "rule of law". Hungary and Poland both threatened to veto the package if it adopted a policy of withholding funds from nations deemed to fall short of democratic principles.’
Read here (BBC, July 21, 2020)
Household contacts over 6 times more likely to become infected: South Korea study
‘Notably, households with an “index patient” aged 10-19 years were at even higher risk for transmission—cases identified in 18.6% of household contacts, compared to 11.8% in households with “index patients” of other ages. The lowest transmission risk among household contacts was for “index patients” aged 0-9 years. In these households, cases were identified in only 5.3% of household contacts; however, this was still greater than the overall risk for non-household contacts. This indicates that children who are infected at school could transmit the infection at home more easily than in other settings, particularly for older children, which would put other family members at increased risk.‘
Source: Newsletter, Center for Health Security, John Hopkins University.
Read here (EID Journal, 2020)
Is America’s second corona wave a political hoax?
Read here (Global Research, July 21, 2020)
Monday 20 July 2020
The people with hidden immunity against Covid-19
‘Most bizarrely of all, when researchers tested blood samples taken years before the pandemic started, they found T cells which were specifically tailored to detect proteins on the surface of Covid-19. This suggests that some people already had a pre-existing degree of resistance against the virus before it ever infected a human. And it appears to be surprisingly prevalent: 40-60% of unexposed individuals had these cells.’
Read here (BBC, July 20, 2020)
Protein treatment trial ‘a breakthrough’
Read here (BBC, July 20, 2020
Saturday 18 July 2020
Scathing Covid-19 book from Lancet editor — rushed but useful
Read here (Nature, June 18, 2020)
Friday 17 July 2020
UN makes record $10.3bn appeal for pandemic fight: Up to 265m people could face starvation by end-2020
Read here (BBC, July 17, 2020)
Press releases by RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of Covid-19 Therapy) Trial, University of Oxford
Read here (RECOVERY Trial website)
The new stability
Read here (New England Journal of Medicine, July 17, 2020)
Thursday 16 July 2020
Anger in Japan as US army bases report mounting Covid-19 outbreak
‘The question of quarantine regulations for US troops and their family members is a particularly contentious one, with local media reporting that Tokyo has little control over the US nationals who fly into Japan, even if they are arriving at commercial airports. The SOFA [Status of Forces Agreement between Japan and the US] permits service personnel to sidestep testing that is presently mandatory for all other arrivals from overseas.’
Read here (South China Morning Post, July 16, 2020)
Wednesday 15 July 2020
Vulnerable: The law, policy and ethics of Covid-19
Most of its contents are focussed on Canada, however, there are articles about other places. The last 100 pages e.g. is on “Global health and governance”. Even while being Canada-centric, many of the issues are relevant to other countries albeit developed ones.
Download here (uO Research, University of Ottawa, 2020)
Swiftly waning Covid-19 immunity poses vaccination challenge
‘Preliminary studies in China, Germany, Britain and elsewhere have found that patients infected with the novel coronavirus make protective antibodies as part of their immune system's defences, but these appear to last only a few months.’
Read here (Malaysiakini, July 15, 2020)
Tuesday 14 July 2020
COVAX: Ensuring global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines
Ignoring effects of Covid-19 on women could cost $5tn, warns Melinda Gates
‘The failure of leaders to take into account the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on women, and their roles in lessening its harm, will mean a long, slow recovery that could cost the world economy trillions of dollars, Melinda Gates has warned. Even a four-year delay in programmes that promote gender equality, such as advancing women’s digital and financial inclusion, would wipe a potential $5tn (£4tn) from global GDP by 2030. “As policymakers work to protect and rebuild economies, their response must account for the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on women, and the unique roles women will have to play in mitigating the pandemic’s harm,” Gates said in a paper published on Wednesday.’
Read here (The Guardian, July 15, 2020)
Monday 13 July 2020
Training for the pandemic economy
‘Here, Europe has a leg up, owing to strong trade unions that can cooperate with employers’ associations in organizing apprenticeships, and because worker-firm attachments are relatively strong. In the US, progress will be harder...’
Read here (Project Syndicate, July 13, 2020)
A new understanding of herd immunity
‘If that proves correct, it would be life-altering news. It wouldn’t mean that the virus is gone. But by Gomes’s estimates, if roughly one out of every five people in a given population is immune to the virus, that seems to be enough to slow its spread to a level where each infectious person is infecting an average of less than one other person. The number of infections would steadily decline...
There are two more arguments in the story, citing levels from 20 to 70 percent... The conclusion, as stated in the subhead: ‘The portion of the population that needs to get sick is not fixed. We can change it.’
Read here (The Atlantic, July 13, 2020)
Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2: Theoretical considerations and available evidence
Read here (JAMA Network, July 13, 2020)
Health workers silenced, exposed and attacked
‘The organization’s analysis of available data has revealed that more than 3000 health workers are known to have died from COVID-19 worldwide - a figure which is likely to be a significant underestimate.
‘Alarmingly, Amnesty International documented cases where health workers who raise safety concerns in the context of the COVID-19 response have faced retaliation, ranging from arrest and detention to threats and dismissal.’
Read here (Amnesty International, July 13, 2020)
Russian university completes clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccine
Read here (Clinical Trials Arena, July 13, 2020)
Sunday 12 July 2020
Merck CEO Ken Frazier discusses a Covid cure, racism, and why leaders need to walk the talk
‘As chairman and CEO of the leading vaccine producer in the world, pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Ken Frazier has one of the highest-profile positions in global business.
‘But Frazier, who is leading one of the firms on a charge to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, is unique in another way: He is just one of four Black CEOs leading a Fortune 500 company. Frazier is also outspoken, having resigned from President Trump’s American Manufacturing Council to make a clear statement against “hatred, bigotry and group supremacy” that surfaced in protests at Charlottesville, Virginia.
‘In the video [with transcript] below, Frazier provides insights into this turbulent period of American history with Tsedal Neeley (@tsedal), the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Topics ranged from corporate America’s role in hiring more African Americans to the experience of being raised just one generation away from slavery.’
View/read here (Harvard Business School, July 13, 2020)
Saturday 11 July 2020
China and Kazakhstan try to smooth over ‘deadly pneumonia’ row
Read here (South China Morning Post, July 11, 2020)
Why steroids are a Covid-19 game changer
View here (Real Science, July 11, 2020)
Why has the pandemic spared the Buddhist parts of South-East Asia?
Read here (The Economist, July 11, 2020)
Friday 10 July 2020
WHO’s Covid-19 inquiry is a shrewd move in a sea of disinformation
‘Given Trump’s record of denigrating female leaders, and of racist dog-whistles, it is striking that the review will be chaired by two highly regarded and independent-minded women leaders, one of them from Africa – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel laureate and the former president of Liberia, and Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand.’
Read here (The Guardian, July 10, 2020)
Covid-19: Are we being misled again by Big Pharma?
Read here (Third World Network, July 10, 2020)
Thursday 9 July 2020
WHO promises ‘honest evaluation’ of how world handled COVID-19
Read here (Reuters, July 9, 2020)
Will medical tourism survive Covid-19?
‘Treatment in Asia is up to 90% cheaper than private healthcare in the US. According to the MHTC [Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council], a coronary artery bypass graft that would cost $92 000 in the US, costs less than $10 000 in India, for example. Coupled with a steep reduction in the cost of long haul air travel, the region has successfully broadened the appeal of medical tourism beyond just the most affluent customers.
‘But all that was before the pandemic. The uncertainty of covid-19, lockdowns, border restrictions, and social distancing has stalled international travel. The UN World Tourism Organisation estimates that the travel industry could decline by 60% to 80% by the end of 2020, calling it the “worst crisis that international tourism has faced since records began.” It says Asia and the Pacific have been the regions hardest hit, with a loss of 33 million tourists.’
Read here (BMJ, July 10, 2020)
Wednesday 8 July 2020
Coronavirus: Sweden has become the world's cautionary tale
Read here (Straits Times, July 8, 2020)
Tuesday 7 July 2020
School openings across globe suggest ways to keep coronavirus at bay, despite outbreaks
This article discusses the following:
- How likely are children to catch and transmit the virus?
- Should children play together?
- Should kids wear masks?
- What should schools do when someone tests positive?
- Do schools spread the virus to the wider community?
- What lies ahead?
Read here (Science Magazine, July 7, 2020)
Once-model states suffer response fatigue as Covid-19 surges in India
‘The neighbouring state of Kerala, which received international praise for its early and rigorous response to the pandemic that began with its - and India's - first case on January 30, is also showing signs of response fatigue.’
Read here (Straits Times, July 7, 2020)
This is not a normal mental-health disaster
‘In 2013, reflecting on the tenth anniversary of the SARS pandemic, newspapers in Hong Kong described a city scarred by plague. When COVID-19 arrived there seven years later, they did so again. SARS had traumatized that city, but it had also prepared it. Face masks had become commonplace. People used tissues to press elevator buttons. Public spaces were sanitized and resanitized. In New York City, COVID-19 has killed more than 22,600 people; in Hong Kong, a metropolis of nearly the same size, it has killed seven. The city has learned from its scars.’
[Joshua Morganstein is the chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster; Steven Taylor is a psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia and the author of The Psychology of Pandemics]
Read here (The Atlantic, July 7, 2020)
Monday 6 July 2020
Will universities learn from lockdowns?
‘Make no mistake: COVID-19 represents a massive economic hit to higher education. Dorm rooms are unoccupied, sports stadiums remain empty, and students push back against paying full tuition fees. For many colleges and universities, the drop in revenue from foreign students, especially Chinese, is likely to be painful; numerous smaller and less-endowed schools may close.’
Read here (Project Syndicate, July 6, 2020)
The coronavirus may not have originated in China, says Oxford professor
‘Dr Tom Jefferson, from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) at Oxford University, has pointed to a string of recent discoveries of the virus’s presence around the world before it emerged in Asia as growing evidence of its true origin as a global organism that was waiting for favourable conditions to finally emerge.
‘Traces of COVID-19 have been found in sewage samples from Spain, Italy and Brazil which pre-date its discovery in China. A preprint study, which has not been peer reviewed, claims to have found the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genomes in a Barcelona sewage sample from 12 March 2019.’
Read here (BBC Science Focus, July 6, 2020)
Lessons for Covid-19 from the early days of AIDS
‘Now, with COVID-19, we are in a remarkably similar spot: 2.7 million people have been infected across the U.S., and 128,000 have died of the disease. Despite our limited understanding of how the novel coronavirus works and what it does to the human body, many are putting what I consider a disproportionate amount of faith in the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine by 2021. My feelings today echo my feelings a third of a century ago: yes, a vaccine may be possible, but it is by no means a certainty.’
Read here (Scientific American, July 6, 2020)
Saturday 4 July 2020
239 experts with 1 big claim: The coronavirus is airborne
Read here (New York Times, July 4, 2020)
Thursday 2 July 2020
The national humiliation we need
‘I’d add that this individualism, atomism and selfishness is downstream from a deeper crisis of legitimacy. In 1970, in a moment like our own, Irving Kristol wrote, “In the same way as men cannot for long tolerate a sense of spiritual meaninglessness in their individual lives, so they cannot for long accept a society in which power, privilege, and property are not distributed according to some morally meaningful criteria”.’
Read here (New York Times, July 2, 2020)
Rethink food security and nutrition following Covid-19 pandemic
‘Food systems need to be repurposed to better produce and supply safe and nutritious food. Ensuring that food systems improve nutrition is not just a matter of increasing production. The entire ‘nutrition value chain’ — from farm to fork, from production to consumption — needs to be considered to ensure the food system better feeds the population.
‘Food systems have to improve production practices, post-harvest processing and consumption behaviour. Resource use and abuse as well as environmental damage due to food production and consumption need to be addressed to ensure sustainable food systems.’
Read here (IPS News, July 2, 2020)
Coronavirus autopsies: A story of 38 brains, 87 lungs and 42 hearts
‘Another unexpected finding, pathologists said, is that oxygen deprivation of the brain and the formation of blood clots may start early in the disease process. That could have major implications for how people with covid-19 are treated at home, even if they never need to be hospitalized.’
Read here (Washington Post, July 2, 2020)
Wednesday 1 July 2020
Microbiologist shows how well masks work in gross but effective demonstration
Read here (Distractify, July 1, 2020)
Priorities for the Covid-19 economy: Joseph Stiglitz
Read here (Project Syndicate, July 1, 2020)
Tuesday 30 June 2020
US buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir
Read here (The Guardian, June 30, 2020)
Stealth infections
‘It isn’t ‘pandemics’ per se that we need to fear. The concept of being ‘overdue for a pandemic’ actually makes little sense. Pandemics aren’t cyclical, nor are they necessary products of global warming. We are vulnerable to pandemic outbreaks because of our interconnected world, not because there is some mysterious mechanism in the world that’s going to produce them. It takes precise conditions, what we can call ‘disease factories’, to produce pandemics, and these conditions don’t exist until we create them. The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic was the product of a disease factory: it most likely sprang out of a giant pig farm in the Mexican state of Veracruz, owned in part by Smithfield Foods, a giant US pig-raising and meat-packing conglomerate.’
Read here (Aeon, June 30, 2020)
The vaccine race
Read here (Politico, June 30, 2020)
‘You have to take action’: One hospital cleaner’s journey through the pandemic
Read here (The Guardian, June 30, 2020)
Remdesivir, the first coronavirus drug, gets a price tag
Read here (Straits Times, June 30, 2020)
Monday 29 June 2020
New rules: Malaysians to pay RM30-RM150 for Covid-19 test upon return abroad; foreigners pay RM60-RM250
‘In the regulations made on June 26 by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, any Malaysian or foreigner entering Malaysia will be required to pay the specified fee depending on the type of Covid-19 detection tests taken "before proceeding for immigration clearance at any point of entry", with the type of tests used to be decided by the health director-general.’
Read here (The Malay Mail, June 29, 2020)
Saturday 27 June 2020
Coronavirus traces found in March 2019 sewage sample, Spanish study shows
Read here (Straits Times, June 27, 2020)
India's female Corona-warriors: Underpaid and unappreciated
‘The Covid-19 outbreak added to their duties. Ashas are now expected to educate people about precautions against infection, monitor quarantined households, trace contacts of infected people and help with testing. They have no holidays.’
Read here (Straits Times, June 27, 2020)
Friday 26 June 2020
Covid-19 vaccines: EU prioritises preferential access, paying lip-service to global solidarity
Read here (Third World Network, June 26, 2020)
Persuasive words are not enough
Read here (Science Magazine, June 26, 2020)
Thursday 25 June 2020
Care homes and Covid-19 deaths: An opportunity to cut down mortality rates
‘The impact of COVID-19 on care home residents has been very different internationally, with some countries reporting no deaths (or infections) in care homes, such as Hong Kong, Jordan and Malta, and two countries reporting that over 80% of COVID-19 deaths were of care home residents. Without including the three countries with zero deaths, and with the caveat that the definitions used vary, on average the share of all COVID-19 deaths that were care home residents is 47% (based on 26 countries).’
Read here (International Long-term Care Policy Network, June 26, 2020)
Seamen struck by cruel waves of Covid-19
Read here (The Star, June 25, 2020)
How the coronavirus may deliver a shock to the US dollar: Stephen Roach
‘Against this background, especially when compared with other major economies, it seems reasonable to conclude that hyperextended saving and current-account imbalances will finally have actionable consequences for the dollar and/or US interest rates.
‘To the extent that the inflation response lags, and the Federal Reserve maintains its extraordinarily accommodative monetary-policy stance, the bulk of the concession should occur through the currency rather than interest rates. Hence, I foresee a 35 per cent drop in the broad dollar index over the next two to three years.’
Read here (South China Morning Post, June 25, 2020)
Vaccine alliance finds manufacturing capacity for 4 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines
Read here (Straits Times, June 25, 2020)
CDC head estimates US coronavirus cases might be 10 times higher than data show
‘Redfield said the new, much-higher estimate, is based on growing data from antibody testing, which picks up the presence of immune cells that react to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. People will test positive for antibodies to the virus if they have been infected—whether or not they ever got sick or even developed symptoms.’
Read here (Time Magazine, June 25, 2020)
Wednesday 24 June 2020
Australia calls military in after virus surge
Read here (Today Online, June 24, 2020)
Tuesday 23 June 2020
What’s at risk: An 18-month view of a post-Covid world
‘As the world continues to grapple with the effects of COVID-19, no part of society seems to be left unscathed. Fears are surmounting around the economy’s health, and dramatic changes in life as we know it are also underway.
‘In today’s graphic, we use data from a World Economic Forum survey of 347 risk analysts on how they rank the likelihood of major risks we face in the aftermath of the pandemic. What are the most likely risks for the world over the next year and a half?’
Read here (Visual Capitalist, June 24, 2020)
Human challenge trials with live coronavirus aren’t the answer to a Covid-19 vaccine
Read here (STAT News, June 23, 2020)
To date (July 19, 2020), the 1DaySooner campaign has attracted nearly 33,000 volunteers from 140 countries. Read here
The long-term effects of Covid-19 infection
‘Helms and her colleagues published a small study in the New England Journal of Medicine documenting the neurological symptoms in their Covid-19 patients, ranging from cognitive difficulties to confusion. All are signs of “encephalopathy” (the general term for damage to the brain) – a trend that researchers in Wuhan had noticed in coronavirus patients there in February.’
Read here (BBC, June 23, 2020)
Fauci: Coronavirus vaccine could be available by end of 2020
Read here (Vox, June 23, 2020)
Monday 22 June 2020
People have stopped going to the doctor. Most seem just fine
‘Most patients, on the other hand, at least those with stable chronic conditions, seem to have done OK. In a recent survey, only one in 10 respondents said their health or a family member’s health had worsened as a result of delayed care. Eighty-six percent said their health had stayed about the same.’
Read here (New York Times, June 22, 2020)
The politics of the mask
‘This new political instability coincides with the tenth anniversary of the publication of critical theorist AK Thompson’s Black Bloc, White Riot: Anti-Globalization and the Genealogy of Dissent (2010), which advanced a provocative thesis regarding the intimate bond between political violence and the white middle class. In Thompson’s account, the black bloc – a demonstration tactic in which masks and sartorial uniformity are used to facilitate participation in confrontational skirmishes – was both seductive and disquieting to white middle-class audiences because it forced them to confront the limits of their own political efficacy. Today, as activists confront the question of violence once again – and COVID-19 universally necessitates the wearing of masks in public – the polarizing debates that inspired the book have reignited, and Thompson’s analysis has implications that reach far beyond the case study that prompted it.
‘In this interview, the writer pushes Thompson to clarify his positions and extend his analysis to consider the forms of street-level political violence we confront today.’
https://socialistproject.ca/2020/06/the-politics-of-the-mask/
Read here (The Bullet, June 22, 2020)
Gilead to start testing an inhaled version of remdesivir, making it available to vastly more patients
Read here (Business Insider, June 22, 2020)
Antibody levels in recovered COVID-19 patients decline quickly, Chinese study finds
Read here (Channel News Asia, June 22, 2020)
Asymptomatic patients may shed virus for longer than others, study says
Read here (South China Morning Post, June 22, 2020)
Fearing second Covid-19 wave, Europe aims to train ‘army’ of medics
Read here (Straits Times, June 22, 2020)
Trust in governments surges during pandemic, survey shows
Read here (Straits Tines, June 22, 2020)
Thailand had the world's first coronavirus case outside China. Here's how it avoided disaster
Read here (ABC News, June 22, 2020)
Covid-19 has led to a pandemic of plastic pollution
Read here (The Economist, June 22, 2020)
A plague of willful ignorance
Read here (New York Times, June 22, 2020)
Sunday 21 June 2020
The essential but invisible trade: TRAFFIC sounds alarm over sustainability of wild plants used to treat Covid-19
Read here (Traffic, June 18, 2020)
Saturday 20 June 2020
New Covid-19 tracing tool appears on smartphones
Read here (BBC, June 20, 2020)
How Uruguay has coped with Covid-19
‘The government calls its policy libertad responsable (responsible liberty). It shut down schools, cinemas and shopping malls. It urged people to work from home, wear face masks and keep their distance from each other, but did not confine them to their houses. Mr Lacalle Pou “was not going to imprison people”, says an adviser.’
Read here (The Economist, June 20, 2020)
Coronavirus: China’s belt and road partners call for more cooperation on public health
Read here (South China Morning Post, June 20, 2020)
Friday 19 June 2020
Coronavirus antibody tests have a mathematical pitfall
‘A positive screening test result for other diseases usually prompts follow-up testing to confirm a diagnosis. But for COVID-19 screening, such follow-up has been rare because testing resources are scarce or because other testing methods are prioritized for the sickest patients. Here's a look at the massive impact infection rates can have on the predictive value of these tests for individuals.’
Read here (Scientific American, July 2020, pre-published in June 19, 2020)
World in ‘new and dangerous phase’ of Covid-19 pandemic: WHO
Read here (Straits Times, June 19, 2020)
In this coronavirus wave, China tries something new: Restraint
‘The brunt of the government’s measures has been borne by food traders at markets that were sealed off after cases were found, and by the residents of more than four dozen apartment complexes placed under lockdown. But in many other Beijing neighborhoods, the shops, restaurants and even hair salons are still operating. Traffic is a little lighter than usual, but plenty of cars are still on the road. City sidewalks remain busy.’
Read here (New York Times, June 19, 2020)
US Department of Homeland Security develops DIY method to decontaminate masks with a multicooker
‘Moist heat decontamination is achieved by treating masks with 149°F steam for 30 minutes. Key steps include placing the mask(s) in a paper bag, filling the multicooker with a half inch of water and setting the bag on a rack inside of it. S&T verified these conditions inactivate the virus below detectable limits in culture media and simulated saliva, while the masks still meet performance specifications after five treatments...
Read here (US DHS, June 19, 2020)
Full instructions, a video, fact sheet and FAQ about the process are available on the HHS S&T website. View video and download PDFs here
What is the true death toll of the pandemic?
Read here (BBC, June 19, 2020)
Thursday 18 June 2020
Race for virus vaccine could leave poor countries behind
‘Earlier this month, the United Nations, International Red Cross and Red Crescent, and others said it was a "moral imperative" that everyone have access to a "people's vaccine". But such grand declarations are unenforceable and without a detailed strategy, the allocation of vaccines could be messy.’
Read here (Aljazeera, June 18, 2020)
Beijing's partial coronavirus lockdown a sign of the world's new normal
‘Most Beijing streets flowed with traffic on Wednesday, though less than usual, and the public mood appeared resigned rather than panicked. Restaurants still opened, though the government has ordered them to disinfect and check employees.’
Read here (Straits Times, June 18, 2020)
The end of tourism?
Read here (Guardian, June 18, 2020)
An analysis of three Covid-19 outbreaks: How they happened and how they can be avoided
Read here (El Pais, June 18, 2020)
Scathing Covid-19 book from Lancet editor — rushed but useful
‘Since the coronavirus crisis began, Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of leading medical journal The Lancet, has been tearing across the British public sphere. Here he is on the BBC, the national broadcaster, there in the pages of The Guardian newspaper — taking the government to task for failures that have left the United Kingdom with the world’s second-highest per capita COVID-19 death toll so far (Belgium is top). Horton has never shied away from controversy (his journal published the retracted, fraudulent paper by Andrew Wakefield that alleged a non-existent link between vaccines with autism) or crusades (against the Iraq war and for political action on climate change). In coronavirus, he has found a cause that matches his energy: the Lancet journals are pumping out both the latest research and his pointed critiques of government policy; and last month, he reviewed a new book by the Slovenian Marxist philosopher Slavoj Žižek that imagines economic and social worlds after COVID-19.
‘Now Horton has a book of his own. The COVID-19 Catastrophe is a sort of history, diagnosis and prescription, in real time. It is wide ranging, querying the changing role of international cooperation and the fallout of austerity economics, and taking a deeper dive into China’s scientific and political response to the crisis than most Western media have offered. But the book returns again and again to the catastrophe in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It is haunted by the question: how did two of the richest, most powerful and most scientifically advanced countries in the world get it so wrong, and cause such ongoing pain for their citizens?’
Read here (Nature, June 18, 2020)
Wednesday 17 June 2020
What to expect when flying now (and in the future)
Watch here (Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2020)
Tuesday 16 June 2020
Antibody tests don't mean a ton right now. But that could change soon
‘Overall, around 88% of the people generated varying levels of antibodies to the virus. But only about 10% of them had high levels that were able to neutralize the lab-based version of the COVID-19 virus—and, on the other side of the spectrum, 17% had almost no antibody response to their infection.’
Read here (Time Magazine, June 16, 2020)
The pandemic broke end-of-life care
Read here (The Atlantic, June 16, 2020)
Hadassah doctors crack the cause of fatal corona blood clots
‘Dr. Abd Alrauf Higavi said his team are en route to a solution: administering the drug colchicine to coronavirus patients. Colchicine is an approved drug used in the prevention and treatment of gout attacks, caused by too much uric acid in the blood. Higavi said they have completed testing colchicine on mice and found that it successfully inhibited the release of alpha defensin. Now, they are waiting for the necessary approvals to test it on human coronavirus patients.’
Read here (Jerusalem Post, June 16, 2020)
Dexamethasone proves to be life-saving drug
‘It cut the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators. For those on oxygen, it cut deaths by a fifth. Had the drug had been used to treat patients in the UK from the start of the pandemic, up to 5,000 lives could have been saved, researchers say. And it could be of huge benefit in poorer countries with high numbers of Covid-19 patients.’
Read here (BBC, June 16, 2020)
Monday 15 June 2020
US in the spring of the pandemic
Read here (Le Monde Diplomatique, June 2020)
Volunteers sign up to put their lives on the line for a coronavirus vaccine
‘It’s built on a deceptively simple premise: Researchers inject healthy volunteers with an experimental vaccine and then expose them to a pathogen. If the vaccine prevents volunteers from getting sick, the study can accelerate development of a promising formula.’
Read here (Washington Post, June 15, 2020)
Fact-checking claims coronavirus might have started in August 2019
‘The Harvard study has gained a lot of traction in the media, with President Trump, who has been highly critical of China's pandemic response, tweeting a Fox News item highlighting the researchers' findings. The tweet has been viewed more than three million times.’
Read here (BBC, June 15, 2020)
UK readers find the government’s COVID-19 messages more misleading than actual fake news
‘For broadcasters to more effectively counter misinformation, our research tells us it is not only about boldly questioning what politicians say and holding the government to account. It is about identifying what people are most confused about and finding ways to raise their level of understanding about complex and contentious issues.’
Read here (Nieman Lab, June 15, 2020)
To understand who’s dying of Covid-19, look to social factors like race more than preexisting diseases
‘More and more evidence is pointing to social determinants of risk, which puts the role of underlying health conditions in a new light. “Comorbidities are still used to blame people for how hard they are hit by Covid-19,” said Philip Alberti, senior director for health equity research at the AAMC. To reduce the U.S. death toll now that many states are seeing a new surge in cases, he said, “our response to this disease” must look beyond the strictly medical.’
Read here (STAT News, June 15, 2020)
A visual guide to the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
Read here (Scientific American, June 15 web story for July 2020)
Sunday 14 June 2020
Tale of Covid-19 in two Indian cities: Dharavi, Mumbai, a rare success, and Delhi which was “messed up”
Watch here (Youtube, June 14, 2020)
Sinovac says early data show its Covid-19 vaccine generated immune responses
Fears of second wave as new cases emerge at Beijing market
‘Chinese news outlet Beijing News reported that the virus was detected at Xinfadi market on a chopping board for imported salmon, which had come from Jingshen seafood market, one of the markets ordered shut on Friday. Large supermarket chains such as Carrefour and Japanese restaurants have pulled salmon off the shelves and menus after news that supplies could be contaminated sparked worries across the city.’
Read here (Straits Times, June 14, 2020)
Why is it hard to do what is right?
Read here (Free Malaysia Today, June 14, 2020)
Saturday 13 June 2020
Lancet editor spills the beans and the unfolding of a pharmaceutical scandal
‘The alarming findings and serious negative impact of the Lancet report led numerous scientists around the globe to scrutinise the report in detail. That scrutiny by legitimate, independent scientists has led to many serious questions about the integrity of the study, the authenticity of the data, and the validity of the methods the authors used... [many details are provided in this story]
Demonisation of favourable HCQ-AZ treatment studies: ‘Since publishing favourable reports about a treatment combination of two cheap, widely prescribed medicines: hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, as a treatment of choice against Covid-19, Dr [Didier] Raoult has become the subject of intense demonisation by the corporate-influenced medical establishment, the media, and the [sic] who resort to this tactic whenever they lack evidence or legitimate grounds to support public health policies that cause people harm.’
Read here (Health Impact News, received on June 13, 2020)
Friday 12 June 2020
Understanding Covid-19 risks and vulnerabilities among black communities in America: The lethal force of syndemics
Read here (Annals of Epidemiology, Volume 47, July 2020, Pages 1-3, via Science Direct)
Thursday 11 June 2020
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says ‘we can’t shut down the economy again’
‘[US] Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that shutting down the economy for a second time to slow Covid-19 isn’t a viable option. The Treasury secretary’s comments came as Wall Street grew more concerned about a second wave of coronavirus cases in the US. Mnuchin also said he’s prepared to return to Congress to request additional fiscal spending to help juice the economy if needed.’
Read here (CNBC, June 11, 2020)
Religion and science in a time of Covid-19: Allies or adversaries?
‘But perhaps this narrative represents a false dichotomy. Does the tension between science and religion really exist? And in the context of COVID-19, is it inconceivable that a scientist can wholeheartedly pray for a cure for a loved one whilst also working to develop a vaccine?’
Read here (Scientific American, June 11, 2020)
Immunity to the coronavirus remains a mystery. Scientists are trying to crack the case
Read here (STAT News, June 11, 2020)
I'm an ICU doctor treating coronavirus patients. But somehow I'm not angry
Read here (The Guardian, June 11, 2020)
Unsung heroines: Who cares for the carers?
Read here (IPS News, June 11, 2020)
Wednesday 10 June 2020
How to avoid the virus as the world reopens
Read here (Financial Times, June 10, 2020)
Pandemic exposes systemic staffing problems at US nursing homes - Special report by Reuters
‘About a quarter of nursing homes responding to a recent federal survey reported shortages of direct-care staff during at least one of the last two weeks in May, according to a Reuters analysis of survey data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.’
Read here (Reuters, June 10, 2020)
Worst ever Covid variant? Omicron
John Campbell shares his findings on Omicron. View here (Youtube, Nov 27, 2021)
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‘Much was riding on the Oxford vaccine, a British-led endeavour also involving UK drugs firm AstraZeneca. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s gov...
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‘It appears that vaccine hesitancy is due to lack of information and trust. Despite the government's assurances about Covid-19 vaccines,...
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‘It is hard to stare directly at the biggest problems of our age. Pandemics, climate change, the sixth extinction of wildlife, food and wate...