Source: Google to Keep Employees Home Until Summer 2021 Amid Coronavirus Pandemic – WSJ
Monthly Archives: July 2020
The New Humanitarian | ‘Ebola business’ concerns resurface in Congo Équateur outbreak
Eight weeks into the latest outbreak – which has infected 67 people and left 31 dead – several senior humanitarian officials involved in the response told The New Humanitarian that government officials have been trying to profit from relief funds, following a precedent set during the previous outbreak, which cost more than 2,200 lives between August 2018 and June 2020. When hundreds of millions of dollars were pumped into that response it kickstarted a local scramble to profit. Examples of what became known as “Ebola business” included vehicles being rented from elites at sky-high prices, and security services being paid millions of dollars for military escorts.
Among the key concerns in the Équateur outbreak is a government list of approved service providers that contains the names of parliamentarians, civil servants, and other connected individuals. As response funds flow into the region – more than $34 million has been budgeted until September – humanitarian organisations say they have been “pressured” to hire people on the list.
Source: The New Humanitarian | ‘Ebola business’ concerns resurface in Congo Équateur outbreak
Pacific Islanders in US hospitalised with Covid-19 at up to 10 times the rate of other groups | World news | The Guardian
In Washington state, rates of confirmed cases for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific islander people are nine times higher than those of white people, while hospitalisation rates are 10 times that of white people, according to department of health figures.
In Oregon, Pacific islanders are just 0.4% of the population, but represent nearly 3% of all Covid-19 infections. Islanders there are three times more likely than any other racial group to be infected by the novel coronavirus.
In Arkansas, Pacific islanders are 0.3% of the population, yet account for 8% of the Covid-19 cases. In Hawaii, Pacific islanders are 4% of the state’s population, but 25% of Covid-19 cases.
Health authorities argue that there are a number of factors driving up Pacific islander infection and hospitalisation rates. These factors include that islanders tend to live in large family groups and close-knit communities and have higher rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, which can complicate Covid-19.
Experts say islanders are also more likely than others to be un- or under-insured, or excluded from Medicaid because of their immigration status, and are more likely to perform frontline essential work, such as serving in the military or working in the security and service industries, which increases their risk of exposure to Covid-19.
China Destroyed COVID-19 Evidence, Says Doctor Who Investigated Wuhan Cases – (very misleading headline – see below)
Yuen told the BBC he believes local officials covered up the scale of the initial outbreak by destroying physical evidence and delaying the response to clinical findings. (belief but no evidence)
“When we went to the Huanan supermarket, of course, there was nothing to see because the market was clean already,” Yuen said. “So, you may say that the crime scene is already disturbed because the supermarket was cleared, we cannot identify any host which is giving the virus to humans.”
Source: China Destroyed COVID-19 Evidence, Says Doctor Who Investigated Wuhan Cases
Bill Gates says Korean firm could make 200 million vaccines by June, East Asia News & Top Stories – The Straits Times
Besides working on its own vaccine candidates, the company is also one of the contract manufacturers tapped by British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca to make its vaccine. The company declined further comment on Monday.
Developed with Oxford University, Astrazeneca’s vaccine is in the third and last stage of human testing and is one of the front-runners in the global race for immunisation.
Nature study identifies 21 existing drugs that could treat COVID-19 | SBP
Still being tested by a global team.
The first authors of the study are Laura Riva, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow in the Chanda lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys; and Shuofeng Yuan at the University of Hong Kong, who contributed equally to the study. Additional study authors include Xin Yin, Laura Martin-Sancho, Naoko Matsunaga, Lars Pache, Paul De Jesus, Kristina Herbert, Peter Teriete, Yuan Pu, Courtney Nguyen and Andrey Rubanov of Sanford Burnham Prebys; Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan, Jianli Cao, Vincent Poon, Ko-Yung Sit and Kwok-Yung Yuen of the University of Hong Kong; Sebastian Burgstaller-Muehlbacher, Andrew Su, Mitchell V. Hull, Tu-Trinh Nguyen, Peter G. Schultz and Arnab K. Chatterjee of Scripps Research; Max Chang and Christopher Benner of UC San Diego School of Medicine; Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Wen-Chun Liu, Lisa Miorin, Kris M. White, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Randy Albrecht, Angela Choi, Raveen Rathnasinghe, Michael Schotsaert, Marion Dejosez, Thomas P. Zwaka and Adolfo Garcia-Sastre of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Ren Sun of UCLA; Kuoyuan Cheng of the National Cancer Institute and the University of Maryland; Eytan Ruppin of the National Cancer Institute; Mackenzie E. Chapman, Emma K. Lendy and Andrew D. Mesecar of Purdue University; and Richard J. Glynne of Inception Therapeutics.
Source: Nature study identifies 21 existing drugs that could treat COVID-19 | SBP
Texas coronavirus deaths: State reports 1,000 new fatalities in 6 days | The Texas Tribune
According to state health data released Sunday, 5,038 people in Texas had died from the virus. That’s 153 more deaths than the day before and 1,080 more than a week ago. Public health experts have said that reported totals are likely to be an undercount because not all people who died with coronavirus symptoms were tested.
Since July 20, when Texas passed 4,000 deaths, some Rio Grande Valley counties have seen significant increases in the number of people dying from COVID-19. That part of the state— among the hardest-hit parts of Texas — has a larger share of Hispanic residents than many other areas.
Source: Texas coronavirus deaths: State reports 1,000 new fatalities in 6 days | The Texas Tribune
SF Catholic Church Defied Orders, Held Large Secret Wedding, Ten Attendees Including Newlyweds COVID+ – Joe.My.God.
In the days following, the newlywed couple and at least eight attendees tested positive for the coronavirus, two guests told The Chronicle. The potentially exposed guests flew back to Nashville, Arizona and San Diego, hot spots of the pandemic, potentially spreading the virus and providing a textbook example of health officials’ biggest fears about such large gatherings.
According to the above-linked report (paywall), days earlier the city had warned Catholic leaders to stop holding illegal events. But church leadership helped organize the wedding, the rehearsal dinner, and the reception anyway. Over 100 people were reportedly at the church when city officials made them leave. (
Dozens of Illinois educators talk about schools reopening – Chicago Tribune
“What if a student or educator dies? Or what if a 14-year-old comes to school with COVID and is asymptomatic, passes it on to his best friend, and kills his best friend’s mom? Or his best friend’s little sister who has a compromised immune system? Will schools be provided with the resources they need to provide extra social workers and counselors to help students and staff navigate that unimaginable trauma? Will districts have the resources they need to provide teachers with professional development in areas such as trauma-informed practices and social emotional learning? … This is an opportunity to revolutionize education, and to do something right by finally addressing the aforementioned inequities in a systemic way. But that won’t happen under the ‘leadership’ of an administration that continuously threatens to cut funding from already underfunded schools.”
— Lindsey L. Jensen is a 12th grade English teacher at Dwight Township High School in Dwight, and 2018 Illinois Teacher of the Year.
Source: Dozens of Illinois educators talk about schools reopening – Chicago Tribune
FDA Authorizes First Coronavirus Test for Asymptomatic People
this reissued authorization allows LabCorp to use the test on anyone, not just on people suspected of having covid-19 by their health care provider. The FDA said it expanded the use of the LabCorp test after the company provided data demonstrating the test’s ability to detect SARS-CoV-2 in a general, asymptomatic population.
According to the FDA, the data provided by LabCorp affirms that the test is as accurate when used with the asymptomatic population as it is among people suspected of having covid-19.
In addition, the FDA will also allow LabCorp to carry out pool testing, enabling the lab to test up to five patient samples at once using a single test. This is the second test the FDA has authorized for pool testing in recent weeks. The agency considers pool testing to be an important public health tool because it allows more people to be tested quickly using fewer resources.
Source: FDA Authorizes First Coronavirus Test for Asymptomatic People
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