All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

Safari translations in iOS 14 rolling out to more countries | AppleInsider

Introduced with iOS 14 in September, the feature lets users translate foreign language webpages natively in Safari by tapping on the “aA” icon in the address bar. The button, initially implemented to control page font size, has now become a catchall menu for native Safari functions including website settings and privacy reports.

The Safari capability was restricted to U.S. users at launch, but has since expanded to other countries the release of iOS 14.2 on Thursday. According to 9to5Mac, the feature is now live in Brazil and Germany. Other countries might also see the translation function roll out in the coming days.

Source: Safari translations in iOS 14 rolling out to more countries | AppleInsider

Connecticut limits gatherings to 10 people amid COVID-19 rise | TheHill

Starting on Friday, restaurants must reduce their capacity from 75 percent to 50 percent and close their dining rooms by 10 p.m. Only eight people maximum can sit at a restaurant table at one time.

Venues will limit their capacity to 25 people indoors and 50 people at outdoor locations.

Churches will also be subjected to the measures, with the government allowing no more than 50 percent capacity or 100 people at a time.

Source: Connecticut limits gatherings to 10 people amid COVID-19 rise | TheHill

How effective are China’s attempts to reduce the risk of wildlife spreading disease to humans? | Ensia

Some progress has been made in shutting off much of the formerly robust wildlife trade related to meat consumption. But virtually nothing has been done to address potential threats from fur farms and operations raising wildlife for use in Chinese pharmaceuticals, leaving open the potential for fur and pharmaceutical operations to be a future source of zoonotic diseases like Covid-19. It also increases the potential for these industries to serve as a hub for illicit wildlife trade.

If China does not tackle zoonotic disease seriously and systematically, say advocates of the One Health approach to simultaneously protecting the health of animals, people and the environment, future outbreaks stemming from the wildlife trade or captive breeding are certain. Some could have devastating global impacts.

Mohamed Ezzat El Zowalaty, a veterinary scientist and microbiologist at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, says that cultural perspectives are one of the main issues countries have in combating emerging infectious diseases. Those perspectives lead to incongruities between how scientists say we should reduce the risks of those diseases and the policies used to address them.

“We can say there’s no real strict implementation of biosecurity, and even if some of those strict protocols are there, there can be violations,” he says. “One of the answers to China’s [specific problems] is all the factors combined: the environment, the huge [animal and human] populations, and population density that allows the infectious agents to transmit easily and cross species between animals and people.”

Source: How effective are China’s attempts to reduce the risk of wildlife spreading disease to humans? | Ensia

Coronavirus: Denmark imposes lockdowns amid mink covid fears – BBC News

The restrictions will come into effect from Friday and initially last until 3 December.

It comes soon after an announcement that Denmark would cull all its mink – as many as 17 million.

The Scandinavian country is the world’s biggest producer of mink fur and its main export markets are China and Hong Kong. Culling began late last month, after many mink cases were detected.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization said mink appear to be “good reservoirs” of coronavirus. It also commended Denmark’s “determination and courage” for going ahead with the culls, despite the economic impact it would bring.

Source: Coronavirus: Denmark imposes lockdowns amid mink covid fears – BBC News

Covid immune response faster and stronger post-infection, scientists say | World news | The Guardian

Once the infection has passed, the immune system stands down, but it remembers the virus by storing so-called memory T cells and memory B cells. Should the virus return, these are immediately called to action.

Many studies have shown that the first wave of antibodies to coronavirus wane after a few months, raising concerns that people may lose immunity quickly. In their study of 87 coronavirus patients, the US researchers confirmed that antibodies wane, falling to about a fifth of their peak level over six months, but this may not matter too much, they believe.

When the researchers examined the immune system’s memory, they noticed that six months after infection the antibodies made by memory B cells had evolved to become more potent. These highly honed antibodies could be unleashed within days of re-infection, rather than taking a couple of weeks to build up, as seen in primary infections.

The scientists went on to show that tiny amounts of coronavirus, or protein fragments from inactive virus particles, lurked in patients’ intestines and apparently helped to maintain the immune system’s memory. The remnants of the virus are not thought to be harmful.

“The take-home lessons are that people who have been infected, six months later have persistent B cell memory responses with antibodies that can neutralise the virus and can do it very well,” Nussenzweig said. That could mean wiping out the virus before it takes hold, he added. “We don’t know how long any protection will last, but it might be a really long time. It could be years.”

Source: Covid immune response faster and stronger post-infection, scientists say | World news | The Guardian

Operation Moonshot: rapid Covid test missed over 50% of cases in pilot | World news | The Guardian

A rapid coronavirus test at the heart of Boris Johnson’s mass-testing strategy missed more than 50% of positive cases in an Operation Moonshot pilot in Greater Manchester, the Guardian can reveal.

The 20-minute tests, on which the government has spent £323m for use with hospital and care home staff with no symptoms, identified only 46.7% of infections during a crucial trial in Manchester and Salford last month.

This means that many of those carrying Covid-19 were wrongly told they were free of the virus, potentially allowing them to infect others.

Source: Operation Moonshot: rapid Covid test missed over 50% of cases in pilot | World news | The Guardian

World first: Dutch brewery burns iron as a clean, recyclable fuel

Many industries use heat-intensive processes that generally require the burning of fossil fuels, but a surprising green fuel alternative is emerging in the form of metal powders. Ground very fine, cheap iron powder burns readily at high temperatures, releasing energy as it oxidizes in a process that emits no carbon and produces easily collectable rust, or iron oxide, as its only emission. Source: World first: Dutch brewery burns iron as a clean, recyclable fuel

Even if you’re asymptomatic, COVID-19 can harm your heart, study shows – here’s what student athletes need to know

New research now shows that even young people with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic are at risk for developing potentially dangerous inflammation around the heart. Source: Even if you’re asymptomatic, COVID-19 can harm your heart, study shows – here’s what student athletes need to know