All posts by nedhamson
Prominent Scientists Denounce End to Coronavirus Grant

A group of 77 Nobel laureates wants the U.S. government to review a grant cancellation for research in China directly related to preventing pandemics.
Treating Mild Coronavirus Cases Could Help Save Everyone

Acting before or very soon after an infection is the best way to handle most acute viral diseases. Why aren’t we focusing on that with Covid-19?
Donald Trump orders governors to allow places of worship to reopen | US news | The Guardian
Super spreading events:
https://www.ibtimes.com/covid-19-super-spreading-event-infects-52-what-super-spreader-2977327
https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/arkansas-pastor-wife-church-infected-covid-19
http://bpnews.net/54677/covid19-strikes-pastors-family-churches
https://www.kcra.com/article/dozens-of-covid-19-cases-linked-to-sacramento-county-church/32025605#
President declares churches, mosques and synagogues ‘essential services’ but has no authority to order a reopening
Source: Donald Trump orders governors to allow places of worship to reopen | US news | The Guardian
Perfecting Poetry
Blood moon: Guides the wisdom in her heart Silvered by stars Love Tasting the fragrance of it Dancing because She wasn't born to walk mute... Tugging at her heart-strings The beat of words Awakening heartbeat-- Enlightenment In the moonlight She weaves verses To walk the cosmos The distance becomes words Sweeping her off her feet.. Warmed by the Gentle touch of a smile; It becomes the sum of all her senses.. Perfecting her poetry:: Keeping her awake as she dreams in her sleep..
New York court orders Gilgamesh tablet returned to Iraq
New York court orders Gilgamesh tablet returned to Iraq
— Read on www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/new-york-court-orders-tablet-forfeiture-epic-gilgamesh.html
NPC 2020: China to expand medical, testing capabilities to prevent resurgence of epidemics like Covid-19

BEIJING – China will build more medical facilities and expand testing capabilities, as part of medical reforms to prevent the resurgence of an epidemic like Covid-19, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday (May 22).
Delivering his work report at the annual opening of the meetings of the National People’s Congress, Mr Li flagged these improvements to the public health system as a priority for Beijing going forward.
“The Covid-19 epidemic is the fastest spreading, most extensive and most challenging public health emergency China has encountered since the founding of the People’s Republic,” he told some 3,000 assembled delegates at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital.
The coronavirus pandemic, which was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December, has infected more than 82,000 people in China and killed about 4,600.
The coronavirus has also dealt the economy a heavy blow, after the government instituted lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus – China’s GDP contracted 6.8 per cent in the first quarter of this year, the worst on record.
It also caused the annual legislative meetings or Two Sessions, usually held in March, to be delayed by more than two months.
China is facing both international and domestic criticism over whether it had reported the emergence of the coronavirus in a timely manner – first discovered as a mysterious pneumonia-like illness in Wuhan.
On Friday, Mr Li said: “We will reform the system for disease prevention and control, improve mechanisms for direct reporting and early warning of infectious diseases, and ensure prompt, open, and transparent release of epidemic information.”
Beijing would also increase inputs into research and development of vaccines, medicines and testing technologies,” he said.
“We need to greatly enhance our prevention and control capability, resolutely prevent a resurgence of Covid-19, and protect the health of our people.”
Related Stories:
India reports biggest 24-hour rise in coronavirus cases as lockdown eases

MUMBAI (REUTERS) – India registered some 6,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday (May 22), the country’s biggest jump in 24 hours, as New Delhi eases a nationwide lockdown and airlines prepare to resume some domestic flights.
The country of 1.3 billion people reported a total of over 118,000 confirmed cases on Friday, a roughly 5 per cent increase from Thursday’s figures. Included in the total are 3,583 deaths.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended a lockdown, begun on March 25, to May 31, but relaxed rules in areas with lower numbers of cases and allowed state governments to issue their own guidelines on some matters.
India’s airlines will be allowed to resume flights with about a third of operations as of Monday, but only on domestic routes and under rules that are among the strictest in the world.
“This surge in cases has happened after movement of people has been partially allowed. But if you see overall, this is a much lower exponential trajectory as compared to the rest of the world,” said Giridhar Babu, a professor of epidemiology with the Public Health Foundation of India.
“The only question now is: How do you reduce mortality? Do we have the capacity? The answer seems to be yes,” Babu added.
India’s contagion hotspots include the capital New Delhi, financial hub Mumbai, Modi’s home state of Gujarat, and the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
“Our Covid wards have been full for the past week, and we are expanding capacity to enable us to admit more patients,”said Dr. Lancelot Pinto, a respirologist at the P. D. Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai.
Related Stories:
Myanmar editor jailed for two years over coronavirus error
Excuse pun – this is overkill law and action

YANGON (AFP) – A Myanmar news editor has been jailed for two years after his agency reported a coronavirus death that turned out to be false, his lawyer said on Friday (May 22).
The country has only 199 confirmed cases of coronavirus and seen six deaths, although the low numbers tested means experts fear the true figures are far higher.
Chief editor Zaw Ye Htet was arrested on May 13, the same day his online news agency Dae Pyaw published an erroneous article alleging there had been a death due to Covid-19 in eastern Karen state.
On May 20, just one week later, he faced trial, an unusually swift process in a country where suspects often languish for months behind bars before being convicted.
“He was sentenced under section 505(b) to two years in jail,” by the court in Karen state, his lawyer Myint Thuzar Maw said on Friday.
The notorious Section 505(b) is a vaguely worded law often thrown at journalists and activists for making any statement that causes fear or alarm.
“We’ll appeal this unfair decision,” Zaw Ye Htet’s wife Phyu Phyu Win said.
It is not clear why the trial took place so quickly.
Karen state borders Thailand and saw more than 16,000 returning Myanmar migrant workers early April after the pandemic caused huge job losses in Thailand and borders started to close.
The state has so far reported only two cases of coronavirus and no deaths.
The government has warned people will be prosecuted for spreading misinformation about the pandemic, but this is the first known case.
It is also drafting new legislation on the control of communicable diseases that would make it even easier to criminalise reporters deemed to be causing public panic.
Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson branded the move a “recipe for disaster” and warned against denying people the information they need.
Under international law, restrictions to freedom of speech must be carefully spelt out, he added.
Related Stories:
U.S. GAO – Infection Control Deficiencies Were Widespread and Persistent in Nursing Homes Prior to COVID-19 Pandemic
The safety of the nation’s 1.4 million nursing home residents—who are often in frail health and living in close proximity to one another—has been a particular concern during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You must be logged in to post a comment.