"καλημερα-goedemorgen"

NASA. Awards Contract for Software Licenses, Maintenance, Support...

2021-09-11T10:04:00.003-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

NASA

(Sep. 10, 2021)

NASA Awards Contract for Software Licenses, Maintenance, Support.

NASAhas awarded Panamerica Computers of Lurary, Virginia, an ordering vehicle to provide Box platfform licenses, maintenance, and support services when yhe agency requires.

The film-fixed-price Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurements (SEWP) Catalog began Sept. 1 with a three-year ordering period and a maximum total volue of approximately $8.5 million .

The contract will be administered at the NASA Shared Services Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The NSSC performs select business activities for all NASA centers and several other federal agencies.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit.

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NASA

BBC NEWS. Covid: President Biden's comments on vaccines fact-checked..

2021-09-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c ) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki.

BBC NEWS

Covid: President Biden's comments on vaccines fact-checked

(22 hours ago)

(GETTY IMAGES)

President Joe Biden has been making the case for requiring Americans to be vaccinated.

In a televised speech, he sid the unvaccinated were responsible for the rise in hospitalisations and made a series of claims about the US vaccine rollout.

We've been checking them out.

'Before I took office, we hadn't ordered enough vaccines for every American. Just weeks in office, we did.'

It's true that the Trump administration hadn't ordered enough doses to vaccinate every American - but they had secured hundreds of millions of jabs which the Biden administration subsequently rolled out.

Mr Trump secured 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna vaccines - the three jabs now authorised for use in the US.

That's not enough to fully vaccinate the entire US population of more than 320 million people, as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two doses.

Covid jabs are authorised for people over the age of 12 in the US.(GETTY IMAGES)

Within his first month in office, Mr Biden had ordered an additional 200 million doses from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.

This order, combined with the Trupm administration's purchases, provided enough doses to fully vaccinated every American.

When Mr Trump left office in January, the US had vaccinated more than 16 million people - the fourth highest per capita afterIsrael, the UAE and the UK.

The Trump administration also secured contracts for another 400 million doses from Novavax and Astra-Zeneca - vaccines which are yet to be authorised in the US.

'' The unvaccinated overcrowd our hospitals... leaving no room for someone witha heart attack.'

A New York Times analysis published at the start of August found that the overwhelming majority of Covid hospitalisations were unvaccinated. This research looked at 40 US states and Washington DC.

Total occupied inpatient Covid beds passed 100.000 for the first time since January, according to data published by Johns Hopkins.

It's a similar picture in intensive care wards. At the start of July, there were under 5.000 beds occupied by Covid patients and this has risen to more than 25.000. This equates to about 80% of beds across the country.

Some US states are facing a far worse situation than others.

ICU capacity rates have reached more than 90% in Idaho, Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

'I'm announcing a new plan to require more Americans to be vaccinated.'

This has taken by taken by many as a move to introduce mandatory vaccinations, although Mr Biden has been careful with his words.

the president has previously said he has opposed mandatory vaccinations.

The new measures include the requirement that millions of federal government workers get vaccinated.

Back in July Mr Biden allowed workers to be tested twice a week instead - but he's now removed that option.

The US has seen protests against government vaccine mandates. (GETTY IMAGES)

When asked about vaccine mandates in December 2020, Mr Biden said: '' I don't think it should be mandatory, I wouldn;t demand it to be mandatory, but I would do eveything in my power.''

His plan also requires workers at large private companies to be vaccinated or face weekly testing.

In July, when askedabut the administrations thoughts on implementing a wider vaccine mandate, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: '' That's not the role of the federal government - that is the role that institutions, private sector entites and others may take.''

The plan to require private companies to make sure workers are either vaccinated or face weekly testing is controversial and likely to be challenged in court.

'Childrenhave four times higher chance of getting hospitalised if they live in a state with low vaccination rates'.

Research suggests this is broadly accurate.

Mr Biden appears to be referring to a US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study of Covid hospital admissions among of children (up to 17-years-0ld) published in August.

This found that the rate of admissions in the states with the lowest vaccination coverage was 3.7 times higher than the states with the most coverage.

These low-vaccination states include Alabama, Arkansa, Georgia, Idaho and Wyoming.

Child hospital admissions have been rising since June, but as a group under-18s are still far less likely to go to hospital compared with adults and in particular older adults.

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U.S.News. India ''Prepares for the Worst' Ahead of Possible COVID-19 Third Wave., & more..

2021-09-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

U.S.News

India 'Prepares for the Worst' Ahead of Possible COVID-19 Third Wave.

(By Reuters. Sept. 7, 2021.)

FILE PHOTO: Healthcare workers are seen inside a ward for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, September 3, 2021. REUTERS

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - As COVID-19 cases and deaths exploded in India in April and May, New Delhi's premier Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and several others ran so short of oxygen that many patients in the capital suffocated https://www.reuters.com/world/india /last-resort-desperate-oxygen-indian-hospitals-go-court-2021-05-04.

When Reuters visited the hospital on Friday, its last coronavirus patient was readying to leave after recovery - a remarkable turnaround health experts attribute to growing levels of immunity from natural infection and vaccinations.

But hospitals have learned from bitter experience during the second COVID wave, when funeral pyres burned non-stop and bodies littered the banks of the holy Ganges river, as India braces for another possible surge in infections https://www.reuters.com/world/india-should brace-third-covid-19-wave-by-oct-say-health-experts-2021-06-18 around its September-November festival season.

Beds have been added at facilities around the country, and hospitals are working to ensure ample supplies of oxygen.

Ganga Ram is raising its oxygen storage capacity by 50%, has laid a one-kilometre-long pipeline carrying the gas directly to COVID ICUs, and is installing equipment to keep the oxygen flow high.

It has also ordered an onsite oxygen-generation plant, which are mostly made in Europe and can take months to arrive given the surge in demand globally.

'In kight of the possibility of the emergence of coronavirus mutants, with higher transmissibility and immune escape, the hospital continues to prepare for the wors,' said Satendra Katoch, medical director of the hospital, in between guiding colleagues doing an internal audit of its facilities.

The crowded private hospital, however, said it had no scope to add more beds. During the peak of India's second wave, Ganga Ram expanded its capacity by nearly 50% to about 600 beds, but even so, some 500 patients per day had to be put on a waitlist for admission, according to physician Varun Prakash, who managed its war-room during the crisis.

Nationally, India has added many more hospital beds in thepast few months and imported more than 1000 oxygen carriers to raise the total to about 1.250. Companies such as Linde are planning to lift https://www. reuters.com/article/healtcoronavirus-linde-india-oxygen-idUSL4N2Q8227 the country's overall output of the gas by 50% to 15.000 tonnes a day.

Linde told Reuters it had retained 60 of some 80 cryogenic containers - meant to hold super-cooled oxygen - it had brought in from the company's overseas operations, in case demand shot up again.

'' The distribution infrastructure and logistics fell short during the second wave,'' Linde South Asia head, Moloy Banerjee, said.

The federal government, meanwhile, has approved the construction of nearly 1.600 oxygen-generation plants at hospitals, though fewer than 300 had been set up https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-prepares-future-covid-surge-cases-inch-up-2021-08-31 as of early last month as imports take time.

HIGH ANTIBODY LEVELS

Almost all states are readying special paediatric wards as some experts warn unvaccinated children could be vulnerable to any new virus mutations. States including Madhya Pradesh are also stocking up on anti-viral drugs such as Remdesivir.

But with a government survey estimating as many as two-thirds of Indians already have COVID-fighting antibodies through natural infection, and 57% of its adults wiith at least an initial vaccine dose, many health experts believe any new outbreak of infections could be much less devastating than the second wave.

'' The number of susceptible persons will be less now, as many persons have been infected or vaccinated,'' said epidemiologist and cardiologist K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

Éven if reinfections or breathrough infections occur, they are likely to be mild and mostly managed at home. The serious gaps in health-service delivery that were evident in the second wave are less likely to be seen.''

Kerala is seeing such signs already. The southern state currently has the highest number of infections https://www.reuters.com/world/the great-reboot/keralas-covid-19-lessons-india-modis-government -2021-08-26, including many among vaccinated or partly vaccinated residents, but its fatality rate is well below the national figure.

At 33.1 million, India has reported the most number of COVID-19 cases after the United States, with 441.042 deaths. It has administered 698.4 million vaccine doses- at least one dose in 57% of its 944 million adults and two doses in 17%.

The health ministry, which wants to immunise India's entire adult population this year, did not respond to a request for comment on its preparations for a potential third wave.

Epidemiologist and public health specialist Chandrakant Lahariya said the data and trends were encouraging.

''With the emerging evidence that for indivituals with past infection, single dose may provide far greater levels of antibodies than people who did not have infection or receive both shots of vaccines, it is assuring for India.''

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AP NEWS on the go

(By The Associated Press today)

The Latest: Merkel says vaccinated aren't 'guinea pigs'

BERLIN --- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has publicly rebuked a top rival politician's comments describing people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as ''guinea pigs.''

The long - serving leader said Tuesday in a speech before Parliament that ''none of us was and is any way guinea pig when it comes to vaccination.''

Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose center-left Social Democrats Party currently leads polls ahead of Germany's Sept. 26 elections, recently said that fully vaccinated people have been '' the guinea pigs for those who so far have held off.'' He added that he was vaccinated and others should follow.

Merkel, however, did not appear to agree with the deputy's messaging in her Tuesday speech.

The chancellor said that ''neither Olaf Scholz nor me, and no one else'' was ''guinea pig'' in taking the fully tested and approved vaccines in Gernmany.

Merkel's center-right bloc is struggling in polls ahead of nationwide elections.

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AMSTERDAM --- The European Medicines Agency says it has started an expedited evaluation on whether to recommend use of a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech.

In a statement Mnday, the EU drug regulator says it is considering whether a third dose of the vaccine should be given six months after people over age 16 have received two doses '' to restore protection after it has waned.''

EMA's experts are carrying out an ''accelared assessment'' of data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech, including results from an onging research trial in which about 300 healthy adults received a booster dose about six months after their second dose.

Pfizer has already submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administer for authorization of a third dose and the U.S. government said last month boosters would likely be available in late September. Israel has already started administering booster doses and the plan is under consideration in other countries for vulnerable populations, including France and Germany.

The Amsterdam-based agency said it expects to make a decision in the next few weeks.

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Vacation of summer from now our news of Google.., Morning Brew. Booster Vaccine Doses Turn..& more..

2021-09-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Diligence: ( c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki.

MORNING BREW

COVID

Booster Vaccine Doses Turn Into a Three-Shot Circus

Federal health officials said boosters might need to be limited to just those who got Pfizer's vaccine, for now.

When it comes to rolling out Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, the Biden administration may have put the cart before the horse, counted its chickens before they hatched, ran before it--you get the point.

Federal health officials, including the acting commissioner of the FDA and the director of the CDC, have reportedly told the White House to scale back its plan to offer third vaccine shots later this month until they can review more data.

The backstory: President Biden announced that Americans who received Pfizer's or Moderna's vaccine could begin getting their third shots the week of Sept. 20, as long as it had been at least eight months since they got their second shot.

But in a meeting at the White House this week, health leaders said those initial boosters might need to be limited to just those who got Pfizer's vaccine, per reports.

Big picture: The necessity of third shots is still dividing the scientific community. While Dr. Fauci said this week that a third shot is ''very likely'' needed for a full regimen, other experts say there isn't enough evidence yet to justify launching boosters.

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MORNING BREW

COVID

Study in Bangladesh Shows Surgical Masks Limit Covid-19 Infections.

Community wide mosking can be an extremely effective tool to combat Covid.

(September 2, 2021)

Warner bros.

A first-of-its-kind study shows ''nail in the coffin''proof that surgical masks limit Covid infections.

Researchers from Yale and several other organizations ran a massive mask experiment among 340.000 + adults across 600 villages in Bangladesh to access the impact of community masking on the spread of Covid-19.

After eight weeks they found...

* The group that was encouraged to wear masks saw a 9% drop in Covid infections, indicating that community - wide masking can be an extremely effective tool to combat Covid.

* By delivering free masks door-to-door, offering information about the benefits, giving frequent reminders, and getting mask endorsements by trusted religious leaders, mask-wearing rates jumped by 29%.

* Surgical masks are more effective than cloth masks in protecting against the virus.

Howdoes it apply to the US? ''I see no reason why the interection between the mask and the virus will behave any differently in rural Bangladesh or rural Kansas or urban New York or San Francisco,'' Lawrence Gostin, a health law professor at Georgetown ||University, said.

Bottom line: The research could have a significant impact on future policymaking, from mask mandates to strategies encouraging mask- wearing in certain settings.--SQ

MORNING BREW

QUANDA

Clear is the author of the bestselling book, ' Atomic Habits,' as well as the hugely popular 3-2-1 Newsletter

(SEPTEMBER 4, 2021. 3 MIN READ)

James Clear

James Clear dishes out life-changing insights like they're T-shirts on a college campus. He is the author of the bestselling book, Atomic Habits, as well as the hugely popular 3-2-1 newsletter.

We tried not to bite our nails as we asked James all about building (and breaking) habits.

What is one of your ideas that most resonates with your audience?

There are probably two. The first is the idea of systems over goals, or rather than worrying about the outcome, focusing on the process and bulding better habits each day. The line that people bring up a lot from the book is, ''You don't rise to thelevel of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.''

The other one that has gone over well is what I call ''identity-based habits.'' Rather than worrying about the results you want, focus on becoming the type of person who could achieve those results. So instead of worring about losing 40 pounds, focus on being the kind of person who doesn't miss workouts. Or rather than worrying about finishing the novel, focus on being the kind of person who writes every day.

Many people have been working from home for 18 months. Do you think that's made it more difficult to develop habits?

One of the things that makes it hard to stick to a habit is if you're trying to do multiple habits in the sane context. Say your couch is the place where you watch \netflix at 7pm, but you want to get in the hait of journaling each night. If you try to journal at 7pm on the couch you have this unconscious bias towrd turning on the TV, because that's what usually happens there.

One of the benefits of going into an office is that you have a defined space for work habits to live. You can utilize that idea in a practical way, by trying to create defined spaces for certain habits. If you want to get into the habit of reading, uou could have a reading chair in the corner of the room. And the only thing that happens there is when you sit there you read a book. And you gradually start to associate that behavior with that contex. The more explicit you can be about where the habit occurs, and it always occurs in the same place in the same way, the more likely it is that the behavior will stick.

What did you learn about habit formation from being a college haseball pitcher?

I learned a lot about the importance of pregame routines. before every start in college I went through the same sequence about 40 minutes before the start of the game.

What ends up happening is that a switch flips in your mindand says, ''Remember, it's time to ply now.'' I think that helps not just with the physical part of the task -- it helps with the mental part of the task. It helps get you in the right mindset to perform.

Translating that to what I do now, since Atomic Habits has blown up I've been asked to do a lot of keynote speeches. And I have a pregame routine before I walk out on stage.

What do you do?

It usually starts with me getting a glass of water. I take a drink of water, go through the first minute of the talk in my head, and then I put my head down and have quiet time for 10 seconds or so. Then I get up, take a deep breath, and I'm ready to go.

Each of your newslet contains two quotes. Do you have a favorite quote?

I'm going to pick two but I do just want to say I have like 100.

One is from my friend Morgan Housel: '' Your personal experiences make up maybe 0.00000001% of what's happened in the world but maybe 80% of how you think the world works. We're all biased to our own personal history.''

The second one is from the investor Josh Wolfe, who said that the most useful advice he ever got was from James Watson, the scientist who helped dis over DNA. Watson said three words with two meanings: '' Avoid borinf people.'' I like that a lot because it means a) don't hang out with boring people and b) don't be boring yourself. Be interesting, be faschinating, do compelling things.

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The Washington Post

As coronavirus fears spike, Biden's ratings sag and workers split on vaccine mandates, Post-ABC poll finds.

Students in Gabby Mondelli's fourth-grade class listen to their teacher read a story at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., on Aug.19. (The Washington Post)

(Today at 12:01 a.m. EDT)

The delta variant's two-month surge has generated a sharp rise in public fears about contracting the coronavirus, undermined confidence in President Biden's leadership and renewed divisions over vaccine and mask mandates, according to a Washington Post-ABC News Poll.

Nearly half of Americans, 47 percent, rate their risk of getting aick from the coronavirus as moderate or high, up 18percentage points from late June. This follows a more than tenfold increase in daily infecions. Concerns over catching the virus among partially or fully vaccinated adults have risen from 32 percent to 52 percent, while concern among unvaccinated adults has grown from 22 percent to 35 percent over the same period.

Americans rate their level of coronavirus risk higher now than in June.

Shifts parallel a rebound in vaccinations, with the share of adults with at least one coronavirus shot rising from 67 percent on in early July to 75 percent as of Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The poll finds younger Republicans and Republican-leaning indenhave become more willing to get vaccinated since this spring, a significant shift for one of the country's most vaccine-hesitant groups.

The increasing number of employer mandates may boost vaccination further, but the poll also shows potential for blowback. Among unvaccinated workers who are not self-employed, about 7 in 10 say they would likely quit their employer required them to be vaccinated and did not grant a medical or religious exemption.

President Biden's approval rating for handling the pandemic has dropped to 52 percent from 62 percent in late June, days before he said the nation was '' closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus.'' At the time and as the variant has spread, he has repeatedly implored Americans to get vaccinated and wear masks.

Biden's overall approval rating fell from 50 percent to 44 percent from June, also dragged down by 2-to-1 disapproval for his handling of Afghanistan following a chaotic withdrawal. Biden's ratings for handling the economy also have declined, from 52 percent positive in April to 45 percent in the latest survey.

Employee vaccine mandates are expected to be a major flash point in the months ahead, with thousands of private employers as well as the federal government and U.S. military mewly imposing vaccination requirements on workers. This trend accelerated after the Food and Drug Administration recently gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, which had been operating under an emergency use authorization.

The Post-ABC poll finds 52 percent of Americans support businesses requiring employees who come in to work to be vaccinated, with support dipping to 47 percent among workers who are not self-employed. Roughly 8 in 10 Democrats support vaccine mandates for workers, while more than 6 in 10 Republicans are opposed. Independents are divided nearly down the middle.

Currently, just under 2 in 10 American workers say their employer requires people who come into work be vaccinated (18 percent). Among workers whose employer lacks a mandate, about 3 in 10 are unvaccinated. Asked what they would likely do if their employer imposed a mandate, 16 percent of that group say they would get vaccinated while 35 precent would ask for a medival or religious exeption and 42 percent would quit. If no exemption was given, 72 percent of unvaccinated workers say they would quit their job rather than get vaccinated.

Vaccine and mask requirements in schools have also generated fierce divisions as the academic year begins, and the Post-|ABC poll finds public support depending on circumstances as well as by partisan viewpoint. Two-thirds of Americans overall, as well as public school parents, support school districts requiring teachers, staff and students to wear masks.

The CDC has recommended this practice, but nine republican-led states have tried to ban such requirements. The poll finds that more than 9 in 10 Decocrats and more than 6 in 10 independents support school mask requirements, whilw nearly 6 in 10 Republicans oppose them.

A 59 percent majority support school districts requiring teachers and staff to be vaccinated, and percent support districts requiring students to be vaccinated if a vaccine is approved for their age. Hardly any school districts mandate coronavirus vaccines requirement for high school students playing winter and spring sports.

On these questions about mask and vaccine requirements, non-Whites are significantly motre likely to support them than Whites. Women are also significantly mote supportive of vaccine and mask requirements, with 77 percent backing requirements to wear masks at indoor public places, compared with 56 percent of men.

The Post -ABC poll suggests vaccine hesitancy has declined substantially from early in the year, and that there is still some room for the nation's vaccination rate to grow above the current level of three-quarters of adults. The survey finds that 6 percent of adults are unvaccinated but say they definitely or probably will get vaccinated. And while 17 percent of adults say they probably or definitely will not get vaccinated, that group has declined from 32 ercent in january and 24 percent in April.

The current Post-ABC poll was weighted by demographics and also by the latest CDC estimate for the share of adults who have received at least one coronavirus shot. Previous surveys did not include this adjustment, although the poll's findings of increasing concern about contracting the virus and reduced vaccine hesitancy are consistent regardless of whether the adjustment is applied.

Perceptions of vaccine safety and effectiveness are critical predictors of behavior, and unvaccinated Amerivans hold widespread doubts about the coronavirus vaccines on both fronts.

The FDA and the CDC have said the vaccines are safe, and the percentage of unvaccinated people hospitalized with covid-19 is far higher than the percentage of those who are vaccinated. Still, more than 7 in 10 unvaccinated adults say they are not confident the vaccines are safe and a similar majority lack confidence that they are effective in preventing serious illness and death from the coronavirus.

And while concerns about becoming infected have risen since June, 6 in 10 unvaccinated Americans say they are at ''low risk'' or ''no risk'' of getting sick from the coronavirus, a view that has stymied public health officials' efforts to convince people of the benefits of getting vaccinated.

Roughly 6 in 10 unvaccinated adults say the information they're heard and read about the coronavirus vaccines has not swayed them for or against it, but notably just 4 percent say they've heard information that moves them toward vaccination, while 33 percent say they heard things that moved them against getting vaccinated. Similarly, 16 percent of unvaccinated people say the FDA's approval of the Pfizer vaccine makes them more likely to gat a shot, while 82 percent say it makes no difference.

But personal connections also matter, with 58 percent of vaccinated people saying people who care about them encouraged them to receive it, compared with 16 percent of unvaccinated people saying they had been prodded to take the vaccine. most unvaccinated Americans say people that care about them ''stayed out of it.''

In one notable shift, younger Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have become significantly more willing to get vaccinated since this spring. In April, a 55 percent majority of republican-leaning adults under 40 said they would probably or definitely not get vaccinated. With the delta variant now circulating widely, the latest poll finds that hesitancy falling to 36 percent among young Republicams, with 48 percent of those under 40 saying they have gotten at least one shot and another 11 percent saying they are likely to do so.

Among Republicans and Republican leaners overall, hesitancy has declined from 40 percent in April to 29 percent in early September, with 61 percent at least partially vaccinated. By comparison, 90 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they have received at least one vaccination.

The Post-ABC poll was conducted by telephone Aug. 29-Sept. 1 among a random national sample of 1.006 adults, with 75 percent reached on cellphone and 25 percent on landsite. Overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The error margin in 5.5 points for results among the sample of 474 workers who are not self-employed and 7.5 points among the sample of 229 public school parents.

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MORNING BREW. Delta Cracks Down on Unvaccinated Employees -- but.. Vaccinations & more..

2021-08-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

MORNING BREW

Delta Cracks Down on Unvaccinated Employee -- but Doesn't Mandate Vaccinations

The aviation industry has a clear business interest in stamping out Covid

(AUGUST 25, 2021)

Delta Air Lines

The airline is slapping a $200 monthly surcharge on the health insurance premiums of unvaccinated employees starting Nov.1.

It comes down to 'financial risk,'' CEO Ed Bastian said. All Delta employees who've been hospitalized due to COVID were not fully vaccinated, and the average Covid-related hospitalization has cost the company about $50.000 person, Bastian said.

This unprecented move by Delta came two days after the FDA gave full approved for Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine. And while the airline isn't mandating vaccinations, it's making life frustrating for employees who are unwilling to get the shot.

Big picture:Airlines aren't following the same playbook for vaccination policies.

* United is mandating vaccinations of its employees within five weeks of the vaccine's full approval.

American airlines, on the other hand, has said it will not require vaccinations.

* Spirit's decision has been delayed.

Zoom out: The aviation industry has a clear business interest in stamping out Covid. Airlines warned yesterday that August revenue could be lower than expected, joining other carriers like Southwest that said the Delta-fueled wave was slowing demand for air travel. -- NF.

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U.S.News

Coronavirus and Your Finances

U.S. News helps you navigate how the coronavirus pandemic impacts your money

(GETTY IMAGES)

AtU.S. News, we know that the coronavirus has created a financial crisis for many Americans. To Help tou throught this, we'put together a person finance guide with the latest information and advive.

If 'you're worried about missing a credit card payment or a mortage payment, we show you how to approach lenders and protect your credit. Wondering if your canceled trip is covered by credit card travel insurance? We've got detailed steps that show you what to do request a refund. And if you're one of the many Americans who have questions about refinancing your mortage while reates are low, U.S. News is here to help with that, too.

During this uncertain time, you're bound to have questions and concerns. The experts at U.S. News are hre to help you get through this. We're ready to answer your questions and address any concerns you might have. This crisis will pass, but until it does, we're here for you.

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U.S.News

Losing Your Sense of Taste and Smell With the Coronavirus

Like other respiratory viruses, the coronavirus can disrupt sence of smell, which affects how food tastes.

One day in the spring of 2020, around the time much of the country went on lockdown to blunt the spread of the coronavirus, Sara Buursma felt run-down and was bittling a low-grade fever. ''I was working a lot, and I have three young kids'', she says. ''I thought it was a common cold.''

Three days later, Buursma lost two of her major senses. ''I couldn't not smell anything, '' she says. '' I tred smelling essential oils and peppermint oil, which usually makes eyes wate. I couldn't smell anything.

Buursma also was unable to taste food -- including her favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. ''I was so disappointed,'' she says. ''You want something good to eat when you're feeling terrible.''

Three weeks later, Buursma experienced chest congestion and a severe, dry cough. Sortly after that, she was diagnosed with COVID-19. The diagnosis explained Buursma's sudden loss of taste and smell.

Anosmia is a condition that causes a person to ''partially or completely lose his or her sense of smell,'' according to Yale Medicine. ''Some people are born with the sense of smell, which is a condition called congenital anosmia.'' This is a common symptom of the coronavirus, which is not surprising, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, which says that ''viral infections are a leading cause of loss of smell, and COVID-19 is caused by a virus. ''Symptoms of anosmia include not just the loss of smell but changes in how food tastes.

In fact, it's not unusual to lose sense of smell with any viral infection in the nose, including other coronavirus that cause the common cold. The academy says that a group of otolaryngologists in the U.K. noted that 2 out of 3 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Germany reported a loss of sense of smell and 30% of people in South Korea with mild symptoms who tested positive for COVID-19 reported anosmia as their main symptom.

Sell Plus Taste Equals Flavor

Research suggests thtat as many as 70% of people who contract COVID-19 lose their sense of smell, says Dr. Marc Sala, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive COVID-19 Center in Chicago. Most of these patients regain their senses of smell and teate without about eight weeks.

Taste, however, is another issue. ''The definition of taste to a patient and to a physician are very diffderent,'' said Dr. Joseph K. Han, professor of otolaryngology, director of the division of rhinology and endoscopic sinus -skull base surgery and director of the division of allergy at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

''Physicians talk about the five taste sensations, he says.

The five taste sensations are:

* Sweet.

* Sour.

* Salty.

* Bitter.

* Umami(often described as savory).

Viruses don't typically affect those senses directly. ''Losing sense of taste is from a completely different nerve system, a different disease process,'' Han says.

While there's evidence indicating that COVID-19 affects the taste system of some people, the exact mechanism is not known, says Steven Munger, disrector of the University of Florida Center for Smell and Taste, located within UF's McKnight Brain Institute in Gainesville, Florida. This is independent of the impact of smell loss on flavor.

Yet, even if the sense of taste is not altered, smell has a ditect effect of how we perceive the flavor of foods, Han says.'' We should use the term sense of flavor, because flavor isn't taste, it is smell.''

''Flavor is the perception created by your brain when it combines the smell and taste of food or drink,'' Munger adds. '' Smell, not taste, is what allows you to distinquish lemon from lime; both taste sour, but they smell slightly different.''

More than a year after she lost both her sennse of smell and taste, Buursma says her sense of taste hasn't fully returned. ''Things still don't taste right,'' she says. ''There are times when I (eat something and) think, 'I dont like tis like I used to.''

How does this coronavirus disrupt the sense of smell? ''Tehere are three leading theorise,'' Munger says.

* The first is that the virus is using the olfactory nerve to tranfer across the skull into the brain.

* The second suggests the virus is attacking sensry cells themselves, ''damaging or mucking up the works,'' he says.

* The third possibility is that the virus is attacking nasal tissues more generally, causing inflammation or other disease processes that interfere with normal smelling function.

This last idea currently has the greatest scientific support. ''An extensive analysis of gene expression data in nasal tissue has found that two genes important for the entry of this class of viruses into cells are found to be turned on in nasal cells that surround the nerve cells that sense odors, but not in those sensory nerve cells themselves,'' Munger says.

This suggests the virus causes a more global, perhaps inflammatory response that disrupts the ability to smell, Munger says. He adds that most patients are reposting they get their sense of smell back after a few weeks, '' which would be consistent with the type of smell loss with any upper respiratory infection. ''However, research suggests that about 5% of these patients have prolonged, and perhaps permanent, smell loss. Distorted smell, or parosmia, os also being reported in some patients.

Scientists and clinicians around the world who study smell and taste are working together to fast-track data collection on this symptom of COVID-19 and to develop tests patients can do at home.

''It is now clear that smell loss is the most predictive symptom of COVID-19, more so than others like fever or cough,'' Munger says. ''We and others are now studing whether smell testing -- particularly in the school, workplace or home -- could be used to provide an early warning of COVID-19. We also hope that the increased awareness of anosmia will result in more regular screening of smell function as part of regular health care.''

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CNN health. FDA grants full approval to Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.,

2021-08-25T08:21:00.001-07:00

Diligence:(c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

CNN health

FDA grants full approval to Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, openting door to more vaccine mandates

(Updated August 23, 2021)

(CNN) --- The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full approval to the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older. This is the first coronavirus vaccine approved by the FDA, and is expected to open the door to more vaccine mandates.

The vaccine will be marketed as Comirnaty, the FDA said in its announcement on Monday. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been authorized foe emergency use in the United States since mid-December for people age 16 and older, and in May, the authorization was extended to those 12 and older.

'' The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised indivituals, '' according to the FDA.

Related Article: FDA says it's working as fast as possible to fully approve vaccines, as urgency rises amid Covid surge.

Outof more than 170 million people in the United States fully vaccinated against Covid-19, more than 92 million have received the PfizerBioNTech vaccine.

''While this and other vaccies have met the FDA's rigorous scientific standards for emergency use authorizatio, as the first FDA approved Covid-19 vaccine, the public can be confident that this vaccine meets the FDA's gold standard for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality that we require for an approved product, '' FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said during a briefing on Monday, calling the approval ''a privotal moment''for the United States' fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Related Article: As hospitalization rates soar, FDA grants full approval to Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

''Health care provides can continue to use the vaccine on their shelves,'' Woodcock added. ''The FDA-approved vaccine and the EUA-authorized vaccine have the same formulation and can be used interchangeably to provide the Covid-19 vaccine series.''

Agency official said Monday they hope approval will push unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. US Surgeon General Rr. Vivek Murthy said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that approval could encourage individuals to act, and more nandates.

''Fr businesses and universities that have been thinking about putting vaccine requirements in place in order to create safer spaces for people to work and learn, I think that this move from the FDA, when it comes, will atually help them to move forward with those kinds of plans, '' Murthy told CNN's Brianna Keilar.

Murthy also noted " a small number of people'' have been waiting for full approval before getting their shot and believes ''this may tip them over toward getting vaccinated.''

Why emergency use authorization came first

Due to the seriousness of the pandemic, vaccine makers originally applied for emergency use authorizations because the authorization process takes less time that what's required for full approval.

In July, drugmaker Pfizer announced that the FDA granted its vaccine a priority review, and the FDA had been pulling in extra help from across the agency to speed final approval of the vaccine.

The FDA worked around the clock and conducted its own analyses of the vaccine in addition to the companies'analyses, Dr.Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Reacher, said during Monday's briefing.

''We also did benefit-risk assessments based on real-world data that has emerged since the vaccine has now been used in hundreds of millions of people globally. And so that actually takes a lot of work,'' Marks said, adding that the agency also inspected facilities that make the protuct.

It has been 97 days since Pfizer completed the rolling submission of its biologic license application, he said, which means the FDA completed the approval process ''on about 40% of the time it would normally take for an approval application submission of this magnitude.

Emergency use authorization is what its name suggests --- a medical product, such as a vaccine, that gets special FDA authorization to be used during an emergency. When the health emergency is over, '' then any EUA(s) issued based on that declaration will no longer remain in effect,'' according to the FDA.

Among the two other coronavirus vaccines authorized for emergency use in the United States, Moderna has begun applying for full approval for its Covid-19 vaccine in people ages 18 and up. Johnson & Johnson has not yet filed for full FDA approval of its vaccine.

Some experts have pushed the FDA to approve vaccines quickly, as doing so could help combat vaccine hesitancy.

Full approval of the Covid-19 shots comes days after the Biden administration announced plans to offer booster doses to vaccinated adults starting Sember 20 -- pending approval by the FDA and recommendation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FDA approval could fight vaccine hesitancy, experts say.

Progressing from authorized to approved would allow manufacturers to market and directly distribute their vaccines -- and perhaps sway skeptics hesitant to get the vaccines now.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey of US adults released in July that among the one-third of adults surveyed who are not yet vaccinated, 16% said the vaccine was too new, too unknown or not tested enough.

Related Article: Full FDA approval of Covid-19 vaccines could help fight vaccine hesitancy, oficials say.

Some said in this poll that they wouldn't get a vaccine until it is required. While companies are allowed ro require the vaccine -- and many large businesses, such as United Airlines, Disney, Walmart, Microsoft, Google and Facebook already have announced plans to do so --some experts believe more will make it a requirement once a vaccine is fully approved.

The Pentagon plans to make the vaccine mandatory for all active duty members of the US military by the middle of Semptember, or sooner, based on approval timing, Sectetary of Defense LIoyd Austin said in a memo released earlier this month.

''I want you to know that I will seek the president's approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid - Semptember, or immediately upon the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensure, whichever comes first, ''the memo states.

Full FDA approval may also mean big changes in terms of vaccine requirements for staff and students in schools.

For instance, in Ohio, a House bill signed into law in July states that a public school or state institution of higher education shall not ''require an individual to receive a vaccine for which the United States Food and Drug Administration has not granted full approval.''

Across all 50 states, at least five routine childhood vaccines are generally required for children attending childcare or school, including those for diptheria, pertussis, and tetanus or DTaP, chickenpox, poliio and MMR. But those shots have all been fully approved by the FDA.

''Covid-19 is a little bit different from these other vaccines because of the way it had to be developed,'' Hemi Tewarson, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy, told CNN in July.

''That is a difference, I think, in some people's minds who have concerns around potential side effects for children,'' Tewarson said, noting that clinical trials for the EUA for children 12 and older were robust, and there were not significant side effects.

But full FDA approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is for people age 16 and older -- it's not yet available for all ages.

What does approval mean for kids?

As of now, the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid -19 vaccine is still only available for ages 12 and older in the United States.

Pfizer has said it expects to have vaccine trial data on children ages 5 to 11 by the end of September, and the company could apply to have its vaccine authorized for those younger ages shortly after. The company also has said data for even younger children, ages 2 to 5, could be available shortly after.

Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are also working on studies in children.

Even though the FDA has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older, the agency emphasizes that this does not mean the vaccine can be used ''off-label'' in children younger than 12. Off-label refers to an approved product being used in a way or in a patient that it wasn't necessarily approved fror.

''We want to reiterate, it is important that the unvaccinated get vaccinated where it is indicated, but we do not have data on the proper dose nor do we have full data on the safety in children younger than what is in the EUA,'' FDA's Woodcock said:'' ''We are not recommending that children younger than age 12 be vaccinated with this vaccine. It would not be appropriate.''

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U.S.News

FDA Approval Empowers School Systems to Tell Teachers, Staff: 'Get Vaccinated - No exceptions'

The FDA's full approval of a COVID-19 vaccine has provided school systems in states and cities across the country with grounds to require teachers and staff to get vaccinated.

( Aug. 24, 2021)

The Food and Drug Administration gave full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine earlier this week.(AP)

States and school districts are increasingly tightening requirements for teachers and staff to be immunized against the coronavirus -- a trend that 's likely to pick up steam in the wake of the Food and Drug Administration full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine this week.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wasted no time after the federal licensure on Monday to announce that employees of the country's largest school district would be required to have their first vaccine dose by Sept. 27 -- without providing an option of weekly testing for employees who do not want to be vaccinated. The school system employs roughly 148.000 principals, teachers, aides, custodians, cafeteria workers and central office staff.

''We know this is going to help ensure that everyone is safe,'' he said during a press conference.

In doing so, New York City schools joins those in Chicago, Denver and Los ngeles, which similarly require school staff to be vaccinated without allowances that most districts implementing vaccination mandates are providing.

As it stands, Washington state and Oregon are the only states to adopt a staewide vaccine mandate for all school staff without a weekly testing option. Public health experts expect that number to grow, as will the number of states requiring vaccination or weekly testing, which already includes California, Connecticut, New Jersey and Washingtyon,D.C.

''We are well past the point where testing is enough to keep people safe,'' said Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee said in making the announcement last week. ''We've tried it. It has not been adequate for the task at hand.''

''When you decide to get a vaccine, you're protecting a kid out there who can't get it,'' he said.

So far, teachers union leaders have backed the vaccine mandate as long as it included a weekly testing option as well. But the more stringent requirements in places like New York City, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles may complicate things.

In response to de Blasio's announcement on MOnday, the city's teachers union underscored that they're generally supportive of the vaccine mandate, but the find details would need to be negotiated.

''The city's teachers have led the way on this issue, with the great majority already vaccinated,'' said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers. ''While the city is asseting its legal authority to establish thiis mandate, there are many implementation details, including provisions for medical exceptions, that by law must be negotiated with the UFT and other unions, and if necessary by arbitration.''

Approximately 6 in 10 Americans say students and teachers who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines should be required to receive it, according to a new poll from the Assocciated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released Monday.

The immunization requirements come as the Biden administration increasingly focuses on vaccines as the best chance of reopening schools and allowing them to stay open in the face of the highly contagious delta variant, which is driving up infection, transmission and hospitalization rates across the country.

The variant which is not causing more severe infections in children, is responsible for driving up pediatric cases by roughly 1.400% since June, alarming public health officials and scuttling the well-laid-back -to school plans of distric leaders across the country. According to data released last week by the Department of Health and Human Services, hospitals in the U.S. are treating roughly 1.200 children a day for COVID-19 -- four times as many as in the beginning of July.

The outbreaks have been especially dramatic in states and school districts with mask-optional policies and where vaccination rates are low. Thousands of students and staff are quarantined, schools were forced to return to virtual learning, and the start of the school year was pushed beck by weeks.

Speaking from the White House on Monday after the FDA announced the approval of the Pfizer vaccine, President Joe Biden called on state, school and business leaders to make the vaccine a requirement for employment.

''If you're a business leader, a non-profit leader, a state or local leader who has been waiting for full FDA approval to require vaccinations, I call on you now to do that --require it,'' he said. ''Do what I did last month and require your employees to get vaccinated or face strict requirements.''

Biden said he'd be making additional announcements this week regarding vaccines and masks in school.

Í know that parents are concerned about COVID-19 cases among their children,'' he said. ''I'll be addressing this soon with Secretary Cardona to discuss how to get our kids back to school safely.''

The vast majority of the country's public school students are back in school this week, with the exception of those living in the Northeast. The majority are not yer eligible to be vaccinated and vaccination rates remain low among those who are eligible.

''Cases among children are still rare, and severe cases among children are very, very rare,'' the president underscored. ''But I know that parents are thinking about their own kids, and it's not as reassuring as anyone would like it to be.''

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U.S.News

'Coalescing Against a Common Enemy': What Health Care Learned From COVID-19

Hospital and health experts shared insights from more than a year of tracking and battling the pndemic during a U.S. News webinar.

(May 21, 2021)

A nurse supports a patient as they walk in the COVIC-19 alternative care site, built into a parking garage, at Renown Regional Medical Center, Dec. 16, 2020, in Reno, Nevada.

Overthe last year, the coronavirus pandemic forced the U.S. health care community to implement new strategies in real time. From scaling up virtual and personalized care to expanding community partnerships to compiling and tracking health data at a granular level, there was no shortage of innovation.

A panel of health leaders reflected on what worked -- and what didn't -- during a webinar hosted by U.S. News Live earlier this week.

Ít was a period of people coalescing against a common enemy,'' said Kevin Mahoney, chief executive officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. ''And what I admired most about the approach that everyone took ... was the rapid iteration of how quickly we learned about the disease, how to treat it, how to move forward.''

For example, instead of centering their response on in-hospital care, Mahoney said the Penn Medicine team incorporated remote care through an app called COVID Watch, which allowed clinicians to monitor patients safely at home. ''That's a takeaway that we'll have for a long time,'' Mahoney said.

He also noted that care providers were learning so much about COVID-19 in real time, for instance, that initial investments in equipment like ventilators (with the expectation early in the pandemic that most patients would need to implement digital care options.

''Despite -- being very focused on the challenges at hand, innovation can help extend and solve for access challenges and support use cases while delivering quality, real time,'' Khan said. ''So it was a great challenge but it proved that we really could adjust to the needs of the patient and adjust to the needs of our communities.''

While health care providers generally demonstrated remarkable agility the pandemic, the panelists also noted that not all communities were equally equipped to deal with COVID-19 outbreaks.

Mahoney cited a common adage at Penn Medicine that ''20 blocks should not mean 20 years of life,'' referring to how average life expectancy can be 80 years or more for residents of some high-income Philadelphia neighborhoods but only 56 years for other residents.

Sema Sgaier, co-founder and CEO of the health policy group Surgo Ventures, called for more precision in the nation's public health response to the pandemic-- ''because we know that COVID is not impacting every community or person in the same way.''

It's really important to be a few steps ahead of the virus,'' Sgaier said. In an effort to obtain more specific data on how the coronavirus would impact indivitual communities, she said Surgo developed a COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index that ''is really aimed to help policymakers understand which communities are going to have the worst outcomes,'' not only with regard to health but also based on social and economic metrics.

Sgaier called out what she referred to as a ''lack of granular data,'' which hampered pandemic preparedness at the community level. ''A lot of this data void was filled by actually smaller, more nimble organizations,'' such as Covid Act Now and the COVID Tracking Project, she said. ''There is a lot here we can learn't to prepare better for ''the future pandemic and (making ) sure we have the information that we need proactively, rather than reactively.''

Grappling with health care affordability and accessibility is another major challenge for health providers, which was made even more difficult during the pandemic. As patient liability has grown to account for increasing shares of revenue in hospitals due to insurance plans with high deductibles, patients have begun to face an ''affordability crisis,'' said John Talaga, executive vice president of health care at Flywire, which offers a platform intended to improve the patient payment experience.

'' The financial strain that the pandemic has had on consumers has really only (exacerbated) the problem that was already there,'' Talaga said. In many cases, greater expenses for patients have resulted in a downstream impact on providers, '' as well as'', in many cases, consumers avoiding care altogether due to cost,'' he added.

To help, Talaga said Flywire uses predictive analytics to guage a patient's capacity to pay for care, determine the patient's preferred method of communication with care provider and measure outcomes to predict future needs.

Where adderessing the payment experience or where patients receive care, the panelists said that the lessons learned from battling COVID-19 can't be short-lived. ''My hope is that, as we come out of this slowly, we actually capitalize on all of that infrastructure, those learnings and those tools that we built and really put something solid in place that is ready to go if and when the next pandemic hits,'' Sgaier said.

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BBC. News. Wuhan lab leak theory: How Fort Detrick became a centre for Chinese, NEWS..

2021-08-23T15:38:00.002-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina) Joustra- Alimpoutaki

BBC NEWS

Wuhan lab leak theory: How Fort Detrick became a centre for Chinese conspiracies

A disinformation campaign claiming that the Covid-19 virus originated from an American military base in Maryland has gained popularity in China ahead of the release of a US intelligence report on the virus origins.

A disinformation campaign claiming that the Covid-19 virus originated from an American military in Maryland has gained popularity in China ahead of the release of a US intelligence report on the virus origins.

In May, US president Joe Biden ordered a 90-day probe into whether the Covid-19 virus came from a lab accident or emerged from human contact with an infected animal.

Until then, the ''Wuhan lab leak'' theory had been dismissed by most scientists as a fringe conspiracy theory.

But now as the report is due to be released, China has gone on the offensive. In the past few weeks, Chinese sources have been amplifying a baseless claim that Covid-19 was made in the U.S.

Using everything from rap music to fake Facebook posts, experts say the propaganda efforts have been successful at convincing the domestic Chinese audience to cast scepticism on international criticism of the country's role in the Covid-19 pandemic. But, experts say, it has done little to legitimise China to the outside world.

What are the allegations?

Most Americans may have never heard of Fort Detrick, but it is becoming a household name in China.

Chinese propagandists have pushed a conspiracy suggesting that the Covid-19 coronavirus was made and leaked from the military installation in Frederick, Maryland, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Washington DC.

Once the centre of the US biological weapons programme, it currently houses biomedical labs researching viruses including Ebola and small pox. Its complicated history has sparked speculation in China.

A rap song by the Chinese nationalist group CD Rev suggesting nefarious plots being hatched by the lab was recently endorsed by Zhao Lijian, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.

The rythms of the song-''How many plots came out of your lab /How many dead bodies hanging a tag /What are you hiding /Open the door to Fort Detrick'' - are awkward, but its sentiment ''speaks our mind, '' Mr Zhao wrote in a tweet in August.

Propaganda from Switzerland to Fiji

Experts say Beijing is seeking to bring non-Chinese audiences into the dispute about Covid-19 origins to further muddy the waters.

A clear example unfolded in July, when Chinese state media outlets began relentlessly reporting on criticism written in a Facebook post by ''Wilson Edwards'', a user claiming to be a Swiss scientist.

''Mr Edwards'' argued that Washington was ''so obsessed with attacking China on the origin-tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings.''

But the Swiss embassy in China later said that there is no registry of a Swiss citizen with the name, and urged Chinese media to remove ''false'' news reports.

Experts say Beijing is seeking to bring non-Chinese audiences into the dispute about Covid-19 origins to further muddy the waters.

A clear example unfolded in July, when Chinese state media outlets began relentlessly reporting on criticism written in a Facebook post by ''Wilson Edwards '', a user claiming to be a Swiss scientist.

''Mr Edwards'' argued that Washington was '' so obsessed with attacking China on the origin -tracing issue that it is reluctant to open its eyes to the data and findings.''

But the Swiss embassy in China later said that there is no registry of a Swiss citizen with the name, and urged Chinese media to remove ''false'' news reports.

Experts believe ''Wilson Edwards'' likely does not exist, but is instead a fictitious propaganda profile. His Facebook page was launched on the day that he published the Covid-19 post. A new Twitter account under the name of Wilson Edwards'' also tweeted out the same message on that day.

The ''Wilson Edwards'' story appears to have first been reported through an obscure Fiji-based Chinese -English bilingual outlet, the Voice of South Pacific.

Though it is uncear whether Voice of South Pacific is backed by the Chinese state, its mobile app is developed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of state news agency China News Service, the first major Chinese state-owned outlet to report on Eduards'claims.

The BBC found that even before Edwards'Facebook post drew wide media attention, it had been shared by hundreds of Facebook accounts which claim to be based in Southeast Asia, for example,''Eastman Tyla'' in Malaysia and ''Tyree Schmidt'' in Indonesia.

''Tyla'' and ''Schmidt'' also circulated a long and identical list of pro-China news stories on their Facebook pages, praising Beijing's handling of the pandemic.

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NEWS

How Australia went from being a 'Covid-free paradise'to 'a mess''

In june, one case of the delta variant breached the fortress walls and started an outbreak that could not be controlled.

(Aug. 23, 2021)

SYDNEY --- You would have forgiven Australians for feeling smug during much of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Early lockdowns combined with extremely strict border measures meant the virus was effectively snuffed out and, with the exception of one state, the country had been largely Covid-free since mid-2020.

A case numbers and death tolls skyrocketed around the globe, the majority of Australians enjoyed near-norma lives, packing restaurants, beaches and festivals inside what was dubbed ''fortress Australia.''

But then in June, one case of the delta variant breached the fortress walls and started an outbreak that could not be controlled.

With the highly infectious variant now seeping around the country, more than half of Australia's 25 million people are in lockdown, and a slow vaccination program has left many demanding to know what went wrong.

''[For a time] we were in a bit of a Covid-free paradise, '' Michael Toole, a professor at the BUrnet Institute, a medical research center, said. ''And I think it led to a level of complacency, both within the government and among the public...Now, it's all a mess''.

'Game changer'

At the start of the pandemic, Australia locked down its population and then slammed shut the borders, only allowing a trickle of people back in, with a mandatory 14-day quarantine inside repurposed hotels or government facilities.

A single sunbather remains following the closure of Bondi Beach in Sydney in March(Reuters file)

When Covid cases leaked, states used forensic contact tracing or quick lockdowns - or both - to suppress the virus. Life would quickly return to normal -- the big exception being Melbourne, which only controlled one outbreak with a 31/2-month lockdown last year.

Then in June, one case of the delta variant changed everuthing. An unvaccinated and unmasked driver in Sydney became infected after transporting international flight crews. Before long, the virus was spreading in his neighborhood and beyond.

Contact tracing and a Sydney -wide lockdown were used, but cases started to climb and then began popping up around the country. Within weeks, almost all major cities had some sort of lockdown, with various levels of success in taming the virus.

Meanwhile, just a single delta case that originated in the Australian oubreak has also plunged the whole of neighboring New Zealand into lockdown.

The lockdown in Sydney, which was initially supposed to be two weeks, is now in its ninth week. In the hardest-hit areas of the city, army personnel have been deployed and fines for breaking certain rules have risen to $3.700.

The state of New South Wakles, of which Sydney is the capital, has gone from recording dozens of cases each day early in this outbreak to more than 800 cases and several deaths each day.

While this is dramatically less than in the United States -- which is still recording upwards of 100.000 cases and hundreds of deaths each day -- these numbers were unthinkable in Australia just weeks ago.

'' We have to accept that this is the worst situation New South Wales has been in since day one,'' New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian recently told reporters. ''And it's also, regrettably, because of that, the worst situation Australia's been in.''

A near empty Sydney Opera House forecourt on Aug. 11.Sydney's lockdown, which was initially supposed to be two weeks, is now in its ninth week.(Getty Images file)

Or as earlier put by the state's chief health officer, Kerry Chant, the delta strain is ''a game changer.''

Toole said delta ''is twice as infectious as earlier strains, so itá obviously more challenging.''

He's part of a group of health experts calling for even harsher lockdown measures to contain the more infectious variant -- particularly in the outbreak epicenter of Sydney where cases keep rising -- including closing far more businesses.

Australia's second-largest city, Melbourne, has fewer cases but a much stricter lockdown -- with a city-wide curfew, closed playgrounds and more businesses shut. But despite this, there are still dozens of new cases there each day.

While unemloyment remains low for now, there is concern that continued lockdowns could push the country into its second recession of the pandemic.

On Thursday, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg predicted the economy will contract by at least 2 percent in the September quarter.

A spokesperson for Australia's minister for health, Greg Hunt, told NBC News that ''the Delta variant of Covid-19 is a global challenge not just faced by Australia, but we continue to work together to meet this challenge head on.''

'It's not a race'

Australia's initial success against Covid meant it did not pursue vaccines with the urgency and strategy of some other countries, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison (now infamously) claimed it was ''not a race.''

The rollout started in February, with locally made AstraZeneca as the main component, followed by limited supplies of Pfizer from overseas.

It's since been marked by vaccine shortages and communit confusion around AstraZeneca.

After it emerged that AstraZeneca had an extremely rare blood-clotting risk, local health authorities recommended that it only be given to people over age 60. But then they backpedaled on this advice after the latest outbreak.

A protester reacts to pepper spray used by police during an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on Saturday (AFP - Getty Images)

The government ''put too manyeggs in one basket, mostly relying on AstraZeneca, because we could make it locally,'' Archie Clements, a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at Curtin University, said. ''Then there was inconsistent messaging around it... when iy's a very effective and very safe vaccine.''

As a result of the early stumbles, 30 percent of Australians aged 16 and above are fully vaccinated, compared to 62 percent in the U.S. aged 18 and above.

For much of this year, Australia had the lowest vaccination rate as a percentage of population in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and it is currently ranked 35th of 38 countries.

The rollout endedm up being ''a huge policy and operational bungle,'' Toole said.

And there is alarm as the latest outbreak is spreading to remote Aboriginal communities, where vaccination rates are particularly low.

Australia's Aboriginal people were a priority group for vaccination, but in one remote area where delta is now present, only 8 percent of this population is fully vaccinated.

''This is absolute negligence,'' Toole said.

Just how bad is it?

The Australian government has set vaccine thresholds of 70 and 80 percent for a staged return to normal life, which likely won't be achieved until much later this year.

But the rollout is starting to pick up pace, with 1.8 million vaccines administered over the past week, meaning more than half of the eligible population has now received thair first dose.

''On a per capita basis, that's on par with the best ever week in the United States and better than the best ever week in the United Kingdom,'' Morrison said on Monday.

Toole said the rollout will escalate even more later in the year, ''because we've ordered a lot more Pfizer and a lot of Moderna vaccines.''

Clements said despite the latest outbreak and accompanying lockdowns, the world should still be envious of Australia.

''This outbrea, we haven't seen the massive levels of mortality and the collapse of health systems that have happened in other countries. So we're still in a privileged position,'' he said.

During the entirety of the pandemic, there's been around 44.000 Covid-19 cases and just under 1.ooo deaths in Australia. This compares to upward of 37.5 million cases and 628.000 deaths in the U.S.

''So we're still doing increadibly well,'' Clements said.

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MISS\SSIPPI FREE PRESS. Person Hospitalized.., Treat COVID-19., The Guardian.,..

2021-08-22T13:00:00.001-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

MISS/SSIPPI

FREE PRESS

MISS/SSIPI Hospitalized After Taking Livestock Invermectin From Feed Store To Treat COVID-19

Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs warned Mississippians against taking feed store ivermectin for COVID-19, telling people they should talk to their physician for any treatment plan. (UMMC Photography)

This report has updated to include information about an Aug.20,2021, state health alert on an increase in incidents of ivermectin poisoning.

At least one indivitual has been hospitalized in Mississippi after ingesting a drug intended for treating worms in livestock, the Mississippi State Department of Health revealed today. The medicine, ivermectin, is not approved for treating COVID-19.

''There are potential toxicities. So it's something, you know, as you know, I think some people are trying to use it as preventative, which I think is really kind of crazy. So please don't do that,'' Mississippi State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said during a discussion on Zoom today.

MSDH later confirmed to Mississippi Free Press reporter Nick Judin that the person was hospitalized in the state for ivermectin toxicity, but it is not clear whether or not the new patient was a resident. MSDH did not reveal when the incident happened or the patient's current condition.

Despite a lack of scientific evidence that ivermectin is effective at treating COVID-19, it has become a popular go-to-drug in some circles, especially among opponents of COVID-19 vaccines and public-health measures like masking. It's a similar phenomenon to the push last year for COVID-19 patients to take hydroxychloroquine despite studies finding it ineffective against the virus.

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MFP seeks to sustain the most diverse and inclusive statewide media outlet in Mississippi. Please donate today to support solutions journalism in the state!

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''You know, for the life of me, I don't get it. Dr. Dobbs, you have a vaccine that's safe and effective. And yet people, as opposed to getting the vaccine, want to go after these kinds of things,'' MSDH Communications Director Liz Sharlot said during today's Zoom discussion. ''What's your thought process on that?''

Dr. Dobbs urged Mississippians to talk to their doctors.

'' You know, please work with your doctor. This is, medical treatment, You wouldn't get your chemotherapy at a feed store,'' the state health officer said. '' I mean, you would'nt want to treat your pneumonia with your animal's medication. It can be dangerous to get the wrong doses of medication, especially for something that's for a horse or a cow. So we understand the environment we live in. But it's really important if people have medical needs to go through your physician or provider.''

Ivermectin Related to 70% of Poison Control Calls

After this report published, the Mississippi State Department issued a health alert warning about an increase in ivermectin poisoning incidents.

''The Mississippi Poison Control Center has received an increasing number of calls from individuals with potential ivermectin exposure taken to treat or prevent COVID-19 infection,'' the alert said. ''At least 70% of the recent calls have been related to ingestion of livestock or animal formulations of ivermectin purchased at livestock supply centers. 85% of the callers had mild symptoms, but one indivitual was intructed to seek further evaluation due to the amount of ivermectin reportedly ingested.''

The alert sid ''no hospitalizations due to ivermectin toxicity have been directly reported to the Mississippi Poison Control Center or the Mississippi State State Department of Health.'' But MSDH reiterated to Mississipi Free Press reporter Nick Judin today that they had confirmed at least one hospitalization due to invemectin toxicity, though it had not been reported to the department directly.

FDA:Ivermectin Can Cause Seizures,Coma,Death

Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin to treat people with conditions caused by parasitic worms and external parasites like head lice, the FDA warns that the forms of ivermection used to treat animals are not the same product.

''For one thing, animal drugs are often highly concentrated because they are used for large animals like horses and cows, which can weigh a lot more than we do--a ton or more, '' the FDA wrote in a March 2021 notice. ''Such high doses can be toxic in humans.''

But taking human-approved of ivermectin for ''unapproved use'' and without proper medical oversight'' can be very dangerous,'' the agency warned.

''There's a lot of misinformation aroun, and you may have heard that it's OK to take large doses of ivermectin. That is wrong,''the FDA said. ''Even the levels of ivermectin for approved uses can interact with other medications, like blood-thinners. You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), diziness, ataxia(problems with balance),seizures, coma and even death.''

Aside from getting the COVID-19 vaccine to prevent infection or severe illness, MSDH has urged Mississippians who do test positive to immediately speak with their health-care providers about getting monoclonal antibody antibody antibody infusion treatments. Studies have found that the infusions can prevent as many as 70% of mild cases of COVID-19 from escalating into severe illnesses that result in death or require hospitalization.

State Reporter Nick Judin contributed to thie report.

Watch, listen or read/search full transcript of State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs explaining on MFP Live how the delta variant spreads, its dangers and specific safety precautions from school assemblies to flying, to masking.

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The Guardian

'No one comes here any more': the human cost as Covid wipes out tourism

A dog walks in a empty street the Chualluma neighbourhood, La Paz, Bolivia. (Getty Images)

From Bolivia's Lake Titicaca to wildlife tourism in Nepal, we find out how the crisis has effected people in four travel hotspots-and whether or not they want the tourists to return

* Opinion: Africa's park tourism crash is a wake-up call. Can we find new ways to finance conservation?

In March last year, it was predicted that the global travel shutdown would cause international arrivals to plummet by 20 to 30% by the end of 2020.

Six weeks later, the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) revised their warning: international arrivals could fall by up to 80% - equating to a billion fewer tourists and the worst crisis in the history of the industry.

''We are back to levels of travel we saw 30 years ago,'' says Sandra Carvao, chief of tourism market intelligence at the agency.

Eighteen months into the pandemic, domestic tourism is bouncing back, but efforts to open up international travel have been hampered by the emergence of new virus variants and by the variations in vaccine policy and availability between countries. Recovery is ''very fragile and uneven'', according to the UNWTO.Almost 50% of experts it surveyed predicted that travel is unlikely to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024.

The economic cost of the global tourism freeze is immense. A UNWTO report published with UN Conference on Trade and Development at the end of June forecast a loss of more than $4tn to global GDP by the end of 2021. Developing countries are predicted to take the biggest hit, with Central America suffering the most.

The human cost is vast. The challenges for hoteliers and tour operators are huge, but also the pandemic has upturned millions of lives in tourism communities across the globe. We visit four such communities -- three in countries on England's red-lis, one in an amber-listed location - to find out how the crisis has affected people and whether or not they want the tourists to return.

Chitwan national park, Nepal

Ashish Kadariya was born on the edge of a lush forest in the south of Nepal, home to the endangered Bengal tiger and one-horned rhino. Today he finds himself in a different kind of jungle; one of towering buildings, six-lane highway and oppressive heat.

Kadatiya,25, used to be a guide at Chitwan national park, one of south Asia's top wildlife sanctuaries, but when the pandemic struck and tourists stopped coming, he lost his only source of income. With few options, he borrowed about GBP 3.600 - far more than his annual wage as a guide-to pay a recruitment agent to find him a job overseas. Now he works far from the forest, patrolling the grounds of laxury hotel in the United Arab Emirates.

''We have to work 12 hours a day, 30 days a month. I miss my country and my profession, but I don't have any options; because of Covid, I was jobless,'' says Kadariya.

The pandemic has taken a devastating toll on Nepal, Tourism is a mainstay of the impoverished country's economy, generating about 1. 3m jobs and GBP 550m a year. In the year before the pandemic, Nepal welcomed almost 1.2 million visitors - including more than 60.000, just 9.417 arrived.

Tourist numbers peak in spring and autumn, when the weather is at its most convivial, but the first wave wiped out both seasons. This year, as Nepal was gearing up for the spring peak, the second Covid wave struck. Now, as autumn approaches, the industry faces a fourth season without visitors.

Nepal's reputation as a world-class trekking and climbing destination is well known, but the wildlife reserves along its southern plains are equally spectacular. Chitwan national park attracted more than 142.000 foreign tourists in the year before the pandemic, as well as many thousands of Nepalese, drawn by the prospect of sightings of Nepalese, drawn by the prospect of sightings of tigers, rhinos and elephants.

The park sustains the livelihoods of thousands; hotel staff, transport operators and guides, Rajendra Dhami, the head of the Nature Guide Association, says there are about 500 professional guides in Chitwan. When asked how many foreign visitors he has seen since April, he hesitates and then answers, ''Three or four''.

Dhami says guides are turning to farming or manual labour to survive, with some like Kadariya, going overseas. '' The pandemic has given us a big problem,'' says Dhami. ''we are losing our jobs and the government is doing nothing for us. We are not worried about the coronavirus, we are just trying to survive.''

As well as livelihoods, the pandemic has put conservation in the park at risk. As guides look for other work, vital knowledge about animal behaviour and biodiversity is being lost.

''The nature guide's skill is unexplainable, you can't find it in a book. So when tourism restarts people may not yet real guides, real nature lovers,'' says Dhami.

Some are calling on the government to prioritise vaccines for guides and others in the industry. '' If the government can provide vaccinations, then we can open Nepal in the same way as Dubai and Maldives,'' says Dhananjay Regmi, Nepal Tourism Board's chief executive.

A manwalks along the now-deserted tourist hub of Thamel, Katmandu.(Reuters)

But vaccine rollout remains slow, with about 10% of the population fully vaccinated. Efforts to procure vaccines were hit by India's decision to halt vaccine exports. But, many Nepal's political leaders who, they say, have been preoccupied with the infighting that has seen a recent change of government, rather than tackling the virus.

''Vaccines are very important for tourism, not only for the guides but for the tourists. If they don't feel comfortable, they will not cme, but but if we are vaccinated, they will feel safe,'' says Dhami.

''Vaccines are very important for tourism, not only for the guides but for the tourists. If they don't feel comfortable, they will not come, but if we are vaccinated, they will feel safe,'' says Dhami.

Until then, Nepalis like Kadariya are stuck overseas in jobs they don't want. ''I totally regret coming here. My life was far better in Nepal. We guides are the main pillars of tourism, but nobody supports us. They don't know our value.''

Santiago de Okola, Bolivia

With the late morning sun shining through glassless window, Juan Callo, 58, is on his knees hammering at the foundation beneath him in preparation for installing new flooring. This is not the usual work for this Aymara farmer.

In Santiago de Okola, a 180-family village on the shore of the sacred Lake Titicaca, 150km from La Paz, a 15-year-old community tourism project has satlled due to the pandemic. Many townpeople have been left without an income, surviving on what potatoes, quinoa and beans they can grow, as their families have done for generations.

'' There are no tourists now, and there is no source of work,'' Callo say. ''Not a single person comes here any more.''

But Callo continues constructing a space where small groups of visitors can spend a few nights in his home. People are investing their meagre savings to make improvements for the day when tourists return.

Four of Callo's five children now work in textile mills in Brazil, leaving him and his wife to care for a teenage granddaughter. This situation repeats itself across Boloviaá altiplano, with many towns left in the hands of their oldest citizens.

To protect its eldery people from Covid-19 Santiago de Okola shut itself off. Roads into town were closed for four months from May last year, and again in January and June this year, coinciding with waves of cases in the area.

Juan Callo inspects his last crop of tarwi, a nutritious Andean bean. By August, most crops have been harvested, leaving people to depend on supplies stored in their home.

These closures were difficult for Callo, a member of Santiago de Okola's tourism association (ASITURSO) - group of local families wjo organise visitor activities including homestays, day treks, traditional medicine and weaving workshops. ASITURSO welcome more than 700 foreign tourists and nearly 450 Bolivians in 2019, with each spending, on average, GBP 20 to GBP 30 a day in the town.

Community tourism in Santiago de Okola began in 2oo6 as vision of Tomas Laruta, a farmer who died from Covid-19 in January at the age of 94. He had worked as a guide well into his 80s, and had a dream of sharing this corner of Lake Titicaca with the world, to the benefit of his neighbours.

Today, Latuta's daughter Gabriela, a kindergarten teacher from the city of El Alto, has returned to the town to take up her father's work.

''My father's dream was that everyone comes to know his house and the communuty where he lived, where he was born,'' says Gabriela. ''That is why he founded this organisation, as a way for everyone to unite, so they can work together to help the community.''

Gabriela Laruta, daughter of ASITURSO founder Tomas Laruta, with her niece at her father's house, which the family is converting into bedrooms for tourists.

But since the pandemic Laruta's dream has been on hold. The town museum, a small room housing antique handicrafts donated by neighbours, remains padlocked, its guestbook containing a single, dateless entry. A community-funded hostel and visitor centre project that began three years ago sits half-built.

According to the country's chamber of tourism operators (CANOTUR), Lake Titicaca is one of Bolivia's top tourism destinations, which include the Salar de Uyuni and the jungle areas of Rurrenabaque...

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AP. COVID anxiety rising amid delta surge, AP-NORC poll finds

2021-08-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c ) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

COVID anxiety rising amid delta surge, AP-NORC poll finds

DENVER (AP) ----Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more stes and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nation's hospitals once again fill to capacity.

The poll from The Associated Press -NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also finds that majorities of American adults want vaccination mandates for those attending movies, sports, concerts and other crowded events; those traveling by airplane; and workers in hospitals, restaurants, stores and government offices.

The poll shows that 41% are ''extremely'' or ''very'' worried about themselves or their family becoming infected with the virus. That is up from 21% in June, and about the same as in January, during the country's last major surge, when 43% were extremely or very worried.

''I wouldn't have said this a couple of years ago, but I'm not as confident as I was in America's ability to take care of itself,'' said David Bowers, a 42-year-old business analyst in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria.

Bowers, a DEmocrat, and his wife, a public school teacher, got vaccinated early. But they fret once again about their daughters, ages 7 and 9, attending school in a state whose Republican governor, Doug Ducey, signed a law to block school districts from mandating masks, let alone vaccines.

A brief summer respite from COVID-19 fatigue included a family trip to New York. ''COVID was pretty much out of mind,''Bowers said. ''Now it feels like we're going backward.''

Close to 6 in 10 Americans say they favor requiring people to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel on an airplane or attend crowded public events. Only about a quarter of Americans oppose such measures.'Roughly 6 in 10 also support vaccine mandates for hospital or other health care workers, along with government employees, members of the military and workers who interact with the public, such as in restaurants and stores. Support is slightly lower for requiring vaccinatios to go out to a bar or restaurant, though more are in favor than opposed, 51% to 28%.

Nearly 200 million people, or just over 60% of the U.S.population, had received at least one vaccine dose as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over half of the population was fully vaccinated.

Hospitals across the U.S. had more than 75.000 coronavirus patients as of last week, a dramatic increase from a few weeks ago but still wel below the winter surge records. Florida, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii, Lousiana and Mississippi have set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations in recent weeks, and the surge in the delta variant, combined with low vaccination rates, has produced a scramble to find beds for patients.

The poll suggests that despite increasing cases and greater concer about the virus, Americans have not stepped up their own precautionary behavior since June, though at least half still say they always or often wear a mask around other people, stay away from large groups aand avoid nonessential travel.

Confidence in vaccines to withstand virus variants has not waned, either, as U.S. health officials this week announced plans to dispense booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection. The doses could begin next month.

Carla Jones, 37, of Lafayette, Lousian, is a paraplegic with immunity problems and uses a wheelchair after she was severely injured in a car accident. Because of her health, she has been told by her doctor she cannot get the vaccine. She gets anxious visiting the doctor or when her grandchildren visit.

'' I see someone next to me at the doctor's without a mask, it makes my heart rapidly beat faster,'' Jones said.

Jones, a Democrat, strongly favors vaccination and mask mandates, and not just for herself. '' For the good of all,'' she said. ''I don't have the shot, but I definitely wouldn't want to pass it on to anyone else.''

The poll shows that 55% support requiring Americans to wear masks around other people outside their homes, while 62% support mask mandates specifically for worjers eho interact with the public, such as at restaurants and stores. Eighty-five percent of Democrats and 39% of Republicans are in favor of mask mandates for public-facing workers.

Robbie Allen, a 63-year-old retiree from Clifton, Texas, is fully vaccinated and will wear a mask when required by stores or other places. But the self-described independent who leans Republican insists it is a matter of personal choice, and he sees mandates as taking the joy out of life.

''The COVID is not going away very quickly, but I don't think people should live in fear,'' said Allen, who motorcycled with his girlfried to this month's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which attracted hundreds of thousands to the South Dakota city. ''People are going to die, but if we all hunker down, life gets miserable.''

Partisan gaps are also wide on vaccination requirements. In Arizona, Bowers has already taken time off work to pick up his daughter from school after she developed a high fever. They spent hours last week looking for a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site that wasn't overcrowded. She tested negative. But the worries persist.

''My thinking is, the people who don't want mandates are the people who nedd to be regulated,'' Bowers said. ''There's a slim majority in this country making the right decisions. If it wasn't for a slim majority as country, we'be in trouble.''

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The New York Times

Coronavirus in the U.S.

State of the virus

(Update for Aug. 19)

* A summer that began with Covid seeming to fade into the national background has been upended by the coronavirus's relentless spread. The Delta variant continues to drive up new case totals across the United States.

* More than 90.000 coronavirus patients were than in any previous surge except last winter's. The country is averaging more than in any previous surge except last winter's. The country is averaging more than 800 newly reported deaths as day, about twice as many as in early August.

* Much of the South is contending with its most serious outbreak of the pandemic, including Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Hospitals have struggled to treat the influx of patients.

* Some Western states with relatively high vaccination rates also have struggled with Delta. Washington's governor ordered educators to get vaccinated and Hawaii imposed limits on gatherings.

* Vaccines remain highly effective against hospitalizations and deaths. The pace of vaccination has increased letely, but only 51 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated so far.

* 51 case reports are not increasing as quicky as they had been. In some hard-hit areas, case curves are leveling off or declining. Louisiana, Missouri and Arkansa, among the first places with summer surges, appear to be stabilizing.

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INDEPENDENT

Covid: Sydney lockdown extended by a month as nighttime curfew introduced

Two million people in Sydney will be required to stay home between 9pm and 5am

( 11 hours ago)

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Pfizer vaccine effectiveness declines quicker than AstraZeneca, says study

The Delta coronavirus variant diminishes the general performance of both jabs, researchers from the University of Oxford have found

(1 day ago)

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is initially more effective against the Delta coronavirus variant than the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, but this protection then declines at a quicker rate, new research has shown.

Scientists from the University of Oxford have confirmed that the general performance of the two jabs is diminished by Delta, compared to the previously dominant Alpha variant, with vaccinated people likely to pass the virus on to others.

However, two doses of either jab still provides at least the same level of protection acquired through natural infection, and there is not yet clear evidence to suggest that the vaccines are failing to keep people infected with Delta out of hospital.

There appears to be little change in the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine three months after a second dose, according to the study. In contrast, there is a clear decline in protection provided by the Pfizer jab over this same timeframe.

The results, which have not yet been reviewed, suggest that after five months the effectiveness of these two vaccines would be similar, the researchers said.

'' Even with these slight declines in protection against all infections and infections with high viral burden, it's important to note that overall effectiveness is still very high because we were starting at such a high level of protection,'' said Dr Koen Pouwels, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Population Health.

The study, conducted in partnership with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), looked at data between December 2020 and August 2021 from the Covid-19 Infection Survey.

Swab tests from more than 700.000 participants were analysed from before and after 17 May 2021, when Delta became the main variant in the UK.

Analysis revealed that for infections with a high viral load, protection a month after the second Pfizer dose was 90 per cent greater than an unvaccinated indivitual, reducing to 85 per cent after two months and 78 per cent after three.

For AstraZeneca, the equivalent protection was 67,65 and 61 per cent, the researchers said.

Dr Pouwels said that the team''can be confident'' that the numbers ''really represent a decline ''for the Pfizer vaccine, whereas for AstraZeneca ''the differences are compatible with chance, that is there could be no change at all in the protection from AZ''.

The findings also suggest that those uinfected with the Delta variant after their second jab had similar peak levels of virus to unvaccinated people.

Sarah Walker, a professor of medical statistics at Oxford and chief study investigator, said it was unclear ''how much transmission can happen from people'' who are infected with Delta after being fully vaccinated.

'' But the fact that they can have high levels of virus suggests that people who aren't yet vaccinated may not be as protected from the Delta variant as we hoped. This means it is essential for as many people as possible to get vaccinated -- both in the UK and worldwide.''

Both scientists stressed that the study's results do not offer any indication on vaccine protection levels against severe disease and hospitalisation.

It did suggest, though, that the time between doses did not effect effectiveness in preventing new infections, and that younger people (aged 18-34) had more protection from vaccination than older are groups (35 to 64-years-olds).

The research also found that a single dose of the Moderna vaccine had similar or greater effectiveness against the Delta variant as single doses of the other vaccines, but the scientists added that they did not yet have any data on second doses of the US-made jab.

Dr Alexander Edwards, associate professor in Biomedical Technology at the University of Reading, who was not involved in the staudy, said: Overall this study is excellent as it shows that although Delta is better at infecting vaccinated people than previous variants, the vaccines still work remarkably well.

'' There are subtle differences - between different vaccine types, and some changes over time - but they all work brilliantly.''

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The Washington Post. Biden administration to start offering vaccine booster shots to all Americans Sept.20..

2021-08-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina (Joustra) Alimpoutaki

The Washington Post

Biden administration to start offering vaccine booster shots to all Americans Sept.20

Health-care workers are seen inside the covid-19 intesive care unit in North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond, La.,on Aug 13. (Getty Images)

The Biden administration will begin offering coronavirus booster shots to all Americans on Sept.20 , top health officials announced Wednesday after concluding that a third shot is needed to fight off waning immunity.

In a joint statement from top public-health and medical experts, the administration confirmed that it is vedeloping plans to begin offering the booster shots after reviewing a wide arrary of data. The plan, which applies only to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, calls for all Americans to get a booster shot eight months after receiving their second doses.

The officials saidthey expect a booster shot will be needed for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but they are still reviewing data and will announce plans at a leter data.

''The available data make very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease, '' the statement says.

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WHO criticizes moves to give boosters as much of world struggles for first doses.

Scientists at the World Health Organization's news briefing pushed back Wednesday against the notion of providing coronavirus vaccine booster shots to healthy individuals who have already been fully vaccinated while much of the world's population has little access to the shots.

The meeting came just before the Biden administration said boosters will be ofered to all Americans starting Sept.20.

The risks described by the scientists included allowing the virus to spread more quickly around the world, potentially leading to the emergence of new variants. Countries that start making individual choices about how to vaccinate do so at the cost of global solidarity against a disease that continues to be driven by the unvaccinated, they said.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus renewed his call for global solidarity in response to the pandemic, warning against ''vaccine nationalism'' and calling on countries to share doses.

'Vaccine injustice is a shame on all humanity,''Tedros said.

Joachim Hombach, executive secretary of the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization known as SAGE, drew a distinction between expected breakthrough cases and the complex science of waning immunity.

''No vaccine is 100 percent effective,'' he said. '' That is normal.''

And while there may be some decline in protection over time against mild disease and infection, Hombach said, scientists have not seen a decline in relation to severe disease.

'' The data today does not indicate that boosters are needed,'' said Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO's chief scientist.

That, the public health experts said, leaves the moral argument clear.

The reality now, said Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, is that booster shots are the equivalent of giving out extra life jackets to people who already have life jackets, while leaving ''millions and millins without anything to protect them.''

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Biden administration will start offering booster shots to all Americanss on Sept. 20

The Biden administration will begin offering coronavirus booster shots to all Americans on Sept. 20., top health officials announced Wednesday after concluding a third shot is needed to fight off wanning immunity.

In a joint statement from top public health and medical experts, the administration confirmd they are developing plans to beggin offerening the booster shots after reviewing a wide array of data. The plan, which applies only to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, calls for all Americans to get a booster shot eight months after an indivitual's second dose. The officials said they expect a booster shot will be needed for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but they are still reviewing data and will announce plans at a later date.

'' The available data make very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease, '' the statement says.

It continues: ''For that reason, we conclude that a booster shot will be needed maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolog its durability.''

The statement is signed by eight health officials, including Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vivek H. Murthy, the surgeon general, and Anthony S.Fauch, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Those three officials are expected to join Jeff Zients, the White House covid-19 coordinator, for a news briefing at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time to further discuss the plan.

The plan to offer booster shots is subject to approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which is expected in the coming weeks.

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Red Cross sounds alarm over rising cases in Southeast Asia

Amran Marzuki administers a dose of a coronavirus vaccine in a living room in Kuala Lumpur on July 27 during a mobile vaccination program by Malaysian Red Crescent. (EPA-EFE-Shutterstock)

The global aid organization the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has warned that the coronavirus situation in Southeast Asia is worsening, with the next feww weeks ''critical'' for scaling up treatment, testing and vaccinations.

The charity said Wednesday that hospitals in the region were being ''overwhelmed by record surges'' of covid-19, largely due to the delta variant, in countries from Vietnam to Malaysia to Myanmar. There are fears that cases and deaths will continue to rise.

''Vaccinations are at record rates in some countres, yet many Southeast Asian nations have low portions of the population fully vaccinated and are languishing far behind Western Europe and North America,'' Alexander Matheou, Asia Pasific director of IFRC, said in statement. ''We need much greater efforts by richer countries to urgently share their millions of excess vaccine doses with countries in Southeast Asia''.

Earlier this month President Biden said the United States had sent more than 110 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to 65 countries, putting the country ahead of others on vaccine donations. However, some global health experts described the move as ''too little, too late.''

An unequal global vaccine rollout persists, with only 1.3 percent of people in low-income countries having received at least one dose of vaccine, according to research database Our World in Data.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called the decision by some developed countries to start administering booster vaccine shots while poorer nations struggle to ramp up their immunization ''unconscionable.''

In the past two weeks, Southeast Asia recorded 38.522 deaths from covid-19, nearly twice as many as North America, according to Johns Hopkins University data, the IFRC said.

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After Texas parent rips mask off teacher's face, school official warns: 'Do not fight mask wars in our schools'

Masked and ready to start the new academic year, students in Austin's Eanes Independent School District returned to campuses excited to reunite with friends and meet their new teachers.

'' Campus principals report several 'magical moments,'''Tom Leonard, the superintendent, said in a note to parents and staff on Tuesday, one day before the district's first day of school.

But there were also ''a few sad moments'' at recend school events, he qualified. Some parents physically and verbally assaulted teachers because of masks. One parent ripped a teacher's mask off her face, Leonard said. One parent ripped a teacher's mask off her face, Leonard said. Others yelled at another teacher to remove her mask because they claimed it made it difficult to understand what she was saying.

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Los Angeles County to introduce mask mandate for large outdoor events

People attend an outdoor screening of '' The Wizard of Oz'' at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles on July 31.(Getty Images)

Los AngelesCounty is set to introduce a mask mandate --- regardless of vaccination status ----- for large outdoor events including baseball games and music concerts, according to a health department order published Tuesday.

The regulation targets ''outdoor mega-events'' that attract crowds of over 10.000 people, including concerts, parades and outdoor theaters.

The order for the county of 10 million people is due to take effect 11:59 p.m. local time Thursday. It is an expansion of a July mandat that already requires masks at indoor restaurants, movie theaters, gyms,supermarkets and other indoor public spaces in Los Angeles, a response to rising cases of the delta variant.

However, there has been some public backlash to renewed pandemic restrictions. On Saturday , a man was stabbed outside Los Angeles city Hall when a protest over vaccination mandates devolved into fighting, and a journalist was attacked, according to police and reporters.

Los Angeles County has recorded a total of 1.355.698 covid-19 cases and 24.935 deaths so far, according to latest official data.

Medical workers gather outside the room of a young covid-19 patient at the pediatric intensive care unit at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock on Aug. 5. (The Washington Post)

With only about hals of the U.S. population fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, hospitals across the country are straining to respond to a deadly fourth surge of infections driven by the delta variant.

Doctors say rhe nationwide outbreak overwhelming hospitals could have been avoided had more people been immunized. In the week ending Tuesday, 46 of the 50 states experienced double-digit growth in covid-19 hospitalizations, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. Eight states, including California and New York, which for most of the summer had not seen many serious cases, added more than 400 new inpatients in that tme.

''It's absolutely due to delta; it's absolutely due to unvaccinated people,'' said David Wohl, a specialist in infectious diseases at the University of North Carolina. ''There is an incredible oxygen in hospitalizations across the spectrum,from just needing oxygen and some care to needing serious interventions to keep people alive. If everyone was vaccinated, our hospitals would not be anywhere near where we are,'' Wohl said.

------------------------------

White House officials say booster shots won't harm global vaccine equity effort

A health-care worker fills a syringe with Pfizer coronavirus vaccine at a community vaccination event in Los Angeles. Aug.11,2021. (AFP via Getty Images)

While House coronavirus task force officials insisted Wednesday that offering booster shots to Americans does not come at the expense of countries that have struggled to get access to the vaccine.

Members of the covid-19 response team defended their plan for third shots, rejecting criticism from World Health Organization scientists. Leaders of the global health authority argued earlier in the day that the U.S. decision could allow the virus to spread more rapidly around the world, creating the possibility for new variants to emerge.

Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Program, likened booster shots to extra life jackeats for people who already have them.

''Look, I do not accept the idea that you have to choose between America and the world,'' U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H.Murthy said during a later news briefing. '' We clearly see our responsibility to both.''

He and other officials said the U.S.'s commitment to distributing doses around the globe remains unchanged, adding that in June and July, 50 million shots were administered within U.S. borders and 100 million shipped to other countries.

In the coming months, White House covid-19 respons team coordinator Jeff Zients said, the country expects to give 100 million booster shots domestically and donate 200 million doses globally.

'' To end the pandemic, we have to protect the American people and we have to continue to do more and more to vaccinate the world,'' Zients said. ''Both are critical. And we're already proving that we can protect our own people here at home as we help others.''

-------------------------------------

Highly vaccinatedand with few deaths, Singapore wants life back to normal

People cross Robinson Road in Singapore's financial district on Aug. 16.( AFP/Getty Images)

Singapore wants life to get back to normal, please.

With just a few dozen covid-19 deaths and one of the world's highest vaccination rates, Singapore wants to fully open for business and is urging its populatin to prepare to live long term with the virus, with infectious - disease experts likening it to the flu.

The Southeast Asia country's pragmatic approach could set an example for other nations that have fared relatively well in the pandemic, mostly those with small, isolated populations. Of its 5.7 million people, Singapore has reported only 45 deaths since the outbreak began in early 2020, according to Johns Hopkins University data, while 73 percent of its population is fully vaccinated.

Experts believe a number of factors contributed to the low death rate. The majority of infections have been among migrant workers living in dormitories, who are younger and hence less likely to experience severe symptoms, while the country also has aggressive contact tracing, testing and mask policies.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said this month that as the economy opens up, Singaporeans must ''be psychologically prepared that the death toll due to covid-19 will likely also go up.''

The city-state has kept its coronavirus outbreaks under control, in part due to its strict enforcement measures. On Wednesday, a Singapore court sentenced a British man to six weeks in prison, local media reported, after he repeatedly breached coronavirus protocols by refusing to wear mask in public. The Asian business hub has jailed and fined others for breaking covid-19 regulations, and some foreigners have had their work permits revoked for breaching rules.

Vice President Harris is due to visit Singapore and visit Singapore later this week, for a trip focused on strenghening economic ties.

---------------------------------------

Australia's Quantas Airways latest airline to mandate vaccines for all staff

Qantas plane on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in 2018. (Reuters)

Australian airline Qantas Airways announced Wednesday that all of its employees must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The ruling will impact thousands of staff members. Front-line workers ---including cabin crew, pilots and airport workers --- have been given a deadline of Nov. 15 and all other Qantas employees a deadline of March 31 to get their shots, unless they are medically exempt.

''One crew member can fly into multiple cities and come into contact with thousands of people in a single day. Making sure they are vaccinated, given the potential of this virus to spread, is so important,'' Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyse said in a statement.

The move by Qantas reflects a wider trend in the industry. Earlier this month, United Airlines became the first U.S. airline to mandate that its 67.000 active, U.S.-based employees get vaccinated as a condition of employment. Cathay Pacific Airways said in June that all of its Hong Kong-based pilots and flight attendats would need to be vaccinated by Aug.31 or risk losing their jobs. In April, Qatar Airways said it had operated the world's first flight carrying only fully vaccinated staff and passengers.

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Biden authorizes FEMA to pay 100 percent of state costs for coronavirus assistance.

President Biden participates in a briefing on hurricane season at FEMA'S headquarters on May 24.( Evan Fucci/AP)

President Biden has authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay 100 percent of state costs for coronavirus assistance, as the pandemic continues.

A memorandum signed Tuesday cites the nationwide emergency declaration from March 2020 on the pandemic, noting the Biden administration will continue to ''combat and respond to COVID-19 with the full capacity and capability of the Federal Government to protect and support our families, schools, and businesses, and to assist State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to do the same.''

Since coming into office in January, Biden has consistently enlisted FEMA, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, signaling his wish to involve the federal government more directly in the administration of vaccines and in quelling the pandemic, rather than leaving the massive effort to state and local authorities.

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The Washington Post. CDC backs third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people.,

2021-08-15T10:47:00.008-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

Coronavirus

Health

CDC backs third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people

Additional doses of Pfizer -BioNTech and Moderna could be offered as soon as this weekend

(August 13, 2021)

A woman receives a third dise of a coronavirus vaccine in Israel, which is already giving extra shots to the immunocompromised and older people. (Ammar Awad/Reuters)

The Centers for disease Control and Prevention on Friday recommended a third dose of coronavirus vaccines for some immunocompromised indivituals following the plan's unanimous endorsement by an expert advisory panel.

The CDC's backing paves the way for millions of moderately or severely immunocompromised people to get a third shot of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines as soon as this weekend. That means those 12 and older who are immunocompromised would be eligible for Pfizer-BioNTech; the Moderna vaccine is for those 18 and older.

The CDC recommendation, which follows the Food and Drug Administration's decision Thursday night to amend its authorizations of the two vaccines to permit the third shots, '' is an important step in ensuring everyone, including those most vulnerable to covid-19, can gat as much protection as possible from covid-19 vaccination, '' CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.

She noted that in small studies, fully vaccinated immunocompromised people have accounted for up to 44 percent of breakthrough cases. The agency is not recommending additional doses for any other groups at this time, she said.

The CDC will not require patients get a prescription or a letter from a doctor for the third shot, officials said. Consumers will have to attest only that they have impaired immunsystems. The goal is to minimize barriers to vccination, they said. Additional doses will be free, and people will be able to get them in the same way they got earlier shots -- through pharmacies and other health-care provides.

The CDC, in a presentation to the advisory panel, detailed for the time which patients should consider the extra shots. They include indivituals being treated for tumors or cancers of the blood; organ transplant patients, including those have received stem cell transplants within the lat two years; and those who have diseases that damage the immune system.

also on the list are people with advanced or untreated HIV infection, those taking high-dose steroids and those who have chronic medical conditions that can weaken immune response, about 7 million people, are immunocompromised.

The FDA's authorization allowed extra doses of the two mRNA vaccines from organ transplant recipients and others with similar levels of immune impairment. The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine was not included because there was insufficient data about the protection afforted by an additional dose, according to the agency.

Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversees vaccines, cautioned the panel that additional doses appeared to be only ''moderately effective'' at blostering protection for immunocompromised patients. He and CDC officials said such indivituals should continue following social distancng precautions as well as other safety steps to reduce their chances of infection from the coronavirus.

Patients should also talk to their doctors about the severity and duration of their immune issues and whether they are taking medicine or doing other therapies that can lower their body's response to vaccines.

Health officials and members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, repeatedly drew a distinction between third doses for the immunocompromised --- considered part of the primary series for people who have failed to respond fully or at all --- vs. boosters for people who have mounted an immune response. Officials are not recommending antibody testing to see if the inoculations boosted immunity. There are no FDA-approved tests to gauge post-vaccination protection.

Panel members stressed that the benefits of the third doses far outweighed the risks for these vulnerable patients. Immunocompromised patients are more likely to become seriously ill from covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. They are also more likely to transmit the virus to household contacts and to have breakthrough infections. Once infected, they can also potentially harbor mutations that could lead to more virulent new variants, experts say.

The panel urged patients getting a third shot of the same vaccine as their first two doses, unless the same vaccine is unavailabe.

Several members also discussed the urgency of sharing first doses with people around the world.

''We are all very worried about the Delta variant, but that may be the least of our problems if covid-19 continues to circulate across the U.S. and the world,'' said Helen Keipp Talbot, an infectious -disease doctor at Vanderbilt University. ''And so I think it's incredibly important that we remember that we need to begin sharing more and more vaccines across the world.''

Studies have shown that many immunocompromised patients have a very weak or no responses to the vaccines, even after a full regimen. The FDA said it evaluated information on the use of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines in these indivituals and determined that the administration of third vaccine doses may increase protection against the coronavirus.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently authorized for those age 12 and older, and Moderna is authorized for those 18 and older. The FDA authorizattions for these vaccines have been amended to allow for a third dose at least 28 days following the two-dose regimen of the same vaccine for immunocompromised patients.

CDC officials posted additional detailed guidance for clinicians.

Panel members also heard a CDC presentation on the framework needed to evaluate the potential need for boosters. CDC will present more data over the next few weeks to assess whether boosters are necessary bsed on the durability of vaccine effectiveness and whether certain at-risk groups, including older Americans and health-care workers, should get them first. Israel has already started administering booster vaccines to older people, and other countries are planning to do so.

Biden administration officials appear increasingly convinced that boosters for the broader population will be necessary in the fiture. Officials are analyzing studies from Israel, Britain and pharmaceutical companies on the vaccines 'durability and which groups should get priority, according to federal officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were describing internal discussions.

But panel members stressed that the best way to control the pandemic is for the unvaccinated to get their shots. '' We have very little evidence at this point that waning immunity is a significant driver of disease,'' said Matthew Zahn, medical director for epidemiology at the Orange County Health Care Agency in California. '' Right now, the overwhelming driver of desease --- serious disease in particular -- is people who aren't vaccinated.''

Discussions have become increasingly urgent as the virus's delta variant, which now makes up more than 97 percent of all new infections, wreaks havoc in many parts of the country and some studies indicate a waning of the vaccines'protection over time, those officials said. Many vaccinated Americans have sought out extra shots because they fear their current doses don't offer sufficient protection against a virus once again roaring through all 50 states.

It's not clear how many people may have taken matters into their own hands. For Pfizer and Moderna recipients alone, the CDC estimates that 1.1 million have received additional shots, according to an internal document reported by ABC News. On Thursday, Walensky warned that such decisions the CDC's safety monitoring since they make it harder to track who got what shots.

Alan Grossman, 64, a biology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, welcomed the authorization on the third shots for transplant patients like himself and said he is eagerly awaiting his turn.

Grossman, a heart transplant recipient, received his second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in February and has been trying to get a third vaccine dose. ''I can't do it without lying or making up a lot of stuff that I'm not willing to do,'' he said.

Grossman said he thinks Massachusetts General Hospital, where he had his transplant operation in May 2006, will contact patients once the CDC gives final approval. '' I would get in line as quickly as possible,'' he said.

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Extra COVID vaccine OK'd for those with weak immune systems

( August 13, 2021)

WASHINGTON (AP) --- U.S. regulators say transplant recipients and others with severely weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge.

The late-night announcement Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration applies to several million Americans who are especially vulnerable because of organ transplants, certain cancers or other disorders. Several pther countries, including France and Israel, have similar recommendations.

It's harder for vaccines to rev up an immune system suppressed by certain medications and diseases, so those patients don't always get the same protection as otherwise healthy people --- and small studies suggest for at least some, an extra dose may be the solution.

''Today's action allows doctors to boost immunity in certain immunocompromised indivituals who need extra protection from COVID-19,'' Dr.Janet Woodcock, the FDA's acting commissioner, said in a statement.

The FDA determined that transplant recipients and others with a similar level of compromised immunity can receive a third dose of the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna at least 28 days after getting their second shot. The FDA made no mention of immune-compromised patients who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The announcement comes as the extra-contagious delta version of the coronavirus surges through much of the country, pushing new cases, hospitalizations and deaths ti heights not seen since last winter.

Importantly. the FDA's decision only applies to this high-risk group, estimated to be no more than 3% of U.S. adults. It's not an opening for booster doses for the general population.

Instead, health authorities consider the extra dose part of the initial prescription for the immune-compromised. For example, France since April has encouraged that such patients get a third dose four weeks after their regular second shot. Israel and Germany also recently began recommending a third dose of two-dose vaccines.

Separately, U.S. health officials are continuing to closely monitor if and when average people's immunity wanes enough to require boosters for everyone --- but for now, the vaccines continue to offer robust prtection for the general population.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to formally recommend the extra shots for certain immune-compromised groups after a meeting Friday of its putside advisers.

Transplant recipients and others with suppressed immune systems know they're at more risk than the average American and some have been seeking out extra doses on their own, even if it means lying about their vaccination status. The change meand now the high-risk groups can more easily get another shot --- but experts caution it's not yet clear exactly who should.

'' This is all going to be very personalized,'' cautioned Dr. Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins University who is running a major National Institutes of Health study of extra shots for organ recipients. For some people, a third dose ''increases their immune response. Yet for some people it does not seem to. We don't quite know who's who yet.''

One recent study of more than 650 transplant recipients found just over half harbored virus-fighting antibodies after two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines--although generally less than in otherwise healthy vacinated people. Another study of people with rheumatoid arthritis and similar autoimmune diseases found only those who use particular ,medications have very poor vaccine responses.

There's little data on how well a third dose works, and if it causes any safety problems such as an increased risk of organ rejection. Wednesday, Canadian researchers reported that transplant recipients were more likely to have high levels of antibodies if they got a third dose than those given a dummy shot for comparison. Other small studies have similarly found that sme transplant recipients respond to a third dose while others still lack enough protection.

-----------The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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US mulls COVID vaccine boosters for elderly as early as fall

(58 minutes ago)

WASHINGTON (AP) --- Warning of tough days ahead with surging COVID-19 infections, the director of the National Institutes of Health said Sunday the U.S. could decide in the next couple weeks whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to more Americans this fall.

Dr. Francis Collins also pleaded a new for unvaccinated Americans to get their shots, calling them ''sitting ducks'' for a delta variant that is ravaging the country and showing little sign of letting up.

''This is going very steeply upward with no signs of having peaked out,'' he said.

Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated may be needed as early at this fall, reviewing case numbers in the U.S. ''almost daily'' as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine's protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January.

Israel has been offering a coronavirus booste to people over 60 who have already been vaccinated.

No U.S. decision has been made because cases here so far still indicate that people remain highly protected from COVID-19, including the delta variant, after receiving the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna regimen or the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

But U.S. health officials made clear Sunday they are preparing for the possibility that the time for boosters may come sooner than later.

''There is a concern that the vaccine may start to wave in its effectiveness,''Collins said.'' And delta is a nasty one for us to try to deal with. The combination of those two means we may need boosters, maybe beginning first with heath care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward'' with others, such as older Americans.

He said because the delta variant only started hitting the U.S. hard in July, the ''next couple of weeks'' of case data will help the U.S. make a decision.

Moderna President Stephen Hoge said seeing some ''breakthrough''infections emerge among the vaccinated within six months has been surprising, even if most symptoms so far have not been life-threatenng. ''I think that suggests we are going to need booster vaccines to get through the winter,'' he said.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration said people with weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge.

''If it turns out as the data come in, we see we do need to give an additional dose to people in nursing homes, actually, or people who are elderly, we will be absolutely prepared to do that very quickly,'' said Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser.

While the U.S. currently is seeing an average of about 129.000 new infections a day --- a 700% increase from the beginning of July --- that number coulf jump in the next couple weeks to 200.000, a level not seen since among the pandemic's worst days in January and February, Collins said.

Both he and Fauci stressed that the best way to stem the virus is for the unvaccinated to get their shots.

Currently, about 60% of the U.S. population has gotten at least one dose and nearly 51% are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Areas with low vaccination rates have been particularly hit hard with infections, such as Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Mississippi.

''That's hearbreaking considering we never thought we would be back in that space again,'' Collins said of surging infections. ''But here we are with the delta variant, ehich is so contagious, and this heartbreaking situation where 90 million people are still unvaccinated who are sitting ducks for this virus, and that's the mess we're in. We're in a world of hurt.''

Fauci said as more people get their shots, in many places everyone --- both the vaccinated an unvaccinated --- will have to do their part with ''mitigation,'' such as mask-wearing in school and other public spaces.

''We've just got to realize tht we're dealing with a public health crisis,'' he said. ''The more you get infections, the more spread you get, the greater opportunity the virus has to continue to evolve and mutate.''

Collins spoke on ''Fox News Sunday,''Fauci appeared on CBS' ''Face the Nation'' and Hoge was on Fox News Channel's ''Sunday Morning Futures.''

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INSIDER. Nearly 200 San Francisco employees sent missinformation letters the city's COVID-19 vaccine., & more..

2021-08-13T03:37:00.001-07:00

Diligence : (c) Mersina (Tzina) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

BUSINESS INSIDER

Nearly 200 San Francisco employees sent identical, misinformation-laden letters rebuffing the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate

(AUG 12, 2021 )

COVID-19 vaccines cards at the Berks Heim Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Bern Township, Pennsylvania on January 29, 2021. Ben Hasty/Media News Group/Reading Eagle/Getty Images

* Nearly 200 San Francisco employees sent letters to the city containing COVID-19 misinformation

* The identical letters contain disproven claims as arguments against getting vaccinated

* The city's mandate says all employees must get vaccinated once the FDA fully approves a vaccine.

Nearly 200 San Francisco employees sent identical letters containing vaccine misinformation to the city after it announced a vaccine mandate for all city workers.

One hundred and ninety-two employees sent letters to the city's human resources department saying they will only submit to the city's vaccine mandate if it can disprove 41 conspiratorial claimes about COVID-19 vaccines and face masks. Over half of the letters came from San Francisco Fire Department and San Francisco Sheriff's Department employees, the San Francisco Chronical reported.

San Francisco's vaccine policy says all employees have to submit their vaccination status to the city and that they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 weeks after the US Food and Drug Administration fully approves at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Employees who have valid medical reasons or deeply held religious beliefs can seek exemptions from the vaccine mandate.

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriff's Association posted a statement on Facebook that said city police officers and firefighters would leave their jobs if the city moved forward with the vaccine mandate.

A representative for the Association refused to provide Insider comment and hung up when asked over the phone about the union's position on the vaccine mandate. San Francisco Firefighters 798, the city's firefighter's union, did not return calls for comment.

The letter freviewed by Insider says the employees will only submit to a vaccine mandate if the city disprove various claims about COVID-19 vaccines and facemasks that are rooted in conspiracy theories, such as that COVID-19 vaccines contain ''bovine serum,'' which is untrue.

The letter also asks the city to disprove common conspiratorial claims about COVID-19 vaccines that they cause infertility and miscarriages and the face masks cause ''dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood stream''- all of which have been disproven by the World Health Organization and other healthcare experts.

The letter also asks the city to disprove common conspiratorial claims about COVID-19 vaccines that they cause infertility and miscarriages and that face masks cause '' dengerously high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood stream'' - all of which have been disproven by the World Health Organization and other healthcare experts.

The letters also make the argument that the US is under ''rule of law'' and mandates have not been ''voted on or passed by a legislature. '' That holds no legal standing because both state and federal law allow employers to impose vaccine and mask mandates on their employees, according to the Chronicle.

The Chronicle reported that San Francisco Human Resources Director Carol Isen responded to every letter the department received and reminded the employees of the vaccination policy, but did not directly address any of the demands in the letters.

The city's human resources department provided a statement to Insider that said over 80% of city employees are vaccinated and taht they will continue working to educate other departments and unions within San Francisco government on COVID-19 and the Delta variant. The department's statement reiterated that employees can claim medical exemptions where appropriate.

''We will continue our robust outreach to every employee to ensure that they know that infections and deaths from COVID-19 are preventable and that vaccines are readily available, safe, effective and the only way to end the pandemic,'' the statement read.

------------------------------------

BUSINESS INSIDER

San Francisco will mandate proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for some indoor activities, including going to bars or gyms

(AUG 13, 2021)

Manager Cynthia Martinez converses with guests at El Rio, located at 3158 Mission St, on saturday, April 3, 2021, in san Francisco, Calif. The san francisco Chronical/ Getty Images.

* San Francisco will mandate proof of full vaccination for many indoor activities.

* The city's two-shot mandate will be more strict than New York City's rules, according to a Associated Press report.

* The announcement comes a day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom said all employees at public and private schools must be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.

San Francisco will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for many indoor activities such as restaurants, bars and gyms, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.

The report said a city supervisor confirmed the mandate ahead of a news conference with Mayor London Breed.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city is the first nationwide to implement a full vaccination mandate, which will go into effect on August 20.

San Francisco's two -shot mandate will be more strict than New York City's rules, which only requires proof of at least one shot.

California has an online record where vaccinated people can access a bar code to prove their status, the report said, in addition to the paper card given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The announcement comes just one day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom said all public and private school employees must show proof of vaccination or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, the report said.

Los Angeles is weighing a similar move in requiring people have just ove COVID-19 vaccine dose before going inside restaurants, bars, movie theaters, gyms and other venues, the report said, as city leaders voted to direct city attorneys to work out details.

-----------------------------------

U.S.News

White Evangelical Churches and the Crisis of Vaccine Hesitancy

In white evangelical church congregations, the problem of vaccine hesitancy is real.

(Aug. 10, 2021.)

God is all over the world..

About 14% of American adults say they won't get vaccinated under any circumstances as of June, while the number is a much higher 22% among white evagelical Christians, according to a rigoroys ongoing survey by KFF, the policy arm of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

When vaccines against COVID-19 became broadly available in early 2021, hesitancy was high across a spectrum of demographics: Black Americans and Latinos, conservatives and rural residents all expressed skepticism about receiving the shot.

In the ensuing months, inoculation numbers have climbed significantly -- a few persistent outliers: among them, white evangelical Christians, whose vaccination refusal rates have remained high even as similar figures for other groups have fluctuated or decreased. The difference underscores how religion has emerged as a key fissure between those who will get the shot and those who refuse.

About 14% of American adults say they won't get vaccinated under any circumstances as of June, while the number is a much higher 22% among white evangelical Christians, according to a rigorous ongoing survey by KFF, the policy arm of the Kaiser Family Foundation. In fact, the 22% refusal rate was among the highest of any demographic group the foundation measured.

''They don't see the virus as a major threat to themselves, and they see the vaccine as a greater threat to themselves,'' KFF researcher Ashley Kirzinger says. '' I doesn't matter whether they've seen someone die from COVID.''

Anti-vaccination attitudes have long been prevalent in America's white evangelical community, says Monique Deal Barlow, a research and doctoral vandidate at Georgia State University. That anti-vax position, Deal Barlow, says, has been incorporated into a conspiratoria, anti-science political view she describes as Christian nationalism.

Some evangelicals have found biblical justifications for their opposition to vaccination, Deal Barlow says. But much of it, she says, stems from a ''suspicion of science and the global alite'' fed by misinformation and conspiracy theories stoked by right-wing, white supremacist political figures.

''The ways we approach science and the ways we communicate it in pur churches has become such a political issue,'' she says. ''I haven't seen anything so divisive.''

Adam Klekowski, executive pastor at Flood Church in San Diego, doesn't doubt that some among his politically diverse congregation of 700 to 800 are refusing to be vaccinated. He describes his racially mixed but mostly white church as nondenominational and from the evangelical tradition. He's spoken about his positive experience with the vaccine, and promotes it with a subtle touch ou of concern that pressure would divide the church along what amounts to partisan lines.

''Unfortunately,'' the 39-year-old pastor says, ''something that shouldn't be political has turned into something that's political.''

Klekowski says church leaders at Flood Church won't survey the congregation to determine the vaccination rates. He'd like to, to ease the minds of those reluctant to bring themselves and their children back to in-person services, but knows doing so would be divisive.

''Because of all the information they're hearing on the news, you end up with a fight within the church that really feels silly,'' Klekowski says. '' You're holding these tensions while trying to guide people toward what we think is true and helpful for them.''

Misinformation about vaccination is a challenge, Klekowski says. But, as he sees it, the bigger problem is the politicization of the vaccine. A medical decision that might otherwise be driven by science has transformed into a question of personal freedom.

''You can have the scientific conversation, but that's not really what they're talking about,'' he says. ''They're taking it o a fifferent place.''

Klekowski sees personal interactions as the most effective way to nudge those who are adamantly against vaccination toward taking a vaccine. Kirzinger, the KFF researcher, shares that view, in part because nothing else appears to work.

''We really haven't found a single message or messenger that moves people out of that 'definitely not' group,'' Kirzinger says.

But mixing between people who've been vaccinated and those who are decidedly anti-vaccine is rare, Kirzinger says. In most households, all the adults are either vaccinated or unvaccinated,. Social networks are clustered.

Parsing responses from the KFF survey that's reached 20.000 Americans so far, Kirzinger draws a distiction between those who say they definitely will not take the vaccine and those who said they haven't because of outstanding concerns.

''black adults and Hispanic adults weren't hesitant about vaccines,'' says Kirzinger, KFF's associate director of public opinion and survey research. '' They just had questions.''

At Calvary Temple Baptist Church in Kansas City, Pastor Eric D.Williams promoted COVID-19 testing and, when it became available, vaccination to his mostly Black congregation. Working with other faith leaders, community groups and institutions, he's also pushed to make the vaccine more accessible to people who struggled to receive proper health care well before the pandemic set in.

The coronavirus was not the first pandemic Williams'church has faced. Willims recalls a call in the late 1980's from a mortician reporting that a family who'd lost a son to AIDS needed someone to lay him to rest. Williams did and has been searching since for ways to minister to public health issues, including politically divisive ones.

''Similar to now, we really felt that the power of hope can be significant,'' Williams says. ''We've done it with HIV. We've done it with diabetes. We've done it with mental health. We've done it a number of ways. And now we're continuing that with COVID.

Williams says he hopes those who share his Christian faith will look to a letter attributed to John, in which the apostle wishes the recipient health ''above ll things.''

Too often, Williams says, clergy look after the souls but not the bodies of those who fill their churches, mosques, synagogues and temples. He urges those in his profession who've chosen silence on vaccination to speak up.

''This is a public health crisis,'' he says. '' If we don't address this, our pews will be empty. Those who used to sit in those seats will be dead.''

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SCMP. Part A. Moderna's vaccine remains 93 per cent effective 4 to 6 months after second dose..

2021-08-12T14:18:00.002-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina (Tzina) Joustra - Alimpoutaki.

South China Morning Post.

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

World / Europe

Coronavirus: self - isolation scrapped for fully vaccinated adilts in Britain.

* People identified as close contacts by the test-and-trace programme will instead be advised to take a PCR test from August 16

* All under-18s will also be able to avoid isolation under the new rules

(Published 12 Aug.,2021)

People travel on the Jubilee line of the London Underground. Photo: AFP

Fully vaccinated adults in Britain will no longer be legally required to self-isolate if they come into contact with a coronavirus case from August 16, the government said.

All under -18s will also be able to avoid isolation under the new rules, according to a statement late on Wednesday from the Department of Health.

People identified as close contacts by the test-and-trace programme will instead be advised to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and will be free to go to work and school as normal.

The announcement comes after last month's so - called ''pingdemic,'' when a surge in alerts from the National Health Service's Covid-19 mobile phone app caused havoc for British food producers, retailers and pubs -- who warned supply chains were nearing breaking point.

''Getting two doses of vaccine has tipped the odds in our favour and allowed us to safely reclaim our lost freedoms,'' Health Secretary Sajid Javid said.

''Double -jabbed people who test positive will still need to self-isolate.''

Just over three quarters of all British adults have been double -vaccinated, while 89 per cent have had one dose.

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Coronavirus: Moderna says its vaccine remains 93 per cent effective 4 to 6 months after second dose

(Part One)

* The latest result shows hardly any change from the 94 per cent efficacy reported in its original clinical trial

* A durable vaccine could mean recipients may be able to wait longer between shots if they do eventually need a booster, or may even not need additional doses

Reuters: Published 5 Aug, 2021

A woman receives a Moderna Covid-19 vaccine shot in Honduras. Photo:AFP

Moderna on Thursday said its Covid-19 vaccine shot was about 93 per cent effective four to six months after the second dose, showing hardly any change from the 94 per cent efficacy reported in its original clinical trial.

That compares favourably to data released last week by rivals Pfizer and BioNTech, in which they suggested their vaccine's efficacy waned around 6 per sent every two months, declining to around 84 per cent six months aftrr the second shot.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.

'' We are very pleased that our Covid-19 vaccine efficacy is stable at 93 per cent from four to six months,'' Moderna's CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement. '' This strong duration will benefit the hundreds of millions of people who have been dosed to date with Moderna vaccines.''

Moderna poted second-quarter sales of US$4.4 billion, slightly above an average estimate of US$4.2 billion drawn from 10 analysts polled by Refinitiv. Its Covid-19 shot in the firm's first authorised product and sales were just US$67 million in the same period last year.

The company logged US$2.78 billion in net income in the quarter or US$6.46 a share, beating expectations of US$2.46 billion or US$5.96 a share.

A durable vaccine could mean recipients may be able to wait longer between shots if they do eventually need a booster or may even not need additional doses to prevent Covid-19.

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South China Morning Post. Indonesia fears rainy season as Covid-19 isolation wards flood..

2021-08-12T13:01:00.002-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina (Tzina) Joustra-Alimpoutaki.

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Indonesia fears rainy season as COVID-19 isolation wards flood

* Heavy flooding combined with a Delta-fuelled second wave of the pandemic could overwhelm the halth-care system in the disaster-prone country, experts warn

* These fears have been underlined by social media images showing large parts of a hospital in Banda Aceh underwater

Heavy rains battered Aceh province in Indonesia on Tuesday evenng leading to widespread flooding including at Dr Zainoel Abidin General Hospital(pictured). Photo: Dr Zainoel Abidin General Hospital

Even as Indonesia grapples with a second wave of Covid-19 that caused infections to peak at over 50.000 new cases a day in July, an even darker cloud looming on the horizon threatens to make things even more: the rainy season.

The season traditionally stretches from approximately September to April, but heavy rains have already begun to fall in some places, fuelling fears that a combination of the second wave -- which has been made worse by the more aggressive Delta variant -- and heavy flooding could overwhelm the health-care system, especially in rural areas.

In Aceh province, on the northwest tip of Sumatra island, there are allready signs such fears are coming true. Floods that hit the provincial capital of Banda Aceh this week left large parts of Dr Zainoel General Hospital underwater.

On Tuesday evening, images on social media showed the hospital's hallways, patients wards and Covid-19 isolation rooms underwater.

''Fortunately, management responded very quickly,'' Dr Novina Rahmawati, coordinator of the hospital's emerging infectious diseases unit, said.

'' The duty manager ahd hospital staff checked the patient rooms immediately and started to evacuate documents and medical records so that they did not get wet or float away. They also provided support to doctors and medical staff and moved some of the patients'beds to other areas of the hospital. They also brought in pumps to suck out the water.''

Novina said the hospital had also flooded around the same time last year.

Indonesia is prone to severe flooding as result of heavy annual rains coupled with poor drainage systems and other infrastructure issues such as loss of tree cover, increased sedimentation in rivers, littering and inadequate spatial planning in cities.

In January 2020, 66 people died and more than 60.000 were displaced when heavy rainfall in the capital city of Jakarta caused the Cisadane and Ciliwung rivers to burst. The flooding was Jakarta's worst since 2007.

Floods in Jakarta in 2020 led to 66 deaths and displaced more than 60.000 people. AFP

'' Natural disasters such as [the flooding in Aceh] are going to make the pandemic situation worse,'' Dr Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said.

''First of all, flooding will affect patient's recovery and their daily activities because Covid-19 patients need to be careful about their interactions with other people. They also need to rest so, if they have to be moved, this will be a problem. The same also applies if they are at home and self-isolating which will be arbuous, or if they are in quarantine. It is a very difficult situation.''

Novina said the floods at Dr Zainoel Abidin General Hospital had hit several Covid-19 isolation wards, a chemotherapy ward and a tuberculosis ward.

''It was difficult for patients to do things like use the bathrooms, and the waters also cut off access on the ground floor, limiting the movements of doctors and other medical staff. The Covid-19 isolation rooms also have CCTV so that we can monitor the condition of the patients and we had to turn off the CCTV in those rooms as we were worried about the power short-circuiting because of water getting into the electrics,'' Novina said.

Indonesia, which sits on an active seismic strip known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, is prone to frequent natural disasters.

According to Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency, 1.714 natural disasters have hit since the start of the year, including forest fires, floods, landslides, earthquakes, tornadoes and droughts. These have killed more than 500 people and left more than 5 million displaced.

Indonesia has also reported more than 3-7 million cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and more than 112.000 deaths, although the true numbers are thought to be igher due to under-reporting.

Across Aceh province, which has a population of over 5 million, more than 1.100 people have died from Covid-19 and over 26.000 cases have been reported.

'' The government needs to step in and have a mitigation plan for those areas that are affected,'' said Budiman.

Heavy rains battered Aceh province in Indonesia on Tuesday evening to widespread flooding including at Dr Zainoel Abidin General Hospital. Photo: Dr Zainoel Abidin General Hospital.

'' If hospitals can't be accessed or they can't prvide full health-care facilities for patients, it will cause the public because people will not be able to access the care they need and it could end in more fetalities. Those who are already in hospital will also not be able to get the standard of care that they usually would and will need to be moved.''

Budiman said areas outside Java as Aceh would find this particularly challenging, as there were a limited number of facilities.

In Banda Aceh, there are only four designated Covid-19 hospitals for a population of over 250.000, all of which were listed as full on the Ministry of Health website as of August 12.

At Dr Zainoel Abidin General Hospital, Novina said that while the floodwaters had subsided for now, staff were working on a comprehensive evacuation plan in case of further flooding and there were plans to fix the hospital's drainage system.

''It's clear that we need to be more careful from now on,'' she said.

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South China Morning Post

Coronavirus: Canada reopens border to vaccinated Americans, US doesn't reciprocate -- yet

* The US-Canada border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020 to to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

* Canadians making non-essential trips are still barred from entering the US until at least August 21. The rule also applies to the Mexican border

(Associated Press.Published: 10 Aug. 2021.)

Motorists wait to cross into Canada at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Monday. Photo: AFP

Canada has lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, go on holiday or visit white the United States is maintaining similar restrictions for Canadians, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from Covid-19 travel bans.

US citizens and legal residents must be both fully vaccinated and test negative for Covid-19 within three days to get across one of the world's longest and busiest land borders, and Canadian officials warn they will not sacrifice safety for shorter border waits. Travellers also must fill out a detailed application on the arriveCAN app before crossing.

On the first morning that US citizens were allowed to cross into Canada again on Monday, it was slow going in the tiny border town of Derby Line, Vermont, where long stretches passed without any cars headed into downtown Stanstead, Quebec.

In Buffalo, New York, Lisa and Jim Docherty got Covid19 tests at a pharmacy for their first visit to their Ridgeway, Ontario, cottage since the summer of 2019. The Hilton, South Carolina couple, originally from Buffalo, has had the cottage more than 40 years.

Lisa Docherty said she looked forward to ''just mentally making sure everything 's OK''.

''It's just been a part of my life because my grandma had a cottage since I was 10, so just kind of a feeling like returning to normal,'' she said.

the pharmacy clinic was charging US$140 for same-day tests and US$125 for delivery of results in 24 to 48 hours.

''At this point, we 'll just d whetever we have to do,'' Lisa Docherty said before heading in for a nasal swab.

By early afternoon, passenger carswere waiting more than an hour at the Rainbow Bridge to enter Niagara Falls, Ontario, from Niagara Falls, New York. There were no delays at two other western New York crossings, the Peace Bridge in Buffalo and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge in Lewiston.

Motoristsqueue up at the US-Canada border in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Monday. Photo:AFP

In Washington state at the Peace Arch Border Crossing and Historical State Park, three lanes of vehicles with Washington state number plates waited to cross the border on Monday morning. Waiting times were about 30 minutes at 11am.

Wendy and Fred Chen, who live near the park, siad they went to the border to see how he crossing were going. They said friends crossed at 1am on Monday and waited two hours and that border agents thoroughly checked everyone's test results, vaccination cards and identification.

they used to go into Canada weekly before the pandemic to enjoy city life in Vancouver, British Columbia, and take a break from their rural Washington sate surroundings.

'' It was so easy before,'' Wendy Chen said.

The US-Canada border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020 to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The US has said it will extend tis closure to all Canadians making nn-essential trips until at least August 21, which also applies to the Mexican border. But the Biden administration is beginning to make plans for a phased reopening. The main requirement would be that nearly all foreign visitors to the US will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

But Canadians are not waiting for reciprocal rules.

Garnet Health, an Essex, Vermont-based company that offers same-day Covid-19 testing, has seen the number of tests it performs more than triple in recent weeks. The increase coincides with Canada's decision last month to drop a two-week quarantine requirement for its citizens when they return home from the US.

A man receives a Covid-19 vaccine on a bus-turned-mobile inoculation centre in Canada's British Columbia province last month. Photo:Xinhua

Near the border in Washington state, Blaine Chamber of Commerce board member Carroll Solomon called the reopening a step in the right direction for businesses. But she also said it was somewhat concerning because of an increase in Covid-19 cases nationwide as the highlycontagious Delta variant spreads.

''For people who need to get up there [to Canada] for family reasons, it's wonderful, '' said Solomon, who also volunteers at the Blaine Visitor Information Centre.

With all the hoops people need to jump through -- being fully vaccinated, getting tested Covid-19 and uploading that information to an app -- she does not think that visitors will be going to Canada for many day trips.

Steve Blake, who lives in Stanstead, Quebec -- just across the border from Derby Line, Vermont -- is hoping his siblings living in the US will be able to visit Canada soon so they can hold a memorial service for their mother who died in early 2020. But given the requirements, he doesn't know hoe quickly that will happen. ''I'd like it to be sooner rather than later,'' he said.

The Peace Arch Historical State Park at the US-Canda border is seen on Monday. Photo:AP

Sue Crumley of Abbotsford, British Columbia, crossed into the US side of the Peace Arch to meet her family on Monday, including her 2-month-old grandson Silas, whom she had never met.

Canadians and Americans have been meeting at the park, located on the border in the US and in Canada, during the pandemic without much interference from border agents.

Crumley said she knew the border was opening to Americans but said it was her understanding that her daughter and son-in-law would have to pay about $180 per Covid-19 test and opted to meet at the park instead.

Her granddaughter Sophia,4, started running toward Crumley as soon as she saw her grandmother.

''We FaceTime for hours but it's not the same,'' Crumley said. ''I couldn't wait any longer.''

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South China Morning Post.

Coronavirus: Philippines proposes using WHO-recognised jab certificate for domestic helpers to work in Hong Kong

* Philippine consulate says the certificate, known as a ''yellow card'', would follow World Health Organization standards

* Employment agencies group chairman Thomas Chan alo suggests allowing vaccinated Filipino workers to conduct antibody tests in their home country

(Published: 3 Aug, 2021)

Domestic helpers get inoculated at a vaccination centre in Sai Ying Pun. Photo: Nora Tam

The Philippines has proposed using a Covid-19 vaccination certificate recognised by the World Health Organization for the Hong Kong government to allow foreign domestic helpers to work in the city, according to an employment agencies group.

Thomas Chan Tung-fung, chairman of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies, said the Philippine conculate raised the proposal in a meeting last week.

The local government announced on Monday that domestic helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines, previously barred from entering the city because both countries were listed in the highest-risk category, would be able to return if they had been vaccinated in Hong Kong. But all of them must be quarantined for 21 days upon entry in one or two specified hotels.

Passengersarrive at the Hong Kong International Airport in April before being transported to designated quarantine hotels. Photo:Winson Wong

Chan stimated that flight bans on Indonesia and the Philippines -- where most Hong Kong's 370.000 domestic helpers come from -- had created a supply shortage, with between 6.000 and 6.500 new hires or those with contracts in the city left stranded in their hometowns.

The Philippine government was examining the possibility of using an internationally recognised vaccination card for domestic helpers to come to the city, Chan said, but added that he understood Hong Kong officials had yet to accept the idea.

'' The Philippine government agreed to issue what they call a yellow card,'' he said. ''According to them, the card will follow the standards of the World Health Organization...if this card is really recognised by the Hong Kong government, then recognition [of the vaccines] is no longer an issue.''

Chan had also suggested allowing vaccinated Filipino workers to conduct antibody tests in their home country under government-accredited testing institutions before leaving for Hong Kong. The test results could be included in the yellow cards.

''Once a worker comes to Hong Kong and presents this yellow card, the Hong Kong government can easily know their vaccination information and antibody levels, [so] it's quite easy to identify which person they can allow in.'' said Chan, adding that ''the ball is [now] in the hands of the Hong Kong government''.

Chan said he hoped the government would accept vaccination records issued by Indonesian authorities, although it was understood that their records were not WHO-certified.

According to Chan, the supply shortage has resulted in an increase in the average market salary for domestic helpers in Hong Kong, from the minimum wage of HK$4.630(US$595) a month to between HK$6ooo and HK$65oo. Some local employers were willing to offer salaries as high as HK$8.ooo a month.

In a reply to the Post, the Labour Department said the government would continue discussions with the Philippines and Indonesia on the authenticity of their vaccination records, so that workers who were inoculated in their home countries could fly over to start or resume their employment. The Post has also reached out to both consulates for comment. Although domestic helpers in the city were able to return to their home countries if they were vaccinated in Hong Kong, Johannie Tong Hiu-yan from the Mission for Migrant Workers said these arrangements still had to be determined with employers who were paying for their tickets or quarantine stays. ''For workers, it is good for them to visit their families, but given the quarantine arrangement and costs for employers, that might increase conflict [between both parties] ,'' said Tong, adding that workers might be worried about losing that jobs if they could not return on time.

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U.S.News. Photos: India's COVID-19 Struggle, America's Pandemic Toll., & more..

2021-08-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

India's COVID-19 Struggle

Facing massive shortages in medical equipment, a debilitating wave of COVID-19 infections has overwhelmed India's healthcare system.

--------------------

BBC NEWS

Johnson & Johnson: What we know about India's new COVID vaccines

(2 hours ago)

The single - dose vaccine has shown 85% efficacy. GETTY IMAGES

India has ramped up its coronavirus vaccine production amid warnings of a third wave.

The vaccine, which has shown 85% efficacy, will be introduced in India through a supply agreement with homegrown vaccine maker Biological E.

It's still unclear when the vaccine will be available for use in India-Johnson & Johnson said it was too early to give a delivery timeline.

India has so far given more than 500 million doses of three approved vaccines - Covishield, Covaxin and Russia's Sputnik V.

Johnson& Johnson's jab is the second foreign vaccine to be granted emergency use authorisation in India. This is under a new policy that doesn't require manufactures to conduct local clinical trials if the vacine has already been approved by the WHO or regulators in the United States, EU, UK and Japan.

In June, the federal government gave approval to India pharma company Cipla to import Moderna vaccine - it has shown nearly 95% efficacy. But jabs are yet to arrive as the company is locked in a tussle with India's federal government-- Moderna wants legal protection against claims arising from using the vaccines (which no vaccine maker in India has at the moment) and India has refused so far.

India has reported nearly 32 million Covid cases, second only to the United States, which has reported more than 35 million cases.

Daily case counts have fallen sharply from a high of 400.000 at the peak of the second wave, but they still average around 30.000 to 40.000. And experts have warned that a third wave of infections is inevitable.

The country is also only the third in the world to record more than 400.000 deaths - behind the US and Brazil.

The government aims to vaccinate all Indians by the end of this year, but the drive has been hobbled by slow pace, shortage of doses and vaccine hesitancy.

About 11% of the people have been fully vacinated since the beginning of the drive in January.

* How India's vaccine drive went horribly wrong

* Can India get all adults vaccinated this year?

* What is the India Covid variant?

To make up for lost time, the government is now accelerating vaccine production and procurement.

It is preparing to use a local version of Novavax vaccine, which will be produced by the Serum Institute of India(SII). The vaccine was more than 90% effective in a late-stage US-based clinical trial, according to the company.

The government has also ordered 300 illion doses of another vaccine from Indian firm Biological E.

When will the Novovax vaccine be available?

Last September, US pharmaceutical firm Novavax signed a deal with the SII to produce 2 billion doses of the vaccine.

Sll's chief executive officer Adar Poonwalla has said he hoped to launch the vaccine, known as Covovax in India, by September.

He said clinical trials of the vaccine are likely to concude by November, but SII can apply for a licence before its completion on the basis of global data of the trial.

The Novavax jab, which is given in two doses, was shown to be 91% effective among volunteers at high risk of severe infection and 100% effective in preventing moderate and severe cases of Covid-19 in the US trials.

What about the Biological E vaccine?

The govrnment has placed an order for 300 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine from Biological E - it was developed in collaboration with US-based Dynavax and Baylor College of Medicine.

The $206m order is the first India has signed for a jab that has not received emergency approval.

The unnmed vaccine is in the key third phase of clinical trials - the vaccine is given to thousands of people and tested for efficacy and safety - after showing ''promising results'' in the first two phases, the government said in a statement.

What do we know about Sputnik V?

The vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, initially generated some controversy after being rolled out before the final trial data had been released. But scientists say its benefits have now been demonstrated.

India received its first batch of 125 million doses of the vaccine in May.REUTERS

Ituses a cold-type virus, engineered to be harmless, as a carrier to deliver a small fragment of the coronavirus to the body. After being vaccinated, the body starts to produce antibodies especially tailored to the virus.

It can be stored at temperatures of between 2 and 8C degrees (a standard fridge is roughly 3-5C degrees) making it easier to transport and store.

But unlike other similar jabs, the Sputnic jab uses slightly different versions of the vaccine for the first and the second dose-given 21 days apart.

They both target the coronavirus's distinctive ''spike'', but use different vectors -the neutralised virus that carries the spike to the body.

The idea is that using two different formulas boosts the immune system even more than using the same version twice - and may give longer-lasting protection.

India received the first batch of 125 million doses of the vaccine in May. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is marketing the vaccine, has signed deals to prduce more than 750 million doses of the vaccine with six more domestic vaccine makers, according to reports.

Sputnic V has been approved so far in 60 countries, including Argentina, Palestinian territories, Venezuela, Hungary, UAE and Iran.

What do we know about Covaxin?

Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine which means that it is made up of killed coronaviruses, making it safe to be injected into the body.

Bharat Biotech, a 24-year-old vaccine maker with a portfolio of 16 vaccines and exports to 123 countries, used a sample of the coronavirus isolated by India's National Institute of Virology.

When administered, immune cells can still recognise that dead virus, prompting the immune system to make antibodies against the pandemic virus.

Bharat Biotech is a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company. GETTY IMAGES

The two doses are given four weeks apart. The vaccine can be stored at 2C to 8C.

The vaccine has an efficacy rate of 81%, preliminary data from its phase 3 trial shows.

India's regulators gave the vaccine emergency approval in January while the third phase of the trial was still underway, sparking scepticism and questions from experts.

What was the controversy around Covaxin?

It all began when the regulator in January said the vaccine had been approved fpr ''restricted use in emergency situations in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, especially in the context of infection by mutant strains.''

Experts wondered how a vaccine was cleared for emergency use by millions of vulnerable people when its trial were still underway. The All India Drug Action Network at the time said that it was ''baffled to understand the scientific logic'' to approve ''an incompletely studied vaccine''.

Both the manufacturer and drug regulator defended Covaxin, saying it was ''safe and provides a robust immune response''.

Bharat Biotech said that Indian clinical trials laws allowed ''accelerated'' authorisation for use of grugs after the second phase of trials for ''unmet medical needs of serious and life-threatening diseases in the country''.

It has promised to make available the full data for third phase of trials in July.

What about Covishield?

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured locally by SII.

The vaccine is made from a weekened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees. It has been modified to look more like coronavirus - although it can't cause illness.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is being manufactured locally by the Serum Institute of India. GETTY IMAGES

When the vaccine is injected into a patient, it prompts the immune system to start making antibodies and primes it to attack any coronavirus infection.

The jab can be safely stored at temperatures of 2C to 8C, and is administered in two doses given between four and 12 weeks apart.

How effective is Covishield?

International clinical trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that when people were given a half dose and then a full dose, effectiveness hit 90%.

But there was not enough clear data to approve the half-dose, full-dose idea.

However, unpublished data suggests that leaving a longer gap between the first and second doses increases the overall effectiveness of the jab - in a sub-group given the vaccine this way it was found to be 70% effective after the first dose.

SII, the Indian maker of the vaccine, says Covishield is '' highly effective'' and backed by phase III trial data from Brazil and United Kingdom. Clinical trials are a three-phased process to determine whether the vaccine induces good immune responses and whether it causes any unacceptabel side-effects.

Are there any other vaccine candidates?

The other candidates which are in different stages of trials in India to test safety and efficacy include:

* ZyCov-Di, being developed by Ahmedabad-based Zydus-Cadila.

* HGCO19, India's first mRNA vaccine made by Pune-based Genova in collaboration with Seattle-based HDT Biotech Corporation, using bits of genetic code to cause an immune response.

* A nasal vaccine by Bharat Biotech

Which countries are signing up for India's vaccines?

India has shipped 66 million doses of vaccines to 95 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. The recipient countries include UK, Canada, Brazil and Mexico.

Both Covishield and Covaxin have been exported - some in the form of ''gifts'', others in line with commercial agreements signed between the vaccine makers and the recipient nations, and the rest under the Covax scheme, which is led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and hopes to deliver more than two billion doses to people in 190 countries in less than a year.

But in March, India placed a temporary hold on all exports of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The government said rising cases meant domestic demand was expected to pick up and so the doses were needed for India's own rollout.

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BBC future

Cutting-edge medtech from Taiwan

Taiwan: The Future of Smart Tech

As Covid-19 spread across the world in 2020, Taiwan gained worldwide attention for its quick control of the virus and donations of face masks and equipment to help others fight it. What is perhaps lessknown is that Taiwan has long had one of Asia's most advanced and efficient healthcare xystems, which supports a vibrant ecosystem of medtech companies and products.

A rapidly growing number of Taiwanese medtech companies are emerging, teaming up with doctors and hospitals to develop new ways of helping people to live longer and healthier lives. Between 2010 to 201, the number of companies in Taiwan's biomedical industry rose from 1.355 to 2.143, with a combined export value rising from US$2.6 billion reaching US$6 billion within the same period.

One reason for this success in Taiwan's existing strengths in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, being the leading producer of semiconductors globally. It also has a trove of digitalised patient data that has been collected since the 1990s under a national health insurance programme, which is fertile for innovations involving artificial intelligence(AI).

According to Alex Barton, managing director at Intralink, a business development consultancy specialising in East Asia, while Taiwan is a relatively small player in medical products compared with the United States, Japan and Europe, it is still a source of inovation. ''Not just in this field, but in many fields, Taiwan really punches above its wight,'' Barton says.

''Taiwan's excellent healthcare infrastructure, combined with many government-supported digitalisation initiatives, local engineering expertise and a strong local ICT component supply chain has spurred the development of many innovative medical solutions.''

Inspired to innovate

Taiwan's innovators are helping make healthcare more patient-centric - at times inspired by their personal experiences.

For example, Winnoz Technology CEO and foaunder Joses Hsiung wanted to help his mother, who experienced pain and discomfort when she had regular blood tests. Hsiung describes, as a boy, watching nurses stryggle time and time again to get blood from his mother's veins, which inspired him to create a solution to make people feel ''relaxed and comfortable'' when having their blood taken.

After years of research and develpment, Hsiung created Haiim, a small, portable blood collection device. Rather than drawing blood from a vein in a patient's arm, blood is collected from the index, middle or ring finger of either hand. First, a finger is sterilised and lenced by a medical professional, then placed on a disposable component of the Haiim device. After pressing start, Haiim uses gentle vacuum suction to collect 150-500 microlitres of blood, enough to be used for various blood tests and detecting certain infectious diseases.

To date, Haiim has been sold in 26 countries, including in the UK, Europe, Middle East and South East Asia where it is being used in point-of-care tesiting to collect blood sapmles. Hsiung says as more people have vaccines to protect against Covid-19, there will be a great need to monitor their immunity levels -- and this is where blood collection and testing services come in. ''I think it's going to be a big part of the application of Haiim in the coming five years,'' he says.

Personal experience also motivated Chen, Chung-Chu to start his own medical device company, Somnics Inc. Chen sugffers from obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which a person stops breathing for brief moments during sleep, often preventing them from sleeping soundly through the night. For years, Chen struggled with daytime fatigue until he designed the iNAP One Sleep Therapy System. This small device helps to keep a sufferer's airway opn as they sleep, allowing for better quality sleep. Unlike some other treatments, iNAP does not require a person to wear a mask when sleeping, making it more discrete, portable and patient-centric.

Chen developed a prototype fr the iNAP back in 2006 when he worked at the Medical Electronics and Device Technology Centre of Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). '' In such an innovation -driven environment, I got the chance to develop a whole new therapy theory using negative air pressure...a quite a portable solution without a mask based on a suction mechanism,'' he says. '' The prototype we built at ITSI seemed to work well for me, so I thought perhaps it would work for others as well.'' iNAP is available by prescription in countries in Europe, Asia, as well as Australia.

Tackling global healthcare challenges

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Taiwanese company iXensor has developed a solution that transforms a smartphone into a device capable of rapidly testing for Covid-19. Using the colour sensing capabilities of smartphone cameras and proprietary PixoTech software, the PixoTest POCT Covid-19 analyser and test kit can detect positive cases within 15 minutes, making it among the fastest and most accurate tests available.

The PixoTest solution is fully digitised, connecting the test results and vaccination status of an indivitual with the issuance of a digital health pass and access control, where the relevant authorities enable it. The concept is that trained proffessionals will use the PixoTest and test recipients will get their digital test result seamlessly along with a ''result QR code'' via the PixoHealth Pass App. This could allow individuals with a negative test result and the app access to workplaces, events, schools and more.

''The complete solution fulfils the need for efficient mass Covid-19 screening and safety management, requiring only two QR-code scans throughout various settings with a smart reopening solution and contribute to post-pandemic normalcy.''

Taiwanese companies are also active in the cutting-edge field of regenerative medicine, which helps the body to heal by regrowing or repairing damaged bones and tissue. One company innovating in this field is Aeon Biotherapeutics Corp., whose treatments, called Acti-PRP and A-BMC, are already being in orthopaedic surgery. They work by drawing blood or bone marrow from a patient and creating a concentrated liquid of the key elements through centrifugation. This is then injected into the treatment area to aid healing. ''We designed the product in such a way that no additional drug, no artefact is added...only your own blood,'' says Aeon's general manager and co-founder George Chen.

Aeon Biotherapeutics uses bone marrow concentrate and platelet-rich plasma to help the body heal itself.

Aeon is also looking ahead, researching ways to tackle deteriorating vocal cords and other problems of ageing that societies increasingly face. '' Rather than people spending their last years lying in bed, not able to move around, we want them to have the last five to 10 years travelling the world, singing karaoke with their friends and enjoying life,'' says Chen.

Aeon, iXensor, Somnics and Winnoz have each receive a Taiwan Excellence Award, which is given out each year by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to recognise and celebrate Taiwan's most innovative and high-quality products. With its visionary entrepreneurs, rapidly growing medtech sector and firmly established expertise in ICT, Taiwan is well-placed to continue being a source of innovation and high-quality medical products.

Everyday Excellence

Taiwan Excellence believes that innovation makes a difference in everyone's life.

Excellence means creative designs that we use every day on the street, at work, at home. It's the things we touch. It's the things that touch us.

Excellence means the technology that makes us healthy, keeps us moving, and gives our children a green tomorrow.

Excellence empowers people to dream amazing dreams, and live fuller lives. It's the best made in Taiwan. It's the choice of innovation.

For everyone. Everywhere. Every moment. Everyday.

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South China Morning Post. Coronavirus Hong Kong.,AP.Study. Vaccinated people can carry as ..& more..

2021-08-01T13:40:00.003-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki.

South China Morning Post

THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.

Coronaviris Hong Kong: vaccine outreach targeting domestic helpers covers more than 260 Indonesians; 3 new imported cases confirmed

(Published, 1 August.2021)

* Civil service chief Patrick Nip says second outreach programme, in collaboration with consulate, being considered

* Sunday's three new imported cases comprise one arrival from the US and two from Cambodia

More than 50 per cent of domestic helpers in Hong Kong have received their first vaccine shot.

More than 260 Indonesians have been vaccinated thrugh the Hong Kong government's latest outreach programme targeting domestic helpers, while the city on Sunday confirmed three new imported Covid-19 cases.

Civil service chief Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, who is in charge of the inoculation drive, and labour secretary Law Chi-kwong were seen distributing vaccine leaflets at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, as domestic workers enjoyed their weekend off.

----------------

Dental subsidies needed for Hong Kong's elderly as bad teeth keep poor from sleeping, eating properly, social workers say

(Published 1 Aug, 2021)

* Survey finds toothache affects sleeps of those living below the poverty line three times more than average eldery person.

* SoCO community organiser Ivan Lin wafrns teeth problem are a serious health concern for city's ageing poor.

Social workers say quality of life can be affected by tooth problems. Photo: Jonathan Wong.

Social workers have urged the Hong KOng government to provide more dental subsidies for the eldery a survey found toothache affected the sleep of those living below the poverty line three times more than the average old person.

The survey, conducted by the Society for Coomunity Organisation (SoCO0 and the Elderly Rights League, covered 230 underprivileged people between May and July.

---------------------------

Latest round of Hong Kong's Silver Bonds attracts record US$8.77 billion from senior savers

* Dueto the overwhelming response, the final issuance amount of this batch of Silver Bonds will increase to HK$30 billion.

* HSBC, the city's biggest banc, said number of subscritions received almost doubled from 2020 while total value surged 71 per cent.

(Published: 30 Jul,2021)

A domestic helper crosses the road with an elderly woman in Sai Ying Pun. The city's latest batch of Siver Bonds attracted a record HK$TK billion from senior savers.

The latest round of Hong Kong 's -linked government debt targeted at senior savers, known as Silver Bonds, has been oversubscribed 2.8 times, attracting a record HK$67.97 billion (US$8.77 billion) from 257.000 people, according to a Hong Kong government spokesperson on Friday.

Due to the overwhelming response, the final issuance amount of this batch of Silver Bonds will increase from HK$24 billion to HK$30 billion, according to a government spokesperson, double the amount issued in the previous offering in December. The final allotment result will be announced on August 6.

--------------------------

Fund manager nurses losses in China stocks after making a 'mistake' in underestimating impact of education crackdown

* Shi Lin's Greater China-focused hedge fund, Brilliant Partners Fund, recorded an estimated loss of more than 12 per cent this month as of July 23

* The fund lost 6.6 per cent in the first half, lagging behind the 7.1 per cent rise in Greater China stock-focused hedge funds, according to Eurekahedge gauge.

(Published 30 Jul. 2021)

--------------------------------

This Week in Asia/Health & Environment

India's asylum seekers vulnerable to Covid-19 infection with no access to vaccines

* Since the start of the pandemic last year, India has reported more than 31 million cases and more than 424.000 deaths.

* However, activists are concerned that advocating for vaccination for refugees could backfire if the issue becomes politicised.

(Published: 1 Aug. 2021)

Ahealth worker administers a Covid-19 vaccine dose to a foarmer in Gujarat. (Reuters)

Zabi Astanikzai has tried several times in the past month to register himself and his family of five to receive Covid-19 vaccine jabs, but every hospital in New Delhi he visited turned him away.

''Our Afghan passports have expired,'' the 44-year-old said. '' We have UNHRC [United Nations Human Rights Council ] asylum seeker cards, but they are not accepted at the hospitalbfor vaccination.

--------------------------------

US to retry University of Tennessee professor on fraud charges following mistrial, drawing outcry

* Caseagainst Hu Anming was one of the Justice Department's Çhina Initiative'prosecutions of economic espionage activities considered national security threats

* That programme has been assailed for racial profiling, and 89 members of Congress called on Attorney General Merrck Garland to investigate it

Hu Anming in front of the mathematics department at the University of Teennessee in 2017. The Justice DEpartment said on Friday it would retry the fraud case against him.

The US Department of Justice will retry a fraud case that ended in a human jury against a former University of Tennessee professor accused of lying about ties to a Chinese university.

In a federal trial last month in Knoxville, Hu Anming -- a tenured professor at the university's department of mechanical, aerospace and biomedical engineering -- faced charges of wire fraud and making false statements for hiding his relationship with the Peking University of Technology in grant applications he had made to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

--------------------------------------

Study: Vaccinated people can carry as much virus as others

(Published: July 30,2021)

In another dispiriting setback for the nation's efforts to stamp out the coronavirus, scientists who studied a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots.

Health officials on Friday released details of that research, which was key in this week's decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the delta variant is fueling infection surges. The authors said the findings suggest that the CDC's mask guidance be expanded to include the entire country, even outside of hot spots.

The findings have the potential to upend past thinking about how the disease is spread. Previously, vaccinated people who got infected were thought to have low levels of virus and to be unlikely to pass it to others. But the new data shows that is not the case with the delta variant.

The outbreak in Provincetown -- a seaside tourist spot on Cape Cod in the country with Massachusetts' highest vaccination rate -- has so far included more than 900 cases. About three- quarters of them were people who were fully vaccinated.

Travis Dagenais, who was among the many vaccinated people infected, said ''throwing caution to the wind'' and partying in crowds for long nights over the July Fourth holiday was a mistake in hindsight.

'' The dominant public messaging has been that the vaccine means a return to normal.'' the 35-year-old Boston resident said Thursday. '' Unfortunately, I've now learned it's a few step toward normal, not the zero-to-sixty that we seem to have undertaken.''

Dagenais credits being vaccinated with easing the worst of the flu-like symptoms in a couple of days. He has recovered.

Like many states, Massachusetts lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in late May, ahead of the traditional Memorial Day start of the summer season. Provincetown this week reinstated an indoor mask requirement for everyone.

Leaked internal documents on breakthrough infections and the delta variant suggest the CDC may be considering other changes in advice on how the nation fights the coronavirus, such as recommending masks for everyone and requiring vaccines for doctors and other health workers.

The delta variant, first detected in India, causes infections that are more contagious than the common cold, flu, smallpox and the Ebola virus, and it is as infectious as chickenpox, according to the documents, which mentioned the Provincetown cases.

The documents were obtained by the Washington Post. As they note, COVID-19 vaccines are still highly effective against the delta variant at preventing serious illness and death.

The Provincetown outbreak and the documents highlight the enormous challenge the CDC faces in ecouraging vaccination while acknowledging that breakthrough cases can accur and can be contagious but are uncommon.

The documents appear to be talking points for CDC staff to use with the public. One point advised: ''Acknowledge the war has changed,'' an apparent reference to deepening concern that many millions of vaccinated people could be a source of wide-ranging spread.

An agency spokeswoman declined to comment on the documents.

The White House on Friday defended its approach to rising virus cases and shifting public health guidelines, repeatedly deferred to the CDC while stressing the need for vaccinations.

''The most important takeaway is actually pretty simple. We need more people to get vaccinated,'' White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Pressed about the changing guidance, Jean - Pierre repeatedly sai, ''We don't make those types of decisions from here.''

People with breakthrough infections make up an increasing portion of hospitalizations and in-hospital deaths among COVID-19 patients, coinciding with the spread of the delta variant, according to the leaked documents.

Although experts generally agreed with the CDC's revised indoor masking stance, some said the report on the Provincetown outbreak does not prove that vaccinated people are a significant source of new infections.

''There's scientific plausibility for the CDC recommendation. But it's not derived from this study,'' said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins University public health researcher.

The CDC report is based on about 470 COVID-19 cases linked to the Provincetown festivities, which included densely packed indoor and outdoor holiday events at bars, restaurants, guest houses and rental homes.'

Researchers ran test on a portion of them and found roughly the same level of virus in those fully vaccinated, about 80% experienced symptoms with the most common being cough, headache, sore throat, muscle aches and fever.

Dagenais said he started to fell ill the evening he returned home and initially chalked it up to long nghts of partying in packed Provincetown nightclumbs.

But as the days wore on and the fevr, chills, muscle aches and fatigue set it, he know it was something more.

In the report, the measure researchers used to assess how much virus an infected person is carrying does not indicate whether they are actually transmitting the virus to other people, said Dr.AngelaRasmussen, a viologist at the University of Saskatchewan.

CDC officials say more is coming. They are breakthrough cases as part of much larger studies that involve following tens of thousands of vaccinated and unvaccinated people across the country over time.

THe Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard hughes Medical Institute 's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

-----------------------------------

Florida breaks record for COVID-19 hospitalizations.

ORLANDO, FLA.(AP) --- A day after it recorded the most new daily cases since the star of the pandemic, Florida on Sunday broke a previous record for current hospitalizations, as the number of patients in hospitals because of COVID -19 once again broke through the 10.000-person threshold.

The Sunshine State had 10.207 people hospitalized with confirmed COVID- 19 cases, according to data reported to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

The previous record was form more than a year ago, July 23, 2020, more than a half-year beforevaccinatins started becoming widespread, when Florida had 10.170 hospitalizations, according to the Florida Hospital Association.

Florida is now leading the natin in per capita hospitalizations for COVID-19, as hospitals around the state report having to put emergency room visitors in beds in hallways and others document a noticeable drop in the age of patients.

In the past week, Florida has averaged 1.525 adult hospitalizations a day, and 35 daily pediatric hospitalizations. Both are the higherper capita rate in the nation, according to Jason Salemi, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida.

The hospitalizations and increasing cases have come as the new, more transmitable delta variant has spread throughout Florida, and residents have returned to pre-pandemic activities.

''The recent rise is both striking and not-at-all surprising, '' Salemi said in an email late Saturday.

Federal health data released Saturday showed that Florida reported 21.683 new cases of COVID-19, the state's highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic. The latest numbers were recorded on Friday and released on Saturday on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website. The figures show how quickly the number of cases is rising in the Sunshine tate:only a day earlie, Florida reported 17.093 new daily cases.

Republican Florida Gov. DeSantis has reseisted mandatory mask mandates and vaccine requirements, and along with the state Legislature, has limited local official's ability to impose restrictions meant to stop the spread of COVID-19. DeSantis on Friday barred school districts from requiring students to wear masks when classes resume next month.

Florida's Democratic agriculture commissioner, Nikki Fried, who is seeking to rum against DeSantis for governor, on Sunday urged unvaccinated Floridians to get the shot. She said she was heartened by a recent uptickin vaccinations in the state.

''We are already behind the curve and in a worse spot every time the numbers come out,'' Fried said at a news conference in Tallahassee.'' This surge is and will impact every single one of us.''

Throughout Florida, from Jacksonville to Miami to Tampa, hospitals have become overwhelmed.

BarryBurto, the Pinellas County administrator, told the Tampa Bay Times that some local hospitals are already having to divert ambulances to different locations because of capacity concerns.

Memorial Health's Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood had seven patients with COVID-19. At Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, there were 17 patients with COVID-19 on Friday, including six in the ICU and one who needed a ventilator, Dr. Marcos Mestre, vice president and chief medical officer, told the Miami Herald.

About half of the patients were under 12, Mestre said, and the rest were older and eligible for the vaccine. But none of the patients with COVID-19 at Nicklaus Children's on Friday were vaccinated. Most children who get COVID-19 do not need hospitalization, Mestre said.

At the UF Health North hospital emergency room in Jacksonville, COVID-19 patients once again were being put in beds in hallways due to a surge in visits.

For many hospital workers, up until a month ago, it looked like there was light at the end of the tunnel, as people got vaccinated and hospitalizations decreased. But then the summer surge, powered by the new dalta variant, hit Florida in July...

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The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pennsylvania pushes for more second shots.,

2021-07-30T12:25:00.001-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Coronavirus

Pennsylvania pushes for more second shots as delta variant spreads: '' Now is the time to get vaccinated.'

More than 250.000 residents will getv texts from the state next week asking them to complete their vaccinations.

Mary Lou Hardman, 60, of Huntington Valley receives her vaccine at a Montgomery County clinic on July 26, 2021.

(Published Jul 29, 2021)

More than 250.000 Pennsylvanians who got first doses of coronavirus vaccine betweet December and May and have not yet received their second shot will receive a nudge next week from the state Department of Health as it hurries to protect residents from the highly transmissible delta variant.

Of those infected with COVID-19 recently, 99% who died in Pennsylvania and 97% who were hospitalized were unvaccinated, acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said Thursday,

More Pennsylvanians getting vaccinated now is the surest path to avoiding a ''worst -case scenario'' case surga in the fall, she said-- making the next several weeks a make-or-break time for the state's vaccination effort.

'' If you have not been vaccinated yet, now is the time to get vaccinated. And if you've only received one dose of the vaccine, it's never too late to get that second dose. '' Beam said. '' This is very important because you need to be fully vaccinated to have maximum protection against the delta variant, which is spreading across the country.''

The variant has already caused case surges and overwhelmed hospitls in undervaccinated areas nationwide, leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday to recommend fully vaccinated people once again wear masks in public indoor settings if they are in an area with high and substantial transmission or if they have unvaccinated children or adults at home.

The dalta variant now makes up about 65% of new cases in Pennsylvania, Beam said, based on CDC statistics for the Mid-Atlantic region. Daily case counts arev rising across the commonwealth, with six counties reporting at least 50 new cases per 100.000 people or a positivity rate of at least 8% in the last week, placing them in the CDC'ds high or substantial transmission category. The state's hospitalizations and deaths, as well as most new cases, ''are preventable,'' she said, urging vaccination.

With the vast majority of people falling seriously ill or being hospitalized with the delta variant unvaccinated, experts say two doses of a vaccine are necessary to protect against the variant. As of Thursday, 62% of Pennsylvania adults were fully vaccinated ; a number that has barely budged in more than a month.

DavidZeng 14, of Northeast Philadelhia prepares to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Hyun Lee during a pop-up vaccination clinic at the H Mart shopping plaza in Philadelphia's Olney section on Saturday, June 26, 2021.TIM TAI/ Staff Photographer

This puts the future of the pandemic --- and the country's reopening --- in the hands of the unvaccinated and the partially vaccinated.

'' We know that we are having a resurgence now of COVID, because we have a reservoir of people who are not vaccinated and so the virus is free to spread in that group of unvaccinated people,'' said state acting Physician General Denise Johnson. '' That's why we're seeing more cases. So the more people that get vaccinated, the less likely we are to have continued spread [or] the emergence of other variants.

''Jonson encouraged Pennsylvanians with questions about the vaccine to talk to their doctors. She also addressed some common concerns:Pregnant women are more likely to have a severe case of the coronavirus and have pregnancy complications as a result, including miscarriage, than they are to have an adverse reaction to the shot, Johnson said. And though people who have recovered from the coronavirus have antibodies, the amount of protection they have varies, so they should still get vaccinated, she said.

The text-message reminder program, announced by Beam on Thursday, mirrors initiatives already implemented in other jurisdictions, such asPhiladelphia and New Jersey.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health only started tracking skipped second shots this summer. When officials began matching people's first doses to their second doses in the state's data logs earlier this month, they found the statehad administered 500.000 fewer coronavirus shots than it had previously reported, but also found that fewer people had skipped their second shot than data previously showed.

--------------------------------------------------------

The Philadelpia Inquier

Coronavirus

Japan expands its coronavirus emergency after record spikes during the Olympics.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency in Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba, near Tokyo, as well as in the western city of Osaka, effective Monday.

---------------------------------

The Philadelpfia Inquirer.

To aid island during pandeminc, these students desided to forgo their senior trip.

Islesboro Central School seniors prepare to toss their mortarboards to celebrate their graduation. The Clase of 2021 donated money that was going to be used for a class trip to help struggling ..

(Associated Press, Published 5 hours ago)

Students from a Maine island high school have seen the world on senior class trips -- the Eiffel Tower, Iceland's volcanos, Norway's fjords, the canals of Italy, the tropical beaches of Panama.

This year, members of Islesboro Central School's Class of 2021 --- all 13 of them --- were eyeing a trip to Greece, or maybe South Korea. But they wound up going nowhere.

----------------------------------

Philly Tips

THINGS TO DO IN PHILLY

Black Star Film Festival, free admission to the Barrnes Foundation, Disney on Ice, and more.

----------------------------------------

Philly Tips.

How to wear a face mask when it gets hot outside.

Wearing a face mask in the hot weather is uncomfortable. Here are survival tips.

-------------------------------------------------

Philly Tips

HERE'S WHAT NEW MASK GUIDELINES MEAN FOR THE PHILLY REGION

What you need to know about when you'll need a mask.

(Jul 29, 2021)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE TIMES. Covid vaccine gives AstraZeneca a boost., US.News & more..

2021-07-29T08:25:00.002-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

THE TIMES

(Thursday July 29 2021. The Times)

Covid vaccine gives AstraZeneca a boost

AstraZeneca said that sales of the coronavirus vaccine licensed from the University of Oxford hit $1.2 billion in the first half of the year.(REUTERS)

Revenues at AstraZeneca rose healthily in the first half of the year boosted by new medicines and sales of its coronavirus vaccine.

The Cambridge-based drugs company posted $ 1.2 billion of sales from the vaccine, licensed from the University of Oxford in the six months to June, up from $275 million in the first quarter.

AstraZeneca was among the first drugs companies, along with Pfizer and Moderna, to successfully launch a vaccine last year, but has comitted to producing it on a not-for-profit basis during the pandemic stage. It included $572 million of vaccine sales in Europe during the half, where the company faced legal action from the European Commission over supply delays. Coronavirus vaccine sales in emerging markets were $455 million.

--------------------------------

THE TIMES

Vaccine passports will coax people to get jabed, says Dominic Raab

Thegovernment is taking a harder line on vaccine passports to encourage the young to get a jab.(EPA)

Vaccine passports are a form of ''coaxing and cajoling'' that can encourage take-up, a cabinet minister has suggested.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, indicated that requiring coronavirus certification to take part in society as France has done an effectice tactic to increase vaccination rates.He told Today on BBC Radio 4: ''I was in France earlier this week. We've seen when they signalled in various different areas that you would need double vaccination in order to proceed in one or other area you got a big surge of people getting the double vaccinations.

-------------------------------------

THE TIMES

Romanian Pfizer Covid vaccines may not arrive for weeks

Ireland is negotiating to buy a million Pfizer vaccines from Romanis, where uptake is low.

(GETTY IMAGES)

A million doses of the Pfizer vaccine due to be bought from Romania are unlikely to arrive in Ireland before the end of the summer.

It was reported last month that the government had entered into negotiations to buy the vaccines from Romania, which has one of the lowest uptake rates in Europe. It was reported at the time that the doses were in danger of going out of date.

Government officials dismissed this asssessment yesterday. One source pointed out thet when the Danish government had bought vaccines from Romania, the process had taken 12 weeks. The talks with Irelandwere at the very early stage when reported, so this could suggest a wait of up to another eight weeks..

--------------------------------

THE TIMES

THE SUNDAY TIMES

Taking the lead: how companies can build a better world after Covid

Corporate ethics are a vital part of doing business - and now is the time for firms to make positive changes.

''At the heart of what we do is a belief in doing well by doing good,'' says Charlotte Kirby, vice - president of global strategic relations at Salesforce. '' It's the idea that businesses should be profitable by improving the state of the world- and that unless we all come together to do this, we're not going to address and solve some of the most critical issues that are facing us today.''

This has been one of Salesforce's principles since it was founded 22 years ago. The company champions a 1-1-1 model whereby it pledges 1 per cent of its employees'time, 1 per cent of its equity and 1 per cent of its product to support organisations that are working toward bringing about positive social change in the community. It means everything from giving away six million volunteer hours a year, to 50.000 non-profits using the company's technology for free.Salesforce was a leading proponent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) long before it was fashionable.

Of course, concepts like CSR and environmental awareness have developed considerably since the company's foundation in 1999. In 2015, the UN published in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are 17 interrelated objectives with thems ranging from ''zero hunger'' to ''peace, justice and strong institutions''. These goals are, according to the UN, a '' blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all''.

For businesses, the SDGs can be used as a kind of yardstick. Kirby says that companies can map their own CSR efforts back to the SDGs and, in doing so, measure the success of their progress in a far more systematic way. She adds, ''The SDGs allow people to have a common language around improving the state of the world. They give us a framework that we can share, not only within our ecosystem, but also with people beyond it.''

''The world's problems were not created by one person, entity or business. We are all stakeholders in the world and we have to work to fix it in partnership''

Moreover, these goals can help businesses to focus on where they can have the greatest impact. ''Some companies might make a very consious decision to focus on SDG 4 [equitable, inclusive education] while others might choose SDG 8 [decent work and economic growth]- and they put all of their philanthropic activity into those buckets. '' Others will choose multiple SDGs and many corporate project might be relevant for ''affordable and clean energy'' (SDG 7) and ''sustainable cities and communities '' (SDG 11).

Each goal has its own ''business avenger'', which is an influential company that promotes that goal among other businesses. Salesforce fulfils that function for SDG 17, the aim of which is to ''strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development.''

To this end, Saesforce is a sponsor of the Forest for Change. This is an art installation consisting of 400 trees in the courtyard at Somerset House this month. It's part of the London Design BIennale but also a reminder of the SDGs. ''One of the key things that we've got to do is educate people about what the goals are and why they're so important,'' says Kirby.

Kirby is insistent that there is a very strong business case for doing good-and one which has been growing for decades. Companies such as The Body Shop and Patagonia were early pioneers in this area; both were founded in the 1970s. But in the intervening decades corporate ethics have slowly gone from ''nice to have'' to a business imperative. For example, a degree of environmental awareness was a differentiator and a selling point in the 1990s; now it is expected...

Kirby says that in order to address SDGS, businesses need to work together. ''One area that I'm really passionate about is partnerships. The world's problems were not created by one person, entity or business. We are all stakeholders in the world and we have to work to fix it in partnership. That partnership will be multi-sector -it has to be civil society, it has to be government, and it has to include business.''

The SDGs predate the pandemic, so it's worth asking if they are as relevant now as they were in December 2019. ''I believe that Covid has actually made achieving those targets even more important,'' says Kirby. ''There's a reason we are talking about building back better.''

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US.NEWS

Study: Online Prices See COVID-19 Spike, Reversing Multiyear Trend

For years, shopping online yielded price savings for concumers but that could be coming to an end.

(July 29, 2021)

Consumers spent $73.4 billion online in June, up 76.7% from pre-pandemic levels, according to study.

It may no longer pay to shop online, as a new study finds internet prices spiked since the coronavirus hit, reversing a five-year trend that saw prices fall each ear.

The Adobe Digital Index for the month of June finds prices for 18 common online categories - from electronics to groceries -- rose 2.3% year over year. Pre-pandemic, prices actually fell 5.2% in June 2019 from the prior year.

Over five years, e-commerce prices fell 3.9% on average each year.

Electronics, which havebeen a staple of online shopping and falling prices, did fall in June by 2.5%. But, they had been declining for five years at an average rate of 9.06%.

Apparel, meanwhile, rose 16.22% in June, compared to a five-year average annual decline of 1.08%. Groceries rose 0.47% in June, slightly less than their five-year annual averge of 0.51%.

According to the government, overal consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 5.4% in June, the highest increase in 13 years...

The categories that people spent money on during the pandeming were really fundamentally different from what they were before the pandemic,'' said Goolsbee, who helped Adobe develop its index. '' I think a lot of these chnges are going to be permanent or at least partly permanent.Measuring the digital economy has gotten so much more important and its really vital for our measures of prices and the economy.''

Only three categories saw prices fall year over year in June -- office supplies, groceries and computers.

Looking at electrnics, where online consumers have seen prices fall significantly over the years, Abode Digital Insights Lead Analyst Vivek Pandya termed the price changes ''striking, as consumers are accustomed to these goods being cheaper and better each year.''

'' The sustained and heightened (rise) in online grocery prices is also notable, as this category boomed during the pandemic and increased share of e-commerce baskets,'' he added.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S.News. The Coronavirus and College This Fall.,

2021-07-27T09:41:00.005-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

U.S. News

Long COVID Can Be a Disability, White House Says

The Biden administration has released guidance and resources on long COVID and disability

(July 26, 2021)

People with long COVID, in which patients who contracted COVID-19 experience persistent or new symptoms log after their initial bout with the disease, may qualify as disabled, the Bisden administratioin said Monday.(Getty Images)

Some people with long COVID may qulify as disabled and need accommodation, the Biden administration said Monday, releasing guidance clarifying how the condition can be catergorized as a disability under federal law.

The announcement, coming on the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, paves the way for people suffering from the long-term effects of COVID-19 to receive accommodations from businesses, schools or employers.

'' Many Americans who seemingly recovered from the virus still face lingering challenges, like breathing problems, brain fog, chronic pain and fatigue, ''President Jow Biden said at a White House event commemorating the ADA. ''These conditions can sometimes, sometimes rise to the level of disability.''

Long COVID is a condition in which patients who contracted COVID-19 experience persistent or new symptoms of illness weeks or months after their initial infection. It is often characterized by symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, shortness of breath or a rapid heart rate.

In line with the administration's announcement, the Department of Health and Human Services, department of Justice and Department of Labor all have released resources regarding disability and long COVID. Guidance from the Department of Education on accommodating students in schools was also expected.

New guidance from HHS and DOJ explains that long COIVID can be a disability under the ADA, Affordable Care Act and rehabilitation Act ''if it substantially limits one or more major life activities. '' These limits may be due to physical or mental impairment, the quidance notes.

It says, however, that not all people with long COVID may qualify as having a disability.

''An individualized assessment is necessary to determain whether a person's long COVID condition or any of its symptoms substantially limits a major life activity. The CDC and health experts are working to better understand long COVID,'' the quidance reads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released its own guidance for providers on diagnosing and treating people with long COVID.

Those who do qualify, the new guidance says, are protected from discrimination. That means businesses ans other entities will at times need to provide reasonable accommodations or modifications that provide someone with a long COVID disability ''full and equal opportunities to participate in and enjoy all aspects of civic and commercial life''.

For example, indivituals whose joint pain prevents them from pumping gas may need assistanceat the pump, the guidance says, or a student with difficulty concentrating may need to be allotted more time to take a test.

Employment is ''outside the scope'' of the quidance from HHS and DOJ, the document says. But the Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy has launched a new webpage that includes resources and requesting and providing workplace accommodations, according to the administration. The page includes a link to information on what people can do if a request for accommodation is denied.

''If you have long CVID-19, you might have difficulty working in the same way you did before and may be entitled to workplace accommodations so you can do your job. What's important to know is that even you don't think of yourself as having a disability, you may meet the Americans with Disabilities Act definition,'' a Department of Labor blog post published earlier this months says.

The Administration for Community Living, part of Health anf Human services, additionally has released a guide on navigating community-based resources for long-haulers seeking assistance as they live in their homes and communities and go to work or school.

Some long COVID patients have been seeking disability benefits through Socila Security or worker's compensation, and advocates are hopeful they can help change aspects of the country's disability system.

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U.S.News

COVID -19 and the College Experience

(July 27, 2021)

Lessons from the last academiv year will help guide the fall semester.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, hit college campuses in spring 2020, forcing schools into intervention mode. the pandemic prompted many colleges to send students home and shift classes online.

More than a year into the pandemic and with the fall 2021 semester approaching, colleges have more experience managing coronavirus concerns and greater clarity on hoe to balance student expectations and COVID-19 precautions. The advent of COVID-19 vaccines has prompted the the rollback of more restrictive policies, offering students and colleges alike the hope for a return to pre-pandemic times. While school responses vary, here's what students can expect from the college experience in the forthcoming semester.

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South China Morning Post.THIS WEEK IN ASIA. When will China..Non-Chinese vaccines..& more..

2021-07-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

South China Morining Post

Coronavirus pandemic

This Week in Asia / Health & Environment

Singapore's return to tighter rules raises the question: what does living with Covid-19 really mean?

(Published 23 Jul. 2021)

* The city state's transition from a 'pandemic to endemic' approach has been derailed by a rise in cases, prompting a return to stricter social measures.

* Some analysts agree it's best to not live on the edge, but others say policy rollbacks erode public trust and expanding vaccination should be the priority

Singapore's plan to embrace a new normal regarding its Covid-19 policies has been challenged by a recent surge in new cases. Photo: AP.

After Singapore this week reimposed Covid-19 restrictions that were eased just days earlier amid raised hopes that the city state would adapt to living with the virus, the frustrations of whiplashed Singaporeans were laid bare on social media.

On Facebook and LinkedIn, some wrote long posts questioning whether the government's Covid-19 lask force, partly comprising younger ministers from the People's Action Party(PAP), was too risk-averse to weather a surge in cases without hitting the panic button.

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Singapore's living with Covid-19 road map suffers setback as restrictios return

* Forfour weeks- starting Thursday, until August 18 - restaurant dining will be banned and social gatherings will be restricted to groups of two

* Officials previously said they were preparing to treat Covid-19 as endemic, citing public 'battle weariness'

Restrictions on dining will be reimposed after Singapore's latest cluster of coronavirus infections. Photo: EPA

Singapore will from Thursday reimpose tightened Covid-19 restrictions after relaxing some measures just last week after a new cluster of cases including karaoke-bar customers and fishmongers.

Officials on Tuesday confirmed all restaurant dining will be barred, social gatherings - including visits to households - will be restricted to two people and wearing masks will be mandatory for indoor sporting activities. The tightened restrictions will last until at least August 18, the coronavirus task force said

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Asia / Southeast Asia

Coronavirus: Singapore sees 11 - month high in cases;

Thailand expands curbs

* Singapore reported 88 new cases on Sunday, driven by clusters linked to karaoke bars and a fishery port

* Elsewhere, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea tightened restrictions and Indonesia said over 500 doctors had died of Covid-19.

A man cycles along the Jubilee Bridge in front of the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, which is experiencing a surge in coronavirus infections. Photo: EPA-EFE

Singapore's health ministry reported 88 new locally-transmitted coronavirus cases on Sunday, the highest daily toll since August last year, driven by growing clusters of infections linked to karaoke bars and a fishery port.

The outbreak at karaoke or KTV lounges and bars had led the city state to tighten some restrictions on social gatherings just a week after easing them.

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China bans off-campus tutoring in education overhaul that sets off market rout among dozens of listed edtech platforms

* Local authorities will ban holiday and weekend tutoring, and will no longer approve tuition centres, according to a document from the State Council.

* Companies that operate edtech platforms will not be allowed to raise capital through initial public offerings

Children in gowns and mortar boards during their kindergarden graduation ceremony in Handen, Hebei province on June 20, 2021. Photo: China Daily via Reuters

China's government is cracking down on the country's booming off-campus tutoring industry, in one of the biggest overhauls of the education sector that sent dozens of publicly listed stocks tumbling in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Local authorities will ban the provision of holiday and weekend tutoring, and will no longer approve the establishment on a newly policy document promulgated by the State Council.

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South China Morning Post

When will China open its borders? Non-Chinese vaccines might speed up the answer

(Published: 24 Jul, 2021)

* China's 'zero-Covid' approach has beeb successful, but it risks leaving the country increasingly isolated as others open up.

* Approving inoculations such as Pfizer-BioNTech will accelerate progress towards herd immunity, and help China re-engage with the world.

By all accounts, Britain's move to relax nearly all coronavirus restrictions on July 19 -- known as Freedom Day -- could not have come at a worse time. It is hardly surprising that on the same day American and European equities suffered their worst session of the year amid rising fears that the highly contagious Delta variant could impact global economic growth. After marking Freedom Day, Britain recorded its largest number of Covid-19 deaths in months.

Despite a surge in cases, Britain is not alone in easing social distancing controls and opening borders after more than half its population has been fully vaccinated. Canada has announced that it will allow in fully vaccinated travellers from the United States in August 9, and those from other countries on September 7. Clearly, thise countries have chosen the approach of accepting low levels of daily cases to restore international travel and drive their economies forward.

China has taken the opposite task. It may be the first major economy to have brought the virus under control, with its people's movements largely returning to normal, but it looks increasingly likely China will be among the last to open its borders. Leading Chinese scientists advising the leadership have now said that the earliest the country can restore international travel is the first half of next year. Some observers even believe that Beijing will keep its borders closed until the end of the next year because of some major politically important events including the Winter Olypmics and the Communist Party's 20th congress in late 2022, when President Xi Jinping will seek a third term.

Comuters arrive at Waterloo sation in London on July 19, when virtually all pandemic restrictions were lifted in Britain. Photo: Getty Images

Understandably, such estimates have raised concerns among international investors and in the overseas media that China could risk turning inward and further isolating itself from the world at a time when its confrontation with the US and its Western allies shows no sign of letting up, despite Beijing's repeated public commitments to engage in high-level opening up to the outside world.

Even if Chinese leaders hear those concerns, there is no way of telling whether they will soon act to address them.

In fact, they appear to have doubled down on the strategy of achieving zero Covid-19 cases. Indeed, official media reports often tout China's daily report of double-digit new cases- most of which are imported -- as a sure sign of the superiority of the Communist Party's authoritarian controls, compared with the chaotic efforts and surging caseloads in many Western countries.

Occasionally, when a new domestic cluster of infections occurs, no matter how small, local authorities respond promptly with the most stringent controls including lockdowns and mass testing. The latesst example is the city of Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province -- one of China's most economically dynamic regions. After 17 cleaners working at the local airport tested positive for Covid-19, the city not only put a number of districts surrounding the airport under strict lockdown but also urged the rest of its 10 million residents to not leave the municipality, and ordered them to undergo swab tests overnight.

Meanwhile, China has put in place strict controls on travellers entering the country, limiting entry mainly to mainlanders and a small number of foreign business executives. All travellers will have to undergo mandatory swab tests at at least three weeks of quarantine, the first two weeks at state -- approved hotels and one more at home under the watchful eyes of neighbourhood committees.

A medical worker administers a vaccine dose for a student in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua.

After a slow start, China has made rapid progress in its campaign to inoculate its population of 1.4 billion. By Thurday, China had administered at least 1.5 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines, which means more than half irs population has been inoculated. In major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, mote than 80 per cent of adults have reportedly received at least a first jab.

China will soon start a drive to inoculate those between the ages of 12 and 17, followed by children from age three and upwards, with the aim of having 80 per cent of its population vaccinated by the end of this year and establishing so-called herd immunity.

If China succeeds in achieving that target, will the government be persuaded to change its ''zero Covid'' mindset and consider opening its borders?

Chinese scientists have warned that this remains unclear with the emergence of strains such as the highly contagious Delta variant.

Zhang Wenhong, a well-known infectious disease specialist, recently said China would not follow the US and other Western countries in opening its borders this year.

But Zhong Nanshan, China's top epidemiologist and perhaps the most trusted voice on Covid-19, is even more cautious. On the question of when China will reopen, he said this month that ''no country is safe until all countries are safe'', adding that China's decision would depend on global efforts to contain the virus. The World Health Organization has urged international leaders to work together to ensure 70 per cent of the world is vaccinated by July next year, which is a tall order given vaccine shortages and other logistical issues.

It is true that China can efford to be in no hurry to open its borders because strong domestic consumption and booming exports have kept its economy buoyant.

But as more countries choose to open up, China's approach risks leaving itself increasingly isolated in a reality and in perception.

To avoid that, China should prepare for a fundamental shift away from its ''zero Covid'' mindset once in achives its 80 per cent vaccination target and reaches herd immunity by the end of the year. But that will not be easy. China's successful approach, constantly praised by state media, has raised the people's expectations to such a level that even one new local infection would cause national alaem and force local authorities to take stringent action.

The government could begin educating the population by allowing public debates, led by scientists and doctors, on the inevitable shift to accepting mild infections.

Secondly, the Chinese government must act quickly to approve non-Chinese vaccines such as the Pfizer-BioNTech jab. According to executives from Fosun Pharma, a Shanghai-based company which has secured the rights to distribute that vaccine in China, the clinical trial process and expert reviews have been completed and the inoculation is awaiting the final go-ahead from regulators.

It remains unclear why the regulators have been dragging their feet. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which uses mRNA technology, has a much higher efficacy rate than Chinese inactivated viral vaccines.

Approving the Pfizer-BioNTech jabs immediately will send a positive signal of continued opening up while placating China-based foreigners who want to have the choice of a foreign vaccine. It may also speed up China's vaccination rate andd help it achieve herd immunity, so China can fully re-engage with the international community sooner.

Approving the Pfizerr - BioNTech jabs immediately will send a positive signal of continued opening up while placating China - based foreigners who want to have the choice of a foreign vaccine. It may also speed up China's vaccination rate and help it achieve herd immunity, so China can fully re-engage with the international community sooner.

In the annals of the Chinese Communist Party -- which is planning elaborate celebrations to mark its centerary on July 1 -- nowhere is more sacred than Yan'an, a hilly city in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.

The party may pride itself on being atheist, but it has no qualms in describing Yan' an, a hilly city in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.

The party may pride itself on being atheist, but it has no qualma in describing Yan'an as a revolutionary holy land. Party members and ordinary people travel there like pilgrims, many dressed in the blue costumes of the Red Army.

It was there that Mao Zedong and other party leaders set up the main revolutionary base in 1935 foillowing the Long March, and where they spent 13 years forging the ragtag Red Army into the powerful People's Liberation Army, which they led to take control of the country and found the People's Republic in 1949.

Yan' an has taken on more significance in recent years because China has built a new shrine to mark the seven years the seven years President Xi Jinping spent of his youth in a dirt-poor village there from 1969 to 1975, a formative experience China's propaganda machine hypes up as playing a decisive role in moulding his character and personality, putting him on the path to becomming the country's most powerfl leader since Mao.

This month, I joined a group of international journalists on a government-organised tour of the key holy sites in the city, where I also attended a forum to discuss the legacy of the American journalist Edgar Snow and his wife Helen Foster Snow. In 1936, Snow became the first reporter from the United States to enter red territory, where he spent many nights talking with Mao and other party leaders -- conversations that led to the publication of his famous book Red Star Over China, which gave the outside world an understanding of the party and Mao for the first time.

Yan'an, today home to more than 2 million people, has long been associated with its distinctive cave homes and yellow Loess Plateau, conjuring up an image of barren land. But driving through the city, one cannot help but notice the dense greenery on the rolling hills surrounding the narrow strip of the downtown area. While local officials used every opportunity to praise Xi's leadership. they also acknowledged that the city began restoring cultivated land as early as 1998 by paying the farmers to leave their cave houses on the hills under a scheme known as ''grain for green''. These days, the city has acquired a modern look, dotted with high - rise residential and office buildings, while a few care houses have been preserved to cater to tourists.

Mao's cave dwelling are a must-see highlight in the city, which is home to 445 sites of the party's early revolutionary activities and 30 similarly themed museums. During his 13 years in Yan'an, Mao lived in a number of different cave homes, but the Zaoyuan and Yangjialing sites are the most impressive. At Yangjialing, his dwelling occupies two caves and features a wooden writing desk, two deck chairs, a bed and a family portrait on one wall, showing him with his fouth wife Jiang Qing and one of their children.

In the courtyard, a stone desk is marked as the spot where Mao was interviewed by American journalist Anna Louise Strong in 1946, during which he uttered one of his most famous sayings: ''All reactionaries are paper tigers.''

During visits to there sites, the tour guides focused on how Mao and other leaders lived a simple life and worked tirelessly for the party and the people, leaving out any mention of the party's past mistakes and brutal politics. The latter includes one instance when Liu Zhidan and the current president's father, Xi Zhongxun --young revolutionaries who first set up a base in Yan'an before Mao arrived --were once purged and almost buried alive in one of the bloody power struggles.

A trip to Yan' an is not complete without making the pilgrimage to the mountainous village of Liangjiahe, an hour and a half away by car. That is where Xi arrived in 1969 at the age of 15. Today, the village's surrounding hills are covered in lush greenery, and electric vehicles ferry visitors on paved roads into the heart of the village, where the cave houses Xi lived in have been well maintained and are open to visitors.

The exhibition rooms paint a grim picture of his seven years there -- no electricity or tap water, and not enough food and meat on the table. To a large extent, Xi's life there was barely different from that of his father in Yan'an more than 30 years earlier, even though it was 20 years after the People's Republic was founded. The village did not have electricity until 1988 when Xi, then a senior official in Xiamen, pulled strings to make it happen. It was not until two decades later that the villagers had running water.

During much of Xi's stay, he shared a cave with five or six others, sleeping close to each other on the kang -- a flea -- infested platform made a brick and clay. Village officials and tour guides entertain visitors with tales of how Xi, despite his young age, showed leadership by forging close bonds with villagers, teaching them how to read and dig a well for drinking water.

On display in one where he lived is a handwritten note detailing his 1974 approval as a party member, the same year he was appointed as village party secretary at the age of 20. Xi had reportedly submitted been rejected, presumably because his father was purged again during Mao's Cultural Revolution.

In recounting his experiences in Liangjiahe, Xi said he was perplexed when he came to the ''yellow earth'' at the age of 15, but upon leaving at 22 he had a firm goal in his life. In 2015, Xi made a triumphant return to the village as China's head of state, saying the village life contained profound learning worthy of a university education.

Indeed, the fact that both Mao and Xi lived in Yan' an has strengthened the party's narrative that Xi is another great leader following Mao's footsteps, both with close ties to the common people -- while Mao founded the ''new China'', Xi is leading the country to become a world power in a new era.

The message should go down well with the Chinese people, but the authorities are also keen to have it received and understood in the outside world --hence the forum on the legacy of the Snows. It ws attented by family members of the couple and other ''foreign friends'' who visited and worked in Yan'an and other revolutionary bases in the 1930s and 1940's, including journalists and doctors from the US, New Zealand, and other countries -as well as goverment researchers and foreigners working for government - owned English-language publications including China Daily and Sanghai Daily.

Obviously, China sees great propaganda value in commemorating the Snow's legacy. as it celebrates the party's centenary at a time when its ties with the US and other Western countries have nosedived. But the main theme of the forum --that China wants to encourage more foreign journalists to be like Edgar Snow --seems to be an impossible mission.

One moderator hit the nail on the head. Citing a Pew Research Centre report from October last year that showed unfavourable viws of China soaring to historic heights in many developed countries, he suggested that in today's climate, the Snows would not have been published in the West.

W ang Xiangwei is a former editor-in - chief of the South China Morning Post. He is now based in Beijing as editorial adviser to the paper.

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U.S.News

Russia Fires Back at Olympics for Correcting Ukraine Map to Include Crimea

( Published July 23, 2021)

The Olympics have frequently become a battleground for countries' territorial claims. This week, amid the opening ceremonies, have been no exception.

Russia on Friday fired back at the International Olympic Committee after it appeared to chasange a map previously showing the Crimean Peninsula as separate from Ukraine hours before the games' opening ceremonies were scheduled to begin.(PHOTO VIA AP)

Russia on Friday fired back at the International Olympic Committeee after it appeared to change a map previously showing the Crimean Peninsula as separate from Ukraine hours before the games'opening ceremonies were scheduled to begin.

''This is a reason for our embassy and our sports officials to take appropiate action and ask appropriate questions,'' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Perkov said Friday morning, according to a translation of his remarks.

He was responding to a tweet from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier in the day saying that his government had objected to a 'Fan Map' on the Olympics official website that included a border between Ukraine and Crimea. Russia annexed the strategically critical peninsula in 2014 -- when it began ongoing support for pro-Russian separatists in other parts of Ukraine -- despite enduring international condemnation.

'' They apologized for the mistake,'' Kuleba wrote, according to a translation of his post. ''In the morning, Tokyo time, the map has already been corrected.''

The International Olympic Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the dispute.

Other international organizations, including the U.N., did not recognize Russia's claims over Crimea, showing it as a part of Ukraine in an official map. Others have previously taken a more practical approach, such as National Geographic, whose director of editorial and research in 2014 told U.S. News about the decision to include Crimea as part of Russia, '' we map the world as it is, not as people would like it to be.''

The international stage afforded by the high profile nature of the Olympic Games has commonly become a public battlespace for countries border dispute. This year has been no exception -- South Korea summoned the deduty ambassador of Japan early this month after a map on the Olympics website showed a set of islands that Seoul claims as a part of Japanese territory.

An ongoing and occasionally violent border dispute between Inia and China prompted the Indian Olympic. Association this month to drop its partnership with a Chinese sportswear manufacturng company, opting instead for its month to drop its partnership with a Chinese sportswear manufacturing company, opting instead for its athletes to wear unbranded apparel to the games.

And Russia's winning the right to host the winter games in Sochi in 2014 came under renewed scrutiny at the time for its history of having invaded a part of Georgia.

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U.S.News

How the U.S. Can Increase Lagging Vaccination Rates

With delta variant case numbers on the rise in the U.S., public health experts are trying to increase vaccination in communities hit hard by the pandemic.

( July 23, 2021)

Health workers wait to vaccinated people at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Hollandale, Mississippi, on April 27. (SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES)

Although the U.S ranks No.7 in the world for vaccine distribution, with about 48% of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, significant regions of the country are being hit hard by the virus because of resistance to the vaccines or inequitable distribution of them to undrserved populations, particularly Hispanic and Black communities.

To bridge these disparities in vaccine distribution and tackle the country's rising case numbers from the spread of the delta variant, experts say public health leaders must take an all-hands-on-deck approach to making vaccines more accessible while also addressing the hesitancy in taking the vaccine and misinformation surrounding it. A panel of experts shared their perspectives on and solutions to addressing these challenges during a U.S. News & Worls Report webinar this week as pat of the Community Health Leadership Forum, a virtual event series focused on improving community health across the country.

Arkansas is an ''epicenter at this point for the delta variant surge in the nation,'' Dr. Jose Romero, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, said during the webinar. The state currently has one of the highest number of new cases per capita in the U.S. along with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country with about 35% of its population fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The panelists agreed that the cost of this pandemic will be far greater if a significant portion of unvaccinated Americans do not get their shots as soon as possible. Romero expressed concern about the approaching reopening of schools for the 2021-22 academic year, considering that many states (including Arkansa) have prohibited school districts from mandating that students wear masks.

'' We actually, last year, kept our schools open and did so successfully -- and that was in part because we had these physical distancing, physical barriers for spread and didn't see large outbreaks,''Romero said. '' I expect to see this year significant outbreaks within the school system, and what's already telling me that that's going to happen are the number of day care closures that have occurred because of outbraks occurring and the camp exposures and closures that are occurring.''

In addressing the low vaccination rate in certain communities around the U.S., the resounding message from the panelists was that vaccine accessibility is about more than just increasing vaccine availability.

''If you don't have paid sick leave, if you don't have health insurance and you're concerned about potentially having some health care expense arise from your vaccination - those are very real issues that are playing out disproportioately in lower-income communities and communities of colour,'' said Julia Ryan, vice president of health initiatives at LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), a nonptofit community development organization.

Along with paid tuime off, panelists also cited transportation as a barrier to getting a vaccine. For example, although over 85% of Americans live with 10 miles of a CVS pharmacy, some still have difficulty getting to vaccine sites, according to Dr. Sonja Hughes, vice president of strategy and service excellence at Aetna, a CVS Health business. CVS has administered 34% of its in-store vaccines to underserved minorities , Hughes said.

To help increase access to the vaccines, Hughes mentioned a CVS Health initiative that connects people with Lyft rides to vaccination sites. LISC also launched a Vaccine Access Fund with Uber and other partness during the pandemic to provide people with rides to vaccines sites, specifically targeting those without smartphones or credit cards who would otherwise be unable to book a ride-sharing service, Ryan said.

''Transportation isn't the only thing we're solving for here, but it is a tool, '' Ryan said.

Althoughracials gaps in vaccination rates are narrowing, sccording to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, Black and Hispanic people have still received a smaller share of naccinations compared to their share of cases and their share of the total population in most states.

In terms of vaccine hesitancy, panelists agreed that mobilizing trusted community leaders to talk to their populations about the vaccine is instrumental -- especially in Black communities, where distrust of health care professionals is prevalent due to what many experts say is systemic racism in the nation's health system.

Panelists also emphasized the importance of health care professionals partnering with local organizations that have already been doing grassroots work in public health to extend the fight for health equity beyond the pandemic.

''You trust people that look like you, that have been in similar situations,'' said Brittney Roy, program director for public health at the National Governors Association.

Center for Best Practices.''You're probably less likely to take heed from someone who is removed from your situation.''

Hughes cited CVS Health and Aetna's partnership with the National Medical Association, an African American physician organization, as an example of establishing trust in underserved communities.

Romero outlined the ramifications of inaction during this time -- ranging from the long-term health consequences for people whocontract COVID-19 that will place a burden on the U.S. health system going forward to lapses in educational development for children who had their school years impacted by the pandemic.

''During this pandemic, not just our physical health was affected, but also mental health and mental well-being,'' Hughes added, noting that the psychological toll of the pandemic is likely to be another lasting health consequence. In response to the mental health difficulties induced by isolation, unemployement and other pandemic-related stressors., CVS Health launched a new program dubbed Here 4 U that provides depression screeings and peer-support programs for participants, she said.

Looking ahead, Ryan emphasized that the pandemic did not create the inequities in our health system, but instead exacerbated existing issues.

''It took 2020, a year of a pandemic, an economic recession and a racial reckoning, for us to realize that we are all in this together,'' she said. ''We have to resolve all of these issues together to get to be a truly equitable and prosperous nation.''

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CNNhealth. Covid-19 vaccine myths: These reasons for not getting a shot don't hold up. In fact, they'll set the US back..

2021-07-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina (Tzina) Joustra-Alimpoutaki

CNNhealth

(Updated July 19, 2021)

Covid-19 vaccine myths: These reasons for not getting a shot don't hold up. In fact, they''ll set the US back

(CNN)--- Americans have an easy way to crush Covid-19 -- one that would let more businesses fully reopen safely, reduce the need for masks and help prevent more deangerous variants from emerging.

But many don't want to get vaccinated as myths and misunderstandings spread.

As of mid-July, less than 60% of eligible Americans ages 12 and up have been fully vaccinated.

That's a big problem for sevelal reasons:

--More than 97% of people now entering the hospital with Covid-19 are not vaccinated, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in mid-July. They include children and young, previously healthy adults.(More on that later.)

Unvaccinated people are 'variant factories,''infections diseases experts says

--Unless more people get vaccinated, we may never reach herd immunity.

-- The longer people stay unvaccinated, the more chances a virus has to mutate. And if the mutations are significant, they could lead to more troubling strains that might evade vaccines.

--'Long Covid' is real. Even young athletes have suffered brain fog, chest pains and shortness of breath months after infection.

''Even for young people who consider their risk of severe Covid to be low, the long-term consequences can be quite serious,'' said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

But ramprant myths and unnecessary concerns stand in the way. Here are some of the most popular arguments for not getting vaccinated and why doctors want to set teh recort straight:

'I don't want to get Covid-19 from the vaccine'

It's literally impossible to get Covid-19 from any of the vaccines used in the US because none of them contains even a piece of real coronavirus.

'We don't know what the long-term side effects are'

Any adverse side effects from vaccines almost always ''show up within the first two weeks, and certainly by the first two months,'' said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Pablic Health.

That's why he and many other health experts asked the US Food and Drug Administration to wait at least two months after trial participants had been inoculated before considering whether to give emergency authorization to Covid-19 vaccines.

''If there were going to (be) problems..they would become apparent within two months of people getting vaccinated,'' he said. '' That's what the FDA waited for.''

The most serious vaccine side effects in history have all been caught within six weeks, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and a member of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.

'' I would say, please tell me what vaccine has ever been shown to cause a long-term side effect that was not picked up in the first two months,'' said Offit, a co-creator of the rotavirus vaccine who has studied vaccinology for more than four decades.

'' The smallpox vaccine could cause inflammation of the heart muscle. The oral polio vaccine was a rare cause of polio --- it occurred in roughly 1 in 2.4 million doses.. The yellow fever vaccine is a rare cause of --- yellow fever. All those occurred within six weeks of getting a dose,'' he said.

There may be very rare side effects that aren't immediately found in clinical trials. But that's due to the extreme rarity of those side effects--''not because it's a long-term problem,'' Offit said.

''Sometimes you're not going to pick it up initially because it's extremely rare, so you aren't going to pick up a one-in-a-million risk in a trial of 44.000 people,''he said.

Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson had about 44.000 participants in each of their trials. Half the volunteers got vaccinated, and the other half got placebos.

The Moderna trial had about 30.000 participants, with half receiving vaccines and half receiving placebos.

And because coronavirus is highly contagious-- killing more than half million Americans and leaving many survivors with long-term complications -- you're much better off getting the vaccine.

'I've already had Covid-19, so I don't need to be vaccinated'

Even if you've had coronavirus, you should still get vaccinated because the immunity you get from vaccination will likely be longer or stronger than the immunity you got after getting infected, health experts say.

'' that's true for a number of vaccines -- the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine induses immunity better than natural inflection. The tetanus vaccine does, ''Offit said.

When it comes to the two-dose vaccines-- those from Pfizer/BioNTech andModerna -- people who've alrea had voronavirus should still get both doses, emergency medicine physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

Those vaccines were studied in people taking both doses, and that's what experts know to be effective. It's not clear how long protection after just one dose might last.

''We also don't know how long protection will last after having coronavirus, so you should still be (fully) vaccinated ,''Wen said.

'The vaccine might hurt my fertility'

This is pure nonsense, Offit said.

There's no evidence that people have lost any fertility because of the Covid-19 vaccines.

The rumor apparently started with the myththat the coronavirus spike protein, whish is mimicked when you get a vaccine, also mimics the protein on the surface of placental cells, Offit said.

When it comes to the two-dose vaccines -- those from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna -- people who've already had coronavirus should still get both doses, emergency medicine physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

Those vaccines were studied in people taking both doses, and that's what experts know to be effective. It's not clear how long protection after just one dose might last.

''We also don't know how long protection will last after having coronavirus, so you should still be (fully) vaccinated,'' Wen said.

'The vaccine might my fertility'

This is pure nonsense, Offit said.

There's no evidence that people have lost any fertility because of the Covid-19 vaccines.

The rumor apparently started with the myth that the coronavirus spike protein, which is mimicked when you get a vaccine, also mimics the protein on the surface of placental cells, Offit said.

''So it's all nonsense. it's not true.''

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also sail there's no link between any vaccines and fertility.

''If you are trying to become pregnant now or want to get pregnant in the future, you may receive a COVID-19 vaccine when one is available to you,'' the CDC says.

There is currently in the future, you may receive a COVID-19 vaccine when one is availalable to you,'' the CDC says.

'' There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems.''

The benefits of getting vaccinated if you're pregnant or trying to become pregnant far outweigh the risks, because pregnacy puts a person at higher risk for severe Covid-19 illness.

And some research suggests Covid-19 vaccines provide some level of protection to newborns.

'It's none of your business if I don't get vaccinated'

Refusing the Covid-19 vaccine actually impacts a lot of people -- yourself, yourloved ones, even the country as a whole.

''When people say, 'What do you care? You're vaccinated. I'm going to choose not to be vaccinated. You're vaccinated, so you're good'' -- that makes three false assumptions, Offit said.

''First of all, the vaccine aren't 100% effective.'' So even if your friends and family are vaccinated, but you're not vaccinated, you can still carry and spread the virus to your loved ones.

And as Americans go back to crowded bars, concerts, sporting events and movie theaters, the need for mass vaccination becomes even more important.

Second, it's a mistake to think everyone who wants a vaccine can just get one. ''Some people are on cancer chemotherapy. They can't be vaccinated -- they depend on the heard to protect them,''Offi said.

So many of the most vulnerable Americans are counting on fellow Americans to get vaccinated.

''And third, by not being vaccinated, or being part of a reasonably sized group of people who are choosing not to get the vaccine, you're allowing the virus to continue to replicate. When it's allowed to continue to replicate, it will create mutations, which could then cause vatriants that are completely resistant to immunity induced by natural infection or immunization.''

In other words: Failing to get a vaccine could make the vaccines less effective. And that could ruin everyone's vaccinations -- throwing the country backward in this pandedemic.

'I'm young and healthy, so I don't need to get vaccinated'

It's critical for young, healthy people to get vaccinated, Collins and other doctors say. Here's why:

Young people can get long-term Covid-19 complications. Young , healthy people have turned into Covid-19 ''long - haulers, '' suffering chronic fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath and brain fog months after their infection.

a study this year found that 30% of people who had Covid-19 still had symptoms up to nine months after infection.

''Covid-19 doesn't have to kill you to wreck your life,'' said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.

''Covid-19 doesn't have to kill you to wreck your life, '' said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of meof medicine and surgery at George Washington University.

Young people can be easy transmitters of coronavirus. There have been multiple Covid-19 outbreaks at youth summer camps.

And with the more contagious Delta variant spreading, hospitals in less -vaccinated states are seeing more children and teens hospitalized with Covid-19.

''This year's virus is not last year's virus,'' said Dr. Catherine O'Neal, an infectious disease specialist at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Lousiana.

'' It's attacking our 40-years-olds. It's attacking our parents and young grandparents. And it's getting our kids.''

In mid-July, O'Neal's Covid-19 unit had more patients in their 20s who were previously healthy, she said.

In Missouri, ''people in their late teens and even early 20s are being hospitalized and needing the use of ventilators,'' said Katie Towns, acting director of springfield -Green County Health Department.

Young adults can be victims of their strong immune systems. said.

have noticed some young, previously healthy patients suffer from Covid-19 cytokine storms. That's basically when someone's immune aystem overreacts --potentially causing severe inflammation or other serious symptoms.

''We've certainly seen people come into our hospital, very young people (in their early 20s ) ... need to be put on ECMO, which is basically a heart-lung machine, for days or even weeks because they come in with cardiomyopathy, which is a response to a cytokine storm,'' Reiner said.

'These vaccines only have emergency use authorization, not full FDA approval'

It's true that the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have emergency use authorization from the FDA and not full approval yet.

But that's only because not enough time has passed to show how long the vaccines stay effective, Offit said.

''Frankly, the only real difference was in length of follow-up ,'' he said. ''Typically, you like to see efficacy for a year or two years.''

But with Covid-9 vaccines, '' you couldn't do that. You couldn't do a one -or two- or three -year study.. because the virus was killing hundreds of thousands of people. So we wanted to get it out there.''

He stressed that the vaccines ' EUA status doesn't mean they're less safe. As a member of the FDA vaccine advisory committee, Offit said the vaccines are reviewed with the same level of scritiny as they would to get full approval.

Offit said he's confident the vaccines will get full FDA approval.

'' The effectiveness and efficacy data in the Phase 3 trials and now in the real world ... is excellent,'' he said.

Also, the vaccine trials showed ''excellent cellular immune responses-- meaning so - called T helper cells. ''Offit said that's a good sign these vaccines give strong, long-lasting protection.

'My faith will protect me, so I don't need to get vaccinated'

Among religious groups in the US, ''white evangelical Protestants stand out as the most likely to say they will refuse to get vaccinated (26%) , with an additional 28% who are are hesitant,'' according to a study this spring by the Public Religion Research Institute and Interfaith Youth Core.

Some experts say anti-Covid-19 vaccine sentiment among evangelicals is fueled by a distrust in government, ignorance about how vaccines work and misinformation.

'' If you believe that God created us in his image, including being able to think and reason, we'been able to think and reason a lot of these diseases away'' thanks to vaccination, Offit said.

'' We don't die from smallpox anymore. Children aren't permanently paralyzed by polio anymore in the United States. It's good thing. That's because God gave us a brain to think and reason with. So use it''.

'I might not be able to afford a vaccine'

''It's all free. The government is paying for this,'' Offit said.

This is one message public officials could do a better job explaining, he said.

'' I never hear them described as free, I think because it's always assumed that people know they're free,'' Offit said.

But ''maybe for all those commercials you see on TV... they should make it clear you don't have to pay this.''

For those who might lack internet access, Offit said it'd be a good idea for state or local health departments to send flyers in the mail explaining when and how people can get vaccinated --- and reminding them it's free.

The bottom line: Not getting vaccinated could set everyone back

If you want to protect yourself, your friends, your family and the economy, get vaccinated. Otherwise, you'le be part of the problem -- not the solution.

'' This virus is continuing to mutate, '' Offit said. ''The thing I'm most worried about is that this virus will mutate to the point that immunity induced by natural infection or vaccination doesn't work at all. That's the most important reason to vaccinate.''

The longer a virus circulates among unvaccinated people, the more opportunities it has to mutate. And if the mutations are significant, they can lead to more problematic variants -- including some that could partially or fully escape vaccine protection.

''It's already starting to happen, '' Offit said, citing the B.1.351 and P.1 variants. While vaccines are still effective against those strains, '' these variants have now started to escape from the immunity of natural infection or immunization. They don't completely escape, but they've started to escape.''

So the key to ending this pandeming isn't just getting vaccinated. It's getting vaccinated as soon as possible, before the virus mutates into variants that we can't control with our current vaccines.

'' The vaccine is the most important pathway to ending this pandemic. That means we'got to get everyone in our country vaccinated, '' US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said.

''Now what we've got to do is, No.1: Get the vaccine. No.2: Turn around lad look at our family and friends and ask if they're going to gt vaccinated. If they need help, that's waht we'got to do.''

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U.S.News. CDC Head: COVID-19 Becoming 'Pandemic of the Unvaccinated', INSIDER & more..

2021-07-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina (Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

U.S.News

CDC Head: COVID-19 Becoming 'Pandemic of the Unvaccinated'

Nationwide coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are increasing, while Florida alone accounted for one in five of all new infections last week.

(July 16, 2021)

A health worker administers a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose at a mobile clinic in Los Angeles, on July 9. Over 97% of new coronavirus hospitalizations are in patients who are unvaccinated, according to the CDC.(AFP/ VIA GETTY IMAGES)

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday warned that COVID-19 is becoming a ''pandemic of the unvaccinated.''

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that cases, hospitalizations and deaths from the voronavirus are increasing nationwide, adding that over 97% of new hospitalizations are in patients who are unvaccinated.

'' There is a clear message that is coming through,'' Walensky said at a press briefing. '' This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. We are seeing outbreaks of cases of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk, and communities that are fully vaccinated are generally faring well.''

The five states with the highest infection rates are Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada. Florida alone accounted for one in five of all new cases in the past week. But those states are also seeing a higher rate of new vaccinations compared to the national average, according to Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator.

Zients said that as the not-dominant delta variant spreads, cases are expected to increase in the coming weeks.

''As the more transmissible delta variant continues to spread across the country, we will likely continue to experience an increase in [COVID-19] cases in the weeks ahead with these cases concentrated in communities with lower vaccination rates,''Zients said.

But Walensky added that the U.S. is still in a ''far better position'' than it was during previous coronavirus outbreaks. Howeever, increased transmission is ''giving us all a reason to double down and get more people vaccinated.''

''Our biggest concern is that we are going to continue to see preventable cases, hospitalizations and sadly deaths among the unvaccinated ,'' she said.

Officials also reiterated that COVID-19 vaccine booster shots are not currently needed, but Zients said that the U.S. has secured enough vaccine supply that ''if needed, we will ensure Americans who might need a booster shot are able to get it quickly and easily.''

The CDC's vaccine advisory committee will meet next week to discuss the idea of giving additional vaccine doses to immunocompromised indivituals. But Walensky said that situation differs from giving boosters to the general population.

''With regard to the immunosuppressed population, this a little bit of a different scenario where we might be concerned that in fact they didn't get full protection from their initial two doses, so we will be looking at a third prime dose in that situatin,'' she said..

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U.S. News

Los Angeles County to Require Masks Indoors As Delta Variant Spreads.

(July 16, 2021)

Officials announced the new rule, effective Saturday, as the higly-transmissible delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread throughout California( LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES)

Everyone in Los Angeles County will be required to wear a face covering indoors regardless of their vaccination status against the coronavirus.

Oficials announced the new rule, effective Saturday, as the higly-transmissible delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread throughout California.

Los Angeles Public Health announced on Thursday that community transmission of COVID-19 ''has rapidly increased from moderate to substantial '' based on the new daily cases of the virus being reported. According to the department, Los Angeles Country has seen a more than seven-times increase in new cases since the county reopened on June 15.

Therefore, the Los Angeles County health order will be modified to ''require masking for everyone while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.''

''Wearing a mask when indoors reduces the risk of both getting and transmitting the virus. This additional layer of protection can help to slow the spread and does not limit business occupancy and operations,'' the department said.

On the day of reopening, June 15, the county saw 210 new cases of the virus. Now, the health deprtment is confirming the highest number of virus cases since March, with 1.573 new cases reported on Thursday and three deaths. On the day of reopening the coronavirus positivity rate was approximately 0.5%. Thursday's rate was 3.7%, according to the public health department.

''Because of this rapid rise, as well as the increasing presence of the more easily transmitted Delta variant of the virus, and the millions of people potentially at risk of infection, together we must reduce our risk of infection and our risk for potentially infecting others, '' the department said.

Data shows that from June 27 to July 3, the number of sequenced delta variant cases was 124, or 71% of all sequences taken that week.

As of July 11, the most recent data available, more than 10.7 million first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Los Angeles County and nearly 70% of residents 16 years and older have received at least one dose.

-----------------------------

INSIDER

A year after I contracted COVID-19, everything still smells like garbage and onions. One expert says it could last up to 3 years.

(9 hours ago)

* Two months after I got COVID-19, I started to smell a mix of garbage and onions everywhere I went.

* I suffer from parosmia, a partial distortion of smell, which is usually unpleasant.

* One expert said it might take up to three years to regain my ability to smell again.

When I completely lost my sence of taste and smell in March 2020, it was the first thing I noticed.

It was a completely surreal experience, even more so because, at the time, loss of sense or smell --- otherwise known as anosmia --- wasn't officially recognized as a COVID-19 symptom yet.

So when my nose started to pick up some aromas three months later, I was elated. Only this time, it wasn't the same and hasn't been the same since.

For more than a year now, my my nose has been plagued with what I like to call ''COVID smell.''

''COVID smell'' is nothing like I've ever smelled before. But when I try to describe it to friends, I explain it as the stench of garbage, raw onions, and sweaty armpits.

The scientific term for this distortion of the ability to smell is parosmia, the ''alteration of the sense of smell, that is usually unpleasant and caused by damage to olfactory neurons in the nerve center, '' according to Health.com.

Living with this condition is incredibly frustrating and has had a massive impact on my everyday life.

Take onions and garlic. The two ingredients, when friend in olive oil was once my favorite aromas to fill the kitchen. But now? Just COVID smell.

A gigantic rose bush in my local park looked too beautiful not to have a whiff of the bouquet. COVID smell.

The scent of my partner when he hugs me. COVID smell.

Yes, COVID smell has adulteraed my life, and even though I am grateful that I don't have more severe long COVID symptoms --- more than 2 million adults in England are either still experiencing respiratory issues or are suffering from fatigue-related symptoms 12 weeks after contracting the virus --- it hasn't been easy.

But I find solace in knowing that I am not alone.

Parosmia - not to be sniffed at

Many other sufferers have shared their own difficult experiences with parosmia caused by the virus.

One woman told the New York Times she was attending therapy after the parosmia made it unbearable to kiss her husband. Another said she couldn't cook food anymore without wanting to vomit, according to the BBC.

The precise number of parosmia sufferers is unknown but a study published in July 2020 found that 89% of people who suffer from smell lose due to COVID recover within four weeks, the remaining 11% report ongoing smell loss or parosmia. Another review from February 2021 found that of the 47% of COVID-19 patients who had smell and taste changes, about half reported developing parosmia.

''When people become repulsed by food, that can become a major problem,'' Carl Philpott, from the University of East Anglia's Norwich Medical School, told me.''Not only from a nutritional point of view where some people will definitely lose weight as a consequence of this ...but it can also lead to a sense of depression and isolation.''

Philpott established the Smell and Taste Clinic at the James Paget University Hospital in Great Yarmouth, England, a pioneering NHS unit that helps people who live with anosmia or parosmia. He is among a group of scientists who are studying the COVID-19 symptom.

There is cause for hope. A study published last month found that loss of smell due to COVID-19 will eventually return.

Philpott says that while 90% of people are getting their smell back within a couple of weeks after infection, it can take up to three years for others like me.

''For the people that are getting so long - lasting distortions, there is a theory that some people are getting a deeper invasion into the brain of the virus, ''Philpott told me. This theory is largely based on post mortem studies and previous research on the SARS virus.

'' But the jury's still out on the exact mechanism that is causing this lengthy distortion, '' Philpott said.

Smell training can help with recovery

Whilethere are currently no treatments for parosmia, one way to fast-track recovery is to start smell training, he said.

While not a cure, smell therapy is a form of physiotherapy for the nose. It requires you to work with different aromas to stimulate and amplify the nerves in your nose that are responsible for the smell.

Original studies show a clear connection between smell therapy and recovery included clover, eucalyptus, lemon, and rose.

'' The natural history shows that it probably will get better with time, '' Phipott reassured me.

It has almost been a year since I've had a distorted sense of smell and while I'm not sure how long this will last, I look forward to that first morning where I can have my cup of coffee without holding my breath.

The coronavirus pandemic

* All the differences between COVID-19 vaccines, summarized in a simple table you can take to yoyr vaccination appointment.

* One chart shows which vaccine side effects you can expect based on your age, manufacturer, and dose.

* A day - by-day breakdown of coronavirus symptoms shows how COVID-19 goes from bad to worse.

* The best and worst face masks, ranked by their level of protection.

* The coronavirus is going to stick around forever. Get ready for the new normal.

--------------------------------

INSIDER

20% of Americans believe the conspiracy theory that microchips are inside the COVID-19 vaccines, says YouGov study

( Jul 18.2021, 7:52 AM)

(Getty Images)

* 1 in 5 people believe that there is, or probably is, a microchip in the COVID-19 vaccines

* There hs never been any evidence to support these theories.

* Conspiract theory specialist says this misinformation comes from anxiety and a search for answers to the uncertain.

A new study has found that 1-in-5 Americans believe that it is ''definitely true'' or ''probably true'' that there is a microchip in the COVID-19 vaccines.

The study by YouCov in conjunction with The Economist has found that 30 - 44 -year olds are most likely to believe this widely debunked conspiracy, with 7% of people from this age group saying that is ''definitely true'' and 20% of them saying it is ''probably true''.

Less than half of people surveyed (46%) said that it is ''definitely false.''

The conspiracy suggesting that vaccines are a tool to implant microchips into people has been widespread across the globe, acting as one of the major talkes of misinformation that has punctuated the pandemic.

There has never been any evidence to support the idea that microchips are a part of the vaccine rollout.

Despite this, false videos and content describing the false-microchip idea in great detail continue to circulate and find an audience on social media.

The microchip conspiracy suggests that the entire pandemic has been a cover to create and inject trackable microchips -- Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has been cast as the super-villain behind the plot.

The Bill and Melinda Gates has previously told the BBC the claim was ''false.''

Speaking to Insider about COVID-19, Dr Geoffrey Dancy, an expert in conspiracy theories, said: ''Theresort to conspiratorialism emerges during times of great uncertainty when we're groping for explanations for things that we can't explain.

''The great power of conspiracy theories is that you can offer them quickly, and you can point to somebody to blame the problems. And that's certainly what's going on.

''So, if you've got a pandemic, it's actually a 'plan-demic,' people planned it. Either it was Anthony Fuci or Bill Gates that planned this with their research, or they caused it with their research in China.''

The World Health Organisation has previously stated that as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, we are battling an ''infodemic'' - a surge of dangerous misinformation plaguing the world and its fight against the virus.

''We're not just battling the virus,'' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. ''We're also battling the trolls and onspiracy theorists that push misinformation and undermine the outbreak response.''

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U.S.News. COVID -19- Detecting Dog Screens , Van GoghMuseum, First Steps as an Artist..

2021-07-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina (Tzina) Joustra - Alimpoutaki.

U.S.News

COVID -19-DetectingDog Screens -- and Delights -- Hospital Visitors

Labrador retriever Buffy uses gentle sniffing to reveal infection in people.

(July 6, 2021, at 3.47 p.m)

CraceWesby & Buffy

Titles: Surgical waiting -room concierge; COVID-19 screening dog, Doctor Hospital of Sarasota

Location: Sarasota, Florida

Dogs hold a place in health care beyond the emotional support they provide. Specially trained dogs jave detected conditions like cancer in previously undiagnosed patients. Seizure-detection dogs respond to looming episodes in people with epilepsy, ans diabetes - alert dogs spot signs of dengerously high or low blood sugar. Now, a select group of canines have been trained to sniff dangerously high or low blood sugar. Now, a select group of canines have been trained to sniff out COVID-19.

Doctors Hospital Sarasota, which had the first patient hospitalized for COVID-19 in Florida, has been screening visitors since early March 2020. Looking to complement the existing screening process, the hospital teamed up with dog trainers from Southeastern Guide Dogs, who taught Buffy, a yellow Labrador retriever, to detect COVID-19 by scent.

The hospital provided saliva samples from COVID-19- positive patients, which were then inactivated so they couldn't cause desease, and used them to train Buffy, who developed 95% accuracy in detecting the infection. Grace Welsby, 21, has been handling Buffy as she screens hospital visitors three days a week.

Grace and Buffy at Doctor HospitalSarasota (RICK BENITEZ)

As told to Lisa Esposito, as part of U.S. News & World Report's '' One Pandemic Question '' series. Responses have been edited for length and calarity.

Q: What's it like working with a dog who can sniff out COVID-19?

I started off as a screener here at the hospital in November. I was taking temperatures and going through the answers of what people think they should say to go up there abd see their family members. Working with Buffy gives us a little more reassurance.

I screen both patients and visitors -- anyone who comes into the hospital. Buffy only screens visitors. When I work with Buffy, we have a system. After the visitor agrees, there's a paw-print pattern that we 've placed on the floor so the people know where to stand. All I have to say to Buffy's is ''search'' and shw starts her job. I like toi take Buffy through the process a couple times just to make sure. If she lays down at the person's feet and she doesn't get up, then I would know that person has COVID.

At that point, we launch 'Code Buffy.' ''We call security and let them know that Buffy detected COVID. So the security guard pretty much escorts the person into a private room and they get swabbed. The whole process takes about an hour. And then once we get that test result, we go from there.

I always let the visitors know before they get screened. We give them a pamphlet with all the instructions of what Buffy will do when she's screening and if she does detect COVID.

I've only had Buffy detect one person with COVID. The visitor had symptoms so it wasn't anything she was completely shocked about. It was an easy process from there.

The fact that Buffy's is able to detect COVID has been really helpful for the hospital in a way that goes beyond the temperature-takig. It keep people safe, helps prevent the spread of COVID- and it just puts a smile on everybody's faces.

Having Buffy there helps cut some of the tension. You can see a big defference in how people walk into the hospital --when they see Buffy they're alot happier. People want to be screened by Buffy, even people who are vaccinated, because it's so cute and so rare.

I believe right now Buffy is the only COVID-sniffing dog thet works in a hospital in the U.S. So she's famous, but a lot of people don't even know that when they come in. They 're just excited to see a friendly dog wagging her tail, excited to do her job.

There are some people who just would not rather have her sniff. That's OK,too. They have the option to be sniffed or not by Buffy. We don't have to argue with a pot of people. It's their choice.

I know walking into the hospital as an employee can be stressful because you don't know what your day is going to be like, especially for nurses and doctors. Buffy is not only therapeutic for the visitors and patients that come in, she's therapeutic for everybody, including the employees.

Seeing Buffy there kind of takes your mind off everything and puts you in a good place. She does a lot more than just screen people, you know. She's also a hugger -- she gives the best hugs and kisses. She's a very happy dog.

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U.S.News

Barber Battles Conspirasy Theories, Urges Clients to Get Covid-19 Vaccine

His new role: Trying to break through the ''hell no'' wall of vaccine skepticism and conspiracy theories.

(July 7, 2021)

Mike Brown, 49

Title: Barber -stylist and community health care worker

Location: Hyattsville, Maryland

In April, Brown became a certified community health care worker after receiving training from the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Brown is participating in ''Shots at the Shop,'' a Biden administration initiative involving 1.000 Black-owned barber shops and beaty salons nationwide. He encourages patrons of the Shop Spa, the barbershop where he works, to get te COVID-19 vaccine. As of June 28, among 42 states reporting such data, fewer than half of Black and Hispanic people have received at least one COVID-19 shot, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Moreover, the vaccination rate for Blacks is less than 50% in 39 of the 42 states reporting the data, according to KFF.

Mike Brown, a barber in suburban Maryland, encourages his clients to get the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the Biden administration's 'Shots at the Shop' initiative (RUBEN CASTANEDA FOR USN&WR)

As told to Ruben Castaneda, as part of U.S. News & World Report's ''One Pandemic Question'' series. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Q: What's the biggest challenge in convincing some of your patrns to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

The biggest challenge is the conspiracy theories. We had a lot of people in the beginning who were just looking for information about whether to take the shot. A lot of these people did get the vaccine. Now we're down to those people who are saying ''no''. It's not just ''no,'' it's ''hell no''. It's definitely been an uphill climb trying to convince them.

When we had a vaccine clinic at the shotp on May 17, we had about 35 people show up. That was a small chip off the ''hello no'' wall, but a chip nonetheless.

It's been very difficult to convince them to protect their lives and those of people close to them by taking the vaccine. Social injustice in the judicial system, the inadequate public education system, and the lack of adequate health care in the community are all factors. The system has failed the community over the years. From their perspective, how can you trust a system that's treated your badly for so long? Now all of a sudden, the system wants to help me?

The Tuskegee Experiment is the main one they talk about. The U.S. government enrolled 600 Black men in Alabama and monitored the nearly 400 who had latent syphilis without providing them to cure. ( About 128 men died of syphilis or related complicatons, others went insame or blind). It was a very unfortunate time. Our people were used for an experiment and then denied treatment. The affected by Tuskegee weren't allowed to get the cure. Now they're giving people the vaccine for COVID and some people don't want it.

I's the younger clientele saying ''no.'' It's the people between ages 25 and 32 we have to convince. That's the margin right there. The older ones have generally been vaccinated. Some of the younger ones say they're waiting they need more answers. Some hang on to conspiracy theories.

Some people get real militant; this is real emotional issue for them. When you have conversations, some of them get riled up. You have to remain humble-- their body is their temple, they have a right to their feelings. I'm not trying to make them do anything, I just want to enlighten them with the information. If you don't get vaccinated, this might happen.

It's hard to say where they get their information from. They come from diffderent walks of life. They don't trust the government. They say '' cancer has been around forever and there's no cure, but they come up with a vaccine in six months? I'm not buying it.'' Ans they're stuck right there.

That's why we call it the ''hell no wall.'' They're not just saying ''no,'' they're saying '' hell no.''

I try to get to their why. Why are yousaying that? None have give me a scientific answer. I've heard some clients say it's bigger than the government. Some have said the 'powers-that-be' are trying to stop the reproduction of the Black man. I say, ''Well, then they're trying to get the white man, the Chinese man, every man. The shot is for everyone. I don't understand your logic.' Some say they're just not ready.

Others say the government 's trying to put a chip on you. I tell they don't need to put a chip in you, a chip's in your phone, they can track you if they wanted to using your phone.

They know COVID is real. I've had customers who contracted COVID and beat it, and still don't want to be vaccinated. I asked what was it like. They said it was like a flu they'd never had before; they couldn't walk, couldn't smell, couldn't taste. I had one customer who had it, but he still wouldn't get the vaccine. He believes in holistic healing.

You have to keep fighting. You have to be oprimistic and hope the information you provide doesn't fall on deaf ears. You just have to keep pushing the information and hope it will sink into their mind and heart.

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Van Gogh Museum. Amsterdam.NL

Biography, 1881-1883

First Steps as an Artist

1881-1883

Vincent's pasrents weren't very happy with his dream of an artist's life. Fortunately, that did not stop Vincent from working hard and improving his skills. He lived in various places in the Netherlands. In The Hauge he took painting and drawing lessons with his uncle, the artist Anton Mauve. Yet love too provided inspiration.

From Etten to The Hauge

In the spring of 1881, Vincent moved back in with his parents, who were now living in Etten, also in Brabant. He practised drawing and frequently worked out of doors. In the meantime, his brother Theo had been appointed manager of Goupil & Cie in Paris. He supported Vincent financially so he could focus entirely on his art.

Vincents parents, by contrast, were extremely diasappointed thet their eldest son had chosen the life of an artist, which in their eyes was synonymous with social failure. It did not help that Vincent had fallen in love with his cousin, Kee Vos. Kee was a widow and wanted nothing to do with him, but Van Gogh persisted. This did not go down well with his family and, following a row with father, Vincent walked out his parent's house on Christmas Day 1881. He found a new home in The Hague.

'Pa cannot emphathize or sympathize with me, and I cannot settle in to Pa and Ma's routine, it's too consstricting for me --- it would suffocate me.''

Vincent to Theo, on or about 23 December 1881

Vincent van Gogh, Sorrow, 1882.

Vincent van Gogh, Woman with a Child on her Lap, 1883.

Visit to Drenthe: Following his split with Sien, Vincent travelled to the countryside in Drenthe to draw and paint the heathland and moors. He thought the landscape beautiful and set to work in good spirits. Neverrtheless, the province did not only bring him peace and inspiration:

''Drenthe is superb, but staying there depends on many things -- depends on whether one has the money for it, depends on whether one can endure the loneliness.''

Vincent to Theo, 6 December 1883.

After less than three months, the rain, cold and isolation drove Vincent away from Drenthe to his parents' new home in Brabant villga of Nuenen.

Peasant Painter

1883 - 1885. Vincent moved back in with his parent, in Nuenen. Here, Vincent van Gogh painted and sketched farmers, weavers and workers. He started working on the Potato Eaters. Eventually, he moved to Paris to further develop his skills as an artist.

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CNNhealth. Pfizer says it's time for a Covid., nature briefing :how COVID damages the brain & more..

2021-07-09T02:42:00.000-07:00

Diligence: ( c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki

CNNhealth

With Delta variant spreading, experts split on whether to test vaccinated people for Covid-19

(July 8,2021)

(CNN) --- The spread of the Delta coronavirus variant in the United States has some experts questioning whether it should be time to start testing even vaccinated people for the virus.

Although health officials have said evidence shows vaccinated people are unlikely to spread the virus to others, Dr.Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropic medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, says it may be important to wach to make sure the more transmissible Delta variant does not evade the effects of vaccines.

Current guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention says fully vaccinated people can refrain from rutine testing.

''I think now we should revisit this policy with the Delta variant and determine if the current recomendations hold up. ''Hotez wrote in an email to CNN on Wednesday.

Plus, the CDC is only reposting data on ''breakthrough'' infections that cause severe disease. That could mean scientists and health officials will not know how many vaccinated people have mild or asymptomatic infections --- and it will be very difficult to track whether a new variant such as Delta is causing more vaccine failure.

''We need to design studies. Assuming this is underway, then the question comes, do we wait for those studies or charge recommendations now and reconsider regular testing for asympto matic vaccinated indivituals? Given how disruptive this is, I would probably be inclined to wait for additional data before going backwards,'' Hotez wrote.

''The good news is that the mRNA vaccines are still highly protective against serious illness even for Delta.''

The mRNA vaccines are made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech. Johnson & Johnson has also reported evidence its vaccine is protective against Delta, also known as B.1.617.2.

Because vaccines are still highly protective, other experts arguethere is no need to change guidance.

''I still think that the pre-test probability of a positive COVID test in people who are vaccinated and asymptomatic is very small. So much so that you would worry about false positives,''Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, told CNN on Wednesday.

Overal, data on Covid-19 cases caused by the Delta variant among vaccinated people are hard to come by --- especially when seeking cases that may be asymptomatic. As of May, the CDC transitioned from monitoring all ''breakthrough'' Covid-19 cases among vaccinated people to only tracking cases that result in hospitalization or death.

In Israe, the Ministryof Health issued a brief statement Monday saying an analysis had shown the coronavirus vaccine than before, and linked the drop to the spread of the Delta variant of the virus.

Israel widely deployed the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The statement said that as of June 6, the vaccine provided 64% protection against all infections, including asymptomatic infection amnd mild disease, and a drop to 93% efficacy in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations.

Dr. Anthony Fauce, director of the US National Institute of Alergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would like to see more data on the Israeli findings before deciding the Delta variant in fact eludes the protection offered by vaccines.

''We need to get more granular and specific data from the Israelis,''Fauci told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

While ''the Israelis know what they're doing,'' the data is sparse, Fuci added.

The Israel government has not yet released new data or any other background to support the findings.

''We want to make sure exactly what the circumstances were of that drop from 94% protection against asymptomatic infection down to 64,'' Fauce said. ''Is that a reflection that they're more aggressively testing everybody and anybody who's come into contact with a person who has an asymptomatic infection? I don't know.''

'We fully expect to see more cases, especially among unvaccinated'

In the United States, ''breakthrough'' cases among vaccinated people are so rare that many state health departments CNN has contacted have not collected enough data to determine any patterns or trends yet that could result in a change in testing guidance.

Fir instance, Louisiana confirmed to CNN in an email on Wednesday that state epidemiologists have an analysis of breakthrough cases currently underway--- but need more sequencing data to be confident in sharing state-level estimates.

''However, we fully expect to see more cases, especially amoing unvaccinated individuals, as the proportion of Delta circulating in Louisiana increases,'' Kevin Litten, a spokesperson for the Lousiana Department of Health, told CNN in an email on Tuesday.

Overall, we have seen an increase in the number of new cases in our state. Additionally, we have seen an increase in the proportion and number of samples that have been identified as the data variant,''McNeil wrote in the email.

But as of now, due to lack variant information on all of our current cases, we are unable to attribute the increase in the number of cases to the delta variant, '' McNeil said. ''It is difficult to say if this is a causal relationship.''

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nature briefing

The month's best science images

This brittle star, Ophiojura expodi, belongs to a newly described species, genus and family. It was found on the sea floor at a depth of more than 360 metres, at a site near New California in the Oacific Ocean. Most brittle stars have fine arms, but this unusual specimen

has eight, along with eight sets of teeth surrounding the circular mounth in the centre of its body. Researchers say it belongs to a lineage that split from other brittle sta families around 180 million years ago, in the late Triassic or Jurassic period.

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COVID-19 coronavirus update.

How COVID damages the brain

Infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can cause memory loss, strokes and other effects on the brain. New evidence suggests that the coronavirus's assault on this organ could be multipronged: it mighdirectly attack certain brain cells, reduce blood flow to brain tissue or trigger production of immune molecules that harm brain cells. Researchers hope that growing evidence will point the way to better treatments.

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Will COVID become a disease of the young?

Countries with high rates of vaccination, such as Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom, are experiencing an ever-increasing proportion of new infections in younger, unvaccinated age groups. The overall risk of severe disease in children remains low. But the trend highlights the possibility that subsequent waves of community spread could be driven by young people, especially in the precence of new, more transmissible variants. Some nations have responded by offering vaccination to ever-younger groups-- Israel vaccinates children as young as 12. Others questions whether those doses are needed more urgently elsewhere.

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U.S.News

Losing Your Sence of Taste and Smell With the Coronavirus

Like other respiratory viruses, the coronavirus can disrupt sense of smell, which affects how food tastes.

One day of the spring of 2020, around the time much of the country went on lockdown to blunt the spread of the coronavirus. Sara Buursma felt run-down and was battling a low-grafe fever. ''I was working a lot, and I have three young kids,'' she says. ''I thought it was a common cold.''

Three days later, Buursma lost two of her senses. ''I couldn't smell anything '' she says. ''I tried smelling essential oils and pepermint oil, which usually makes my eyes water. I couldn't smell anything.''

Buusma also was unable to taste food ---including her favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. '' I was so disappointed ,'' she says. ''You want someting good to eat when you're feeling terrible.''

Three weeks later, Buursma experienced chest congestion and a severe, dry cough. Shortly after that, she was diagnosed with COVID-19. The diagnosis explained Buusma's sudden loss of taste and smell.

Anosmia is a condition that causes a person to ''partially or completely lose his or her sense of smell,'' according to Yale Medicine. ''Some people are born without the sense of smell, which is a condition called congelita anosmia. ''This is a common symptom of the coronavirus, which is not surprising, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, which says that ''viral infections are a leading cause of loss of sense of smell, and COVID-19 is caused by a virus. ''Symptoms of anosmia include not just the loss of smell but changes in how food tastes.

In fact, it's not unusual to lose sense of smell with any viral infection in the nose, including other coronaviruses that cause the common cold. The academy says that a group of otalaryngologists in the U.K. noted that 2 out of 3 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Germany reported a loss of sense of smell and 30% of people in South Korea with mild symptoms who tested positive for COVID-19 reported anosmia as their main symptom.

Smell Plus taste Equals Flavor

Research suggests that as many as 70% of people who contract COVID-19 lose their sense of smell, says Dr. Marc Sala, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive COVID-19 Center in Chicago. Most of these patients regain their senses of smell and teste with about eight weeks.

Taste , however, is another issue. ''The definition of taste to a patient and to a physician are very different,'' said Dr. Joseph K.Han, professor of otolaryngology, director of the division of rhinology and endoscopic sinus-skull base surgery and director of the division of allergy at Eastern Virginia medical School.

''Physicians talk about the five taste sensations,'' he says.

The five taste sensations are: * Sweet, * Sour, * Salty, * Bitter, * Umami(often described as savory).Viruses dont't typically affect those senses directly. ''Losing sense of taste is from a completely different nerve system, a different disease process,'' Han says..

Theories About the Coronavirus and Sense of Smell

How does this coroinavirus disrupt the sense of smell? There are three leading theories,'' Munger says.

The first is that the virus is using the olfactory nerve to transfer across the skull into the brain. The second suggests the virus is attacking sensory cells themselves, ''damaging or mucking up the works, ''Munger says. the third possibility is that the virus is attacking nasal tissues more generally, causing inflammation or other disease processes that interfere with normal smelling function.This lst idea currently has the greatest scientific sdupport. ''An extensive analysis of gene expression data in nasal cells that surround the nerve cells that sense odors, but not in those sensory nerve cells themselves,''Munger says...

Scientists and clinicians around the world who study smell and taste are working together to fast-track data collection on this symptom of COVID-19 and to develop tests patients can do at home.

''It is now clear that smell loss is the most predictive symptom of COVID-19, more so than others like fever or cough, '' Munger says. ''We and others are now studying whether smell testing -- particularly in the school, workplace or home -- could be used to provide an early warning of COVID-19. We also hope that the increased awareness of anosmia will result in more regular screening of smell function as part of regular health care.

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CNNhealth

Pfizer says it's time for a Covid booster; FDA and CDC say not so fast

( July 9, 2021)

(CNN) ---Drugmaker Pfizer said Thurday it is seeing waning immunity from its coronavirus vaccine and says it is picking up its efforts to develop a booster dose that will protect people from variants.

It said it would seek emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for a booster dise in August after releasing more data about how well a third dose of vaccine works.

But in an unusual move, two top federal agencies said Americans don't need boosters yet and said it was not uo to companies alone to decide when they might be needed.

Hours after Pfizer issued its statement, the FDA and Centers for Disease and Control issued a joint statement saying Americans do not need booster shots yet.

'' Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time,'' they said.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said evidence wes building that people'd immunity starts to wave after they have been vaccinated. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses to provide fully immunity.

''As seen in red world data released from the Israel Ministry of Health, vaccine efficacy in preventing both infection and sympromatic disease has declined six months post-vaccination, although efficacy in preventing serious illness remains high,'' Pfizer said in a statement emailed to CNN.

''Additionally, during this period the Delta variant is becoming the dominant variant in Israel as well as many other countries. These findings are consistent with an ongoing analysis from the Comanies' Phase 3 study,'' it added.

''While protection against severe disease remained high across the full six months, a decline in efficacy against symptomatic disease over time and the continued emergence of variants are expected. Based on the totality of the data they have to date, Pfizer and BioNTech believe that a third dose may be beneficial within 6 to 12 months following the second dose to mantain highest levels of protection. ''It gave no further details.

US government officials have stressed that fully vaccinated people have a low risk of infection, even from the Delta or B.1.617.2 variant, which is more transmissible than earlier lineages of the virus.

Plus, several studies have indicated the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna confer longterm protection.

''FDA, CDC and NIH (the National Institutes of Health) are engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whther or when a booster might be necessary. This process takes into account laboratory data, clinical trial data, and cohort data -- which can include data from specific pharmaceutical companies, but does not rely on those data exclusively,'' they added.

It was a clear message to Pfizer, which has been hinting at the need for a booster shot for months.

''We continue to review any new data as it becomes available and will keep the public informed. We are prepared for booster doses if and when the science democrates that they are needed,'' the CDC and FDA said in the statement.

''The United States is fortunate to have higly effective vaccines that are widely available for those aged 12 and up. People who are fully vaccinated ate protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country such as Delta, '' the statement continued.

''People who are not vaccinated remain at risk. We encourage Americans who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves and their community.''

Israel's health ministry said in a statement earlier this week that it had seen efficacy of Pfizer's vaccine drop from more than 90% to about 64% as the B.1.617.2 or Delta variant spread.

Pfizer said research showed booster doses of its vaccine, developed with BioNTech, produced levels of neutralizing antibodies that are five to 10 times higher than what's produced after two doses.

''The companies expect to publish more definitive data soon as well as in a peer-reviewed jiyrnal and plan to submit the data to the FDA, EMA (European Medicines Agency) and other regulatoru authorities in the coming weeks,'' Pfizer said in a statement.

And it said it's also developing a new formulation for a booster dose that may more thoroghly protect people from new variants.

''While Pfizer and BioNTech believe a third dose of BNT162b2 has the potential to preserve the highest levels of protective efficacy against all currently known variants including Delta, the companies are remaining vigilant and are developing an updated version of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that targets the full spike protein of the Delta variant,''the company said. Current vaccines target just a piece of the spike protein ---the part of the virus it uses to attach to cells.

''The first batch of the mRNA for the trial has already been manufactured at BioNTech's facility in Mainz, Germany. The Companies anticipate the clinical studies to begin August, subject to regulatory approvals.''

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Nature briefing, U.S.News,The Stedelijk Museum NL.' SURINAMESE SCHOOL'..

2021-07-07T14:14:00.004-07:00

Diligence: (c) Mersina ( Tzina ) Joustra - Alimpoutaki.

nature briefing

Today we examine the evidence for reopening schools safely, see a bone carving that gives us new insight into |Neanderhal minds and learn why we need research managers.

Open-air learning forms part of the Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente school's programme in Cartagena, Spain, during the coronavirus the COVID-19 pandemic. (Getty)

The evidence for reopening schools safely

By the end of June 2021, 770 million children worlwide had been pushed out of full-time school by the pandemic. Evidence is growing that schools can be safely opened and that kids aren;t driving vira spread. But that hasn't quelled debate over whether schools should open and, if so, which steps should be taken to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The rise of fast-spreading variants has thrown even more uncertainty into the mix.

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News & views

(Leader, D.,Hermann, R, Huls, M. et al.Nat Ecol Evol(2021).)

Bone reveals Neanderthals' artistic side

A chevron pattern etched into the bone of a giant deer (Meegaloceros giganteus) is opening our eyes to the advanced behavioural complexity of Neanderthals, writes anthropologist Silvia Bello. The piece was produced by Neanderthals who lived more than 51.000 yares ago in the Harz Mountains in what is now northern Germany.

Researchers attempted to reproduce the carving themselves and found that the bone had to be scraped and possibly boiled first. The choice of a bone from a rare and spectacular animal, its preparation before carving and the skilful technique used for the engraving all point to ''sophisticated expertise and great ability''.

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Polar research in a pandemic

Conducting science in polar regions is no easy feat at the best of times. When COVID-19 took hold around the world, most polar fieldwork was off the table altogether. Six polar scientists tell Nature how the pandemic has affected their research, describe the lessons they hope to carry forward and consider opportunities for junior researchers.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

''We should consider successful academic leadership as the stewardship of complex and diverse ecosystems.''

Plant scientist consider successful academic leadership as the stewardship of complex and diverse ecosystems.''

Plant scientist Beronda Montgomery and neuroscientist Joseph Whittaker consider how academicleadership can evolve to be more agile and equitable in a post-pandemic world.

( ASBMB Today)

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U.S.News

Webinar: COVID-19: Achieving Vaccine Equity and Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy.

About

According to the leatest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States continues to under-deliver on equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly among communities hit hardest by the pandemic. Hear about novel solutions being explored to reduce disparities, the challenges that remain, and how leaders are addressing the sensitive issue of how to tackle both vaccine hesitancy and misinformation...

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U.S.News

Biden: Federal Vaccination Rffort Will Go 'Door to Door' to Get People COVID-19 Shots

Meanwhile, the CDC reports that 55% of the U.S. population is at least partially vaccinated.

(July 6, 2021)

President Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 vaccination program during an event in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus on Tusday, July 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

President Joe Biden on Tusday said that the federal government's vaccination efforts will shift from mass vaccination sites to ''literally knocking on doors'' in some instances to get people inoculated against the coronavirus.'' We are continuing to wind down the mass vaccination sites that did so much in the spring to rapidly vaccinate those eager ti get their first shot and their second shot for that matter, if they needed a second,'' Biden said in the South Court Auditorium at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House. '' Now we need to go to community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood , and oft times door to door --- literally knocking on doors --- to get help to the remaining people protected from the virus..''

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The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.NL

SURINAMESE SCHOOL.

PAINTING FROM PARAMARIBO TO AMSTERDAM

A celebration of Surinamese painting in all its diversity and depth at the Stedelijk's Museum Amsterdam exhibition ''Surinamese School'', is a presentation over 100 artworks by 35 artists and the key themes and narratives at the heart of Surinamese paintin from 1910 to the mid-1980s. '' Depictions of Surinamese history, spirituality and everyday life, alonside forays into abstraction, and social change, gave shape to artistic developments'', competent and organized from the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

Armand Baag, ' Baag Family Portrait,'' 1989, oil on canvas. Collection Joyce, Sura and Surina Baag, Amsterdam

Jules Chin A Foeng, 'Chinese Flip-Flops', 1980-1983, oil on canvas, Collection Patrick Chin A Foeng.

''During the Bruce Nauman exhibition, running until 24 October 2021, the presentation pays particular attention to Surinamese pioneers who blazed a trail for other artists by spearheading the development of art education and professional practice and, with this, the development of painting. A team of guest curators identified the artist-innovators who put Surinamese art on the map...Surinamese School also features a significant number of work by artists who leved and worked in Amsterdam for many years such as Armand Baag and Quintus Jan Telting'', explains the Stedelijk Museum.

Installation views Surinamese School: Painting from Paramaribo to Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Photo: Gert Jan van Rooij.

'' The ''Surinamese School'' seeks to explore the coherence and dynamics between different generations of Surinamese artists'', point up the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Taking a chronologically thematic approach, the exhibition shows that while there is no clear of definition of ''Surinamese'' painting, similr genres and supjects reappear. The exuberance and vitality of the works in the exhibition invite further research and more presentations in the future.'' --Guest curators of the exhibition.

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KETI KOTI TOUR SURINAMESE SCHOOL -- RESISTANCE, FREEDOM AND WINTI

THE STEDELIJK MUSEUM AMSTERDAM

''On July 1'', -focus attention on the Stedelijk Museum -,''we celebrate Keti Koti, the abolition of slavery. Keti Koti means ''broken chains'' in Surinamese (Sranantongo). In the exhibition Surinamese School. Painting from Paramaribo to Amsterdam, you can see hoe artists over time have depicted many of the themes and subjects that Keti Koti stands for. Bart Krieger, co-curator of the exhibition, and Marian Markelo (Winti priestess), take you through the impressive stories about freedom, resistance and winti. ..

Wikipedia: Ketikoti marks the date when slavery was abolished in Suriname in 1863.

Kwakoe statue in Paramaribo, representing a former slave whose chains are cut.Since 2002 there is an official monument for remembrance of the slavery in the kingtom of the Netherlands.

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On sale

PATTA X STEDELIJK

Together with street fashion label Patta, we celebrate Surinamese art with two limited edition t-shirts featuring Rene Tosari's vibrant work Untitled (400 years of Resistance and Fight Suriname) and Jules Chin a Foeng's Chinese Slippers. Get yours at the Stedelijk Museum shop or through Patta (online and in-store). You don't need a time slot to visit the Museumshop. Price euro 50.

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