
"Connecting Communities for COVID19 News" 11th Sep 2020
Isolation Tips
Why lockdown is like abstinence
One of the many difficult truths about lockdown is that it sucks. It is particularly painful for people who live alone; people who live in homes of multiple occupation with strangers; the poor; schoolchildren of all ages and their parents – but it is a difficult, painful and unnatural way to live regardless of family type, income or occupation. Thus far, lockdowns are the only reliable way to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and prevent it overwhelming healthcare capacity. That is true whether those lockdowns are mandated by law, or if they take place from below – as has happened in Sweden, where the government never mandated closures to stem the tide of fresh Covid-19 cases, and here in the United Kingdom in the early days of the pandemic, when many people began reducing their social contacts in the weeks before the government forced them to do so.
Calls for help surge as teens' mental health suffers in lockdown
Mental health support services have seen calls from children and young people in Victoria jump by up to a third as the state's hard lockdown and extended restrictions on school attendance take a toll. There was a 28 per cent spike in calls to the phone counselling service Kids Helpline between March and July 2020 compared with the same period last year and a 19 per cent jump from July to August compared with the previous month.
Coronavirus: Why lockdown could be making you vitamin D deficient
With our minds focused on staying safe from COVID-19 and millions forced to stay indoors for weeks on end, there may be other aspects of your health that are suffering without you knowing. Vitamin D deficiency is one of the concerns among doctors with people being unable to get enough time outdoors. "Vitamin D is something that's synthesised inside our bodies and it starts with a process on the skin and often what we're needing is a certain amount of exposure to UV light to start the first step in the chain of producing vitamin D," Melbourne-based GP and spokeswoman from The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Dr Lara Roeske told nine.com.au.
Make your bed, phone your mother in tears: as Victoria's lockdown drags on, just keep going
Maintaining good nutrition is crucial and an excellent means of incorporating structure into your day. If you are growing your own vegetables – as many have since the “toilet paper-themed scarcity apocalypse” phase of isolation – Instagram everything. Demonstrate second world war-style thrift as you transform beetroot stalks into colourful, inedible gourmet feasts. There’s no need to illustrate your daily half-a-block of Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut habit, or admit your car interior reeks of rendered pork fat because you’re driving through at Macca’s at least three times a week. It’s ... not considered polite.
Coronavirus: Kiwis turned to cannabis and alcohol to cope during lockdown - study
Nearly half of all Kiwi adults drank alcohol more frequently and heavily during the lockdown and its aftermath than they normally would, a new survey has found. Women led the way, 52 percent of them drinking more often and 48 percent more heavily than usual the 2020 Global Drug Survey found. Nearly 3000 Kiwis took part in the international research, which this year focused on how people's drug use was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns implemented to suppress it. Stuck at home, many people turned to alcohol and other drugs - while others cut back, robbed of opportunities for socialising with friends. "There's been a number of New Zealanders that have increased their consumption during lockdown, and they've maintained that post-lockdown," Nicki Jackson of Alcohol Healthwatch told The AM Show on Thursday.
New Zealand mental health crisis as Covid stretches a struggling system
New Zealanders are experiencing more depression and anxiety since the coronavirus lockdown, doctors say, despite the country leading the world in its battle against the pandemic. New Zealand has been lauded for its effective management of the virus, with most Kiwis returning to their normal routines following a strict seven-week lockdown in April and May. A recent outbreak in Auckland has now largely been contained. But GPs working on the front line say “generalised anxiety” is proliferating in the community, and putting a strain on mental health services that are already overburdened.
Save the Children conducts largest global survey on the impact of COVID-19
93% of households that lost over half of their income due to the pandemic reported difficulties in accessing health services; Two thirds of the children had no contact with teachers at all, during lockdown; eight in ten children believed they had learned little or nothing since schools closed; and violence at home doubled: during school closures, the reported rate was 17% compared to 8% when the child was attending school in person.
Hygiene Helpers
English tracing scheme shows weekly jump in number of COVID-19 cases
The weekly number of positive COVID-19 cases in England jumped 43% at the end of August compared to the previous week, the latest data from the test and trace scheme showed on Thursday. MHS Test and Trace said on Thursday that 9,864 new people rested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week from Aug to Sept 2, the highest number of weekly positive cases since the scheme launched at the end of May.
COVID-19: 170 new cases in Ontario; Quebec to fine people not wearing masks indoors
Premier Doug Ford says it’s too early to say whether Halloween trick-or-treating will be permitted. “It just makes me nervous, kids going door to door. I’d prefer not to. It’d be a shame, but we’ll check that out.” Province announces $14.75 million investment to improve access to mental health and addictions services. Ontario reports 170 new cases, including 55 in Toronto, 28 in York and 22 in Peel. Another person has died, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 2,814. 54 people are hospitalized, with the disease, including 14 in ICU and nine on ventilators
Ottawa Public Health reports 12 new cases as of Thursday, down from 17 cases Wednesday and 37 on Tuesday. That brings the total number of cases in the capital region to 3,163. There are 226 active cases
Covid-19: An efficient and effective test trace regime is not a numbers game
We need a targeted testing strategy, not a blunderbuss, say Maggie Rae and Ellis Friedman. The government’s “moon shot” plan to test millions of people daily for covid-19 risks repeating the mistakes of the early days of test and trace. The ambition to deliver a further substantial increase in testing is welcome, but as the push for 100,000 daily tests exposed, an efficient and effective test trace regime is not a numbers game. Testing is not a medical intervention and on its own does nothing to control the disease. It only has value if the test is reliable and a positive test triggers a quick and effective response, which means immediately tracing the contacts of the infected person, investigating the source of their infection, and effectively preventing further transmission of the virus. Identifying large numbers of asymptomatic carriers has the potential to significantly strengthen our ability to manage the disease, but—as the continuing problems with laboratory capacity demonstrate—we are unlikely to ever have the capacity and public compliance to allow us to repeatedly test millions of asymptomatic people and then report the results and trace contacts efficiently. Even in areas where there are major outbreaks, such as Bolton, randomly offering tests to the public will not work effectively and will waste valuable resources. We need a targeted testing strategy, which is part of a well designed control strategy—not a blunderbuss.
University of Exeter to offer students Covid-19 tests
A university has signed a contract with a private company to buy thousands of coronavirus tests for students and staff. The University of Exeter will be offering the tests to anyone showing symptoms or who is deemed at high risk. Deputy vice chancellor Tim Quine said the safety of staff and students was the university's "first priority". The saliva-based tests, provided by Halo, will give results within 24 hours, it claimed. Mr Quine told BBC Radio Devon the university had to do its own bit to help prevent the spread of the virus. He said: "By bringing students to the region we know we are changing the risk dynamic".
The most dangerous phase of the US Covid-19 crisis may be yet to come
Studies have shown that living through a pandemic negatively affects confidence that vaccines are safe and disinclines the affected to vaccinate their children. This is specifically the case for individuals who are in their “impressionable years” (ages 18-25) at the time of exposure because it is at this age that attitudes about public policy, including health policy, are durably formed. This heightened skepticism about vaccination, observed in a variety of times and places, persists for the balance of the individual’s lifetime. The difference now is that Trump and his appointees, by making reckless and unreliable claims, risk aggravating the problem. Thus, if steps are not taken to reassure the public of the independence and integrity of the scientific process, we will be left only with the alternative of “herd immunity”, which, given Covid-19’s many known and suspected comorbidities, is no alternative at all.
Coronavirus: Hundreds of thousands download Covid-19 tracing app
More than 500,000 people have downloaded Scotland's new contact tracing app since it went live. It became available to download free onto a smart phone from Apple's App Store or Google Play on Thursday. The Protect Scotland app lets people know if they have been in close contact with someone who later tests positive. The Scottish government has said the software will support the Test and Protect system and is "another tool in the fight against Covid-19". Up until now, contact tracing has been done manually using a method followed for years to help control the spread of infectious diseases.
Community Activities
Bicycle sales go up amid pandemic as India eases COVID-19 lockdown
As more people try to avoid public transport during the pandemic to avoid the virus, India is seeing an precedented sale of bicycles. Bicycle groups have emerged on social media and are lobbying for more bike lanes in cities. Bicycle dealers are finding it hard to cope with the steep rise in demand. Will COVID-19 bring about a change in the way people commute or will this trend be short-lived? Watch the video for more.
China is building a new 'COVID-proof' city designed to make lockdowns easier
The Xiong'an New Area near Beijing will have a self-sufficient neighbourhood. It is designed to let people live more comfortably in the event of pandemics. The complex will have larger balconies, 3-D printers and drones, among others. Its architect from Spain was inspired while working in coronavirus lockdown.
Working Remotely
Covid and the remote working revolution: the end of the office?
A report by academics at Cardiff and Southampton universities backs this up, finding that nine in ten of those who worked from home during lockdown want to carry on doing so in some form. “These figures deliver a conclusive verdict,” says founder of the HomeWorkingClub Ben Taylor. “People want to continue working from home. Governments can fret about the economy all day long, but people will put self-preservation first.”
Working virtually? Swap skyrises for ocean views, says Bermuda
When the coronavirus pandemic hit and office workers were asked to work remotely, Abbit Shepherd saw it as an opportunity to swap London's skyrises for something more exotic.
Zurich UK introduces flexible working policy for 4500 employees
Insurance organisation Zurich UK has introduced a permanent flexible-working policy for its 4,500 employees due to the high demand for remote working since the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. This new policy is an extension of the original flexible working policy the organisation had in place prior to the pandemic. Employees now have the flexibility to work from home on a full or part-time basis, if they can fulfil their role remotely. Zurich UK introduced the changes after an internal survey found that 59% of employees would like to work from home for more than half of the week when the offices reopen, with a third of these employees only wanting to come into the office once a week.
The pandemic is giving people what they want: flexible working
“All signs indicate that this crisis is going to reshape the experience of work,” says Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab, a US-based think tank focused on work culture. Attending a virtual meeting inside a colleague's home, or seeing their child toddle past in the background of a Zoom call, breaks the fourth wall of the workplace. “Now that we've seen each other's full lives, the case for flexible work is going to be a lot easier to make,” Schulte says.
The do's and don'ts of working from home during COVID-19
As many employees continue to work from home during COVID-19, the boundaries between work and home have become increasingly blurred, and the link between technology and mental health becomes harder to ignore. When technology is thoughtfully designed and used to consider the impact on how people do their work, then it can help alleviate some of the pressures of work. However, the constant use of technology can also lead to increased employee overload, exhaustion, stress and burnout. As such, technological advances in the workplace can sometimes be a double-edged sword, says Leona Tan, Research Officer in the Workplace Mental Health Research Program at the Black Dog Institute.
Should NZ move to remote working for good?
Two in five workers in New Zealand performed at least a portion of their work remotely at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, data from Statistics New Zealand revealed. When the country was on Alert Levels 4 and 3, 42% of the working population continued their tasks from home. Meanwhile, less than a third worked in the office or other premises. Employees who had the opportunity to work remotely on some days (and work on-site on other days) were included in both categories.
Virtual Classrooms
Column: Looks like Lake County schools finally have a handle on virtual teaching
Give Midwesterners a second chance and they’ll get things right. Case in point, remote learning. Most parents, and many teachers, will agree the forced switch to virtual classrooms last spring was a dismal failure, rocky at best, as Lake County schools were shuttered by the governor’s coronavirus edict. Students thought it was a joke -- one north county high school district allowed them to submit assigned online work by 1 p.m. the following day -- as educators struggled mightily after being thrown into the brave new world of online instruction. “No one was trained to teach this way,” Karen Warner, spokesperson for High School District 113 in Deerfield and Highland Park told James Norman in a front-page News-Story earlier this week. “The teachers do not have extensive experience in teaching in a remote environment, and students are not accustomed to remote learning.”
What it's like teaching remotely in an empty classroom
Teachers at one international school are delivering lessons in empty classrooms - with students watching live from home
Public Policies
UK epidemiologist warns of virus uptick, wants lockdown re-imposed
The epidemiologist whose modelling heavily influenced the British government to impose a lockdown in March has warned that fresh restrictions may have to be re-imposed in coming weeks to deal with a rise in new coronavirus cases. Neil Ferguson from Imperial College London said he was encouraged that the government is banning social gatherings of more than six people from Monday, noting that one of the mistakes in the early days of the pandemic this year was an overly cautious approach. Still, he told BBC radio that all the analysis suggested there would be an uptick in deaths in the coming weeks, so now is the time to respond. The UK has seen Europe's deadliest virus outbreak, with around 41,600 deaths. Ferguson added that if the transmission rates don't fall markedly so the epidemic starts shrinking again, then we may need to clamp down in other areas.
Nicola Sturgeon announces new lockdown restrictions on numbers of people allowed to meet socially
Nicola Sturgeon has announced new lockdown restrictions across Scotland as the number of people testing positive for coronavirus continues to rise. The First Minister told MSPs the country must remain in phase 3 of lockdown for now and would likely remain so "for some time to come". The SNP leader also revealed a range of new restrictions on social gatherings aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. From Monday, there will be a new limit of six people from two households allowed to meet socially - a rule that covers meetings in homes as well as in pubs and restaurants.
Paging Dr. Hamblin: Why Didn’t America’s Shutdowns Work?
I’m an American living in Germany, and I’ve been following how some people in the United States have opposed lockdowns due to fears about “shutting down the economy.” It seems to me that even to those who believe the economy is what matters most, having a complete national lockdown for a few weeks is economically better than what the U.S. is going through now. Should the U.S. have done that? And is it too late?
Madrid brings in fresh virus restrictions as Spain hits 500,000 cases
Madrid has brought in new restrictions on social gatherings, restaurants and bars as Spain tries to curb a spike in coronavirus cases while millions of pupils return to school this week. A ban on outdoor meetings of more than 10 people was extended indoors because most recent outbreaks of Covid-19 were linked to family meetings or mass drinking sessions organised by young people called botellones.
Covid: why Spain is hit worse than the rest of Europe
The problem is that the crisis has been hugely complicated by Spain’s political polarisation and its decentralised model of governance. Pedro Sánchez, prime minister, insists handling the pandemic is now primarily the responsibility of the country’s regions, whose collective health budget is more than 10 times that of his administration. The regions respond that the central government must provide more leadership. The upshot is that while controls were rapidly dropped in June — with plans for a step-by-step phase out being discarded — reintroducing such curbs has been halting and sometimes halfhearted. Some epidemiologists identify this as the central error in the handling of the crisis. Regions were able to scrap lockdown measures without demonstrating they were increasing track or trace staff or preparing more adequately for a new rise in cases.
Boss of biotech company tasked with making coronavirus vaccine slams Dan Andrews' lockdown strategy
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews under fire from CSL chairman Brian McNamee. Melbourne businessman described roadmap out of lockdown as 'map of misery'
CSL is one of the companies to manufacture a coronavirus vaccine in Australia. But its boss Dr McNamee has issued a dire warning to not bank on a vaccine
Coronavirus Australia: Mistake in COVID modelling that informed lockdown
A major error has been uncovered in the COVID-19 modelling used by the Federal Government to inform Australia’s tough lockdown restrictions. Modelling released by Melbourne’s Peter Doherty Institute earlier this year showed grim predictions of the impact the coronavirus pandemic would have on Australia if no measures were taken to suppress it. But The Daily Telegraph has revealed an error in the modelling meant the number of people that would need ICU beds was dramatically over-estimated, making the potential impacts of the pandemic appear much worse.
When the modelling was released, chief medical officer Brendan Murphy branded it a “horrendous scenario”. “A daily demand for new intensive care beds of 35,000 plus,” he said. Professor Murphy warned Australians this ICU capacity was “completely beyond the realm of any country to create”.
Austria reports 664 new coronavirus cases in a day, highest since March
Austria eported 664 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest daily increase since late March, when an initial spike in infections was rapidly fading due to a struct lockdown. Of those new cases, 387 were in Vienna, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
France cannot rule out local lockdowns - advisor
The French government will discuss on Friday whether to impose new, local lockdowns to try and tackle rising Covid-19 cases, while keeping economic activities going. Government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said on Thursday that nothing will be ruled out at Friday's cabinet meeting, with President Macron saying he hoped any new measures would bot be too restrictive.
COVID-19 vaccine doses could arrive in Canada early in 2021: minister
Canada is "aggressively negotiating" with drugmakers on delivery schedules for potential Covid-19 vaccines and shipments would begin early in 2020 under existing deals, Canada's minister of public services and procurement told Reuters on Thursday.
UAE sounds warning after virus cases jump five-fold
The United Arab Emirates said Thursday that daily coronavirus cases had jumped five-fold compared with a month ago, and warned residents and citizens to abide by measures designed to curb the disease. The daily tally of cases hit 930 on Thursday, said Farida al-Hosani, spokeswoman for the Emirates' health sector, compared with 179 on August 10. "This is the highest number recorded in four months," she said during a televised conference. "Those who violate the preventive measures in place, whether an individual, shops, or restaurants, will be held accountable." Hosani said 12 percent of cases were among residents or citizens returning to the UAE from abroad, even though they received negative tests from their destination countries -- which are a requirement for entry.
Maintaining Services
Coronavirus UK: Birmingham days from lockdown as infection rates double
Local leaders have warned Birmingham could be the next city put into a local lockdown after coronavirus infection rates have soared. West Midlands mayor Andy Street said increased restrictions in the city are ‘looking very likely’ as Birmingham’s case rate has increased to 69 per 100,000, up from 30 a week ago. It comes after 712 people caught coronavirus in the city in the seven days up to Saturday, MailOnline reports. Boris Johnson announced at a press conference yesterday that gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday in a bid to control the spread of the virus.
Jenks Public Schools return to the classroom after weeks of virtual learning
Several Jenks Public Schools students start in-person instruction today after weeks of virtual learning. Officials reported two employees and four students are currently at home due to positive COVID-19 test results. JPS originally started their school year off online and planned to go back to in-person instruction when Tulsa County reached a 'yellow,' low risk, level of COVID cases. However, the district decided that may not be the best decision based on successful data in monitoring cases from surrounding school districts.
Myanmar locks down parts of Yangon amid virus increase
Myanmar was accelerating efforts Thursday to control the spread of the coronavirus, which has led to campaigning for November’s general election to be suspended in some areas due to partial virus lockdowns. The Ministry of Health and Sport issued a stay-at-home order for 20 Yangon townships effective Thursday as cases of the coronavirus continued to rise, with 120 new cases and two deaths. That brings the country’s total to 2,009 recorded cases and 14 deaths since the pandemic began. The order calls for a partial lockdown, with limited trips out of the house allowed to carry out necessary activities, such as the purchase of food. Seven other Yangon townships were put under similar partial lockdowns Sept. 1, as was all of Rakhine state last month after a surge of new cases there.
As Jakarta heads into lockdown, doctors warn of buckling health system
Doctors in Indonesia's capital warned on Thursday the coronavirus pandemic is 'not under control' with Jakarta intensive care units nearing full capacity and the city ordering new lockdown measures to stem a spike in infections
Portugal toughens virus rules as schools return
Ministers decided on new rules to come into force from Tuesday, including limiting gatherings to 10 people rather than 20 previously—a cap already in force in the capital Lisbon since late June. Also extending a measure from the capital, sales of alcohol will be barred from 8 pm as will drinking in public spaces. Meanwhile sporting venues will remain closed to fans ahead of the football championship kicking off next week. "We've been seeing a sustained rise in the number of new cases since the beginning of August," Prime Minister Antonio Costa said, after Portugal saw 646 new infections in the 24 hours to Wednesday—its highest since April 20.
Big UK cities lagging on footfall as return to office stalls
Data has revealed that there are significant variations between the UK’s cities and towns when it comes to workers returning to offices and economic recovery. And business leaders are being advised to rethink the role of the office. The Centre for Cities thinktank, which uses anonymised mobile phone data to track footfall, found that smaller cities and towns such as Blackpool, Bournemouth, Southend, Portsmouth, Birkenhead and Chatham were leading the way with footfall recovery, whereas London, Birmingham and Manchester lagged furthest behind.
As students return, the deaths of at least six teachers from covid-19 renew pandemic fears
DeMarinis had been worried about returning to work at the rural middle school, where she was starting her 11th year of teaching. She had asthma, which put her at a higher risk for complications from covid-19 despite her young age. “She was scared,” her sister, Jennifer Heissenbuttel, told The Washington Post. Three weeks later, DeMarinis died in the hospital after testing positive for the novel coronavirus and suffering from complications caused by the infection. DeMarinis isn’t the only teacher to die amid the pandemic as children return to schools across the United States. Educators in Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, Iowa and Oklahoma have died as the fall semester started in their districts.
Fauci says U.S. needs to 'hunker down' for fall and winter
As the United States heads into flu season, Americans can't let up in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday. Although the number of new daily cases of coronavirus in the U.S. has slowly been declining over the last two weeks, the country is still closing in on 200,000 deaths from COVID-19 and more than 6 million confirmed infections. “We need to hunker down and get through this fall and winter, because it’s not going to be easy,” Fauci said during a panel of doctors from Harvard Medical School.
Healthcare Innovations
Oxford vaccine could be approved by Christmas despite suspended trials, say AstraZeneca CEO
The chief executive of AstraZeneca has said it is "still feasible" for the Oxford vaccine to be approved by regulators by the end of this year. Pascal Soriot made the comments during an event hosted by media organisation Tortoise on Thursday.
It comes after AstraZeneca said on Tuesday night that the late-stage studies of the vaccine had been paused while the company investigates whether a patient’s reported side effect is connected with the vaccine. A review is being conducted by an independent panel of experts to determine whether the patient's illness is linked to the trial. Mr Soriot said: “Then of course it depends on how fast the regulator will review and give approval, so we could still have a vaccine by the end of this year or maybe early next year."
Serum Institute puts India trials of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine on hold
Serum Institute of India has put on hold trials of AstraZeneca's potential Covid-19 vaccine in the country until the British drugmaker confirms it wishes to restart them, the company said on Thursday.
180 COVID-19 vaccines in development, says WHO
Around 180 vaccines to combat COVID-19 are in development worldwide, including 35 in human trials, the WHO chief said on Friday. "No disease in history has seen such rapid development in research. It's a testament to the incredible advances in science and technology the world has made in recent years," Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva. "It must be matched by its ambition to ensure as many people as possible have access to them." When journalists asked about differing claims on vaccines' arrival, including an aspiration by US President Donald Trump to have one by October, the WHO's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said people should remember that "clinical trials take time."
Delayed immune responses may make COVID-19 deadly for elderly people
University of Washington analyzed swabs from 500 people tested for coronavirus for differences in people of different ages and sexes. They found signs that genes that turn on the immune response in elderly people get activated more slowly than those in younger people. Genes that should turn the immune system 'off' to keep inflammation from getting out of control are less active in men
Oxford Covid-19 vaccine is still possible this year, says AstraZeneca chief
AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine could still be available by the end of the year, or early next year, according to the company’s chief executive, Pascal Soriot, despite clinical trials being paused after a volunteer fell ill. AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which are jointly developing the vaccine and testing it on 50,000 to 60,000 people around the world, halted trials on Wednesday to investigate the “potentially unexpected illness” of one participant. Soriot was unable to say when the trial would resume, but said “I still think we are on track for having a set of data that we would submit before the end of the year” for regulatory approval. They “could still have a vaccine by the end of this year, early next year”, depending on how fast the regulator moves, he added.
AstraZeneca vaccine trial pause a "wake-up call", ...
AstraZeneca's pause of an experimental vaccine for the coronavirus after the illness of a participant is a "wake-up call" but should not discourage researchers, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist said on Thursday. "This is a wake-up call to recognise that there are ups and downs in clinical development and that we have to be prepared," Soumya Swaminathan told a virtual briefing from Geneva. "We do not have to be discouraged. These things happen." Governments are desperate for a vaccine to help end the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused more than 900,000 deaths and global economic turmoil, and the WHO had flagged AstraZeneca's, being developed with Oxford University, as the most promising.
Headaches and delirium: coronavirus can invade brain, study says
Preliminary study suggests virus is able to replicate inside the brain, and its presence starves nearby brain cells of oxygen. Neurological impacts could also have been the result an abnormal immune response known as a cytokine storm
N.I.H. Director Undercuts Trump’s Comments on Covid-19 Vaccines
Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, took issue on Wednesday with President Trump’s suggestion that a coronavirus vaccine would be available by Election Day, as he repeatedly sought to reassure senators and the public that a vaccine would not be made available to the public unless it was safe and effective. “Certainly, to try to predict whether it happens on a particular week before or after a particular date in early November is well beyond anything that any scientist right now could tell you and be confident they know what they are saying,” Dr. Collins told a Senate panel at a hearing on the effort to find a vaccine.

