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"Connecting Communities for COVID19 News" 24th Sep 2020

Isolation Tips
Covid ban on care home visitors risks premature deaths, experts warn
Sweeping bans on visiting at thousands of care homes risk residents dying prematurely this winter as they give up hope in the absence of loved ones, experts in elderly care have warned. More than 2,700 care homes in England are either already shut or will be told to do so imminently by local public health officials, according to a Guardian analysis of new government rules announced to protect the most vulnerable from Covid-19. Care groups are calling for the government to make limited visiting possible, including by designating selected family members as key workers. Since Friday any care homes in local authority areas named by Public Health England for wider anti-Covid interventions must immediately move to stop visiting, except in exceptional circumstances such as end of life. It also halts visits to windows and gardens and follows seven months of restrictions in many care homes that closed their doors to routine visits in March.
Australian teenager to address UN about Covid hardship among young women
A 16-year-old Australian student, Mayela Dayeh, will address the United Nations general assembly on Wednesday night to present the findings of a survey that shows young women and girls are shouldering a greater economic, domestic and emotional load and working harder during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study, released by humanitarian organisation Plan International as part of a report called “Halting Lives – The impact of Covid019 on girls and young women”, surveyed more than 7,000 15-to-24 year-olds across 14 countries. “I think Covid has exacerbated issues we already knew were there, which we had either become complacent about or comfortable with, especially in terms of the gender divide,” Dayeh, a secondary school student, said.
Life in lockdown: health-wise, it's not as bad as you think
While Victorians continue to endure restrictions from a second wave of COVID-19, new research from the University of South Australia is providing much-needed good news about people’s overall health and wellbeing following lockdown. In preliminary findings from UniSA’s ongoing Annual Rhythms in Adults’ lifestyle and health (ARIA) study, researchers found that effect of lockdown on people’s lifestyle and wellbeing was not as bad as we might have expected. Assessing people’s sleep, physical activity, diet, weight and psychological wellbeing, the lockdown period showed that, on average people: slept 27 minutes longer - got up 38 mins later - did 50 mins less of light physical activity - drank a bit more alcohol (0.9 per cent energy intake, equivalent to two standard drinks a week) - ate a little less protein (0.8 per cent energy intake, equivalent to three eggs a week).
Hygiene Helpers
WHO on a coronavirus second wave, lockdowns and how the world responded to the pandemic
Just over six months ago, the World Health Organization designated the coronavirus outbreak a "pandemic." Since then, our lives have changed beyond all recognition. Over half of the world's population has experienced some kind of lockdown, almost 1 million people have died, and countries around the globe are bracing for an unprecedented economic collapse. ABC News recently spoke to WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris to discuss the organization's response to the pandemic, whether countries took the novel coronavirus seriously enough, fears of a second wave and why lockdowns became the preferred means of dealing with the biggest public health emergency in a century.
Britain finally launches COVID-19 app in England and Wales
The government had said the app would arrive in May, but early trials were dogged by problems, and developers abandoned home-grown technology in favour of Apple and Google’s model in June. The embarrassing U-turn followed warnings from tech experts that it would be less effective and that it should have switched to the Apple-Google software earlier. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the reworked tool was “an important step forward in our fight against this invisible killer”.
Glitches dent German enthusiasm for Covid contact-tracing app
As England and Wales prepare to unveil a coronavirus contact-tracing app, Germany is drawing less than enthusiastic first conclusions about the effectiveness of battling the pandemic with smartphones. A hundred days after its launch, German authorities conceded that IT glitches and poor communication channels with laboratories make the country’s Corona-Warn-App “one more tool of many” rather than a Covid-19 cure-all. The German app, which drew praise from as far as Westminster after it was launched on 16 July, had by the start of this week been downloaded 18.4m times in Germany and 400,000 times abroad – more than similar apps in all other EU member states combined.
People didn't follow the Covid rules out of fear. They did it for the common good
As the government lurches from U-turns to full-on pile-ups, and a second wave of Covid-19 looms large, it’s worth remembering something. For three months back in the spring, we – UK citizens – did what we needed to do. The government may have dozed at the wheel, but when it finally woke up, we acted collectively by staying at home to save lives. And with some notable exceptions, we stayed the course by locking down for longer and more willingly than some predicted.
Why is Germany doing better than the UK at fighting a resurgence of Covid-19?
Boris Johnson's comments about why "freedom-loving" UK has higher coronavirus cases than Germany and Italy have sparked a heated debate and given us a reason to look at why Germany is coping better than the UK in the fight against a second wave. On Tuesday UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked by opposition Labour MP Ben Bradshaw if "the reason Germany and Italy have far lower Covid rates than us" is because their contact tracing and testing programmes work. Johnson rejected the argument, adding: "Actually there is an important difference between our country and many other countries around the world, that is that our country is a freedom-loving country.
As Covid-19 Fatigue Fuels Infections in Europe, Italy Resists Second Wave
Months after Italy’s lockdown against the coronavirus ended, Enrica Grazioli still sanitizes everything that comes into her Milan apartment, wears face masks diligently and limits interactions between her sons and their grandparents. Ms. Grazioli, a self-proclaimed social butterfly who loves to cook for guests, still hasn’t had friends over for dinner since the virus struck. “Am I overdoing it?” says Ms. Grazioli. “Maybe, but we had a national tragedy of epic proportions and you don’t quickly forget something like that.” Italy, the first nation outside Asia to suffer a major coronavirus outbreak, had one of the world’s worst death tolls this spring. Overflowing hospitals in parts of northern Italy had to choose which patients got the last intensive-care beds. The Italian army drove truckloads of victims out of the city of Bergamo, which couldn’t cope with the dead.
Coronavirus: Madrid in lockdown as doctor warns Britons to follow the new rules or pay the price
A front line doctor in Madrid has urged Britons to stay strong and obey the rules as the country faces a second wave of coronavirus. "We only have to do this for a few more weeks, not forever," Dr Moreno Santiago told Sky News. "Things like wearing a mask we only need to do for a few short weeks and in that time we can control the pandemic, if not we are going to pay for this. It will be very, very, very costly."
Italy's harsh lessons help keep second wave at bay
When Covid-19 struck Europe, Lombardy’s flooded hospitals and spiralling death toll provided a grim template for Italy’s neighbours. In the past weeks, however, it is offering a more upbeat, alternative path: while Spain, France and the UK are experiencing a second surge in infections after loosening lockdown restrictions, Italy has kept the disease under control. New daily cases are on the rise to 1,535 from the low hundreds in June, when restrictions started easing. But this compares with more than 10,000 new cases in Spain and France. Life feels normal in most of Italy: restaurants and bars are open, people enjoy late-summer trips to the beach and children have returned to school.
Community Activities
How remote working is changing our homes - with open plan living going out of fashion
This allows specific areas to be created for activities such as home working and exercise, according to the Flexible Living Report 2020 by John Lewis. Research by the retailer found that one in five people has reconfigured their open plan space to accommodate multiple activities throughout the day. This has driven a change in shopping trends, with sales of office furniture soaring along with ‘statement artwork’ which provides an attractive backdrop for video calls.
Aid agencies warn of Covid-19 crisis in refugee camps as winter approaches
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic an abiding fear had stalked the world’s most vulnerable populations. Millions of people displaced by conflict in the Middle East watched with alarm as Europe and the west withered under a caseload that stretched first-world healthcare systems to their limits. They saw field hospitals being set up in capitals. Governments buckling under the strain. The developing world offering aid to the developed. It seemed inevitable that the contagion would reach those less able to absorb its impact. And now, as second and third waves of Covid-19 surge around the globe, worst fears are being realised. Several months into the crisis, the virus has crept into the populations of refugees and internally displaced people, where stopping its advance will be close to impossible. Up to 15 million people across the region, many of whom were already at risk of disease, now face a rampant spread through their communities.
The UK's new lockdown rules are still failing BAME communities
Parth Patel was working as a junior doctor at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic when he saw for himself how the outbreak was disproportionately hitting people from minority ethnic backgrounds. In June, a report from Public Health England confirmed what Patel and many others in the NHS already knew: people of Bangladeshi ethnicity had around twice the risk of dying from Covid-19 while those from other minority ethnic backgrounds had between a ten and 50 per cent greater risk of dying than those from a white British background.
Coronavirus: Here's how the government could make lockdown measures even tougher
The prime minister has tightened lockdown rules and warned tougher measures could follow - but what other options could be on the table? Ban on home socialising - Mr Johnson could announce a ban on different households mixing together indoors. This may be the most likely next step as Scotland and Northern Ireland have announced the same move. If he follows suit it would likely involve exceptions; such as for extended households, couples not living together and for childcare reasons.
Are Parisians really fleeing to the countryside since lockdown?
While the pandemic has shaken the entire world, lockdown was an opportunity for some to reflect on their way of life and to decide they wanted a new one out of the capital. The nationwide lockdown in the spring meant two months confined at home - and for many people in Paris that meant small apartments with no outdoor space. An exceptional situation that led many to reconsider their lives and even some to conclude they wanted to leave the French capital. Leaving Paris as soon as lockdown ended is what Félicitée and her husband Maxime decided to do - after being confined with their three boys in their 67 square metres appartement in the 10th arrondissement. “It was the quickest but also the best decision we have ever taken,” 36-year-old Félicitée told The Local.
Social gatherings in Ecuador spike following end of lockdown
Crowds and gatherings in Ecuador have increased by 15 percent in the first week following the end of lockdown restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), an official source said on Tuesday. "The latent concern we continue to have is the issue of crowds, they are on the rise. At the national level we are growing by 15 percent and in (the capital) Quito, by 12 percent," Juan Zapata, director of the country's emergency service, ECU 911, told a local TV network. Since a state of emergency was lifted on Sept. 14 after some six months, authorities have reported 57,726 crowds or social gatherings, mainly in the three largest cities: Cuenca, Guayaquil and Quito. The impact of these social gatherings will be seen in 14 days, said Zapata, calling for continued social distancing.
Pandemic exacerbates barriers to voting for homeless Americans
Now, instead of churchgoers and immigrants, the building acts as a haven for dozens of homeless men. Where pews once sat are long folding tables where the centre’s clients play crossword puzzles, read or simply relax. Other men sit in chairs spaced several feet apart and watch the news. Some wait in line to add their names to a list for a hot shower. Volunteers take down information about where each man stayed the night before. Offices and meeting spaces line the big room. And off to one side are four signs that serve as a gentle reminder of November’s general election and provide information on how to register to vote.
Working Remotely
Covid-19 accelerated BBC News’ remote working
If there’s one thing the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us in broadcasting, it’s the need to work more flexibly, enabling staff with the right tools to be able to work from wherever they need to: on location, in the office or at home. Furthermore, Covid-19 has made us more reliant on automated vision mixing and delivery in our TV studios, to allow social distancing for our teams. In BBC News, we already had plans and ambitions to create a more remote-capable, connected newsroom. Prior to the pandemic, we’d launched our online planning and deployment tool, Wolftech, and this helped as our teams went into lockdown, quickly having to transition to working from home.
So you're working remotely and want to move? Read this first
If you've been working from home for the past six months, you may be ready for a change of scenery and may be entertaining the idea of moving. After all, if you don't have to be tethered to your office, maybe you prefer to be closer to family (more babysitting!). Or you'd like to relocate someplace where you can hike or surf. Or you might just want to move someplace cheaper or less crowded. But if you're eyeing a move to another state or region, factor in how that may affect your job, your pay, your benefits and your taxes. Before calling the movers, here are four questions you'll want answers to from your HR and benefits department as well as from a professional tax adviser.
UK gov makes U-turn on remote working guidance
Businesses in London have once again reverted to remote working following the latest advice from the UK government, which has seen it once again urge employees to work from home. Some 1,000 members of staff at Barclays have been told to go back to home offices following the government's U-turn, the bank has said.
Will remote working lead to longterm travel opportunities
Four months of working from his apartment in Washington, D.C., had him going stir crazy and needing to get out. After researching places where Americans were allowed to travel and reasonable safety precautions seemed to be in place, he jetted to Aruba for a week in July. “I wanted to dip my toes into the water, literally and figuratively,” he says. Now, he’s looking at returning to Aruba or one of the other destinations open to Americans for a longer trip. There are still details to sort out, but he has time: Google’s U.S. offices aren’t reopening until July 2021—at the earliest.
What CEOs Really Think About Remote Work
CEOs and other executives say they’ve seen enough to judge whether remote work is working. But the verdict depends on whom you ask. Here’s what some leaders are saying about working from home and the value of an office:
Nearly 40% of bosses say staff will be working remotely by end of 2020
Almost 90 per cent of business leaders in Ireland think Covid-19 has accelerated the digital transformation of their organisation, while nearly 40 per cent say the majority of their staff will be working remotely by the end of 2020. That’s according to a poll by the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Ireland. Experts believe the pandemic has triggered a permanent shift in working patterns as more companies and employees embrace the concept of remote working.
Bloomberg - Genpact CEO Tiger Tyagarajan discusses what working remotely has meant for the global company.
Genpact CEO Tiger Tyagarajan discusses what working remotely has meant for the global company. He talks about ways the pandemic has made workers realize the effectiveness of using technology to communicate. Tyagarajan also points out how virtual meetings have provided more seats at tables for diverse individuals. Hosts: Carol Massar and Jason Kelly. Producer: Doni Holloway.
How to Get a Good Night's Sleep While Working Remotely
As we navigate our new normal, studies are showing that working while sitting in bed, can contribute to sleep disorders or "coronasomnia." With school starting for New York City public school students this week and next week, NY1's Kristen Shaughnessy spoke with psychologist Dr. Dana Galler-Hodkin of NYU Langone Child Study Center—Long Island who teaches us the importance of how kids can learn remotely and get a good night’s sleep. "When it comes to teenagers and sleep, we really want to limit screen time on TV's and smartphones one hour before bed," Galler-Hodkin said. "The blue light suppressess melatonin production in the brain, making it harder to fall asleep." She says social media before bed can affect a teenager's sleep habits and create anxiety making it harder to sleep.
Lets look at how the remote work law will affect you.
The Council of Ministers will today approve a remote work law, a regulation that has been under negotiations for the last few months. The necessity for the new regulations comes due to the Covid-19 state of alarm, which forced millions of employees to carry out their professional work from home since mid March
Google will try 'hybrid' work-from-home models, as most employees don't want to come in every day
Most Google employees want to return to the office at some point, but not every day, according to a recent Google survey of its employees’ desires for post-pandemic work. The company said it is planning “hybrid” models for future work, including rearranging its offices, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in an interview with Time magazine on Wednesday. Silicon Valley companies are competing on flexible work options for existing and prospective talent.
Virtual Classrooms
Video conferencing etiquette for virtual classrooms
The expert recommendations for the best video conferencing etiquette include: Test Equipment, Adjust Lighting, When to Mute, Where to Look, Modulate your Voice, Dress Appropriately and Keep Body Movements minimal
Tips to transform your child's virtual classroom
Most students are not returning to the classroom just yet. It is a challenging time for kids and parents, but many are making the most out of a tough situation. If you are looking to spruce up your child's virtual classroom, consider buying a trifold display board. It can be purchased at Target for about $3. Hang up positive words, maps, even add a pencil pouch or caddy to keep supplies organized. Remember not to stress if you cannot perfect the latest Pinterest project. Virtual learning is new to everyone. We will get through this together! WMAR-2 News wants to see your home classrooms. Tag us on social media so we can share your tips with other parents
New York's DOE allows for Zoom classes to reach up to 70 STUDENTS
New York Public School virtual classrooms could see as many as 68 students signing onto Zoom classes, as per recently negotiated contracts from the city's Department of Education. The contracts made with the teachers union allows for remote classes to be twice the 34 student maximum for in-person classes for high school, the Wall Street Journal reports. 'I can handle a class of 25 kids online, but as it starts pushing to more and more, it becomes less manageable,' said Kirk Schneider, a teacher at the Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology in Manhattan.
Thousands of students are missing from Chicago’s virtual classrooms. Here’s the plan to find them.
Chicago Public Schools said that 49,000 students failed to log into classrooms on the first day of remote learning, a figure it has now winnowed down to fewer than 6,900 after expanded outreach efforts. The figures released at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting offer the first look at how many of Chicago’s 300,000 students the school district is still trying to contact. They are a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges that Chicago faces in connecting with students remotely. After school buildings closed in the spring, the district also reported thousands of missing students. Now, with a fresh start to the school year, officials detailed new protocols to find them, including tens of thousands of phone calls to vulnerable students, a mass flyering campaign led by Safe Passage workers, and security guards trained for home visits.
Remote teaching making it harder to identify students who need extra help
One month into the school year, Linnet Early, a social studies teacher outside St Louis, has an anxious new ritual: scanning the Zoom squares on her computer screen at the beginning of each class to see which of her sixth-grade students are missing. It is usually quite a few. “I’ll have kids gone for a week, pop in for one class the next, then miss the second class that week,” said Ms Early, who has 100 mostly low-income students spread across eight classes, all online. “It’s hard to know what their struggles are, how to wrap your arms around it.”
The kids are all right; the teachers are taking lessons
I asked my students to fill out an exit card before leaving my virtual English class today. An exit card is a brief online form, and I asked them to share one good thing that happened this week. My students related their happiness at being able to see friends again, to leave the house, to be back on a schedule, their participation in sports and activities. Reading their responses reminded me how much this pandemic has taken from the youngest and most vulnerable in our city. It was also reassuring to see that for the most part, the kids are all right. Two weeks into the craziest school year I’ve ever experienced, I can’t say the same for teachers, administrators or schools. Last year’s online teaching feels like a dress rehearsal for the tumultuous start to the 2020-2021 school year, and I’m already exhausted.
Public Policies
U.S. FDA head tells Senate hearing COVID-19 vaccine safety comes first
A top U.S. health official told a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday that he expects COVID-19 vaccinations to take place over many months and that most Americans could be vaccinated by July of 2021 at the latest. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Robert Redfield said he expects there to be about 700 million doses of vaccines available by late March or April, enough for 350 million people. “I think that’s going to take us April, May, June, you know, possibly July, to get the entire American public completely vaccinated,” Redfield told the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Keir Starmer accuses Boris Johnson of losing control of Covid crisis
Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of “pretending there isn’t a problem” with the test-and-trace system, as he claimed the prime minister had lost control of the coronavirus crisis. In a clash focused entirely on the government’s response to Covid, the Labour leader posed a series of sometimes detailed queries on the testing system. Johnson generally ignored these, instead accusing Starmer of trying to “create political opportunity” out of the pandemic. One of the more confusing exchanges during prime minister’s questions came when Starmer quizzed Johnson on his insistence in the Commons on Tuesday that the performance of test and trace had no bearing on the coronavirus rate, contrasting this with Johnson’s previous insistence that the system would be “a real game-changer”.
Covid: UK governments 'took eye off ball' on pandemic
Successive governments across the UK "took their eye off the ball" and failed to prepare for a global pandemic, despite being warned for years of the risks. That is the view of Wales' ex-chief medical officer, who led a review into the UK response to 2009's flu epidemic. Dame Deirdre Hine said there was of a "real danger" of a damaging second wave of coronavirus. Her warning comes six months after the first UK-wide lockdown was introduced. Cases are now rising again and new UK-wide restrictions are being considered, while the prospect of more local lockdowns in Wales is looming.
Covid: Scotland records highest number of new virus cases
Scotland recorded 486 new positive coronavirus tests which represented the biggest single day's number since mass testing began. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the figures were concerning, and underlined why new restrictions had been imposed. But she acknowledged many more people were being tested now than at the peak of the outbreak in mid-April. Ms Sturgeon said 224 of the new cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, with 107 in Lanarkshire and 57 in Lothian. The number of positive tests was 103 higher than the figure recorded on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in Scotland to 25,495.
Covid-19: Daily reported UK cases rise by a quarter
The number of daily reported Covid-19 cases has risen by a quarter, according to the latest UK government figures. There have been 6,178 coronavirus cases in the UK in the last 24 hours, up 1,252 since Tuesday, and 37 deaths. Yvonne Doyle, Public Health England's medical director, said it was "essential" the public followed the new measures brought in to curb the spread. Tighter restrictions were announced across the UK on Tuesday, including a 22:00 closing time for pubs in England. People are being told to work from home if they can, rules on face coverings have been expanded and the number of people allowed at weddings in England has been halved.
England's new Covid rules 'too little, too late' for the second time
Scientific advisers to the government have warned that pub curfews and other new measures in England will fail to stop the exponential spread of Covid-19, as sources confirmed that ministers have departed from their “follow the science” mantra. A member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), who did not wish to be named, told the Guardian that “the scientific advice is that stronger restrictions should apply overall”, but said a “delicate balance” had to be struck between tighter measures and achieving good compliance. The new rules, announced by Boris Johnson on Tuesday, urge people to work from home if they can, while pubs and restaurants will close at 10pm, weddings will be limited to 15 people and shop and hospitality staff will be required to wear face masks. While Scotland and Northern Ireland have banned different households from meeting indoors, England’s restrictions are more relaxed, banning only groups of more than six.
Coronavirus Victoria: CNN vindicates Dan Andrews’ controversial lockdown
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has been heckled near and far as “Dictator Dan” and mocked in editorial cartoons for turning his state into a “gulag”. But vindication for imposing some of the toughest lockdown restrictions in the world is beginning to flow as new case numbers remain low and steady, while new polling reveals a groundswell of support for the Labor leader. And the world is beginning to notice as a CNN report declared Mr Andrews’ strict shutdown the blueprint to containing the deadly coronavirus.
Germany set to declare Dublin 'at risk' due to virus
The "region of Dublin" has now been designated a "risk area" by Germany, due to the recent increase in Covid-19 infections. This designation means passengers from Dublin landing at any German airport will be required to be tested for Covid-19 and isolate until the result is known. The risk assessment is based on seven day incidences, with an infection rate above 50 per 100,000 of population triggering a testing requirement. Ireland's 14-day incidence rate of Covid-19 per 100,000 of the population has increased to 70.7.
Coronavirus UK: Wages could be 'topped up' when furlough ends
Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering replacing the furlough scheme with German-style wage subsidies to help businesses in the UK. As the furlough scheme is set to end on October 31, there are concerns companies may start cutting jobs as the country prepares for a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The chancellor was set to announce an extension of Government-backed loan schemes for those struggling – but according to sources he decided to delay it at the last minute. The sources say he is using the delay to draw up a wider support package after Boris Johnson announced tougher new lockdown measures yesterday.
France's defense chief misled nation on troops' virus safety
France’s defense minister has admitted to misleading the nation about virus protections for air force personnel who evacuated French citizens from the hard-hit Chinese city of Wuhan in January
Covid-19 New Zealand: Mask rules eased as cases drop
Face masks are no longer mandatory on public transport in most of New Zealand as Covid-19 cases continue to drop. From midnight on Wednesday, they are required only in Auckland, the heart of a recent outbreak, and on planes. The rest of New Zealand lifted all pandemic restrictions on Monday. New Zealand was widely praised for its swift response to Covid-19 and everyday life largely went back to normal in June, but the virus reappeared in Auckland in August. The country's biggest city went back into lockdown, temporarily, as other curbs were re-imposed elsewhere. New Zealand has now recorded 1,468 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 25 deaths.
Belgium eases mask rules, cuts quarantine despite rising cases
Belgium is ending a requirement to wear masks outdoors and reducing the time people have to self-isolate, in a slight easing of coronavirus restrictions announced on Wednesday despite sharply rising numbers of COVID-19 infections. Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes told a news conference that, from Oct. 1, people who have had contact with an infected person would only have to quarantine for seven days. Masks would no longer be mandatory everywhere outside, as currently the case in the capital Brussels and some other cities, she said. Masks will still have to worn in shops, cinemas, on public transport and in crowded streets.
Ukraine expects COVID-19 to peak in winter with up to 5000 new daily cases
Ukraine can expect its domestic COVID-19 epidemic to peak in winter with up to 5,000 new COVID-19 cases registered daily, Oleh Ruban, the head of State Consumer Protection Service, said in an interview with the RBK-Ukraine news site. One of the roles of the State Consumer Protection Service is to enforce sanitary rules.
Israel reports highest ever daily spike in coronavirus infections
Several days after the start of a second nationwide lockdown in Israel, the number of coronavirus infections has reached a new record high with nearly 7,000 cases. According to the health ministry’s statement on Wednesday, 6,923 new patients were recorded the day before. The previous record was reached last week, when 5,533 new cases were confirmed on a single day.
Maintaining Services
Covid-19: Health workers 'sick' with fear at thought of second wave
"The levels of anxiety amongst our staff that we may go back to what we saw in April is beyond anything I have ever experienced in over 30 years in the health service." Dr David Rosser, chief executive of the University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust, was talking to a weekly coronavirus briefing when he described seeing unprecedented levels of concern among his colleagues. And, although hospitals have outlined a number of measures put in place to support staff, some of those who worked through the first few months of the pandemic have told the BBC they felt worried, panicked and overwhelmed at the thought of facing a second wave.
Coronavirus: PM urged to explain plans for military to support police as new restrictions announced
Boris Johnson is facing demands from Labour to explain his proposal to use the Army to help support police amid the new coronavirus lockdown rules. He faces Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions just hours after his TV broadcast in which he warned of a tough crackdown if people continue to break the rules.
Madrid pleads for more doctors, police as coronavirus cases surge
Spain’s Madrid region on Wednesday requested urgent help to hire hundreds of foreign doctors and reinforce police as they registered 1,290 new coronavirus infections and considered extending a partial lockdown to more areas. Representing over a quarter of Spain’s 4,143 new cases in the past 24 hours, the capital region has been hardest hit by a second wave of COVID-19, with the number of daily deaths and infections soaring to levels not seen since May. Madrid has already restricted movement between and within some districts where about 850,000 people live since midnight on Monday.
Fourth-Largest U.S. School District to Allow Students Back in Classrooms
Students in Miami-Dade County, the fourth-largest district in the United States and the biggest school system in Florida, will be able to choose to return to their classrooms next month under a plan approved by the school board on Tuesday after a marathon two-day meeting. Students would attend classes five days a week, but families who prefer virtual learning could stick with that option. About half of the district’s families chose remote learning when selecting an option this summer
Argentina: Provincial healthcare strained as COVID cases spread
From the capital city and into the provinces – the coronavirus makes its way relentlessly across Argentina. Even though Argentina was one of the first countries to impose a lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, infections continue to rise. Recorded cases have passed 630,000 as COVID-19 spreads from the capital Buenos Aires into the provinces. Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo reports from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Healthcare Innovations
Children May Be Less Likely Than Adults to Have Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2
As schools reopen around the world, infectious diseases experts have focused on better understanding the risk of children being asymptomatic spreaders of SARS-CoV-2. A new research letter by investigators in Italy suggests that risk may not be as high as some have feared. The retrospective analysis, published in JAMA Pediatrics, looked at emergency department patients hospitalized during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown from March 1 to April 30 at one hospital in Milan.
China's BGI wins 1.5 million coronavirus test kit order from Ethiopia
Ethiopia has agreed to purchase 1.5 million coronavirus testing kits that will be manufactured at a factory in the African country that has been newly built by China's BGI Group, China's state media agency Xinhua said late on Tuesday.
A Kid's Covid Vaccine Isn't Coming Anytime Soon
Parents, brace yourselves: You may be able to get a coronavirus vaccine by next summer, but your kids will have to wait longer — perhaps a lot longer. While a number of vaccines for adults are in advanced clinical trials, there are currently no trials in the United States to determine whether they’re safe and effective for children. “ I’m pretty worried that we won’t have a vaccine available for kids by the start of next school year,” said Dr. Evan Anderson, aprofessor at the Emory University School of Medicine.
How close is a coronavirus vaccine?
In total there are more than 300 vaccine candidates, according to the World Health Organization: roughly 40 are being tested on humans, and only nine of those have reached the final stage before possible implementation — phase 3 trials. One of the nine vaccines is being developed in the UK by AstraZeneca at Oxford university; two of the most advanced US candidates come from pharmaceutical company Pfizer, in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech, and Moderna; four vaccines are being produced in China by Sinovac Biotech, CanSino Biologics and Sinopharm, which has two different shots in development; and one is being led by US multinational Johnson & Johnson. A Russian vaccine produced by the Gamaleya Research Institute entered phase 3 this month. All nine have already signed purchase agreements with governments around the world.
Covid-19: UK volunteers could be given virus to test vaccine
The UK could be the first country in the world to carry out Covid "challenge trials" - where healthy volunteers are deliberately infected with coronavirus to test possible vaccines. It is understood the studies - first reported by the Financial Times - would be conducted in London. The UK government said it was holding discussions about developing a vaccine through such "human challenge studies". No contracts have yet been signed, the BBC understands.
London coronavirus: Imperial College London scientist reveals when Covid-19 vaccine could be ready
A top London professor has revealed more information about when a coronavirus vaccination could be ready. Professor Robin Shattock, the lead for Imperial College London's Covid-19 vaccine, updated the European Parliament on Tuesday (September 22) on the progress of his team's vaccine. He said that human volunteers seem to be 'responding well' to the vaccine and they are aiming to launch a large 20,000 person trial by the end of this year.
Coronavirus: Imperial vaccine could be approved by mid-2021
A coronavirus vaccine being developed by Imperial College London could be approved for use by the middle of next year, an expert has said. Professor Robin Shattock, who is leading the university’s COVID-19 vaccine effort, told the European Parliament trials are showing promising results. He said human volunteers seem to be “responding well” to the vaccine and the aim is to launch a large 20,000-person trial before the end of the year.
One-dose COVID-19 vaccine tested as US experts say no corners cut
“We feel cautiously optimistic that we will be able to have a safe and effective vaccine, although there is never a guarantee of that,” Dr Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health, told a Senate committee. But President Donald Trump is pushing for a shorter timeline than many experts say is adequate to fully test the candidates. On Wednesday he tweeted a link to news about the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine study and said the Food and Drug Administration “must move quickly!” “President Trump is still trying to sabotage the work of our scientists and public health experts for his own political ends,” Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington state, said before ticking off examples of pressure on the FDA. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said career scientists, not politicians, will decide whether any coronavirus vaccine meets clearly stated standards that it works and is safe.