"Connecting Communities for COVID19 News" 17th Apr 2020
Isolation Tips
Tips on how to cope with social distancing from people isolating in China, Italy, and US
Vox spoke with people from across the world who’ve been isolating for months. For those in other countries, many of their anxieties felt different from those facing most Americans, about 12 to 13 percent of which are currently unemployed. Italy, for instance, has frozen layoffs, and South Korea boasts labor laws that make it hard for companies to fire people in large numbers. In much of China, life looked close to normal as far back as late February. Those sorts of protections are not available to the same degree in countries like the U.S.
Coronavirus: How to stay physically active during self-quarantine with no equipment
This guidance is intended for people in self-quarantine without any symptoms or diagnosis of acute respiratory illness. It should not replace medical guidance in case of any health condition. WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or a combination of both. These recommendations can still be achieved even at home, with no special equipment and with limited space. The following are some tips on how to stay active and reduce sedentary behavior while at home in self-quarantine:
Best Tips To De-Stress While In Self-Isolation Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Stress and anxiety can affect us all, but food and drinks are not the only way to raise your spirits higher even when you are holing yourself up at home for weeks to lessen the likelihood of getting infected by the virus. The good news is there are expert-recommended tips that you can apply to de-stress yourself while self-isolating without affecting your overall health in the long run. Here are some, via Healthista:
5 Tips to Contain Anxiety and Fear During Coronavirus Quarantine
Stress and anxiety consume much of our time, and while there are many things that we cannot control during this unprecedented time, some of the following strategies are things we can control, and thus may make this time a little more bearable, and even valuable.
Coronavirus: Astronaut Helen Sharman shares isolation coping strategies
Many of the methods she used to get through her time in space, nearly three decades ago, are being echoed now, as - like most people - the 56-year-old spends more time than usual at home. For Dr Sharman, that is in west London. "The main difference is that [in space] we had some element of choice that we went there, we chose our isolation, but nonetheless we were with our crewmates in a small environment and not able to go out when we wanted," she said. "Think about what you can do, rather than what you can't," said Dr Sharman, who became the first woman to visit the space station Mir.
Hygiene Helpers
Where Schools Reopen, Distancing and Disinfectant Are the New Coronavirus Routine
This week, Denmark became the first European country to reopen schools after over a month in lockdown. About half of elementary schools in the country are now open and others will follow, operating under strict rules aimed at limiting the risk of infections among children.
An open letter on coronavirus from a supermarket worker
Food shopping is not a substitute for a day out. You do not need to bring your other half or your entire family (single parents of young and/or disabled children excepted). We're putting ourselves at risk so you can carry out your ESSENTIAL food shopping, not treat our place of work like a leisure park. So please be kind, keep your distance, and stay home where possible. Behind the namebadge is a person with worries, hidden health conditions, and loved ones we are trying to protect - while also protecting you.
Homemade face masks Vox readers created for coronavirus
There has been a great deal of confusion about mask guidelines since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but current direction from the CDC indicates that everyone should be wearing a facial covering in certain public settings. While homemade masks are not as protective as N95s nor surgical masks, evidence suggests they are better than going without, and even better than a simple bandana, and you can make your own, even if you don’t have a sewing machine. As a result, people around the world are making masks for themselves and others.
Community Activities
Dozens Of Ways You Can Help Northwest Communities During The Coronavirus Pandemic
As we try our best to adjust to this new normal, there are still safe ways to help the people around us in trying times. Here’s how you can lend a hand to a neighbor in need
11 Ways to Donate to Those Affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic
There’s one safe way to offer relief to those most affected by COVID-19: online donations. (If it’s an option for you, don’t forget to consider paying housekeepers, childcare professionals, and other domestic workers, even if they’re not able to work at the moment safely.) And now that many Americans are receiving stimulus checks, a lot of us are looking for ways to assist others if we can spare the funds. Below, find a roundup of worthy organizations you can donate to from the safety of home.
£450,000 raised in first month of Somerset Coronavirus Appeal
THE Somerset Coronavirus Appeal, launched by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), has grown to over £450,000 since its launch just a month ago on Thursday 19 March [correct as at 16/04/2020]. The appeal raises money to fund local charities and community organisations supporting those in most urgent need during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, and donations have come from local individuals, charitable trusts and businesses. The Somerset Coronavirus Appeal has also been boosted by over £150,000 from a national appeal, run by The National Emergencies Trust (NET).
Coronavirus in Mira Bhayandar: Corporation teams up with social groups to establish community kitchens for migrant workers
With an emphasis on proper hygiene and quality control, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has teamed up with local social organizations and individuals to establish community kitchens at the ward level to ensure that the poor and needy do not remain hungry, during the nationwide lockdown period to mitigate the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus in the twin-city.
Watch: Health workers and patients in a coronavirus ward at a hospital in Beirut were given a special musical serenade, as musicians performed as they were lifted into the air by a giant elevator
Watch: Health workers and patients in a coronavirus ward at a hospital in Beirut were given a special musical serenade, as musicians performed as they were lifted into the air by a giant elevator
April 17th Westminster Bridge - essential service workers like the police lead the applause for the NHS
April 17th Westminster Bridge - essential service workers like the police lead the applause for the NHS
Hayley Wickenheiser, Ryan Reynolds and Calgary Flames encourage donations to local PPE drive
An organization backed by Canadian hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser and actor Ryan Reynolds is staging a donation drive in Calgary on Saturday to collect personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-line health workers battling the pandemic. Conquer COVID-19 has been drumming up support for health-care workers across the country by gathering PPE and other essentials needed for treating patients and minimizing the spread of the novel coronavirus. The group is organizing donation drives in several Canadian cities, including Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria.
Clap for Carers: PM joins applause for health workers as he continues coronavirus recovery
It is now the fourth week since the country started applauding those treating COVID-19 patients in hospitals and care homes, after the idea went viral on social media at the start of the coronavirus lockdown. Mr Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds said she was "clapping harder than ever tonight for our carers. You are the best of Britain". She also paid tribute to Captain Tom Moore, 99, who has raised more than £15m for an NHS charity by walking 100 laps around his garden.
Working Remotely
Coronavirus: Parliament agrees 'historic' plan for virtual House of Commons
Decision-makers agree plan to allow 120 MPs to take part in virtual proceedings.
Number of MPs physically present in House of Commons will be capped at 50.
Digital Commons will initially apply to questioning ministers and statements.
But if it works it could be extended to allow debate on new laws and motions
Staying on task while working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic
I've been working from home for the last six weeks since the coronavirus began to spread in New York. In that time, I've shifted workspaces from my kitchen to my tiny bedroom in my New York apartment to my mom's house in Austin, Texas. I've been reading up on the best ways to stay on task and be productive, especially while working from home, and putting the tips into action. After six weeks of working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic, here are my seven tips for how to stay on task while working from home.
How will coronavirus change offices? Think new seating, more cleaning and hands-free tech
When people start coming back to the office, what will the post-pandemic workspace look like? Think new seating arrangements and stronger cleaning protocols, architects and designers say.
66% of U.S. Employees Are Working Remotely at Least Part-Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Two-thirds of employees are currently working remotely at least part of the work week as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from Clutch, a B2B ratings and reviews platform. Clutch found that 44% of all workers are currently working from home 5 or more days per week, up from 17% before the pandemic. Just 34% of workers aren't working remotely at all during the pandemic, likely a direct result of most states only allowing essential out-of-home work or a reflection of workers who have been laid off.
Virtual Classrooms
Homeschooling during the coronavirus pandemic could change education forever, says the OECD
Around the world, schools in over 100 countries are closed to protect against the spread of coronavirus, affecting the education of nearly 1 billion children. For the lucky ones, homeschooling will take the place of the classroom.
Coronavirus school closures could lead to greater global collaboration
Matt Jenner, Head of Learning at FutureLearn, discusses how edtech can help support schools and teachers during closures and the opportunities it could bring for greater global collaboration and innovation for the education sector post-COVID-19
Public Policies
Coronavirus: Govt reveals five things that need to happen before lockdown is lifted
Amid growing pressure to reveal details of an exit plan, Mr Raab revealed there are five factors that the government "must be satisfied of" before measures can be relaxed. They are:
When will the UK lockdown end? The four potential exit strategies
During a Downing Street press conference on 16 April, Dominic Raab, deputising for Boris Johnson, said that the lockdown measures will remain in place for "at least" three more weeks. The Foreign Secretary urged the British public to be patient during this time. He said: "The worst thing that we can do right now is to ease up too soon, and allow a second peak of the virus to hit the NHS and hit the British people. "It would be the worst outcome not just for public health but for the economy and for our country as a whole."...
Only victory in Africa can end the pandemic everywhere
We must instate an immediate moratorium on all bilateral and multilateral debt payments, both public and private, until the pandemic has passed. To support this process and provide additional liquidity for the procurement of basic commodities and essential medical supplies, the IMF must decide immediately on the allocation of special drawing rights. We also ask that all of Africa’s development partners ringfence their development aid budgets.
Maintaining Services
GPs develop advice on remote consultations for COVID-19
GPonline has reported in recent weeks that doctors in some areas are now delivering as many as 95% of consultations with patients online or via phone calls - a complete reversal from pre-pandemic times when less than 15% of consultations were delivered in this way across England. The guidance, drawn up by NHS GPs who work for digital healthcare provider LIVI, comes as NHS England published updated advice for general practice on switching to a 'total triage' model during the COVID-19 pandemic
This Is Special Education Schooling During Coronavirus for N.Y.C. Children
Parents and educators have embarked on a desperate scramble to avoid dire academic outcomes for some of the city’s most vulnerable students.
Healthcare Innovations
Gilead data suggests coronavirus patients are responding to treatment
A Chicago hospital treating severe Covid-19 patients with Gilead Sciences’ antiviral medicine remdesivir in a closely watched clinical trial is seeing rapid recoveries in fever and respiratory symptoms, with nearly all patients discharged in less than a week, STAT has learned. Remdesivir was one of the first medicines identified as having the potential to impact SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19, in lab tests. The entire world has been waiting for results from Gilead’s clinical trials, and positive results would likely lead to fast approvals by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies. If safe and effective, it could become the first approved treatment against the disease.
Oxford University to begin tests of its coronavirus vaccine on humans NEXT WEEK in hope of having a jab ready for autumn
Oxford's vaccine programme has already recruited 510 people, aged between 18 and 55, to take part in the first trial. They will receive either the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine - which has been developed in Oxford - or a control injection for comparison. Professor Adrian Hill, who will lead the research, said: 'We are going into human trials next week. We have tested the vaccine in several different animal species. 'We have taken a fairly cautious approach, but a rapid one to assess the vaccine that we are developing.'
Hyped Malaria Pill Doesn’t Help Clear Coronavirus in Study
Hydroxychloroquine, the 65-year-old malaria drug that President Donald Trump has praised, appeared not to help patients get rid of the pathogen in a small study. The pill didn’t help patients clear the virus better than standard care and was much more likely to cause side effects, according to a study of 150 hospitalized patients by doctors at 16 centers in China. The research, which hasn’t been peer-reviewed, was released Tuesday.
COVID 19: Halix ready for vaccine production
Dutch CDMO HALIX B.V. has joined a research consortium coordinated by the University of Oxford, to provide GMP-compliant production of Vaccitech Ltd’s COVID-19 vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) targeting the viral spike protein, which is clinically developed by the University’s Jenner Institute. The clinical program, led by Professor Sarah Gilbert at the Jenner Institute and Professor Andrew Pollard of the Oxford Vaccine Group, will recruit up to 510 volunteers, who will receive either the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or a control injection for comparison. Since March 23, 2020, The University of Oxford is recruiting individuals in the UK to take part in trialing the vaccine.
MilliporeSigma Supports Jenner Institute to Reach First Milestone in Covid-19 Vaccine Manufacturing
MilliporeSigma and The Jenner Institute today announced that The Jenner Institute has laid the foundation for large-scale production of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. With patients enrolled for clinical trials for this vaccine, rapid development of the large-scale manufacturing process is a critical step in quickly and safely delivering it from the lab to patients. "We have brought the future of vaccine manufacturing to the present," said Udit Batra, CEO, MilliporeSigma. "This is an important step in treating Covid-19 and other diseases that impact global public health. This work marks a milestone in the vaccine manufacturing development journey, as clinical testing continues to advance."
