
" Connecting Communities for COVID19 News" 1st Jul 2020
Isolation Tips
The Covid-19 changes that could last long-term
From the extinction of the daily commute to transforming our relationship with food, Covid-19 is changing our world already – and in some ways, it looks set to get better.
UK's mental health has deteriorated during lockdown, says Mind
Lockdown has been devastating for mental health and the worst could be yet to come, a leading charity has said. The mental health charity Mind says a survey has revealed that lockdown has had a dramatic impact on the nation’s mental health, warning that unless action is taken now, the problem could grow. “Overall there has been a deterioration in people’s mental health, regardless of whether they had the mental health problem before [lockdown],” said Megan Pennell, the parliamentary and campaigns manager at Mind. The charity said the government must take urgent action not just to address immediate need but to invest in services and put safety nets in place for the future, noting stressors including unemployment and housing problems were set to worsen.
Hygiene Helpers
WHO warns coronavirus pandemic is speeding up as countries ease lockdown rules: 'The worst is yet to come'
“Although many countries have made some progress, globally, the pandemic is actually speeding up,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a virtual news conference.
The virus has infected more than 10.1 million people around the world and killed at least 502,634 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
“The single most important intervention is ... tracing and quarantine contacts,” he said. “Six months since the virus started, it could be like a broken record to say exactly the same thing, but the same thing works. Test, test, isolate, quarantine cases.”
'Don't relax': NSW's biggest threat is not Victoria, it's bravado, Premier says
Melbourne's coronavirus hotspots will be put back into lockdown from Wednesday in a desperate effort to contain an outbreak of the deadly disease as Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned NSW's biggest threat was not Victoria but increasing complacency within its own borders. The extraordinary steps taken in Victoria, which include a request to divert all international flights from Melbourne for the next fortnight, came on the same day Queensland announced it would reopen its borders to the rest of the country with the exception of Victoria, and the next phase of COVID-19 restrictions were eased in NSW.
Coronavirus: Australia's health experts 'very concerned' about Victorian COVID-19 outbreak
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd has said Victoria's outbreak is a "national problem", and the Commonwealth will supply 800 additional people to help conduct a testing blitz in the state's hotspots. The additional force will be comprised of 200 clinical staff to carry out testing, 100 people for door knocking and community engagement and 500 people who will assist with contact tracing.
India's Modi warns of coronavirus 'negligence' as some cities extend lockdowns
India’s prime minister on Tuesday warned citizens against flouting rules to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, as he extended a vast social security scheme until November. Several Indian cities prepared to extend their lockdowns to combat the spread of the infection on Tuesday, with daily new cases in the country remaining close to 20,000. “Ever since (easing of restrictions) started in the country, negligence in personal and social behaviour has been increasing,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address, adding citizens were ignoring guidelines on social distancing and hand washing. Under pressure for leaving the poor to fend for themselves early in a stringent lockdown that began in March, Modi also announced the extension of a scheme providing free food grains to 800 million Indians, at a cost of around $12 billion.
Coronavirus lockdown 'avoided thousands of deaths' in Scotland
A study has suggested between 7,000 and 40,000 people could have died from coronavirus in Scotland if the country had not gone into lockdown. Scientists have tried to estimate would have happened if Scotland had copied the approach taken in Sweden, where a lockdown was not imposed. Rowland Kao, a professor of epidemiology and data science at Edinburgh University, led the team which carried out the research for BBC Scotland. He said: "An obvious question to ask is if Scotland had done something similar to Sweden, would we have had a similar outcome without all the restrictions." Although there was no lockdown, Sweden relied on voluntary social distancing, banning gatherings of more than 50 people and halting visits to elderly care homes. "We took the relative amount of transmission going on in Sweden, translated that over to Scotland and looked at what the resultant number of deaths would have been had we taken that approach."
American Lockdown Exceptionalism
As the number of Covid-19 cases starts to rise again in many states, the question is whether residents of those states will tolerate another lockdown. I used to think so, but it is increasingly clear that Americans have become comfortable with a remarkably high number of casualties. There is a mechanism of social conformity at work here. Most people will not tolerate a small risk to their lives to dine out, for instance — but they might if all their friends are doing the same. The appeal of a restaurant isn’t just the food, it’s the shared experience and the sense that others are doing it, too. The danger lies in the potential for ratchet effects. If hardly anyone is eating out or going to bars, you might be able to endure the deprivation. But once others have started doing something, you will probably feel compelled to join them, even at greater risk to your life. Consider that in the 1920s, the chance of catching a disease or infection from dining out was pretty high, but people still went out. Accepting that level of risk was simply considered to be part of life, because everyone saw that everyone else was doing it. In similar fashion, members of an infantry brigade are usually willing to charge an enemy position so long as they can be assured that all their comrades are, too.
Those told to self-isolate will face $5K fine if they do not: KFL&A Public Health
KFL&A Public Health has issued a second novel coronavirus-related public health order, allowing public health officials to fine any person in the region who has not been isolating after being ordered to.
Bavaria's free COVID-19 test for all splits Germany
The state of Bavaria approved plans on Tuesday for universal testing for COVID-19, prompting debate elsewhere in Germany about whether to follow suit or stick with the current targeted approach to prevent a possible second wave of infections. Germany has successfully managed to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control with far fewer deaths than most other large European nations despite relatively softer lockdown measures that allowed some social and economic life to continue. But an outbreak this month at an abattoir in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia affecting more than 1,500 workers has forced a lockdown for 600,000 people and raised fears that Germany remains vulnerable despite its early success. Under current rules, free tests are available for people who have symptoms such as fever and Germany’s 16 states carry out frequent tests among high-risk groups in, for example, retirement homes, hospitals and daycare centres.
Researchers hope for less invasive coronavirus test before pupils return to school in September
Experts hope to have a less invasive coronavirus test that does not require a swab of the throat by the time schools in England fully reopen in September. Helen Ward, professor of public health at the School of Public Health, Imperial College London, said that as lockdown measures are eased, and local outbreaks become possible, communication about the transmission of the virus needs to become more nuanced. She added that a "key question" is whether rapid detection of Covid-19 will be in place ahead of a possible surge in infections when schools reopen in September and universities return in October.
If Americans keep ignoring COVID-19 safety precautions, we'll have to shut down. Again.
As I was riding my bicycle around Manhattan last weekend, I encountered too many disturbing examples of people in denial, and not just against COVID-19. While almost all the cyclists wore masks, few wore helmets — as though to say they were only capable of one health safety action at a time. Most of the pedestrians did not wear masks at all and, worse, were huddling close together. At the outdoor restaurants I passed, the waiters wore cloth masks but none of the customers did, as though they believed the myth that this virus could not be spread outside. This was not a city with a consistent protective response against the potential resurgence of COVID-19, but rather one rejoicing in the good weather and having broken free of the restrictions of the past three months. Unfortunately, the viral storm could return here at any time. We are doing well in New York, with only 1% of those tested coming back positive, but things are far worse in the South and West, with almost 15% of Texans and nearly 16% of Floridians who are tested receiving positive results.
Community Activities
Unable to meet in person, nonprofit creates online hub for students with disabilities
Before COVID-19 came into the picture, Abilities Unlimited’s summer pre-employment classes were held in classrooms full of high school students with disabilities. This summer, the non-profit switched to a virtual classroom. "With COVID-19 it's a little bit different this year," program director Melissa Gerber said.
Abilities' summer session helps the students prepare for the working world.
Hospital bosses 'warned to prepare for A&Es to be like New Year’s Eve’ on July 4 as pubs open on ‘Super Saturday’
Health bosses have urged hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments to prepare for patient numbers “similar to that of New Year’s Eve” when pubs and bars reopen this weekend. Thousands of drinking establishments and restaurants will open for customers for the first time in three months on July 4, on what is being dubbed ‘Super Saturday’. Sunshine and warm temperatures are forecast across large parts of the country at the weekend. The Standard has seen a letter sent on Friday by a regional NHS England director to hospital trusts' chief operating officers urging them to “ensure that your demand/activity planning reflects a busy weekend, with peaks in activity into the evenings similar to that of New Year’s Eve”.
Fake contact tracing part of 'rapidly evolving' coronavirus fraud, U.S. DOJ warns
Scammers are posing as COVID-19 contact tracers as a way to steal personal information, three major U.S. government agencies said on Tuesday, describing “rapidly evolving” fraud related to the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services and Federal Trade Commission warned that fake contact tracers were asking for money and trying to collect social security numbers, bank and credit card information from individuals.
Germany: Coronavirus solidarity is on the wane but not gone
A few months ago, most people in Germany agreed with the countrywide coronavirus restrictions imposed on daily life. Are they now losing their community spirit? Not necessarily, say experts.
Working Remotely
Teleworking tips for coping during COVID-19
If your office is closed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, you might be working from home for the first time. While teleworking can offer many benefits, teleworking during the pandemic poses unique challenges. Consider these tips for maintaining work-life balance and avoiding professional isolation while social distancing.
‘Death of the office’ exaggerated despite homeworking boom
The Covid-19 lockdown has forced millions of employees to adapt to working remotely, with the trend expected to continue well after the pandemic subsidies. More than half of US adults want to work from home permanently, according to an IBM survey, while three-quarters would like to at least occasionally swap the office chair for the kitchen stool. Companies such as Facebook and Twitter are moving towards making working from home the norm — a shift enabled by artificial intelligence-driven telecommuting. “The web has given us unprecedented access to information and knowledge that we struggle to process,” says Carl Benedikt Frey of Oxford university’s Future of Work programme. “When we perform a Google search, for example, AI is getting increasingly good at filtering down the best ideas, which was previously a key function of in-person interactions. In the future, it might also serve to match innovators and potential collaborators at distance.”
Virtual Classrooms
From classroom to virtual lessons, Covid turns teachers tech-savvy
A majority of teachers were not familiar with gadgets or online classes, but now they have learnt a lot about e-learning techniques and strategies to keep their students engaged. Some of them have learnt from their children, while a few have gained knowledge from their colleagues. Rashmi Chaudhary, an English teacher of Dyal Singh Public School, main branch, said she was not familiar with gadgets and it was a bit challenging. “Covid has taught us a lot. We became tech-savvy, while earlier we were limited to receiving calls or dialing the number,” she added. Randhir Singh (48), a commerce teacher of Tagore Bal Niketan, said he had little knowledge of technology, but now he learnt a lot more from his children and was using all apps for online teaching. “It was a Herculean task for me to get updated, but I tried my best and now I can operate the gadgets being used in online classes,” he added.
CSUN Classes To Be Held Largely Online For Fall Semester
Most fall semester classes at Cal State Northridge will be held online under a newly adopted plan called CSUN as One, university officials announced Tuesday.
“We call our plan ‘CSUN as One’ because, whether learning and working on-campus or virtually, CSUN is united in providing students with a transformative educational experience that prepares then for the challenges and opportunities of the world in which they will live and lead,” Dianne F. Harrison, CSUN president, said.
Coronavirus: Half of pupils not engaging remotely
About half of pupils in some post-primary year groups did not take part in remote learning after schools closed in March. Some primary schools, meanwhile, said parents wanted hard copies of work due to concerns children would become "screen saturated". That is according to an Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) report. Meanwhile, a scheme to provide pupils with laptops has seen demand exceed the number of available computers. The ETI sought the views of principals and heads of departments on the challenges posed by remote learning for both pupils and schools.
Florida governor vetoes budget for online learning amid pandemic
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vetoed the budget for a package of online education programs that have played key roles for students and educators during the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis’s veto, issued Monday, killed the $29.4 million budget for the Complete Florida Plus Program, which provides online platforms that have become more prominent as students and teachers adopt distance learning. Among other programs, the veto will scrap a database of online courses and an online library service. Over 2,000 adult students could lose their scholarships, and roughly 150 employees in Tallahassee, Gainesville and Pensacola could lose their jobs, according to Politico. Complete Florida will go offline at midnight without any new sources of funding, meaning that library databases, among other tools, would become unavailable in the middle of the college summer semester.
Delhi schools to re-open virtually from tomorrow, say prepared to tackle online classes
With coronavirus cases continuing to rise in India, the central government has not yet allowed schools to reopen campuses to students.
Public Policies
Coronavirus: EU to allow in visitors from 15 'safe' countries
The EU has decided that from Wednesday EU borders will be reopened to citizens from 15 non-EU countries, including Canada, Morocco and Australia, but not the US, Brazil and Russia. China is on the list, but subject to a reciprocal agreement, still pending. The unanimous decision by the European Council is not legally binding, so states can choose not to open up to all those countries. Diplomats spent five days debating the list, amid varying pandemic concerns. The so-called "safe travel destinations" are, besides China: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The UK and four other non-EU states - Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - are automatically included as "safe".
As EU prepares to reopen borders, Spanish experts stress importance of coronavirus safety measures
The European Union agreed on Monday to open its borders to a list of 15 countries, which have reciprocal deals with the EU and are considered safe due to their epidemiological situation. Under the agreement, which needs to be approved by a majority of the 27-member bloc, travel to and from the following countries will be permitted from July 1: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Japan, Georgia, Morocco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The list also includes China, but only if visitors from the EU receive reciprocal treatment, given that is one of the conditions for reopening. We should not be guided by whether there are active outbreaks, but rather whether they are controlled
No countrywide lockdown but concentrated confinements to deal with new Covid-19 outbreaks, says Spain’s Health Minister
Concetrated confinements rather than another countrywide lockdown is the way to deal with new Covid-19 outbreaks, believes Spain’s Health Minister Salvador Illa.
The minister said he is inclined towards “surgical” lockdowns of specific localities, buildings or companies, assuming the relevant regional governments are of the same opinion. According to Illa a second wave of the virus in Spain is avoidable if society acts responsibly. If it does happen, he believes it will be “less intense and smaller scale,” mainly because the country’s health system is, in his view, better prepared. At the same time, he said it was necessary to work on the basis of the worst possible scenario occurring.
Coronavirus crisis deepens in US as restrictions return and cities go back into lockdown
The US state of Arizona has shut down bars, movie theatres, gyms and water parks, while leaders in several US states have ordered residents to wear masks in public. The moves are a dramatic policy shift amid an alarming resurgence of coronavirus cases nationwide. California has ordered bars in Los Angeles and six other counties to close as the city emerges as a new epicentre in the pandemic.
Facebook launches initiative to crackdown on covid 'misinformation', all the times UK health chiefs sowed confusion with U-turns over ibuprofen, the two-metre rule and face masks
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said 'clarity is in short supply' in the UK. Officials have flipped stances on essential travel and international quarantine. One Leicester MP said messaging on social distancing is 'at best confusing.'
Jacinda Ardern says opening New Zealand border too quickly would be ‘dangerous’
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has responded forcefully after copping criticism of her government’s coronavirus border policies from both sides. The country’s Opposition leader Todd Muller says keeping its current border restrictions in place over the long term is “simply untenable” and will leave New Zealand “on its knees”. “The New Zealand strategy cannot be that we stay locked up until everybody else gets to zero or we have a vaccine. This country would be on its knees if that was the case,” Mr Muller said during a speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday. “Just because (the virus) is present in a country shouldn’t mean that nobody from that country has the capacity to visit this country.
“We’ve got to be able to imagine a different engagement with the world than that.”
Meanwhile, some parts of the New Zealand media, foremost among them Newshub host Duncan Garner, actually want restrictions tightened.
Covid-19 lockdown sees many young Kiwi children fall behind on vaccine schedule
Doctors' clinics in New Zealand are struggling to get children their routine vaccinations after Covid-19 lockdown saw many missing appointments and falling behind in their immunisation schedule. Some GP clinics still haven’t been able to get in touch with families who missed out, leaving doctors around the country worried about the potential fallout. Vicky Maiave, a Turuki Healthcare nurse in South Auckland, says her clinic had a lot of phone calls from families asking if they could bring their babies to get vaccinated, and despite them saying yes, they all chose not to. Home visit offers have also been turned down. “Mums who have had babies over the Covid period have chosen not to come in and get their babies vaccinated because of the fear of bringing their baby out." Children in New Zealand get injections for diseases such as chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella and whooping cough as early as six weeks old to four years.
Uruguay’s Covid success: ‘We cannot cry victory just yet’
In contrast, in far smaller Uruguay — which is also favoured by a low population density and much lower inequality and poverty — only 25 people have died of coronavirus, with just two deaths in the last month. “We cannot cry victory just yet. We have to stay alert,” said Daniel Salinas, Uruguay’s health minister. Last month, President Luis Lacalle Pou was briefly quarantined before testing negative for Covid-19 after meeting with an infected official from the town of Rivera on the border with Brazil, where the death toll has spiralled above 50,000. Most agree that Uruguay’s strong public health system has helped it combat the pandemic. After 15 years of rule by the centre-left Broad Front coalition that invested heavily in the health sector, Uruguay has one of the highest numbers of hospital beds per inhabitant in Latin America.
States Pause Plans to Reopen as Cases Soar
54,000 deaths in the U.S. were linked to nursing homes. A top C.D.C. official warned, “We are not even beginning to be over this.” At least 95 people who visited a Michigan bar have tested positive.
China puts 500,000 in Wuhan-style lockdown after spike in coronavirus cases
China has once again implemented tough restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19 after cases suddenly rose. The nation, where the virus originated, had largely brought the pandemic under control but hundreds have now been infected in Beijing and cases have emerged in neighbouring Hebei province in recent weeks. Health officials said Sunday Anxin county – about 90 miles from Beijing – will be ‘fully enclosed and controlled’, the same strict measures imposed at the height of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan earlier this year. Only one person from each family will be allowed to go out once a day to purchase necessities such as food and medicine, the county’s epidemic prevention task force said in a statement.
Daily coronavirus cases in India near 20,000 as Mumbai extends lockdown
India reported close to 20,000 fresh novel coronavirus cases for the second day running on Monday, as the financial hub of Mumbai extended its lockdown by a month. There were 19,459 new cases reported in the previous 24 hours, according to data from India’s federal Health Ministry released on Monday. That is down slightly from Sunday’s record of 19,906, but still sign cases in the country are yet to subside. India lags only the United States, Brazil and Russia in total cases. More than 16,000 have now died from the disease caused by the virus since the first case in India in January — low when compared to countries with similar numbers of cases. But experts fear its hospitals will be unable to cope with a steep rise in cases.
Maintaining Services
If Americans keep ignoring COVID-19 safety precautions, we'll have to shut down. Again.
As I was riding my bicycle around Manhattan last weekend, I encountered too many disturbing examples of people in denial, and not just against COVID-19. While almost all the cyclists wore masks, few wore helmets — as though to say they were only capable of one health safety action at a time. Most of the pedestrians did not wear masks at all and, worse, were huddling close together. At the outdoor restaurants I passed, the waiters wore cloth masks but none of the customers did, as though they believed the myth that this virus could not be spread outside. This was not a city with a consistent protective response against the potential resurgence of COVID-19, but rather one rejoicing in the good weather and having broken free of the restrictions of the past three months. Unfortunately, the viral storm could return here at any time. We are doing well in New York, with only 1% of those tested coming back positive, but things are far worse in the South and West, with almost 15% of Texans and nearly 16% of Floridians who are tested receiving positive results.
How schools across the globe are reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic
Each morning before Chengbao Shang leaves for school in Guangzhou, China, his parents take the 7-year-old’s temperature and send the results to his teacher using a program on WeChat, the popular Chinese social media platform. It’s the same for every student in this city of more than 15 million. Chengbao’s father then drives him to school and drops him off 20 yards away from the campus. Chengbao, a first-grade student, gets his temperature taken again when he approaches the front gate of the school, this time by security guards. He and his classmates enter one-by-one, walking about three feet apart. He then goes to his classroom, where 51 students sit at their own desks, also three feet from their closest classmates.
Nome Staff & Students Expected to Wear Masks At School Starting in the Fall
NPS Superintendent Jamie Burgess told the Nome school board last week [June 23rd], the upcoming school year will include measures like wearing PPE and even under-going daily temperature screenings. Burgess knows that will be an adjustment for many students and that some families won’t be comfortable with the idea. NPS will try to make masks available for free to help students who can’t or won’t come in with their own mask every day.
Venezuela Tightens Quarantine in COVID-19 Hotspots amid Record Daily Case Count
The Venezuelan government has toughened lockdown measures in hotspot localities as the COVID-19 pandemic picks up. Starting Monday, 30 percent of the country will return to a strict quarantine after a month of easing restrictions , in which a range of enterprises were allowed to reopen across the country on a week-on-week-off basis, including banks, hardware stores and dentists.
Derbyshire among areas in England at risk of 'local lockdown' as coronavirus cases spike
Derbyshire is one of 36 areas in the England experiencing spikes in coronavirus cases as ‘local lockdowns’ are discussed in parliament to target locations where the disease appears to be most prevalent.
Thailand to ease nightlife lockdown, allow some entry to foreigners
Thailand's nightlife will restart with some restrictions this week, the kingdom announced Monday, part of a return to normalcy as it prepares to welcome business travellers and medical tourists after a ban on foreign entry. So far Thailand has 3,169 cases and 58 deaths from the coronavirus -- a low toll considering the kingdom in mid-January became was the first country outside China to register a case. But the country's tourism-reliant economy has been hit hard by the border closures, while a halt to its infamous nightlife has left the kingdom's informal workers -- in bars, massage parlours, and karaoke lounges -- adrift.
Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha said the "most at-risk businesses" will be allowed to reopen from Wednesday, as there has been no local transmission of the virus for more than a month.
Healthcare Innovations
40% of virus carriers in Italian town show no symptoms: study
More than 40 percent of people diagnosed with COVID-19 in one Italian town showed no signs of being ill, according to research published Tuesday indicating that asymptomatic carriers may be significant spreaders of the virus. The authors said their research showed how important mass testing and isolating carriers was in containing clusters of the virus. The town of Vo, population 3,200, registered Italy's first death from the disease in late February. It was immediately placed in a two-week lockdown, during which researchers were able to test more than 85 percent of the population for COVID-19. They found that 2.3 percent of Vo was infected at the beginning of quarantine, compared with 1.2 percent at the end of lockdown, and that more than 40 percent of those who tested positive showed no symptoms. The authors of the research, published in the journal Nature, said their findings showed how rapid case isolation and mass testing was able to effectively eliminate the virus from Vo.
Researchers search for SARS-CoV-2 fomites on an operational Italian bus
All surface and air samples proved negative for viral genes. If this is true, this means that the current cleaning and sanitization requirements – alcohol-based sanitizer use at the door of entrance, and wearing gloves - are adequate to keep the surfaces and air inside the bus virus-free. Meanwhile, the use of a facial mask and keeping the windows open during the ride allows free ventilation and prevents the virus from spreading to other passengers through the air. This finding also agrees with earlier studies that show facial masks prevent viral spread by aerosols and droplets emitted by asymptomatic people, as does free ventilation of confined spaces such as within a city bus. The end of a lockdown imposed to combat a viral pandemic is always a tension-fraught period, as growing numbers of individuals re-enter the travel mainstream, among other activities. The current study shows that public buses can be safely used to convey passengers even in the presence of about 30% asymptomatic but infected individuals if safety requirements are observed.
US buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivir
No other country will be able to buy remdesivir, which can help recovery from Covid-19, for next three months at least
China imposes lockdowns as new coronavirus cases surge
China proposes the use of six traditional medicines as treatments for COVID-19. The country reports that 91.6 percent of patients in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak in China, and 92.4 percent across the country have been treated with TCM. The country’s COVID-19 TCM used include three formulas and three medicines, which were claimed to be effective in treating infection. These include the Jinhua Qinggan granule, which was developed during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, the Lianhua Qingwen capsule, a common treatment for flu and colds, the Xuebijing injection, which was developed during the SARS epidemic, the Lung cleansing and detoxifying decoction, which has 21 herbal components to improve fever, cough, and fatigue, the Huashi Baidu formula, a core recipe developed by Chinese herbal experts, and the Xuanfei Baidu granule, which contains 13 potent herbal components.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says new virus in China has traits of 2009 swine flu and 1918 pandemic flu
White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said U.S. health officials are keeping an eye on a new strain of flu carried by pigs in China that has characteristics of the 2009 H1N1 virus and 1918 pandemic flu. The virus, which scientists are calling “G4 EA H1N1,” has not yet been shown to infect humans but it is exhibiting “reassortment capabilities,” Fauci told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee during a hearing Tuesday. The H1N1 swine flu emerged in Mexico in April 2009, infecting 60.8 million people in the U.S. and at least 700 million worldwide. An estimated 151,700 to 575,400 people died from the virus across the globe, according to the CDC.

