"Connecting Communities for COVID19 News" 30th Jul 2020
Isolation Tips
Coronavirus: Virus isolation period 'to go up from seven to 10 days'
The length of time people with coronavirus symptoms will have to self-isolate for is expected to be increased from seven to 10 days in England. It comes as ministers try to avoid a second outbreak of the virus in the UK. Currently, people showing the main symptoms - a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss of taste or smell - have to self-isolate for a week. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to announce later that the isolation period is being extended.
Coronavirus: Two infected Brisbane women didn't self isolate after returning from Melbourne
Queensland Health has confirmed a third positive case of COVID-19 has been recorded in the state's south-east. This morning health authorities revealed two 19-year-old women who returned to Queensland from Melbourne via Sydney and failed to self-isolate tested positive to COVID-19. Health Minister Steven Miles said the women's close contacts were now being thoroughly traced and the women would be facing a criminal investigation.
Study: COVID-19 outbreaks worse at nursing homes with more complaints
Nursing homes reporting cases of COVID-19 had nearly 1.5-times as many substantiated complaints about the care services they provide than those without confirmed infections, according to an analysis in JAMA Network Open.
Hygiene Helpers
'One big wave' – why the Covid-19 second wave may not exist
The Covid-19 pandemic is currently unfolding in “one big wave” with no evidence that it follows seasonal variations common to influenza and other coronaviruses, such as the common cold, the World Health Organization has warned. Amid continued debates over what constitutes a second wave, a resurgence or seasonal return of the disease, Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson, insisted that these discussions are not a helpful way to understand the spread of the disease. “People are still thinking about seasons. What we all need to get our heads around is this is a new virus and this one is behaving differently,” Harris told a virtual briefing in Geneva, urging vigilance in applying measures to slow transmission that appears to be accelerated by mass gatherings
Covid-19 news: Young people may be driving spikes in cases, says WHO
Rising coronavirus infections among young people could be driving recent spikes in cases across Europe, said Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s Europe regional director, in a BBC report today. Kluge said he has two daughters and understands that young people “do not want to miss a summer,” but added that they have a responsibility toward themselves, their family members and their communities. The Netherlands is among countries which have reported higher infection rates among younger people, with about a quarter of people who tested positive there last week aged 20 to 29. Earlier this week, officials in Brittany, France ordered curfews on beaches, parks and gardens in an attempt to prevent large gatherings of young people in particular, according to local leaders. Officials in Spain have also imposed similar curfews, with bars and nightclubs in Catalonia required to close by midnight since Friday.
Italy 'walking a fine line' on coronavirus infections
Italy was the first European nation to be engulfed by coronavirus, but as the prospect of another lockdown looms in some of its neighbours, the country has managed to avoid a resurgence of infections. At least so far. Three experts who spoke to the Guardian put this down to good surveillance and contact-tracing, as well as most of the population diligently following safety rules, with many people wearing face masks outside even though it is not mandatory. On 4 May, when Italy began easing lockdown restrictions, more than 1,200 new cases were reported in a day. Since 1 July, the daily increase has been relatively static, reaching a high of 306 on 23 July, and falling to 181 on Tuesday. Several coronavirus clusters have emerged across the country, but this has mostly been due to infections imported from abroad.
The graph that shows a worrying and steep rise in Oldham's Covid-19 cases
This graph charts the steep rise in Covid-19 cases in Oldham over the last week.
In the week leading up to July 25, confirmed incidences of the virus increased 'dramatically' with 119 new positive cases being recorded across the borough.
Is Europe seeing a second wave? What WHO says about spike in Covid-19 cases in Spain and other countries - and where cases are rising fastest
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns that Europe is showing signs of a “second wave” of coronavirus, following a recent spike in cases in Spain. Mr Johnson defended the government’s decision to impose a 14-day quarantine restriction on travellers who return from Spain, including the Balearics and Canary Islands, and warned the UK must be “vigilant” over the threat of a second wave here.
Germany: Coronavirus vaccine unlikely to be widely available before mid-2021
German Research Minister Anja Karliczek said on Wednesday that a coronavirus vaccine was unlikely to be widely available before the middle of next year. “We must continue to assume that vaccines for the broader population will only be available from the middle of next year at the earliest,” she told a news conference.
Outbreaks highlight disparities in UK test and trace regimes
Prime minister Boris Johnson promised a “world-beating” test and trace programme to stop the spread of coronavirus by June. Carlisle — and the rest of England — is still waiting. Public health officials in the northern city have been fighting a rise in cases for four weeks. But efforts to manage the outbreak have been hampered by incomplete data, overstretched local officials and a lack of testing facilities.
Hong Kong faces worst wave of virus, but tiny apartments mean it can't just lock down
Once a coronavirus success story, Hong Kong is facing its worst outbreak yet, and policymakers are realizing how little they can do without making a bad situation worse. New infections have broken records on nine of the last 20 days. But unlike other global cities, Hong Kong has been reluctant to impose stay-at-home restrictions or close nonessential businesses. Instead, the rules have gotten incrementally tighter, changing by the week. Public gatherings were limited to four people, then two. Dining-in was banned for dinner, then lunch. Masks were required on public transport, then all indoor public spaces, now everywhere outdoors as well.
Interview: Renowned respiratory specialist proposes extensive testing for Hong Kong | English.news.cn
Chinese respiratory specialist Zhong Nanshan has called for extensive nucleic acid screenings in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), where daily reports of new COVID-19 infections have continued to rise. In an interview with Xinhua, Zhong advised Hong Kong to ramp up testing to find asymptomatic carriers, some of whom, he said, still have a high capacity to pass on the infection. "My suggestion is a Hong Kong-wide nucleic acid screening ... so as to timely trace and quarantine (the infected) and reduce human-to-human transmissions," he said.
"I strongly support universal nucleic acid testing in Hong Kong. Of course, this may be expensive," Zhong said, noting that in the Chinese mainland, the test fee has dropped to 60 yuan (8.6 U.S. dollars), compared to more than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong.
India coronavirus: 'More than half of Mumbai slum-dwellers had Covid-19'
More than half the residents of slums in three areas in India's commercial capital, Mumbai, tested positive for antibodies to the coronavirus, a new survey has found.
Only 16% of people living outside slums in the same areas were found to be exposed to the infection. The results are from random testing of some 7,000 people in three densely-packed areas in early July. Mumbai has reported more than 110,000 cases and 6,187 deaths as of 28 July. The survey was carried out by the city's municipality, the government think-tank Niti Aayog and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. It found that 57% of the people tested in slum areas of Chembur, Matunga and Dahisar had been exposed to the novel coronavirus.
Papua New Guinea outbreak spreads beyond capital
Papua New Guinea ramped up coronavirus testing and rushed to build field hospitals on Wednesday after an outbreak was found to have spread beyond its locked-down capital. More than 70 people have been isolated and contact tracing was underway at four hotels in the second city of Lae, after a health conference attendee tested positive for COVID-19, the provincial health authority said. It was the first infection detected in the city.
Germany begins mass coronavirus testing at airports
Berlin's Tegel airport began large scale coronavirus testing on Wednesday, as airports across Germany prepared for the advent of free, compulsory testing for many passengers from next week. Two rooms were set aside for tests, but an airport spokeswoman said a larger space was being prepared, indicating that authorities are preparing for testing to remain a fixture for a long time to come. "These rooms are of course a bit small, as you can see," said spokeswoman Sabine Deckwerth. "That is why the large Terminal D in Tegel is being prepared to host a bigger one."
Brazil hits record 69,000 daily coronavirus cases as restrictions eased
Brazil set daily records on Wednesday for new COVID-19 cases and related fatalities, as the world’s second-worst outbreak hurtles toward the milestone of 100,000 dead amid easing lockdowns. Brazil is the country worst hit by COVID-19 outside of the United States in both its death toll and case count. The 69,074 new confirmed cases and 1,595 additional deaths reported by the Health Ministry pushed the country past 2.5 million infections and 90,000 killed. President Jair Bolsonaro has fought against restrictions on economic activity, and the disease has advanced as governors and mayors have yielded to the pressure. In some cases, Brazilians have packed into bars and crowded public squares without masks, often in defiance of local rules.
US records a coronavirus death every minute as total ...
One person in the United States died about every minute from COVID-19 on Wednesday as the national death toll surpassed 150,000, the highest in the world
The United States recorded 1,461 new deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since 1,484 on May 27, according to a Reuters tally. U.S. coronavirus deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months and have increased by 10,000 in the past 11 days.
Coronavirus: Hydroxychloroquine ineffective says Fauci
US President Donald Trump has again defended the use of hydroxychloroquine to ward off coronavirus, contradicting his own public health officials. He said the malaria medication was only rejected as a Covid-19 treatment because he had recommended its use. His remarks come after Twitter banned his eldest son for posting a clip promoting hydroxychloroquine. There is no evidence the drug can fight the virus, and regulators warn it may cause heart problems. On Wednesday Dr Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force, told the BBC that hydroxychloroquine was not effective against the virus
Coronavirus Australia: Sydney’s ‘best chance to avoid lockdown’
The Committee for Sydney has called on the NSW government to introduce mandatory mask wearing in the metropolitan area. The group said following Victoria’s lead and making masks mandatory in Sydney was our “best chance to avoid a second lockdown”. “People in Sydney are still not wearing masks,” the committee wrote in a statement. “Even as COVID-19 cases in Melbourne remain intractably high, and even as we see the increase in community transmission in Sydney that may foretell a true ‘second wave’, a deeply ingrained cultural resistance to mask-wearing has not budged.” The recent advice from NSW health authorities is to wear a mask if you are in a situation where you can’t practice social distancing, like on busy public transport.
Community Activities
What Teachers' Unions Are Fighting For as Schools Plan a New Year
Teachers in many districts are fighting for longer school closures, stronger safety requirements and limits on what they are required to do in virtual classrooms, while flooding social media and state capitols with their concerns and threatening to walk off their jobs if key demands are not met. On Tuesday, the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union raised the stakes dramatically by authorizing its local and state chapters to strike if their districts do not take sufficient precautions — such as requiring masks and updating ventilation systems — before reopening classrooms. Already, teachers’ unions have sued Florida’s governor over that state’s efforts to require schools to offer in-person instruction.
Coronavirus child-care crisis will set women back a generation
With day-care centers shuttered or severely restricting enrollment, and school districts opting for remote learning, many women are finding they just can’t make their jobs work during the pandemic. That could have lasting consequences.
How many people signed up to volunteer in Bolton during the coronavirus crisis
MORE than 700 people signed up to Bolton’s urgent response volunteer scheme to help communities combat the coronavirus crisis earlier this year. In addition to this, more than 2,000 people from the borough became NHS volunteer responders, a national scheme offering help to people in need of support or who are avoiding public places during the COVID-19 pandemic. All of this is on top of the 40,000 regular volunteers already in Bolton. The figures were revealed by Darren Knight, chief executive officer of Bolton Community and Voluntary Services (CVS), at the first meeting of the borough’s Active, Connected and Prosperous Board on Tuesday morning
Coronavirus: UK lockdown solidarity 'starting to fray'
The restrictions of lockdown have fostered a new community spirit in Britain, but there are signs feelings of solidarity and togetherness are already beginning to fragment and fray. That is the warning from a campaign called Together, which includes the NHS, charities, media groups and employers among its founders. The organisation helped organise the birthday clap for the health service this month and is launching a national public consultation on how to avoid new community divisions opening up.
UK studies exploring Covid-19 links with ethnicity awarded £4m
Specially tailored public health messaging, the impact of structural racism and whether healthcare workers should be redeployed are among research projects that have been given funding to explore the link between Covid-19 and ethnicity.
More than £4m has been awarded to six projects that will help researchers explain and mitigate the disproportionate death rates from coronavirus among people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. The grants are from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
Working Remotely
How to keep remote workers engaged and happy
With lockdown restrictions easing in the UK, many workers will finally be returning to the workplace after months of working from home. For some, working remotely has been a challenge. Few people have a home office and have had to make do with working on the sofa or hunched over the kitchen table. Parents have had to juggle homeschooling with Zoom meetings, and lots of us have had to get used to spending all our time with partners and housemates. For others, though, home-working has been a welcome change from the stress of commuting to the office. And while some people can’t wait to return, many people hope that they will be offered the option of flexible working post-COVID-19. According to research by CIPD, employers expect the proportion of people working from home on a regular basis to increase to 37% after the pandemic, compared to 18% before.
Coronavirus: Office workers in no hurry to get feet under desks
More than half of office workers will continue to work from home for the rest of the summer despite the government’s efforts to get them to return. A survey of 94 of Britain’s biggest employers found half planned to keep all staff working remotely for the next few months, while a fifth planned to bring staff back to the office only on a part-time basis. About a fifth planned to bring staff back full time.
Remote working – the new ‘norm’?
Covid-19 imposed remote working on employers and employees with little time to prepare. However, a number of organisations are now actively embracing remote working and the benefits it can bring – with large companies such as Fujitsu, Twitter, Google and Facebook all extending their work from home options. Siemens, is the latest company to announce that employees may work from wherever they want for two or three days a week, stating that ‘COVID-19 gives us a chance to reshape our world and reimagine work’.
Government employees to work remotely until 2021 due to virus
Officials say many local government employees around the Puget Sound area will work from home until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Seattle Times reports leaders of several local cities, counties and ports “are taking a united approach to slow the spread of COVID-19 and maximize physical distancing by extending teleworking for eligible employees until 2021.”
Study: How Americans Feel About Returning To Work During Covid-19
JDP recently surveyed 2,000 Americans about their feelings on returning to work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Between June 12 – June 16, 2020, JDP polled 2,038 Americans who typically work in an office of some sort, but have been working remote because of the pandemic. Respondents were 49% female, 51% male and ranged in age from 22 to 66 years old. Here's what the JDP 2020 Back to Work Survey found:
Virtual Classrooms
Round 2 of online school: How to get your remote learning act together for fall
USA TODAY consulted with four homeschooling experts to help parents transform their home into a more ideal classroom environment. What can you buy to optimize your kid's academic performance? How can you help them through this experience? Scroll through to see what tips and tricks can help you get your remote learning act together for kids of all ages. Back to school: How to salvage special back-to-school moments amid a pandemic - Reviewed: Considering homeschooling? Here's what you need to know
Denver Public Schools delays in-person learning to at least mid-October for most students
Denver Public Schools is again delaying the start of in-person classes over concerns about COVID-19, extending remote learning for most students through at least mid-October, the district announced Wednesday. Most of the more than 93,000 students who attend schools in Colorado’s largest district will take classes virtually through Oct. 16, though small groups of children deemed to be high priorities for in-person instruction may return to schools after Labor Day. The extension of remote learning through the first quarter of the school year comes after considering Denver’s rate of COVID-19 infection as well as a belief that “we’ll need to return to this (online-only) option during the school year in response to changing health conditions,” Superintendent Susana Cordova wrote in a letter to school leaders Wednesday obtained by The Denver Post.
COVID: US schools open or not, students of colour bear the brunt
As schools are set to reopen across the country in various forms, Black and Latino children will be disproportionally affected, regardless if schools remain physically closed or if they reopen. According to recent polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), children of colour are more likely to fall behind the longer they stay home from school because they have limited access to critical resources and their parents have more health and economic fears - raising concerns that the pandemic will only exacerbate inequities in American society.
Boomer grandparents can give working parents a virtual hall pass for kids' online school
As Doodle and I got into a screen-centered rhythm for how to sequence assignments and when to take breaks, elsewhere in the under-furnished house, we could hear his mother and father participating in video meetings with their colleagues. I watched his sweet face computing sums on his personal math links, and marveled at how social justice awareness illuminated his lessons, prepared by his remarkable teachers back in Brooklyn. The young educators pre-recorded short videos while he and his classmates were sleeping; on the videos, I often heard ambulance sirens outside their apartments.
Public Policies
What Spain is telling us about the coronavirus' second wave
Last week’s €750 billion ($877 billion) COVID-19 rescue fund marked a high point in the European Union’s plan to tackle the economic fallout of the virus. But a new flare-up in infections on the continent is a grim reminder of the more immediate epidemiological threat. While it’s not a second wave yet, it’s a serious test of government strategies intended to avoid one. Cases are rising across the region at the highest pace since tough lockdown measures were lifted, although overall infections remain much lower than the outbreak’s April peak. In Spain, new daily cases hit almost 1,000 last week, driven by local spikes in areas such as Aragon and Catalonia, where nightclubs are now being closed and curfews applied on bars. In Belgium, an increase in infections has forced the government to roll out tougher social-distancing measures, such as limiting face-to-face interactions.
Vietnam's PM calls for urgent action on virus
Vietnam's prime minister has ordered officials across the country to ramp up efforts to curb coronavirus infections. State-run media say Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the remarks at a meeting on Wednesday. His intervention comes as the central city of Da Nang has been hit by a surge in infections. He said, "I repeat, all provinces are facing high risks, all provinces should raise their alert level. The top officials in each province should take action, as well as those at every level of government. The public should be careful and alert, and follow the instructions given to them." The prime minister also said authorities have not yet identified the source of infection in Da Nang, saying route of transmission is complicated.
Toronto to move into next reopening phase Friday, Ontario government says
Toronto will move into the third stage of its economic reopening on Friday, the Ontario provincial government announced on Wednesday, paving the way for the majority of businesses in Canada’s most populous city to resume operations after a four-month lockdown to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. The city as well as the region of Peel, which covers Toronto’s suburbs, will be allowed to reopen gyms, movie theaters and playgrounds, with social distancing in place, during the third stage, the government said in a statement. Indoor dining at restaurants may also resume. Businesses must ensure customers can engage in social distancing, either by staying two meters (6.56 ft) apart or providing barriers, and are largely subject to gathering limits of 100 people outdoors and 50 people indoors.
Germany 'will have to impose second lockdown' if it faces second wave
Germany will not be able to avoid a second lockdown if it is hit by a second wave of coronavirus cases, a leading virologist has warned. Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit said 'drastic measures' would be back on the table if Germany's health system is overwhelmed by virus cases - a nightmare scenario which Germany has so far avoided. Fears of a second wave are mounting in Germany after an increase of 4,127 new cases in the last week, up from 2,385 two weeks ago. Experts are worried because the virus is spreading across the country and is not confined to a handful of local clusters, with the R rate now regularly above 1.0.
French Health Minister - We want to avoid another coronavirus lockdown
France’s health minister urged the country on Wednesday not to drop its guard against COVID-19, saying it faced a long battle and that observing social distancing rules was vital to avoiding a new national lockdown. France reported 14 new deaths from the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, a figure twice as high as the daily average increase of seven seen over the previous week. A total of 30,223 have now died of COVID-19 in France, health authorities said. “We are not facing a second wave, the epidemic is continuing... Some people do not respect the rules. We must not let down our guard,” Health Minister Olivier Veran told LCI television.
Trump 'owes us an apology.' Chinese scientist at the center of COVID-19 origin theories speaks out
The coronavirus pandemic has thrust virologist Shi Zhengli into a fierce spotlight. Shi, who’s been nicknamed “Bat Woman,” heads a group that studies bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), in the city in China where the pandemic began, and many have speculated that the virus that causes COVID-19 accidentally escaped from her lab—a theory promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump. Some have even suggested it could have been engineered there.
China has forcefully rejected such claims, but Shi (pronounced SHIH) herself has said very little publicly. Now, Shi has broken her silence about the details of her work. On 15 July, she emailed Science answers to a series of written questions about the virus’ origin and the research at her institute. In them, Shi hit back at speculation that the virus leaked from WIV. She and her colleagues discovered the virus in late 2019, she says, in samples from patients who had a pneumonia of unknown origin. “Before that, we had never been in contact with or studied this virus, nor did we know of its existence,” Shi wrote.
Maintaining Services
'Vaccine nationalism' threatens global plan to distribute COVID-19 shots fairly
To avoid such a scenario, the World Health Organization and other international organizations have set up a system to accelerate and equitably distribute vaccines, the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility, which seeks to entice rich countries to sign on by reducing their own risk that they’re betting on the wrong vaccine candidates. But the idea has been put together on the fly, and it’s unclear how many rich countries will join.
New survey finds large racial divide in concern over ability to pay for COVID-19 treatment
People of color are far more likely to worry about their ability to pay for healthcare if diagnosed with COVID-19 than their White counterparts, according to a new survey from nonprofit West Health and Gallup. By a margin of almost two to one (58% vs. 32%), non-White adults report that they are either "extremely concerned" or "concerned" about the potential cost of care. That concern is three times higher among lower-income versus higher-income households (60% vs. 20%). The data come from the West Health/Gallup U.S. Healthcare Study, an ongoing survey about Americans' experiences with and attitudes about the healthcare system. The latest findings are based on a nationally representative sample of 1,017 U.S. adults interviewed between June 8 and June 30.
Japan Shows It’s Defying Covid-19 Damage With Falling Death Rate
Japan avoided a surge in overall fatalities during its deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic, suggesting the government’s testing methods aren’t resulting in a large number of uncounted deaths linked to Covid-19. Mortality across the nation dropped by 3.5% in May from a year earlier, with Japan recording a total of 108,380 deaths from any cause, data released Tuesday by the nation’s Health Ministry show. The month, during which much of the country was under a state of emergency, saw the most confirmed deaths so far from Covid-19. Japan officially recorded 468 coronavirus-related fatalities in May, almost half its total to date of 1,001.
‘Working in ICU is like flying a plane’: the secret world of intensive care
Even within a hospital, the ICU can feel like another world. But critical care goes far beyond simply keeping people alive – it’s also about what happens next. By Sarah Whitehead
'I cannot save everybody': Houston doctor fights newest COVID-19 surge
Dr. Joseph Varon, the chief medical officer of United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC), said he is afraid he will soon face a dilemma many doctors elsewhere said they confronted earlier in the pandemic: deciding who to save. “I’m afraid that at some point in time I’m going to have to make some very serious decisions,” he told Reuters in an interview. “I’m starting to get the idea that I cannot save everybody.”
Varon, 58, is overseeing the hospital’s unit dedicated to COVID-19 patients, where he said he tends to an average of 40 people a day. He said he signed more death certificates in the last week than at any point in his career.
Healthcare Innovations
Russian COVID-19 vaccine approval imminent, source says
Russia's first potential COVID-19 vaccine will win local regulatory approval in the first half of August and be administered to frontline health workers soon afterwards, a development source close to the matter told Reuters. A state research facility in Moscow - the Gamaleya Institute - completed early human trials of the adenovirus-based vaccine this month and expects to begin large-scale trials in August. The vaccine will win regulatory approval from authorities in Russia while that large-scale trial continues, the source said, highlighting Moscow's determination to be the first country in the world to approve a vaccine. The speed at which Russia is moving to roll out the vaccine has prompted some Western media to question whether Moscow is putting national prestige before solid science and safety. "(Regulatory) approval will be in the first two weeks of August," the development source said. "August 10 is the expected date, but it will definitely be before August 15. All (trial) results so far are highly positive."
Intravacc and Celonic to Develop and Produce a Novel COVID-19 Vaccine
Intravacc, a global leader in translational research and development of viral and bacterial vaccines, and Celonic Group, a premium biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), specialized in development and production of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) and mammalian cell lines expressed bio-therapeutics, today announced that they have signed a research agreement to further design, develop and produce a Covid-19 vaccine based on an immunogenic Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 combined with Intravacc's prorietary Outer Membrane Vesicle (OMV) technology.
EU readies up to $53 million to boost collection of plasma to fight COVID-19
The European Union has made available up to 45 million euros ($53 million/£40 million) to increase the collection of plasma from COVID-19 survivors for the treatment of people who contract the disease, a spokesman told Reuters. The move confirms the EU's growing confidence in experimental therapies based on so-called convalescent plasma, which is currently used in hospitals for direct transfusions to critically ill patients and is being tested to develop possible medicines against COVID-19. Money is coming from an emergency fund that the European Union has so far used only for highly sensitive issues throughout the pandemic, including the purchase of another COVID-19 treatment and potential vaccines. Grants will be distributed to blood collection centres to help them buy new equipment, such as testing kits and machines that separate plasma from blood, the EU spokesman said.
Case characteristics, resource use, and outcomes of 10 021 patients with COVID-19 admitted to 920 German hospitals: an observational study
In the German health-care system, in which hospital capacities have not been overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, mortality has been high for patients receiving mechanical ventilation, particularly for patients aged 80 years or older and those requiring dialysis, and has been considerably lower for patients younger than 60 years.
Coronavirus can infect people 26 FEET away in cold moving air, finds study that recreated an outbreak in a German food factory
Coronavirus is able to travel more than 26 feet (eight metres) in cold environments with moving air, according to a study that recreated an outbreak in a food factory.
Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research focused on an outbreak of Covid-19 at a slaughterhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck, Germany, that infected 1,500 workers. They found a single person in the plant appeared to have infected several others within a 26 feet radius, made possible because of the cold conditions and the constantly circulating air inside the plant.
