Updates
Portugal’s COVID-19 Cases Raise UK Quarantine Fears-Reuters
As coronavirus cases in Portugal go up and down, fears are growing that Britain will reimpose a quarantine for people travelling from the country. It has been less than two weeks since Britain, Portugal's leading source of tourism, lifted a 14-day self-isolation rule for travellers arriving from Portugal. The announcement was a relief for the tourism sector, which struggled as restrictions kept visitors away over the summer. The number of passengers arriving from Britain has grown by a … Continue Reading
September 01, 2020
Covid-19 Built A ‘Northern Wall’ Between The US And Canada And It Could Stay Up Longer Than Anyone Expected-CNN
There were no bricks and mortar, no fencing or cement, no cross-border diplomatic skirmish, just two government orders. And that was enough to essentially shut down the world's longest international border for visitors. When the US and Canada mutually agreed in March to shut down the border to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, no one predicted it would be closed this long. There is still no specified date for its reopening, although trade has continued between the countries. CNN, … Continue Reading
September 01, 2020
‘Do I Really Need This Much Office Space?’ Pandemic Emptied Buildings, But How Long?-NPR
For cities, as well as their tax bases, empty commercial real estate presents a crisis still looming. The pandemic hit the ground floor first, knocking out smaller shops and restaurants. Trouble may not creep upstairs to the office floors until six to nine months later, according to Victor Calanog, head of commercial real estate analytics at Moody's Analytics REIS. NPR, … Continue Reading
September 01, 2020
India Eases Virus Restrictions As Cases Near 3.7 Million-The Associated Press
Many Indian states eased lockdown restrictions on Tuesday, allowing more businesses and public areas to reopen to reduce economic pain caused by the coronavirus, even as the country's new daily infections remain the highest in the world and its confirmed cases near 3.7 million. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
September 01, 2020
Task Force Report Shows Dire Warnings To Iowa, The State With The Highest Case Rate This Week-CNN
A White House coronavirus task force report sent to officials in Iowa this week warns of dire new case increases across rural and urban areas of the state and calls for a mask mandate, the closure of bars and a plan from universities as the pandemic intensifies in the Midwest. CNN, … Continue Reading
September 01, 2020
How Many People Has The Coronavirus Killed?-Nature
At the beginning of March, Andrew Noymer felt a familiar twinge of doubt. He was watching countries across Europe and North America begin to record their first deaths from COVID-19, and he knew there could be problems with the data. Even in a normal winter, some deaths caused by influenza get misclassified as pneumonia. If that can happen with a well-known disease, there were bound to be deaths from COVID-19 going unreported, thought Noymer, a demographer at the University of California, … Continue Reading
August 31, 2020
Scientists See Downsides To Top COVID-19 Vaccines From Russia, China-Reuters
High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say. Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 31, 2020
Preventing College Parties? Shame And Blame Don’t Work, But Beer Pong Outside Might-NPR
As the fall semester gets underway, college students are reuniting with their friends, getting (re)acquainted with campus and doing what college students often do: partying. But in the time of the coronavirus, as more parties surface university administrators have been quick to condemn - and even berate - the behavior of students. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 31, 2020
Poll: Most Americans Believe The Covid-19 Vaccine Approval Process Is Driven By Politics, Not Science-STAT
Seventy-eight percent of Americans worry the Covid-19 vaccine approval process is being driven more by politics than science, according to a new survey from STAT and the Harris Poll, a reflection of concern that the Trump administration may give the green light to a vaccine prematurely. The response was largely bipartisan, with 72% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats expressing such worries, according to the poll, which was conducted last week and surveyed 2,067 American adults. STAT, … Continue Reading
August 31, 2020
Iowa Continues To Post High Confirmed Virus Case Numbers-The Associated Press
Iowa continued Monday to record a high number of new positive coronavirus cases as the state continues to struggle with spreading virus in several counties, including those with university campuses. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
August 30, 2020
Paradise Lost: How Hawaii Went From Covid-19 Star To Cautionary Tale-Politico
Hawaii's control of the coronavirus has swiftly unraveled this summer, transforming what was the nation's best-performing state into one of the worst. Just two months ago, the island state had the fewest cases per capita in the country at less than two dozen per day. Democratic Gov. David Ige was praised for acting early to close Hawaii's borders and impose strict quarantines, a painful economic sacrifice for a state heavily dependent on tourism. Politico, … Continue Reading
August 30, 2020
U.S. Will Revive Global Virus-Hunting Effort Ended Last Year-The New York Times
A worldwide virus-hunting program allowed to expire last year by the Trump administration, just before the coronavirus pandemic broke out, will have a second life - whatever the outcome of the presidential election. Joseph R. Biden Jr. has promised that, if elected, he will restore the program, called Predict, which searched for dangerous new animal viruses in bat caves, camel pens, wet markets and wildlife-smuggling routes around the globe. The New York Times, … Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
Fear, Dread, And Panic: Some Covid-19 Survivors Feel Stalked By Possibility Of Reinfection-STAT
Anxiety about the coronavirus is widespread, and not just among older adults and those with weakened immune systems. But that fear is especially strong among people who have already experienced the severe symptoms of Covid-19, and are desperate to avoid getting reinfected. STAT, … Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
Hungary To Close Borders To Foreigners As Of Sept. 1 To Curb Coronavirus Infections-Reuters
Hungary will close its borders to foreigners as of Sept. 1 to curb a rise in coronavirus infections and Hungarians returning to the country from abroad will have to go into quarantine, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's cabinet chief said on Friday. Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
How The Eradication Of Wild Poliovirus From Africa Can Guide The COVID-19 Response-Devex
During a year with few public health victories, the African region celebrated a major one this week - the declaration that wild polio had been eradicated from the continent. And lessons learned from the successes around polio vaccination campaigns can help guide other health interventions, including the COVID-19 response. Devex, … Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
Virus Lockdown Brings New Misery To Long-Suffering Gaza-The Associated Press
Ahmed Eissa, a father of two living in the Gaza Strip, was already struggling to make ends meet on $7 a day, dealing with frequent electricity cuts and worried that another war might break out. Then the coronavirus found its way into the impoverished Palestinian territory, just as Israel was tightening its blockade in a standoff with Gaza's militant Hamas rulers, and a strict lockdown has confined everyone to their homes. Now Eissa doesn't know how he will feed his family. The Associated … Continue Reading
August 28, 2020
More Space, Please: Home Sales Booming Despite Pandemic, Recession-NPR
Despite the steepest plunge into a recession on record, historically high unemployment and an uncertain outlook for the economy, the housing market is on a tear. "The home sales are quite remarkable, given that we are still in the midst of the global pandemic," says Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors. He says after falling off a cliff in the spring, home sales have now more than recovered. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 27, 2020
Inside Syria’s Secret Coronavirus Crisis-Foreign Policy
The current running gag among Damascenes making light of their dire circumstances is that the official number of coronavirus infections in Syria is as accurate as that of the Syrian pound's official exchange rate with the U.S. dollar-that is to say, not at all. Foreign Policy, … Continue Reading
August 27, 2020
COVID-19 Vaccine May Pit Science Against Politics-NPR
Under normal circumstances, it could take years - if not decades - to bring a new vaccine to market. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all that. In May, the Trump Administration launched Operation Warp Speed with the goal of delivering initial doses of a safe and effective vaccine by January, 2021 -shortening the development time from years to months. Some worry that to meet that ambitious schedule, the Administration might cut important scientific corners. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 27, 2020
‘Tricky Moment’ For Europe As Schools Reopen, But Not A Driver Of COVID-19:WHO-Reuters
Europe is entering a "tricky moment" with the new school year, and while classrooms have not played a major role in spreading coronavirus, there is growing evidence of youth infecting others at social gatherings, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. Reuters, … Continue Reading