Updates
Covid-19 in the Classroom Becomes Stark Reality for Parents Who've Sent Their Children Back to School-CNN
It's Sunday in Woodstock, Georgia, and the local park is packed with families. It should be an ordinary sight, but father of six Jamie Chambers says, in the age of Covid-19, scenes like this keep him up at night. "We all want it to be normal, we all want our regular lives back and I have nothing but sympathy and empathy for people who do, but we're not living in normal times," he told CNN. "And that's the thing, people are just choosing to live as if it is, until it's impossible to ignore." … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Companies Test Antibody Drugs To Treat, Prevent COVID-19-The Associated Press
With a coronavirus vaccine still months off, companies are rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having to train the immune system to make them. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Russia Calls International Concern Over Vaccine 'Groundless'-BBC News
Russia has dismissed mounting international concern over the safety of its locally developed Covid-19 vaccine as "absolutely groundless". On Tuesday, it said a vaccine had been given regulatory approval after less than two months of testing on humans. But experts were quick to raise concerns about the speed of Russia's work, and a growing list of countries have expressed skepticism. BBC News, … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Mnuchin Declines To Say If U.S. COVID-19 Aid Deal Can Be Reached-Reuters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday that the White House and top Democrats in Congress may not be able to reach a deal on coronavirus aid, in the fifth day without talks on the stalemate blocking relief to tens of millions of Americans. Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
Long After The Fire Of A Covid-19 Infection, Mental And Neurological Effects Can Still Smolder-STAT
Early on, patients with both mild and severe Covid-19 say they can’t breathe. Now, after recovering from the infection, some of them say they can’t think. Even people who were never sick enough to go to a hospital, much less lie in an ICU bed with a ventilator, report feeling something as ill-defined as “Covid fog” or as frightening as numbed limbs. STAT, … Continue Reading
August 12, 2020
How The Coronavirus Has Upended College Admissions-NPR
As stressful as it always is for students applying to college, this year it's all that — and then some — for the admissions officials trying to decide whether to admit them. Because of the pandemic, many students will be applying without standardized test scores and several other metrics admissions officers at selective schools have long relied on, leaving colleges scrambling to figure out what else they might consider instead. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Vaping Linked to Higher Risk of COVID-19 in Teens and Young Adults, Study Finds-The Verge
Teens and young adults who vape are far more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than those who don’t, a new study by Stanford researchers found. A young person who has vaped and smoked cigarettes were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19, according to the study published today in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Someone who only vaped was five times as likely to be diagnosed. The Verge, … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Previous Vaccines and Masks may Hold Down Covid-19, Some Researchers Say-CNN
As US leaders work to control the spread of coronavirus, researchers across the globe are working to answer the mysteries that remain around infections. One of those mysteries: why the experience can be so different from person to person. One expert says the answer may involve looking at previous vaccines individuals have had. CNN, … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Virus Surge Makes US Weak Link In Global Economic Recovery-The Associated Press
People in China are back to buying German luxury cars. Europe’s assembly lines are accelerating. Now the global economy is waiting for the United States to get its coronavirus outbreak under control and boost the recovery, but there’s little sign of that. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Russia Becomes First Country To Approve A COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Putin-Reuters
President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess. Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
Winter Is Coming: Why America’s Window Of Opportunity To Beat Back Covid-19 Is Closing-STAT
The good news: The United States has a window of opportunity to beat back Covid-19 before things get much, much worse. The bad news: That window is rapidly closing. And the country seems unwilling or unable to seize the moment. Winter is coming. Winter means cold and flu season, which is all but sure to complicate the task of figuring out who is sick with Covid-19 and who is suffering from a less threatening respiratory tract infection. STAT, … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
New Fund Aims To Deliver PPE To 1 Million Frontline Health Workers In Africa-Devex
Nine 747 jumbo jets filled with personal protective equipment, including surgical masks, gloves, and eye protection, are making their way to 11 African countries as the result of a new collaborative effort to pool resources for PPE for community health workers. Devex, … Continue Reading
August 11, 2020
At Least 97,000 Children Tested Positive For Coronavirus In Last 2 Weeks Of July-NPR
At least 97,000 children tested positive for the coronavirus during the last two weeks of July, according to a new review of state-level data by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Association. The increase represents a 40% surge in the nation's cumulative total of child cases. NPR, … Continue Reading
August 10, 2020
KY Bars Can Reopen. Glitch Causes ‘Artificially Low’ COVID-19 Case Number of 275.-Herald Leader
As he announced at least 275 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Monday, Gov. Andy Beshear pointedly asked school districts across the state to wait until September 28 before opening their doors for in-person instruction. “In my very core, I want us to get back to in-person instruction, but to ask our kids to go in and all our teachers and faculty at a time when it’s not safe is not something we can ask of them, and I’m not willing to,” he said in the Capitol Rotunda, calling it a “tough” … Continue Reading
August 10, 2020
Pfizer, Moderna and Gilead Reputations Climb on COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment News, According to Harris Poll-Fierce Pharma
When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, more news is good news. That’s the latest takeaway from consumer sentiment tracking by The Harris Poll. Pharma companies now in the news reaped hefty reputation boosts, according to early August data. Fierce Pharma , … Continue Reading
August 10, 2020
Brazil Passes 100,000 Deaths As Outbreak Shows No Sign Of Easing-BBC News
Brazil has recorded more than 100,000 deaths linked to Covid-19, the world's second-highest figure, as the outbreak in the country shows no sign of easing. The virus killed 50,000 people in three months, but that number doubled in just 50 days. There have been more than three million confirmed cases so far. BBC News, … Continue Reading
August 10, 2020
Shortages Threaten Trump’s Plan For Rapid Coronavirus Tests-Politico
The Trump administration is gambling that a new generation of fast, cheap coronavirus tests can bring the U.S. outbreak under control. The challenge now is getting enough of these tests to pursue that strategy. Politico, … Continue Reading
August 10, 2020
Mnuchin Says A U.S. Coronavirus Relief Bill Could Come This Week-Reuters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday said the Trump administration and Congress could reach an agreement on further economic relief amid the novel coronavirus pandemic as soon as this week if Democrats are “reasonable.” Reuters, … Continue Reading
August 10, 2020
Schools Mull Outdoor Classes Amid Virus, Ventilation Worries-The Associated Press
It has been seven years since the central air conditioning system worked at the New York City middle school where Lisa Fitzgerald O’Connor teaches. As a new school year approaches amid the coronavirus pandemic, she and her colleagues are threatening not to return unless it’s repaired. Her classroom has a window air conditioning unit, but she fears the stagnant air will increase the chances that an infected student could spread the virus. The Associated Press, … Continue Reading
August 10, 2020
What It's Like When COVID-19 Lasts For Months-NPR
According to reports earlier this year from the World Health Organization, about 80% of coronavirus infections are "mild or asymptomatic" and patients typically recover after just two weeks. That hasn't been the case for Roberts or Nowell. Months later, both women are still experiencing symptoms of COVID-19: shortness of breath, chest pains, vomiting, and neurological symptoms that range from headaches and fatigue to hallucinations and jumbled words. NPR, … Continue Reading