COVID-19 – Page 13

Russian cyberthreat extends to coronavirus vaccine research

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, CYBERCRIME, TECHNOLOGY

Russian cyberthreat extends to coronavirus vaccine research

A Russian cyberespionage group that hacked into election networks before the 2016 U.S. presidential election is now attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine information from researchers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. The governments of those three countries issued a warning on July 16 saying that the group known as APT29 or “Cozy Bear” is targeting vaccine development efforts. The group, which is connected with the FSB, Russia’s internal security service, had gotten inside the Democratic National Committee networks prior to the 2016 election. This latest incident illustrates yet again how, beyond carrying all of our phone, text and internet communications, cyberspace is an active battleground, with cybercriminals, government agents and even military personnel probing weaknesses in corporate...

In Kashmir, military lockdown and pandemic combined are one giant deadly threat

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

In Kashmir, military lockdown and pandemic combined are one giant deadly threat

COVID-19 is taking a terrible toll worldwide. But in the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, it’s only the latest indignity in a 73-year cycle of oppression, militarization and scarcity. At least, that’s what the minimal news from Kashmir indicates. The Indian part of Kashmir – which shares volatile borders with Pakistan and China – has been an information black hole since August 2019, when the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stripped the region of its autonomous status and split it in two territories to be directly governed by India. To enforce this radical change, a military lockdown was imposed, which saw Indian soldiers using brutal and indiscriminate violence. As a result, Kashmiris had already been confined to their homes, fearful and isolated, for months before the coronavi...

Ending the pandemic will take global access to COVID-19 treatment and vaccines – which means putting ethics before profits

17Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

Ending the pandemic will take global access to COVID-19 treatment and vaccines – which means putting ethics before profits

As COVID-19 surges in the United States and worldwide, even the richest and best insured Americans understand, possibly for the first time, what it’s like not to have the medicines they need to survive if they get sick. There is no coronavirus vaccine, and the best known treatment, remdesivir, only reduces hospital recovery time by 30% and only for patients with certain forms of the disease. Poorer people have always had trouble accessing essential medicines, however – even when good drugs exist to prevent and treat their conditions. In the U.S., where there is no legal right to health, insurance is usually necessary for medical treatment. Remedesivir costs about US$3,200 for a typical treatment course of six vials, though critics argue its manufacturer, Gilead, could make a profit off m...

How ‘good’ does a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine need to be to stop the pandemic? A new study has answers

15Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

How ‘good’ does a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine need to be to stop the pandemic? A new study has answers

The U.S. is pinning its hopes on a COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine, but will a vaccine alone be enough to stop the pandemic and allow life to return to normal? The answer depends on a how “good” the vaccine ends up being. In a study published July 15 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, my colleagues and I used a computer simulation of every person in the country to show how effective a vaccine would have to be and how many people would have to get vaccinated to end the pandemic. We found that a coronavirus vaccine’s effectiveness may have to be higher than 70% or even 80% before Americans can safely stop relying social distancing. By comparison, the measles vaccine has an efficacy of 95%-98%, and the flu vaccine is 20%-60%. That doesn’t mean a vaccine that offers less protectio...

4 things students should know about their health insurance and COVID-19 before heading to college this fall

15Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, Journalism

4 things students should know about their health insurance and COVID-19 before heading to college this fall

As colleges and universities decide whether or not to reopen their campuses this fall, much of the discussion has focused on the ethics behind the decision and the associated health risks of in-person instruction. As a researcher who studies health insurance policy, I see two important gaps in this discussion: 1) Who should pay the cost of treating the inevitable COVID-19 cases that will occur; and 2) What do college students need to know about their coverage? Here are four things I think every college student – and those who care about them – should know about health insurance coverage when it comes to COVID-19. 1. Weigh coverage options If you’re covered under a student health insurance plan through your school, it may be worth considering whether that is still your best option. The Af...

Your coping and resilience strategies might need to shift as the COVID-19 crisis continues

13Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

Your coping and resilience strategies might need to shift as the COVID-19 crisis continues

As people in the U.S. mark six months of coronavirus, the challenges of coping with life during a pandemic continue to evolve. Most recently, reopening of parts of society under unsettled conditions and lingering threat are creating formidable demands on individuals and communities. Keeping your equilibrium can be a challenge in times of uncertainty. Léonard Cotte/Unsplash, CC BY By looking at how people have reacted to mass traumas in the past – think the terrorist attacks of 9/11 or the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – psychology researchers like us can learn about which coping strategies have historically been effective. For instance, people were able to boost their self-esteem and curtail negative thinking in the wake of 9/11 if they engaged in activities that fit their personal value...

The WHO often has been under fire, but no nation has ever moved to sever ties with it

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, VIDEO REELS

The WHO often has been under fire, but no nation has ever moved to sever ties with it

In the midst of a surge of new cases of COVID-19, the United States this week gave formal notice of its intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization. The move, to take effect next year, will at once deprive the WHO of one of its major sources of funding and marginalize the United States within the field of global health. The Trump administration had been threatening this unprecedented pullout for several weeks, criticizing WHO for its handling of the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The WHO is a United Nations agency that coordinates a wide range of international health efforts. The United States typically contributes more than US$400 million per year to the organization, roughly 15% of its annual budget. The U.S. already had suspended funding in May. In an...

Is the COVID-19 pandemic cure really worse than the disease? Here’s what our research found

8Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

Is the COVID-19 pandemic cure really worse than the disease? Here’s what our research found

The coronavirus pandemic catapulted the country into one of the deepest recessions in U.S. history, leaving millions of Americans without jobs or health insurance. There is a lot of evidence that economic hardship is associated with poor health and can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, mental health problems, cognitive dysfunction and early death. All of that raises a question: Is the U.S. better off with the public health interventions being used to keep the coronavirus from spreading or without them? In a new working paper, I and a team of health economists from U.S. universities set out to answer that question from a humanitarian perspective. To do that, we reviewed the latest data and scientific research about the virus to evaluate the number of lives saved if public healt...

Digital contact tracing’s mixed record abroad spells trouble for US efforts to rein in COVID-19

6Jul

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

Digital contact tracing’s mixed record abroad spells trouble for US efforts to rein in COVID-19

Two public health measures – testing, to identify those infected, and contact tracing, to identify those who may have encountered an infected person – have become essential as countries around the world reopen their economies and fresh surges of COVID-19 infections appear. Even as testing ramps up, contact tracing with a wide enough net remains a daunting task. Contact tracing involves public health staff conducting interviews with infected people. Public health experts are calling for 180,000 more contact tracers, but progress on contact tracing has not been going well, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Enter digital innovations that offer a tantalizing promise: to automate the laborious task of alerting people who hav...

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Yes, Keep Wearing Masks. Here’s Why

With the advent of an infectious disease outbreak, epidemiologists and public health officials quickly try to forecast deaths and infections using complex computer models. But with a brand-new virus such as the one that causes COVID-19, these estimates are complicated by a dearth of credible information on symptoms, contagion, and those who are most at risk. My team at the Goldenson Center for Actuarial Research has developed a free, user-friendly computer model with a different goal. It demonstrates how infections and deaths progress daily over a three-month period depending on how people behave in the outbreak. This model allows the public to input data that demonstrate how changes in safety measures in their communities, including wearing face covering and social distancing, can signif...