covid – Page 4

We Can Ease Up On The Disinfecting – Catching COVID From Surfaces Is Very Unlikely

24Feb

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

We Can Ease Up On The Disinfecting – Catching COVID From Surfaces Is Very Unlikely

A lot has happened over the past year, so you can be forgiven for not having a clear memory of what some of the major concerns were at the beginning of the pandemic. However, if you think back to the beginning of the pandemic, one of the major concerns was the role that surfaces played in the transmission of the virus. As an epidemiologist, I remember spending countless hours responding to media requests answering questions along the lines of whether we should be washing the outside of food cans or disinfecting our mail. I also remember seeing teams of people walking the streets at all hours wiping down poles and cleaning public benches. But what does the evidence actually say about surface transmission more than 12 months into this pandemic? Before addressing this, we need to define ...

6Feb

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

Making Black Lives Matter During COVID

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unveil the deficiencies in all of our systems, racial disparities—particularly the disproportionate number of Black people dying—top the list. The staggering statistics keep pouring in, dispelling an earlier rumor among some in Black communities that Black people are somehow immune to contracting the disease. But more importantly, the high numbers highlight the health care inequities in the United States. “Inequities have existed for generations, and it’s something we cannot ignore,” Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist says. “The disparity and mortality rate with COVID-19 are more urgent because people [can] die within a month of contracting the virus.” In Michigan, Gilchrist’s home state, the African American population is 14%. Yet, as of mid-April, ...

The Science You Need To Understand: Viral Mutation, Coronavirus Variants And COVID-19 Vaccines

3Feb

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

The Science You Need To Understand: Viral Mutation, Coronavirus Variants And COVID-19 Vaccines

The SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates fast. That’s a concern because these more transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 are now present in the U.S., U.K. and South Africa and other countries, and many people are wondering whether the current vaccines will protect the recipients from the virus. Furthermore, many question whether we will we be able to keep ahead of future variants of SARS-CoV-2, which will certainly arise. In my laboratory I study the molecular structure of RNA viruses – like the one that causes COVID-19 – and how they replicate and multiply in the host. As the virus infects more people and the pandemic spreads, SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve. This process of evolution is constant and it allows the virus to sample its environment and select changes that make it grow more efficiently. T...

25Jan

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, COVID-19

COVID-19 Won’t Kill Cities – Why?

For those of you who live in cities, ask yourself: What it is about your urban lifestyle that makes it worth it despite the pollution, the noise and the traffic? Perhaps it’s the hundreds of unique restaurants that you like to dine at. Or the density that fosters a vibrant night life and cosmopolitan cultural scene. Maybe it’s the parks, the museums, the tall buildings, the mass transit. What if much of that went away? Would you still want to live there? That possibility is worrying many as the pandemic chips away at the foundations of much of what makes cities special. Restaurants, small businesses and even big brand-name retail chains are closing in record numbers. Mass transit systems, like New York City’s, are warning of severe cuts in service if they don’t get aid soon as state and ...

New COVID-19 Variants What You Need To Know

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, VIDEO REELS

New COVID-19 Variants What You Need To Know

Two new strains of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 called B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 have been found in the U.K. and South Africa and are thought to be more transmissible. In this interview, David Kennedy, a biologist who studies the evolution of infectious diseases at Penn State, explains how these new strains are different, what “more transmissible” means, what that means for the public and whether the vaccines will be effective against them. David Kennedy explains the two new COVID-19 strains B117 and B1351, which were detected in December. What are the two new variants of the SARS CoV-2 virus? There are actually a few different variants that are emerging that you’ve probably been hearing about recently. Two of the most common ones that people are talking about and are most concerned abou...

In Order To Stop The Coronavirus How Many People Need To Get COVID-19 Vaccine?

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

In Order To Stop The Coronavirus How Many People Need To Get COVID-19 Vaccine?

It has been clear for a while that, at least in the U.S., the only way out of the coronavirus pandemic will be through vaccination. The rapid deployment of coronavirus vaccines is underway, but how many people need to be vaccinated in order to control this pandemic? I am a computational biologist who uses data and computer models to answer biological question at the University of Connecticut. I have been tracking my state’s COVID-19 epidemic with a computer model to help forecast the number of hospitalizations at the University of Connecticut’s John Dempsey Hospital. This type of computer model and the underlying theory can also be used to calculate the vaccination rates needed to break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus. My estimate is that for the entire U.S., roughly 70% of ...

A Big Problem For Equitable COVID-19 Vaccination – The Cold Supply Chain Can’t Reach Everywhere

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

A Big Problem For Equitable COVID-19 Vaccination – The Cold Supply Chain Can’t Reach Everywhere

To mitigate health inequities and promote social justice, coronavirus vaccines need to get to underserved populations and hard-to-reach communities. There are few places in the U.S. that are unreachable by road, but other factors – many rural hospitals can’t afford ultralow-temperature freezers or might not have reliable electricity, for example – present challenges. However, with government will and resources, these could be overcome. That is not true for much of the rest of the world. One of us, Tim Ford, is a global health researcher who has done a lot of international work on water and health where the cold supply chain cannot go, most recently in rural Haiti. The other, Charles Schweik, studies how the spread of innovations – both digital and physical – can solve pressing societal ...

In 2021 Outsmart Your COVID-19 Fears And Boost Your Mood

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

In 2021 Outsmart Your COVID-19 Fears And Boost Your Mood

After a year of toxic stress ignited by so much fear and uncertainty, now is a good time to reset, pay attention to your mental health and develop some healthy ways to manage the pressures going forward. It’s all about emotion. Charles Postiaux/Unsplash, CC BY-ND Brain science has led to some drug-free techniques that you can put to use right now. I am health psychologist who developed a method that harnesses our rip-roaring emotions to rapidly switch off stress and activate positive emotions instead. This technique from emotional brain training is not perfect for everyone, but it can help many people break free of stress when they get stuck on negative thoughts. Why the stress response is so hard to turn off Three key things make it hard to turn off stress-activated negative emotions: ...

Why African Americans Need To Take The COVID-19 Vaccine – What’s Not Being Said

23Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

Why African Americans Need To Take The COVID-19 Vaccine – What’s Not Being Said

Dr. Anthony Fauci and other national health leaders have said that African Americans need to take the COVID-19 vaccine to protect their health. What Fauci and others have not stated is that if African Americans don’t take the vaccine, the nation as whole will never get to herd immunity. The concept of herd immunity, also referred to as community immunity, is fairly simple. When a significant proportion of the population, or the herd, becomes immune from the virus, the entire population will have some acceptable degree of protection. Immunity can occur through natural immunity from personal infection and recovery, or through vaccination. Once a population reaches herd immunity, the likelihood of person-to-person spread becomes very low. The big lie is one of omission. Yes, it is true that...

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 And How It Causes COVID-19 – And Then Developing Multiple Vaccines Was The Top Scientific Breakthrough For 2020

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 And How It Causes COVID-19 – And Then Developing Multiple Vaccines Was The Top Scientific Breakthrough For 2020

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, has killed approximately 2.2% of those worldwide who are known to have contracted it. But the situation could be a lot worse without modern medicine and science. The last such global scourge was the influenza pandemic of 1918, which is estimated to have killed 50 million people at a time when there was no internet or easy access to long-distance telephones to disseminate information. Science was limited, which made it difficult to identify the cause and initiate vaccine development. The world is 100% more prepared for the current pandemic than it was 100 years ago. However, it has still affected our lives profoundly. I am a physician scientist who specializes in the study of viruses and runs a microbiology laboratory tha...