Sunday, December 22

Tag: covid

In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, what should you say to someone who refuses to wear a mask? A philosopher weighs in
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COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, what should you say to someone who refuses to wear a mask? A philosopher weighs in

Multiple studies have shown that masks reduce the transmission of virus-loaded droplets from people with COVID-19. However, according to a Gallup poll, almost a third of Americans say they rarely or never wear a mask in public. This raises a question: Can the anti-maskers be persuaded to wear masks? To some, it might appear that such a question has no ethical dimension. Wearing masks saves lives, so everyone should do it. Some even believe anti-maskers are simply selfish. But as a philosopher who studies ethics and persuasion, I argue that things are more complicated than that. Kant on love and respect To start, consider one of the most influential ethical frameworks in Western thought: that of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. According to Kant, morality is ultimately about respec...
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Economic hardship from COVID-19 will hit minority seniors the most
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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Economic hardship from COVID-19 will hit minority seniors the most

For Americans 60 and older, COVID-19 is widespread and deadly. Its economic impact could also be devastating. With a recession fast developing, much of the attention on the downturn focuses on working-age adults, but many older Americans – with less time to make up for financial losses – will suffer the most. I am a clinical professor of gerontology. My co-author is a research fellow in gerontology. We believe that recent history, specifically the Great Recession of 2008-09, will demonstrate what’s at stake. In a series of research briefs using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we analyzed the financial status of Americans 60 and older before and after that recession. We reviewed the data from a wide variety of demographic groups: non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and H...
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9 reasons you can be optimistic that a vaccine for COVID-19 will be widely available in 2021
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COVID-19

9 reasons you can be optimistic that a vaccine for COVID-19 will be widely available in 2021

As fall approaches rapidly, many are wondering if the race for a vaccine will bear fruit as early as January 2021. I am a physician-scientist and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Virginia, where I care for patients and conduct research into COVID-19. I am occasionally asked how I can be sure that researchers will develop a successful vaccine to prevent COVID-19. After all, we still don’t have one for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Here is where the current research stands, where I think we will be in five months and why you can be optimistic about the delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine. 1. Human immune system cures COVID-19 In as many as 99% of all COVID-19 cases, the patient recovers from the infection, and the virus is cleared from the body. Some of those who have had...
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Sketchy darknet websites are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic – buyer beware
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COVID-19, TECHNOLOGY

Sketchy darknet websites are taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic – buyer beware

Underground markets that sell illegal commodities like drugs, counterfeit currency and fake documentation tend to flourish in times of crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. The online underground economy has responded to the current crisis by exploiting demand for COVID-19-related commodities. Today, some of the most vibrant underground economies exist in darknet markets. These are internet websites that look like ordinary e-commerce websites but are accessible only using special browsers or authorization codes. Vendors of illegal commodities have also formed dedicated group-chats and channels on encrypted instant messaging services like WhatsApp, Telegram and ICQ. The Darknet Analysis project at the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group here at Georgia State Universit...
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How COVID-19 might increase risk of memory loss and cognitive decline
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COVID-19

How COVID-19 might increase risk of memory loss and cognitive decline

Of all frightening ways that the SARS-COV-2 virus affects the body, one of the more insidious is the effect of COVID-19 on the brain. It is now clear that many patients suffering from COVID-19 exhibit neurological symptoms, from loss of smell, to delirium, to an increased risk of stroke. There are also longer-lasting consequences for the brain, including myalgic encephalomyelitis /chronic fatigue syndrome and Guillain-Barre syndrome. These effects may be caused by direct viral infection of brain tissue. But growing evidence suggests additional indirect actions triggered via the virus’s infection of epithelial cells and the cardiovascular system, or through the immune system and inflammation, contribute to lasting neurological changes after COVID-19. I am a neuroscientist specializing in...
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What the huge COVID-19 testing undercount in the US means
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COVID-19, VIDEO REELS

What the huge COVID-19 testing undercount in the US means

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions recently published a study which estimated that the true number of people infected by COVID-19 could be six to 24 times higher than the number of confirmed cases. Melissa Hawkins, professor of public health at American University, explains what this large undercount means and why insufficient data is hampering the U.S.‘s ability to control the pandemic. Melissa Hawkins explains the implications of the COVID-19 testing undercount. What are some reasons for the large disparity between the true number of infected cases and the confirmed case count in the U.S.? We just passed 4 million total confirmed cases and over 150,000 deaths. But those confirmed cases really only tell part of the story since we know th...
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Yes, kids can get COVID-19 – 3 pediatricians explain what’s known about coronavirus and children
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COVID-19

Yes, kids can get COVID-19 – 3 pediatricians explain what’s known about coronavirus and children

We are three pediatric infectious disease specialists who live and work in West Virginia. The West Virginia University health system serves 400,000 children and according to our internal data, to date, 2,520 children up to 17 years of age have been tested for the coronavirus. Sixty-seven of them tested positive and one became sick enough to be admitted to the hospital. We are asked almost daily about children and COVID-19: Do they get COVID-19? Should they attend day care or school, play sports, see friends and attend summer camps? What are the risks to themselves and to others? Based on current research and our own experiences, it would seem that kids 17 years old and younger face little risk from the coronavirus. Nearly all children have asymptomatic, very mild or mild disease, but a s...
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Massive online open courses see exponential growth during COVID-19 pandemic
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EDUCATION

Massive online open courses see exponential growth during COVID-19 pandemic

Massive open online classes, or MOOCs, have seen a surge in enrollments since March. Enrollment at Coursera – an online platform that offers MOOCs, has skyrocketed and was 640% higher from mid-March to mid-April than during the same period last year, growing from 1.6 to 10.3 million. The surge was driven in part by giving free catalog access for 3,800 courses to their university partners. Enrollment at Udemy – another MOOC provider – was up over 400% between February and March. These surges correspond to lock downs across the world as the pandemic started to rage. As an astronomy professor who teaches and studies MOOCs, I believe there will be a continued shift toward these types of courses as the pandemic forces educators and students alike to rethink the risks associated with in-person...
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Random testing in Indiana shows COVID-19 is 6 times deadlier than flu, and 2.8% of the state has been infected
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COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Random testing in Indiana shows COVID-19 is 6 times deadlier than flu, and 2.8% of the state has been infected

Since day one of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. has not had enough tests. Faced with this shortage, medical professionals used what tests they had on people with the worst symptoms or whose occupations put them at high risk for infection. People who were less sick or asymptomatic did not get tested. Because of this, many infected people in the U.S. have not been tested, and much of the information public health officials have about the spread and deadliness of the virus does not provide a complete picture. Short of testing every person in the U.S., the best way to get accurate data on who and how many people have been infected with the coronavirus is to test randomly. I am a professor of health policy and management at Indiana University, and random testing is exactly what we did in ...
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Could employers and states mandate COVID-19 vaccinations? Here’s what the courts have ruled
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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Could employers and states mandate COVID-19 vaccinations? Here’s what the courts have ruled

A safe and effective vaccine could end the coronavirus pandemic, but for it to succeed, enough people will have to get inoculated. Recent polls suggest that the U.S. is far from ready. Most surveys have found that only about two-thirds of adults say they would probably get the vaccine. While that might protect most people who get vaccinated, research suggests it may be insufficient to reach herd immunity and stop the virus’s spread. As a law professor who has written about the legal questions around vaccination laws, employment discrimination and religious exemptions, I see four possible approaches that governments and employers can take to ensure enough Americans are immunized against COVID-19. Which ones are legal might surprise you. Can governments require vaccinations? The most intr...
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