Saturday, September 19, 2020

Coronavirus News (233)


There won’t be enough coronavirus vaccines for a return to normal life until 2022, WHO scientist says The need for social distancing and mask wearing will continue next year, leading World Health Organisation scientist predicts Negotiations ongoing for US and China to participate in the WHO’s global alliance of equitable vaccine distribution ...........  “The way that people are picturing it is that in January you have vaccines for the whole world and things will start going back to normal – it is not how it works” ..........  people in China would have access to locally developed vaccines as early as November or December. ..........  hundreds of thousands of Chinese had already been vaccinated .............  There were 92 low-income countries eligible for free vaccines subsidised by wealthy countries and donors


Trump: Americans will develop ‘herd mentality’, coronavirus vaccine weeks away Trump denies playing down virus, floats ‘herd mentality’ strategy instead of ‘herd immunity’ US president said a US vaccine could be three or four weeks away, before the election on November 3  ......... US President Donald Trump said that a coronavirus vaccine may be available within a month – an acceleration of even his own optimistic predictions – but added that the pandemic could go away by itself. ........... Experts including top US government infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci say vaccine approval is more likely toward the end of the year. ..........  Returning to one of his most controversial views on the virus, that has ravaged the economy and which government scientists say will remain a danger for some time, Trump insisted “it is going to disappear”. ........... Challenged about how the virus would go away by itself, he said “you’ll develop like a herd mentality”. .............. said “a lot of people don’t want to wear masks and people don’t think masks are good”. .........  Asked what people he meant, Trump answered: “Waiters”. “They come over and they serve you and they have a mask,” he said. “I saw it the other day when they were serving me and they’re playing with the mask. I’m not blaming them. I’m just saying what happens: They’re playing with the mask. So the mask is over, and they’re touching it, and then they’re touching the plate, and that can’t be good.” .............. 52 per cent of adults do not trust Trump’s statements about an upcoming coronavirus vaccine, compared to 26 per cent who do.   

Scientific American magazine backs Joe Biden in its first-ever White House endorsement Editors say they feel ‘compelled’ to back Democratic candidate’s effort to unseat Trump in coming election Move prompted by US president’s scepticism of scientific experts and handling of pandemic ........... The magazine's editors wrote that they felt “compelled” to back Biden in his effort to unseat President Donald Trump. Scientific American cited Trump’s handling of Covid-19 and his scepticism of expert opinion and mainstream science on issues such as climate change as the impetus for its decision. ........... “The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the US and its people – because he rejects evidence and science” .........  “Joe Biden, in contrast, comes prepared with plans to control Covid-19, improve health care, reduce carbon emissions and restore the role of legitimate science in policymaking. He solicits expertise and has turned that knowledge into solid policy proposals.”  

What the World Can Learn From Life Under Tokyo’s Rail Tracks 

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Monday, September 14, 2020

Coronavirus News (232)

France reports highest daily coronavirus spike since pandemic began, India sees record rise There have been more than 28.7 million COVID-19 cases confirmed worldwide ........ domestic air travel in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, has returned to pre-pandemic levels. ....... Antarctica is still free of COVID-19. Nearly 1,000 scientists have wintered on the ice and are getting a peek of the sun for the first time in months. Now the task is making sure incoming colleagues don’t bring the virus. 

No one is coming to save the global economy this time The coronavirus depression will be much worse than the last worldwide recession, because this time no country is strong enough to rescue the global economy. ..........  Skipping a recession doesn't come cheap. China spent half a trillion dollars avoiding the financial crisis, and in the years that followed it built up a massive, opaque shadow banking system that it has since been trying to tamp down since 2015. This year China's total debt – corporate, household, and government — climbed to 303% of GDP. ........... Since economic transactions are mostly human interactions, you can see the problem there. ......... our first wave never ended. We have handled the coronavirus badly. The US unemployment rate is sitting at 8.3%. Testing is splotchy. Washington was able to get its act together to blunt the full force of the coronavirus' onset, but now Democrats and Republicans are locked in an argument over whether or not the country needs another rescue package. It does. In fact, the whole world needs it.

A top disease expert is warning of 'another 12 to 14 months of a really hard road ahead of us,' and says the US has no national plan to stop it  the US doesn't have a national plan to stop the spread of COVID in the fall and winter. ...........  Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, said Americans should expect to "hunker down" in the upcoming fall and winter months. ............. 62% of adults in the US are worried "political pressure from the Trump administration" could push the Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine "without making sure that it is safe and effective." ....... I don't go back and replay February and March. I play right now. ..........  "We have 50 state plans that in many cases are so different, so divided, and not necessarily based on good science. So, yeah, we got a long road ahead." 

Israel to reinstate strict three-week coronavirus lockdown 

Why A COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Would Press Pause how temporarily halting a trial can sometimes mean the process is working as intended.

The U.S. Doesn’t Want To Join A Global Effort To Stop A Global Pandemic

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