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joeyarnoldvn · 4 years

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2021, February

Biden Law, Five Years Lockdown Monday the first day of February of 2021. Canada Kidnapping Themselves Tuesday. All About Hive Blog Wednesday. Alex Jones and DR. STEVE PIECZENIK Thursday. Are you ready for Weapons of Mass Distraction Friday. Amazon Spies Saturday.

Instagram Rising

I was banned on Bittrex Sunday the 8th. My Cash App is $joeyarnoldvn Monday. Cronyism Sucks Tuesday. Gold-Backed Crypto Wednesday. Protonmail problem on my 36th birthday Thursday. Just kidding. Brother Joined Hive Friday. Shoveling Snow Saturday.

Ice Killed Texans

Happy Valentines Day Sunday the 14th. President's Day. Party at Five Monday. Texas Freezing Tuesday. Vietnamese pho dinner was yummy. Travel Post Banned For Not Being a Travel Post Wednesday. Photoshop Funny Thursday. We Need County Coin Friday. Why is Sweden banning masks Saturday.

Can't Disrupt Commerce lol

Strung up pea strings. The Healthy American Sunday the 21st. Pho dinner. Musical chairs. Weekly Oatmeal Show - Episode 001 Monday. Gina Carona Interview with Ben Shapiro Tuesday. Digging up potatoes. Bible study revived. Being Dead Due To Birth Wednesday. Captain Biden Flying Around Zapping Brown Kids Thursday. My-Body-My-Choice No-Mask Sign Friday. Cleaned Out a Chicken House Saturday. DEADLY-ALLERGIC to YOUR-OWN-BODY Sunday.

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February of 2021

Oatmeal Monthly - 2021-02 - February of 2021 Published in February of 2021

I enjoyed watching season 1 of Tell Me Your Secrets

By Oatmeal Joey Arnold

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Biden Law, Five Years Lockdown Plan

2021-02-01 - Monday

Hello Pocahontas

Americans to be placed under Extreme Lockdown House-Arrest for at least 12 months, that is the plan. You will be stuck in your house like they did in China. You will starve to death and die. The plan is to begin this before 2022, as in as soon as possible. Your loved ones will die from Covid Vaccines which is already murdering hundreds to thousands of people. This is a hole straight down to the pits of Hell.

Canada Kidnapping Themselves

2021-02-02 - Tuesday

Biden, Harris, Napoleon Dynamite Voting Meme

When Canadians return to their home country, Canada, they're federally kidnapped, imprisoned in Covid Concentration Camps for many days, and then charged at least $2,000. Wow. Justin is so liberal. Let's all move to the Land of the Moose. 2 masks at least says CDC. Go to their website and read the article.

Try To Withdraw Money

If you try to take your money out of your bank, they'll flag you, stick the IRS up your butt. Just try it, I dare you. When you try to withdraw cash, watch what happens, and don't get me started with if you ask for gold when you try to cash out. Paper money was supposed to be an "I-Owe-You" check which is supposed to be exchangeable for actual gold, a place-holder.

All About Hive Blog

2021-02-03 - Wednesday

Picture of Joey Arnold

Hive is like Facebook except it pays you to post. Did you know Covid is also called SARS-COV-2? Wait a minute, whatever happened to SARS-COV-1? Did we have a pandemic for the first one? How are we already in the second one? Was I sleeping while the first one was going around? How many years ago was the first one? Is China stealing oil from Texas? Why was Joe Biden refused a Pentagon security clearance? There has been documented cases where people were missing over 90% of their brain tissue but where still able to function like a normal person. One person to even had just a thin layer around the inside of the skull. Literally an empty head and yet could still function as a human. They are destroying the second amendment right now. You have no idea.

Alex Jones and DR. STEVE PIECZENIK

2021-02-04 - Thursday

Trump Terminator

Big interview between Alex Jones and DR. STEVE PIECZENIK today, 2nd hour of the show. The dollar could lose over 20% of its value under Lord Biden before 2022 and much more the following 12 months. It is likely the dollar will die sooner or later meaning you must convert your dollars into something else while you still can. This is financial advice. You have been warned. Your money is on fire but not in a good way. You're leaking value each day. You might as well give me your money as you're losing your money each second. You're wasting your money as you let inflation destroy the value of fiat. Was the Burma Election stolen like it was in America? If you think Biden won, then you do NOT know who won in Burma. I don't care what military is doing. Who won the election in Burma? I'm asking who got the most real votes excluding the fake votes. I want to know who really won. Please let the REAL WINNER be the leader of what you call Myanmar. Whoever actually won should be allowed to run that country, period. Military should help whoever got the most legal votes in that nation. Period. I don't know who won. I am just saying let the real winner have the power, good or bad.

Fall or Rise of Empires

This is what Mike Adams said today. He said something bad could happen over night, that is to the extent the dollar crashes, they'll try to blame the crazy Redditters, the conservatives, for destroying the money, they'll come up with crazy excuses, conspiracy theories, and then say how they saved us by giving us Biden Coins or whatever they want to call it. They are trying to have one centralized global digital currency, no cash, no decentralized cryptocurrencies. So, I agree this could happen at any time, especially if three or more stimulus checks come out in 2021, as they spend more and more money, as people demand silver, gold, etc. The centralized banking system could fall in the next few years or sooner. As that happens, either the good guys or the crazy globalists and baby eaters can take over as that happens. So, in other words, we are in a major transition in global history similar to the rise or fall of other great empires like that of Rome, Babylon, Persia, England, China, etc. But I can't say if we are in the middle of the fall or the rise of an evil authoritarian regime.

Are you ready for Weapons of Mass Distraction?

2021-02-05 - Friday

Alex Jones

Happy birthday brother. Are you ready for Weapons of Mass Distraction? In order to buy guns in 2021 in America, you either have to right now or potentially soon will have to pay too many taxes, additional taxes, including gun related taxes, and pass a test which includes questions relating to if you want to own a gun. If you answer you want a gun, you fail the test because only crazy bad guys want guns. If you want a gun, pass a test. The only way to pass the test is to answer you do not want a gun. Once you answer you do not want a gun, then the genie in the bottle comes out and says in the voice of Robin Williams in Disney's cartoon movie, Aladdin, "As you wish." There were at least two 2020 USA General Election court cases which heard evidence meaning the other dozen or more cases were unconstitutionally dismissed by compromised judges. There is one case in Arizona which is leading towards potential ballot auditing. There may be other legal cases pending in other states in the United States of America. New court cases may rise. Others are ongoing. Some may be, if they haven't yet, potentially, refiled or retried. In some cases, you can do that. It's not double-jeopardy in some cases. It depends but you can sometimes do this depending on the details. A federal case for example could be then tried on the state level. That is not double jeopardy. You can pressure your local counties to call for ballot audits today. Join the revolution.

Nullifying Federal Executive Orders

North Dakota is planning to nullify (on a state level) unconstitutional federal executive orders. If you're not living in this state, you should either go there or encourage your state to call up North Dakota. Hello Texas, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, etc. In the world of rock paper scissor, you can see state and federal power. However, never underestimate the power of the county sheriff which trumps over them. You should make friends with your local sheriffs and talk to them about the rule of law regarding what you have to do in your county, legally speaking. Don't go against the sheriffs. Find out what they expect from you as a citizen of the county you're living in.

Amazon Spies

2021-02-06 - Saturday

Trump

Amazon vans have cameras actively spying on people, as in anybody and everybody as they drive around delivering packages, not just their customers but also neighbors and everyone else as well. They collect the data in order to develop a China Social Credit Score Database. Even if you're not on Facebook, they'll still have your data. If you do something that our overlords deem not right, your social credit score begins to go down and down. A lower Social Credit Score means you will not be able to buy and sell, travel, have food, have protection, have safety, have a job, have schooling, have a house, have children, have parents, have organs, have water, have power, have Internet, have apps, have trash, have doctors, have hospitals, have health care. When you call 911 and say somebody cut off your arm and you are bleeding to death, the operator will answer the phone and say, "Sorry, your social credit score is too low, please raise it to an acceptable level and try your call again. Have a good day. Good bye."

I was banned on Bittrex

2021-02-07 - Sunday

I was banned on Bittrex

Banks and big tech companies are making special cities all around the world. Covid to End on the 31st of March of 2025 according to WorldBank.org.

My Cash App is $joeyarnoldvn

2021-02-08 - Monday

Facebook Restricted

My Cash App is $joeyarnoldvn and what is yours? Let's have a party before the dollar dies. Let's come up with backup plans and come together in local communities while we still can. Now is the time.

Cronyism Sucks

2021-02-09 - Tuesday

Cronyism Sucks

George Washington did NOT say, "My fellow Americans, read my lips, I hereby grant you some rights which we can then take away if there is a pandemic or if you feel a little unsafe regarding your neighbor's cannons." You can either help your state leave the United States of Satan or you can leave that state. A woman in Vancouver, Washington went to a hospital. Nurses and doctors tried to stick a needle in her arm against her wishes. She said no. The hospital called the police who came and kidnapped her for not breaking the law. No crime. The hospital and the police committed crime against her. And believe all women. And what if I told you she was black and black lives matter. And police are bad. The police might as well sell her to sex trafficking. Don't we want to defund the police? And I am Pro-Choice too. My Body My Choice. And none of your business. Thousands of people go to Oakes Farms Market in Florida daily without masks in 2020 and many of them go there seven days a week because it's the new Disneyland, the happiest place on earth, even some of their staff are 80 years old or older and yet are not getting sick. But if you do want to wear a mask, have at it. Hundreds of new customers come in each day from out of state, some come as far as like New York. You can tell they're new because when they enter the store, their jaws drop like as if they're cartoon characters.

Cash App

My Cash App is $joeyarnoldvn and what is yours? Let's have a party before the dollar dies. Let's come up with backup plans and come together in local communities while we still can. Now is the time. I will invest in a gold-backed cryptocurrency, as much as I can. Is there such a thing yet? Sign up to be a First Responder today, just call, not toll-free, at 1-800-Get-A-Gun-Duh. Don't kill your chickens, wait until they die of old age, say a little prayer to remember the wonderful life Chicken Little had and then get out your knife and prepare for a feast in honor of the life of the little guy. Study shows over 80% of Covid-19 Patients have vitamin D deficiency. Nurses stick stuff inside babies causing hearts to stop. After that, they try their best to restart the infant's hearts. Too many do die. It is covered up. You don't hear about it. Most viruses die in the air within seconds. Over 85 percent of child trafficking related things seem to be happening on Facebook Messenger.

Gold-Backed Crypto

2021-02-10 - Wednesday

Find me on Instagram at Joeyarnoldvn

Gold and silver are accepted as legal currencies in Utah, Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Before 2030, globalists will most likely murder over 6 billion people. The good news is, number one, we can try to stop some of that, and, number two, regardless, you don't have to be one of them, you don't have to die, there may be only a billion people left on our planet soon. Come join me and survive this coming Holocaust. The greatest Holocaust ever. Save as many people as you can. But at the same time, you don't have to die. Get out of the big cities. Find a farm while you still can. You are running out of time. Find a community of like-minded people and get a room, I mean a community, a neighborhood, a state where you can find like-minded people. Do it while you still can.

Genocide Coming

Because there may be over 7 billion people who support the globalist agenda, they will end up dying most likely in the next few years. You must be prepared for this probability or worst case scenario. Every day you're still not dead yet is precious. You get what you promote. Justice is coming. There are consequences and rewards for the actions we take in life. Will you buy smart underwear which will be connected to the NSA? How do we detox from the lead which is in the soil? I have a friend named Tim Osman. Please don't Google his name. You can make money posting to blockchain social networks, I can help you sign up for free, no credit cards, no money required. I post on these websites and I make money. I did not put any money into them. You can take the money out. You can wire the money to crypto exchanges, banks, wallets.

Protonmail Banned Me on my 36th birthday.

2021-02-11 - Thursday

Protonmail Banned Me on my 36th birthday.

Protonmail Banned Me on my 36th birthday. Step one, find out how many people died annually for the last ten years in your country. Step two, please post those statistics for each individual year including 2020 in your report. We will copy and paste what you find everywhere. Thank you very much. Leftists say you have to say chest, can't say your baby is sucking on your breasts. You have to say human milk. You cannot say it is the milk of the mother. Oh My God. Russia killed the ALL-MIGHTY DOLLAR! I hate you RUSSIA! Are you happy America is becoming Venezuela in the next few years or much sooner because you do nothing, isn't that really cool that you're helping this republic and the world crumble? Are you excited as millions of people die? Do you wake up each morning happy that you don't care about this? Covid Vaccine has over 5 different viruses which it programs and mass produces in your cells to eat up your body from the inside-out, to attack the proteins, to kill your babies, to give you HIV, to kill your immune system and cause you to die from the common cold within months to the extend you're lacking enough essential vitamins.

Regarding Gold-Backed Cryptocurrencies

But the idea of a gold-backed cryptocurrency could at least in theory become a 2-in-1 deal where it might be backed by gold and yet as a fail-safe if all else goes wrong, if governments and others come in to confiscate the gold, you would still have something like Bitcoin or whatever type of cryptocurrency it may be. I see that as a potential two in one deal. Of course the risks, liability, privacy risks of having governments seek to imprison people for having gold which might be connected to a cryptocurrency, I understand that might be too big of a risk in some situations, it may be harder to be anonymous if police were to spot you holding some gold. Finding ways to stay as anonymous online in the mist of tyranny is a worthy cause and that is why I value the 4th amendment of the U.S. constitution. Cartoons and other children shows are actively singing songs and otherwise encouraging toddlers to wear masks, to not shake hands, hug, or get close to other people; to simply not be humans at all, this will scar these kids for the rest of their lives, deep intellectual abuse.

Brother Joined Hive

2021-02-12 - Friday

My brother joined Hive - When I Was Young, Busted Knees, No Helmets, No Limits

Mother cries as insulin for his son who could die without it costs more than $500 even as it only costs pennies to make. Biden did this. Watch the video of this mother in her car video. Listen to her passion as she speaks truth. They say even after everyone on the planet is vaccinated, we still must have lockdown globally, even in ten years from now. Are you happy for living on Planet Wall-E as Fat People stuck in The Matrix? Over ten million starved to death in 2020 thanks to people staying at home and being safe. We kept ourselves so safe, we ended up dying because we had no food. We are so scared, we make the problem worse. The odds of coming up with the exact numbers of the 2020 U.S. General Elections, Mathematician Expert Edward Solomon says there aren't enough stars in the known universe to have it come up by chance apart from electronic manipulation, statistically, it's astronomical, he went on to say there aren't even enough atoms in the universe. Biden won exactly the same percentage points across multiple precincts at designated times a day just long enough to put him in the lead. One example in Fulton County, Georgia on starting at 12:54 AM on Wednesday, the 4th of November of 2020, the percentage was set 5.5555%, and every 30 minutes to an hour plus a few times on Thursday, that is eleven separate times, each time it was exactly 5.555% percent, and that is humanly impossible to replicate by hand without the help of voting software.

Elmo Vaccine

Elmo got the vaccine and people on Sesame Street are locked in their homes like as if they were living in China. Children are being brainwashed. This is worse than sexual abuse. Green means you can travel. Different colors means different things under the Chinese Credit Score which is going to Europe, Australia, Canada, and is also slowly getting into America. If the centralized powers don't like you or your friends, then you can't work, school, travel, buy, sell, have your kids, have Internet, have a phone plan, health care, police care, fire care, water, sewer, garbage, food, etc. There is an alleged James Clapper interrogation audio tape which I'm listening to right now.

Shoveling Snow

2021-02-13 - Saturday

Michelle Obama, "Joe Biden, get your hands off my dick."

Before getting the Covid Vaccine, read the ingredients, the insert. And tell yourself, oh, I am putting this thing in my body, that is awesome. And oh, I am putting this other thing in my body. It is not a vaccine. Ignorance is Bliss. It's cool when you don't know you don't know something. It's cool when millions of people are likely to die or very close to it in 2021 because of Covid Vaccines.

Money is Dying

Cannot wait for the dollar to die. A study found that over 80% of those who got Covid were vitamin-D deficient. And the Flu magically disappeared during the winter. If you're going off the CDC website, you should make a list of the exact numbers.

Happy Valentines Day

2021-02-14 - Sunday

Joe Biden in like 2003

Happy Valentines Day. America has been dead for 209 years. They try to kill people via nano bots which goes into the body to cause flu like symptoms. That is fused with 5G, geoengineering, chemicals, waves, a variety of things working together. You must actively try ten times harder to counter as much of it all as you can, your ignorance is bliss, your children will suffer to the extent you try not to counter things you are yet to know. I repeat, things you are yet to know. Apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons a day but broken up gradually throughout the day, can help you. Encouraging healthy pH blood level balance minimizes cancer, detoxifies the liver, dissolves viruses, and helps the heart. The brain-gut connection. Is it true the last U.S. President to take the oath for the united states for America was back in around 1812? Has America been dead for over two centuries now? Did you know there is a star inside our earth? Biden is telling Americans to wear masks until 2022.

Reducing Zombism

Candida is a type of fungus which helps decompose dead bodies but the problem comes when the people are still alive while Candida is excessively growing and eating up your body even before you are actually dead. Therefore, you want to look at fasting, at starving those little guys at least once every ten years if not as often as you can to minimize how much of them you have inside of your biology. Borax detoxes fluoride from the brain. Inside your body are the bad guys, the fungi, which wants your body to die, and the good guys, which are the bacteria which wants your body to live, that is the civil war within your chemical makeup. The pineal gland in our brain is a spiritual window into the Supernatural Internet which transcends space and time, it truly is the third eye, but fluoride blocks it. Does the earth have two moons?

Party at Five

2021-02-15 - Monday

Star Wars Luke Kenobi Father Vader Anakin Floor is Lava Game Sucks He Was And Died Hahaha Meme

Party at Five. RINOs are Republican In Name Only and PINOs are Patriots In Name Only. Thousands of refugees are being allowed into California and Texas from Mexico but without being tested for Covid, no masks, no safety. But if you want to go anywhere or do anything, you have to get tested. When immigrants come in, as they do right now, they are NOT being tested for anything really, they can pass on diseases to you and you are not allowed to do anything period.

Texas Freezing

2021-02-16 - Tuesday

Girl from Firefly show

A 28 YEAR OLD WISCONSIN MOM DIES DAYS AFTER SECOND PFIZER SHOT. Why are kids sneaking out of the White House? Is Tom Cruise part of an off-planet corporation called Umbrella? You can find really old videos on the Internet of really tall people, some of them may be 14 feet tall or taller as you can see people and horses almost reach the height of this man's knees. Did you really think those videos were fake? Many times you'll find truth hiding in plain sight. Truth is often lying underneath your nose all along. This takes the Mandela Effect to a whole new level. Is the South Pole actually the North Pole? It's below zero degrees in Texas right now, they refusing to turn the power back on as people freeze to death, they're shutting down stores as people starve to death, and they're refusing to plow roads. You can literally watch videos of giant semi-trucks crashing into other trucks, at least three giant trucks, one which was going at least 70 MPH and the others were going pretty fast too, several people died in just that pile up alone.

Who is Oatmeal Joey Arnold?

I am single, 36 years old, I live in Shelton, I am Christian, no kids, I live with my parents, I don't wear a mask ever, I listen to Alex Jones, I love Trump, I am a little bit crazy, I don't work. I don't have a job. I just sit on a computer all day writing on my blog and that is it. Was the inspiration behind the Star Gate movies and shows stolen from the Native American Indians? Weather manipulation meetings at your local town hall in a county or state near you, why are you not there to ask them questions? Things got so bad in India that they created a task force and then ended up banning the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. That's how EVIL India is. Hey folks, how could India keep out our SAVIORS? We all know Bill Gates is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Kissinger wrote a report back in the 1970s regarding how to control the African population.

Travel Post Banned For Not Being a Travel Post

2021-02-17 - Wednesday

White Culture Dont Have Any Joke Yes We Do

Texas Dark Winter to last for weeks, people are freezing and starving to death, people are so excited as the globalists take over the world, Biden said the Dark Winter was coming, he was right. Be prepared for a new biological weapon, a new Covid disease, coming either this year in 2021 or at least before 2025. It will kill at least 4 billion people. Don't tell me I didn't warn you. I'm on record trying to tell you how bad things are. If you're reading this, you're guilty of not caring. Please, do something. The clock is ticking. Will China be aiming nuclear weapons at 24 targets across the globe, will it be real, will it be staged, will it be an excuse to lockdown the world, what is going to happen? Will it be exactly 24 different places in different countries around this planet? Will this be a good thing or a bad thing? Will the good guys or the bad guys be able to take control of whatever that might happen in February of 2021? Will it be any day now? Will people fall for false flags? Is there anything we can do right now?

Bill Gates Over Biden

Biden won't speak to world leaders. Boris Johnson said Bill Gates is really the head of the G8. This is how globalism works. They're getting the general population used to the world being run by technocracy. In a secret video, Mark Zuckerberg told his Facebook staff he didn't trust the Covid Vaccine. So, why isn't Mark telling his 2 billion users this? Why keep such a thing a secret? In the 1960s, America asked Russia to start a world war against China but Russia declined. That was declassified.

Photoshop Funny

2021-02-18 - Thursday

1776 Put Mask On Americans No Way

Funny story today, somebody used photoshop to try to fool me ahahahahhaaa! Biden is taking over the Texan Power-Grid, red alert, warning warning. We know their plan. We know the patterns. They'll say deadlier strands are out there now. This will likely be by the fall of 2021 if not a lot sooner. The strands will generally be less deadly. But it's extremely coordinated, scripted, they will all try their best to make you gulp down this Kool-Aid of Death. Shifting into Techno-Scientific Dictatorship, they're phasing the general public to accept this shift in world history globally, most people are stuck in a trance and they do NOT even know it. Even if you tell them, they will say to you, "You are crazy." THEY'RE PUTTING CHEMICALS IN THE SKY THAT MAKES THE SNOW GAY. The power grid was an attack on water-power devices, especially in the 1930s. Some people had water-powered devices. They didn't need electricity because they water-powered devices.

Scaring Children to Death

A ten year old was admitted to the hospital because he was losing weight because he was refusing to eat for so long because he was afraid he would get Covid and die. Sergeant Major said they don't call it a Lie-Berry for nothing. Did you know they used to have water-powered mechanical devices? You were not told real history. A lot of stuff covered up. Why not get back to water power? Aren't you even just a little bit curious? People had free electricity thanks to tap water in the early 1900s. So, why would people give that up? What happened? Why trade that in for a monthly electricity bill?

We Need County Coin

2021-02-19 - Friday

Lauren Chen was on Friday Night Tights

Steele mentioned the idea of CountyNet. Also, he mentioned an idea of a CountyCoin which loses value the farther away from the county the coin moves in order to incentivize investing back into the same community as opposed to going excessively and obsessively overseas aggressively, as in too much and too often. I confess I fell for fake news when I thought Babbit died. I was wrong. Steele says Wall Street and others stolen 100 trillion dollars. People in power plants in Texas were ordered to lower down, to power down to zero percent in most cases, the documents are here, you can read the documents, they were ordered to do this on purpose, this is KILLING PEOPLE, and YOU DO NOT CARE. Do you have no friends or family in Texas? 2021-02-14 - Sunday - 08:51 PM EST - The 14th of February of 2021 - DOE Order Number 202-21-1 was issued for Texas (ERCOT), for more info, go to Energy dot gov, their official government website.

Texas Being Murdered

The Department of Energy (DOE) was ordered to turn off the power in Texas which is causing people to die. They're literally murdering people and nobody cares. The evidence is right there, we can all grab and share it. But nobody cares that thousands to millions of Texans are starving and freezing to death. I said, to death. The Department of Energy told Texas they CANNOT produce more energy, that is why people are dying. DOE Order Number 202-21-1 mentions ERCOT (ISO), this document can be read on their official government website, you can go there, you can read it, you can pass it on to your friends, or you can let your friends die in the cold in Texas with no power. Texas electricity bill for your power, just this week now, went from $50 per Megawatt to over $9000 per Megawatt. Breaking News, Megan Fox is an Anti-Masker which means she is Pro-Vitamin, we are all going to die.

Why is Sweden banning masks?

2021-02-20 - Saturday

Alpha Heater

Why is Sweden banning masks? Many times, they ban people from YouTube but then let other upload the same videos or similar videos and profit from them. The Covid Vaccine is not a remedy but an operating system.

The Healthy American

2021-02-21 - Sunday

We Stole It Fair & Square

Stores are not legally allowed to discriminate or disrupt commerce which comes from even the customers who refuses to wear masks. Stores can say it's private property. However, because the stores are open to the public, thanks to the 4th amendment, thanks to other things as well, prohibiting customers is discrimination among other things as well. The maskless buyer is not trespassing if he or she is not disrupting commerce. Moreover, when you prohibit customers from stores, then you are engaging in the disruption of commerce which may be illegal among other things as well partly because the customers are part of the free market exchange system which we call commerce. Stopping customers means you are disrupting commerce. That is illegal. You should go to jail for disrupting commerce. It may be many different things, not just that. Stores and states must be held accountable for violating laws. Stores are public. They cannot enforce masks. Churches however are legally considered to be private and can enforce masks.

Weekly Oatmeal Show - Episode 001

2021-02-22 - Monday

Coco Cola White Polar Bear Fired For Being Too White

Sound of Freedom is a great movie. The only preparedness that counts is the preparedness that happens when you don't yet need it. One day without notice, you will wake up and you will go to an ATM and it will not work. You will have no food in your house for many weeks to many months or longer. It takes less energy to walk on two legs than it takes to run four legs. The majority of suicides are from white male adults. Second spot is held by black male adults. Why was Bill Gates thrown out of 32 countries? New monthly vaccines for the virus of the month. Are you excited? He said now we have to difficult work of "Untying this knot," that is code for crazy people have to be sent off to re-educational FEMA camps where they will either recant or be murdered.

Gina Carona Interview with Ben Shapiro

2021-02-23 - Tuesday

Gina Carona Interview with Ben Shapiro

Gina interview. Why did NASA stop looking for life on Mars in 1976, why did they transition after that to geology, to looking for rocks? Trump got over 80 million votes while Biden got less than 40 million. Why are so many world leaders saying Covid-19 is permanent? They refuse to test it on animals because it kills animals or worse. No animals were harm in the making of this post. God save the animals. I'm glad we skipped animal-testing.

Being Dead Due To Birth

2021-02-24 - Wednesday

Tell Me Your Secrets

The only time your name is written in all uppercase capital letters is on your tombstone and yet that is how it's formatted on birth certificates, when parents sign it IN CURSIVE LETTERS when you are born, that is necromancy. When they say you can't leave the hospital with your own newborn infant baby without signing it, that is theft or worse. Legally speaking, it is a literal death sentence as you are literally selling away your baby. You need to live in groups of at least ten people. Zombies will be coming from the big cities. Protect your family from the walking dead. Why are so many big people being arrested around the world each day? Why?

Who Controls The Military Right Now?

Was an executive order or other items signed officially in 2019 authorizing a former (allegedly incumbent) U.S. President full control of the military even up to 60 days after an alleged inauguration of a alleged new administration (that is the new but fake President of the possibly defunct United Corporate States of America) which would end in or around, approximately, on the 20th of March of 2021? Please let me know such things were not signed. Please let your friends know nothing at all happened in 2019 at all. I'm only asking. I have no idea what happened.

Captain Biden Flying Around Zapping Brown Kids

2021-02-25 - Thursday

Captain Biden Flying Around Zapping Brown Kids

My gender is oatmeal. That is the kind of sex or gender I am. In India, doctors are saying women who get the Covid Vaccines are showing signs of the beginning stages of sudden breast cancer. Wow. This is amazing. Sign me up. Now we can all be Booby-Free Angelina Jolie. Please stick ten of those things in my arms today. Quick, this cannot come fast enough. Make boobs not great again. Please tell your friends how awesome this is. Learn To Say No Just For One Day Article. Tree Court Article.

Globalist vs Brazil

In Brazil, they're trying to force the government to not only waive all liability for the Covid Vaccines but also to sign over military bases over to them as well, it's insane but crazy things happen daily if only you knew the half of it. Back to American news. The Supreme Court has committed treason against the constitution and the republic of these American states. They've ruled saying whoever cheats the most in an election gets to be the alleged president of this defunct fake corporation which we illegally call in all caps THE UNITED STATES OF [not 'for'] AMERICA. Cheating is not only allowed but now also endorsed by the highest court of the land.

My-Body-My-Choice No-Mask Sign

2021-02-26 - Friday

My-Body-My-Choice No-Mask Sign

Masks Causes Bacteria Pneumonia. My-Body-My-Choice No-Mask Sign. Their goal is to make all humans unable to naturally reproduce by 2030. Why is South Africa cancelling the Covid Vaccine? There is also related news in Brazil, India, etc. See, people are dying from vaccines. They've been spending billions to trillions of dollars covering up vaccine deaths for decades globally. They murder people who expose this or worse in most cases. You have no idea how bad it is. Bill Gates and others are involved in giving vaccines to people around the world. That is why Bill Gates is banned in so many countries. In other news, there may be someday selling cloned synthetic children meat to encourage people to eat. Hell, they may have it ready already. Celebrity meat actually. The only we defeat this invisible enemy is to decide our own destiny. 80% of people who died of Covid in Canada were in nursing homes. 101 Pocketball Journal Scans Uploaded.

Covid Vaccines Are Murdering People

Why are over 75% of U.S. military troops refusing the Covid Vaccine? Because vaccines kill people. But more than that, the Covid Vaccine is not a vaccine. It utilizes mRNA which turns your cells into virus factories. That is what mRNA is. See, the M on mRNA means MESSENGER. This is Basic Biology & Science 101 For Dummies here. The vaccine literally sends messages or mRNA into the cell nucleus to tell it to make specific items. Covid-19 and the alleged vaccines in response to it are both GMO-like chimera monsters. They're a combination of different viruses, different things, I'm talking Frankenstein on a microscopic level. I've been talking about this many times. That is why so many people and so many countries are saying no to the vaccines. And again, the Covid Vaccines are not even vaccines to begin with. I wouldn't even be surprised if nano-tech is involved among other things in regards to these things which are murdering people right now. Sadly, they're blaming the mRNA deaths on Covid. So, they're trying very hard to make you think that you need to take monthly vaccines. And the more people die, the more they'll say, "Hurry up, you need even more vaccines, etc." Remember, they have spent billions to trillions of dollars covering up vaccine deaths. They murdered many people who tried exposing them. Fake news would never tell you all of this because they're fake news.

Cleaned Out a Chicken House

2021-02-27 - Saturday

Alex Jones Predicting Covid-19 Back in 2010

Wear a mask or I'm calling the cops. Alright, call the cops. I'm suing them. In 2020, over 40 million alleged votes for Biden were fake. In 2008, it was reported that HAARP was learning how to steer hurricanes via high-atmosphere heat injection, kind of like guiding a kitten with a string. Watch out for Bioterrorism says Bill Gates. Which reminds me, kind of funny how Texas was suddenly colder than Montana. Wow. Out of nowhere. What happened on this day in 1933? Reich Fire. Hitler. Germany. Klaus Schwab says you will ONLY ONLY ONLY eat bugs and will love it.

What is in the Covid Vaccine?

Some of the ingredients for the mRNA Covid Vaccine includes some of the most commonly consumed things including vinegar, salt, sugar, plus a few very common preservatives found in so many food items. Too many people buy processed foods which includes preservatives in them. So, why are these commonly consumed items in the vaccine? It is there to trigger autoimmune responses in your body's immune system. It may takes years for your body to get there, but slowly over time, your body will begin to develop allergies to salt, sugar, vinegar, etc. These allergies may spiral out of control into even worse problems over time. Now, that is just the tip of the iceberg. But it is a good thing to start with and share with others. Don't believe me. Don't take my word for it. Go get a list of the ingredients to these vaccines and post them here. I will wait for your awesome responses. Thank you so much in advance for responding with the real list of ingredients. Prove me wrong. Easy to do. Just show me the ingredients. Show me these items, like salt, is not in the vaccine.

DEADLY-ALLERGIC to YOUR-OWN-BODY

2021-02-28 - Sunday

Covid Vaccine Ingredients

Your body will become DEADLY-ALLERGIC to YOUR-OWN-BODY. Why is Pfizer giving their customers one thing but their staff a different thing? Pfizer got a new drug out which is going to help people deal with one of the side-effects of their own vaccines. So, they make money trying to fool you into getting one and then even more money when you have to come back to take some of their drugs to deal with the deadly side-effects. Have fun, kids. You WILL swell up like a balloon. I warned you. Why were thousands to millions of 2020 ballots had computer-printed vote marks as opposed hand-written vote marks all for Biden and none for Trump?

Trump 2024 is Retarded

Downvote because Trump won in 2020. See, they can steal it from Trump in 2024 too. We have to call for FORENSIC-STYLE ballot audits in each county each day. Call people. Email people. You can make a difference. Call the military. Call Congress. Call judges. Write letters. Protest in person. Make videos. Write articles. Share things everywhere. Do something. If you are reading this and you are doing nothing, then you deserve Biden and the Chinese takeover of America.

Who is Oatmeal Joey Arnold?

Telling The Truth in a World of Lies

Biden Law, Five Years Lockdown Plan

Canada Kidnapping Themselves

All About Hive Blog

Alex Jones and DR. STEVE PIECZENIK

Are you ready for Weapons of Mass Distraction?

Amazon Spies

I was banned on Bittrex

My Cash App is $joeyarnoldvn

Cronyism Sucks

Gold-Backed Crypto

Protonmail Banned Me on my 36th birthday

Brother Joined Hive

Shoveling Snow

Happy Valentines Day

Party at Five

Texas Freezing

Travel Post Banned For Not Being a Travel Post

Photoshop Funny

We Need County Coin

Why is Sweden banning masks?

The Healthy American

Weekly Oatmeal Show - Episode 001

Gina Carona Interview with Ben Shapiro

Being Dead Due To Birth

Captain Biden Flying Around Zapping Brown Kids

My-Body-My-Choice No-Mask Sign

Cleaned Out a Chicken House

DEADLY-ALLERGIC to YOUR-OWN-BODY

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covid19updater · 3 years

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COVID19 Updates: 07/29/2021

Oklahoma: There are no pediatric hospital beds in the state of Oklahoma due to the #DeltaVariant. Children are being transferred out of state to Texas. Doctors are calling for a state of emergency.

Japan: Two Games-related COVID-19 cases hospitalised -organisers LINK

Israel: Israel's two-week window to halt the 4th COVID-19 wave - analysis LINK

World: Some individuals vaccinated against coronavirus can have a much lower level of antibodies than other inoculated individuals and are therefore more at risk to get infected. LINK

Japan: For the third day in a row, a new single day Covid record is set in Tokyo. This time, 3,865 new cases have been reported in the metropolitan area. Clearly, the Delta Variant has taken hold. (MP) #Tokyo #Covid #Pandemic #DeltaVariant

China: Why Sinovac’s foreign customers are watching Chile’s COVID-19 experience amid Delta variant concerns LINK

China: Beijing recorded its first Covid-19 case in nearly six months on Wednesday, as Chinese authorities scramble to prevent the spread of the Delta variant amid an outbreak linked to an airport in the populous eastern city of Nanjing. LINK (first in 6 months? I call bullshit!)

US: Tucker Carlson escalates feud against Anthony Fauci by claiming he ‘created’ Covid “If the vaccine works as well as they claim it does, why are so many vaccinated people getting Covid?” LINK

Philippines: Pres. Duterte: “Those who do not want it, well, for all I care, you can die anytime.” President Duterte warns that Filipinos who refuse COVID vaccines will be confined to their homes.

Israel: Israel's #COVID19 data dashboard provided by the Health Ministry apparently no longer shows breakdowns of hospitalizations and deaths by vaccination status. (coverup much?)

Japan: Pole vaulter Sam Kendricks tests positive for COVID-19, will miss Olympics LINK

Japan: NHK has learned the Japanese government plans to expand the coronavirus state of emergency to Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama, which neighbor Tokyo, as well as the western prefecture of Osaka. #COVID19 LINK

Indonesia: Indonesia has set another record for Covid-19 deaths in a single day: 2,069 people died in the country on July 27.

Michigan: Wow. 60% of the white-tailed deer sampled in Michigan during the pandemic had antibodies for SARS-CoV-2.

Florida: Disney World to require masks indoors for everyone 2-years-old & up, regardless of vaccination status starting Friday - WLFA

US: U.S. COVID update: Biggest one-day increase in cases since February, number in hospital continues to surge - New cases: 88,376 - Average: 66,633 (+4,222) - In hospital: 42,610 (+3,322) - In ICU: 10,463 (+612) - New deaths: 488

Georgia: NEW: Atlanta announces mask mandate

US: 3 major companies have announced COVID-19 vaccine mandates: - Google - Facebook - Netflix

Japan: NEW: Tokyo reports 3,865 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase on record

Thailand: Thailand reports 17,669 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase so far, and a record 165 new deaths

Mexico: Mexico reports 19,028 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase since January, and 537 new deaths

Australia: New South Wales, which includes Sydney, reports 239 new coronavirus cases, by far the biggest one-day increase on record

India: India's Kerala state orders lockdown as COVID-19 infections rise LINK

Australia: Australian military to help enforce Sydney COVID-19 lockdown as cases rise LINK

Indonesia: Indonesia's regional COVID-19 deaths higher than national tally - data monitor LINK

RUMINT (Arkansas): Covid related death in AR that won't be reported as a Covid death... Hubby's family member lived in El Dorado area. Had medical emergency & needed intensive care. Had to be transferred to Fayetteville (~5hrs)...died in route. How many others are in the same boat?

Arkansas: #BREAKING: @uamshealth says it will be opening a third COVID-19 unit tomorrow morning as cases explode across Arkansas. Hospital officials are also looking at opening a fourth soon. #ARNews #COVID19

UK: United Kingdom Daily Coronavirus (COVID-19) Report · Thursday 29th July. 31,117 new cases (people positive) reported, giving a total of 5,801,561. 85 new deaths reported, giving a total of 129,515.

Louisiana: 33-year-old fully vaccinated woman reportedly dies from COVID-19 complications in breakthrough case LINK

UK: COVID-19: UK's daily coronavirus data 'looks a bit fishy' - as major symptom study suggests cases on the rise LINK

US: Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group to require indoor diners show proof of Covid shots LINK

US: Covid-19: CDC. Reverses Testing Advice for Fully Vaccinated LINK

Louisiana: 33% of all new COVID19 cases in Louisiana are CHILDREN.

World: Pfizer's vaccine-supply contract has leaked. It stands out for its neocolonial terms that extend beyond no liability for adverse effects. The buying state cannot terminate the contract, even if Pfizer fails to deliver on time or an effective drug is found. LINK

Iceland: Iceland’s chief epidemiologist has suggested that some COVID-19 lockdown restrictions may remain in place for as long as fifteen years. LINK (dripdripdripdrip)

World: Experts turn to antibody treatment following swarm of breakthrough COVID-19 infections LINK

US: NEW: Number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 tops 43,000, highest since April

District of Columbia: Mandatory mask policy for Capitol Grounds , published 7/28/2021 and effective immediately.

Arkansas: Gov. Hutchinson: "We are in a public health emergency. For that reason, I am reinstating the state public health emergency as of today. ... The emergency is in effect today."

Florida: Broward County school students will be wearing masks when school starts, board decides

Florida: What a disaster. Florida is averaging 17,000 new cases a day over the past two days. Six weeks ago we were seeing just 1,500 new cases a day. We're now seeing some of the worst numbers we've seen since the start of the pandemic. #COVID19 #FlaPol

Texas: About 43 fully vaccinated people from Texas have died of COVID-19, according to the state's Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Between the dates Feb. 8 and July 14 of this year, the health department reported that 43 people who contracted the coronavirus have died despite being fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. LINK

US: Two Navy sailors have died due to complications from COVID-19, amid growing concerns about the deadly Delta variant. LINK

Louisiana: Louisiana judge allows people to opt out of community service if they get vaccinated LINK

US: NOW - Biden administration is not ruling out new lockdowns and school closures in the U.S., the experts at the CDC are in charge.

World: Study- Those previously infected are at increased risk of side effects when they take vaccine "prior COVID-19 infection was associated with increased risk of any side effect" as well as "increased risk of severe side effects, leading to hospital care." LINK

Iceland: We have almost one thousand active cases in Iceland at the moment and most of them are fully vaccinated. They are all infected with the Delta variant. We have been seeing vaxed individuals infecting up to 6-7 people.

World: Researchers are concerned about the possibility that COVID-19 might lead to dementia LINK

US: NOW - Biden on #COVID19 vaccines: "It's still a question if the federal government can mandate the whole country, I don't know that yet."

Arizona: COVID-19 cases rise in younger age groups as Arizona students return to class LINK

US: CDC Director Walensky says new masking advice was largely based on soon-to-be-published data showing that virus can thrive in the airways of vaccinated people, even if they're asymptomatic - NYT

Italy: NEW - Chaos erupts in the Italian parliament over new COVID "Green Pass" rules.

Tennessee: Titans quarterback says NFL is going to make unvaccinated players' lives "miserable" LINK

Mississippi: 'Hospitalizations skyrocketing': 1,908 new COVID-19 cases, 4 additional deaths in Mississippi

US: Breaking: US President Biden has suggested Americans may have to be fully-vaccinated if they want to fly abroad

US: "With freedom comes responsibility": Biden says Americans who choose to not get vaccinated are putting others are risk and could lead to a shortage of hospital beds for people who need them LINK (The thing is, it is not the unvaxxed. You can still get seriously ill and pass it on if you are vaccinated)

Massachusetts: CDC mask decision followed stunning findings from Cape Cod beach outbreak LINK

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net4news · 3 years

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Covid-19: Delta variants engulfs Southeast Asia with fastest-growing deaths

JAKARTA: Southeast Asia is emerging as a battlefield for one of the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks, due to the fast-spreading delta variant and the slow rollout of vaccines. With a population about twice that of the US, the momentum of the region’s outbreak has now eclipsed previously hard-hit places like Latin America and India, with cases jumping 41% over the past week to more than a half-million, according to Bloomberg analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Deaths rose 39% in the seven days through Wednesday, the quickest pace in the world, and will likely rise further as a spike in fatalities typically follows a surge in cases. Growing crisis Meanwhile, Southeast Asia’s overall vaccination rate of 9% lags developed regions like Western Europe and North America -- where more than half the population has received shots -- and outpaces only Africa and Central Asia.

As large parts of the developed world reopen for business, the worsening situation across most of Southeast Asia means they’re reimposing growth-sapping movement curbs. Singapore is the exception, where sealed borders and high vaccination rates are keeping the virus contained in the region’s sole developed economy. Equities and currencies across the region have sold off in recent weeks, while governments are forced to blow out their fiscal deficits and central banks run short of ammunition. That comes as the US Federal Reserve undertakes early discussions about tapering asset purchases, reducing room for policy makers in Asia to ease policy further without risking weaker currencies. Leaders and laggards “Given the slow pace of vaccinations, with the exception of Singapore, we expect the recovery will be bumpy, and the risk of further periods of heightened restrictions remains,” said Sian Fenner, Singapore-based senior Asia economist at Oxford Economics Ltd. “The rise in uncertainty is also likely to lead to further economic scarring.” Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, surpassed India in new daily cases this week, cementing its position as a new Asian virus epicenter, while several of its neighbors are also seeing record case numbers. Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have already cut their gross domestic product forecasts for this year, and Malaysia says it will follow suit soon. Vietnam, one of the few economies in the world that continued growing strongly last year, undershot forecasts for the first half of 2021 and is now struggling with an outbreak in areas that house major industrial parks.

Before the pandemic, Southeast Asia’s largest economies combined would have been the world’s fifth-biggest, behind Germany, according to World Bank data. Southeast Asia has been buoyed by strong global demand for exports, particularly electronics, as the pandemic sapped traditional drivers such as consumption and tourism. That external demand could change, however, auguring further pain for the region. “Now that advanced economies in the west are re-opening, their demand dynamics will likely shift from goods to services, which implies that Asian export growth will likely soften over the coming months,” said Tuuli McCully, Singapore-based head of Asia-Pacific economics at Scotiabank. “For the economic recovery to remain on track, domestic demand would need to pick up, yet the concerning virus situation is dampening such prospects.” Led by shares in Vietnam, the MSCI Asean Index has lost 1.7% this month, extending its 3.4% slide in June. Thailand’s baht, emerging Asia’s worst performing currency this year, has lost about 5% since mid-June, around the time the delta variant emerged in the country, while the Philippine peso has lost 4.2%. In a note Thursday, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economists said they were lowering second-half growth forecasts by an average of 1.8 percentage points across Southeast Asia, with the largest cuts for Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. Renewed outbreaks and tighter restrictions are “likely to weigh significantly more on GDP growth in second half than we had previously estimated,” the economists said. Big drop That comes as policy interest rates across the region are at or near all-time lows and governments find themselves with limited space to spend more. Malaysia, which already has passed four stimulus packages this year, says it’s considering raising the debt ceiling as it runs out of fiscal space. Indonesia recently hinted it may not get the budget deficit under control as quickly as planned, after raising the statutory limit last year. The Philippine government, which just paid off a 540-billion peso ($10.8 billion) loan from the central bank last week, immediately turned around and sought another one. The need to increase stimulus spending, while simultaneously missing revenue means “a more difficult start to fiscal consolidation for these governments following high shortfalls in 2020, and in many cases a weaker fiscal performance this year than previously anticipated,” said Andrew Wood, a Singapore-based analyst for S&P Global Ratings. In its recent move to downgrade the Philippines’ credit rating outlook to negative, Fitch Ratings noted that the pandemic creates potential “scarring effects” that could hold back medium-term growth. S&P issued a similar warning to Indonesia on Thursday, saying the Covid-19 surge and extended lockdown have material implications on the economy and would chip away at credit rating buffers. ‘False trade-off’ Rob Carnell, head of Asia-Pacific research at ING Groep NV in Singapore, said poorer Southeast Asian countries that tried to limit lockdowns early in the pandemic to mitigate the impact on people’s livelihoods are paying a price for that choice -- primarily because their efforts to test, trace and isolate positive cases were ineffective. As a result, countries like the Philippines and Indonesia that opted for partial, rolling lockdowns have been forced to continue them in one form or another. “It was easier for the richer countries to lock down and pay people to stay home or be furloughed while they worked their way through, and the poorer ones tended to try to trade off restrictions with openness to limit the hit to GDP,” he said. “Of course, that was a false trade-off -- at best only a short-term trade-off,” he said. “We are maybe now beginning to see the ramifications of such policies.” Source link Read the full article

#deltacovidvariant #deltavariant #JohnsHopkinsUniversity #S&PGlobalRatings #Scotiabank #sp #USFederalreserve #worldbank

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orbemnews · 3 years

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'A perfect storm': These restaurants survived the pandemic. Now they can't find workers Typically, he said, 60 or 80 people might show up to interview for a position like that one. This time? Nobody. “That has not happened, ever, in the 14-year history of the business,” Massoud said. Ilili, an upscale Lebanese spot, currently has about 78 employees, a little less than half of its pre-pandemic workforce, Massoud said. The way business is going now, he could use another 12 people. The staffing shortage means the restaurant is not open for business during lunch or on Monday nights, even as it struggles. “We just don’t have the bodies,” he said. Dining restrictions are lifting across the country, and people are getting vaccinated each day. That’s good news for restaurants desperate for more business after getting hit hard last year. But some restaurant operators say they are facing a problem that could impair their road to normalcy: They can’t find enough people to work for them. When states went into lockdown and US restaurants were ordered to close their doors in spring 2020, many establishments let workers go. From March to April of last year, restaurants and bars lost 5.5 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That meant millions of people found themselves out of work essentially overnight. Those jobs are coming back: Restaurants and bars added about 176,000 jobs in March. But the sector was still 15%, or about 1.8 million jobs, below the pre-pandemic employment level, according to the National Restaurant Association. It’s not just high-end, independent restaurants like Massoud’s that are feeling a labor pinch. The CEO of Darden Restaurants (DRI), which owns Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and other chains, recently called hiring the company’s “number one priority.” “Our greatest challenge right now is staffing,” Darden CEO Eugene Lee said on a call with analysts late last month. Before the pandemic, Darden had about 165,000 active hourly employees, he said, but as of a few weeks before the call that number was down to about 115,000. Major chains in the fast-food industry have also said they are staffing up. Taco Bell is hoping to hire at least 5,000 people during a nationwide hiring event on Wednesday. McDonald’s wants to hire 25,000 employees in Texas alone, starting with a three-day hiring event last week. IHOP wants to hire 10,000 new people, and is planning a national recruiting day for May 19. Restaurants “are getting ready to open up and hire at the same time,” said Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor, which hosts job ads. “It’s leading to a massive boost in demand for these workers,” he said, noting that “makes them scarce and hard to hire.” But there may also be fewer people looking for restaurant jobs than before. Where are the restaurant workers? So if restaurant workers aren’t looking for restaurant work, where are they going? Some have left the industry altogether. Jessica Vines, 45, left her job as a server at Mexican restaurant El Pavo Real in New Orleans last year. While she had held jobs in human resources and accounting in the past, her passion was hospitality, she said. About six years ago, following her son’s high school graduation, she moved to the city from Indianapolis to work in the industry. When the pandemic hit last year, her busy schedule — which included a separate bartending gig — dwindled, and her wages took a hit. She was working just five hours a day at the restaurant, which was only preparing takeout orders. Vines decided in August to head back to Indianapolis, where her son still lives. She was able to find a job as an accounting associate at a medical device company, “I just didn’t see an end in sight,” she said. “I knew I couldn’t do it for another year.” Vines had become close with the El Pavo team, and leaving them was difficult. “Those are the people I keep in touch with the most,” she said. “Those are still the people I talk to every single week.” Lindsay McLellan, who along with her husband owns El Pavo Real, described Vines as not just an employee but a friend. “We’re very sad to have her leave, but I get it, I really do,” she said. Even though she misses the camaraderie of restaurants, she’s not sure she’ll ever work in a restaurant or bar again. The last year has made her wary of a future in the hospitality industry. “If this happened again, I would be at the same place,” she said. “I don’t foresee … a safety net for people like me.” Last year, a Glassdoor analysis looked at a group of over 120,000 job seekers who were actively searching for “restaurant server” positions on its site in January and February. It then tracked those users’ job searches in April and the first half of May. Glassdoor found that within that cohort, searches for “data entry” jobs jumped about 400% during that period compared to the year before. Searches for “remote” positions jumped roughly 300%, and searches for Amazon — which Glassdoor sees as a catch-all for warehouse, delivery and other jobs — rose about 600%. The analysis didn’t track whether those people ended up in new jobs but Chamberlain said that, statistically, it’s likely at least some fraction did. “They might be reluctant to leave those new sectors and move back over into restaurants because of the turmoil over the past year,” he said. Some young restaurant workers have likely gone back to school, he said, and left the labor market completely. School enrollment tends to surge during recessions, he explained. And, of course, many people may be afraid of going back to restaurant jobs while the pandemic is still going on, or may be unable to return to work because of child care or other responsibilities that have become more acute during the pandemic. “All of these factors combined are creating a perfect storm hitting restaurants,” he said. The changes could prove permanent Chamberlain said. And, he added, that could mean restaurants having to adapt new technologies to replace certain roles and making other positions more efficient. Making a second first impression John Horne, owner of Anna Maria Oyster Bar in the Bradenton area in Florida, employs about 300 workers across his four locations. Before the pandemic, that figure was closer to 400. “Our problem is not being able to get staff,” Horne said. “It’s absolutely horrible.” Unlike Massoud, Horne hasn’t shortened hours, even though he’s looking to hire about 50 workers. But his employees are pulling long shifts, he noted, leading to an unsustainable situation. “At some point, they’re going to just say ‘I can’t,'” Horne said. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure that we’re getting them everything they need,” he added. “But we also have to give good service. My guests don’t care that I have a staffing problem.” After a year at home, some customers will show up to restaurants with a critical eye, Horne noted. They’ll want to feel safe and taken care of. “It’s almost like you’ve got first-time guests again,” he said. Horne said his kitchen workers earn between $13 and $18, and servers earn more on average because of tips. He said he’s offering hiring bonuses to try to bring people in. He suspects that some people are opting to rely on unemployment benefits instead. Horne, who serves as restaurant director at the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, has voiced concerns about raising the minimum wage, a position that aligns with that of the association. For some low-earning workers, unemployment benefits could amount to about the same as a check from a restaurant — where they run the risk of exposure to Covid-19. Massoud also mentioned unemployment benefits as a possible reason some workers are not coming back to work. But there are other factors, too, he said. Some of his former employees left New York City. Some don’t have child care without school and so aren’t able to return to work, and others may have decided to switch careers. “If this does not get rectified soon as possible, it’s going to further damage our industry,” he said. “The mere fact that we are unable to open fully because of the labor shortages is going to hurt us in the long term.” Source link Orbem News #Business #Find #Pandemic #perfect #Restaurants #Restaurantshaveanewchallenge:Findingworkers-CNN #storm #Survived #Workers

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newstfionline · 4 years

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Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Young People’s Despair Deepens as Covid-19 Crisis Drags On (NYT) Life seemed promising last year to Philaé Lachaux, a 22-year-old business student in France who dreamed of striking out on her own in the live music industry. But the onset of the pandemic, leading to the loss of her part-time job as a waitress, sent her back to live at her family home. Now, struggling to envision a future after months of restrictions, Ms. Lachaux says that loneliness and despair seep in at night. “The pandemic feels like a big stop in our lives,” she added. “One that puts us so low that I wonder, ‘What’s the point?’” With curfews, closures and lockdowns in European countries set to drag into the spring or even the summer, mental health professionals are growing increasingly alarmed about the deteriorating mental state of young people, who they say have been among the most badly affected by a world with a foreshortened sense of the future. Across the world, they have lost economic opportunities, missed traditional milestones and forfeited relationships at a pivotal time for forming identity. “Many feel they’re paying the price not of the pandemic, but of the measures taken against the pandemic,” said Dr. Nicolas Franck, the head of a psychiatric network in Lyon, France. In a survey of 30,000 people that he conducted last spring, young people ranked the lowest in psychological well-being, he said.

For Better Health During the Pandemic, Is Two Hours Outdoors the New 10,000 Steps? (WSJ) Will two hours in the park become the next 10,000 steps? As people spend more time indoors, a mountain of scientific research says spending time in nature is critical to health and increases longevity. That means being in fresh air, under trees and away from cars and concrete—on a regular basis. And, no, the Peloton doesn’t count. “There’s an urgent need emerging in science and at the gut level to increase the nature experience. This field is just exploding,” says Gretchen Daily, a professor of environmental science at Stanford University. The benefits have been clear to scientists for some time, but the pandemic has made the matter more urgent. The physical and emotional toll the virus has taken, especially in urban areas with little green space, has galvanized doctors, researchers and others to tap into nature’s therapeutic effects. Spending time in the woods—a practice the Japanese call “forest bathing”—is strongly linked to lower blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones and decreased anxiety, depression and fatigue.

Winter Storm Brings Icy Temperatures and Power Outages Across U.S. (NYT) A coast-to-coast winter storm swept from Oregon and Washington to the Southeast on Sunday, part of a frigid weather pattern that has created record low temperatures in Minnesota and a 100-vehicle traffic pileup in Texas and that is now producing dangerous conditions across much of the country because of heavy snowfall, perilous ice and dangerously low temperatures. The National Weather Service said early Monday that at least 150 million Americans were under ice or winter weather advisories. Hundreds of thousands of people were without power. Trucks slid off highways and cars piled up on ice-coated roads. As the storm continued to intensify, officials urged residents to brace themselves. “The time to prepare for this storm was yesterday,” the National Weather Service in Texas said in an ominous warning issued on Sunday.

Power cuts hit 4.7 million users in northern Mexico after cold snap (Reuters) A cold snap knocked out power for 4.7 million users in northern Mexico early on Monday, triggering a scramble by authorities to restore service and bring in extra fuel, with parts of the neighboring United States also hit hard. Frozen pipelines and a squeeze on natural gas deliveries from Texas roiled several northern states, though by midday, service had been restored to 58% of the affected supply, Mexican national electricity grid operator CENACE said. CENACE urged people in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa, Sonora and Tamaulipas to curb power usage. The freeze also knocked out electricity for more than 2 million customers in Texas.

UK opens quarantine hotels, pushes on with vaccine drive (AP) Britain’s newly established quarantine hotels received their first guests on Monday as the government tries to prevent new coronavirus variants from derailing a fast-moving vaccination drive that has delivered more than 15 million shots in ten weeks. Passengers arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport were escorted by security guards to buses that took them to nearby hotels. Zari Tadayon, who flew to Heathrow from Dubai and was taken to the Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel near the airport, said she had hoped she would be allowed to quarantine at her home in London. She said she felt “horrible” about the enforced 10-day hotel stay. Under the new rules, residents of the U.K. and Ireland arriving in England from 33 high-risk countries must stay in designated hotels for 10 days at their own expense, with meals delivered to their door. In Scotland the rule applies to arrivals from any country.

Dragnet, planned law boost French fight of Islamic radicals (AP) More than three dozen police officers descended on a small private school in Paris, blocked the 92 students inside their classrooms, took photos everywhere, even inside the refrigerator, and grilled the school director in her office. “It was like they were moving in on a drug deal,” Hanane Loukili, the director and co-founder of the MHS middle and high school said, recalling the Nov. 17 scene. Loukili didn’t know it then, but a team from the Cell to Fight Radical Islam and Community Withdrawal, or CLIR, had arrived for an inspection. The dragnet sweeps schools, shops, clubs or mosques to rout out “radicalization.” Within a week, a shaken Loukili informed students their school was shutting down. Loukili insists she is no radical, but such operations illustrate the extent of French efforts to fight extremism as lawmakers prepare to vote Tuesday on a bill aimed at snuffing it out. The proposed legislation is intended to re-anchor secularism in a changing France, where Muslims are increasingly visible and Islam—the nation’s No. 2 religion—is gaining a stronger voice. The legislation, expected to pass the first critical vote, will also expand and facilitate the crackdown.

Russia’s rising poverty fuels political discontent (AFP) Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, crowds have grown at the Martha and Mary Convent in central Moscow. The white-walled women’s monastery houses one of Russia’s best known charities that gives out free food parcels, among other projects. Many of the visitors who queue for packages containing buckwheat, sugar, and tea are retired but there are also those who have lost their jobs or had their salaries cut. The coronavirus pandemic has delivered a new blow to Russia’s stagnating economy, which was already chafing under Western sanctions, low oil prices and weak corporate investment. Observers say that rising poverty, falling incomes and lack of tangible government support during the pandemic are fuelling discontent with President Vladimir Putin’s two-decade rule and strengthening the opposition. Russians’ real disposable incomes have been falling for the past half-decade, and contracted by 3.5 percent in 2020, while the cost of basic foodstuffs surged.

Military Imposes Full Grip on Myanmar in Overnight Crackdown (NYT) With the night in Myanmar came the terror. In cities across the country on Sunday evening, armored vehicles moved in, along with trucks filled with soldiers in camouflage. Security forces fired rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas at a crowd. Troops surrounded the houses of government workers who had dared to join a nationwide civil disobedience campaign. Politicians, activists and journalists fled, turning off their phones as they disappeared into the shadows, hoping to outpace the men coming after them. On Saturday evening, the State Administration Council, the Orwellian name chosen by the coup-makers, announced that it was taking away basic civil liberties, allowing for indefinite detention and for the police to search homes with impunity. Arrest warrants were issued for veteran democracy activists who had already spent years in jail. Late into Saturday night, residents of Yangon and Mandalay, the two biggest cities, watched in horror as unidentified men lit fires to spook neighborhoods and ran. Police raids netted protesters and politicians alike. The day before, prisons had been emptied of 23,000 inmates in a mass amnesty. There is now room to spare to incarcerate people in what for decades has felt like a prison state.

Sudan says Ethiopian forces crossed border, raising tensions (Reuters) Ethiopian forces crossed into Sudanese territory in an act of “aggression”, Sudan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday, marking the latest flare-up in a long-standing border dispute. “Ethiopia’s trespass into Sudanese land is an unfortunate and unacceptable escalation, which could have dangerous repercussions on security and stability in the region,” the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement. Ethiopia has also accused Sudan of crossing into its territory. Clashes erupted late last year between Sudanese and Ethiopian forces over Al-Fashqa, an area of fertile land settled by Ethiopian farmers that Sudan says lies on the Sudanese side of a border demarcated at the start of the 20th century.

Note: News may be sporadic for the next few days because of internet and power outages.

#quotes

0 notes

covid19updater · 3 years

Text

COVID19 Updates: 07/19/2021

Japan: Breaking: Coco Gauff announced on social media that she has tested positive for COVID-19 and won’t be able to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.

South Korea: South Korea military suffers worst COVID-19 outbreak aboard anti-piracy ship off Africa LINK

UK: Contacts in no10 saying PM (@BorisJohnson) has already said “this is going to fail” (#Freedom day), “the gutless clown could still save 1000s of lives but is not willing to go against the parliamentary party.” #JohnsonVariant #FreeDumbDay

Thailand: NEW: Thailand reports 11,784 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase on record, and 81 new deaths

US: U.S. COVID update: Only 12 states provide updates on Sunday, all indicators continue to rise - New cases: 8,073 - Average: 32,217 (+448) - In hospital: 24,615 (+328) - In ICU: 6,211 (+82) - New deaths: 31

Israel: #Israel bans entry to #vaccinated tourists in attempt to control spiking #COVID19 numbers. LINK

Japan: Early Monday, the toll began to hit home for the U.S. squad: The US women’s gymnastics team confirmed that one of its members had tested positive for COVID-19, putting the whole team at risk of missing their competition, as they self-isolate;

Japan: There’s another Covid case at the Olympics. This time Reuters report that it is a player from the Czech Republic’s beach volleyball team who has returned a positive result;

Japan: Tokyo 2020 Olympics sponsor Toyota won't run Olympics related TV ads, amid lacklustre public support for the Olympics.The CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, and other executives won't attend the Opening Ceremony, the company said Monday;

US: The Dow drops more than 650 points on fears of a Covid rebound. LINK

New York: NY now in the top 10 among states for rate of covid case growth. Up 167% in past two weeks.

Washington: An outbreak of COVID-19 traced to a patient floor at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash., has sickened at least 10 patients and four employees in the past few days. LINK

NYC: Today's #COVID19 indicators: • 92 new hospitalizations • 516 new cases • 1.69% positivity rate (7-day avg.)

UK: Daily coronavirus cases in Northern Ireland have exceeded 1,700 for the first time since January, reports PA. Case numbers have been growing rapidly in recent weeks as the Delta variant became dominant;

UK: "It is the middle of summer and it feels like a winter crisis." Every part of the NHS is under pressure, says Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor.

Massachusetts: JUST IN: Citing a spike in #COVID19 cases, including among fully vaccinated individuals, officials in #Provincetown issued a new mask advisory. LINK

UK: UK CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER VALLANCE SAYS 60% OF PEOPLE BEING ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL WITH COVID HAVE HAD TWO DOSES OF VACCINE

UK: Boris Johnson says he doesn't want to see vaccine certificates used in pubs but that they will be used in settings with the three C's - "closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings". Which sounds very much like a pub...

NYC: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he does not plan to reinstate a citywide mask mandate - AP

US: USA advising against travel to the UK now. CDC have issued a warning due to high case levels here. Will update later.

US: NEW - Children older than age 2 should wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, when US schools reopen in the fall, according to new guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics released Monday.

US: BREAKING - VAERS whistleblower claims 45,000 people have died within 3 days of having the C0V1-D jab; so an attorney has brought a lawsuit against the Federal Government over it…LINK

US: NEW: Number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 tops 25,000, highest since May

US: *FAUCI: VACCINATED 'GENERALLY PROTECTED' ALTHOUGH NOT COMPLETELY (LOL)

France: The High Council for Public Health recommends considering the use of the Covid health pass in schools and universities.

UK: BREAKING: Boris Johnson says “some of life’s most important pleasures and opportunities are likely to be increasingly dependent on vaccination”

UK: "Mass infection risks swamping hospitals, decimating workforces, sickening young & weak, and creating vaccine-resistant variants - all of which could lead to further lockdowns, and ultimately less freedom. This is not learning to live with Covid-19 but caving in to it"

US: U.S. COVID update: Many states reporting weekend backlog, new cases up 63% from last week - New cases: 57,497 - Average: 35,402 (+3,185) - In hospital: 25,540 (+925) - In ICU: 6,482 (+271) - New deaths: 220

India: 4 million, not 400k: Three new estimates of India’s all cause excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic LINK

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bearwithglassess · 4 years

Text

Cytokine: The Recipe for Severe COVID-19 Infection

We usually wish for good health and positivity in life as the year ends but in the year 2020 is different than we expected. As we enter in the year 2020, we never imagine the discovery of a virus known as COVID-19 will change our lives. WHO declares COVID-19 as a global pandemic because the virus continues to spread faster than they expected. Several countries are placed in a strict lockdown, closing the company business and turning the public places into a ghost town.

COVID-19 virus travels from one person to another person through contact or aerosol transmission. People fears going outside their house because of health risks. The hospital is at full capacity of COVID patients that they cannot accept any other patients who are not in an emergency state. We learn to protect ourselves by following the health protocols provided by WHO. Other countries, like America, the United Kingdom, and Australia, are now searching for treatments to fight the COVID-19.

WHAT IS COVID-19?

“Coronaviruses are a group of RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the common cold (which is also caused by other viruses, predominantly rhinoviruses), while more lethal varieties can cause SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. In cows and pigs, they cause diarrhea, while in mice they cause hepatitis and encephalomyelitis. There are yet no vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections.” From Wikipedia

WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

The COVID-19 virus started in a wet market in Wuhan, China. According to the South China Morning Post, a Fifty-five-year old Chinese woman (known as patient zero) from Hubei province had experienced cough and mild fever on November 18, 2019. She thought it was a simple cold until she lost her consciousness and brought her to the hospital. Other patients had the same symptoms as a Chinese woman. They don't have any connection except they visited the Wuhan wet market before the symptoms manifested.

Later, a Wuhan virologist found that a new type of virus was the same as SARS last 2002. He announced to the local hospitals for an emergency warning due to the increasing growth of unknown pneumonia cases. There were only five COVID cases reported per day in November 2019; the Chinese officials took it lightly. They did not heed the warning from the Wuhan virologist until December 2019, when the number of COVID cases had reached to 200. The Chinese Government soon realized that they have a new type of virus was on their hands. They reported to WHO about the new type of virus while containing the virus by Community Quarantine. Before the Chinese Government implemented the quarantine in Wuhan, the tourists, who were asymptomatic in COVID-19, traveled to other countries and spreads the virus outside China as well.

WHY COVID-19 IS DANGEROUS?

According to the WHO Director-General, the data that we have now show that coronavirus is spreading. It took 67 days from the first reported case of coronavirus to reach the first 100,000 cases, and 11 days for coronavirus to reach 200,000 cases after the first 100,000 cases were reported”

The spread of the virus is more tripled than other viruses. The data described that one contaminated person can infect two or three people during the incubation stage. Even if the person doesn’t manifest the flu-like symptoms, he can still infect other people as long as it has the virus with him.

The transmission of the virus, before, was announced only as direct contact. After a few studies, WHO later found out that COVID-19 virus can also infect other people through aerosol transmission. The virus attacks the respiratory tract infections by attaching itself to the cells and destroys it. This virus can also trigger an overreaction of the body's immune response which leads to a faster prognosis of chronic disease in a short period of time.

And since COVID-19 is a new type of virus, there are still ongoing clinical trials to the infected patients for making a new treatment. In the meantime, a requirement of face mask and social distancing as a health protocol for the pandemic outbreak. No one is required to go outside unless if it is necessary.

HOW IMMUNE SYSTEM WORKS DURING THE INFECTION?

Cytokines consist of proteins, peptides, and glycoprotein molecules that are secreted by white blood cells to boost the immune response. Cytokines appear in the inflammation stage and protect the body against the pathogens.

There are two kinds of cytokines receptors: pro-inflammatory receptors and anti-inflammatory receptors. Both receptors work together as the defender against the infectious agents. Pro-inflammatory Cytokine Receptors serve as the watchmen while the Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Receptors is the defender against the pathogens. These two kinds of cytokine receptors play a significant role in regulating the immune response.

The process of Cytokine happens when an antigen enters the body and destroys healthy cells. The brain detects the pathogen inside the body and triggers the pro-inflammatory cytokine receptors inducing fever, pain, and inflammation in the person. The lymphocytes, macrophages, and other white blood cells activate the anti-inflammatory cytokine receptors to remove the pathogens. Not only do cytokines show in infection, but also appear to control other life-threatening diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and chronic pain. The cytokines help to protect the body whenever we are exposed to a pathogen.

Apart from the benefits of cytokines in the body, there are situations wherein the cytokines become the host to the healthy cells. In normal response, the overproduction of Cytokines occurs when a chronic illness manifested in a person, prolonging the immune system much longer. But, there are situations when the antibodies cannot distinguish between the pathogens and the healthy cells, causing the cytokines to attack both pathogens and healthy cells. This is known as a cytokine storm.

HOW COVID-19 AND CYTOKINES ARE RELATED?

The body misidentifies the virus as ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) due to the same chemical structure between the virus and ARDS that causes the overproduction of cytokine levels. The researchers discovered that patients with severe COVID-19 infection have a high level of antibodies for a specific disease in the heart, stomach, kidneys, and lungs even though the patient has only the flu. Those large amounts of cytokines tend to cause cell toxicity leading to a much worse reaction in the body.

Other studies show that susceptible factors like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stress, and senior citizens have a result of the above normal range of cytokine levels than healthy young people. The person who has one or two underlying factors has a higher chance to encounter cytokines storm especially if he got infected by COVID-19.

One research expresses that patient with severe COVID-19 infection often lack cytokine protein called T-cells are missing in the bloodstream, making the antigen spreads faster that causes a hypersensitivity response to the other types of cytokines. The researchers are yet to search for a better explanation for the lack of T-cells in patients with severe COVID-19 cases.

Furthermore, Cytokines are linked to COVID-19 infection in its complexity, whether the antibodies can benefit or harm us, their main goal is to remove the pathogens in the body. We only have limited knowledge about the relationship between COVID-19 and cytokine storm because we don’t have the specific tools for a good interpretation of the virus. Researchers used other statistical methods, clinical trials and collection of data to search for a better explanation of it. The only way to prevent the overreaction of the body’s immune system is to keep the body healthy by eating healthy foods, daily exercise, and eight hours of sleep.

The first three months of COVID

Patient Zero

The Danger of COVID

Roles of Cytokines

Relation of Cytokines and COVID

#coronavirus #covid 19 #cytokine #cytokine storm #antibodies #inflammation #health #medical health

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warninggraphiccontent · 4 years

Text

5 March 2021

Data linkage

Data dichotomies Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden wrote for the FT about the UK's new approach to data outside the EU this week - which managed not to say what this new approach would actually be (especially for GDPR), and prompted comments that the narratives that privacy had dominated discussion and pitted innovation and privacy against one another weren't quite right... ICO baby Though perhaps the next Information Commissioner does need to make a distinction between innovation and privacy, as medConfidential and others have pointed out. Dowden's article kicked off the appointment process for the next Commissioner. (I interviewed the current one in 2019.) Doing so in an article behind a paywall and with no version on GOV.UK isn't a particularly great example of open government...

Open season But then it's not been the best of weeks for open government in the UK, with the news it's been censured by the Open Government Partnership, prompting a letter coordinated by the UK's Open Government Network (on whose steering group I sit). Though there remain some good examples of open government in the UK, and... Open day Tomorrow is Open Data Day, with lots of events planned. Speaking of events... Data Bites We held our seventeenth Data Bites this week, with some rugby-related fun to kick off and some very important budget analysis (which may have contributed to this), before four brilliant presentations. One of those was about better data visualisation, which was also the subject of...

Chart hits and misses This Computer Weekly article looking at good and bad #dataviz during Covid features a quote from me. Speaking of bad #dataviz... Mistake and fail pie My wonderful IfG colleagues are holding me somehow responsible for this particularly bad BBC Wales pie chart, which left me shocked. Another shocking fail which came to mind this week was... Johnson's new department The time when the UK government briefly renamed the business department to something quite unfortunate (though it turned out to be a flop). It wasn't quite the job Alan Johnson expected, but then you don't really get to apply for Cabinet roles...

Odd job Whereas you can apply to work in the Cabinet Office's new Information and Data Exchange, another new unit which there doesn't appear to be much information about. Like a number of recent developments (the Central Digital and Data Office, the integrated data platform) we have to comb press releases, minutes and job ads to find out what's going on (#opengovernment). There's also a deafening silence on... Certifiable The government's (welcome) review into vaccine passports. I wrote something about that for the IfG this week. And if you've not had enough of me... Strategic thinking I'm speaking at a Westminster Forum event next week, on the National Data Strategy. Something that was announced a few months ago, by Oliver Dowden.

Have a good weekend

Gavin

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Today's links:

Graphic content

Vax the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it

New data show that leading covid-19 vaccines have similarly high efficacy* (The Economist)

What Do Vaccine Efficacy Numbers Actually Mean?* (New York Times)

Speed and trust (Reuters)

Oregon, Vermont Lead the Way in Equitable Vaccine Rollout: Covid-19 Tracker* (Bloomberg)

Tempers fray over France’s vaccine strategy* (FT - thread)

COVID-19: Major cities falling well behind in UK's bid to vaccinate its way out of lockdown (Sky News)

COVID-19: Is your area one in England and Scotland where half of adults have received a vaccine? (Sky News)

My, corona

Why Opening Windows Is a Key to Reopening Schools* (New York Times)

Should Your School Be Fully Open? Here’s What the C.D.C. Says* (New York Times)

BATS and the ORIGIN of OUTBREAKS (Reuters)

500,000 LIVES LOST (Reuters)

Boris Johnson defends UK border regime amid hunt for Covid patient* (FT)

Inside ultra-Orthodox Jews’ battle with the virus and the Israeli state* (FT)

NHS faces questions over Covid infections contracted in hospital (The Guardian)

Europe struggles and saves in pandemic as Sweden keeps calm and carries on (Reuters)

Animated data visualisation of covid-19 data in G20 countries, with a focus on USA (Jamie Whyte)

Money, money, money

Economic and fiscal outlook – March 2021 (OBR)

UK Budget: the long road to levelling up* (FT - thread)

Sunak goes big and bold in bid to repair UK public finances* (FT)

Six things we learned from budget 2021 (IfG)

Budget 2021: a preview in charts (IfG)

Spending fast, taxing slow (Resolution Foundation)

Some unprotected departments had their budgets cut by half in the decade from 2009-10, as health spending has growth by almost 20 per cent (Resolution Foundation)

Budget 2021 (IFS)

Rishi Sunak’s Budget has not prevented a surge in unemployment – it just delayed it* (New Statesman)

Mo money, mo problems

How Much Minimum Wage Changed in Each State (Flowing Data)

Remote workers spend more on housing than those who commute* (The Economist)

Costco CEO, Who Pays Median Worker $39,585, Enters Wage Debate* (Bloomberg)

Funding devolution: The Barnett formula in theory and practice (IfG)

More people think benefits are too low* (The Times)

Earth song

The messy business of sand mining explained (Reuters)

In the Atlantic Ocean, Subtle Shifts Hint at Dramatic Dangers* (New York Times)

The Five Hotspots Where Food Prices Are Getting People Worried* (Bloomberg)

In data: what are Britain’s fisheries gaining from Brexit?* (Prospect)

Climate graphic of the week: shipping routes behind Mediterranean oil spill* (FT)

More United Than You’d Think: Public Opinion on the Environment in Towns and Cities in the UK (Centre for Towns)

More than 25m drink from the worst US water systems, with Latinos most exposed (The Guardian)

Politik

So wählten die Gemeinden bei Bundestagswahlen (Berliner Morgenpost)

How Keir Starmer has fallen out of favour with voters* (New Statesman)

How Much Longer Can This Era Of Political Gridlock Last? (FiveThirtyEight)

How Marjorie Taylor Greene Won, And Why Someone Like Her Can Win Again (FiveThirtyEight)

Which senators have been voting against Biden Cabinet nominees?* (Washington Post)

Myanmar records its deadliest day of pro-democracy protests* (The Economist)

Myanmar’s new wave of detainees (Reuters)

Everything else

Another name change for the business department in the offing? (IfG)

Is the lot of female executives improving?* (The Economist)

Constituency data: broadband coverage and speeds (Commons Library)

And yet... (Giuseppe)

How governments use evidence to make transport policy (IfG)

#dataviz

Covid-19 and the art and science of data visualisation (Computer Weekly)

Trump’s literacy, KPIs and Citizen Data: final lessons from covid-19 charts (Andy Cotgreave)

Presenting data: 5 tips for making your data understandable (Data in government)

a list of my favorite #dataviz tools (Jon Schwabish for @iamscicomm)

How to draw your audience's focus in visuals (Alvin Wendt, Jon Schwabish)

Meta data

Certification uncertainty

Government needs to beware the easy promise of Covid certification (me for IfG)

Establish if vaccination passports will work before tackling ethical issues* (FT - more here)

Some thoughts on the legal and ethical implications of ‘vaccine passports’ (Adam Wagner)

No jab, no job – the moral minefield confronting the UK government (The Guardian)

Is there a way to make vaccine passports ethically acceptable? (The Guardian)

Vaccine passports could save British theatres – why won’t they embrace them?* (Telegraph)

Vaccine passports: Ticket to freedom? (whynow)

Covid-19: How would an NHS vaccine passport app work? (BBC News)

Israel’s “green pass” is an early vision of how we leave lockdown (MIT Technology Review)

Viral content

COVID-19: Test and Trace barely used check-in data from pubs and restaurants - with thousands not warned of infection risk (Sky News)

COVID-19 VACCINE TRANSPARENCY (Transparency International)

The New Necessary: How We Future-Proof for the Next Pandemic (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change)

AI got 'rithm

Ensuring statistical models command public confidence: Learning lessons from the approach to developing models for awarding grades in the UK in 2020 (OSR)

What is an “algorithm”? It depends whom you ask* (MIT Technology Review)

Turing Lecture: How to talk to robots - The road to a people powered, AI-enabled future (Tabitha Goldstaub)

Government response to the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence (DCMS/BEIS)

How UCL’s groundbreaking AI research became entangled in Facebook’s net* (New Statesman)

Building trust in AI systems is essential* (FT)

Final Report (National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence)

Taking on the tech giants: the lawyer fighting the power of algorithmic systems (The Observer)

Big tech

Microsoft's Dream of Decentralized IDs Enters the Real World* (Wired)

New York Times Columnist David Brooks Blogged For Facebook's Corporate Site (BuzzFeed)

Section 230: Big Tech’s favourite law is running out of time* (New Statesman)

Palantir, part 2 (Rowland)

Charting a course towards a more privacy-first web (Google)

Google is done with cookies, but that doesn’t mean it’s done tracking you (Recode)

‘This is bigger than just Timnit’: How Google tried to silence a critic and ignited a movement (Fast Company)

CMA investigates Apple over suspected anti-competitive behaviour (Competition and Markets Authority)

US removes stumbling block to global deal on digital tax* (FT)

Alan Rusbridger says Oversight Board will ask to see Facebook's algorithm (The Guardian)

UK government

New approach to data is a great opportunity for the UK post-Brexit* (FT)

The UK needs an independent privacy regulator (Open Rights Group)

Dr Nicola Byrne has been named as the government’s preferred candidate for the post of National Data Guardian (NDG) for Health and Care (Cabinet Office)

‘Digital big bang’ needed if UK fintech to compete, says review* (FT)

UK taxpayer to take more stakes in tech start-ups* (FT)

Data in the line of duty; PSGA data keeping us safe. (Geospatial Commission)

Goldacre Review

EU too

EU must overhaul flagship data protection laws, says a ‘father’ of policy* (FT)

Data protection: European Commission launches process on personal data flows to UK (European Commission)

ARIA ready?

Bill introduced to create high risk, high reward research agency ARIA (BEIS)

Bill

Explanatory notes

I see the ARIA press release frames FOI as bureaucratic (Peter Wells)

Few thoughts (Alex Parsons)

How government can help make Aria sing (Civil Service World)

Social media

India imposes sweeping new social media rules* (FT)

Far-Right Platform Gab Has Been Hacked—Including Private Data* (Wired)

Open for the best but expecting the worst

UK government censured for a lack of transparency and accountability (Sky News)

UK GOVERNMENT ‘UNDER REVIEW’ SAYS OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (UK Open Government Network)

Data: sharing is caring (mySociety)

Why Transparency Won’t Save Us (CIGI)

News real and fake

MAPPING CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONSES TO DISINFORMATION: AN INTERNATIONAL FORUM WORKING PAPER (National Endowment for Democracy)

The Unknowable News Audience (Slate)

A Better Way to Think About Conspiracies* (New York Times)

The History of Misinformation (The Full Fact Podcast)

Databases

ICE investigators used a private utility database covering millions to pursue immigration violations* (Washington Post)

A Theranos Database Is Useless. What Happened?* (Wall Street Journal)

Data

Data Bites #17 - watch as live (IfG, edited version will appear here)

Exploring legal mechanisms for data stewardship (Ada Lovelace Institute, AI Council)

Data Is the New Sand* (The Information)

Data's Future: 2020 highlights (ODI)

Supporting ‘levelling up’: the case for more and better data on Post-16 Education and Training (Centre for Cities)

Yuval Noah Harari: Lessons from a year of Covid (FT)

Remote learning

Out of office: what the homeworking revolution means for our cities (The Observer)

Stanford researchers identify four causes for ‘Zoom fatigue’ and their simple fixes (Stanford)

Face your fears

MyHeritage offers 'creepy' deepfake tool to reanimate dead (BBC News)

The Shoddy Science Behind Emotional Recognition Tech (OneZero)

Everything else

Launch of Rules as Code forum for government officials (OPSI, OECD)

Soft power and technological sovereignty in the 21st century (Matthew Clifford)

How Adam Curtis gets into your head* (Prospect)

How a 10-second video clip sold for $6.6 million (Reuters)

Life & Times of: Audrey Tang (Digital Minister @ Taiwan) (The Taiwan Take - my interview from June 2020)

On the block: Could blockchain aid policing? (Tech Monitor)

Nesta's Strategy to 2030 (Nesta)

The Conundrum of Information Scarcity in a Time of Information Overload (Slate)

Opportunities

EVENT: ADR UK three years in: Harnessing the power of administrative data in the age of Covid-19 (ADR UK)

EVENT: Procurement after Brexit: a keynote speech by Cabinet Office minister Lord Agnew (IfG)

JOB: Information Commissioner (DCMS)

JOB: Head of Data Science, INDEX (Cabinet Office)

More (via Owen)

FELLOWSHIP: Future policy for a future internet (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change)

And finally...

Charts, maps and dashboards

One way road to beer

The many chart crimes of *that* Citi bitcoin report* (FT - thread)

Hey Citi, your bitcoin report is embarrassingly bad* (FT)

What language am I reading? (Max Fras, Oystein H. Brekke, Dominik K. Cagara, Aron)

Music Borders (The Pudding)

Everything else

The Australien Government has made an ad about the new media legislation it just passed, and it's surprisingly honest and informative! (theJuiceMedia)

Data... (Dan Hon, via Giuseppe)

Unlocking history through automated virtual unfolding of sealed documents imaged by X-ray microtomography (Nature Communications)

The Agile Theme Park. Scream when you have to sprint faster. (DESIGN THINKING! Comic)

The best image of Mars was made in 1965 (Thomas van Ryzewyk)

What will it be like when we go back to the office? (Reuters)

1 note · View note

orbemnews · 4 years

Link

Europe has missed its chance to stop the third wave. The US could be next On Monday, large parts of Italy including the cities of Rome and Milan once again entered a strict lockdown, while in Spain, all regions except for Madrid have decided to restrict travel over the upcoming Easter holidays. The German capital of Berlin has halted the planned easing of its lockdown too, quoting a rising number of Covid-19 cases. Critics say the new restrictions have come too late and that Europe’s current problems can be traced back to politicians too eager to start easing. “The second wave did not end, the lockdown was interrupted too soon, to let people go shopping for Christmas,” French epidemiologist Catherine Hill told CNN. She said infection levels remained at a high level. “Recently admission in intensive care units have [been increasing] regularly, and the situation is now critical in several parts of the country, including greater Paris.” A more contagious variant of the virus, known as B.1.1.7, seems to be the common culprit behind the chaos. New preliminary data published in the British Medical Journal suggest that the strain, first detected last year in the United Kingdom, may also be more deadly. Alessandro Grimaldi, the director of infectious diseases at Salvatore Hospital in the Italian town of L’Aquila, told CNN the new more contagious variant had “changed the game,” adding that “inevitably, the measures taken to prevent the infection have to become more drastic.” World Health Organization warned about this nearly two months ago, when it became clear the UK variant was circulating in most of Europe. “Once it becomes dominant, it may impact the epidemic curve overall and lead to the need for a more restrictive approach to the public health and social measures that need to be in place, so that rates of transmission can decrease,” WHO’s Senior Emergency Officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, said at the time. That has now happened. Germany’s center for disease control announced on March 10 that the UK variant had become the dominant strain in Germany. The new variant is also responsible for the majority of new cases in France and Italy, according to health officials there. In Spain, B.1.1.7 is now the dominant strain in nine of the country’s 19 regions. The worsening situation in Europe is becoming a cautionary tale for the United States. The variant causing a renewed crisis across the continent is also spreading fast in the US. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has projected it will become the dominant strain in the United States by the end of this month or early April. But there is another reason why US experts are worried about what is happening in Europe right now. Germany, France, Italy and Spain all avoided the huge spikes in infections that had paralyzed the United Kingdom after the Christmas holiday. Their infection levels were either stable or or showing signs of decline just a few weeks ago. With vaccination rollouts starting, albeit slowly, across the continent, people were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But while the trends looked promising, the case numbers were still very high. And that became a major problem when the new wave started — making the new lockdowns necessary, Grimaldi said. “It’s not easy to do lockdowns, because of the economic despair it brings … the life style change it brings,” he said. “But they are indispensable in trying to make the virus stop.” He said that data from a recent study by the University in Bologna has shown that the most stringent lockdown measures, refered to as “the red zones” in Italy do work — leading to as much as 91% drop in number of Covid-related deaths. A delay in the decision to impose lockdowns can be deadly. The Resolution Foundation, a British think tank, said Thursday that an extra 27,000 people died of Covid-19 because the government delayed the start of the country’s latest lockdown until January, despite evidence of fast rising cases in December. American public health officials are worried the US is heading in the same direction — with some states starting to ease up on safety measures even as case numbers remain high. “When you see a plateau at a level as high as 60,000 cases a day, that is a very vulnerable time to have a surge, to go back up. That’s what exactly happened in Europe,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN. He observed that after promising declines in Covid-19 numbers, some European countries “pulled back on public health measures” which has led to the new spikes. Mike Tildesley, an infectious disease modeling expert at the University Warwick and a UK government scientific adviser, said that the slower rollout of vaccines in many European countries means they are facing a higher risk of seeing large waves of new cases. “Sadly until nations get close to herd immunity we are likely to see waves of infection occurring as countries cycle between phases of lockdown,” he said. Grimaldi said that while vaccination plays a major role in fighting the epidemic, it has to come hand-in-hand with the safety measures, because the more the virus keeps circulating in the population, the higher the chance it could mutate further. “The virus will try to survive despite the vaccine, so lockdowns are really the only way to stop the virus from circulating,” he said. A new model published in The Lancet journal on Thursday showed that vaccinations alone might not be enough to contain the epidemic, stressing the need for gradual easing of the restrictions rather than a big bang reopening. Hill, the French epidemiologist, added that testing must also remain a key part of the strategy. “To control the epidemic one needs to test massively the population in order to find and isolate the carriers of the virus,” she said, pointing to the estimated 50% of infections that are caused by individuals who do not know they have Covid-19. The new wave of higher case numbers isn’t limited to Europe. Case numbers have increased 10% globally over the past week to over 3 million new reported cases, according to WHO’s latest situation report. The number of new cases peaked in early January, but then declined for four weeks in row before increased for the past three weeks. The number of people dying is still declining and has dropped to below 60,000 per week last week, the first time this happened since early November. Source link Orbem News #Chance #Europe #missed #Stop #wave

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kadobeclothing · 4 years

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Terrified NHS staff beg for more PPE as more health workers die from coronavirus – The Sun

TERRIFIED frontline NHS staff begged for protective gear last night — as eight more health workers died from Covid 19. Nurses Sara Trollope, 51, Julie Omar, 52, and Gareth Roberts, 63, were among the latest victims.

Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates Mum-of-four Sara Trollope, 51, pictured with Boris Johnson, was months from retirement when she tragically passed The virus also killed mum-of-two Donna Campbell who worked at Velindre Hospital in CardiffCredit: PA:Press AssociationSo too were care home worker Elsie Sazuze, 44, and Filipino hospital porter Oscar King Jr. The deaths took the total for NHS and care workers to 39. Yesterday — as the daily toll of 737 took the overall number of British deaths to 10,612 — one expert warned Britain was on course to be Europe’s worst-hit. The Royal College of Nursing union told members they had the right to refuse to work if they felt unsafe. And nurses who lost a colleague wrote to hospital bosses demanding better protection. Their two-page document, seen by The Sun, details the fear at Watford General Hospital since John Alagos, 23, died at home after a gruelling 12-hour shift. The letter adds: “The loss of our beloved colleague John Alagos put us in an inconsolable state. The cause of his death is still unknown and that makes us all worried to work further in the ward with these minimal PPE.” ON COURSE TO BE EUROPE’S WORST HIT One nurse, who did not want to be named, claimed they were having to reuse a plastic apron and mask. The medic said: “John was not wearing a proper mask — none of us are, even since he died. “Two days ago they even stopped giving us the full gowns that we were being provided with before. “All we have now is a plastic apron which covers our neck to our knee. And we have a mask but it isn’t good enough. It doesn’t protect us properly. We should have a proper mask which covers our nose to our chin, but we don’t. “It is like lessons have not been learned, even though we lost John to this illness. I’m very anxious. We all are. Nurse Becky Usher, 38, was fighting for life last night after working without a mask in Dewsbury, West YorksCORONAVIRUS CRISIS – STAY IN THE KNOWDon’t miss the latest news and figures – and essential advice for you and your family. To receive The Sun’s Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.To follow us on Facebook, simply ‘Like’ our Coronavirus page.Get Britain’s best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day – find out more.

Elbert Rico, a porter from John Radcliffe Hospital, has also died NHS nurse John Alagos, 23, collapsed and died after a 12-hour shift”We’re worried we’ll get it and suffer ourselves or pass it on to our families.” Asked about the claims, chief nurse Tracey Carter insisted new guidance meant gowns were needed only for working in high risk areas. She went on: “I can assure staff the personal protective equipment guidelines we have in place across our trust follow national guidelines and, in some places, go above the level of protection required.” A survey for the Royal College of Surgeons of England found large regional differences on PPE — with half those in the Thames Valley saying they had enough but only a third of those in the North West feeling safe. In correspondence seen by The Sunday Telegraph, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey warned on Thursday it only had enough long-sleeved disposable gowns to last three days. Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust warned of a “very limited supply” despite doing “everything it can to secure further stocks”. We’re worried we’ll get it and suffer ourselves or pass it on to our families And NHS Providers warned the national situation was “hand to mouth”. Doctors also told of supply issues with three key drugs. One consultant said his hospital had just five days’ worth of propofol, a sedative given to those on ventilation, while reserves were also drying up of the painkiller fentanyl and the circulation-boosting noradrenaline. Health Secretary Matt Hancock did not apologise over PPE and denied the Government had been slow to stockpile crucial kit. He insisted: “We now have record amounts of PPE that’s been put out into the system but until everyone gets the PPE they need then we won’t rest.” He said it was impossible to set a date by which all frontline workers would get what they needed. And he added: “It’s impossible because the quest is to get the right PPE to the right people on the front line at the right time across many millions of people across the NHS and social care. Health Secretary Matt Hancock did not apologise over PPE and denied the Government had been slow to stockpile crucial kitCredit: AFP or licensors The Prime Minister thanked the NHS in a video message on Easter Sunday after recovering from the bugCredit: Reuters“I’m glad to say that effort is moving in the right direction.” Mr Hancock hailed the “enormous effort” of those currently trying to source more gowns. He said: “They often don’t get thanks, the procurement experts, because they’re not on the front line. “But, by God, do we need them to make sure that we can get all that PPE.” Mr Hancock also pledged to investigate the exact cause of every NHS worker’s death. He added: “We are looking into each circumstance to understand as much as possible how they caught the virus — whether that’s at work, outside of work, and making sure we learn as much as we possibly can. “The admiration for those who put themselves in harm’s way is incredibly high. “They are unbelievable and therefore it’s of course incumbent on us to make sure we get to the bottom of each individual case.” Of the UK’s overall death toll, he said yesterday was a “sombre day”. ‘CURVE FLATTENING’ He continued: “The fact that over 10,000 people have now lost their lives to this invisible killer demonstrates just how serious this coronavirus is and why the national effort that everyone is engaged in is so important. “Their grief is our grief and their stories will not be forgotten.” Meanwhile Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, admitted the UK’s death rate could outstrip that of even Italy and Spain. He said: “The UK is likely to be certainly one of the worst, if not the worst, affected country in Europe.” Last night Italy’s death toll stood at 19,899 as a result of 156,363 infections. Mr Hancock said: “I think that sort of comment merely reinforces the importance of the central message which is that people should stay at home because that protects the NHS and saves lives. “The future of this virus is unknowable as yet because it depends on the behaviour of millions of people and the Great British public. BOJO’S ANGELSHero nurses who saved Boris’ life pictured as PM released from hospitalSTAY AT HOME!Brits flout corona lockdown to soak up 22C heat – as even cemeteries closeCORONA HOPEBritish corona vaccine could be just WEEKS away with experts ‘80% confident’CHEF OFF!’Isolating’ Gordon Ramsay blasted by Cornish neighbour as locals turn on himExclusiveLOOK AWAY, YOUR MAJFrisky couple stun onlookers by having sex yards from Buckingham PalaceTRUCKING HELLFood & medicine supply crisis looms after half UK’s lorries taken off road “The good news is that so far we have managed to start to see a flattening of the curve because people are following the social distancing measures by and large.” A NEW app will let coronavirus sufferers anonymously alert people they have been in recent contact with. The NHS is currently testing it “with the world’s leading tech companies” it was announced yesterday. Give now to The Sun’s NHS appealBRITAIN’s four million NHS staff are on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.But while they are helping save lives, who is there to help them? The Sun has launched an appeal to raise £1MILLION for NHS workers. The Who Cares Wins Appeal aims to get vital support to staff in their hour of need. We have teamed up with NHS Charities Together in their urgent Covid-19 Appeal to ensure the money gets to exactly who needs it. The Sun is donating £50,000 and we would like YOU to help us raise a million pounds, to help THEM. No matter how little you can spare, please donate today here www.thesun.co.uk/whocareswinsappeal

Prince William video calls with volunteers and says coronavirus crisis has ‘brought out the best’ in Brits Source link

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businessliveme · 4 years

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Brazil Cases Set Record; South Korea Schools Open: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) — Brazil reported another daily record for Covid-19 cases and deaths, making it the world’s fastest-growing virus hot spot, accounting for 13% of new cases globally in the past week. Infections in India rose at the fastest pace in Asia to top 100,000. South Korea is reopening schools amid reporting the most new cases in nine days.

Singapore will allow more businesses to reopen on June 2 — with restrictions eased in three phases — after a nationwide lockdown cut transmission of cases. President Donald Trump called the 1.5 million cases in the U.S. a “badge of honor” for the country’s testing efforts.

Republicans are pushing for WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the U.S., to testify before the House virus oversight subcommittee. China may look to target exports from Australia over its calls for a probe into the origin of Covid-19.

Key Developments:

Virus Tracker: Cases top 4.8 million; deaths exceed 323,000

The struggles of homeschooling in the world’s tiniest apartments

Australia’s closed borders harken back to pre-global economy

NYC’s progress against virus misses state’s and its own goals

Japan welcomed foreign workers then left them in virus limbo

Philippines Considers Downsizing Lockdowns (11:25 a.m. HK)

The Philippines is considering downsizing lockdowns to villages from regions, as it balances further reopening its economy with stemming the virus outbreak. “We will lock down villages with coronavirus cases so that we can preserve economic activity,” Carlito Galvez, who is implementing policies to stem the outbreak, said in a televised briefing.

Stricter curbs may be brought back should a second wave of infections occur President Rodrigo Duterte said at the same briefing, as the government prepares for the arrival of more returning overseas workers. Malls and some businesses have been allowed to open in the capital since May 16.

Vietnam Premier Seeks Economic Target Revisions as Virus Cripples Shipments (10:42 a.m. HK)

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is seeking approval from the politburo and National Assembly to revise down this year’s economic targets as the coronavirus pandemic cripples shipments from the export-dependent nation.

Phuc, speaking to the legislature in a live television broadcast from Hanoi, did not provide specific new targets. The planning and investment ministry said last week Vietnam may revise down its 2020 economic growth target to about 4.5% from its initial target of 6.8%.

New Nightclub Cases Reported in South Korea (10:32 a.m. HK)

South Korea reported that nightclub-related cases rose to 193 as of midnight, according to a government briefing.

South Korea officials said they had worried that the cluster of infections linked to nightclubs in Seoul could jeopardize plans to reopen schools, yet have concluded that the latest outbreak appears under control.

South Korea Reports 32 Cases, Most in Nine Days (9:32 a.m. HK)

South Korea reported 32 new cases in 24 hours, the most since May 11, according to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention website. The total number of infected rises to 11,110.

Among the new infections, 10 are from Seoul, 10 from Gyeonggi province and eight from Incheon. No new deaths were reported, it says the total death toll stands at 263.

Venezuela Reaches New Daily High With 131 Cases (9:16 a.m. HK)

Venezuela Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez, speaking on state television, confirmed 131 new coronavirus cases, a new daily high, for a total of 749 in the country. He said that 110 of the new cases came from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Brazil.

Venezuela declared a curfew in two Zulia state municipalities near the Colombia border and in one municipality in Bolivar state near the border with Brazil. “No one enters Venezuela without being attended to and tested by the health authorities. No one enters Venezuela without completing the 14-day quarantine,” Rodriguez said.

China Reports Five Virus Cases, With Four in Jilin (9:08 a.m. HK)

Four local infections were reported in China’s northeastern province of Jilin and one imported case in Inner Mongolia, the National Health Commission said in a statement. Sixteen asymptomatic cases were reported; one from overseas.

The country has 82,965 total confirmed coronavirus cases and says its death toll remains at 4,634.

Facebook to Limit Offices to 25% Capacity, Require Masks (8:35 a.m. HK)

Facebook Inc. will limit offices to 25% occupancy, require masks at work, put people on multiple shifts and require temperature checks when it lets employees back into workplaces starting in July, according to people familiar with the matter.

The social media company outlined to staff globally how it plans to handle a return to major job sites starting July 6, providing a glimpse at what offices may look like more broadly as businesses reopen their doors in the face of the pandemic. Facebook will also limit how many employees can gather in meeting rooms and create 6-foot spaces between work stations. Staff must wear masks in the office when not social distancing.

Judge Rules All Texans Can Vote By Mail (8:22 a.m. HK)

Texas must give any voter afraid of catching Covid-19 at the polls a mail-in ballot for as long as the pandemic threat continues, a federal judge ruled.

The U.S. judge’s ruling conflicts with the Texas Supreme Court’s temporary suspension of a state judge’s order to do the same thing, while the Texas high court examines the issue further. Texas’s top officials, all Republicans, are fighting expansion of mail-in ballots to voters younger than 65 who don’t qualify as “disabled” under the state’s definition.

Brazil Travel Ban Considered by Trump (7:42 a.m. HK)

President Donald Trump said he’s considering a ban on Brazilians traveling to the U.S. as the Latin American nation takes over third place globally in the number of Covid-19 cases.

“Brazil is having some trouble, no question about it,” Trump said in response to a question from a reporter at the start of a cabinet meeting. “I don’t want people coming in here and infecting our people.”

Trump Announces New Rules for Farmer Bailout (7:20 a.m. HK)

President Donald Trump announced rules Tuesday for a $19 billion coronavirus farm aid package covering a broad swath of U.S. agriculture that producers can begin claiming by next week.

Farmers who suffered a 5% or greater price loss will be eligible for direct payments of as much as $250,000 per person, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

South Korean Schools Start Reopening (6:33 a.m. HK)

After an unprecedented five-month break, South Korean students are returning to their classrooms as government health officials declared that the country may have avoided a “second wave” of infections.

The schools are reopening in stages, with high school seniors returning first on Wednesday and middle and elementary students slated to go back to school in the following weeks. The third-year high school students are leading the return as they now only have half a year before their annual university entrance exams in early December, education officials said.

UV-Light Used to Kill Virus on N.Y. Transit (5:50 p.m. NY)

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will use ultraviolet light to help remove Covid-19 from its subways, buses and commuter trains as the technology has shown to eradicate the virus from surfaces. Ridership has fallen dramatically as people work from home and avoid using public transportation. To bring riders back, the agency plans to use innovative disinfecting regimes to help sanitize its fleets and restore ridership confidence.

The MTA will spend about $1 million for 150 double-headed lamps and begin next week zapping the interior of subway cars in the yard. While such technology has been used to clean hospitals and urgent-care facilities, agency officials say it’s the first time ultra-violet light is being used to kill the coronavirus on public transit infrastructure.

U.S. Cases Rise 1.6% (4 p.m. NY)

U.S. cases rose 1.6% from the day before to 1.52 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. That was higher than Monday’s growth rate of 1.2%, but in line with the average daily increase of 1.6% over the past week. Deaths rose 1.5% to 91,179.

New York cases rose by 1,474 to 352,845, the second day in a row that new cases totaled less than 1,500, according to the state’s health department.

Florida’s caseload grew by 1.1% to 46,944, according to the state’s health department. Deaths climbed 2.8% to 2,052.

New Jersey cases increased 0.7%, or by 1,055, to 149,013, a pace that matched the prior seven-day average, according to Governor Phil Murphy.

California cases rose 1.7%, below the average 2.37% increase over the previous seven days, to a total of 81,795. There were 32 new deaths, the fewest in more than a week.

Singapore to Reopen More Businesses (8 a.m. NY)

Singapore will allow more businesses to reopen on June 2 — increasing the active proportion of the economy to three-quarters. Restrictions will be introduced in three phases provided “community” infection rates remain low during the current lockdown ending June 1 and health workers are protected, officials said at a press briefing.

The government will extend more support to businesses and their workers, with a priority on companies that remain closed on June 1, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said.

Chinese Tycoon Expects Vaccine Trials at Home Soon (7:10 a.m. NY)

Guo Guangchang, the billionaire founder of Fosun Group, expects to soon win approvals for testing a vaccine against the new coronavirus in his home country China. In March, Guo’s Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co. teamed up with German partner BioNTech SE, which has already been conducting human clinical trials of the vaccine in Germany. Early-stage results should be available soon, the tycoon said.

Guo declined to elaborate on when Fosun Pharmaceutical will obtain all the required approvals. The group has also been working with overseas partners in trying to find an effective medicine against the virus, but so far it hasn’t found any, he said.

The post Brazil Cases Set Record; South Korea Schools Open: Virus Update appeared first on Businessliveme.com.

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vsplusonline · 4 years

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UN asking for billions to battle coronavirus in world’s poorest countries

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/un-asking-for-billions-to-battle-coronavirus-in-worlds-poorest-countries/

UN asking for billions to battle coronavirus in world’s poorest countries

TANZANIA, Tanzania — The United Nations called on governments, companies and billionaires Thursday to contribute to a US$6.7 billion fund for immediate needs in fighting the coronavirus pandemic in vulnerable countries, warning that a failure to help could lead to a “hunger pandemic,” famine, riots and more conflict.

READ MORE: Experts are worried U.S. CDC taking backseat in White House coronavirus response

U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said that “COVID-19 has now affected every country and almost every person on the planet.”

He said the U.N.’s initial $2 billion (all figures U.S.) appeal unveiled March 25 was being increased because there is already evidence of incomes plummeting and jobs disappearing, food supplies falling and prices soaring, and children missing vaccinations and meals. He added that the peak of the pandemic isn’t expected to hit the world’s poorest countries for three to six months.

Lowcock said in a video briefing launching the new appeal that the poorest countries face “a double whammy” the health impact of COVID-19 and “the impact of the global recession and the domestic measures taken to contain the virus.”

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1:32 Coronavirus outbreak: UN agency says at least 300,000 Africans expected to die due to virus

Coronavirus outbreak: UN agency says at least 300,000 Africans expected to die due to virus

“We must be prepared for a rise in conflict, hunger, poverty and disease as economies contract, export earnings, remittances and tourism disappear, and health systems are put under strain,” he warned. “Lockdowns and economic recession may mean a hunger pandemic ahead for millions.”

The executive director of the World Food Program, David Beasley, said there are two keys to averting the possibility of 265 million people being on the brink of famine by the end of the year: providing money and keeping supply chains running smoothly.

The U.N. appeals to wealthy nations for funding all the time, he said, but the pandemic is “a one-time phenomena, a catastrophe we’re hitting,” so it’s not unreasonable to ask the wealthiest people and the wealthiest companies to give.

2:14 Developing nations struggle to prepare for COVID-19

Developing nations struggle to prepare for COVID-19

“I don’t mean just a few million. I’m talking about hundreds of millions of dollars, billions,” Beasley said.

[ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ]

He also urged action to address the “breakdown of supply chains globally.” Nations must ensure “that we don’t have export-import bans, restrictions at borders, shutdown of ports, shutdown of distribution points,” he said, saying that some countries have already imposed export bans that are having ripple effects on food supplies.

READ MORE: Why the coronavirus fight can only succeed with worldwide cooperation

As an example, Beasley said that if young people in urban areas in Africa lose their jobs as a result of the economic impact of the pandemic, they don’t have bank accounts to fall back on. “And if they don’t have food, you’re going to have protests, riots, unrest and destabilization. It’s going to cost the world a hundredfold more to react after the fact,” he warned.

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He said that if the world doesn’t respond with sufficient funding, it will be catastrophic.

1:09 Coronavirus outbreak: UN cautions countries not to abuse COVID-19 measures

Coronavirus outbreak: UN cautions countries not to abuse COVID-19 measures

“We’re facing famine of biblical proportions,” he said. “We can avert famine if we act and we act now.”

The U.N.’s initial $2 billion appeal has so far raised $1 billion, including a lot from Europe — Germany, Britain, the European Commission — with contributions also from Japan, Persian Gulf countries, Canada and others, Lowcock said.

The updated appeal adds nine vulnerable countries to the 54 nations covered in the initial appeal — Benin, Djibouti, Liberia, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zimbabwe.

READ MORE: Coronavirus lockdowns threaten Africa’s already-vulnerable food supply

Lowcock said more countries are being monitored for possible addition to the list.

The $6.7 billion will fund the U.N.’s humanitarian response plan to help the world’s most vulnerable people deal with the pandemic now and in the coming months. Lowcock said the amount will be updated before the end of June because the pandemic has created “a very fast-moving situation,” and will likely be revised upward again to meet needs in 2020.

Lowcock also urged international financial institutions and governments to help fragile countries deal with the pandemic and reiterated that $90 billion could provide income support, food and a health response to COVID-19 for 700 million of the world’s most vulnerable people.

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1:05 Coronavirus outbreak: Oxfam says COVID-19 pandemic could push half a billion people into poverty

Coronavirus outbreak: Oxfam says COVID-19 pandemic could push half a billion people into poverty

That’s just 1 per cent of the $8 trillion stimulus package that the world’s 20 richest countries put in place to save the global economy, he said.

Lowcock has said probably two-thirds of the $90 billion could come from international financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and one-third from a one-time 20 per cent increase in government development assistance.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Alibaba founder gives African nations 6M medical supply items

“Wealthy countries will need to make significant one-off increases in their foreign aid commitments,” he said Thursday. “And international financial institutions will need to change lending agreements with vulnerable countries.”

1:32 Coronavirus outbreak: UN agency says at least 300,000 Africans expected to die due to virus

Coronavirus outbreak: UN agency says at least 300,000 Africans expected to die due to virus

U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi said in the briefing that there has not been a major outbreak of COVID-19 in refugee camps, but warned that they have an “extraordinary vulnerability” that needs prevention efforts.

Dr. Mike Ryan, who heads the World Health Organization’s emergencies operation, said that people in such camps can’t maintain physical distance and they have “underlying vulnerabilities” with no access to personal hygiene, safe water, sanitation, food and welfare.

“That is the tinder in which this epidemic may explode,” he said.

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covid19updater · 4 years

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COVID19 UPDATES 04/17/2020

MORNING:

UK: Wearing face masks while travelling in London should be compulsory, city mayor Sadiq Khan has told the government. LINK

UK: Hopes that Britain can achieve widespread Covid-19 immunity by the end of the lockdown have been dealt a devastating blow after research suggested only a small proportion may have acquired resistance to the disease. LINK

Germany: German Zoo May Feed Animals to Animals as Funds Dry Up in Pandemic LINK

Texas: Area doctor sees success in experimental COVID-19 treatment using Melatonin LINK

US: April 24th: Amazon employees plan ‘online walkout’ to protest firings and treatment of warehouse workers LINK

China: BREAKING: Wuhan, where the coronavirus pandemic began, revises death toll to 3,869, an increase of 50%

UK: We have discovered evidence that at least one NHS trust is gently discouraging doctors from giving Covid-19 as a cause of death. LINK

Massachusetts: “The Mayor and the Executive Health Officer hereby order all residents of and visitors to the City of Brockton to stay at home between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless they are actively providing or receiving COVID-19 Essential Services. Anyone in violation of the executive order may be fined up to $1,000.” LINK

Spain: Number of cases in Spain increases by 2.8%. From yesterday to today, 5,252 new cases of Covid-19 in Spain have been confirmed, it was announced. The value corresponds to an increase of 2.8%. Regarding the number of fatalities, this has also increased slightly from yesterday to today, with 585 confirmed deaths by Covid-19. Yesterday was 551.

France: 'I wasn't elected for that!' French mayor forced to run NAKED from his house after attack by angry local during lockdown A French mayor fled for his life during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown after a disgruntled citizen forced him to strip naked at gunpoint in his own home. LINK

South Korea: Coronavirus relapse cases continue to rise in South Korea -- after full recoveries, 163 more tested positive again.

US: Lindsey Graham calling for sanctions on China for being the "largest state sponsor of pandemics on the globe" (’Murica!)

UK: UK reports 847 more virus deaths. The UK has reported 847 more virus deaths in hospitals, taking the total to 14,576.

China: Professor Luc Montagnier, 2008 Nobel Prize winner for Medicine, claims that SARS-CoV-2 is a manipulated virus that was accidentally released from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. LINK

World: Why did the W.H.O. Ignore an email from Taiwanese health officials in late December alerting them to the possibility that CoronaVirus could be transmitted between humans? Why did the W.H.O. make several claims about the CoronaVirus that ere either inaccurate or misleading...........in January and February, as the Virus spread globally? Why did the W.H.O. wait as long as it did to take decisive action? Lanhee Chen, Hoover Institution Fellow @foxnews

COVID19 HUMOR:

Covid-19 : The Rules 1. Basically, you can't leave the house for any reason, but if you have to, then you can. 2. Masks are useless, but maybe you have to wear one, it can save you, it is useless, but maybe it is mandatory as well. 3. Stores are closed, except those that are open. 4. You should not go to hospitals unless you have to go there. Same applies to doctors, you should only go there in case of emergency, provided you are not too sick. 5. This virus is deadly but still not too scary, except that sometimes it actually leads to a global disaster. 6. Gloves won't help, but they can still help. 7. Everyone needs to stay HOME, but it's important to GO OUT. 8. There is no shortage of groceries in the supermarket, but there are many things missing when you go there in the evening, but not in the morning. Sometimes. 9. The virus has no effect on children except those it affects. 10. Animals are not affected, but there is still a cat that tested positive in Belgium in February when no one had been tested, plus a few tigers here and there… 11. You will have many symptoms when you are sick, but you can also get sick without symptoms, have symptoms without being sick, or be contagious without having symptoms. Oh, good grief! 12. In order not to get sick, you have to eat well and exercise, but eat whatever you have on hand and it's better not to go out, well, but no… 13. It's better to get some fresh air, but you get looked at very wrong when you get some fresh air, and most importantly, you don't go to parks or walk. But don’t sit down, except that you can do that now if you are old, but not for too long or if you are pregnant (but not too old). 14. You can't go to retirement homes, but you have to take care of the elderly and bring food and medication. 15. If you are sick, you can't go out, but you can go to the pharmacy. 16. You can get restaurant food delivered to the house, which may have been prepared by people who didn't wear masks or gloves. But you have to have your groceries decontaminated outside for 3 hours. Pizza too? 17. Every disturbing article or disturbing interview starts with " I don't want to trigger panic, but…" 18. You can't see your older mother or grandmother, but you can take a taxi and meet an older taxi driver. 19. You can walk around with a friend but not with your family if they don't live under the same roof. 20. You are safe if you maintain the appropriate social distance, but you can’t go out with friends or strangers at the safe social distance. 21. The virus remains active on different surfaces for two hours, no, four, no, six, no, we didn't say hours, maybe days? But it takes a damp environment. Oh no, not necessarily. 22. The virus stays in the air - well no, or yes, maybe, especially in a closed room, in one hour a sick person can infect ten, so if it falls, all our children were already infected at school before it was closed. But remember, if you stay at the recommended social distance, however in certain circumstances you should maintain a greater distance, which, studies show, the virus can travel further, maybe. 23. We count the number of deaths but we don't know how many people are infected as we have only tested so far those who were "almost dead" to find out if that's what they will die of… 24. We have no treatment, except that there may be one that apparently is not dangerous unless you take too much (which is the case with all medications). Orange man bad. 25. We should stay locked up until the virus disappears, but it will only disappear if we achieve collective immunity, so when it circulates… but we must no longer be locked up for that?

Canada: Ontario, Canada reports 564 new COVID-19 cases, 55 more deaths

France: #BREAKING: Some 940 of the 2,300 crew members aboard the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier has tested positive for #COVID19, that's approximately 40% of the crew.

US: Washington Post debunks Feb. Washington Post article that falsely claimed theory that coronavirus came from Wuhan lab was "conspiracy" that "had been debunked

AFTERNOON:

New York: NEW/BREAKING: 630 deaths in last 24 hours in NY, per @NYGovCuomo. Up from 606 deaths, in previous 24 hour period, reported on Thursday.

World: The World Health Organization issued a warning Friday about coronavirus testing, saying there’s no evidence serological tests can show whether a person has immunity or not at risk of becoming reinfected.

China: China revised #COVID19 death toll was “done in an attempt to leave no case undocumented,” says WHO (LOL)

Greece: Greek coronavirus patient still tests positive after 40 days even though he has no symptoms

EVENING:

RUMINT (Brazil): Total caos in Manaus João Lúcio Hospital just collapsed! Dead people corpses laying down with people with covid-19. Hospitals in São Paulo near collapse too! Just saw on our TV LINK

Saudi Arabia: NEW: For the third day in a row, Saudi Arabia reports record number of new coronavirus cases.

UK: BREAKING: 1 million doses of a potential #COVID19 vaccine being developed by British scientists are already being manufactured and will be available by #September, even before trials prove whether the shot is effective, the team said on Friday.(What could go wrong?)

US: Around the country, labs and public officials tell @AP that critical shortages in supplies such as swabs and chemicals make it impossible to increase COVID-19 testing to the levels needed to keep the virus in check and reopen the economy.

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scienceblogtumbler · 4 years

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‘I don’t see any other way out’: Diagnostic testing and smartphone contact tracing to beat pandemic

by Vittoria D’Alessio

What makes the Covid-19 pandemic so difficult to contain? Silent transmission by asymptomatic patients is partly responsible, but research emerging from Germany suggests the SARS-CoV-2 virus has developed a second impressive strategy for ensuring its success: the ability to establish two separate communities within a host – the first in the throat, the second in the lungs. Early colonisation of the throat is responsible for the dangerous lag between a person being infectious and the onset of symptoms.

The discovery of one virus, two colonies was made by Professor Christian Drosten, the virologist who collaborated on the first diagnostic test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus outside of China. Prof. Drosten describes his discovery, which was presented in Nature earlier this month, as a ‘game changer’ and explains the virus’s unbridled spread.

In late January of this year, when coronavirus transmission within Europe was assumed to be minimal, Prof. Drosten’s team took swab samples from the lungs and throats of a small group of Munich residents experiencing mild Covid-19 symptoms. They found high levels of viral replication in the throats of nine.

‘What was surprising is that we saw different, discriminable virus populations in the two locations, which really proves different compartments of the virus,’ said Prof. Drosten, who is based at Berlin’s Charité Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine. ‘Both virus populations were replicating autonomously. This is a discriminating feature, a whole different type of behaviour, not seen in viruses like Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome).’

He continued: ‘Sars goes straight to the lung and starts replicating there. The lung is full of immune tissue, and it is the kicking in of your immunity that makes you feel sick. So with SARS, even before the virus accumulates to a concentration that makes it infectious, you feel unwell. With such a virus, the isolation of cases based on symptoms is easy – first you get the symptoms, then the infectivity.’

The pathogen responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic is often compared to the 2002–3 Sars virus – both are novel coronaviruses and both trigger acute respiratory symptoms – however, Sars was responsible for 774 deaths, while Covid-19 fatalities stand at 130,000 and are rising.

Prof. Drosten believes the throat-borne nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus explains the alarming level of transmission. His study drew on the case of one afflicted individual who infected 14 other people from virus particles emanating from her throat, setting off a chain of coronavirus infections that led to a Munich outbreak.

‘With a throat-borne pathogen, the virus arrives and replicates in the throat, and all you feel is an itch or a soreness or even nothing. As it replicates to an infectious concentration, there’s still no reaction from your immune system,’ he said.

‘Only a few days later, when the virus spreads from the throat to the lung, do symptoms kick in. At that point, you’ve already been spreading the virus for a few days. As we know now, about 45% of all infectious events (with the coronavirus) occur before the onset of symptoms.’

‘There’s so much virus produced in the throat, I’m optimistic a self-deployed throat swab will be able to detect virus proteins early on in an infection.’

Professor Christian Drosten, Charité Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Berlin, Germany

Aggressive testing

Like the vast majority of scientists on the coalface of the Covid-19 response, Prof. Drosten regards aggressive testing within populations as essential if the world is to get on top of the pandemic. He believes new diagnostic approaches, aimed at identifying an infection in its earliest phases, will help close the gap between diagnosis of an infection and transmission of the virus.

‘Even if you identify patients on the day of symptom onset and immediately lock them in, you’ve already lost half of the time that you’d like to have to prevent all infections,’ he said.

Tests currently on the market have limited power in slowing transmission. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is the standard coronavirus test, and the one Prof. Drosten’s lab has been producing since January and distributing around the world as a partner of the European Virus Archive – Global project.

The PCR test detects signs of the virus’s genetic material, but by the time most people receive their results, the infection is well established and the virus has spread. A swab needs to pick up a certain quantity of virus to give a true result, which means the PCR test works best on well established infections. Though the test is very sensitive, it is possible for it to miss the virus and yield a false negative result.

The eagerly anticipated serological test – which will show when a person has developed antibodies against the virus, thereby indicating that an infection has already passed – will do nothing to stem the flow of virus particles from one individual to another.

Promise is being shown, however, by antigen tests intended for home use, says Prof. Drosten. These tests will diagnose an infection even before symptoms appear, so a person could be tested soon after coming into contact with an infected individual.

‘There’s so much virus produced in the throat, I’m optimistic a self-deployed throat swab will be able to detect virus proteins early on in an infection,’ said Prof. Drosten. ‘In the beginning, these tests will be expensive, but ultimately the cost to produce them will be the same as the cost to produce a pregnancy test.’

Antigen tests

Antigen tests are far harder to develop than antibody tests as they require the inclusion of artificial antibodies and producing these is not straightforward. But biotech companies have been working hard to crack the formulation and Prof. Drosten says antigen test kits are ‘available now’. The first prototypes will be trialled in labs, including his, within the next few weeks.

‘Two to three months would be my best estimate for the first tests to appear on the market,’ he said.

Herman Goossens, professor of medical microbiology at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, welcomes the research focus on home-based diagnostic kits. However, he says more thought needs to be given to the usefulness of test results.

‘How will it help you to have antigen and antibody tests on the market? Can you use them (an antibody test) to send guarantees that you can’t infect other people? Can you use them (an antigen test) to rapidly start antiviral treatment? There are many things to think about,’ he said.

Antivirals

While health authorities grapple with the options, Prof. Goossens, who is project coordinator of the PREPARE project set up in 2014 as a platform for European preparedness against emerging epidemics, is eager for testing to be ramped up on antiviral treatments. The aim of these drugs will be to stop the virus from replicating once an infection has become established.

Effective antivirals coupled with home-based tests have the potential to greatly reduce hospital admissions, says Prof. Goossens. ‘If, for example, an elderly person develops symptoms, you could give them a home-based test, and if they are positive for the virus, they could immediately start taking an antiviral drug, and this would hopefully reduce the number of elderly people admitted to hospital.’

Laboratories across Europe linked to the PREPARE project are currently running trials on antiviral treatments originally intended as remedies for a range of conditions, including Ebola, HIV and malaria.

‘Developing a new drug takes five to 10 years, which is why we are looking at existing drugs. In a month or so, we should have some preliminary results showing if the drugs we are testing work or not,’ said Prof. Goossens.

Contact tracing

In Prof. Drosten’s view, Europe will need to look beyond diagnostics and existing treatments to bring the coronavirus to heel in the absence of a vaccine. He believes our greatest hope is to pair diagnostic testing with contact tracing using smartphone technology.

To this end, leading tech companies are working on apps designed to automate contact tracing – a process that is currently putting a huge burden on public health professionals. This software will give communities a safe way out of lockdown, says Prof. Drosten, though at least 70% of Europeans would need to adopt the same app for the intervention to be effective.

He explains how the technology would work. ‘You enter a symptom in a checkbox on your phone and the app will order a diagnostic test for you and identify the people you’ve had contacts with in the last five days. Then you and all your contacts lock yourselves away immediately, while everyone else who is not tarred by your transmission chain has the freedom to travel and work.’

He said an app-based public health intervention of this kind would give Europe a chance to ‘revive’ after the first wave of the pandemic. Without it, the virus will resurge time and again, resulting in repeated episodes of population-wide quarantining.

‘An app approach would be much more detailed and specific than the total lockdown we are having now, and it is what we need,’ he said. ‘I don’t see any other way out.’

The research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.

source https://horizon.scienceblog.com/1254/i-dont-see-any-other-way-out-diagnostic-testing-and-smartphone-contact-tracing-to-beat-pandemic/

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