Analysis

CDC: Under attack by Trump official for "sedition" and background on its early response problems.

Tue, 2020-09-15 06:48 — mike kraft

WASHINGTON — The top communications official at the powerful cabinet department in charge of combating the coronavirus made outlandish and false claims on Sunday that career government scientists were engaging in “sedition” in their handling of the pandemic and that left-wing hit squads were preparing for armed insurrection after the election.

Michael Caputo, 58, the assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, said without evidence that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was harboring a “resistance unit” determined to undermine President Trump.

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Fever checks: Doubts about whether they are effective gatekeepers

Mon, 2020-09-14 22:34 — mike kraft

In recent weeks, a new cadre of gatekeepers armed with thermometer guns has appeared at the entrances of hospitals, office buildings and manufacturing plants to screen out feverish individuals who may carry the coronavirus.

Employees at some companies must report their temperature on apps to get clearance to come in. And when indoor dining resumes at restaurants in New York City later this month, temperature checks will be done at the door.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the practice of checking for fever has become more and more commonplace, causing a surge in sales of infrared contact-free thermometers and body temperature scanners even as the scientific evidence indicating they are of little value has solidified.

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ANALYSIS: As Trump played down virus, health experts’ alarm grew -AP

Mon, 2020-09-14 00:15 — mike kraft

As Trump played down virus, health experts' alarm grew WASHINGTON (AP) — Public health officials were already warning Americans about the need to prepare for the coronavirus threat in early February when President Donald Trump called it “deadly stuff”... AP NEWS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Public health officials were already warning Americans about the need to prepare for the coronavirus threat in early February when President Donald Trump called it “deadly stuff” in a private conversation that has only now has come to light.

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New Research Shows Disproportionate Rate of Coronavirus Deaths in Polluted Areas

Sun, 2020-09-13 21:17 — mike kraft

New Research Shows Disproportionate Rate of Coronavirus Deaths in Polluted Areas The type of pollution emitted by many chemical plants in Louisiana's industrial corridor is correlated with increased coronavirus deaths, according to new peer-reviewed research from SUNY and… ProPublica

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New Federal Report Warns of Financial Havoc From Climate Change

Fri, 2020-09-11 23:41 — mike kraft

WASHINGTON — A report commissioned by federal regulators overseeing the nation’s commodities markets has concluded that climate change threatens U.S. financial markets, as the costs of wildfires, storms, droughts and floods spread through insurance and mortgage markets, pension funds and other financial institutions.

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Projected health-care resource needs for an effective response to COVID-19 in 73 low-income and middle-income countries--Lancet

Fri, 2020-09-11 05:42 — mike kraft

Projected health-care resource needs for an effective response to COVID-19 in 73 low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study The sizeable costs of a COVID-19 response in the health sector will escalate, particularly if transmission increases. Instituting early and comprehensive measures to limit the further spread of the virus will conserve resources and sustain the response. The Lancet Global Health

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How the Coronavirus Attacks the Brain

Fri, 2020-09-11 05:27 — mike kraft

The coronavirus targets the lungs foremost, but also the kidneys, liver and blood vessels. Still, about half of patients report neurological symptoms, including headaches, confusion and delirium, suggesting the virus may also attack the brain.

A new study offers the first clear evidence that, in some people, the coronavirus invades brain cells, hijacking them to make copies of itself. The virus also seems to suck up all of the oxygen nearby, starving neighboring cells to death.

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Technology around developing COVID-19 vaccine may improve flu vaccine effectiveness, health expert says

Thu, 2020-09-10 23:21 — mike kraft

Technology around developing COVID-19 vaccine may improve flu vaccine effectiveness, health expert says If there is a silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that the technology around developing a vaccine could change the effectiveness and universality of the influenza vaccine cnn

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ESSAY: It Will Take More Than a Vaccine to Beat COVID-19

Thu, 2020-09-10 01:30 — mike kraft

It Will Take More Than a Vaccine to Beat COVID-19 Vaccines are making progress, but they may not defeat the virus completely. Luckily, other therapies are on the way, too. Dhruv Khullar The New Yorker

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How the Aging Immune System Makes Older People Vulnerable to Covid-19

Tue, 2020-09-08 23:56 — mike kraft

Covid-19 patients who are 80 or older are hundreds of times more likely to die than those under 40.

That’s partly because they are more likely to have underlying conditions — like diabetes and lung disease — that seem to make the body more vulnerable to Covid-19.

But some scientists suggest another likely, if underappreciated, driver of this increased risk: the aging immune system.

The changes that ripple through our network of immune cells as the decades pass are complex, resulting in an overreaction here, a delayed response there and over all, a strangely altered landscape of immunity.

Scientists who study the aging immune system say that understanding it may lead not only to a clearer sense of how age is connected to disease vulnerability, but to better strategies for vaccines and treatments for Covid-19.

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