govt Archives - Mediarabe

Health systems, govt responses linked to virus tolls

October 14, 2020

BERLIN (AP) — Scientists say a comparison of 21 developed countries during the start of the coronavirus pandemic shows that those with early lockdowns and well-prepared national health systems avoided large numbers of additional deaths due to the outbreak.

In a study published Wednesday by the journal Nature Medicine, researchers used the number of weekly deaths in 19 European countries, New Zealand and Australia over the past decade to estimate how many people would have died from mid-February to May 2020 had the pandemic not happened.

The authors, led by Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London, then compared the predicted number of deaths to the actual reported figure during that period to determine how many likely occurred due to the pandemic. Such models of ‘excess mortality’ are commonly used by public health officials to better understand disease outbreaks and the effectiveness of counter-measures.

The study found there were about 206,000

Gov’t Bows to Vax Makers’ Demands? 2nd Wave Hits Europe; FDA Wants Makena Pulled

October 6, 2020

| No Comments

| Health Article

Note that some links may require registration or subscription.

The White House is blocking new FDA guidelines that would stiffen requirements for authorizing COVID-19 vaccines, after manufacturers reportedly objected to the guidance. (New York Times, Politico)

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Pastor Greg Laurie of the Harvest Christian Fellowship megachurch were the latest attendees at a recent White House event to report a positive coronavirus test. MedPage Today has a running list here.

Perhaps the most at risk White House staffers, however, are the 100 members of the White House’s residence staff. (The Atlantic)

Finally: the CDC acknowledges the potential for airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

As of 8:00 a.m. ET Tuesday, the estimated U.S. COVID-19 toll reached 7,459,102 cases and 210,196 deaths — up 40,364 and 462, respectively, since the same time Monday.

The Northeast and Midwest are experiencing surges, and new cases have risen

Huge questions for UK govt after spike in virus cases

October 5, 2020

| No Comments

| Health Article

LONDON (AP) — The British government faced huge questions Monday over its coronavirus testing system after a technical glitch led to the under-reporting of new infections over the past week or so, a failing that could have given fresh impetus to the current outbreak and ultimately to an uptick in deaths.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is due to make a statement to lawmakers later Monday after the opposition Labour Party asked the government to explain why the cases were not tabulated when they should have been.

The latest problems to afflict the U.K.’s test and trace program emerged over the weekend when public health officials revealed that a total of 15,841 virus cases weren’t tabulated from Sept. 25 to Oct. 2.

The government said the “technical issue” was discovered Friday night and has now been resolved. The problem is thought to have stemmed from file limitations on the Excel spreadsheets

Americans Fault US Govt Over Foreign Powers for Virus Crisis | Political News

October 5, 2020

| No Comments

| Health

By MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans blame the U.S. government instead of foreign nations for the coronavirus crisis in the United States, a rebuke to the Trump administration’s contention that China or other countries are most at fault, a new poll shows.

The poll by The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was conducted before President Donald Trump tested positive for the virus Friday and was hospitalized. Trump has downplayed the severity and impact of the pandemic in recent months.

Although many see plenty of blame to go around and there’s a wide bipartisan divide over who is responsible, 56% of Americans say the U.S. government has substantial responsibility for the situation. That compares with 47% who place that much blame on the governments of other countries and only 39% who say the same

Dr. Anthony Fauci blames gov’t for ‘mixed messages’ on COVID-19; New York City diners reopen

September 30, 2020

| No Comments

| Health

Sept. 30 (UPI) — The top infectious diseases expert in the United States said he’s concerned that some Americans are reticent to trust in vaccines and again blamed mixed messages from the federal government as a cause.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said during the Texas Tribune Festival on Tuesday that it’s “disturbing” a portion of the U.S. population is reluctant to believe in vaccine safety. He asked citizens to trust in the process and expressed optimism that a safe COVID-19 vaccine might be available before the end of the year.

“I feel cautiously optimistic, as a scientist, that we will have a safe and effective vaccine,” he said. “I believe it will happen, and it will happen likely by this end of the calendar year.”

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said “mixed messages that have come out of Washington” are at least partly responsible for

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31