New research suggests that face masks may offer more protection against coronavirus infection than previously thought. It suggests that coughs and sneezes may be projected much further than scientists had thought possible. The World Health Organisation is considering whether to update its guidance on face masks and the White House may recommend that Americans wear them. Meanwhile in the UK hospitality companies are turning their skills to help those in need. And for the second week in a row, applause has rung out from members of the public showing gratitude to NHS staff and other workers helping to keep the country going. Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten coverage from Science Editor David Shukman and Social Affairs Correspondent Alison Holt.
Tag Archives: News
Coronavirus / Covid-19: “When Will We Have A Vaccine?” (Podcast)
Scientists around the world are racing to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. But experts have said it could take a year to 18 months for one to hit the market. The process for testing and approving a vaccine is long and complicated.
That can be frustrating when the coronavirus is taking more and more lives every day. But cutting corners to push a vaccine through faster can lead to devastating consequences. We know that, because it’s happened before.
Culture & Coronavirus: “Livraria Lello” In Porto Opens World’s First “Drive-Thru Bookstore”
From April 1st, between 10 am and 12 noon, from Monday to Friday, Livraria Mais 
Bela do Mundo will offer one book from its “The Collection” per day to all readers who subscribe the day before to which they intend to address the “Drive-Thru” of Livraria Lello.
Bela do Mundo will offer one book from its “The Collection” per day to all readers who subscribe the day before to which they intend to address the “Drive-Thru” of Livraria Lello..
The same should be done until 6 pm, to the email info@livrarialello.pt , sending your personal data (name, address, email and telephone contact).
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On the day of the survey, the reader will only have to stop the car in front of Livraria Lello and the delivery will be made by a collaborator directly through the window.
On the day of the survey, the reader will only have to stop the car in front of Livraria Lello and the delivery will be made by a collaborator directly through the window.
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This is a true act of “Love in the Times of Cholera” by Livraria Lello and her team towards their readers, their city, which is their world. A way to give the community some comfort and some encouragement in these difficult times.
Podcasts: How Foreign Governments Are Facing Covid-19 (The Economist)
A selection of essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, the role of big government in the time of covid-19, (10:20) assessing the havoc the pandemic is causing in emerging countries, (17:45).
In just a few weeks a virus a ten-thousandth of a millimetre in diameter has transformed Western democracies. States have shut down businesses and sealed people indoors. They have promised trillions of dollars to keep the economy on life support. If South Korea and Singapore are a guide, medical and electronic privacy are about to be cast aside. It is the most dramatic extension of state power since the second world war.
TOP JOURNALS: RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM SCIENCE MAGAZINE (MARCH 27, 2020)
Science: Coronavirus Pandemic Update And Nonanimal Testing Methods (Podcast)
On this week’s show, host Joel Goldberg gets an update on the coronavirus pandemic from Senior Correspondent Jon Cohen. In addition, Cohen gives a rundown of his latest feature, which highlights the relationship between diseases and changing seasons—and how this relationship relates to a potential coronavirus vaccine.
Also this week, from a recording made at this year’s AAAS annual meeting in Seattle, host Meagan Cantwell speaks with Alexandra Maertens, director of the Green Toxicology initiative at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, about the importance of incorporating nonanimal testing methods to study the adverse effects of chemicals.
Health: Disinfectants Fighting Coronavirus – “From Clinical Space To The Mainstream” (WSJ)
As many businesses around the world struggle, a Canadian disinfectant company is increasing production to keep up with demand during the novel coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Ron Kolumbus/WSJ
COVID-19 / Coronavirus: Cambridge Scientists Using Genomics To Create “Pandemic Flu Vaccines”
The race is on to find a vaccine against the new COVID-19 coronavirus. Professor Jonathan Heeney explains why a cautious approach is needed and how his team is using new technology developed for influenza and Ebola viruses to target the new infection.
It is hard now to conceive that two months ago, few people had heard of the new coronavirus. Now, the virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has spread to every corner of the globe. The World Health Organization has officially declared the outbreak a pandemic.
With the threat of hundreds of thousands – possibly millions – of people being infected and healthcare systems becoming overwhelmed, the race is on to develop a vaccine that will protect individuals and slow the spread of the disease. But Professor Jonathan Heeney, Head of the Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics at the University of Cambridge, and one of the people working on a vaccine, says that coronaviruses present a particular challenge to vaccine developers.
Coronaviruses are named after their appearance: they are spherical objects, on the surface of which sit ‘spike’ proteins. The virus uses these spikes to attach to and invade cells in our body. Once inside, the virus uses the cell’s own machinery to help itself replicate and spread throughout the body, causing disease and allowing it to transmit onwards.
Traditionally, scientists would develop vaccines that programme the body to produce antibodies that recognise and block these spikes. But this strategy can misfire with coronaviruses due to a phenomenon known as ‘antibody-induced enhancement’ or ‘vaccine-induced enhancement’, says Heeney.
“If you make antibodies against the spike, they can end up binding to it and helping the virus invade important immune cells known as monocyte-macrophages. Rather than destroying the virus, these cells can then end up being reprogrammed by the viruses, exacerbating the immune response and making the disease much, much worse than it would otherwise be.”
Health: “The Vital Importance Of Social Distancing” To Stop Spread Of Coronavirus
In order to stem the spread of the coronavirus, social interactions around the world are being restricted. This infographic, based on calculations by Robert A. J. Signer, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Diego, shows how this so-called social distancing can reduce the spread of the virus.
With no changes to social behaviour, one infected person will on average pass the virus to 2.5 people within five days. After 30 days, the figure would rise to a devastating 406 new infections. The number can be significantly reduced though by engaging in less social contact. With a 50 percent reduction, the number of new infections caused by the average person after 30 days is just 15 people. A 75 percent change would result in an even lower 2.5 new cases – greatly reducing the burden on health services and, if followed by everybody, allowing a country to ‘flatten the curve’ of new infections.
World Happiness Report: Nordic Countries Top The 2020 Rankings – Autonomy And Freedom Of Choices
Nordic citizens experience a high sense of autonomy and freedom, as well as high levels of social trust towards each other, which play an important role in determining life satisfaction.
From 2013 until today, every time the World Happiness Report (WHR) has published its annual ranking of countries, the five Nordic countries – Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland – have all been in the top ten, with Nordic countries occupying the top three spots in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Clearly, when it comes to the level of average life evaluations, the Nordic states are doing something right, but Nordic exceptionalism isn’t confined to citizen’s happiness.
No matter whether we look at the state of democracy and political rights, lack of corruption, trust between citizens, felt safety, social cohesion, gender equality, equal distribution of incomes, Human Development Index, or many other global comparisons, one tends to find the Nordic countries in the global top spots.
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