What is the coronavirus contact-tracing app?
Living in the SARS-CoV-2 era (distancing, wash hands, wear mask to protect others, but OK to go outside)
Mon, 2020-05-04 14:30
#902
Mon, 2020-05-04 14:34
#903
Yup gotta love the white woman and not even noticing the woman of colour doing exactly the same job. That is in fact embedded in the DNA of BC's society. It has always had a deep and enduring anti-Asian animosity.
I think that Dr. Hernry is a incredible communicator and the BC NDP have allowed her to lead in this crisis. She deserves praise in the highest form and that is not by turning high powered women into a little girl.
Mon, 2020-05-04 14:41
#904
Europe leads push for global coronavirus response as China and US trade accusations
- A virtual summit of 40 countries hosted by the European Union hopes to raise US$8.2bn to develop vaccines and treatments and ensure they are distributed equally
Mon, 2020-05-04 14:55
#905
Europe leads push for global coronavirus response as China and US trade accusations
- A virtual summit of 40 countries hosted by the European Union hopes to raise US$8.2bn to develop vaccines and treatments and ensure they are distributed equally
There is no equivalency when it comes to taking actions in solidarity with the reat of the world.
China is expected to join around 40 other countries in pledging funds at the event, but the US is not expected to take part.
Mon, 2020-05-04 15:03
#906
Donald Trump’s decision to halt US funding to the World Health Organisation could have devastating consequences, especially in the developing world
- An abrupt cessation of US funding will not only hobble the WHO’s fight against Covid-19, especially in developing nations, but will also hamper the organisation’s ability to counter other health threats such as Ebola
Mon, 2020-05-04 15:03
#907
I don't know whether this has been posted before but here is an excellent piece on the different response between the socialist Venezuelan government and the Canadian backed coup leaders in Bolivia. The US and Canadian sanctions against Venezuela have already killed far more people than COVID will kill but Canadians still support the government in using sanctions against the populations of other countries who have never attacked us.
Today, it leads the region in terms of testing, having carried out more than 350,000 tests. Due to this testing regime, it has only detected 288 cases and registered just 10 deaths, despite having a population two-and-a-half times larger than Bolivia.
Rather than focus on punitive measures, the Maduro government has prioritised policies to alleviate the social and economic impacts of the nationwide lockdown that began on March 17. Among the measures it has taken are a 100% wage guarantee for all workers, a moratorium on rent and loan repayments and social security payments for a range of sectors, including informal sector workers.
Importantly, the lockdown has not meant a complete halt to the circulation of people. Instead, doctors, together with local community activists, have been going door-to-door to seek out potential cases of COVID-19. They have been aided by the government’s online Homeland Platform system, through which people can notify authorities if they have any symptoms.
The same system has also been used to gauge citizens’ opinions on certain measures. For example, a poll was taken in mid-April to see if parents wanted schools to complete the schooling year via distance education and, if so, what would be the most appropriate mechanism to use (internet, radio, dropping off books with exercises).
Community activists have mobilised to distribute copies of a government-issued book (also available online) containing 101 measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The book is made up of written testimonies from residents of Wuhan recounting how they dealt with the outbreak.
Venezuela, which has experienced a wave of mass emigration in recent years due to the country’s economic situation, had received more than 20,000 returning citizens from neighbouring Colombia and Brazil by April 24. Approximately 600–650 more citizens are crossing the border each day, where they are tested and quarantined.
Given the discriminatory policies of many countries that have left migrants without protection, hundreds more Venezuelans have been flown back from Europe and the United States, in many cases on specially chartered flights organised by the government.
Venezuela has been able to pursue its people-first policy in spite of the fact that its health system has been devastated by extensive trade and financial sanctions imposed by the United States and European nations. Reports estimated the death toll from the impact of the sanctions was more than 40,000 in 2018 alone. Others claim the tally is now more than 100,000.
Because Venezuela represents an alternative to the profit-driven capitalist system, the US has chosen the COVID-19 crisis as a time to ramp up its attacks on the Maduro government.
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/bolivia-vs-venezuela-covid-19-respo...
Mon, 2020-05-04 15:10
#908
Dr Bonnie and Adrian will give an update around 1:30 PM today
Mon, 2020-05-04 15:12
#909
Mon, 2020-05-04 15:16
#910
Indigenous actor Jenifer Brousseau will read Anne Frank's diary to inspire socially isolated Vancouver youths
Mon, 2020-05-04 16:29
#911
Coronavirus model projects 134,000 deaths in US, nearly double its last estimate
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/04/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html
Mon, 2020-05-04 16:31
#912
Three Russian doctors fall from hospital windows, raising questions amid coronavirus pandemic
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/04/europe/russia-medical-workers-windows-intl/index.html
Mon, 2020-05-04 16:48
#913
Coronavirus present in France in December - a month earlier than thought, test indicates
One expert suggests the revelation could mean "various versions of the virus evolved at different times in different places".
“Covid-19 was already spreading in France in late December 2019, a month before the official first cases in the country,” the team at Groupe Hospitalier Paris Seine in Saint-Denis wrote.
Yves Cohen and colleagues at the Paris hospital decided to check the records of patients who got sick before the Jan. 24 cases to see if the virus may have been spreading undetected earlier than first thought.
The French team looked at people admitted to the hospital with flu-like illnesses between Dec. 2 and Jan. 16 who were not subsequently diagnosed with influenza. The doctors re-tested samples stored in a freezer for coronavirus.
“One sample was positive, taken from a 42-year-old man born in Algeria, who lived in France for many years and worked as a fishmonger,” the team wrote in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.
“His last trip was in Algeria during August 2019,” they wrote. The man had not been to China, and one of his children had also been sick, the team reported.
“Identifying the first infected patient is of great epidemiological interest as it changes dramatically our knowledge regarding SARS-COV-2 and its spreading in the country. Moreover, the absence of a link with China and the lack of recent travel suggest that the disease was already spreading among the French population at the end of December 2019,” they wrote.
Remember: This claim has not yet been independently verified.
Europe did not start reporting cases of coronavirus until January. In Italy, the European country hit hardest by the virus, the first two cases were reported on Jan. 31, in two Chinese tourists in Rome. The first known community transmission was recorded in February in Codogno, in northern Italy.
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-05-04-20-intl/index.html
Mon, 2020-05-04 16:50
#914
Japan extends state of emergency to May 31
Mon, 2020-05-04 17:09
#915
Five Eyes network contradicts theory Covid-19 leaked from lab
No current evidence to suggest coronavirus leaked from Wuhan research lab, agencies say
There is no current evidence to suggest that coronavirus leaked from a Chinese research laboratory, intelligence sources have told the Guardian, contradicting recent White House claims that there is growing proof this is how the pandemic began.
The sources also insisted that a “15-page dossier” highlighted by the Australian Daily Telegraph which accused China of a deadly cover up was not culled from intelligence from the Five Eyes network, an alliance between the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
British and other Five Eyes agencies do believe that Beijing has not necessarily been open about how coronavirus initially spread in Wuhan at the turn of the year. But they are nervous about getting involved in an escalating international situation.
Mon, 2020-05-04 17:27
#916
Mexico's López Obrador holds daily briefings rivalling Trump’s: ‘A spectacle without any value’
Amlo, as the Mexican leader is known, is like Trump in that his press briefings focus as much on personal promotion as on offering information
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/04/mexico-president-amlo-coronavirus-briefings-like-trump
Mon, 2020-05-04 17:55
#917
The indigenous communities that predicted Covid-19
For hundreds of years, indigenous groups have warned that destroying the environment leads to disease and adversely affects lives and culture. Is the world now ready to listen?
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200503-the-indigenous-communities-that-predicted-covid-19
Mon, 2020-05-04 17:56
#918
Coronavirus: 10 positive results from top two flights in Germany
Mon, 2020-05-04 17:57
#919
Project Restart: Premier League doctors raise concerns over resuming season
Mon, 2020-05-04 18:08
#920
Meet one of the heroes of the pandemic: B.C.'s Dr. Bonnie Henry is from P.E.I.
'I have family in P.E.I. and they're all feeling very safe
Mon, 2020-05-04 18:45
#921
The Americans are now paying the price for their lack of trust in their public health officials perpetuated by the likes of Trump who has been threatening to fire Fauci, and to not assist any state that is not GOP.
Mon, 2020-05-04 19:27
#922
Jeff Bezos says ordering groceries online is better for the planet. Is he right?
Mon, 2020-05-04 19:49
#923
Quarantine centres better than self-isolation for halting coronavirus, experts say
- Isolating at home is too reliant on personal compliance, study finds
- ‘Fangcang’ isolation shelters built in Wuhan, China’s initial epicentre, were more effective in cutting transmissions
Mon, 2020-05-04 19:51
#924
Prices Are Soaring for Supplies to Keep Frontline Workers Safe
Gouging or market forces? Even those selling essentials aren’t sure.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/05/04/Frontline-Worker-PPE-Prices-Soaring/
Mon, 2020-05-04 19:53
#925
Hong Kong in talks with mainland China and Macau to mutually recognise quarantine served by cross-border travellers
- City’s health minister says this is to avoid doubling the 14-day isolation period of arrivals if they have valid proof of having served a similar stint in their previous location
- Discussions come amid a local slowdown in Covid-19 transmission
Mon, 2020-05-04 20:27
#926
COVID-19 in charts: Japan and Philippines dodge explosions
Dive into data shows two countries, and India, at key junctures
Mon, 2020-05-04 20:32
#927
NR please stop with the Dr. Tam and Dr. Bonnie. We get that you really like the white woman but lets try to treat professionals with equal abilities and qualifications as equals and keep our society's underlying racial biases out of the conversations.
Dr. Tam is not a white woman. She has even been racially attacked because of it.
That people are white doesn't mean they can't also be worthy of admiration. We have not yet elected a female Prime Minister so allow us some joy in females that are greatly admired for something other than their appearance. It takes nothing away from men of any race.
Mon, 2020-05-04 20:50
#928
Well we did have a woman Prime Minister
Mon, 2020-05-04 22:23
#929
Of course.
I praised both women equally, and purposely put Dr Tam's name first, but that didn't pass the purity test.
NR please stop with the Dr. Tam and Dr. Bonnie. We get that you really like the white woman but lets try to treat professionals with equal abilities and qualifications as equals and keep our society's underlying racial biases out of the conversations.
Dr. Tam is not a white woman. She has even been racially attacked because of it.
That people are white doesn't mean they can't also be worthy of admiration. We have not yet elected a female Prime Minister so allow us some joy in females that are greatly admired for something other than their appearance. It takes nothing away from men of any race.
Mon, 2020-05-04 21:18
#930
Well we did have a woman Prime Minister
Not elected.
I was shocked and saddened by this.
https://www.thestar.com/business/2019/11/19/only-62-comfortable-with-fem...
Only 62 per cent of Canadians in a recent survey say they would feel “very comfortable” having a woman as the chief executive officer of a major company in their country. When broken down by gender, 67 per cent of women and just 57 per cent of men would feel comfortable with a woman in that position.
Many "progressive" men think the battle is over for women. That we have achieved equality.
Every time women in powerful positions gain admiration it helps to convince people that women can indeed be successful in positions of leadership.
Mon, 2020-05-04 23:34
#931
Genetic Study Shows COVID-19 Was in France Weeks Before The First Case Was Reported
Mon, 2020-05-04 23:48
#932
BC latest stats showing only 20 cases in critical care which is the lowest it has been since March 25 and less than 50% of what it was on March 25.
http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/BC_Surveillance_Summary_May_4_2020_Final.pdf
Mon, 2020-05-04 23:49
#933
Australian intelligence knocks back US government's Wuhan lab virus claim
Mon, 2020-05-04 23:58
#934
Disinformation and propaganda during the coronavirus pandemic
The tensions between Russia and NATO and the US and China have turned the coronavirus pandemic into another front in a long-running information war.
https://www.dw.com/en/disinformation-and-propaganda-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/a-52970643
Tue, 2020-05-05 21:06
#935
Vietnam crushed the coronavirus outbreak, but now faces severe economic test
Tue, 2020-05-05 21:07
#936
Out here on the West Coast in BC today, only 8 new cases in the past 24 hours.
Wed, 2020-05-06 00:23
#937
Coronavirus quickly spread around the world starting late last year, new genetic analysis shows
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/05/health/genetics-coronavirus-spread-study/index.html
Wed, 2020-05-06 00:26
#938
Travel Restrictions Worked. And More Science Journal Findings
The latest roundup of pandemic research gathered by Hakai Magazine.
https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/05/05/Science-Journals-Travel-Restrictions/
Wed, 2020-05-06 10:06
#939
A man wore what appeared to be a KKK white hood on a trip to the grocery store
https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/05/us/man-wore-kkk-hood-grocery-trnd/index.html
Wed, 2020-05-06 10:09
#940
John Horgan to speak today around 3 PM
Wed, 2020-05-06 13:59
#941
21st century working conditions in Canada.
Inside the slaughterhouse
North America’s largest single coronavirus outbreak started at this Alberta meat-packing plant. Take a look within.
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/cargill-covid19-outbreak
Wed, 2020-05-06 20:21
#942
New Banksy artwork appears at Southampton hospital
Wed, 2020-05-06 20:53
#943
‘Pandemic Drone’ Could Detect Virus Symptoms Like COVID-19 in Crowds
Wed, 2020-05-06 21:20
#944
What kind of society are we creating if surveillance technology knows more about you than you do about yourself?
Privacy, surveillance concerns are an increasing side-effect of pandemic life
Wed, 2020-05-06 21:30
#945
Google and the Cost of ‘Data Voids’ During a Pandemic
Was a Nazi slogan brandished at a Reopen Illinois rally? The answer depends on what you search, and when you search for it.
https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-google-and-the-cost-of-data-voids-during-a-pandemic/
Wed, 2020-05-06 21:40
#946
Wed, 2020-05-06 22:35
#947
In our future it seems like a mask will be as important as a passport when going to the airport.
Wed, 2020-05-06 23:31
#948
In our future it seems like a mask will be as important as a passport when going to the airport.
and even importanter for the future, flying less.
Thu, 2020-05-07 11:28
#949
Coronavirus: US-China rivalry hampering global efforts to fight Covid-19, EU ambassador to China says
- Tensions between Washington and Beijing ‘not conductive to the cooperative spirit we need today’, Nicolas Chapuis says
- But EU, China working hard to reschedule a bilateral summit – on hold since February – ahead of a planned leaders’ meeting in September, envoy says
Thu, 2020-05-07 11:42
#950
Western governments could have made coronavirus plans in January. Why blame others now?
- By the time the WHO formally declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, any government could have started preparing
- From Hong Kong to Hanoi, Asian governments took the pandemic seriously and acted fast
Ray Yip, former head of the US Centres for Disease Control’s office in China, was later quoted as saying that Chinese officials “may not have said the right thing, but they were doing the right thing”. He added that several days’ delay in the sounding of the alarm in January was “not … unreasonable”.
Beijing swiftly ordered wide-ranging measures to tackle the spread of the virus. The extensive lockdowns of Wuhan and surrounding areas and the construction of field hospitals made headlines throughout the world. The international media used such words as “draconian” to describe these policies – perhaps justifiably.
Hong Kong added Covid-19 to its disease control law on January 8. On January 13, we launched a laboratory surveillance programme to identify suspected cases. Ten days later, Hong Kong announced its first quarantine arrangements for asymptomatic close contacts. We suspended air and rail services from Wuhan. Several other places in Asia were introducing various travel and other measures to counter the virus.
By the time the WHO formally declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, any government in the rest of the world could have started preparing. Different countries reacted in their own ways. But even as the virus spread in a big way in northern Italy and Washington state in February, many governments of developed Western countries seemed unsure about whether they should take action – and if so what.
At the very least, they could have drawn up plans for contact tracing and quarantine measures, or increased the production of masks and other protective equipment. At worst, if these contingency plans proved unnecessary, they might have wasted some money. Instead, notably in the United States and Britain, leaders behaved as if the virus somehow wouldn’t affect their countries. Maybe they were distracted by political and economic affairs. I would also guess that in these countries, leaders and the public generally were unwilling to face the social and economic costs of quarantines, travel restrictions, lockdowns and other measures.
South Korea has reduced new infections to single digits after suffering about 250 deaths, while Britain – with a roughly similar population – is reporting around 5,000 new cases a day after about 30,000 deaths. Thousands of Vietnamese students in the US and Europe have returned to their own, much poorer, country because it is safer. Asian governments and populations took the pandemic seriously and acted fast. But in fairness, probably all governments and societies could have done better against the virus in some way.
So long as the pandemic continues anywhere, we are all at risk. The world right now needs to curb the virus – not point fingers and blame someone. There will be plenty of time later for all of us to learn valuable lessons.
Thu, 2020-05-07 11:45
#951
China backs WHO investigating origin of Covid-19, hits out at US ‘politicising issue’
- Global health body says it is talking to Beijing about another mission to the country to look into potential animal source of outbreak
- Foreign ministry accuses Washington of ‘untruthful and insincere remarks’ and rejects inquiry with ‘presumption of guilt’