Medical
Mass COVID-19 study finds BAME community in England worst affected
Around 3.4 million people in England - 6 per cent of the population - have contracted coronavirus , with infection rates twice as high in London , a major antibody study found. "These data will have important implications as decisions to ease lockdown restrictions in England". One of the scientists behind the study said that the coronavirus outbreak in the United Kingdom appears to have been... [Full Article...]
Manitoba sees biggest single-day spike with 40 new COVID-19 cases
Manitoba has had 643 cases since early March. The province reported 40 new cases on Friday. "These are indications we are starting to lose track of our fundamentals", he said. It's the first time during the pandemic where 2,000-plus tests were carried out in a single day. The total testing number since early February now sits at 110,492. [Full Article...]
Nova Scotia to spend $40M on public school reopening amid COVID-19
At that time, Churchill said desks will be placed a metre apart and the province will distribute masks, hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment. Those cases are considered resolved. As to how many cases of COVID-19 would prompt the closure of a school, Strang said there is no specific number, and those decisions will be made based on an assessment of what's happening in the school... [Full Article...]
In Beirut, Iran's Zarif says up to Lebanon to decide future government
Both Hale and Parly have joined calls from the global community for a reform-oriented government that would coordinate aid flooding into the crisis-hit country after the resignation of Prime Minister Hassan Diab's cabinet on Monday. Parliament speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday called on the authorities "to speed up the process of forming a Cabinet" that can spearhead reforms. "People are suffering... [Full Article...]
High school fall sports in Florida postponed until Aug
As the coronavirus pandemic persists, Florida's governing body of high school sports voted 11-5 on Friday to allow the return of fall sports practices on Monday, Aug. Schools will have an option to opt-out of the state series without penalty, including late withdrawals. There is one amendment to the plan, giving schools an opt-out date of the state series by September 18 if they believe a seas... [Full Article...]
Man, 20, becomes Australia's youngest coronavirus victim
The new figures bring the death toll in Victoria to 275 and 360 for Australia. The State of Victoria in Australia has recorded 278 new coronavirus cases - the lowest daily number of new cases in nearly a month. "It's so, so important for us to track and then to trace and to limit the contact of positive cases and close contacts with others", Mr Andrews told reporters. [Full Article...]
CDC director: The 'worst' public health situation could come by fall
As part of an interview with WebMD on Wednesday, Redfield said it is imperative to do four things to slow the spread of the coronavirus: Hand washing, social distancing, wearing a mask and avoiding large gatherings. "Eventually this virus is going to have its day", he said. There are now numerous potential COVID-19 vaccines in development, three of which are already in Phase 3 trials . [Full Article...]
Study Finds That Not All Masks Are Effective
While most proved to be effective at reducing some droplets of saliva from flying into the surrounding environment, a few of the face masks actually seem to make things worse by causing droplets to spray out more. Then, researchers note, a number of masks made from cotton and other reusable materials performed very well, filtering over 80% of the resulting droplets. [Full Article...]