Year: 2020

Some top scientists in Britain are calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's ruling Conservative government to shift strategy on the coronavirus pandemic and adopt a "herd immunity" approach, allowing people who are less likely to become seriously ill from the virus to return to normal life. "The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to coronavirus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk. We call this focused protection," the scientists said in a petition known as the Great Barrington Declaration. A man sells face masks, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, on a street in Manchester, Britain, Oct. 7, 2020.The…

Two scientists have won this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a method of gene editing. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences jointly awarded the $1.1 million prize to Emmanuelle Charpentier of France and Jennifer Doudna of the United States. The academy recognized their work on a tool called the CRISP/Cas9 genetic scissors, which allows scientists to cut a string of DNA at a precise position and edit genomes of animals, plants and microorganisms. Applications for the tool include plant breeding and contributing to cancer therapies. The academy said the work of Charpentier and Doudna has “revolutionized the life sciences.” The Nobel Prize in literature will be awarded Thursday, followed by the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. Three scientists won the physics prize Wednesday for their discoveries related to black holes. Three scientists also shared the…

As the COVID-19 pandemic marches on, new, rapid tests offer hope for pumping the brakes on the virus’ spread.  The United States is falling far short in its testing efforts. More than 4 million tests per day would be needed to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to an analysis by Brown University and A healthcare professional adds the extraction reagent and a patient specimen to Abbott’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag rapid test card, Sep. 2020.The right test for the job Experts say that the best test depends on the testing strategy.   “I think there's definitely a time and a place for all of these tests, as long as they’re used properly,” said Wyllie. Currently, the CDC only recommends COVID-19 testing if people have symptoms or if they’ve been in close contact with an infected person. Because PCR…

Experts from a global chemical weapons watchdog confirmed Tuesday that the substance used to poison Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was from the banned Soviet-style Novichok family of potent nerve agents.  The Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, his wife, Yulia, and son, Zahar, pose for a picture in Berlin, in this undated image obtained from social media October 6, 2020. (Courtesy of Instagram @NAVALNY/Social Media)Russia has repeatedly denied accusations that it was involved in the incident and has widely rejected the medical findings by German military doctors that identified the nerve agent last month.  Moscow requested assistance from OPCW on October 1 to confirm the presence of poison. According to a statement of their findings, experts said that an analysis of the samples taken from Navalny prove that a nerve agent…

The Food and Drug Administration laid out updated safety standards Tuesday for makers of COVID-19 vaccines after the White House blocked their formal release, the latest political tug-of-war between the Trump administration and the government’s public health scientists.In briefing documents posted on its website, the FDA said vaccine makers should follow trial participants for at least two months to rule out safety issues before seeking emergency approval. That requirement would almost certainly preclude the introduction of a vaccine before Nov. 3.President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted a vaccine could be authorized before Election Day, even though top government scientists working on the effort have said that timeline is very unlikely. On Monday, Trump said vaccines are coming "momentarily," in a video recorded after he returned to the White House.Former FDA…

For nearly a year, Benjamin Billal was chained to a rock.“I was taken to a faith healing center by my grandmother and my mother,” Billal told journalists by video link from Monrovia, Liberia on Tuesday. “There, I was shackled. I was chained to a rock, where I stayed for about 11 months. There, there was no food. They gave us food at will -- when they feel like giving you food, they gave you food. And there, we had no freedom moving around. You want to move around, you move around with chains.”What did he do to get this treatment? According to doctors at Liberia’s only mental health facility -- where he was finally taken after 11 months of being shackled -- he was suffering from depression.Shackling, restraining and detaining…

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying 60 Starlink satellites for the company's internet satellite constellation system.The launch marks the 13th Starlink mission.  The company says the goal of Starlink is to create a network that will help provide reliable and affordable internet across the globe, particularly to remote and rural areas where internet service is otherwise not available.  The satellites reportedly deployed into orbit about an hour after the launch.SpaceX is one of the U.S. space agency NASA’s commercial partners, which supplies its reusable rocket launch system and other rockets for the agency’s space program.  The company says its reusable booster came back to earth Tuesday and landed on one of the company’s unmanned “drone” ships in the Atlantic Ocean…

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now acknowledging that COVID-19 can spread through small particles in the air over an extended distance and for hours at a time.  The CDC has long insisted that the coronavirus is transmitted mainly between people standing within two meters of each other, through droplets produced by talking, breathing, coughing or sneezing.  But FILE - Personnel at the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work the Emergency Operations Center in response to the coronavirus, among other threats, Feb. 13, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia.The CDC posted a similar guidance last month suggesting the virus could spread through aerosols over an extended distance.  But the agency abruptly removed the guidance a few days later, saying it was mistakenly posted before it had…

With U.S. President Donald Trump back at the White House after spending several days in a military hospital, the primary doctor in charge of his COVID-19 treatment is the same, but the extent of the medical facilities available is not. The president’s doctor heads the White House Medical Unit, which includes about 30 medical personnel and is available for medical care at all hours of the day. There is an exam room on the ground floor of the White House residence, located next to the Map Room, as well as a larger set of offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building that neighbors the White House. Those who receive care include the president and his immediate family, the vice president, White House staff members, and if necessary, foreign dignitaries and tourists who visit…

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Americans not to “be afraid” of COVID-19 after he returned to the White House Monday evening after 72 hours of hospitalization for the deadly virus.In a show of fitness, he climbed the steps of the South Portico, standing on the Truman Balcony where he removed his mask, gave a double thumbs-up gesture and saluted the Marine One helicopter as it prepared to take off from the South Lawn. Without putting his facemask back on, the president then walked into the White House where others were awaiting his arrival.Earlier, as he walked out of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,  Trump said, “Thank you very much, everybody.”Stepping off the helicopter and walking toward the White House residence, the president paused to turn to the cameras, waved and gave a thumbs-up. Asked by VOA how…

Hurricane Delta, the ninth storm of the Atlantic season, prompted forecasters to issue warnings for Mexico and Cuba, with the U.S. Gulf coast in striking distance later this week.  The U.S.-based National Hurricane Center said Mexico issued a hurricane warning for the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Tulum north and west to Rio Largartos, including Cozumel. A hurricane watch remains in place for western Cuba, including the Province of Artemisia. The Cayman New service reports the center of Hurricane Delta is expected to pass near the southwest Cayman Islands early Tuesday, bringing heavy rains to the region. The Cayman Islands remain under a tropical storm watch. Forecasters expect Hurricane Delta will continue to gain strength over the coming days as it moves toward the southern Gulf of Mexico.  ...

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday said COVID-19 can spread through virus lingering in the air, sometimes for hours, acknowledging concerns widely voiced by public health experts about airborne transmission of the virus. The CDC guidance comes weeks after the agency published – and then took down – a similar warning, sparking debate over how the virus spreads. In Monday's guidance, CDC said there was evidence that people with COVID-19 possibly infected others who were more than 6 feet away, within enclosed spaces with poor ventilation. Under such circumstances, CDC said scientists believe the amount of infectious, smaller droplet and particles, or aerosols, produced by people with COVID-19 become concentrated enough to spread the virus. The CDC has long warned of transmission through small droplets that shoot through the air…

The list of treatments President Donald Trump has received for his coronavirus infection range from experimental to over the counter. Here are the four most notable.  Antibody therapy Trump received an infusion of antibodies on Friday, the White House said. These germ-blocking proteins aim to prevent the coronavirus from entering cells and causing infection. Our immune systems normally make antibodies on their own, but it can take weeks for them to appear in response to a new infection such as the coronavirus. Injecting lab-grown antibodies offers a shortcut. Drugmaker Regeneron produced the dual-antibody cocktail Trump received. The therapy is experimental and has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Trump received it through the company's "compassionate use" program, which Regeneron said is "intended for patients with serious or life-threatening conditions…

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday updated its guidance saying COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission.It said some infections can be spread by exposure to the virus in small droplets and particles, or aerosols, that can linger in the air for minutes to hours. Monday's update acknowledges published reports that showed limited, uncommon circumstances where people with COVID-19 infected others who were more than 6 feet away or shortly after the COVID-19-positive person left an area, the agency said.In these instances, the CDC said transmission occurred in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces that often involved activities that caused heavier breathing, like singing or exercise.Last month, the CDC published — and then took down — its guidance warning of possible airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus.  ...

The World Health Organization says roughly one in 10 people around the world may have been infected with the coronavirus.  The head of the health emergencies program at the World Health Organization, Michael Ryan, said Monday that the agency's “best estimates” indicate 10 percent of the world’s population could have contracted the virus.  That estimate, which would amount to more than 760 million people, is more than 20 times the number of confirmed cases in the world and would still leave more than 90 percent of the population susceptible to the virus. Speaking to a special session of the WHO’s 34-member executive board in Geneva, Ryan said the figures vary between countries but the estimate means “the vast majority of the world remains at risk,” adding that “we are now heading into…

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany says she has tested positive for COVID-19.“After testing negative consistently, including every day since Thursday, I tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning while experiencing no symptoms.” McEnany announced on Twitter.pic.twitter.com/SKT9xq8rqs— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 5, 2020She added that she had no knowledge of the positive test of Hope Hicks, an adviser to President Donald Trump, before holding a press briefing last Thursday. Hicks’ positive test was revealed Thursday evening.Trump announced Friday morning that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. He was later taken to Walter Reed Medical Center for treatment. McEnany said she will “begin the quarantine process” and continue to work remotely. ...

The 2020 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to scientists Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice of the United States and Michael Houghton of Britain for their “seminal discoveries” into the identification of Hepatitis C virus. The three scientists “have made a decisive contribution to the fight against blood-borne hepatitis, a major global health problem that causes cirrhosis and liver cancer in people around the world,” the Nobel committee said in a statement.The advances have helped lead to new ways treating and curing Hepatitis C.“The discovery of Hepatitis C virus revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis” after the discoveries of Hepatitis A and B viruses, “and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives,” the statement said.Born in…

European Commission Chair Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that she will self-isolate after learning she was exposed last week to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.  Von der Leyen was in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon on September 29, where she attended several meetings and met with various Portuguese officials.In a message posted on Twitter Monday, the head of the European Union’s executive branch said she was told one of those meetings was attended by "a person who yesterday (Sunday) tested positive."   In subsequent tweet Monday, von der Leyen said her latest test came back negative, but added she would continue isolating until Tuesday evening.    Her isolation will keep her close to work: She has a small living quarters next to her office in the EU headquarters in Brussels.Two weeks…

Alcohol-related deaths are increasing in the United States, according to a report this month from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The study found that while more men than women died each year from alcohol-related causes, the rate of increase in deaths was higher for women.And now, it appears, more women are turning to drinking during the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. Many of them bear the burden of most household duties, including childcare, in addition to their responsibilities to their jobs outside their homes, which many are now doing from their homes.“Having children in the home was associated with more drinking,” Lindsey Rodriguez recently told NBC News.Rodriguez, one of the authors of a study about the pandemic and excessive alcohol consumption published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, said that for…

The experimental antibody drug given to President Donald Trump has been called one of the most promising approaches to preventing serious illness from a COVID-19 infection.Its maker, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., said the company agreed to supply a single dose, given intravenously, for Trump at the request of his physician under "compassionate use" provisions, when an experimental medicine is provided on a case-by-case emergency basis, while studies of it continue.The new drug is in late-stage testing and its safety and effectiveness are not yet known. No treatment has yet proved able to prevent serious illness after a coronavirus infection.Trump was given the experimental drug at the White House on Friday before he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he'll be monitored, officials said. So far, Trump has…

Cameroon says more than 9 million girls aged 9 and above risk developing cervical cancer because their parents have been convinced the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine makes their daughters sterile. Some communities that had accepted the vaccination are now refusing it, claiming that what is being administered now are dangerous experimental COVID-19 vaccines. The government, doctors and female medical staff members are now working to convince parents the HPV vaccination reduces the risk of cervical cancer.   To counter misconceptions, groups of 20 young women move from market to market and through popular spots in Cameroon capital, Yaounde, sharing posters and tell Cameroonians that the HPV vaccine does not make girls sterile.Among them is Linda Fonyuy, a 21-year-old mother.   "I for instance, I am giving my testimony that…

While the world wants flashy quick fixes for everything, especially massive threats like the coronavirus and global warming, next week’s Nobel Prizes remind us that in science, slow and steady pays off.     It may soon do so again.   Science builds upon previous work, with thinkers “standing on the shoulders of giants,” as Isaac Newton put it, and it starts with basic research aimed at understanding a problem before fixing it. It’s that type of basic science that the Nobels usually reward, often years or decades after a discovery, because it can take that long to realize the implications.   Slow and steady success in science has made researchers hopeful in the fight against the pandemic. It even offers a glimmer of climate optimism.   Many years of…