Fox News recently referred to them as “the strictest coronavirus measures in the USA,” but it is fair to argue that California has adopted the right approach to this epidemic and many other states and America’s closest allies should follow California’s example.

‘They Will Adjust and Adapt’

California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state’s “stay at home order” last week, and it applies to all of the state’s 40 million inhabitants. Instead of using the might of the government to force the whole state into a lockdown, which countries such as France and Spain have done, Newsom has rightly recognized that a social contract already exists during these testing times. He said “they will adjust and adapt as they have.” Like libertarian journalist Douglas Murray said: when you allow people to behave responsibly, they act responsibly.

The order took effect at midnight on Friday and it has forced the closure of restaurants, bars and nightclubs, entertainment venues, public events, gyms, and convention centers. Countries like France have already done this, and the British Government is starting to do the same thing, but the difference is that French President Emmanuel Macron has done it in an arbitrary way. Neither British Prime Minister Boris Johnson nor Newsom have.

Of course, there will always be a minority who still insist on preventing themselves from being isolated in these circumstances, but lockdowns are both impractical and illogical. As Politico reports, last Sunday French people were still attending food markets and spent time in Parisian parks, ignoring the French Government’s guidelines. The reality is that human nature is inherently selfish, but government actions cannot restrict that sort of behavior entirely through lockdowns.

Social Distancing is Still the Best Way to Stop the Spread of Covid-19

Social distancing has always been the best way to stop the spread of Covid-19. Although it is not clear if Californian businesses that have been shut down will receive financial compensation, people are more likely to catch the virus if they attend unnecessary social gatherings at pubs and restaurants. That is why Newsom has made the right decision by ordering that these venues close.

Newsom has also recognized that some businesses have to stay open and that it would be irresponsible to let the following services shut down entirely at a time when people need their goods. These include: petrol stations, pharmacies, grocery stores and banks, as well as law enforcement and offices that provide government programs and services.

Critical infrastructure sectors like defense and nuclear reactors will also remain open.

Newsom acknowledged that the shutdown of these sectors would have a “debilitating effect on security, economic security, public health or safety.” This shows that he has adopted a balanced approach to stopping the spread of Covid-19.

Newsom Has Shown He Believes in Common Sense

The Californian Governor’s order encourages people to stay at home and to only venture outside when necessary. Instead of deploying police officers to force them to do this, he has acknowledged that social pressure will ensure that this becomes a reality. Newsom has expressed his faith in basic common sense, and that is needed now more than ever.

The Californian Government has a duty to keep its people safe. According to statistics compiled by John Hopkins University, as of Friday morning California has 1,030 confirmed coronavirus cases and 18 deaths. A letter Newsom wrote to Trump on Wednesday reveals that the governor has anticipated that the virus will infect more than half of California’s population within two months. He also said that the state has been disproportionately impacted.

Based on his response so far, Newsom has shown tremendous leadership in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. He has struck the right balance between individual freedom and state enforcement. His actions deserve more credit than they are currently receiving.

L'articolo Does California Have the Most Measured Response to Covid-19 So Far? proviene da InsideOver.

As of March 20, the novel coronavirus now has nearly 250,000 confirmed cases, and more than 10,000 deaths in 166 countries and territories worldwide.

Global Snapshot of Coronavirus: Lockdowns, Illness and Death

Amid a complete lockdown, Italy’s cases continue to rise, with almost 36,000 cases, close to a half of China’s 81,000 or more recorded cases. London has been slated to be put on lockdown by the weekend, to stem its high case rate compared to the rest of the UK. As cases rise in Africa, more and more nations are also beginning to shut their borders, including Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Turkey – which has already carried out 10,000 coronavirus tests – has sent 500,000 coronavirus test kits to the United States, upon Washington’s request. Despite previously pronouncing Democrats’ fear about Covid-19 a “hoax”, and repeatedly calling it the “Chinese virus,” Trump has signed a bill into law legislating paid leave benefits to many Americans to fight the financial effects of the pandemic.

In India, prime minister, Narenda Modi, has urged its 1.3 billion citizens to stay indoors to prevent the further spread of the virus.

Cuba-China Cooperation Leads to Hopeful Treatment

Researchers globally are working around the clock to develop treatments and vaccines for the highly infectious virus. Last week, the National Institute of Health announced the first trial of the mRNA-1273 vaccine, which prevents against catching the virus.

In Cuba, an antiviral drug, Interferon Alpha 2B, “prevents aggravation and complications in patients, reaching that stage that ultimately can result in death,” according to Cuban biotech specialist, Dr. Luis Herrera Martinez.

The drug, which has been in production since 2003, has proven effective in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Developed by Cuba’s state-owned pharmaceuticals industry, the antiviral drug was produced in China at Changchun Heber Biological Technology, under a biotech agreement between both countries.

Interferons are “signaling” proteins, according to Dr. Helen Yaffe, Lecturer in Economic and Social History at Glasgow University (specializing in Cuba and Latin America). Although it is neither a cure, nor a vaccine for Covid-19, the antiviral boosts patients’ immune system.

The virus decreases the level of interferons naturally produced in human cells to reproduce within these cells. The drug, inversely, prompts the human body to produce more interferons. The signaled proteins are produced and released by the body at the sign of infections and alert nearby cells to increase their antiviral defences.

Cuba’s Past Experience Treating Dengue Fever, AIDS and Hepatitis

Cuba has used recombinant human Interferon Alpha 2B to fight frequent outbreaks of the Dengue Fever, and in treatments of HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, Shingles and Herpes zoster. As of March 18, the drug has helped more than 1,500 Chinese patients recover from the coronavirus. The Chinese National Health Commission used the drug along with 29 others in its fight against the virus.

Many Latin America and European countries have requested the drug, also requesting help from Cuban medical experts. The Latin American island is presently exporting medical professionals to the globe as part of its health mission.

“We have more physicians working abroad than practically any other country in the world, not because we are exporting anything but simply because we want to participate in building a world with better health conditions and living conditions.” said Herrera.

“The world has an opportunity to understand that health is not a commercial asset but a basic right,” Dr Herrera continued.

WHO’s Message: ‘Test, Test, Test’

Cuba founded its humanitarian medical mission 55 years ago after the Castro-led revolution. Despite constant embargoes from the US, the country provides nearly-free healthcare services in more than 160 countries worldwide. The United Nations has consistently declared these long-standing US sanctions, which Cuba has estimated cost them over ⁠— $750 billion ⁠— illegal.

“You cannot fight a fire blindfolded,” warned WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia.

“We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test. This amazing spirit of human solidarity must become even more infectious than the coronavirus itself. Although we may have to be physically apart from each other for a while, we can come together in ways we never have before…We’re all in this together. And we can only succeed together,” he added.

For 60 years, Cuba’s revolutionary healthcare system has worked towards human solidarity. The nation continues to fight for this “basic right” in its pivotal against Covid-19.

“Other countries have had solidarity with Cuba, especially with Latin American and African countries,” Herrera summarized. Now Cuba’s solidarity is extended to the rest of the world.

L'articolo How Cuba is Leading the World in the War Against Coronavirus proviene da InsideOver.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) to marshal the might of American manufacturing. The law, though used periodically for non-wartime endeavors, was passed in 1950 to aid America during the Korean War. At the time, US troops lacked supplies and resources. Through the DPA, Washington was able to provide loans, materials, and workers for companies in their new wartime duties.

‘Wartime President’

Trump himself previously used part of the DPA in June, 2017 to create the US Space Force. His predecessor, President Barack Obama, also leveraged the DPA to force telecommunication businesses to reveal the sources of their hardware and software in an effort to prevent foreign states from spying on US networks. 

Trump’s use of the DPA this week was part of a larger effort by the American leader to portray himself as a grand leader. During a press conference, he referred to himself as, “in a sense, a wartime president.” Those words came after he opened the briefing by declaring the US is waging “war against the Chinese virus.”

As one show of force against the enemy, he announced the deployment of two Navy hospital vessels, one of which will be dispatched to New York. 

Economic Woes Sparked the Change

Trump’s base is his base: MAGA hat-wearing, flag-toting conservatives and nationalist populists who stand by him through thick and thin.The new coronavirus has changed that, though. Under Trump, unemployment reached record lows and the stock market hit record highs, and he took credit for it all, but now he is eight months away from an election and all those gains since he took office have been wiped away within a two-month span.

The economy was always Trump’s bread and butter ⁠— or so he claimed. By Trump’s accounts, he is a successful businessman and reality TV host. He knew how to make America win again by renegotiating trade deals and putting American businesses back to work. It is no exaggeration to say that the Republican Party since Reagan has been a sort of economic cult believing in trickle down economics and big business without government regulations. Indeed, that belief has been a tent-pole feature of the Republican brand.

Trump’s Re-election Campaign is in Deep Trouble

With a failing economy, what can Trump hang his hat on in November? He built a wall that military families have paid for, not Mexico. He removed the US from the Iranian Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) that a majority of Americans supported. He started a trade war with China that hurt American farmers so badly the administration spent $16 billion bailing them out.

Trump has the answer: war, and in true Trump fashion, it’s the best war America has ever seen because no US troops are in danger. The coronavirus has given Trump a new reason to rally his supporters. 

“Every generation of Americans has been called to make shared sacrifices for the good of the nation,” Trump said. “Now it’s our time. We must sacrifice together, because we are all in this together, and we will come through together.”

He didn’t need to mention World War II (although he did) to invoke the image of a wartime president. As Gabby Orr and Lara Seligman observed for Politico, both the White House and the Trump campaign changed their tones overnight to adopt a more warlike posture.

Vice President Mike Pence also joined Trump’s call for sacrifice to ensure the safety of all Americans and the Republican National Committee commended the new “wartime footing.” Undoubtedly they believe the war line of messaging can benefit Trump in the election. Sure, any form of cohesive messaging is better than the chaotic way the administration began handling the crisis at the onset. Wartime presidents, in particular, have proven themselves invincible when running for reelection — no wartime president has ever lost.

Is Covid-19 Really Equivalent to a World War?

The jury is out on this because we simply haven’t encountered such a scenario before. Obama didn’t market himself as a wartime president after fighting the H1N1 virus, for example. The differences between H1N1 and Covid-19 are rather stark, for obvious reasons. However, if it Covid-19 is to be compared to war, it is a war on the home front, something the US has not witnessed in nearly 200 years. 

It is also difficult to conjure up a wartime image without putting a face on the enemy. Perhaps that is why Trump is insistent on labeling it the “Chinese virus.” 

But Americans aren’t reacting to the Chinese like they did with the Japanese after Pearl Harbor. Their anger can’t be conjured up and directed at a virus they can’t see. And Trump’s survival depends on Americans getting stoked up and turning up at polls ready to vote for their commander-in-chief. That won’t happen with Covid-19.

The best case scenario for Trump is that he establishes himself as presidential — a quality some might argue he has never embodied. If he does that, then his chances of victory increase, but he didn’t need a war to accomplish that.

L'articolo Trump Brands Himself as a ‘Wartime President’ proviene da InsideOver.

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that his country “is at war.” At 12 p.m. on Tuesday, he closed his country’s borders and ordered people to stay at home. Macron described Covid-19 as “an invisible, elusive enemy, and the measures were unprecedented, but circumstances demanded them.”

France’s National Lockdown

France’s nationwide lockdown will last for just under two weeks and alongside the actions outlined above, Macron has announced an incredible amount of measures never taken before during peacetime. Macron has gone one step further than British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and actually banned people from visiting family and friends.

Local elections will now be brought to a halt and the French Government will be dedicating all of its resources to curbing the coronavirus as opposed to pension reform. The French President has also deployed the military to set up a hospital in Alsace in the east of France, something both Boris and US President Donald Trump have not done yet.

Although Johnson advised people to stay away from social venues like pubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas without issuing an order to close them, Macron shut them down.

Furthermore, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has deployed 100,000 police officers to ensure that people stay at home unless they have to partake in essential duties. French citizens are being threatened with a €135 fine if they fail to comply with the French authorities. This is possibly the most dramatic step any government has taken so far to ensure that people stay at home.

Macron Deserves Credit for His Dedication to Keeping His People Safe

Macron deserves credit for his dedication in trying to keep his own citizens safe. Considering his popularity took a beating in July, 2018 and his En Marche! party lost out to former rival Marine Le Pen and her National Front at last May’s European elections, his approval ratings have started to rise again since September. RFI reported that his popularity rating that month reached 37 percent, up by three points since August.

Though no polling data has yet been released on how the French people have reacted to the French President’s decisiveness over the last week to stem the number of Covid-19 cases, it is clear that he is adopting policies similar to those of other nations that encourage people to self-isolate. These include staying away from social venues and closing other places where people can interact with each other, like polling stations.

However, Macron’s decision to severely restrict people from visiting their friends and family and for fining people who breach his restrictions encroaches upon people’s fundamental liberties.

The French President’s Decree Will Weaken Communities

The French President’s decision will also prevent communities from coming together to help each other. For elderly residents who are self-isolated and have no one else to turn to, who will do their shopping for them if they cannot depend upon kind volunteers to do so?

Politico reports that thousands of French people gathered in parks and food markets last Sunday, which shows that enforcement measures are difficult to implement.

This is also an encroachment upon people’s right to travel. As Georgetown University Law School’s Lawrence Gotsin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, told NPR, quarantine orders should be enforceable by law towards those who are not showing symptoms but have been exposed to the virus, but lockdowns implicate the right to travel and freedom of movement. They punish the majority of citizens for the mistakes made by those who know they have been exposed to Covid-19, but still choose to travel or leave their home anyway.

The French President has issued many necessary measures, but by enforcing a lockdown of this severity, he has gone too far and infringed on people’s basic civil liberties. This is very dangerous territory.

L'articolo Is Macron Going Too Far with His Coronavirus Measures? proviene da InsideOver.

On Monday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a raft of new social distancing measures to help prevent the coronavirus epidemic from spreading further. The UK Government is encouraging everyone to take the following actions:

• People should avoid meeting friends and family and avoid large gatherings and crowded places, such as clubs, restaurants and pubs.
• Employees should be allowed to work from home if they can.
• Visits to care homes should be avoided.
• The NHS should only be used when absolutely necessary.
• Those with fatal health conditions should self-isolate “for 12 weeks.”
• Anyone sharing a house with an individual who has a persistent fever or cough should stay at home for two weeks.
• People should stay a safe distance from each other.

Prevention is the Key

As governments across the world stimulate their economies through fiscal policies, preventative measures have always been the key to stopping the virus from spreading. That is why Boris has made the right decision in urging British citizens to follow the advice of the Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Witty.

Although 55 people have died from Covid-19 in the UK so far, a number much smaller than Italy, which has experienced 1,000 coronavirus-related deaths. There are many reasons for this. As the BBC‘s Robert Cuffe argues, compared to Italy the UK had diagnosed more cases earlier on, whilst many scientists believe too many cases went undetected in Italy.

The coronavirus has also been more concentrated in Italy, with most cases being discovered in the Lombardy region, which accounts for 60 out of 100 cases in the country. By contrast, Covid-19 has been more spread out throughout the UK. Professor Whitworth told the BBC that because Italy’s population is older than Britain’s, that is why more Italians have died as a result of the epidemic. This shows that because of early detection and demographics, the UK has been more successful than Italy in curbing the number of coronavirus-related illnesses.

Is Britain Responding Forcefully Enough to Coronavirus?

Mark Landler and Stephen Castle of the New York Times argue that the British Government’s response to the coronavirus has been relaxed and that Boris’s recommended measures on Monday were soft when compared to other countries that have closed their borders. That is because the UK has experienced the lowest number of global cases so far out of 11 countries that have been affected the most by the coronavirus, according to Pharmaceutical Technology.

The actual number of Covid-19 cases is estimated to be up to 55,000 in the UK, but if more people follow the Government’s advice, these predicted numbers may get lower over time.

The British Government has not followed the Republic of Ireland’s lead and closed its schools, but there are good reasons for this. Children are less likely to be infected by the coronavirus and politicians fear that premature restrictions could overwhelm the NHS.

However, the UK Government has been criticised for not helping the hospitality sector sooner. The British Beer and Pub Association has written to Boris, demanding urgent steps are taken to avoid mass job losses and closures, especially when Mother’s Day is fast approaching. Chancellor Rushi Sunak announced that smaller businesses in the hospitality sector with a rateable value of less than £51,000 will receive cash grants of up to £25,000. They will also be eligible for a business rates holiday irrespective of their rateable value.

There is no doubt the Prime Minister has done everything he can to stem the number of Covid-19 cases throughout the nation and that they have come to the rescue of the hospitality sector in good time. It is no wonder that Trump thinks that the British have handled the coronavirus well.

L'articolo Is the UK Government Adequately Tackling the Social Causes of Coronavirus? proviene da InsideOver.

Novel coronavirus deaths outside China are now higher than those inside China, and countries around the world are mobilizing to prevent and prepare for the worst. As of this writing 3,200 deaths from coronavirus have been officially recorded as opposed to 3,400 outside of China. As France24 recently reported, the nations of South America are circling the wagons and shutting down borders to combat coronavirus.

South and Central American nations already have numerous recorded cases and Guatemala had its first coronavirus death on March 15. In total, 17 Latin American nations now have recorded cases of coronavirus. With less agile and hardy health systems, South America and Central America are taking steps to minimize risk by closing borders.

South and Central America Border Closures

Entry to Argentina is prohibited to foreigners for the next 15 days — extended to 30 days for foreigners who have been to a nation significantly impacted by coronavirus in the past two weeks. Argentina has also stopped approving visas for foreigners who apply. Peru has frozen all air and maritime transport and requested Peruvians to self-quarantine for the next 15 days. Elsewhere in South America, Colombia — with 34 cases currently listed — has shut down borders to non-residents and foreigners and closed all schools and universities starting March 16. Colombia also now prohibits cruise ships from docking and is shutting down its border with Venezuela.

Panama has closed its borders to foreigners and non-residents. Panama is the worst hit nation in South or Central America thus far, with 55 confirmed cases as of March 14 and everything in the country has been ordered closed except grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals and medical clinics. Honduras — whose healthcare system is already in disarray as the nation suffers from widespread corruption, gang violence and poverty — has set limits on how many people may congregate in public and has closed all land borders for the next seven days except for trade. President Juan Hernandez of Honduras has also closed most businesses and services in the country except for essentials like petrol stations and grocery stores. Costa Rica, which is currently announcing 35 coronavirus cases is also taking measures to limit public gatherings and shut down non-essential daily activities.

Further north in North America, Mexico is also struggling with coronavirus, with 41 cases as of this writing. Mexico’s left-wing leader López Obrador (“Amlo”) has apparently decided to revamp Oprah’s Book Club with Obrador’s Book Club, and told Mexicans to read Love in the Time of Cholera by the celebrated late Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Obrador says that the book will help them get through the tough times and bring “calm.” Obrador has appeared numerous times in public hugging and kissing supporters and has not taken as dramatic measures as other nations including the US so far in response to the coronavirus.

Venezuela’s Uniquely Terrible Healthcare Situation

Brazilian President Bolsonaro Tests Negative for Coronavirus

Meanwhile Latin America’s largest economy of Brazil is also taking measures against coronavirus. The nation has 200 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 1,913 suspected cases as of this writing. The majority of cases are in Brazil’s largest state of São Paulo, which is home to the nation’s largest city of São Paulo whose population exceeds 10.6 million. So far Brazil has closed down most schools and public events in order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, although critics say more must be done and characterize the government as reckless and incompetent in its response.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro recently tested negative for coronavirus. He took the test after his communications secretary Fabio Wajngarten tested positive for the virus. Brazil’s acting Charge d’Affaires Nestor Forster and Bolsonaro’s lawyer Karina Kufa also tested positive for the virus and were — along with Wajngarten — part of a group that met at length with US President Donald Trump and other leading government officials on March 7 at Trump’s Mar-a-lago estate in Florida.

L'articolo Latin America Shuts Borders to Foreigners in Response to Coronavirus proviene da InsideOver.

Italy is currently under a nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of coronavirus. Restaurants, shops, gymnasiums, cinemas — even churches — are closed. Draconian travel restrictions have been put into place in response to the high number of Covid-19 cases as Italy’s death toll has risen to over a 1,000 persons.

Italians in the UK React: ‘The Situation is Very Grave’

What do Italians in London think of the situation at home, where nearly 16 million fellow citizens are in quarantine? What are their particular fears? I wanted to find out, feeling compassion for what Italy — a country that I love and that like so many, have been culturally educated by — is experiencing.

Emanuela, who works in estate lettings in the British capital, said the crisis has affected her significantly. “I was upset on Friday, after Boris Johnson’s speech, as my family was shocked that the UK government was not doing anything to contain the virus. I myself am very saddened by the whole thing. Many people have not been able to work. Our economy will be very deeply affected at the end of this,” she said.

Emanuela, who has lived in London for seven years, considers it her home. But her family is trying to convince her to go back to Italy.

“They think the British government is going to just leave us to die,” she said, adding that “In Italy, the situation is very grave. All the streets are empty, as no one is allowed to leave home without a permit. The sensationalistic media there is not helping. People have stay to at home all day, listening to the latest news of the virus. It has become a sort of alarmist brainwashing.”

Distrust of the UK Government as Anti-Italian Racism on the Rise in England

Emanuela said the situation in the UK also has her very worried.

“I am concerned about the situation in the UK too. A lot of my foreign friends have been kicked out of their apartments, because of the acute racism generated by the virus,” she said. “Also, I don’t feel particularly safe in the knowledge that the UK’s only plan to fight the virus seems to be to have it infect us all!”

Emanuela certainly isn’t the only expatriate Italian who is worried about the situation in UK.

Maria Chiara, an account manager at a tech company in London, says her family lives on the outskirts of Milan — in its so-called hinterland.

“My sister and her family live right next to the town where it all began. They are not worried right now, as they are doing exactly what they are told to do, which is to stay at home. We all know that Italy’s health system is strong and reliable, so we’re doing our best to support it. We have three doctors in our extended family, so we know very well how hard they are working, and how dangerous it is for them.”

‘Boris Johnson’s Policy is Honestly Frightening’

Chiara is worried about the lack of lockdown in Britain. “Boris Johnson’s policy is honestly frightening,” she said. “I feel as though I am watching a horror movie for the second time, Nobody here is reacting in a timely manner.”

Furthermore, Chiara believes the lockdown in Italy was necessary. “I am absolutely in favour of it. I call my family and my boyfriend everyday, to make sure they are in a good spirits. I don’t want them to feel too isolated.”

Chiara says she herself is beginning to take strong steps to prevent coronavirus.

“Even in London, I am personally starting to self-isolate. I avoid the tube if I can, as well as all places of big gatherings, including restaurants, pubs and gigs. As an Italian in London, I guess the situation is psychologically harder, as I am feeling more alienated now, and with no reassurance whatsoever as to when I will be able to go back home,” she said.

‘I Am Happy There is a Quarantine in Place’

Iman, who is half Italian and half Egyptian, works in tourism in the British capital. From her line of work, she sees exactly how catastrophically Italy is suffering and will continue to suffer for the foreseeable future.

“The perception of our country abroad, from an economic point of view certainly, is a huge problem. Tourism, after all, is one of Italy’s important sources of income.”

Nonetheless, Iman hopes that with the lockdown, the disease can be contained.

“My father is quite old, and lives in the north eastern part of Italy. We didn’t have a lot of cases in our region. I am happy there is a quarantine in place, because that way, I know he is going to be safe.”

Like Emanuela and Chiara, Iman is worried about the lax situation in London.

‘My Heart is Broken in Hundreds of Pieces’

Sara is a makeup artist working in London, whose original training was in nursing.

“When I lived in Italy, I worked as a nurse and most of my friends there are nurses,” Sara explained. “I keep talking to them, and am told that the situation in hospitals has become really bad. There are not enough beds in intensive-care departments, so doctors are having to decide who they can help and who must die.”

Sara also said that elderly people in hospitals are having to face dying alone, as visitors are not allowed.

“They are begging my friends who are nurses to save them from death, but they are helpless, as there simply is not enough equipment,” Sara said. “As a former nurse, I know very well how my friends are feeling. My heart is broken in hundreds of pieces.”

L'articolo The Italian Community in London is Concerned About Their Home Country proviene da InsideOver.

2019-nCov (also known as the novel coronavirus or just coronavirus) is a virus that causes respiratory disease. Testing patients in order to detect the virus and treat the infected people is now crucial given the virus has been spreading worldwide since earlier this year.

What Exactly is the Coronavirus?

This coronavirus belongs to the virus’s wider family of coronavirus, first identified in the mid-1960s. Among the latest identified stumps there are the MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), SARS-CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome,) and the novel Coronavirus.

According to Na Zhu et al., authors of the report published in The New England Journal of Medicine in December 2019, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), many health centers in Hubei province in China started detecting cases of pneumonia among patients whose cause was unknown. The China CDC further investigated the situation in the Hubei province and reported that the cause of such pneumonia cases was a new form of the coronavirus. On January 9, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Chinese authorities identified the novel coronavirus after the first detected cases in late December 2019.

Initially, the first patients in China were found to have frequented the Wuhan’s South China Seafood City Market, the reason why it was supposed that the virus was transmitted from animals to humans. However, when the China CDC identified the novel coronavirus in early January, it also confirmed that the virus can be transmitted among humans. On February 11, 2020 the WHO named the 2019-nCov as COVID-19.

Tracking European Cases of Coronavirus

On March 11th of 2020, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published the latest data about the COVID-19: there are 118,619 confirmed cases that have been tested in the laboratory worldwide. According to The New York Times article reporting data from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) as of March 11, 2020, countries with over 500 cases confirmed in the European area include:

– Italy with 10,149 cases and 631 deaths;
– France with 1,784 cases and 33 deaths;
– Germany with 1,622 cases and 3 deaths;
– Spain with 2,089 cases and 47 deaths;
– Switzerland with 613 cases and 3 deaths.

In the United States, the confirmed cases are 1,015 as of March 11, 2020. Many are arguing that Italy is one of the most affected countries and although numbers do not lie, it behooves us to look at both the test capacity and the number of tests performed. For the latest figures, World Meters updated the related data on March 9, 2020, with a total number of tests performed in Italy of 60761. It is important to note that in the United States, as of March 2 of 2020, only 472 tests were performed (this, in part because of the lack of authorization for private labs to perform their own tests). This number jumped to 8554 on March 10, the day after the green light from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Why Test Capacity and Genome Sequences are Crucial in This Phase of the Public Health Emergency

These numbers show that in times of a public health emergency of global scale as the novel Coronavirus, countries’ test capacity is crucial to detect cases, contain the virus spreading, and eventually understand when switching from a phase of containment into one of mitigation. It should be evident that higher numbers of tests correspond to a higher number of cases. It can be also argued that the number of tests is related to the evolving spread of the virus which motivates higher numbers of tests performed. However, the question here is very simple: are all countries performing an adequate number of tests? Are these countries able to have an adequate test capacity?

In an interview aired on the CNBC’s Squawk Box on March 2, Dr. Matt McCarthy, Infectious Disease Physician at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, stressed that despite working in one of the busiest hospitals in New York City, even emergency rooms are not equipped with at-hand tests for diagnosing coronavirus. Dr. McCarthy told that it was still necessary to “plead” the US Department of Health for a test kit. This situation had two main implications: not only it delayed the assessment of infected patients, but it also constituted a threat to the public health since contagious patients were not isolated in a timely manner, thus potentially increasing the spread of the virus. That is why, as Dr. McCarthy noted, patients were often isolated while waiting for the test to be performed; this was an uncomfortable yet required measure in an overall condition of inadequate test capacity demonstrated by the fact that the first detected case of coronavirus was identified in the State of New York after having performed 32 tests.

WHO Response to Lack of Testing Capacity

In an article that appeared on Nature Biotechnology on February 19, the diagnosis of coronavirus was already presenting an issue when it came to identifying the sequence of the virus’ genome to support laboratories performing the diagnostic test in absence of reliable at-hand tests. WHO decided to ship 250,000 kits all over the world to face the emergent need of performing reliable tests.

The United States declined to use WHO’s test and, according to one of the latest articles that appeared on Politico, no explanation for the refusal was provided by the current administration. Among the most affected countries, Italy is also among those performing the higher number of tests and among the firsts in isolating the virus in the laboratory at the Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital in Rome on February 2, 2020. A team of researchers in Rome isolated the virus after 48 hours from detecting it in two Chinese tourist patients that were hospitalized in Rome, stressing the need of a molecular diagnostic in addition to the isolation and entire genome sequence that was obtained after the research of Chinese authorities. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (the technical and scientific research entity of the Italian national health service) and Policlinico Militare Celio in Rome (the military hospital in Rome) have also sequenced the virus’ genome of additional two patients in Italy, and soon that of a third patient, on March 2, 2020. Isolating and sequencing the genome is crucial to observing the evolution of the novel Coronavirus over time and space.

American Efforts to Prepare for Coronavirus

With the recent cases of Coronavirus spreading on the West Coast of the United States, especially Washington State and California, the US authorities are already moving towards a mitigation phase while trying to strengthen test capacities of hospitals. However, as reported in a New York Times article on March 3, for several weeks, the United States did not have reliable tests since many companies that were working to finalize test kits reported to be weeks away from a formal approval of such diagnostic tools.

In addition to that, there is concern about the US health care system being based on private insurance, which makes people afraid of not being able to seek appropriate care because of a lack or partial lack of health insurance coverage. To face the issue, on March 3, the State of New York announced that some fees will be waived for expenses related to testing and treatment of illness attributable to the novel coronavirus. Other states all over the United States have considered joining these efforts.

As public health emergencies evolve worldwide, continuous updates and developments will become available. In the meantime, the international community’s efforts have been joined by the United Nations (UN). On March 1 under the direction of the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Relief Coordinator Mark Andrew Lowcock $15 million was disbursed to the WHO and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the containment of the novel coronavirus.

L'articolo International Efforts to Strengthen Test Capacities in Response to Coronavirus proviene da InsideOver.

On March 11 US President Donald Trump addressed the nation regarding the coronavirus pandemic, announcing a 30 day travel restriction from Europe into the United States in what has been the most crucial address during his almost four-year term in office. President Trump has extended the travel restrictions already in place due to the spread of the coronavirus to Europe. Specifically, Trump said all trips from Europe to the United States will be suspended for the next 30 days with various exceptions.

When Does the Europe Travel Ban Go Into Effect?

The measure applies from midnight on Friday, March 13. Trump initially spoke of the European Union; however, it was later confirmed and clarified that the restrictions apply to the Schengen members, which include 26 European countries. The United Kingdom is therefore excluded from the restrictions. According to the White House, Ireland, Cyprus, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine will not be restricted from entering, either. Meanwhile, Americans will be allowed to travel back into the US if they undergo appropriate tests first.

Trump justified his decision based on his stance that Europe had not taken the same protective measures as the US and had not imposed travel restrictions from China to Europe sufficiently early. He implicitly accused the Europeans of failing in crisis management, while the White House had already put an end to entry for foreign travelers who had been in China the 14 days before by the end of January. Trump also warned in his speech that the elderly needed to be “very, very careful” and ought to avoid “unnecessary trips and crowded areas” before urging nursing homes to suspend “medically unnecessary visits.”

Trump’s Earlier Entry Restrictions

At the end of February, Trump then issued a corresponding regulation for foreigners who had been in Iran in the two previous weeks. At the same time, travel information for affected parts of the country in Italy and South Korea was tightened. The virus has spread rapidly in Iran, South Korea, and Italy as of late. The return of Europeans from the United States does not seem to be prohibited at first, but the economic costs of the unilateral travel ban are likely to be substantial.

For the president, there is much stake here besides any health implications. Right after his address, the US stock market dipped accordingly – after having already collapsed earlier this week. Accordingly, his address did not resemble the usual Trump appearances, not even the usual teleprompter-Trump appearances. There were no partisan attacks, no digression. Instead, perhaps for the first time, the president urged the country to come together during this crisis.

Criticism of Trump’s Coronavirus Response

Prior to his address, Trump had stated that the crisis was waning in China and Asia, which was a positive sign. He also assured that America was better equipped than anyone else in the world to fight the crisis.

Nonetheless, there has been plenty of criticism regarding Trump’s very own crisis management till this stage, notably when it comes to the promised test-kits, which appear to be seldom and thus indicated that the Trump administration is a few steps behind compared to its public presentation and remarks. Moreover, with the virus inevitably spreading across the United States, the in some regards apparent lack preparation of the administration will become more and more amplified and evident – leaving Trump with the probably greatest crisis of his presidency.

The US financial markets continue to remain in free fall. Over seem the days of the strong economy Trump was boasting about. And the virus, Trump assured recently, that would go away on its own, has now because an issue that even Trump cannot spin.

L'articolo Trump Issues Travel Ban on Schengen Area proviene da InsideOver.

As the number of new Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases surge worldwide, panic buying has led to the scarcity of hand sanitizers, masks, as well as spices that allegedly have anti-inflammatory properties and upgrade the body’s immune system. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the state’s hand sanitizer brand due to the skyrocketing price of the product on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.

“You can’t get [hand sanitizer] on the market, and when you can, it’s very expensive,” said Cuomo as Adage reported, revealing the name of the product, called “NYS Clean.” The governor added that the state has recorded 142 COVID-19 infections so far. As of Thursday, March 5, the price of a 12-ounce Purell sanitizer stood at $ 50 on Amazon.

Do-It-Yourself Hand Sanitizer

The surging price of hand sanitizer has triggered some people’s creativity and they have begun to make their own. They usually mix 60 percent alcohol, aloe vera gel, and essential oils to make their DIY sanitizer,as Grow reported..

Coronavirus has similar symptoms to common flu and has killed more than 3,500 globally so far. The virus was first discovered at a wet market in Wuhan, China, and spread quickly to more than 100 countries, sparking worldwide panic.

Mask Hoarding

Face masks are the most needed items as the outbreak has yet to slow down. In Indonesia, a box containing 50 covers is sold 60 Euro (around Rp 900,000) at e-commerce platforms.

One of the employees at a private hospital in Depok, West Java, told InsideOver that many people have been unable to find masks since the new coronavirus outbreak started. The hospital management will prioritize its employees first when it can get boxes of masks.

“We apologize to patients for not providing masks as everything is hard to find here,” one of the nurses told InsideOver on Tuesday, March 10.

The nurse also added that healthy people don’t need to wear face masks unless a doctor advises him or her to do so.

CDC: Face Masks are for Sick People or Those in Close Contact, Not Everyone

The U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) echoed the statement by saying that face masks are only for those infected with respiratory illnesses, medical staff, and caregivers who have close contacts with people with suspected COVID-19 symptoms.

“CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including Covid-19,” the agency told in its official website.

The scarcity of face masks amid the rising cases of COVID-19 has triggered profiteers to produce counterfeit masks. At the end of February, China grabbed around 31 million bogus face covers, as Kyodo news reported.

Coronavirus infection has infected more than 110,000 globally, more than 80,000 are in China, as John Hopkins CSSE data showed. However, the number of new cases was trending down as of Monday, March 9.

Healing Spices are Sold Out

Ginger, turmeric, and curcumin have been among the hottest items as those spices are believed to have properties to improve immunity. The three spices are often used in cooking and traditional drink or known as jamu in Indonesia.

In some of the traditional markets in Indonesia, the prices of red ginger surged to 100,000 Indonesian Rupiah per kilo ($6.97 USD). In grocerie stores, a shopper admitted finding it hard to find red ginger in good condition. Currently, Indonesia has recorded 27 positive coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, March 10. The first two cases of COVID-19 in the country were announced in early March and sparked panic buying across the archipelago.

A molecular biology professor at Airlanga University, Surabaya Prof.C.A Nidom suggested that Indonesians can consume Indonesia’s authentic spices to tackle the COVID-19. However, another expert claimed most Indonesians misunderstand the professor’s statement as if those spices can cure the illness caused by COVID-19.

“There is no clinical testing or test on humans that back the claim (that ginger, curcumin, turmeric, lemongrass, and other spices can cure the new coronavirus),” said Dr. Danang Ardiyanto, a researcher specializing in traditional medicines Suara quoted, adding that those spices can only boost immunity.

L'articolo Masks, Sanitizers, and Spices Are Getting Scarce Amid Rise of COVID-19 proviene da InsideOver.