Oxford Begins COVID-19 Vaccine Trials to Meet September Deadline
On Mar. 17, 2020, European Commission (EC) president Ursula von der Leyen said she was hopeful a vaccine for COVID-19 could be available this September. Her view was based on conversations she had had with managers of German biotechnology firm CureVac AG which has developed an experimental messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine that it plans to […]
Face Masks to Prevent COVID-19: Conflicting Facts & Advice
In a media briefing on Mar. 30, 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) officials confirmed that facial masks for the prevention of COVID-19 should be worn by those who are sick or in close contact with those infected, and are not recommended for healthy members of the general population.1 A day later, U.S. Vice President Mike […]
COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients and Underlying Chronic Disease
Story Highlights Recent research shows that most hospitalized COVID-19 patients had one or more chronic poor health conditions, such as obesity, hypertension and heart and lung disease. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, making the U.S. population susceptible to more severe COVID-19 infections. Good nutrition helps reduce […]
Study Shows Link Between Fine Particle Air Pollution and COVID-19 Mortality
A new nationwide study conducted by researchers at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the first to show a statistical link between long-term exposure to pollution and COVID-19 death rates.1 The study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, shows that coronavirus patients living in areas that had high levels of air pollution […]
Google Will Track Cell Phone User Locations to Monitor “Social Distancing”
Story Highlights Google has launched a new electronic surveillance initiative that collects location data from users of Google products and services, including cell phones, to track “social distancing” activity and publicly post “Community Mobility Reports” on a new Google website. Google surveillance reports will track and publicly report on the movements and activity of electronic […]
Miscounting Deaths from Coronavirus?
On Mar. 19, 2020, the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Italy reached 3,405. The number was significant in that it surpassed the number of COVID-19 deaths in China, which stood at 3,245 at the time, and thus it was widely reported by the media.1 2 3 4 The following day, the president of […]