A Rapid Virus Test Falters in People Without Symptoms, Study Finds

Mon, 2020-11-02 10:35 — mike kraft

As the number of coronavirus cases in the United States exceeds 9.2 million, experts continue to call for a massive scale-up of testing among both the healthy and the sick — a necessary measure, they have said, to curb the spread of an infection that can move swiftly and silently through the population.

One strategy has involved the widespread use of rapid tests, which forgo sophisticated equipment and can return results in minutes. Purchased in bulk by the federal government and shipped nationwide, millions of these products have already found their way into clinics, nursing homes, schools, athletic teams’ facilities and more, buoying hopes that the tests might hasten a return to normalcy.

But a new study casts doubt on whether rapid tests perform as promised under real-world conditions, especially when used in people without symptoms.

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Trump threatens to fire Fauci in rift with disease expert

Mon, 2020-11-02 10:04 — mike kraft

Trump threatens to fire Fauci in rift with disease expert OPA-LOCKA, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is suggesting that he will fire Dr. Anthony Fauci after Tuesday’s election, as his rift with the nation’s top infectious disease expert widens while... AP NEWS

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Germany starts 'wave-breaker' shutdown as Europe locks down

Mon, 2020-11-02 09:45 — mike kraft

Germany starts 'wave-breaker' shutdown as Europe locks down BERLIN (AP) — Several European countries are tightening restrictions this week, starting with a partial shutdown Monday in Germany, as authorities across the continent scramble to slow a rapid... AP NEWS

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Nearly 50,000 Americans are hospitalized with coronavirus as experts warn of growing health care pressure

Mon, 2020-11-02 09:27 — mike kraft

Nearly 50,000 Americans are hospitalized with coronavirus as experts warn of growing health care pressure The fall surge has left nearly 50,000 people hospitalized across the US due to Covid-19, and experts say the strain health care systems are under could soon get worse. Madeline Holcombe, CNN CNN

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Politics ‘A whole lot of hurt’: Fauci warns of covid-19 surge, offers blunt assessment of Trump’s response

Sun, 2020-11-01 19:44 — mike kraft

‘A whole lot of hurt’: Fauci warns of covid-19 surge, offers blunt assessment of Trump’s response Top scientist predicts a long and potentially deadly winter as infections and hospitalizations spike across the country. Josh Dawsey, Yasmeen Abutaleb Washington Post

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Australia records zero Covid-19 cases for first time in five months

Sun, 2020-11-01 12:05 — mike kraft

Australia records zero Covid-19 cases for first time in five months Locally-transmitted cases have dropped to zero and one state is hopeful for a "normal Christmas". YahooNews

Australia has recorded its first day of no local cases of Covid-19 in almost five months.

Zero cases were reported in the 24 hours between 20:00 on Friday and 20:00 on Saturday - the first time this has happened since 9 June.

The state of Victoria - epicentre of Australia's second wave - recorded zero cases for the second day in a row after a 112-day lockdown.

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Coronavirus digest: New lockdowns across Europe as cases resurge

Sun, 2020-11-01 11:40 — mike kraft

Europe locks down again as pandemic surges Several parts of Europe are set to go under partial lockdowns as coronavirus cases increase across the continent. Meanwhile, Australia has reported no new cases for the first time in months. Follow DW for the latest. Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com) DW.COM

As coronavirus infections in Europe increase, several countries are imposing new lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus that has claimed close to 219,228 lives in the continent so far. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a strict monthlong lockdown similar to the spring lockdown.

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Super-spreading Trump rallies led to more than 700 COVID-19 deaths, study estimates

Sun, 2020-11-01 11:20 — mike kraft

Super-spreading Trump rallies led to more than 700 COVID-19 deaths, study estimates A Stanford study of 18 Trump rallies held in the midst of the pandemic suggests they've led to more than 30,000 coronavirus infections and at least 700 COVID-19 deaths. Los Angeles Times

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At least 31 states set their one-day coronavirus case records in October

Sun, 2020-11-01 10:50 — mike kraft

At least 31 states set their one-day coronavirus case records in October October was a month of grim records in the Covid-19 pandemic, and as November begins, experts say the US hasn't seen the worst of it yet. Madeline Holcombe, CNN CNN

CNN)October was a month of grim records in the Covid-19 pandemic, and as November begins, experts say the US hasn't seen the worst of it yet.

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COVID 19 and the Pandemic - Epidemiology

Sat, 2020-10-31 21:16 — Hank Rappaport

Lecture 8, from the MIT weekly lecture series

Excellent discussion for containing the pandemic through public health measures, including frequent testing with inexpensive antigen detection tools.

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'Stay at home': Johnson locks down England as UK COVID-19 cases pass 1 million

Sat, 2020-10-31 18:00 — mike kraft

'Stay at home': Johnson locks down England as UK COVID-19 cases pass 1 million Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered England back into a national lockdown after the United Kingdom passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases and a second wave of infections threatened to overwhelm the health service. Andrew MacAskill, Guy Faulconbridge U.S.

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Asia/Pacific: Australia to spend on vaccines for wider region

Sat, 2020-10-31 13:18 — mike kraft

Asia Today: Australia to spend on vaccines for wider region CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia has announced it will spend 500 million Australian dollars ($351 million) to secure COVID-19 vaccines for the Pacific and Southeast Asia “as part of a shared... AP NEWS

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia has announced it will spend 500 million Australian dollars ($351 million) to secure COVID-19 vaccines for the Pacific and Southeast Asia “as part of a shared recovery for our region from the pandemic.”

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Contract Tracing Problems: People Increasingly, ‘Have No Idea’ how they contracted COVID-19.

Sat, 2020-10-31 12:50 — mike kraft

... As the coronavirus soars across the country, smashing daily records and surpassing nine million cases nationwide, tracing the path of the pandemic in the United States is no longer simply challenging. It has become nearly impossible.

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