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Medicine

Social Distancing Is Not Enough (theatlantic.com) 270

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
We will need a comprehensive strategy to reduce the sort of interactions that can lead to more infections. The Atlantic: COVID-19 has mounted a sustained attack on public life, especially indoor life. Many of the largest super-spreader events took place inside -- at a church in South Korea, an auditorium in France, a conference in Massachusetts. The danger of the indoors is more than anecdotal. A Hong Kong paper awaiting peer review [PDF] found that of 7,324 documented cases in China, only one outbreak occurred outside -- during a conversation among several men in a small village. The risk of infection indoors is almost 19 times higher than in open-air environments, according to another study [PDF] from researchers in Japan. Appropriately, just about every public indoor space in America has been shut down or, in the case of essential businesses such as grocers, adapted for social-distancing restrictions. These closures have been economically ruinous, transforming large swaths of urban and suburban life into a morbid line of darkened windows.

Today, states are emerging from the lockdown phase of the crisis and entering a queasy period of reopening. But offices, schools, stores, theaters, restaurants, bars, gyms, fitness centers, and museums will have no semblance of normalcy until we learn how to be safe -- and feel safe -- inside. To open these spaces, we must be guided by science and expertise. Fortunately for us, researchers are discovering the secrets of how COVID-19 spreads with a combination of clever modeling and detective work. Before we review the relevant studies and draw out lessons for the future of the great indoors, a brief word of humility. Our understanding of this disease is dynamic. Today's conventional wisdom could be tomorrow's busted myth. Think of these studies not as gospels, but as clues in a gradually unraveling mystery.

Submission + - Swedish immunity far below expectations causing fear of more continued death. (theguardian.com) 1

Submitted by AleRunner
AleRunner writes: Immunity levels in Sweden, which were expected to reach 33% by the start of May have been measured at only 7.3% suggesting that the mass deaths in Sweden's care homes may have been for nothing and that Sweden's lighter lockdown may continue indefinitely whilst other countries begin to revive their economies. Writing about new Swedish antibody results in the Guardian Jon Henley goes on to report that other European countries like Finland are already considering blocking travel from Sweden which may increase Sweden's long term isolation.

We have discussed before whether Sweden, which locked down earlier than most but with fewer restrictions could be a model for other countries. As it is, now, the country is looking more like a warning to the rest of the world.
Medicine

US Secures 300 Million Doses, Almost a Third, of Potential AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine (financialpost.com) 189

Posted by BeauHD from the vaccine-scramble dept.
schwit1 shares a report from Financial Post: The United States has secured almost a third of the first one billion doses planned for AstraZeneca's experimental COVID-19 vaccine by pledging up to $1.2 billion, as world powers scramble for medicines to get their economies back to work. While not proven to be effective against the coronavirus, vaccines are seen by world leaders as the only real way to restart their stalled economies, and even to get an edge over global competitors. The U.S. Department of Health agreed to provide up to $1.2 billion to accelerate AstraZeneca's vaccine development and secure 300 million doses for the United States.

"This contract with AstraZeneca is a major milestone in Operation Warp Speed's work toward a safe, effective, widely available vaccine by 2021," U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar said. The vaccine, previously known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and now as AZD1222, was developed by the University of Oxford and licensed to British drugmaker AstraZeneca. Immunity to the new coronavirus is uncertain and so the use of vaccines unclear. The U.S. deal allows a late-stage -- Phase III -- clinical trial of the vaccine with 30,000 people in the United States.

Submission + - US Just Made a Huge Investment in Next-Gen Nuclear Power (popularmechanics.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A new Department of Energy (DoE) program promises $160 million for two advanced nuclear reactor designs and $70 million for further development.

NuScale's small reactor embodies "advanced" nuclear values like modularity, safety, and lower cost.

Advanced reactors are from generation 3 and 4, seeking more uniform and modular nuclear plants.

The “Advanced” part of ARDP is an industry term for the generation of reactors we have today. The World Nuclear Association explains:

“Generation 1 reactors were developed in 1950-60s. Generation 2 reactors are typified by the present US and French fleets and most in operation elsewhere. So-called Generation 3 (and 3+) are the advanced reactors, though the distinction from Generation 2 is arbitrary. The first ones are in operation in Japan and others are under construction in several countries.”

Generation 4 are in the research phase, but the ARDP statements mention development into the mid 2030s and likely includes generation 4.
United States

Your ZIP Code and Your Life Expectancy (nytimes.com) 61

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
New submitter moogmachine shares a report: New data on electricity consumption has offered an insight into Americans' level of wariness in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic: Many appeared to be staying home to avoid the virus even before lockdown orders were issued in March. The data, on consumption in homes in 30 states, shows that energy use began to rise in many states about a week before stay-at-home orders were issued but after states of emergency were declared. The data comes from Sense, a company based in Cambridge, Mass., that sells a device to help homeowners track energy use through a smartphone app. The information comes with some caveats. For instance, the devices tend to be popular with tech-savvy early adopters, and the typical Sense home is larger than most. Overall data came from about 5,000 of the devices across 30 states that were geographically representative of the country, the company said.

Like a recent study of electricity use in New York City apartments, the Sense data shows a sharp rise in consumption, with most of the increase coming during the day, when in normal times many people would be at work or school. Across all 30 states, the company reported a 22 percent average increase in overall domestic consumption from March 10 to April 10 this year compared with 2019. The data was adjusted to account for weather differences. Broken down by date and state -- the company looked at data for California, New York and seven other states individually -- the results are even more intriguing. George Zavaliagkos, the company's vice president of technology, said that when he first started looking at the data, he expected to see a rise in energy use in a given state when that state's government issued a lockdown order. California was the first state to order a statewide lockdown, on March 19. New York and other states followed quickly.

Submission + - New Zealand PM Flags Four-Day Working Week To Boost Its Shuttered Economy (cbsnews.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says a four-day workweek could help rebuild the nation's economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Ardern floated the idea during a Facebook Live earlier this week. Speaking Tuesday from Rotorua, a tourist hub in New Zealand, Ardern brought up a flurry of suggestions that could help jumpstart the country's vital tourism industry, including the shorter workweek, which could encourage citizens to travel more.

"I hear lots of people suggesting we should have a four-day week," Ardern said. "Ultimately that really sits between employers and employees. But as I've said there's just so much we've learnt about COVID and that flexibility of people working from home, the productivity that can be driven out of that." "I'd really encourage people to think about that if you're an employer and in a position to do so to think about whether or not that is something that would work for your workplace because it certainly would help tourism all around the country," she added. Arden said domestic tourism makes up about 60% of the industry, but New Zealanders spend about $9 billion (NZD) on tourism internationally. "Think about exploring your backyard," she said.

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