Manufacturers are stepping up to meet the severe shortage of ventilators prompted by the current coronavirus pandemic—and not just companies in the medical industry. Numerous firms from the aerospace and defense sectors, and even Formula One, have offered their services….
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Isolated and afraid: How the pandemic is changing pregnancy
Credit: CC0 Public Domain Jamie Chui has been a virtual prisoner in her Hong Kong home for most of her nine-month pregnancy. Trapped intially by violent pro-democracy protests and tear gas, and then by the coronavirus—she now faces giving birth…
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North Korea insists it is free of coronavirus
North Korea remains totally free of the coronavirus, a senior health official in Pyongyang has insisted, despite mounting scepticism overseas as confirmed global infections near one million. The already isolated, nuclear-armed North quickly shut down its borders after the virus…
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HENRY BLOFELD reveals how Spanish wine is a fine medicine
He came down with the dreaded dry cough… but in this life-affirming piece, cricket commentator HENRY BLOFELD reveals how he’s embracing his quarantine… by sipping Spanish wine There is something that is genuinely frightening about this whole self-isolation business. It…
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Americans disagree on how risky the coronavirus is, but most are changing their behavior anyway
As the coronavirus began to spread in the United States, people faced an unknown risk and evolving health recommendations. Policy measures to curb the coronavirus epidemic have turned the world upside down, and the true impact of this global pandemic…
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New study outlines tool that can assess the chance a disease outbreak is of unnatural origins
Did coronavirus mutate from a virus already prevalent in humans or animals or did it originate in a laboratory? As scientists grapple with understanding the source of this rapidly spreading virus, the Grunow-Finke assessment tool (GFT) may assist them with…
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The US is fast-tracking a coronavirus vaccine, but bypassing safety standards may not be worth the cost
Last week American biotech company Moderna commenced the first clinical trial of a vaccine for COVID-19. Similar studies are reportedly being planned in the US, China, Israel, Australia and elsewhere, with at least 20 potential vaccines under development. The usual…
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Getting Tested for COVID-19 Is Easy. Just Make Sure You're Rich.
They say that money can’t buy you everything, but extra funds and a little influence can get you to the front of the coronavirus testing line. In the midst of a severe shortage of coronavirus tests, many Americans, even those…
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Vegan diet 'is no healthier if you continue to eat junk food'
Vegan diet is no healthier if you continue to eat sugar-laden junk food, new study reveals ‘Plant based’ diet is pointless if you continue to eat processed, sugar-laden food ‘Following a plant-based diet not enough to reduce cardiovascualar disease risk’…
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Why releasing some prisoners is essential to stop the spread of coronavirus
In a national emergency, governments typically pursue punitive law-enforcement agendas. They can also repurpose prisons and prisoners for forced labor, war efforts and so on. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have tended towards punitive controls and sanctions on…
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