Month: May 2020
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CDC’s new COVID-19 planning document shows death rate much lower than WHO estimates
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DCD) released the Pandemic Planning Scenarios last May 20, 2020 to help guide public health officials who utilize mathematical modeling for decision making. The document offers four (4) scenarios to help evaluate the potential effects of various strategies to be implemented. CDC notes that the document will…
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Israel’s former health minister criticizes hysteria around COVID-19
In this interview with Fraser Myers of spiked, Yoram Lass, former director of Israel’s Health Ministry criticizes the lockdown policies implemented in Israel and the rest of the world. According to him, there are two kinds of epidemics affecting the world today – the coronavirus and social media. Social media has facilitated the brainwashing of…
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Cebu Governor: COVID-19 not as deadly as projected
In this article published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer last May 22, 2020, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia cites local data to support her statement that COVID-19 is not as deadly as feared. Garcia says that 80% of those who contracted the SARS-COV-2 remaiin asymptomatic, and death rate due to COVID-19 is minimal at less than…
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Singapore study shows COVID-19 patients no longer infectious after 11 days
In a joint position statement, experts from the Singapore’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases and the Academy of Medicine, Singapore estimate that SARS-COV-2 positive individuals are most infectious on the first week of infection, with infectivity declining after 7 days. Citing the results of a local study involving 766 COVID-19 patients, the statement said that…
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Japan’s COVID-19 strategy
Japan is transitioning out of its state emergency as the number of new SARS-COV-2 infections fall, despite no lockdowns, no high tech apps for tracking people’s movements, and little testing. How did Japan manage to beat the coronavirus? This article written by Lisa Du and Grace Huang for Time Magazine explores several possible factors for…
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Reopening of schools has not triggered a new wave of coronavirus infections
In this article published by The Guardian, we discover that the re-opening of schools in Europe is going well so far. Twenty-two (22) countries in Europe have re-opened schools in waves over the past month, but official statistics have not shown any significant increases in the number of infections in these countries, said Blaženka Divjak,…
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Covid-19 Vaccine fiasco: Danger ahead
In this article for Signs of The Times, Robert Kennedy Jr. reports on the outcome of Moderna’s human trials. Citing a recent press release by the company, Kennedy highlights that three of the volunteers for the corona vaccine developed Grade 3 systemic events which are defined by the FDA as “preventing daily activity and requiring…
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NEDA: Societal impacts of lockdown in RP
This article by Jake Maderazo for the Philippine Inquirer offers to us a rundown of some issues surrounding the COVID-19 response of the Philippines. Most notable in his short essay, however, is the result of the survey conducted by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) conducted last month as a way of assessing the…
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Open letter on lockdowns to Philippine governors, mayors, and legislators
Dear Local Chief Executives and Legislators, Within the next few days, President Rodrigo Duterte will make the decision whether to ease or retain the lockdown. You will be faced with the tough decision whether to agree or not. You will be making your decision amidst the meltdown of Philippine society including millions experiencing lockdown fatigue,…
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Study shows low infectivity of some asymptomatic SARS-COV-2 carriers
In a new study published by the Respiratory Medicine journal, researchers found that some asymptomatic carriers may not be as infectious as we once thought. The published study focuses on one 22-year-old female with a history of congenital heart disease (referred to in the study as Case A). The patient has been experiencing shortness of…