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In addition, South Africa has allowed its citizens to exercise, and New Zealand continues during its first week outside of strict confinement. BY JACS T. SAMPAYAN
ANCX | May 03, 2020
With the world still engulfed in COVID-19 case counts and alarming updates, it’s hard to look beyond everyone’s grim news. But opening our eyes more to a larger world that, although slowly, begins to stand up should give us hope, or at least an easier day. ANCX will regularly bring together positive developments in different corners of the world to show that by trying to move forward, we can confidently train our eyes upward.
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The Gates Foundation will focus on the pandemic efforts.
Five years ago, Bill Gates spoke at TED and declared that the world was not ready for a global pandemic. And, seeing how COVID-19 has been devastating the world this year, its assessment proved to be largely correct. Instead of repeatedly saying “I told you so,” he and his better half Melinda are focusing all their energies on helping the planet solve this problem. The couple’s eponymous foundation, which is endowed with $ 40 billion, will now fully focus on COVID-19’s efforts for the foreseeable future. In the past, the foundation has addressed the eradication of HIV, malaria, and polio. After announcing a $ 250 million seed funding (for diagnostics, therapies and vaccines, and support for African and South Asian countries), Gates says they will leverage existing partnerships, as well as the expertise of their staff, to combat the virus. .
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South Korea’s “positive” recoveries are not reinfections
Last month, 263 patients who had recovered from COVID-19 in South Korea then tested positive again, suggesting that the virus could be reinfected. Grateful, scientists infer that this is not a case of reactivation, and that it is likely due to flaws in the testing process; The tests could have detected remnants of the virus without detecting whether the person was actually infected. Dr. Oh Myoung-don, chief of the Seoul National University Hospital Division, which advises the Korean government, said the tests only detected ribonucleic acid from the dead virus. For similar cases, the person can obtain a positive test but will not be able to infect others.
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South Africans have been allowed to go and exercise.
After adhering to strict closure measures in his country by President Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africans were recently allowed to leave and train within a few kilometers of their own home over a three-hour period. Everyone from runners to dog walkers came out excited and took advantage of this delay. Soldiers were present to ensure that social distancing measures were implemented, as well as to enforce the rules on wearing masks. So far, the African country has only suffered 5,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 103 deaths, a substantially lower number compared to other countries.
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More vaccines enter clinical trials
The pharmaceutical multinational Pfizer and the German company BioNTech, which have teamed up to create a possible COVID-19 vaccine, are rapidly moving to human trials. If all goes well, the vaccine, called BNT162, may be ready for emergency use in the last quarter of the year. BioNTech shares that 200 volunteers ages 18 to 55 would receive variable doses to find the optimal dose for subsequent studies. The clinical trial was approved by the German Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedical Medicines, the first in the country against COVID-19. Around the world, a handful of vaccine programs are also in clinical trials, and about 80 are in the preliminary stages.
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Coursera will teach unemployed Americans for free
The American online learning platform Coursera is helping those newly unemployed by the pandemic to have the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge. Three thousand eight hundred of his courses and 400 of his specialization are now available free of charge through United States government agencies seeking to find work for their citizens. Registration will be open until September 30 and students will be able to complete the courses until the end of the year. Outside the US This free education will be available to countries such as Colombia, Greece, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Malaysia. A Coursera program generally costs $ 399 per year.
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New Zealand is in its first week of relief from the blockade
Earlier in the week, New Zealand lowered its alertness level and allowed some of its citizens to return to work and school. Restaurants and cafes, as long as they comply with social distancing rules and transactions have no contact, were also allowed to reopen for takeout orders. New cases have been kept to single digits, and today, there were no new deaths. “It is crucial that all New Zealanders remain vigilant and follow physical distancing guidelines, stick to our bubbles, practice good hand hygiene and, if they are not feeling well, stay away from others and seek medical advice,” says the General Director of Health of the country. Ashley Bloomfield.
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United States Approves Ebola Drug For Emergency Use Against COVID-19
Remdesivir was recently licensed by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use in the treatment of COVID-19. While a recent clinical trial showed that the drug helped shorten recovery times for seriously ill patients, it did not substantially improve survival rates. The drug, originally developed by the pharmaceutical company Gilead to treat Ebola, disrupts the virus’s ability to replicate. According to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, it is the first licensed therapy against COVID-19. The Gilead website clarifies on its site, however, that “Remdesivir is an experimental medication that has not established safety or efficacy for the treatment of any condition.”
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