August 4, 2020
Lockdowns and supply-chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus crisis are threatening programs against tuberculosis, H.I.V., and malaria, according to health officials, who added that tuberculosis kills 1.5 million people each year. Yet now, the coronavirus pandemic is consuming global health resources and these neglected adversaries are making a comeback. The lockdowns, particularly across parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, have raised insurmountable barriers to patients who must travel to obtain diagnoses or drugs, according to interviews with more than 2 dozen public health officials, doctors, and patients worldwide. Fear of the coronavirus and the shuttering of clinics have also kept many patients suffering from H.I.V., TB, and malaria away and restrictions on air and sea travel have severely limited medication access which may lead to drug resistance, already a formidable problem in many countries
Novavax, the Maryland company that received $1.6 billion from the federal government to produce an experimental coronavirus vaccine, announced encouraging results in 2 preliminary studies on Tuesday. There are other vaccines that are further along with clinical trials, but Novavax’s stands out because it is protein-based — the same proven technology used for existing vaccines against diseases like shingles — which could make it safer and easier to manufacture in large amounts
The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa has surpassed 500,000 — the country now accounts for more than half of all reported infections on the African continent. With a population of 58 million, South Africa has the fifth highest number of cases in the world, behind the US, Brazil, India, and Russia, all countries with significantly higher populations. However, South Africa’s fatality rate — the number of deaths in proportion to cases — is at 1.6%, significantly lower than the global average. The country has a younger population than countries in Europe that were hit hardest in the pandemic, which has killed older patients at a higher rate
A Norwegian cruise ship line which was one of the first companies to resume sailing after the pandemic hit, has halted operations after 41 passengers and crew tested positive for Covid-19. The Hurtigruten line apologized after a preliminary evaluation found there had been a failure in several internal procedures for preventing the virus spread
Recent outbreaks of coronavirus at US military bases in Okinawa, Japan, have cast renewed light on what many consider to be extraterritorial rights enjoyed by American servicemen under decades-long US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) where US armed forces are granted special dispensation from Japanese passport and visa laws and regulations which enable them to fly directly into bases and circumvent the rigid testing regime seen by national authorities at airports. Concerns are growing that the virtual free pass granted to SOFA individuals arriving in Japan from the US, the world’s biggest Covid-19 hot spot, is a loophole in the efforts by the central government to combat the spread of coronavirus
The government of Israel allowed students back into the classroom in May, confident that the country had moved past the pandemic. However, coronavirus outbreaks ultimately closed more than 240 schools and led to the quarantine of more than 22,520 teachers and students
The Federal Trade Commission told lawmakers on Capitol Hill recently that it received more than 131,000 complaints to date regarding coronavirus scams. Among issues raised by consumers are complaints involving unsubstantiated health claims, robocalls, privacy and date security concerns, sham charities, online shopping
fraud, phishing scams, work at home scams, credit scams, and fake mortgage and student relief schemes. Not the least of these is the rise of government imposters attempting to scam consumers out of the stimulus checks. The FTC recommends: hang up on robocalls; ignore anyone who claims to have a cure for Covid-19; do not send money to someone you do not know or make payments using gift cards; never give out personal or financial info to strangers; pay no attention to anyone claiming to be a government official — the IRS will never call demanding you pay back taxes
Lord & Taylor, America’s oldest retailer, is seeking bankruptcy protection, as is the owner of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Banks, retail chains that have faltered during the Covid-19 pandemic
A small fraction of students in the South and Midwest have returned to classrooms, and the coronavirus is already disrupting plans. In 1 Indiana school district, several staff members had tested positive and the high schools was swiftly closed after 2 days. More than 200 employees have been barred from work in Georgia’s largest school district because of coronavirus exposure, and students in Mississippi were forced to quarantine after classmates tested positive during the first week of classes. In New York City, 2 cases in unrelated classrooms would be enough to trigger a temporary closure of an entire school for 2 weeks, but in California, rules says its schools should shut down if 5% of the staff and students test positive. Federal recommendations leave these decisions largely up to schools and the uncertainty means that superintendents and other administrators are being asked to made decisions regarding what triggers a school closure
The St. Louis Cardinals have been quarantined since Thursday at their hotel in Milwaukee, where their 3-game series with the Brewers was postponed last weekend after St. Louis’s first coronavirus cases were confirmed. MLB announced on Monday that 7 Cardinals players and 6 staff members had tested positive, another blow for the league after 20 people in the Marlins’ traveling party — 18 players and 2 coaches — tested positive last week
While there are growing glimmers of hope that California’s surge in coronavirus cases could be peaking, epidemiologists and other public health experts said the only way to prevent surges is to prevent past failures — that means continued restrictions of public movements and better education and outreach about how to prevent outbreaks. It also means setting better and narrower priorities such as putting an emphasis on schools reopening over allowing bars and indoor dining rooms to resume operations. The surge in California cases has been blamed on several factors, including a failure to follow new disease control measures at workplaces, leading to a rapid spread among lower-income and essential workers in factories, agriculture, and other businesses, as well as people getting back to habits like parties and summer gatherings. Governor Newsom said that in the first reopening, too many Californians resumed gatherings and did not wear masks which planted the seeds of the second resurgence of disease. Reductions in cases were seen regionally throughout the state, the rate of positive cases is declining, and statewide hospitalizations have stopped climbing. Deaths, however, are a lagging indicator of the pandemic, and continue to climb to record levels. Last week, 945 Californians died from Covid-19, the worst weekly number in the pandemic, and a 9% increase from the previous week
Some California elementary schools may be able to reopen for in-person classes this fall under a strict waiver system announced Monday by state officials. But because of the detailed rules, smaller schools — especially private and parochial campuses with more flexibility — will probably be among the most successful at meeting the special guidelines, prompting concerns that select re-openings could add to gaps in educational equity
LA County reported an additional 1,901 cases and 57 deaths. Totals are now 195,614 cases and 4,758 deaths. City Breakouts (Cases/Deaths): City of LA 79,954/2,179; Long Beach 8,362/178; Carson 1,315/40; El Segundo 97/0; Gardena 891/34; Hawthorne 1,440/29; Inglewood 2,068/78; Lawndale 483/9; Lomita 174/7; Manhattan Beach 271/4; PV Estates 75/2; Rancho PV 229/12; Redondo Beach 409/9; Rolling Hills 5/0; Rolling Hills Estates 31/2; Torrance 1,060/59
Compiled by Charlene Nishimura
Media Sources: Los Angeles Times; New York Times; Washington Post; Wall Street Journal; Forbes Magazine; Business Insider; USA Today; CBS News; CNN; KTLA; OZY; ABC World News Tonight; Spectrum News 1; The Hill.com; WebMD; AP, Politico, Newsweek, Reuters, televised briefings from the White House, Governor Newsom, LA County Health Department, Mayor Garcetti; City of Torrance press releases; Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce press releases
