World Coronavirus Dispatch: Employers could be decisive in ending Covid

A monkey study suggests blood test could show efficacy of vaccine, China set to roll out its vaccination, and other pandemic related news around the globe

Covid shrinks US labor market

The US unemployment rate has eased from March highs, but that doesn't mean the labour market is healthy. Pandemic has dented the labour force participation rate -- people working or seeking jobs --- to atleast five decade low. A smaller labour force leaves fewer workers to contribute to the economy and thereby impacting the growth. Many economists expect once the virus recedes, and jobs recover, workers may return to the labour market. They say the labour force decline is the usual consequence of any recession. Some others disagree saying the losses could be lasting. If the pandemic pushed out more women and workers with less education or skills, the comeback would be much harder.  Read here

Let's look at the global statistics

Global infections: 65,925,374

Change Over Yesterday: 689,918

Global deaths: 1,519,050

Nations with most cases: US(14,371,633), India(9,608,211), Brazil(6,533,968), Russia(2,382,012), France(2,321,703).

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center.

A monkey study reveals blood test could show efficacy of vaccine

A new study on monkeys suggests that the effectiveness of a coronavirus vaccine could be determined through a blood test. The study, published in Nature, reveals telltale blood markers that predict whether a monkey’s immune system is prepared to wipe out incoming coronaviruses. The finding raises hope that researchers will be able to look for the same markers in people who get vaccines in clinical trials. If the markers are strong enough, they could reveal if the vaccines protect against Covid-19. And researchers would no longer have to wait for some trial volunteers to get the disease, as they do now. Read here

China set to roll out its Covid vaccination

Even as clinical trials for various vaccines continue, China is preparing the groundwork to roll out vaccines for its large domestic population. Officials said people in high-risk workplaces -- such as ports -- will be inoculated this month. The country is set to approve 600 million doses of an inactivated Covid-19 vaccine by the end of this year. Sinovac and Sinopharm are two Chinese pharmaceutical companies that use inactivated virus as the immunology agent in their vaccine candidates. Read here

Wuhan virologist says more bat coronaviruses capable of crossing over

A prominent Chinese virologist said, there are many coronavirus in nature and beyond China, including some which are close relatives of Sars-Cov-2. She added that these viruses are perfectly capable of crossing over to humans. The comments come as global agencies prepare for investigations to find out the origins of the coronavirus. The virologist said that the investigations should go China. She said the coronavirus could have been in one or the other animal “for a very long time” before being detected late last year. Read here

Specials

How Europe sleepwalked into a deadly second wave

Europe, home to world's richest regions, was tired and longing for a much needed break after a devastating first wave of infections shut outdoor activities, killed many and battered economies. As cases declined, borders restrictions were eased for tourism, social and economic life was reviving and everything seemed normal. Mixed messages, misinformation and a relaxed attitude was prevalent in Central and Eastern Europe throughout the summer. In hindsight, hasty lifting of curbs cost the region dearly and the virus resurgance is much more deadlier this time. Even the countries which largely espaced the first wave are seeing alarming spike in infections and deaths. Nearly 105,000 people died of Covid-19 in just November. But, few countries that did move fast saw great benefits. Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway have kept the second wave at bay. Read here

Business can make a big difference in ending Covid

Coronavirus pandemic has been sorrounded by communication chaos since the start of the outbreaks. In the initial stages, the common questions were... Is the mask safe? How effective is social distancing? Will Hydroxychloroquine work? With vaccines showing high efficacy, the chaos remains. Just the questions are different..  Does the vaccine work? Is it safe? Are there enough doses? Do i need one or two jabs? Should i take the first vaccine that becomes available, or wait for the next one? To avoid anymore virus combat, businesses now have to integrate Covid-19 vaccination into their plans. Business leaders also have an important role to play in advancing vaccine literacy and uptake in wider society. Employers can remove doubts and instil confidence among colleagues. They also need to develop systematic plans to vaccinate employees and their families. Read here

The dawn of digital medicine

From retail to travel, almost every sector embraced the global digital revolution, but healthcare lagged behind. With the onset of pandemic, doctors have gone digital and patients are increasingly finding it comfortable with remote treatment. Pouncing on the opportunity, many health start-ups, pharmacies are rushing to provide such services. McKinsey estimates that global digital-health revenues—from tele medicine, online pharmacies, wearable devices and so on—will rise to $600 billion in 2024. Adoption of cutting-edge medical tech devices looks more enticing than ever. Even the Apple Watch has been shown to predict some medical problems in a trials. All this is making medicine evolve from a clinical science supported by data to a data science supported by clinicians. Read here

Squashing anti-vaccine myths with star power

With an end to pandemic in sight, global health experts are worried about anti-vaxxers--- those who refuse to take a vaccine and float bizzare conspiracy theories. The social media has amplified such voices and celebrity culture has elevated the objections of figures. A lack of trust in politicians and public health messaging, is further pushing the biases. Vaccine hesitancy, backed by public influencers, could put the immunisation efforts in peril and can lead to dangeorus implications. This phenomenon is not new and global health agencies have been pointing to stagnation in vaccination efforts for different diseases around the world. In this context, harnessing the social standing of superstars by making them publicly take the jabs could encourage more people to follow. Read here