Analysis

ANALYSIS: The Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense

Sat, 2020-12-05 20:11 — mike kraft

Lately, in the ongoing conversation about how to defeat the coronavirus, experts have made reference to the “Swiss cheese model” of pandemic defense.

The metaphor is easy enough to grasp: Multiple layers of protection, imagined as cheese slices, block the spread of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. No one layer is perfect; each has holes, and when the holes align, the risk of infection increases. But several layers combined — social distancing, plus masks, plus hand-washing, plus testing and tracing, plus ventilation, plus government messaging — significantly reduce the overall risk. Vaccination will add one more protective layer.

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ANALYSIS: How Melbourne, Australia, eradicated Covid-19

Sat, 2020-12-05 19:59 — mike kraft

How Melbourne eradicated Covid-19 Life is almost back to normal in Melbourne, Australia. Here’s how they did it. Dylan Scott Vox

In July and August, the Australian state of Victoria was going through a second Covid-19 wave. Local leaders set an improbable goal in the face of that challenge. They didn’t want to just get their Covid-19 numbers down. They wanted to eliminate the virus entirely.

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Increased Intensity Of PCR Testing Reduced COVID-19 Transmission Within Countries During The First Pandemic Wave

Fri, 2020-12-04 19:22 — mike kraft

No medication has proven effective in slowing transmission of the novel coronaviru

s (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Lacking a v

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What the World Can Learn From Africa’s Covid-19 Response

Fri, 2020-12-04 13:00 — mike kraft

What The World Can Learn from Africa’s Covid-19 Response Where America has floundered, many African countries have succeeded Tiffany Onyejiaka Medium

The United States has had a less than successful handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. From the government response to individual protests, the American response has abounded with politics and failures that have led to unfortunately high fatalities.

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Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Almost All COVID Transmission Is Happening in These 5 Places, Doctor Says

Fri, 2020-12-04 10:06 — mike kraft

Almost All COVID Transmission Is Happening in These 5 Places, Doctor Says As the U.S. continues to report record-breaking COVID numbers, medical experts are trying desperately to appeal to Americans to stay away from high-risk locations and adhere to coronavirus precautions. Some areas, like Los Angeles, have even implemented new stay-at-home orders in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. However, CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, MD, says not everything has to shut down because the majority of COVID transmission happens in just five places.While Gupta was on CNN's New Day on Dec.

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Fewer infants hospitalized for respiratory infections followed counter-COVID-19 measures in New Zealand

Thu, 2020-12-03 19:53 — mike kraft

COVID-19 and Infant Hospitalizations for Seasonal Respiratory Virus Infections, New Zealand, 2020 In March 2020, a national elimination strategy for coronavirus disease was introduced in New Zealand. Since then, hospitalizations for lower respirat... Emerging Infectious Diseases journal

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Fragmented health systems in COVID-19: rectifying the misalignment between global health security and universal health coverage --The Lancet

Thu, 2020-12-03 19:33 — mike kraft

Fragmented health systems in COVID-19: rectifying the misalignment between global health security and universal health coverage

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed enormous strain on countries around the world, exposing long-standing gaps in public health and exacerbating chronic inequities. Although research and analyses have attempted to draw important lessons on how to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response, few have examined the effect that fragmented governance for health has had on effectively mitigating the crisis.

By assessing the ability of health systems to manage COVID-19 from the perspective of two key approaches to global health policy—global health security and universal health coverage—important lessons can be drawn for how to align varied priorities and objectives in strengthening health systems.

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Africa foresees 60% of people vaccinated against COVID in two to three years

Thu, 2020-12-03 13:05 — mike kraft

Africa foresees 60% of people vaccinated against COVID in two to three years Africa aims to have 60% of its population vaccinated against COVID-19 within the next two to three years, the African Union's disease control group said on Thursday. Reuters Staff U.S.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Africa aims to have 60% of its population vaccinated against COVID-19 within the next two to three years, the African Union’s disease control group said on Thursday.

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China testing blunders stemmed from secret deals with firms - AP Investigation

Thu, 2020-12-03 12:57 — mike kraft

China testing blunders stemmed from secret deals with firms WUHAN, China (AP) — In the early days in Wuhan, the first city struck by the virus, getting a COVID test was so difficult that residents compared it to winning the lottery. Throughout the... AP NEWS

WUHAN, China (AP) — In the early days in Wuhan, the first city struck by the virus, getting a COVID test was so difficult that residents compared it to winning the lottery.

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Psychologist Says Tailored Messaging Is Key For Effective Public Health Policy

Wed, 2020-12-02 10:45 — mike kraft

For public health leaders, understanding different communication styles and preferences — and how people respond to them — is key to reducing the spread of the coronavirus.

Humans often don't behave logically. Their decisions don't always follow the evidence.

Those are among the ideas that Gaurav Suri considers in his work studying decision-making and motivation. He's an experimental psychologist and a computational neuroscientist at San Francisco State University.

Not surprisingly, choosing the right words matters a lot when it comes to public policy.

Something as basic as how public health officials talk about wearing a mask — for example, as "protection" instead of a "mandate," could make a difference, Suri says.

Here are excerpts from Suri's interview with All Things Considered.

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