thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Trump 'Wildly Irresponsible' To Say Beirut Blast Was 'Bomb Of Some Kind', Says Ex-Aide

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Donald Trump has been criticised for being “wildly irresponsible” after he described the massive explosion that hit Beirut on Tuesday as an “attack” from “a bomb of some kind”, despite no clear evidence so far that the blast was intentional.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, the US president contradicted Lebanese officials and said the blast “looks like a terrible attack”.
Advertisement
“The United States stands ready to assist Lebanon,” Trump said.
He said US military officials “seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind.”
“It would seem like it, based on the explosion. I met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was,” Trump continued.
“This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event.”
US Defence Department officials later contradicted Trump’s claims, telling CNN they did not know what the president was talking about.
They clarified that initial information did not appear to show that the explosion was an attack.
Lebanese officials have said the blast was likely caused by thousands of tonnes of unsecured ammonium nitrate that had been stored at a warehouse for several years.
Former Trump aide Brett McGurk, who also served under President Obama and President George W Bush, said the president’s remarks were “wildly irresponsible”.
Advertisement
“It’s wildly irresponsible for a president to stand at the [White House] podium and spitball about an international incident like this as hundreds of casualties are still missing or being treated,” he said on Twitter.
It’s wildly irresponsible for a president to stand at the WH podium and spitball about an international incident like this as hundreds of casualties are still missing or being treated. DOD should clean this up tonight. pic.twitter.com/3ZgCxWGfq8 — Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) August 4, 2020
Former Pentagon special counsel Ryan Goodman also said Trump was “hugely irresponsible” if there was no clear evidence to suggest the blast was an attack.
It seemed Trump was spitballing idea that Lebanon explosion was attack.
Hugely irresponsible if he had no firm basis for that claim.
Now this👇
Three DOD officials: “there was no indication” explosion was an attack.https://t.co/jnmGEbjhGq — Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) August 5, 2020
At least 100 people have been killed and 4,000 are injured after a large explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut as images showed a giant column of smoke rising over the city.
Advertisement
The blast occurred in the city’s port area, where there were warehouses housing explosives.
Lebanese president Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--ER Doc Taunts Trump By Preparing A Coronavirus 'Manual' Just For Him

HuffPost is part of Verizon Media .
Click ' I agree ' to allow Verizon Media and our partners to @ @ @ @ @ to access your device and use your data ( including location ) to understand your @ @ @ @ @ measure personalised ads .
We will also provide you with personalised ads on partner products @ @ @ @ @ we use your data in our Privacy Centre .
Once you confirm your privacy choices @ @ @ @ @ changes at any time by visiting your Privacy dashboard .
Click 'Learn more ' to @ @ @ @ @ Media and our partners collect and use data .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Donald Trump claimed there are coronavirus manuals that warn against too much testing.
So emergency room physician Dr Stephen Samples of Jasper, Indiana created a mock “How To ’Rona” manual collecting that and other claims by the president, showing it off on MSNBC on Tuesday night.
Advertisement
Trump made his most recent claim of too much testing in an interview with Jonathan Swan of Axios that aired on HBO on Monday.
“There are those that say, you can test too much,” Trump said. “Just read the manuals, read the books.”
Swan asked what manuals or books say that, but didn’t get an answer.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--US Police Mistakenly Handcuff Black Family At Gunpoint For Suspected Car Theft

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Police in Aurora, Colorado, detained and handcuffed a Black mother and four children at gunpoint Sunday after mistakenly identifying the SUV she was driving as a stolen motorcycle.
Video of the incident shared by witness Jenni Wurtz shows Brittany Gilliam and four children, including her sister, two nieces and 6-year-old daughter, lying face down on the asphalt in a strip mall parking lot, surrounded by officers.
Advertisement
“I actually didn’t know what I was watching when I first started seeing what was happening. I’d never seen a gun that close,” Wurtz told CBS Denver. “I went from seeing kids in a car to seeing a gun pointed at the kids in the car.”
“I am not anti-police,” she added to ABC 7. “I am anti what happened yesterday, and that was ridiculous.”
The Aurora Police Department told 9News Gilliam’s license plate matched up with one belonging to a motorcycle from a different state that had been reported stolen earlier Sunday morning.
Adding to the confusion, Gilliam’s own car was also reported stolen in February, though it was recovered the next day.
Advertisement
Aurora PD handcuff and held family at gunpoint. pic.twitter.com/GkTWKFZqkI — Joshua Rodriguez (@Joshuajered) August 3, 2020
That explanation is of little solace to Gilliam, who is upset about the officers’ tactics.
Gilliam said she and the children were trying to get their nails done when officers approached the car with their guns drawn and ordered them out of the vehicle. The family was uncuffed and the officers apologised after they realised the mistake.
“I’m livid. I’m angry,” she told CBS Denver. “Those kids are not OK. They’re never going to be OK. That was a traumatic experience. Would your kids be OK after that? Having a gun pulled on them and laid on the ground. Especially a 6-year-old.”
In a statement, interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson apologised to the family and said that APD officers are trained to treat suspected stolen cars as “a high-risk stop.” That involves drawing their weapons and forcing all occupants to exit the vehicle. She acknowledged that moving forward, officers should be allowed to alter their approach when circumstances clearly call for it.
“I have called the family to apologise and to offer any help we can provide, especially for the children who may have been traumatised by yesterday’s events,” she said. “I have reached out to our victim advocates so we can offer age-appropriate therapy that the city will cover.”
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--White House Sued For Not Providing Sign Language Interpreter At Covid-19 Briefings

LOADING ERROR LOADING
An advocacy group for deaf Americans is suing the White House for failing to provide real-time sign language interpretation during Covid-19 news briefings, saying the omission violates the First Amendment and laws for Americans with disabilities.
The National Association of the Deaf says in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that Donald Trump and his White House coronavirus task force briefings have not featured an American Sign Language interpreter visible on-screen, known as “televised in frame ASL interpretation,” since the briefings began in March.
Advertisement
By failing to provide an interpreter, the administration is blocking “access to critical, potentially life-saving information conveyed by our nation’s political and public health leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic,” the lawsuit contends.
Closed captioning, required by federal law, is not a sufficient alternative because it is prone to error and can be hard to follow in real-time, especially for people whose first language is not English, the suit says.
In addition, as the lawsuit explains, “tone is also often lost in written captions. By contrast, an interpreter is able to convey tone and context of a message through facial expressions, sign choice, and demeanour.”
The group says the governors of all 50 states and mayors of many major cities have provided on-screen ASL interpreters during their Covid-19 briefings. More than 3.4 million Americans identify as deaf, and about 17 million report having “serious difficulty hearing,” according to a 2014 census survey of Americans with disabilities.
Advertisement
Several governors faced lawsuits for initially failing to consistently provide on-screen sign language interpreters during their televised coronavirus updates. Deaf New Yorkers and disability rights advocates sued governor Andrew Cuomo for not having an on-screen ASL interpreter at his widely viewed news briefings in April, when New York was the epicentre of the pandemic in the US. A judge ordered Cuomo to do so two weeks later, and he has provided one in his briefings since.
In May, New York governor Andrew Cuomo finally began providing an on-screen American Sign Language interpreter for his widely watched daily Covid-19 briefings Screenshot/New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's website
In Florida, which has become a US coronavirus hot spot, the National Association of the Deaf and Disability Rights Florida last month sued governor Ron DeSantis, saying he had provided ASL interpretation at his briefings only sporadically.
“President Trump, however, does not,” Monday’s lawsuit says. “He now stands alone in holding televised briefings regarding the Covid-19 pandemic without ever having provided any ASL interpretation. This means that not only are [deaf and hard-of-hearing] Americans being denied the opportunity to understand any communication from the President of the United States during this critical time, they are also being denied the opportunity to access information, analysis, and updates from Dr Anthony Fauci and Dr Deborah Birx — two renowned public health experts.”
President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, May 15, 2020, in Washington. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, right, and White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx listen ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
Since March, the White House has ignored demands from advocacy groups and lawmakers, including 34 senators, to provide an on-screen sign language interpreter.
In a letter to the White House on March 18, the National Association of the Deaf said it had “received daily complaints from deaf and hard of hearing citizens across the country asking why their President is not ensuring they are getting the same access to emergency information as everyone else.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Ryan Reynolds Says Plantation Wedding With Blake Lively Is 'Impossible To Reconcile'

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Ryan Reynolds has spoken out about his 2012 wedding to Blake Lively that took place at a former plantation, saying it is something the couple will “always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for.”
In an interview with Fast Company published on Tuesday, the Deadpool actor discussed the impact of the nationwide protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.
Advertisement
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
“It’s something we’ll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for,” he told the publication. “It’s impossible to reconcile.
“What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy. Years ago we got married again at home — but shame works in weird ways.
“A giant fucking mistake like that can either cause you to shut down or it can reframe things and move you into action. It doesn’t mean you won’t fuck up again. But repatterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn’t end.”
Advertisement
Reynolds and Lively have been called out intermittently over the years for their choice of wedding venue ― Boone Hall in South Carolina. But a 2018 tweet from Reynolds in praise of the film Black Panther triggered a more widespread conversation. Many people on Twitter responded to the celebratory tweet about the first superhero movie with a primarily Black cast by pointing out the hypocrisy.
In the current cultural moment, the couple has again been criticised for their plantation wedding, and they have been expressing their regret. They donated $200,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund at the end of May and issued a social media statement saying: “We’re ashamed that in the past we’ve allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is.”
Here’s the entire statement:
Reynolds also told Fast Company that his production company, Maximum Effort, is focusing on diverse hiring and equity within the company.
“Representation and diversity need to be completely immersive,” the 43-year-old. said. “Like, it needs to be embedded at the root of storytelling, and that’s in both marketing and Hollywood. When you add perspective and insight that isn’t your own, you grow. And you grow your company, too.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--8 Candid Quotes About Motherhood From Meghan Markle

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Meghan Markle has some thoughts about the joy and vulnerability of motherhood.
The Duchess of Sussex and her husband, Prince Harry, welcomed their son Archie in May 2019. Since becoming a parent, she’s shared snippets of her experience, from those “magic” first days to the overwhelming adjustment to motherhood in the spotlight.
We’ve rounded up eight quotes from the duchess about being a mother.
On Her ‘Bump’
“It’s funny, I’ve actually been joking the last few weeks. I had seen this documentary on Netflix about feminism, and one of the things they said during pregnancy was ‘I feel the embryonic kicking of feminism.’ I loved that, so boy or girl, whatever it is, we hope that that’s the case with our little bump.”
Advertisement
The First Days Of Motherhood
“It’s magic, it’s pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.
WPA Pool via Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pose with their newborn son in St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019.
On Newborn Archie
“He has the sweetest temperament, he’s really calm. He’s just been the dream, so it’s been a special couple of days.”
On Being A Working Parent
“We’re only five months in right now. Being a working mum and traveling as well with a baby, my goodness it’s a lot, but it’s all so exciting. There are days when it’s a lot to juggle but then you meet someone and you have an impact on them and you say ‘aha,’ and it’s so rewarding.”
Chris Allerton/©SussexRoyal/AFP/Getty Images The family of three on the day of Archie's christening at Windsor Castle on July 6, 2019.
Advertisement
On Adjusting To Motherhood While Dealing With The Press
“Thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m okay, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”
On Feeling Vulnerable
“Look, any woman, especially when they are pregnant, you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging. And then when you have a newborn — you know ... especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add [media attention] on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed.”
Pool via Getty Images The family laughs while meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town.
On Her Pre-Harry Motherhood Dreams
“I dreamt [of becoming] a successful working actress, which I can now very thankfully tick off the list. And I also dream to have a family. It’s all about balance, and I have so much happiness in my career and am fortunate to travel the world and see so many amazing things — it will also be nice to be anchored to something grounded and in the same place. Raising a family will be a wonderful part of that.”
On The Queen’s First Time Meeting Archie
“It’ll be a nice moment to introduce the baby to more family, and my mum’s with us as well.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--'I Had Two Completely Different Births In The Space Of 20 Minutes'

LOADING ERROR LOADING
In HuffPost Birth Diaries we hear the extraordinary stories of the everyday miracle of birth. This week, Keesha Harrison shares her story. If you’d like to share yours, email amy.packham@huffpost.com.
It was the day after my 36th birthday and my waters had broken, I’d come downstairs to do work; my manager has asked me to finish a report, but as I sat down, it felt like my waters has gone. I called for my partner and asked him to feel my trousers. “It does feel a bit wet,” he said. I went to go lie down, and as I walked upstairs, all the water wooshed out. Like nothing I’d ever seen before.
Advertisement
I’d intended to have a planned C-section. I was having twins, you see. Identical twins. They don’t usually let you go full-term – usually only around 35 weeks – as it reduces stillbirth. But I’d gone into labour early, at six months, 27 weeks and four days to be precise.
My partner called the ambulance, and they guided him through the necessary precautions to take. He was frightened – from what they were saying, it sounded like he was going to have to deliver the babies.
But the ambulance came, thank goodness.
I was 2cm dilated when I got to hospital. They were trying to prevent my labour from happening by giving me medication, but they told me if the babies wanted to come, they’d come regardless. I thought the worst. Was there no water for my babies? Were they going to be okay?
After 20 minutes, I’d gone up to 4cm. The midwife called the doctor in, and at this point I remember saying I wanted to be at another hospital. I knew there was a better one nearby that was more specialised in delivering multiple premature birth. They said it was no problem, humouring me, telling me they’d sort out a van to get me to there.
Advertisement
They probably knew at that point I wouldn’t be going anywhere, because 45 minutes later I was nearly fully dilated. The doctor could see a head. He couldn’t delay it, he said. I needed to get ready to push.
I didn’t even know how to push. My antenatal classes weren’t starting until the following week. I got my head down, and listened to what they told me. They explained that when my babies came out, they’d be placed in plastic bags to preserve their temperature because they were so early.
I got in position, and they told me what to do.
Out popped my first twin. I could see her, but I couldn’t hear her. They rushed her over to a little incubator and were pumping her chest. I was told she was okay.
But then they starting talking about the next twin, saying they were sorry. I was so confused. They told me her heart rate was dropping and she’d flipped sideways – they were going to have to do an emergency c-section to get her out. I was rushed to theatre, put to sleep, and 14 minutes later, she was born.
“My mum kept showing me pics of my girls – I didn’t want to see photos, though.”
Advertisement
When I came around, I was really lethargic. They said I’d been asleep for quite some time. They expected that though, because I’d had two types of birth in the space of 20 minutes! My body was exhausted. I could see everyone around my bed, but I couldn’t see my babies.
My partner told me they were fine, that they were being looked after. My mum kept showing me pics of my girls – I didn’t want to see photos, though, I wanted to see them. I kept being told I needed to rest, and was wheeled to a ward.
A young trainee midwife came over to me to say congrats, but all I could say is that I wanted to go and see my babies. She said I was advised to rest and I could see them tomorrow first thing, but I couldn’t accept it. She gave in, thankfully, and my partner wheeled me downstairs to go and see them.
And then... I saw them. One was in an incubator, the other on a ventilator machine. The second twin was being worked on by doctors at the time, which was frightening. They told me they had to do a few tests as she was underweight. Everyone reassured me the girls were fine, and I managed to relax. My partner wheeled me back upstairs, and said I passed out fast asleep and snoring in the lift. I was out like a light once I knew they were okay.
The following day, my second twin had to be moved to a different hospital. My partner went with her, because I was still recovering, so we were separated for a few days. I really believe my twins fed off each other. When our second twin went away, the first twin began to deteriorate. When she came back, three days later, they started to blossom!
Advertisement
They were in hospital together for eight weeks, but the nurse kept telling me how strong they were. After a week, they were no longer on oxygen. And when we left, we were told they were the youngest babies to come into the ward and the quickest to go home.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Has The Coronavirus Pandemic Killed Social Smoking?

LOADING ERROR LOADING
We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus pandemic. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
I was 14 the first time I had a cigarette (mam and dad, don’t read this). I was hanging out with a group of friends after school and, yes, I got peer pressured into it. Not wanting to feel left out and curious about what it would actually feel like, I had my first experimental puff – and coughed up my lungs.
Advertisement
Since then, I’ve been on and off the cigarettes, depending on who I’ve been with and how many pints I’ve sunk. Because I only smoked on nights out, I refused to consider myself a ‘proper smoker’ – despite sometimes going through a packet of 20 Malboro menthols in one sitting. As an asthmatic, I knew it was stupid to be puffing away in the first place, however occasionally.
But most of my friends smoked and it felt like a social activity – a chance to take a breather (cough) and catch up outside the pub or club. As well as the nicotine coursing through my veins with every drag, I felt at ease when I smoked with others. It melted away any stress or anxieties –– and doubled with alcohol, it was like I didn’t have a care in the world.
But who are we kidding? Social smoking is still smoking. And even one or two cigarettes can put your health at risk.
Advertisement
SilviaJansen via Getty Images
“Nicotine addiction is not just about keeping the level of the drug topped up to avoid withdrawal symptoms,” Professor Robert West, an expert on smoking from University College London, explains. “Addiction works by forming an association between situations where a person would typically smoke, which then creates the impulse to smoke when they find themselves in that situation again. A lot of daily smokers report very strong situational cravings.”
In 2019, I decided to bin my casual smoking habit for good. That felt like a doubly wise decision by the time Covid-19 came round – a virus that attacks the lungs, heart and can cause a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
It’s been an anti-smoking campaign in itself – according to a survey by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), more than one million people have given up smoking since the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Of those who had quit in the previous four months, 41% said it was in direct response to coronavirus.
“Covid-19 and the lockdown has changed our behaviour in so many different ways that it’s not surprising that it’s impacted on some of our existing habits.” Hazel Cheeseman, ASH’s director of policy, tells HuffPost UK. “People already know the dangers of smoking and what the harms are to your lungs and circulatory system, but with the added impetus of a respiratory pandemic.
“It doesn’t take putting two and two together for people to cut down or stop completely.”
krisanapong detraphiphat via Getty Images
Advertisement
Carisse Mahon, 19, worked on reception at a gym in Manchester until the start of lockdown. She quit smoking as part of her mission to focus on her health while she was furloughed and stuck at home.
“I started smoking at 13 to fit in. At first, it was ‘social’ but then I smoked more to cope with stress – up to a pack of 20 a day if I was drinking. But I wanted to focus on health and fitness while I was furloughed,” she explains.
“Lockdown has shown me that I don’t want or need to smoke, it’s just a desire to fit in with other people. I’ve been using the Smoke-Free app to monitor health improvements and my nails and teeth are no longer stained, I feel a lot healthier. I’ve got no intention of going back.”
Now more than ever, the coronavirus crisis has highlighted just how important it is to protect and look after our health. Smoking-related illnesses have been linked to worse outcomes from Covid-19, include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, stroke and other heart conditions.
Combine an awareness of these health risks with our sense of imminent danger and all the time lockdown has given us for reflection and self-improvement, and it’s no wonder people are more focused on quitting.
Advertisement
ArtistGNDphotography via Getty Images
Lee Dobson from Castleford, West Yorkshire, had smoked since he was 18, but his family got him to make a quit attempt and the pandemic further spurred him on. Dobson had to give up work as a painter and decorator after an epileptic seizure (something smokers are four times more likely to experience) caused him to lose his sight in one eye.
He has now been smoke-free for nearly five months. “Since quitting, I don’t even get coughs,” he explains. “With the present climate and coronavirus, I’m so glad I have. My niece who I am close to, was the person who motivated me – she said how much better I’d feel if I stopped smoking. I was sick.”
Respiratory consultant Dr Ruth Sharrock sees the terrible health problems caused by smoking day in day out in her work and advises: “My message to smokers today is, please, do not wait. Whether you are healthy now or already unwell because of smoking, today is the day to stop. It can transform your life.”
Among the thousands of people heeding this health advice, there is an age gap, however – with younger smokers quitting smoking in lockdown at a greater rate than older smokers. The ASH survey shows that around 400,000 people aged 16-29 have quit compared to 240,000 people in the over-50 age-group.
Advertisement
“It’s not surprising that the under 30s are changing their smoking behaviours – I think the social smoking element is likely to play a significant part because those social environments have been taken away,” says Hazel Cheeseman.
“People’s lives have been disrupted, where people have moved back to their family home or found temporary lockdown accommodation. This could be potentially preventing them from smoking or parents don’t know that they smoke, so therefore a change in their behaviour.”
Lockdown has transformed our social lives. We’ve not gone out for months and since the rules began to relax, many people are now wary – or more respectful – of other people’s boundaries. Post-lockdown social anxiety is also rife.
Yes, we’re spending more time in gardens and parks, rather than bars or clubs – which might have favoured a rise in smoking. But analysis using the YouGov Covid Tracker carried out on behalf of ASH and University College of London found that 25% of smokers said they were more likely to avoid smoking outside in places where it might inconvenience others. Meanwhile, the latest government amendment on pavement licenses requires pubs, restaurants and cafes to offer separate seating for smokers and non-smokers outside too.
“I would definitely ask others outright if they’re okay with me smoking now whereas before I wouldn’t even think twice,” says self-confessed social smoker Chloe Blows, 26, freelance PR from London, who says she has only smoked once or twice since the pandemic started.
Advertisement
She has also been more hesitant to spend money on her habit. “I’ve lost work and had to move back home because of the pandemic and like many others, my finances have been affected,” says Blows. She says she used to smoke menthols, but the ban on those, which came into force mid-lockdown in May, has left her reluctant to buy other cigarettes that she doesn’t even enjoy.
And then there’s the social factor. “Things like sharing cigarettes will be a thing of the past,” she reflects. “The packet and the lighter that’s obviously going to have fingerprints all over – something that used to be so mindless. Everything is going to be more thoughtful [now].


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--These Risk Factors Affect Whether You'll Catch Covid-19 On A Train

LOADING ERROR LOADING
We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus pandemic. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
If you’ve returned to work and you commute on a train, you’ll probably want to know more about the risks of catching Covid-19 if someone in your carriage is infected.
Advertisement
A new study from the University of Southampton shines a light on this. Based on high-speed train routes in China, researchers found that for train passengers sitting within three rows (widthwise) and five columns (lengthwise) of an infected person, between zero and 10% of passengers caught the disease.
There were two key factors that increased the likelihood of catching Covid-19: how long a person was travelling on the train and how close they were sat to the infected person. Lead investigator Dr Shengjie Lai said these “can make a big difference” as to whether Covid-19 is passed on.
The WorldPop team at the University of Southampton conducted their study by analysing data of train travel in China between 19 December 2019 and 6 March 2020. This included 2,334 infected people and 72,093 close contacts. Their travel times ranged from between less than an hour to eight hours.
Passengers travelling in seats either side of an infected person suffered the highest level of transmission. For those sitting on the same row, there was also an increased risk of catching Covid-19.
Advertisement
The risk of transmission increased slightly for every hour a person travelled on the same carriage as an infected person.
Interestingly, the researchers found very few people who used a seat previously occupied by an infected person went on to become ill with the virus.
Toby Jenkins / EyeEm via Getty Images
The researchers concluded that a safe social distance of more than one metre is required for one hour spent travelling together. After two hours of contact, they consider a distance of less than 2.5 metres to be insufficient in preventing transmission.
Professor Andy Tatem, director of WorldPop, said: “Our research is the first to quantify the individual risk of Covid-19 transmission on public transport based on data from epidemiological investigations of disease cases and their close contacts on high-speed trains.
Advertisement
“It shows that the transmission risk not only relates to the distance from an infected person, but also the time in their presence. We hope it can help to inform authorities globally about measures needed to guard against the virus and in-turn help to reduce its spread.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--I'm Fat, And Living In A World Where I Literally Don't 'Fit'

HuffPost UK The author, in Cambridge
I was not always fat.
Growing up, I had been a little overweight, but I had never been ‘fat’. At fifteen, I began the process of losing weight – working out and eating little brought me closer to the size that promised everything my fuller figure denied me. Despite my obsessive relationship with food, I believed that my body looked ‘healthier’ than ever. For once in my tumultuous teenage years, I felt good in it.
When my mother suddenly passed away from a heart attack later that year, the struggles I had been having with food my entire life were reflected in how I grieved. Instead of reaching the ‘ideal weight’ I set for myself, I gained the seemingly impossible sum of 60kg. As a result, I became what everyone is warned about, what most people spend their entire lives trying desperately to avoid: I was, and remain, fat.
Advertisement
In the six years since, I have discovered just how small the world is. Once, I could never have imagined what it means to not fit into spaces where it is taken for granted that one should fit – but now, from aeroplanes to theatres, I am constantly confronted with the problem of space and the realities of my body. I have learned to anticipate the feeling of being clasped between the cold metal handles that separate the seats in auditoriums and lecture halls. I have suffered debilitating back pain after the agonising hours wedged between armrests. Before deciding whether to attend an event, I try to decipher from Google images of a venue if the seats look wide enough for my body.
There are, of course, aspects to being fat that are not merely dehumanising, but dangerous. Everyone knows – and has no issue expressing their opinion on – how obesity poses a plethora of risks to one’s health, but they seem remarkably less concerned with the fact that, say, seatbelts don’t fit people that exceed a certain size. It is as if we do not exist (or perhaps that we should not exist); as if there is no need to make seats or seatbelts large enough to accommodate our big bodies. As if it’s of little importance what happens to us in the event of a crash.
“In the extremely rare occasions shops even carry my size, the garments themselves are designed to complement the bodies of thin people.”
Flying has its own set of humiliations. Every time I am on a plane, attendants will come over to me and ask me to put the handle down for take-off and landing. Each time, I respond that I am physically unable to, gesturing towards my side, visibly flattened against my neighbour. Cruising at 38,000ft, I depend on the willingness of my neighbour to lift the handle that separates our seats – and to abstain from humiliating me in the process. If they decide to claim the space that they paid for (a right I relinquished the moment I became fat) I instead face pain for the duration of my flight.
Advertisement
As with other simple everyday things like chairs and seatbelts, we don’t really think about the physical necessity of being clothed until we are unable to find clothes that fit. In the extremely rare occasions shops even carry my size, the garments themselves are designed to complement the bodies of thin people. But of course, brands don’t want fat people to go about parading their apparel. Who would want to buy a pair of jeans after they saw them wrapped around a person twice their size? Instead, deterring fat people seems like a reasonable solution. Bras that cut into my skin and trousers that fold me in half serve as reminders that I should not feel empowered by my reality.
All this means I live in fear of someone deciding to communicate their frustration at the sacrifice that they are forced to make on my behalf. I know that, in that moment, their annoyance betrays something more profound than mere irritation. In looking at me, they are not only seeing that I do not fit in the seat: they see that I have brought this reality upon myself, and I am therefore not worthy of their sympathy.
What they don’t know is that I am already hyper-aware of these things as I sit spilling out of my seat. They do not know how uncomfortable it can be to navigate the world in a body this big. They judge me, unaware that my thyroid disorder means my affected metabolism makes it difficult to lose weight. They certainly don’t know how I nourish my body, or the reason I gained the weight in the first place.
“This pandemic means we have all collectively experienced what it means to be kept away from our favourite places, having to stay at home in order to keep ourselves and others safe”
Obesity is a very private issue of the body that somehow became ‘fair game’ for public discourse. People feel entitled to stare and comment on our bodies, without a moment’s consideration of how humiliating it is to have your body publicly scrutinised. I cannot express how difficult it is to live your life freely when you know everyone you come in contact with is always thinking about your size.
Advertisement
This pandemic means we have all collectively experienced what it means to be kept away from our favourite places, having to stay at home in order to keep ourselves and others safe. As we begin to re-evaluate how we re-occupy public places, it’s vital we create more spaces in which fat people feel welcome. As long as we continue to perceive fat as failure, and deny people with bigger bodies the right to space and safety, few places in the world will ever truly be accessible.
We must begin by recognising that leading a dignified existence should not depend on the size of your body – even if it is as big as mine.
Melina Spanoudi is a writer, editor and translator. Follow her on Twitter at @MSpanoudi


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--My Immigrant Parents Came To The US For A Better Life. Here's Why I May Want To Leave

The author. Courtesy of Maz Do
More than 40 years ago, my father’s family fled the Vietnam War and came to America. He left behind his younger brother and my grandparents (they would take a separate journey), and settled in a refugee camp in the Midwest. He tells me that he would eat fish from the backwater creeks behind the camps ― fish that Americans would never touch, and though he got sick he continued to eat because food was food. Eventually the family moved to California and reunited under one roof. In those days, my father, his brothers and his grandmother slept together on one mattress ― they had fitful dreams, I’m sure.
My father made his way to UCSD, and there, he met my mother who left Indonesia to attend college in America. A decade later they married. In the ’90s, on a winning combination of hard work and improbable good fortune, they rode the Silicon Valley wave to success. They bought a house, they bought a car, they became citizens, and were primed to pass on their victories to another generation. By all accounts, they fulfilled that great prophecy, the American Dream. I have to wonder if my parents, in today’s world, would have decided to come to America at all.
Advertisement
Every hour Americans receive increasingly deranged news about a pandemic which has brought this country to its knees. Yet I see proof from other countries that it is possible to provide everyone proper PPE, monthly additional income for the duration of Covid-19, and free and accessible health care, and flatten the curve. It feels like a blunt metaphor that most of America’s wounds from the pandemic are self-inflicted. While we’re seeing record-breaking death counts well into July, abroad, they’re opening up restaurants, bookstores and movie theatres. A dark movie theatre, a cold drink, the faint crunch of popcorn... such innocuous pleasures feel a world away.
“Here, or so the dominant narrative goes, anyone can have it all. That’s the beautiful thing about this country. Most people would never dream that leaving America could be a good thing.”
I consider myself extraordinarily privileged that I can even think of watching movies. I still have a place to live, I’m not in debt, and I have enough to pay for essentials. I have benefitted and continue to benefit in a million spoken and unspoken ways from my privilege. I am an American citizen, cisgender, a “model minority,” I and graduated from an expensive private university without student loans. I’m 23, healthy and live in New York which grants me access to incredible opportunities (if rent extortion). Yet with all my advantages, even before the pandemic, I found that I faced existential questions due to the poor policy priorities of this and past administrations.
I’m privileged enough that I’m able to consider moving to another country as a viable option, and I’m able to write this very essay. My parents came from countries that don’t afford the same civic and human rights, social norms, job opportunities, or amenities we consider day-to-day essentials.
Advertisement
When I tell my father that I’m thinking of moving to a different country, I’m met with shock and confusion. What was all that struggle for – all the years he was separated from his parents, the financial instability, the racism at school, and later, at work—if not to bring me up in the land of opportunity? I don’t know what it’s like to go hungry for days, or to not be able to (constantly) speak my mind. Here, or so the dominant narrative goes, anyone can have it all. That’s the beautiful thing about this country. Most people would never dream that leaving America could be a good thing.
My mother, always four steps ahead, thinks it’s not such a bad idea. When I tell her I’d like to move to Montreal, she texts me: “Yeah with global warming, Canada is not such a bad place??”
“The repetition of increasingly insurmountable and uniquely American failures makes me wonder the forbidden thing: if this country is beyond saving.”
My parents have lived their whole lives as survivalists. Perhaps in one sense, they’ve passed that trait along to me; I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it’s entirely possible that with all my privilege I’m blind to all that I have.
Part of me wonders why I shouldn’t just stay here and keep fighting to make this country a better place. I could attend more protests. I could volunteer at asylum clinics. I could continue to vote, I could donate more to mutual-aid organizations, bail funds. I’ve done these things already, although not nearly enough.
Advertisement
On the one hand, donating and helping in whatever small ways I can makes me feel better, more hopeful. On the other hand, the repetition of increasingly insurmountable and uniquely American failures makes me wonder the forbidden thing: if this country is beyond saving.
Moreover, that infamous hustle, that “American spirit,” has translated into a grotesque capitalisation on suffering. Right now, Wall Street vultures consider the uptick in evictions a “bonanza,” a “once-in-a-lifetime real estate opportunity.” Once in whose lifetime?
“I don’t want to be here anymore. I realize I say this as a very lucky person. Yet with all my luck and privilege I don’t currently have health care.”
I don’t want to be here anymore. I realise I say this as a very lucky person. Yet with all my luck and privilege I don’t currently have health care. My parents’ expectations are that as a grown adult I should be able to provide for myself, but with cheapest options available at $500 per month it feels like there’s no choice at all. I’m afraid that if I break an ankle or catch Covid-19 and discover underlying complications, I’ll have to drain my savings to save myself. I rent an apartment but I have no fantasies of owning property.
Advertisement
I’ve invested in a 401k, but I have doubts it will be there or be enough by the time I need to use it. If I lose the gig that’s keeping me afloat, I’ll have to rely on unemployment. For now, that looks like an extra $600 per week on top of existing benefits, which is more than someone would make at a job that pays $15 per hour. I should note that as of today, that extra $600 is slated to end in two weeks, and Congress still has not made up its mind whether they’ll continue the program.
I’m constantly subject to the arbitrary whims of a government that prioritises Twitter tantrums over human lives. Being lucky in America means that there’s no safety net between me and the ground, even while sex traffickers, warmongers, pillagers, and rapists are shielded from impunity. Make it make sense.
My family never fails to remind me that they came to America to make a better life for me. My story is not mine alone ― it’s the cornerstone of millions of first-generation Americans’ stories. My generation, however, is perhaps the first to see America in decline, crumbling right before our very eyes. More than a third of young adults in America believe there are better countries than the U.S. I’m one of them.
“My family never fails to remind me that they came to America to make a better life for me. My story is not mine alone ― it’s the cornerstone of millions of first-generation Americans’ stories.”
Yes, you can still find spectacular success in America, but living here is a gamble for which the price of losing is one’s life. For all of Trump’s efforts in trying to keep people out ― and let’s be honest, Trump is a symptom of the rot, not the rot itself ― there is little thought put into keeping people in. The deep irony of all of this is that most international borders are now closed to Americans.
Advertisement
When they open back up, I think I’ll have my eyes set on somewhere else. I want to go somewhere where health care is considered a right, not a privilege, and where a gun isn’t considered more valuable than a human life. Somewhere where my freedom isn’t predicated on how much money I can funnel into the economy. Where true justice doesn’t feel improbable, even impossible.
By leaving America, I’ll hope I’ll be able to continue that quintessential American pastime, which feels so impossible right now: to dream, and dream, and dream.
This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Everything We Know About The Beirut Blast That Killed At Least 100

LOADING ERROR LOADING
At least 100 people have been killed and 4,000 are injured after a large explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut as images showed a giant column of smoke rising over the city.
The most powerful explosion to hit Beirut in years shook the ground, leaving some residents thinking an earthquake had struck. The blast was so large it was felt over a hundred miles away in Cyprus.
Advertisement
The blast occurred in the city’s port area, where there were warehouses housing explosives.
President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures. He said it was “unacceptable”.
Hours after the blast, ambulances still carried away the wounded as army helicopters helped battle fires raging at the port.
George Kettani, the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross, said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 were wounded.
“What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe. There are victims and casualties everywhere,” he said.
Advertisement
Footage of the blast shared by residents on social media showed a huge plume of smoke rising from the port district followed by an enormous blast. Those filming what initially appeared to be a big blaze were thrown backwards by the shock of the explosion.
Another view of the explosions in Beirut pic.twitter.com/efT5VlpMkj — Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) August 4, 2020
My brother sent me this, we live 10 KM away from the explosion site and the glass of our bldgs got shattered. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/MPByBc673m — Abir Ghattas (@AbirGhattas) August 4, 2020
I am told this was a warehouse storing fireworks that blew up.
There were literally tons of fireworks there, so the explosion was gigantic and the impact radius felt across the city (glass in my own family's homes in different parts of Beirut blew up). https://t.co/L6hfhOhBZT — Rym Momtaz ريم ممتاز (@RymMomtaz) August 4, 2020
Advertisement
“I have never in my life seen disaster this big, this grand, this catastrophic,” said Beiruit’s governor, Marwan Abboud, before he broke down crying.
“This is a national catastrophe. This a disaster for Lebanon. We don’t know how we’re going to recover from this. We need to stay strong and we need to be courageous, but this, our people have been through so much.”
One witness told the Reuters news agency: “I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street.”
Another Reuters witness said she saw heavy grey smoke near the port area and then heard an explosion and saw flames of fire and black smoke: “All the downtown area windows are smashed and there are wounded people walking around. It is total chaos.”
Smoke rises after a fire at a warehouse with explosives at the Port of Beirut led to massive blasts in Beirut, Lebanon. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Advertisement
Firefighters carry an injured person from the scene following a large explosion at the Port of Beirut. Bloomberg via Getty Images (Photographer: Hasan Shaban)
A wounded man walks near the scene of an explosion in Beirut. ANWAR AMRO via Getty Images
Lebanon’s health care system is already being outstretched by chronic underfunding and a surge in coronavirus cases. Doctors and nurses had already warned of a shortage of medical supplies, including anaesthesia drugs and sutures, the AP reported last week. The American University of Beirut Medical Center, one of the most prestigious hospitals in the Middle East, laid off hundreds of workers in recent weeks.
Lebanon is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades, with its currency losing more than 80% of its value and unemployment soaring, pushing millions of people into poverty.
The crisis began last year, before the coronavirus pandemic hit: Lebanon has long relied on reserves of foreign currency, particularly the US dollar, for essential imports, but political leaders and banks failed to maintain that stock or to develop the economy to produce exports and earn money. The virus-related global economic slowdown further hurt Lebanon’s economy and slashed inflows of money from Lebanese working abroad who suddenly faced reduced circumstances.
Advertisement
Last autumn, tens of thousands of protesters staged weeks of largely peaceful demonstrations against Lebanon’s ruling elite over their failure to deliver basic services and to prevent the financial crunch.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
picture alliance via Getty Images
The explosion occurred three days before a UN-backed court is due to deliver a verdict in the trial of four suspects from the Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah over a 2005 bombing which killed former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri and 21 others.
Hariri was killed by a huge truck bomb on the same waterfront, about one mile from the port.
Israeli officials said Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, had nothing to do with Tuesday’s blast and said their country was ready to give humanitarian and medical assistance. Shi’ite Iran, the main backer of Hezbollah, also offered support, as did Tehran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, a leading Sunni power.
Advertisement
Western countries including the US, Britain and France said they were ready to assist.
Images showed port buildings reduced to tangled masonry, devastating the main entry point to a country that relies on food imports to feed its population of more than 6 million.
It threatens a new humanitarian crisis in a nation that hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and which is already grappling with economic meltdown under one of the world’s biggest debt burdens.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Government Under Pressure To Avoid Exam Results 'Disaster' That Hurts Poorest

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
The government is under pressure to ensure exam results in England “will not exacerbate existing inequalities” after students from poorer backgrounds in Scotland were hit hardest by downgrading.
Advertisement
Eduction bosses across the UK are grappling with the first school year without exams, and the Scottish government on Tuesday came under fire after the first attempt at moderation across the four nations appeared to favour more affluent pupils.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon was forced to defend the Scottish Qualifications Authority over its model that reduced the pass rate of the poorest Higher pupils by more than twice that of the richest.
Education commentators said basing results on a school’s previous performance, rather than an individual’s track record, had led to “systemic biasing in favour of the least deprived”.
Now Labour has written to education secretary Gavin Williamson calling for “urgent reassurance” that the same will not be repeated south of the border next week.
Advertisement
In a letter to Williamson, shadow education secretary Kate Green warned this year’s system of assessment following the Covid-19 pandemic “risks creating winners and losers and some children in schools that have been improving are those who could lose out the most”.
Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, cautioned “the system risks baking in inequality” as she branded the handling of Highers results in Scotland “disastrous”.
Setting out a series of concerns, Green said: “All students deserve to receive grades on their own merit and not a computer algorithm. It is therefore vital that students, teachers and parents understand the way in which results will primarily be determined, and how a balance is to be achieved between performance at centre level and consideration of students’ individual performance.
“If the eventual results are determined primarily at centre level, there is a significant danger that inequality will be baked into the system, as students will be judged on their schools’ prior attainment and not on individual merit.”
Green argued there remained “serious concerns” about the appeals process as she asked what support would be given for a “fair and accessible” process of appeals.
Advertisement
The letter argued: “Nicola Sturgeon has failed a generation of young Scots by ensuring that the inequality and attainment gap has been further entrenched through her failure to act on the injustice of the moderation system. We cannot allow that to happen here in England next week.”
Green asked whether providers of post-16 and post-18 education should “be flexible” when making offers.
In a statement, Green said: “Yesterday’s disastrous handling of Highers results in Scotland shows what can go wrong when computer algorithms drive students’ grades, and politicians wash their hands of responsibility.
“With A-level results just over a week away, and GCSE results due the week after, it’s imperative the government acts now to reassure worried students, teachers and parents.
“Young people deserve to have their hard work assessed on merit, but the system risks baking in inequality and doing most harm to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, those from ethnic minority groups and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Advertisement
“Ministers must urgently set out how they’ll ensure the results next week will not exacerbate existing inequalities, and what extra support they’ll give to students who feel they’ve been unfairly graded to navigate the appeals process.”
In Scotland, the pass rate of pupils in the most deprived data zones was reduced by 15.2% from teacher estimates after the exam board’s intervention.
In contrast, the pass rate for pupils from the most affluent backgrounds dropped by 6.9%.
But Sturgeon said that without the moderation there would have been a 19.8% increase of the pass rate among the poorest fifth of pupils, which would have been “unprecedented and therefore not credible”.
Sturgeon said: “What we want to make sure is that this year’s results have the degree of credibility that means that they are not so out of sync with previous years that people are going to look at them and say ‘they don’t make any sense’.”
An SQA spokesman said: “The most disadvantaged young people have achieved better results in 2020 compared to both 2019 and the average results for the last four years.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Donald Trump Repeats False Claim About Black Lives Matter Origins

LOADING ERROR LOADING
US president Donald Trump on Wednesday peddled disinformation about the origin of the Black Lives Matter movement, falsely claiming it began with a group of marchers chanting that police officers should “fry like bacon”.
During an interview with “Fox & Friends”, Trump called athletes who kneel in support of Black Lives Matter during the national anthem “disgraceful” and declared he’s done more for Black Americans than almost anyone.
Advertisement
“Black Lives Matter ― where did it start?” Trump said. “Marching down streets screaming ‘Pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon.’ They were talking about policemen.”
He continued: “So all of a sudden, this has taken on this air of great respectability. Well, how does it start there? It’s a Marxist group. It’s a Marxist group that is not looking for good things for our country.”
Trump and his allies, including White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, have been pushing this false Black Lives Matter origin story for weeks. Though the movement has been around for several years, it garnered mainstream support following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in May.
The chant Trump cited can be heard in a 2015 video of a Black Lives Matter protest in St Paul, Minnesota. The group was not an official chapter of the national Black Lives Matter organisation, according to CNN.
Advertisement
Rashad Turner, a founder of the St Paul Black Lives Matter group, told CNN that the chant wasn’t intended to promote violence and was only used that one time.
Black Lives Matter, a massive, decentralised movement against police brutality and racial injustice, began two years earlier with a hashtag. #BlackLivesMatter was created by three Black activists in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Black teenager Trayvon Martin.
Over the years, the movement morphed into the Black Lives Matter Global Network and created guiding principles for other official chapters to adopt in an effort to end state-sanctioned violence and racism. Principles include acknowledging, respecting and celebrating differences and commonalities, as well as being “unapologetically Black in our positioning”, according to its website.
Anyone can start a Black Lives Matter group, though that doesn’t make it an official chapter of the national organisation.
As CNN stated, there’s no way to say with certainty that the “fry like bacon” chant was never again used by protesters who align themselves with Black Lives Matter, but it’s certainly not an official or prominent slogan associated with the movement.
Advertisement
But that hasn’t stopped Trump and Fox News from linking the chant to the entire Black Lives Matter movement ― the largest protest movement in US history, according to The New York Times.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted in July found 63% of Americans support the Black Lives Matter movement.
But Trump claimed on Wednesday that most Americans agree with him when it comes to athletes kneeling in solidarity.
“We’ve got to stand up for our flag, we have to stand up for our country, we have to stand up for our anthem,” Trump said. “And a lot of people agree with me. Hey, if I’m wrong I’m going to lose an election, OK? And that’s OK with me.”
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Caroline Flack’s Family Say Love Island Star Was ‘Seriously Let Down By Authorities’ And ‘Hounded’ B

Caroline Flack’s Family Say Love Island Star Was ‘Seriously Let Down By Authorities’ And ‘Hounded’ By The Press

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Caroline Flack was “seriously let down by the authorities” and was “hounded” by the press over her forthcoming trial in the weeks before she died, her inquest heard.
The 40-year-old Love Island presenter took her own life at her home in Stoke Newington, north-east London, in February this year.
Advertisement
Caroline was on bail and awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to charges of assault, following a row with her boyfriend Lewis Burton in December 2019.
At Wednesday’s inquest at Poplar Coroner’s Court in east London, coroner Mary Hassell read statements from Caroline’s mother Chris and twin sister Jody, in which they outlined concerns they had about the presenter.
Caroline Flack Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters
“I believe Caroline was seriously let down by the authorities and in particular the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) for pursuing the case,” her mother’s statement read.
Advertisement
“I believe this was a show trial. I feel the prosecutor was unkind to Caroline and my family. I was threatened with arrest when I tried to speak.
“There was disputed evidence in court. The result of the media attention of this hearing forced Caroline to leave her home, which she loved.
“Being well known should not allow special treatment, but should not allow making an example of someone.”
She added: “She lost the job she worked so hard at.
“I was with her the weekend before her death, in her new flat. When I said goodbye to her that day I never thought it would be for the last time. I kissed her and she said: ‘Bye mum’.
“She asked if all the family would go with her to court and we said of course.
“I was called on Saturday lunchtime (February 15 2020) to say Carrie (Caroline) had died. I believe she was heartbroken.
Advertisement
“I know nothing will bring her back, but I do want people to know what a lovely, kind, generous person she was.”
Caroline Flack leaves Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court where she plead not guilty to assaulting boyfriend Lewis Burton. Jonathan Brady - PA Images via Getty Images
Twin sister Jody said she believed the TV star tried to take her own life in December, ahead of her first appearance at the magistrates court for the assault charge.
She said Caroline was “in a very anxious state of mind” before her death and said an ambulance had been called for her four times previously.
“Heartbreak is something Caroline found extremely difficult,” she said.
“She attempted to take her own life the night before she appeared in court. I believe the shame … was too much to deal with.”
Advertisement
A doctor was called to Caroline’s hotel room the night before her court appearance. However, he deemed that she was not suicidal, nor did she need hospital treatment, the inquest heard.
Caroline’s sister added: “She was called a ‘killer’ and an ‘abuser’ on the front of the newspapers.
“The press and the public found this a very entertaining angle, and was spiralling out of control.
“Her life and reputation she worked hard to build was falling apart … because of a false accusation. It was our belief it would not be happening to her if she wasn’t in the public eye.
“At worst, her career and reputation, so precious to her, had been taken away.”
She said sections of the press were “hounding her” and had paid the neighbours to inform them on her movements.
“Caroline spent the last few months of her life hiding inside, scared of the abuse,” she said. “Caroline seemed very sad the day before her death – she seemed to have lost her fight.”
The Flack family had increased concerns about her mental state as the trial loomed, while Lewis also pleaded to the CPS to drop the case.
Advertisement
Caroline Flack and Lewis Burton MAtrix / MediaPunch/MediaPunch/IPx
He said she was “very upset” the last time he saw her, although it was not stated when this was.
He said: “She was very upset, in fact devastated, she was not in a good place emotionally.
“Sometimes she talked about taking her own life when she was extremely upset.
“The media were constantly bashing her character, writing hurtful stories … generally hounding her daily.
“What was worrying her most was the police case and losing her presenting job on Love Island, plus not being able to see me.”
Her death prompted an outpouring of sorrow from celebrity friends, colleagues and fans, who referenced one of Caroline’s social media posts from December in which she urged people to “be kind”.
Advertisement
Useful websites and helplines
Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--Why NHS Test And Trace Isn't Working

Why NHS Test And Trace Isn't Working

The NHS Test and Trace system – which has been branded “world beating” by the prime minister – is meant to be a serious weapon in the government’s arsenal in the fight against Covid-19.
But serious concerns have been raised about its effectiveness, at the centre of which are questions about how many people are actually being reached by contact tracers.
Advertisement
Figures released on Thursday showed that just 62.6% of cases of people who tested positive for Covid-19 were being reached and told to self-isolate to stop the spread of the virus.
These latest figures are the worst since the so-called NHS Test and Trace service (which is largely run by outsourced private companies) was launched in May, but only the latest evidence the system is not working.
Without a viable “test, trace and isolate” system, thousands upon thousands of people could be going out and spreading the disease unknowingly. Cases will continue to rise – as will deaths.
HuffPost UK spoke to councils who described being forced to set up their own procedures in order to plug holes in the one-size-fits-all national system.
Advertisement
Here are the reasons why the current Test and Trace system is failing the country.
Language barriers
For the councils who have forged their own paths and created local tracing schemes, there are a number of holes in the national strategy – many of which focus on the one-size-fits-all approach by the government.
In August, Calderdale Council in West Yorkshire launched its own tracking system, after it was estimated that the NHS Test and Trace system was only reaching 68% of contacts in Calderdale amid a surge of coronavirus cases in the area.
A Covid-19 testing centre in Calderdale, one of the areas where local measures have been implemented to prevent the spread of coronavirus. PA
The local tracing scheme focuses on contacting the people who have been missed by the national system – which attempts to reach people for 48 hours before moving on – and live in areas with high levels of coronavirus.
Like other local systems, the Calderdale scheme takes the data collected by the NHS Test and Trace scheme and follows it up.
Advertisement
In Calderdale, many of the people who are falling through the gaps of the NHS system do not have English as a first language or are asylum seekers or refugees, said Deborah Harkin, the council’s director of public health.
“We have local knowledge of our communities that no national system could ever have,” she said. “And that local knowledge of our communities will really help us tailor the contact tracing intervention to particular communities.
“So for some groups it will be speaking the community language. In other instances it will be working with voluntary organisations who are trusted in the local community.”
People don’t answer the phone
Calderdale’s local tracing system uses local phone numbers to contact people, but will also go door-to-door to reach people – another difference from the national programme.
“Some people in our really disadvantaged areas live in circumstances which mean it’s difficult for them to engage with a national service,” Harkins said.
Advertisement
“For example, worries about unrecognised phone numbers – ‘Who is that ringing me?’ There are lots of reasons people might be afraid of receiving calls from numbers they don’t know.”
Unlike other councils, which have blasted the national service, Calderdale wants to work “in partnership” with the NHS system.
But the council has warned that it must get additional support from the government in order to make tracing in the area effective and push down rates of coronavirus.
An NHS Test and Trace form offered to customers at the Shakespeare's Head pub in Holborn, London PA
“When we put together our local outbreak prevention and management plan, we were told that it wasn’t something we would be expected to do – the local contact tracing,” Harkins said.
Advertisement
“So the allocation the government gave us for outbreak prevention and control, we have allocated that for other functions we are responsible for.”
It’s too slow
Other local authorities have issued much more direct criticism of the national system. Sandwell Council – one of the first councils to set up their own tracing system – accused the NHS Test and Trace scheme of lacking “urgency”.
“I wouldn’t quite go as far as to say we’ve given up on Test and Trace, but we’re not happy with just allowing them to do their job any more,” Lisa McNally, Sanwell’s director of public health, told Sky News.
“As soon as the new case comes in now, we’re not waiting for Test and Trace to fail to reach them – we’re phoning them the same day.”
Like Calderdale, Sandwell Council is focusing on using its local language resources to reach the people missed by the national system.
Advertisement
“We will have a language speaker available for them, immediately – if we find out they only speak Punjabi, Urdu, Arabic, et cetera – so we can first of all give the important messages that they need to know,” she said.
It only looks forward, not backward
But not every council that has launched its own tracing programme to plug the holes in the NHS Test and Trace system is focused on reaching the contacts missed by national tracers.
Liverpool City Council is carrying out “reverse contact tracing” – something director of public health Matthew Ashton branded “complementary but different” from the national system.
While Test and Trace officials said in July they were trialling backward contact tracing – which tries to identify where a coronavirus patient contracted the virus in the first place – it has not yet been rolled out across the country.
Royal Liver Building in LiverpoolLiverpool, North West England, UK. benkrut via Getty Images
Advertisement
“Reverse contact tracing is asking positive cases where they have been for the last 10 to 14 days and therefore where they might have got the virus from in the first place,” Ashton said.
This strategy is key for tackling outbreaks of coronavirus head-on, he explained.
“It allows us to try and understand where the sources of the virus might be – the risk factors. Is it coming from a school, a business, a meat-processing plant, a religious setting, a community gathering?
“It allows us to then put other interventions into place to control that risk.
“We have an outbreak in our Princess Park ward and therefore we have a small group of people on the streets, going door to door with positive cases and asking them more questions to try and understand those routes of transmission.
“It also means we can understand their situation and offer them support if they need it.”
Like Calderdale, Liverpool wants to work “hand in hand” with the national system.
The Local Government Association has called for councils to be given everything they need to help reach those missed by national tracers, saying Covid-19 must be seen as a “pattern of local outbreaks, rather than a national pandemic with a similar impact in every community”.
“Councils’ public health teams need to be able to use their unique expertise, including speaking other languages and understanding of their communities, to try to reach those who cannot be contacted by the test and trace system,” a spokesperson said.
Advertisement
They must be given the right “powers, flexibilities, data and long-term funding”, they added.
It’s not testing enough
The UK’s Pillar 1 testing for hospital inpatients and health and care workers, for which results are analysed at NHS and Public Health England labs, appears to be meeting demand. The problem lies with Pillar 2 testing, which focuses on testing people in the community – at local drive-in and walk-in sites.
People queue outside a Covid-19 testing centre in Walthamstow. Mark Case via Getty Images
Stories have abounded of people unable to access tests, being told there are no appointments available at centres in England and no home tests kits available either. In some cases people were told to travel hundreds of miles only to find the centre had already closed.
Although the system has managed to dramatically increase testing capacity from 2,000 a day to around 300,000 a day, its performance on getting tests to those who need them has remained under fire – and it is still well short of the 500,000 a day target.
Dido Harding, chair of NHS Test and Trace, has defended testing failures by saying there was an “unexpected” surge in demand, with many people without symptoms said to be seeking checks.
Advertisement
It’s not quick enough
A fast turnaround for test results is crucial to tackling the spread of Covid-19. The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has stressed the importance of delivering rapid test results, ideally within 24 hours.
Boris Johnson has previously told parliament that he wanted a 100% completion rate by the end of June, but that ambition has never been met.
But the latest official figures showed just 32.6% of people who had an “in-person test” – at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit – receiving their result within 24 hours.
This is up from 27.4% in the previous week, but still a long way short of the 100% that Boris Johnson promised. The median distance needed to travel to a test also fell.
For all testing routes, including home tests and satellite centres used for care homes, just 14.8% got results within 24 hours, up on the 12.8% in the previous week.
Advertisement
It isn’t tracing
At the centre of all the concerns surrounding NHS Test and Trace are questions about how many people are actually being reached by contact tracers.
Figures released on Thursday showed just 62.6% of “close contacts” – defined as being within two metres of a Covid carrier for more than 15 minutes – are actually being reached.
Figures show just two thirds of “close contacts” are actually being reached. Dan Kitwood via Getty Images
This represents the worst ever figures for tracking down “close contacts” of people with Covid, since the so-called NHS Test and Trace was launched in May, and down on the previous week’s 68.8%, itself a record low at the time.
It means that nearly a third of all people who have been in contact with someone testing positive for the virus have not been reached – and not told to home quarantine for 14 days.
Advertisement
The PM’s independent scientific advisers have repeatedly warned that stopping the spread of the disease requires more than 80% of “close contacts” of people with Covid reached by the system to be identified and then told to self-isolate.
The public doesn’t trust it
The NHS Test and Trace system, which is headed by Tory peer and former TalkTalk phone giant boss Dido Harding, has been dogged by criticism since it began earlier this year, with many attacking its use of private firms like Serco and Deloitte.
Recent reports that private sector consultants are being paid day rates of around £7,000 to help with the system have been slammed by Labour, who say the government is “obsessed” with outsourcing.
The so-called NHS Test and Trace system is headed by Tory peer and former TalkTalk phone giant boss Dido Harding. JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images
Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday: “It’s failing to reach people who have come into contact with someone with the virus, it’s not getting information to local councils who need to act on it and it’s wasting hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of taxpayers’ money that could be spent on a local response using local expertise.”
Advertisement
A Survation survey, shared exclusively with HuffPost UK, has shown 74% want local public health teams, rather than Serco and Sitel, to run NHS Test and Trace.
There has also been widespread public anger over ministers and government officials breaching or forgetting Covid lockdown restrictions, reinforcing the “one rule for them, another for everyone else” argument as the rest of the country toes the line.
Last month Tory MP Danny Kruger was caught out by a member of the public travelling unmasked for the entire duration of an hour-long train journey, later claiming he “quite simply forgot”.
And of course there was the time the PM’s chief aide Dominic Cummings visited Barnard Castle with his wife and son to test his “eyesight” having travelled from London to Durham at the height of the pandemic.
Defending NHS Test and Trace
The prime minister has apologised for the “bad experiences” people have had with NHS Test and Trace after weeks of failings in the service, saying he took “full responsibility” for the underperformance.
Advertisement
On Thursday health secretary Matt Hancock told MPs: “This week’s NHS Test and Trace statistics show that testing capacity is up, testing turnaround times are down, and the distance travelled for tests is down too.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--Katie Price Receives 'Absolutely Devastating' News About Her Broken Feet: 'I'm Gutted'

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Katie Price has been left “absolutely devastated” after receiving bad news about her two broken feet.
The reality star ended up in hospital last week, after breaking both of her feet when she jumped from a wall during a trip to an amusement park while on holiday in Turkey.
Advertisement
Katie previously revealed she’d been told she would not be able to walk for three to six months and could have to have pins put in her feet.
However, she received more bad news from medics on Wednesday.
Katie Price PA
Having arrived back in the UK, Katie said on Instagram that she was “gutted” after attending an appointment.
She wrote on her Story: “Just finished my appointment with my consultant and surgeon about my feet.
“After further scans, the news is absolutely devastating,” she said cryptically. “I’m gutted!”
According to The Mirror, Katie has found out that “her injuries are not as straight forward as doctors originally believed”, with her spokesperson telling the paper that she will be revealing more details on her YouTube channel.
Advertisement
Katie fractured her heels and ankles when she jumped from a wall while she was visiting the Land of Legends park in Belek with new boyfriend Carl Woods and children Junior and Princess.
The former Loose Women panellist has already shared a video of herself receiving hospital treatment in Turkey for her injuries.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--Rookie Police Dog Proves He's A Very Good Boy During First Shift

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Max the police dog proved himself during his very first shift on the job.
The two-year-old German shepherd and his handler, PC Peter Lloyd, were “crucial” in tracking down a missing mother and her one-year-old son in Powys, Wales, on Saturday afternoon, according to Dyfed-Powys police.
Max and Lloyd were drafted to find the mum and son after the mother’s car was found on a mountain road. The pair hadn’t been seen for two days.
Advertisement
A missing mother and baby were found on the edge of a ravine after spending the night outdoors thanks to a police dog on his first shift.
Well done Max 🐾 👏 👏 👏https://t.co/8o3YKGZmcW pic.twitter.com/Xs1vIyzoUq — HeddluDPPolice (@DyfedPowys) August 5, 2020
Max and Lloyd covered “a significant distance” in 90 minutes, with the support of mountain rescue teams and a police helicopter, and discovered the mother and son on the edge of a ravine, where they had stayed overnight.
“They were safe, but cold, and appeared to have been in the area for a significant amount of time,” police Inspector Jonathan Rees-Jones said in a statement Wednesday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--NHS Test And Trace Is Getting Worse At Reaching Covid Patients' Close Contacts

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
The government’s “world beating” test and trace service is still failing to reach thousands of Covid-19 patients and their close contacts to ensure they self-isolate.
Advertisement
Figures released on Thursday by the Department of Health and Social Care showed that, between July 23 and July 29, just 72% of positive cases were contacted by NHS Test and Trace, which is chaired by Tory peer Dido Harding.
In turn, contact tracers were only able to reach 72% of Covid-19 patients close contacts.
The numbers represent a percentage fall from the previous week, when 81% of positive cases were reached and 76% of their close contacts were reached.
“The overall percentage of contacts reached has been declining since Test and Trace began,” the government report admits.
Since the service’s launch nine weeks ago, a total of 47,762 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England have had their cases transferred to NHS Test and Trace.
Advertisement
Of this total, 37,231 people (78.0%) were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts, while 9,032 (18.9%) were not reached.
A further 1,499 people (3.1%) could not be reached because their communication details had not been provided. The figures cover the period May 28 to July 29.
Baroness Dido Harding during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on coronavirus (COVID-19). PA
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus, said the government needed to ensure the service gets better.
She said: “Without an effective test and trace system, the UK’s recovery plan is built on sand. Coronavirus hasn’t gone away, and it continues to threaten our health and our health services.
Advertisement
“We still have little clarity on the government’s strategy. But if they are serious about controlling this pandemic and re-opening schools, they need to get a grip on test and trace.
“The government have already paused the lifting of lockdown once, causing further economic damage to the country. These figures should act as a further giant wakeup call to them.”
The new report also shows that cases handled by local health protection teams had more successful tracing rates, with 98.0% of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 reached and asked to self-isolate over the last nine weeks.
By contrast, for those cases handled either online or by call centres, 56.1% of close contacts have been reached and asked to self-isolate.
Around three in four people (77.9%) who were tested for Covid-19 in the week ending July 29 at a regional site or mobile testing unit – a so-called “in-person” test – received their result within 24 hours.
Advertisement
This is up on 76.4% in the previous week, but down on 90.8% in the week to July 1.
Prime minister Boris Johnson had pledged that, by the end of June, the results of all in-person tests would be back within 24 hours.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--The Matrix Was A Trans Allegory All Along, Confirms Co-Creator Lilly Wachowski

LOADING ERROR LOADING
In 1999, an ad campaign for a mysterious new movie asked, “What is the Matrix?” More than two decades later, creator Lilly Wachowski has confirmed that it’s much more than anyone could’ve imagined.
In a video for Netflix, Lilly Wachowski, who co-directed the science fiction franchise with sister Lana, confirmed that The Matrix is a trans allegory.
Advertisement
“I’m glad that it has gotten out that that was the original intention,” Lilly said, adding, “The corporate world wasn’t ready for it.”
The Matrix tells the story of a hacker named Neo (Keanu Reeves), who realises he lives in a simulated reality.
Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Ronald Siemoneit via Getty Images
Following Lilly coming out as a trans woman in 2016, and her sister coming out in 2010, many fans and critics started analysing the franchise through a trans lens, which Lilly previously voiced her approval for during an appearance at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2016.
Advertisement
In the new video, Lilly reflected more on people seeing the films as a trans narrative, saying: “I love how meaningful those films are to trans people and the way that they come up to me and say, ‘These movies saved my life.’
“Because when you talk about transformation, specifically in the world of science fiction, which is just about imagination and world building and the idea of the seemingly impossible becoming possible, I think that’s why it speaks to them so much.”
Lilly Wachowski pictured in January 2020 Dia Dipasupil via Getty Images
For the filmmaker, The Matrix is all about “the desire for transformation, but it was all coming from a closeted point of view.” Wachowski also explained how the original script had the character Switch becoming a man in the real world and a woman in the Matrix.
“I don’t know how present my trans-ness was in the background of my brain as we were writing it, but it all came from the same sort of fire that I’m talking about,” Wachowski said.
Advertisement
The Wachowskis’ franchise has earned more than $1.5 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and a fourth film is due out in 2022.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--Government Wastes Millions On PPE That Doesn't Work – Again

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Coronavirus has changed everything. Make sense of it all with the Waugh Zone, our evening politics briefing. Sign up now.
The government should be investigated after again blowing millions of pounds of public cash on PPE that didn’t work, Labour has urged.
Advertisement
It comes after the revelation that 50m face masks, bought as part of a £252m contract with Ayanda Capital – a London firm that specialises in “currency trading, offshore property, private equity and trade financing – proved essentially useless to health workers.
Ayanda insists the masks from China, which use ear-loop fastenings rather than head loops, meet specifications, but a government safety probe found they may not fit tightly enough.
The safety ruling was disclosed in a legal response to the Good Law Project.
It follows a series of other failed PPE deals during the coronavirus pandemic and demands for the National Audit Office (NAO) to intervene are growing.
“The face fit is either a pass or a fail and there are more fails on products with ear loops than there are on products with head harnesses,” says Alan Murray, chief executive of the British Safety Industry Federation.
Advertisement
“That means that it wouldn’t necessarily provide the protection that was required from it.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for an inquiry into the purchase of the masks.
He said: “For months we were told that the government was purchasing the right equipment for the front line. Yet again it hasn’t happened.
“There needs now to be an investigation, an inquiry, into what went wrong with this particular contract because it’s just not good enough to people who need that protective equipment that we find ourselves in this position.”
Since the outbreak, the government has been scrambling to buy PPE as much of the UK’s national stockpile was found to be out of date.
Among many failed PPE deals since March was a shipment of medical gowns from Turkey. The RAF was drafted in to fly in the 400,000 gowns but a UK safety inspection found them unsafe.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
The government also disclosed in court papers that the original approach to sell the masks came from a businessman called Andrew Mills, director at a company called Prospermill, which had secured exclusive rights to the full production capacity of a large factory in China to produce masks and offer a large quantity almost immediately.
The legal document revealed Mills requested DHSC’s contractual counterparty should be Ayanda rather than Prospermill, as Ayanda already had an established international banking infrastructure that could be used to effect the necessary payments overseas, whereas Prospermill’s own bank had indicated it could take some time to set this up on its own account.
The government also said in court papers that Mills is an adviser to the UK Board of Trade and a senior board adviser at Ayanda.
Mills has said his position played no part in the award of the contract, the broadcaster reported.
Rachel Reeves, Labour shadow Cabinet Office minister, has also called for an investigation.
She said: “It is astounding that ministers allowed the national PPE stockpile to run down and then spent millions with an offshore finance company with no history of providing vital equipment for the NHS.
“Many health and care workers experienced inadequate protection, relied on community donations and even bought their own PPE from DIY shops.
Advertisement
“Ministers repeatedly assured the country that things were fine, yet lives of health workers were lost, the infection was spread in health settings while all that time masks bought by the government could not be used for their intended purpose.
“The case for the National Audit Office to investigate the Conservative government’s mishandling of PPE is overwhelming and as well as apologise, ministers must urgently learn lessons to save lives in the future.”
Liberal Democrat MP and chair of the all party parliamentary group on coronavirus Layla Moran said the government has “serious questions to answer over this shocking waste of taxpayers’ money”.
She said: “We urgently need a clear strategy for procuring PPE so that NHS and care staff on the frontline are not left without.
“That should include a review of the process for handing out contracts to prevent these colossal errors from happening again.”
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--The Most Common Long-Term Symptoms Of Covid-19

LOADING ERROR LOADING
We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus pandemic. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
For around one in 10 people who develop Covid-19, the symptoms don’t pass after a few weeks.
Dubbed ‘long Covid’, the issue is impacting the lives of many in the UK. Some have been hospitalised and still struggle with the effects months later, while others have dealt with the virus and a multitude of symptoms at home.
Advertisement
But research is only just beginning to scratch the surface on the effects of the virus long-term.
A new study from the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has identified a pattern of longer-term symptoms likely to be experienced by people hospitalised with the virus.
Fatigue, breathlessness, psychological distress – including problems with concentration and memory – and a general decline in quality of life are commonly reported in those who end up in hospital.
HuffPost UK has previously spoken to long Covid patients who dealt with the virus from home – and many still experienced symptoms months down the line.
Advertisement
For the study, researchers spoke to 100 people recovering from the virus, four to eight weeks after they were discharged from hospital. They were divided into two groups: those who had become critically ill and needed intensive care (32 people); and those who were treated on a ward without needing intensive care (68 people).
The results showed the most prevalent symptom was fatigue. More than 60% who had been treated on a ward reported fatigue, and one third described it as moderate or severe. For patients who had been in intensive care, 72% reported fatigue. Of those, more than half said it was moderate or severe.
The second most common symptom was breathlessness. People in both groups said they had feelings of breathlessness that had not existed before they became ill. This was higher in the group that had been in intensive care (66%) versus those who had been treated in a ward (43%).
The third most prevalent issue was neuropsychological symptoms. Almost a quarter of people who had been on a ward and just under a half of the people who had been in intensive care had some of the symptoms of PTSD.
“PTSD symptoms are a well-recognised component of post-intensive care unit syndrome caused by a variety of factors including fear of dying, invasive treatment, pain, delirium, inability to communicate, weakness, immobility, and sensory problems and sleep deprivation,” said researchers.
More than two thirds (69%) of patients in the intensive care group and just under half (46%) of the other group said their overall quality of life had deteriorated since becoming ill. The researchers say the rehabilitation needs of patients who did not require hospital care need to be further investigated.
Advertisement
The findings, published in the Journal of Medical Virology, provide the first detailed insight into problems facing patients recovering from Covid-19.
Dr Manoj Sivan, associate clinical professor at the University of Leeds and a consultant in rehabilitation medicine at Leeds General Infirmary, supervised the research, and pointed out that as Covid-19 is a new illness, there’s “very little information” on longer-term problems after people are discharged from hospital.
“The emerging evidence is that for some, the road to recovery may take months and it is vital specialist rehabilitation is on hand to support them,” he said.
Dr Stephen Halpin, senior research fellow and consultant, said the long-term health problems are similar to those experienced during the outbreaks of SARS and MERS, “but on a larger scale given the number of people affected”.
The findings are also similar to those from the Covid-19 Symptom Study in the UK, led by Professor Tim Spector of King’s College London, which found after three weeks of reporting symptoms, a group of people continue to experience fatigue, headaches, coughs, loss of smell, sore throats, delirium, and chest pain.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--These Aerial Pool Photos Will Make You Want To Jump Through The Screen

LOADING ERROR LOADING
You’re reading our series Summer’s Not Cancelled, celebrating summer in this new normal. From rediscovering nature and cherishing time with friends and family, to virtual festivals and unforgettable staycations – summer’s still here, it’s just different.
On a sweltering hot day in the UK, what do you really need?
To jump in a swimming pool, probably. But while we can’t offer you that – we can offer the virtual version: a series of pool photos that’ll make you want to jump through the screen.
Advertisement
Award-winning aerial photographer Brad Walls, also known as Bradscanvas, has released a new photo series Pools From Above – an ode to the beauty found in the shapes, colours and textures of swimming pools.
“There’s nothing more enticing on a hot summers’ day than seeing such a calm and cooling body of water from above,” he tells HuffPost UK.
“You just want to dive right in.”
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
Walls’ series showcases interesting pools from around the world. Inspired by his travels throughout southeast Asia and within his home country of Australia, Walls’ journey began by capturing pools simply to document holiday memories.
Advertisement
It wasn’t until picking up the Annie Kelly’s coffee table book Splash: The Art of the Swimming Pool, that Walls started investing time and passion into the series, which focuses on pools’ composition from a bird’s eye view.
“I fell in love with the lines, curves and negative space of the pools, which, without alternate perspective from a drone, would have been lost,” he says.
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
Pools From Above is also a part of a larger project aimed at a future book release. Once the world finally re-opens, Walls plans to capture even more world-renowned swimming pools across an array of idyllic locations, including Palm Springs, Mexico and the Mediterranean.
But in the meantime, enjoy these photos from southeast Asia, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia.
Advertisement
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
Advertisement
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
Advertisement
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
Advertisement
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls
HuffPost UK Brad Walls


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--Expert Who Claims Perfect US Election Prediction Record Makes His 2020 Pick

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Former vice president Joe Biden continues to lead president Donald Trump in the US election polls, with an edge of 7.6 percent nationally, according to the latest average on politics site FiveThirtyEight.
But he’s also leading by another measure: Biden is ahead in the 13 election “keys” co-created by American University professor Allan Lichtman, who says this formula has called every election since 1984.
Advertisement
“The keys predict that Trump will lose the White House,” Lichtman says in a video posted by the New York Times.
Biden has seven of those keys in his favour, versus six for Trump. He explains his system – and why Biden has an edge – in the video below:
But Lichtman also warned that there are a couple of wild cards that could change the race.
“Don’t just take my word for it. There are forces at play outside the keys,” he said. “Voter suppression. Russian meddling. It’s up to you, the voter, to decide the future of our democracy, so get out and vote.”
Advertisement
Lichtman’s claim of long-term success does come with an asterisk.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-06--Alyssa Milano Recalls Covid-19 Battle: 'I Felt Like I Was Dying'

Alyssa Milano has said she “felt like she was dying” as she battled Covid-19 earlier this year.
The former Charmed star shared her experience of the disease on Wednesday night, telling her followers that having coronavirus symptoms made her the most ill she had ever felt.
Sharing a photo of herself in an oxygen mask – taken in April, after she’d been “sick for two weeks” – Alyssa explained: “I had never been this kind of sick. Everything hurt. Loss of smell. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest.
“I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost nine pounds in two weeks. I was confused. Low grade fever. And the headaches were horrible. I basically had every Covid symptom.”
Advertisement
Alyssa went on to state that she felt compelled to speak out after taking two Covid-19 tests in March and an antibody test, all of which initially came back negative.
“After living the last 4 months with lingering symptoms like, vertigo, stomach abnormalities, irregular periods, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, zero short term memory, and general malaise, I went and got an antibody test from a blood draw (not the finger prick) from a lab,” she wrote.
“I am POSITIVE for covid antibodies. I had Covid19. I just want you to be aware that our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers.”
Advertisement
She added: “I also want you to know, this illness is not a hoax. I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying.
“I will be donating my plasma with hopes that I might save a life. Please take care of yourselves. Please wash your hands and wear a mask and social distance. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt.”
Alyssa Milano pictured in January Faye Sadou/MediaPunch/IPx
Alyssa is not the only star to have candidly detailed the effects that having Covid-19 had on her health.
US singer-songwriter Pink and her son Jameson both had the disease, which she described as a “rollercoaster”, while British actor Idris Elba has said that being diagnosed with Covid-19 also affected his mental health.
Advertisement