foxnews--2020-03-24--Giving birth during the coronavirus pandemic: Tips on staying calm

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While research is ongoing into the effects the novel coronavirus may have on pregnant women and unborn children , anxiety about delivering a baby in the middle of a pandemic is high among many mothers .
Recently hospitals moved to ban or limit spouses and partners accompanying expectant mothers into labor and delivery wards in an effort to lower the risk of possible transmission within the facility .
While the move has resulted in a viral online petition directed at New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far confirmed over 25,000 cases of COVID-19 , doctors say patients should be reassured by the steps their hospitals are taking to keep them safe .
NEW YORK HOSPITAL NETWORK , FEARING CORONAVIRUS SPREAD , WILL NO LONGER ALLOW PARTNERS IN BIRTHING UNITS Kecia Gaither , MD , MPH , FACOG , director of perinatal services at NYC Health + Hospitals/LINCOLN , said that expectant moms should discuss the situation with their physician ahead of time so they know what to expect prior to arriving at the hospital .
Gaither said that pregnant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should also be prepared to be placed in an isolation area for assessment .
“ If you are COVID-19 positive , you will be placed in an isolation room , and once the baby is born , he or she will be isolated and tested for COVID-19 , ” Gaither said .
“ Your obstetrician/pediatrician will guide you more on the specifics , pending your clinical situation.
” BAN ON BIRTHING PARTNERS AMID CORONAVIRUS 'PERHAPS NECESSARY ' AT HARD-HIT HOSPITALS , DR. MANNY ALVAREZ SAYS Gaither said that it ’ s important at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regarding birth plans and hospital stays and to be prepared to bring your baby home without any visitors .
Online tools such as patient portals as well as support groups can help lessen the burden of becoming a new mom in such a rapidly changing situation .
“ It ’ s crucial to reach out to family and friends via social media and video chat , ” she said , adding that if you experience any signs of depression you should reach out to your health care provider for additional help and direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women should be looking to maximize their immune system and adhering to the advice given by public health officials to avoid crowds and sick people , Gaither said .
She also advised pregnant women to have their vitamin D levels tested .
“ Getting vitamin D is especially important now since everyone is staying inside with COVID-19 and potentially not getting any sunlight , ” she said .
“ Research shows the risk of premature birth decreases by 60 percent when pregnant women have vitamin D blood serum levels of 40 ng/ml or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on remaining calm during this time and keeping up with prenatal care visits .
“ Know that your medical facility is doing everything to keep you and your baby safe , ” Gaither said .
“ Standard of care is still alive and well .
Discussion with your physician is advised to go over birth plans and to evaluate what is and is not feasible during this time of COVID-19 .
”

While research is ongoing into the effects the novel coronavirus may have on pregnant women and unborn children, anxiety about delivering a baby in the middle of a pandemic is high among many mothers. Recently hospitals moved to ban or limit spouses and partners accompanying expectant mothers into labor and delivery wards in an effort to lower the risk of possible transmission within the facility.
While the move has resulted in a viral online petition directed at New York officials, where tests have so far confirmed over 25,000 cases of COVID-19, doctors say patients should be reassured by the steps their hospitals are taking to keep them safe.
NEW YORK HOSPITAL NETWORK, FEARING CORONAVIRUS SPREAD, WILL NO LONGER ALLOW PARTNERS IN BIRTHING UNITS
Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, FACOG, director of perinatal services at NYC Health + Hospitals/LINCOLN, said that expectant moms should discuss the situation with their physician ahead of time so they know what to expect prior to arriving at the hospital.
Gaither said that pregnant women who are experiencing possible coronavirus symptoms should also be prepared to be placed in an isolation area for assessment.
"If you are COVID-19 positive, you will be placed in an isolation room, and once the baby is born, he or she will be isolated and tested for COVID-19," Gaither said. "Your obstetrician/pediatrician will guide you more on the specifics, pending your clinical situation."
BAN ON BIRTHING PARTNERS AMID CORONAVIRUS 'PERHAPS NECESSARY' AT HARD-HIT HOSPITALS, DR. MANNY ALVAREZ SAYS
Gaither said that it’s important at this time to be prepared and flexible regarding birth plans and hospital stays and to be prepared to bring your baby home without any visitors. Online tools such as patient portals as well as support groups can help lessen the burden of becoming a new mom in such a rapidly changing situation.
"It’s crucial to reach out to family and friends via social media and video chat," she said, adding that if you experience any signs of depression you should reach out to your health care provider for additional help and direction.
In the meantime, all pregnant women should be looking to maximize their immune system and adhering to the advice given by public health officials to avoid crowds and sick people, Gaither said. She also advised pregnant women to have their vitamin D levels tested.
"Getting vitamin D is especially important now since everyone is staying inside with COVID-19 and potentially not getting any sunlight," she said. "Research shows the risk of premature birth decreases by 60 percent when pregnant women have vitamin D blood serum levels of 40 ng/ml or higher."
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
Pregnant women should also focus on remaining calm during this time and keeping up with prenatal care visits.
"Know that your medical facility is doing everything to keep you and your baby safe," Gaither said. "Standard of care is still alive and well. Discussion with your physician is advised to go over birth plans and to evaluate what is and is not feasible during this time of COVID-19."


foxnews--2020-03-24--Joe Biden says Trump needed to move faster on coronavirus response

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Former Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that while the coronavirus itself was n't President Trump 's fault , he should have moved faster in his response to the pandemic .
`` The View '' co-host Sunny Hostin had asked Biden about accusations that Democrats were politicizing the virus .
`` I think there 's truth to both sides .
That 's why , if you notice on what I 've been doing , I have not been criticizing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where the disagreement is with how to proceed , '' Biden said .
`` As I pointed out yesterday , the coronavirus is not his fault , but the lack of speed and alacrity with which to respond to it has to move much faster .
As I pointed out , this is not about Democrat or Republican .
`` This is not about what your party is .
It 's about getting through this and the American people do n't want us in a political fight -- and I want no part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But when the president says things that in fact turn out not to be accurate , we should not say , 'you 're lying . '
We should say , 'Mr .
President , that 's not the fact .
Here 's the deal , ' '' Biden said .
The president held daily briefings last week and has called for billions of dollars in relief for the U.S. economy .
Some have criticized him , however , for not acting fast enough and initially dismissing the virus ' threat .
Trump previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling their response a `` hoax . ''

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Former Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that while the coronavirus itself wasn't President Trump's fault, he should have moved faster in his response to the pandemic.
"The View" co-host Sunny Hostin had asked Biden about accusations that Democrats were politicizing the virus.
"I think there's truth to both sides. That's why, if you notice on what I've been doing, I have not been criticizing the president but I've been pointing out where the disagreement is with how to proceed," Biden said.
LIVE BLOG: FOX NEWS HOSTS VIRTUAL CORONAVIRUS TOWN HALL WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP
"As I pointed out yesterday, the coronavirus is not his fault, but the lack of speed and alacrity with which to respond to it has to move much faster. As I pointed out, this is not about Democrat or Republican.
"This is not about what your party is. It's about getting through this and the American people don't want us in a political fight -- and I want no part of a political fight, either. But when the president says things that in fact turn out not to be accurate, we should not say, 'you're lying.' We should say, 'Mr. President, that's not the fact. Here's the deal,'" Biden said.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
The president held daily briefings last week and has called for billions of dollars in relief for the U.S. economy. Some have criticized him, however, for not acting fast enough and initially dismissing the virus' threat.
Trump previously accused Democrats of hyping the virus, calling their response a "hoax."


foxnews--2020-03-24--Dennis Quaid postpones Hawaiian wedding due to coronavirus outbreak

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Dennis Quaid has postponed his upcoming wedding to fiancée Laura Savoie due to the coronavirus outbreak .
The 65-year-old actor told Billy Bush on `` Extra '' that he and Savoie , 26 , would rather play it safe for the health and safety of everyone invited and instead are currently `` hunkered down '' at home .
“ We were supposed to be married April 4 in Kauai , ” Quaid told Bush .
“ [ Actor ] Craig T. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going to be nice and small .
“ We postponed… once we started to hear about Italy… We have a few members of the family and friends who have low immune systems due to medical treatment , medical issues going on .
We decided , 'Let ’ s just postpone , ' '' he reasoned .
Savoie revealed her wedding dress was all ready to go and `` somehow it made it here from Spain . ''
The European country is also battling the pandemic and asking its citizens to self-isolate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for everyone to travel , he may still want to have the wedding in Hawaii or `` we may do something closer to home .
We ’ re going to wait for this to lift.
” DENNIS QUAID HOPES BY SHARING HIS STORY WITH PAST ADDICTION IT ’ LL HELP OTHERS : ‘ LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL AFTERWARDS ’ The `` Parent Trap '' star also encourages others to practice social distancing and wash their hands -- “ I think everyone needs to obey the rules.
” Previously on `` The View '' in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Savoie was `` the one . ''
`` I just know .
I really found a partner in life , '' he told co-host Joy Behar .
`` [ This marriage is the ] fourth and final -- this is it .
DENNIS QUAID OPENS UP ABOUT COCAINE ADDICTION , MARRIAGE TO MEG RYAN '' She 's really fantastic , '' he added of his partner .
`` She has a double master 's right now in economics and business .
She 's just a soulful , wonderful , beautiful person . ''

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Dennis Quaid has postponed his upcoming wedding to fiancée Laura Savoie due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The 65-year-old actor told Billy Bush on "Extra" that he and Savoie, 26, would rather play it safe for the health and safety of everyone invited and instead are currently "hunkered down" at home.
“We were supposed to be married April 4 in Kauai,” Quaid told Bush. “[Actor] Craig T. Nelson gave us his house. It was going to be nice and small.
DENNIS QUAID SHOWS OFF LAURA SAVOIE'S ENGAGEMENT RING
“We postponed… once we started to hear about Italy… We have a few members of the family and friends who have low immune systems due to medical treatment, medical issues going on. We decided, 'Let’s just postpone,'" he reasoned.
Savoie revealed her wedding dress was all ready to go and "somehow it made it here from Spain." The European country is also battling the pandemic and asking its citizens to self-isolate.
Quaid said that when it's safe for everyone to travel, he may still want to have the wedding in Hawaii or "we may do something closer to home. We’re going to wait for this to lift.”
DENNIS QUAID HOPES BY SHARING HIS STORY WITH PAST ADDICTION IT’LL HELP OTHERS: ‘LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL AFTERWARDS’
The "Parent Trap" star also encourages others to practice social distancing and wash their hands -- “I think everyone needs to obey the rules.”
Previously on "The View" in December, Quaid said that he knew Savoie was "the one."
"I just know. I really found a partner in life," he told co-host Joy Behar. "[This marriage is the] fourth and final -- this is it.
DENNIS QUAID OPENS UP ABOUT COCAINE ADDICTION, MARRIAGE TO MEG RYAN
"She's really fantastic," he added of his partner. "She has a double master's right now in economics and business. She's just a soulful, wonderful, beautiful person."


foxnews--2020-03-24--Rabbi on the 'Jewish response' to coronavirus: 'Is God doing this?'

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Amid the coronavirus pandemic that has forced many synagogues and places of worship to close their doors , it has opened up a lot of questions for people of faith .
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman ( Sam ) Bregman , founder of the Jewish Executive Learning Network and an internationally recognized Torah scholar , shares how Judaism views the questions many are asking around the COVID-19 outbreak .
HERE ’ S WHY CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS WHO STUDY END TIMES SAY THIS IS NOT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rabbi , I 'm no stranger to being on the receiving end of these questions from adults , like 'Why do bad things happen to good people ? '
'' Bregman told Fox News , but now the entire nation -- from young to old -- is grappling with questions about God 's role in all of this .
If God is kind , then why is this happening ?
Bregman , an ordained Orthodox rabbi and practicing lawyer , answers these `` tricky and emotional matters '' from a classic Torah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with his own family in Miami , Florida .
`` First , the Torah makes it clear that everything God does is for the ultimate good and has meaning , '' Bregman explained .
`` Of course , it should be noted that something can be ‘ good ’ for you and for your benefit , but that doesn ’ t mean it necessarily feels good in the moment . ''
Take surgery , for example , he adds .
It can be extremely painful but for your ultimate benefit .
`` Second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Talmud , and Midrash examples whereby God will sometimes make use of natural phenomena and current events to get our attention , '' he said .
`` Especially when we 're asleep at the wheel of life . ''
Bregman notes that in the modern world , according to the Torah view , prophecy no longer exists , as it ended with the prophets Haggai , Zechariah , and Malachi thousands of years ago .
`` As such , it is impossible to know the precise reason why God did X , Y @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemics , '' he said .
`` The Jewish tradition teaches that the most we can do is use these moments as opportunities to reflect , introspect , and improve as human beings , '' he said .
`` The call of the hour is to bring our lives into conformity with the divine will , and what God desires spiritually proper and ethical human beings to look like . ''
The Jewish scholar says the Bible is full of `` clues '' as to what this looks like , in trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but Bregman is repulsed by some explanations he has seen posted on social media , with people claiming the coronavirus is God 's `` punishment for voting for Trump '' or `` because the people in China are sinners , '' or `` this is God 's wrath in response to homosexuality . ''
`` How do you know ? ''
Begman asked .
`` Did God send you a text message from heaven ?
If so , please send me a screenshot !
That would be the most shared post on social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ! ''
Bregman says Judaism is `` source-driven '' and he points to the example of the story of Queen Esther in the Torah , after prophecy had ended , to show how she guessed wrong on why God 's presence left but the Talmud says she did a good job anyway .
`` After 4,000 years of Jewish history , one thing is certainly clear , '' Bregman said .
`` To be a Jew at times requires us to embrace and feel at ease with uncertainty .
There 's always meaning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find the right one . ''
How do Jewish scholars view the coronavirus outbreak ?
Torah scholars generally describe massive economic collapses , the Holocaust , tsunamis , and the coronavirus pandemic as `` contractions '' leading up to the Messianic era , believed to be no later than the year 6,000 on the Jewish calendar , which is currently in year 5,780 .
`` The Talmud compares this to a woman who is close to giving birth , and the contractions she experiences , '' he said .
`` As she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both the number and strength of her contractions increase . ''
The rabbi also pointed out that many Jewish scholars are discussing the parallels between the current outbreak and the upcoming holiday of Passover , which looks back on Israel 's deliverance from slavery in Egypt .
`` Some scholars have noted that the 'gods ' of ancient Egypt came to a halt and lost their power during the plagues ... we seem to be having a bit of that going on today , with the world of sports and entertainment having come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy ... stuck in quicksand . ''
Similar to the plague of darkness , where everyone was tuck in their homes and frozen in place , forced to look at their own deeds and missteps , today , many are given the chance to use this time to look in the mirror .
CLICK HERE FOR MORE STORIES ON FAITH '' If you 'd ask me to pinpoint one area that the religious Jewish communities are trying to strengthen themselves in , as a response to coronavirus , I would say it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to refrain from gossip and slander , '' Bregman said .
But he quickly added , `` Nobody in the Jewish religious community is saying 'God is causing coronavirus in the world so people will go into their homes and learn to quit gossiping . ''
`` However , '' he concluded , `` the traditional Torah scholars have been reminding their congregations , 'Hey , at a time like this it would be a good idea for all of us to redouble our efforts to take care with our power of speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with what comes out of our mouths , as we are with what goes in our mouths . '
''

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic that has forced many synagogues and places of worship to close their doors, it has opened up a lot of questions for people of faith.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman (Sam) Bregman, founder of the Jewish Executive Learning Network and an internationally recognized Torah scholar, shares how Judaism views the questions many are asking around the COVID-19 outbreak.
HERE’S WHY CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS WHO STUDY END TIMES SAY THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
"As a rabbi, I'm no stranger to being on the receiving end of these questions from adults, like 'Why do bad things happen to good people?'" Bregman told Fox News, but now the entire nation-- from young to old -- is grappling with questions about God's role in all of this.
If God is kind, then why is this happening?
Bregman, an ordained Orthodox rabbi and practicing lawyer, answers these "tricky and emotional matters" from a classic Torah perspective, something he has already shared with his own family in Miami, Florida.
"First, the Torah makes it clear that everything God does is for the ultimate good and has meaning," Bregman explained. "Of course, it should be noted that something can be ‘good’ for you and for your benefit, but that doesn’t mean it necessarily feels good in the moment."
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
Take surgery, for example, he adds. It can be extremely painful but for your ultimate benefit.
"Second, we find throughout the Torah, Talmud, and Midrash examples whereby God will sometimes make use of natural phenomena and current events to get our attention," he said. "Especially when we're asleep at the wheel of life."
Bregman notes that in the modern world, according to the Torah view, prophecy no longer exists, as it ended with the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi thousands of years ago.
"As such, it is impossible to know the precise reason why God did X, Y, or Z ... and that includes pandemics," he said.
PRIEST OFFERS DRIVE-THRU CONFESSIONALS AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: 'PEOPLE ARE SO GRATEFUL'
"The Jewish tradition teaches that the most we can do is use these moments as opportunities to reflect, introspect, and improve as human beings," he said. "The call of the hour is to bring our lives into conformity with the divine will, and what God desires spiritually proper and ethical human beings to look like."
The Jewish scholar says the Bible is full of "clues" as to what this looks like, in trying to find the reason for the suffering, but Bregman is repulsed by some explanations he has seen posted on social media, with people claiming the coronavirus is God's "punishment for voting for Trump" or "because the people in China are sinners," or "this is God's wrath in response to homosexuality."
"How do you know?" Begman asked. "Did God send you a text message from heaven? If so, please send me a screenshot! That would be the most shared post on social media in the history of the internet!"
Bregman says Judaism is "source-driven" and he points to the example of the story of Queen Esther in the Torah, after prophecy had ended, to show how she guessed wrong on why God's presence left but the Talmud says she did a good job anyway.
"After 4,000 years of Jewish history, one thing is certainly clear," Bregman said. "To be a Jew at times requires us to embrace and feel at ease with uncertainty. There's always meaning in life, but you are expected to find the right one."
How do Jewish scholars view the coronavirus outbreak?
Torah scholars generally describe massive economic collapses, the Holocaust, tsunamis, and the coronavirus pandemic as "contractions" leading up to the Messianic era, believed to be no later than the year 6,000 on the Jewish calendar, which is currently in year 5,780.
"The Talmud compares this to a woman who is close to giving birth, and the contractions she experiences," he said. "As she gets closer to delivering the child, both the number and strength of her contractions increase."
The rabbi also pointed out that many Jewish scholars are discussing the parallels between the current outbreak and the upcoming holiday of Passover, which looks back on Israel's deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
"Some scholars have noted that the 'gods' of ancient Egypt came to a halt and lost their power during the plagues...we seem to be having a bit of that going on today, with the world of sports and entertainment having come to a complete halt, and with the economy...stuck in quicksand."
Similar to the plague of darkness, where everyone was tuck in their homes and frozen in place, forced to look at their own deeds and missteps, today, many are given the chance to use this time to look in the mirror.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE STORIES ON FAITH
"If you'd ask me to pinpoint one area that the religious Jewish communities are trying to strengthen themselves in, as a response to coronavirus, I would say it's the mitzvah, or commandment, to refrain from gossip and slander," Bregman said.
But he quickly added, "Nobody in the Jewish religious community is saying 'God is causing coronavirus in the world so people will go into their homes and learn to quit gossiping."
"However," he concluded, "the traditional Torah scholars have been reminding their congregations, 'Hey, at a time like this it would be a good idea for all of us to redouble our efforts to take care with our power of speech. We need to be as careful with what comes out of our mouths, as we are with what goes in our mouths.'"


foxnews--2020-06-04--Jane Goodall says humanity is doomed if we don't change after this pandemic

Primatologist Jane Goodall said that humanity must `` drastically change our diets '' and our treatment of wild and farmed animals if we want to avoid future pandemics after COVID-19 subsides .
`` Our disrespect for wild animals and our disrespect for farmed animals has created this situation where disease can spill over to infect human beings , '' Goodall said on June 2 in an online event hosted by the campaigning group Compassion in World Farming , The Guardian reported .
`` If we do not do things differently , we are finished , '' she said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much longer like this . ''
Related : 11 ( sometimes ) deadly diseases that hopped across species Goodall pointed to habitat destruction , the farming and consumption of wild animals , illegal wildlife trafficking and factory farming as risky practices that could fuel the next pandemic .
These practices have triggered disease outbreaks in the past , according to The Guardian .
Habitat loss , mainly caused by deforestation , drives animals into new environments and leads to both a mingling of diverse animal species and increased interaction with nearby humans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humans are going into forest areas or animals are coming to human settlements due to deforestation , viruses are being exchanged , '' Rajan Patil , an associate professor of epidemiology at SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Chennai , India told Mongabay .
For example , Patil 's research team found that several Nipah and Hendra virus outbreaks were linked to fruit bats that relocated to human settlements following destruction of their natural habitats , according to a 2018 report in the journal Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public Health .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be sold alongside domestic animals and produce , also act as prime sites for disease transmission between animals and people , Goodall wrote in a commentary for Mongabay , published May 4 .
Initially , scientists suspected that COVID-19 may have emerged from Wuhan 's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in China , as several dozen vendors and customers became infected with the virus following a superspreader event in late December .
More recent data suggests that the outbreak did not originate at that market , specifically , but likely began circulating elsewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Science reported .
Regardless of where COVID-19 first emerged , wet markets worldwide provide the `` perfect environment for viruses to spill over from their animal hosts into humans , '' as both animals and humans can be exposed to feces , urine , blood and other bodily fluids from many species in one place , Goodall wrote .
`` It is clearly of great importance that the ban on trading , eating and breeding of wild animals for food should be permanent and enforced , '' but to do so sustainably also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ established for those who stake their livelihoods on the trade , she added .
Importantly , `` it is not only in China that wildlife markets have provided the ideal conditions for viruses and other pathogens to cross the species barrier , '' she wrote .
Many wet markets exist in Asian countries beyond China , Goodall wrote , and wet markets also appear in Africa and Latin America , Vox reported .
More broadly , the sale of bushmeat , meaning meat from wild animals , poses risks beyond the context of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HIV-AIDS in Africa , for example , she wrote .
Animals at wet markets may also be illicitly sold as pets , for their fur or for use in traditional medicines , she added .
`` The use of some wild animal products for traditional medicine is thus far still legal in China ( though rhino horn and tiger bones are banned ) , '' Goodall wrote .
The practice of farming brown bears and sun bears for their bile also remains legal and could contribute to disease spread , she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in small cages , exposed to a variety of pathogens and contaminants due to poor hygiene standards , and given large doses of antibiotics that can give rise to drug-resistant superbugs , Goodall wrote .
The same standards of care can be seen in intensive industrial farming , otherwise known as factory farming .
`` The diseases commonly known as 'bird flu ' and 'swine flu ' resulted from handling poultry and pigs , '' and the coronavirus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome ( MERS ) may have emerged from infected domestic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Compassion in World Farming event , the European Union ( EU ) commissioner for health and food safety Stella Kyriakides noted that the EU aims to curb the dangers of factory farming through new agriculture and biodiversity strategies and the European Green Deal .
These initiatives focus on reducing pesticide use and supporting sustainable farming and breeding practices , while ensuring that food remains affordable , The Guardian reported .
`` One of the lessons learnt from this crisis is that we must change our ways , '' Goodall said during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avoid future crises , we must drastically change our diets and move to plant-rich foods .
For the sake of the animals , planet and the health of our children . ''
• Going viral : 6 new findings about viruses

Primatologist Jane Goodall said that humanity must "drastically change our diets" and our treatment of wild and farmed animals if we want to avoid future pandemics after COVID-19 subsides.
"Our disrespect for wild animals and our disrespect for farmed animals has created this situation where disease can spill over to infect human beings," Goodall said on June 2 in an online event hosted by the campaigning group Compassion in World Farming, The Guardian reported .
"If we do not do things differently, we are finished," she said. “We can’t go on very much longer like this."
Related: 11 (sometimes) deadly diseases that hopped across species
Goodall pointed to habitat destruction, the farming and consumption of wild animals, illegal wildlife trafficking and factory farming as risky practices that could fuel the next pandemic. These practices have triggered disease outbreaks in the past, according to The Guardian.
Habitat loss, mainly caused by deforestation , drives animals into new environments and leads to both a mingling of diverse animal species and increased interaction with nearby humans, Mongabay reported . "Irrespective of whether humans are going into forest areas or animals are coming to human settlements due to deforestation, viruses are being exchanged," Rajan Patil, an associate professor of epidemiology at SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Chennai, India told Mongabay.
For example, Patil's research team found that several Nipah and Hendra virus outbreaks were linked to fruit bats that relocated to human settlements following destruction of their natural habitats, according to a 2018 report in the journal Annals of Tropical Medicine and Public Health .
So-called wet markets, where wild animals may be sold alongside domestic animals and produce, also act as prime sites for disease transmission between animals and people, Goodall wrote in a commentary for Mongabay , published May 4.
Initially, scientists suspected that COVID-19 may have emerged from Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in China, as several dozen vendors and customers became infected with the virus following a superspreader event in late December. More recent data suggests that the outbreak did not originate at that market, specifically, but likely began circulating elsewhere and earlier in the year, Live Science reported .
Regardless of where COVID-19 first emerged, wet markets worldwide provide the "perfect environment for viruses to spill over from their animal hosts into humans," as both animals and humans can be exposed to feces, urine, blood and other bodily fluids from many species in one place, Goodall wrote. "It is clearly of great importance that the ban on trading, eating and breeding of wild animals for food should be permanent and enforced," but to do so sustainably also requires that new sources of income be established for those who stake their livelihoods on the trade, she added.
Importantly, "it is not only in China that wildlife markets have provided the ideal conditions for viruses and other pathogens to cross the species barrier," she wrote. Many wet markets exist in Asian countries beyond China, Goodall wrote, and wet markets also appear in Africa and Latin America, Vox reported . More broadly, the sale of bushmeat, meaning meat from wild animals, poses risks beyond the context of wet markets and likely spurred outbreaks of HIV-AIDS in Africa, for example, she wrote.
Related: 5 diets that fight diseases
Animals at wet markets may also be illicitly sold as pets, for their fur or for use in traditional medicines, she added. "The use of some wild animal products for traditional medicine is thus far still legal in China (though rhino horn and tiger bones are banned)," Goodall wrote. The practice of farming brown bears and sun bears for their bile also remains legal and could contribute to disease spread, she said.
Bears farmed for bile are often kept in small cages, exposed to a variety of pathogens and contaminants due to poor hygiene standards, and given large doses of antibiotics that can give rise to drug-resistant superbugs, Goodall wrote. The same standards of care can be seen in intensive industrial farming, otherwise known as factory farming.
"The diseases commonly known as 'bird flu' and 'swine flu' resulted from handling poultry and pigs," and the coronavirus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) may have emerged from infected domestic dromedary camels , she wrote.
During the Compassion in World Farming event, the European Union (EU) commissioner for health and food safety Stella Kyriakides noted that the EU aims to curb the dangers of factory farming through new agriculture and biodiversity strategies and the European Green Deal. These initiatives focus on reducing pesticide use and supporting sustainable farming and breeding practices, while ensuring that food remains affordable, The Guardian reported.
"One of the lessons learnt from this crisis is that we must change our ways," Goodall said during the event. "Scientists warn that to avoid future crises, we must drastically change our diets and move to plant-rich foods. For the sake of the animals, planet and the health of our children."


foxnews--2020-05-19--How are COVID-19 deaths counted?

How are COVID-19 deaths counted?

As coronavirus has swept through the United States , finding the true number of people who have been infected has been stymied due to lack of testing .
Now , official counts of coronavirus deaths are being challenged , too .
In Colorado , for example , a Republican state legislator has accused the state 's public health department of falsely inflating COVID-19 deaths ; in Florida , local media have objected to the State Department of Health 's refusal to release medical examiner data to the public , alleging that the state may be underreporting deaths .
The reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not always straightforward , even pre-pandemic , and a patchwork of local rules and regulations makes getting valid national data challenging .
However , data on excess deaths in the United States over the past several months suggest that COVID-19 deaths are probably being undercounted rather than overcounted .
Death certificates can be signed by a physician who was responsible for a patient who died in a hospital , which accounts for many COVID-19 deaths .
They can also be signed by medical examiners or coroners , who are independent officials who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many COVID-19 death certificates are being handled by physicians unless the death occurred outside of the hospital , in which case a medical examiner or coroner would step in , said Dr. Sally Aiken , the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners ( NAME ) .
In some jurisdictions , including cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee , medical examiners are involved in determining the cause of death for every suspected COVID-19 case .
In those jurisdictions , medical examiners review medical records even of patients who die in hospitals to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicate that the patient did indeed die of COVID-19 .
Having medical examiners confirm COVID-19 deaths can create more uniformity and clearer documentation , Aiken told Live Science .
On a death certificate , there are spaces to list an immediate cause of death , as well as the chain of events that led to that final disease or incident .
There are also spaces for adding contributing factors .
Related : 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history For COVID-19 , the immediate cause of death might be listed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reading `` due to COVID-19 . ''
Contributing factors such as heart disease , diabetes or high blood pressure would then be listed further down .
This has led to some confusion by people arguing that the `` real '' cause of death was heart disease or diabetes , Aiken said , but that 's not the case .
`` Without the COVID19 being the last straw or the thing that led to the chain of events that led to death , they probably would n't have died , '' she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether COVID-19 was truly that last straw depends on the situation .
Most COVID-19 deaths seen at Mount Sinai Health System in New York are in people who have comorbid ( or co-occurring ) conditions such as coronary artery disease or kidney disease , said Dr. Mary Fowkes , the chief of autopsy services at Mount Sinai .
But it 's not typically difficult to tell what killed them .
Related : Why COVID-19 kills some people and spares others .
Here 's what scientists are finding .
`` Most of the cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Live Science .
`` The lungs are usually so severely involved with pathology , so they are two to three times or more the normal weight of a normal lung . ''
In some cases , particularly those where someone dies at home or quickly perishes after entering an emergency room , the determination can be a little more fuzzy , said Dr. Jeremy Faust , an emergency physician at Brigham and Women 's Hospital in Massachusetts .
`` The challenge is knowing who died of COVID-19 versus who died with the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Live Science .
Autopsies can help answer that question , but autopsy rates were low even pre-pandemic , Fowkes said .
Even at Mount Sinai , a rare medical system that offers every family a chance to have their loved one autopsied for free , the rate of autopsy was only about 20 % prior to the pandemic .
According to NAME , there is an ongoing shortage of forensic pathologists working in the United States , with about 500 currently employed and a need for 1,200 .
Autopsies for COVID-19 can also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the disease and ongoing shortages of personal protective equipment for pathologists .
Another complication for assigning a cause of death for COVID-19 is that some younger people have died of strokes and heart attacks and then tested positive for COVID-19 without any history of respiratory symptoms .
The virus is now known to cause blood clots , suggesting that COVID-19 was the killer in these cases , too .
Fowkes and her colleagues conducted a microscopic inspection of the brains of 20 COVID-19 victims in her hospital system and found that six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had caused small strokes before death .
`` We 're seeing it in younger patients than you would expect , and we 're seeing it in a distribution that you would n't expect , so we think it 's related to the COVID , '' Fowkes said .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) has issued guidelines for how to attribute a death to COVID-19 .
The guidelines urge using information from COVID-19 testing , where possible , but also allow for deaths to be listed as `` presumed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on symptoms and the best clinical judgment of the person filling out the death certificate .
A medical examiner trying to determine a cause of death in the absence of testing would comb medical records and query family and loved ones about the person 's symptoms before they died , Aiken said .
Postmortem COVID-19 tests may be possible , depending on the jurisdiction .
All of the inconsistencies of cause-of-death reporting precede the COVID-19 pandemic , says Jay Wolfson , a professor of public health at the University of South Florida ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about deaths is now extremely pressing , he told Live Science .
Death certificates are often used by epidemiologists and public health officials to detect strange clusters of deaths or to link certain risk factors to certain causes of death .
But because different states and localities have different rules about recording and reporting causes of death , the cumulative data is always messy .
`` I think some states are reluctant to open their databases up , knowing they have validity problems or knowing the data might be misused , '' Wolfson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access , he said , and they need to figure out ways to dig into the data and standardize them .
Wolfson and other researchers at USF are already working with state officials to see what kind of data the state can legally release , he said .
Meanwhile , as the political debate over the response to the virus heats up , some have argued that death reports are being deliberately skewed .
Aiken rejected the notion of a vast conspiracy by medical examiners ; medical examiners are designed to be independent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run the political gamut from conservative to liberal .
`` It always cracks me up , '' she said .
`` Medical examiners and coroners are n't organized enough to have a conspiracy . ''
In Colorado , the discrepancy over people dying with COVID-19 versus of COVID-19 is due to federal reporting guidelines requiring the health department to report any COVID-positive death to the CDC , even if COVID-19 was n't thought to cause the death , Gov .
Jared Polis said in a news conference Friday ( May 15 ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to report those deaths as being caused by COVID-19 to the public , Polis said .
In Florida , state law prevents the release of death certificate data , Wolfson said , but it may be possible to get public release of death certificates with identifying information removed , or of cumulative datasets .
Both undercounts and overcounts of COVID-19 deaths are possible , Wolfson said , but it 's not yet clear which is more likely , or whether they might simply balance each other out .
Fowkes said that based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that COVID-19 deaths are being missed than overcounted .
That 's because New York is among several cities that show spikes in deaths at home , and these anomalous spikes could be due to untested , untreated COVID-19 .
Perhaps , the best clue as to whether COVID-19 deaths have been undercounted or overcounted is excess mortality data .
Excess mortality is deaths above and beyond what would normally be expected in a given population in a given year .
CDC data shows a spike of excess mortality in early 2020 , adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some argue that many of these excess deaths are related to COVID-19 lockdowns , not COVID-19 themselves , Faust said , because people fear catching the disease if they go to the hospital for other reasons .
A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology did find that nine major hospitals saw a 38 % drop in emergency visits for a particular kind of heart attack in March .
That suggests that people really are delaying or avoiding medical care , which could mean that some of them die @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably do n't explain most excess deaths , Faust said .
Only a portion of heart attack visits would have represented lives saved , he said , because doctors must treat perhaps 10 patients to save one life .
And other causes of death — such as motor vehicle accidents — are down .
This could change with time , Faust cautioned .
For example , if cancer patients forego their treatments for a year , rather than a few months , the impact on their death rates is much more likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But for now , he said , `` it 's unlikely that the coronavirus deaths are being overcounted by a magnitude that explains our observation that something very unusual is going on . ''

As coronavirus has swept through the United States, finding the true number of people who have been infected has been stymied due to lack of testing. Now, official counts of coronavirus deaths are being challenged, too.
In Colorado, for example, a Republican state legislator has accused the state's public health department of falsely inflating COVID-19 deaths ; in Florida, local media have objected to the State Department of Health's refusal to release medical examiner data to the public, alleging that the state may be underreporting deaths .
The reality is that assigning a cause of death is not always straightforward, even pre-pandemic, and a patchwork of local rules and regulations makes getting valid national data challenging. However, data on excess deaths in the United States over the past several months suggest that COVID-19 deaths are probably being undercounted rather than overcounted.
Cause of death
Death certificates can be signed by a physician who was responsible for a patient who died in a hospital, which accounts for many COVID-19 deaths. They can also be signed by medical examiners or coroners, who are independent officials who work for individual counties or cities. Many COVID-19 death certificates are being handled by physicians unless the death occurred outside of the hospital, in which case a medical examiner or coroner would step in, said Dr. Sally Aiken, the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). In some jurisdictions, including cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee, medical examiners are involved in determining the cause of death for every suspected COVID-19 case. In those jurisdictions, medical examiners review medical records even of patients who die in hospitals to ensure that the symptoms and any testing indicate that the patient did indeed die of COVID-19.
Having medical examiners confirm COVID-19 deaths can create more uniformity and clearer documentation, Aiken told Live Science. On a death certificate, there are spaces to list an immediate cause of death, as well as the chain of events that led to that final disease or incident. There are also spaces for adding contributing factors.
Related: 20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in history
For COVID-19, the immediate cause of death might be listed as respiratory distress, with the second line reading "due to COVID-19." Contributing factors such as heart disease , diabetes or high blood pressure would then be listed further down. This has led to some confusion by people arguing that the "real" cause of death was heart disease or diabetes , Aiken said, but that's not the case.
"Without the COVID19 being the last straw or the thing that led to the chain of events that led to death, they probably wouldn't have died," she said.
Detecting COVID-19
How hard it is to accurately determine whether COVID-19 was truly that last straw depends on the situation. Most COVID-19 deaths seen at Mount Sinai Health System in New York are in people who have comorbid (or co-occurring) conditions such as coronary artery disease or kidney disease , said Dr. Mary Fowkes, the chief of autopsy services at Mount Sinai. But it's not typically difficult to tell what killed them.
Related: Why COVID-19 kills some people and spares others. Here's what scientists are finding.
"Most of the cases are pretty straightforward," Fowkes told Live Science. "The lungs are usually so severely involved with pathology, so they are two to three times or more the normal weight of a normal lung."
(The excess weight is due to fluid and cell detritus from damaged lung tissues.)
In some cases, particularly those where someone dies at home or quickly perishes after entering an emergency room, the determination can be a little more fuzzy, said Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts.
"The challenge is knowing who died of COVID-19 versus who died with the virus that causes COVID-19," Faust told Live Science.
Autopsies can help answer that question, but autopsy rates were low even pre-pandemic, Fowkes said. Even at Mount Sinai, a rare medical system that offers every family a chance to have their loved one autopsied for free, the rate of autopsy was only about 20% prior to the pandemic . According to NAME, there is an ongoing shortage of forensic pathologists working in the United States, with about 500 currently employed and a need for 1,200. Autopsies for COVID-19 can also be dangerous due to the infectious nature of the disease and ongoing shortages of personal protective equipment for pathologists.
Another complication for assigning a cause of death for COVID-19 is that some younger people have died of strokes and heart attacks and then tested positive for COVID-19 without any history of respiratory symptoms. The virus is now known to cause blood clots , suggesting that COVID-19 was the killer in these cases, too. Fowkes and her colleagues conducted a microscopic inspection of the brains of 20 COVID-19 victims in her hospital system and found that six of them contained tiny blood clots that had caused small strokes before death.
"We're seeing it in younger patients than you would expect, and we're seeing it in a distribution that you wouldn't expect, so we think it's related to the COVID," Fowkes said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidelines for how to attribute a death to COVID-19. The guidelines urge using information from COVID-19 testing, where possible, but also allow for deaths to be listed as "presumed" or "probable" COVID-19 based on symptoms and the best clinical judgment of the person filling out the death certificate. A medical examiner trying to determine a cause of death in the absence of testing would comb medical records and query family and loved ones about the person's symptoms before they died, Aiken said. Postmortem COVID-19 tests may be possible, depending on the jurisdiction.
Underreporting or overreporting?
All of the inconsistencies of cause-of-death reporting precede the COVID-19 pandemic, says Jay Wolfson, a professor of public health at the University of South Florida (USF). But getting good data about deaths is now extremely pressing, he told Live Science. Death certificates are often used by epidemiologists and public health officials to detect strange clusters of deaths or to link certain risk factors to certain causes of death. But because different states and localities have different rules about recording and reporting causes of death, the cumulative data is always messy.
Related: 13 coronavirus myths busted by science
"I think some states are reluctant to open their databases up, knowing they have validity problems or knowing the data might be misused," Wolfson said. But public health officials need access, he said, and they need to figure out ways to dig into the data and standardize them. Wolfson and other researchers at USF are already working with state officials to see what kind of data the state can legally release, he said.
Meanwhile, as the political debate over the response to the virus heats up, some have argued that death reports are being deliberately skewed. Aiken rejected the notion of a vast conspiracy by medical examiners; medical examiners are designed to be independent entities, she said, and they run the political gamut from conservative to liberal.
"It always cracks me up," she said. "Medical examiners and coroners aren't organized enough to have a conspiracy."
In Colorado, the discrepancy over people dying with COVID-19 versus of COVID-19 is due to federal reporting guidelines requiring the health department to report any COVID-positive death to the CDC, even if COVID-19 wasn't thought to cause the death, Gov. Jared Polis said in a news conference Friday (May 15). The health department has been instructed not to report those deaths as being caused by COVID-19 to the public, Polis said.
In Florida, state law prevents the release of death certificate data, Wolfson said, but it may be possible to get public release of death certificates with identifying information removed, or of cumulative datasets.
Both undercounts and overcounts of COVID-19 deaths are possible, Wolfson said, but it's not yet clear which is more likely, or whether they might simply balance each other out. Fowkes said that based on her experience, it's more likely that COVID-19 deaths are being missed than overcounted. That's because New York is among several cities that show spikes in deaths at home , and these anomalous spikes could be due to untested, untreated COVID-19.
Perhaps, the best clue as to whether COVID-19 deaths have been undercounted or overcounted is excess mortality data. Excess mortality is deaths above and beyond what would normally be expected in a given population in a given year. CDC data shows a spike of excess mortality in early 2020, adding up to tens of thousands of deaths.
Some argue that many of these excess deaths are related to COVID-19 lockdowns, not COVID-19 themselves, Faust said, because people fear catching the disease if they go to the hospital for other reasons. A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology did find that nine major hospitals saw a 38% drop in emergency visits for a particular kind of heart attack in March. That suggests that people really are delaying or avoiding medical care, which could mean that some of them die of preventable causes.
But non-COVID conditions probably don't explain most excess deaths, Faust said. Only a portion of heart attack visits would have represented lives saved, he said, because doctors must treat perhaps 10 patients to save one life. And other causes of death — such as motor vehicle accidents — are down.
This could change with time, Faust cautioned. For example, if cancer patients forego their treatments for a year, rather than a few months, the impact on their death rates is much more likely to be noticeable in the population-wide data. But for now, he said, "it's unlikely that the coronavirus deaths are being overcounted by a magnitude that explains our observation that something very unusual is going on."
(Image credit: Nicholas Forder)


foxnews--2020-05-20--Coronavirus information war: China's propaganda machine launched new Twitter accounts, publishes 90,

Coronavirus information war: China's propaganda machine launched new Twitter accounts, publishes 90,000 messages

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Sign up here .
China is ramping up its coronavirus propaganda war against the U.S. by using a growing number of Twitter accounts to push out tens of thousands of inflammatory messages , a report says .
Since the beginning of April , 200 of the communist country ’ s diplomatic and state-run media accounts have published around 90,000 tweets as part of an offensive – with many recently spreading a conspiracy theory that the deadly virus originated in a U.S. lab , not China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group told NBC News .
`` The primary goal of this rhetoric is to demonstrate to Chinese domestic constituencies that the Communist Party is not lying prostrate before American accusations , '' added Robert Daly , the director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center , a Washington , D.C.-based think tank .
One of the accounts on Tuesday posted a bizarre video calling U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ’ s character into question .
The clip , called `` Pompeo Credibility Test , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Network .
In the footage – which is made to look like a video game – a cartoon Pompeo is heard saying “ there ’ s enormous evidence that the virus came from a laboratory in Wuhan.
” He then is told a message claiming otherwise and loses the last bit of his health , before the game asks him to say something true in order to be revived .
The clip has since been viewed more than 20,000 times .
Zhao Lijian , the head of China ’ s Foreign Ministry Information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago that “ it might be the US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan . ''
Bret Schafer , who works at the Alliance for Securing Democracy , told NBC News that overall Twitter output from Chinese government-linked accounts has nearly doubled since January – and it has increased the number of its diplomatic accounts as well , up to 135 from around 40 this time last year .
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP They “ have become more aggressive , more conspiratorial , and the ones who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and have by far the most engagement , ” he added .
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in March that it is “ absurd ” for China to blame the U.S. military for starting the coronavirus outbreak .

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
China is ramping up its coronavirus propaganda war against the U.S. by using a growing number of Twitter accounts to push out tens of thousands of inflammatory messages, a report says.
Since the beginning of April, 200 of the communist country’s diplomatic and state-run media accounts have published around 90,000 tweets as part of an offensive – with many recently spreading a conspiracy theory that the deadly virus originated in a U.S. lab, not China -- the Alliance for Securing Democracy advocacy group told NBC News.
"The primary goal of this rhetoric is to demonstrate to Chinese domestic constituencies that the Communist Party is not lying prostrate before American accusations," added Robert Daly, the director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
One of the accounts on Tuesday posted a bizarre video calling U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s character into question. The clip, called "Pompeo Credibility Test," was shared by the China Global Television Network.
In the footage – which is made to look like a video game – a cartoon Pompeo is heard saying “there’s enormous evidence that the virus came from a laboratory in Wuhan.” He then is told a message claiming otherwise and loses the last bit of his health, before the game asks him to say something true in order to be revived.
The clip has since been viewed more than 20,000 times.
POMPEO BLASTS CHINA FOR SUPPRESSING CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION, CALLS IT A ‘CLASSIC COMMUNIST DISINFORMATION EFFORT’
Zhao Lijian, the head of China’s Foreign Ministry Information Department, claimed in another message months ago that “it might be the US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan."
Bret Schafer, who works at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, told NBC News that overall Twitter output from Chinese government-linked accounts has nearly doubled since January – and it has increased the number of its diplomatic accounts as well, up to 135 from around 40 this time last year.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
They “have become more aggressive, more conspiratorial, and the ones who have done that are their most popular accounts and have by far the most engagement,” he added.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in March that it is “absurd” for China to blame the U.S. military for starting the coronavirus outbreak.


foxnews--2020-05-20--As coronavirus rages on, the opioid epidemic does too

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Sign up here .
As fears of COVID-19 sweep across the United States , many people have been forced to stay home and isolate for months .
Away from jobs , friends and many loved ones , this quarantine has proven mentally challenging for everyone .
And for those battling drug addiction , the ability to fight this highly contagious illness , along with the urge to use , could have more longstanding consequences .
“ With the stay-at-home orders , the isolation , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newly recovering people — the first year of recovery , they 've really lost their entire support network , ” said Dr. Deni Carise , chief scientific officer at Recovery Centers of America .
In 2018 , the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services reported that there were 14,809 substance abuse treatment facilities operating in the United States .
For that same year , SAMHSA suggested that 21.2 million people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment , which is roughly 1 in 13 individuals in the U.S. And in-person meetings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of post-addiction recovery .
Since the arrival of COVID-19 , that type of treatment has become much more difficult .
A process like Narcotics Anonymous and other 12-step or recovery programs created to hold people accountable to their community and peers are now moving to a virtual space .
Carise said that since the outbreak , the addiction community is trying to find new ways to maintain the connection they need using virtual outpatient services .
Some experts say that type of connection can be difficult and often overwhelming for those in recovery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Brian Corson , founder and executive director of MVP Recovery Now .
Corson , who is in long-term recovery , founded MVP Recovery Now , which is a sober living community in rural Pennsylvania .
The group operates 20 recovery homes with about 125 people in the community .
It ’ s designed for people who are just coming out of treatment where residents typically stay nine to 12 months .
`` We focus on life skills , ” he said .
“ It 's necessary for someone to continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' MVP Recovery Now is fortunate in that they ’ re able to continue with house meetings and connected activities within group homes during the coronavirus pandemic .
But for those who are not as fortunate , there is an even bigger threat of relapse .
Corson said that the danger of relapsing from addiction is comparative with contracting coronavirus .
“ If you look at the numbers when it comes to contracting , and then recovering from COVID-19 , ” said Corson , `` those numbers are a lot better than if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addiction.
” CORONAVIRUS PRESENTS NEW CHALLENGES FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL RECOVERY In 2018 , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) reported that over 67,000 Americans died from drug-involved overdoses .
Of that number , nearly 47,000 died from an overdose related to opioids .
These figures have been deemed successful because it was the first year where total drug overdoses — in particular opioid overdoses — have decreased .
At the end of 2019 , the Department of Health and Human Services granted more than $ 9 billion to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis .
The data suggest that increased funding , access to treatment , and knowledge surrounding the epidemic was helping even the hardest-hit communities .
Dr. Berta Madras , a psychobiologist with Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital , said that in this world of distance medicine that easy access is being challenged .
`` I think it has created a much heavier burden on people with substance use disorders than would be created under normal conditions , ” said Madras .
“ There is a tremendous fear to show up in person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She also suggested that many of the issues that coronavirus has exacerbated in the addiction community could last even after the virus has subsided .
CORONAVIRUS CAUSING RISE IN DRUG , ALCOHOL RELAPSES AMONG PEOPLE IN RECOVERY , EXPERT SAYS “ I think the isolation , the stress , the fear , the lack of social supports , are all feeding into another storm , ” said Madras .
“ That 's brewing for people with substance use disorders .
I 'm very concerned about it.
” Experts say the long-term ramifications of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ routine , job loss and overall anxiety , could create a wave of relapses that might mirror the spike in overdose deaths seen in 2016 .
They have started to call these cases “ deaths of despair ” and indicate that those who struggle with addiction will feel the social and economic impact of COVID-19 the hardest .
“ In the midst of this isolation , in the midst of everything that 's going on in our communities , things have the potential of getting worse , ” said Corson .
“ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , funding and support to be available on the other end of this.
” Madras agreed that it 's a reality both the medical community and policymakers need to accept and get a jump on in order for the country as a whole to recover .
“ I think that we have to recognize that and we have to accommodate and adjust to it , otherwise we 're going to have much greater problems than even in the past , ” she cautioned .
Another element of surprise may be the lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The research on overdoses published by groups like SAMHSA and the CDC are at least a year old — meaning we may not know how virtual recovery treatment and the overall drug epidemic during COVID-19 have affected Americans until well into 2021 .
Like with most of the coronavirus-related problems , the solution is unclear .
Experts agreed that the focus on jobs and job creation — in addition to continued treatment efforts — is one way to try and head off the problem before it becomes too large .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jobs , having a focus on social supports , that our opioid commission reports stressed , '' said Madras .
`` I think we have to recognize that this is something that is going to be a critical component in our ... nation 's recovery overall . ''
And in the meantime , Corson said that helping someone in recovery can be as simple as giving them a phone call .
“ Just check in on them , see how they 're doing .
And be someone on the other end .
”

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
As fears of COVID-19 sweep across the United States, many people have been forced to stay home and isolate for months. Away from jobs, friends and many loved ones, this quarantine has proven mentally challenging for everyone. And for those battling drug addiction, the ability to fight this highly contagious illness, along with the urge to use, could have more longstanding consequences.
“With the stay-at-home orders, the isolation, for people — especially in recovery, especially newly recovering people — the first year of recovery, they've really lost their entire support network,” said Dr. Deni Carise, chief scientific officer at Recovery Centers of America.
NYC DELIVERING METHADONE TO ADDICTS WITH CORONAVIRUS
In 2018, the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services reported that there were 14,809 substance abuse treatment facilities operating in the United States. For that same year, SAMHSA suggested that 21.2 million people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment, which is roughly 1 in 13 individuals in the U.S. And in-person meetings and community connection is a huge part of post-addiction recovery.
Since the arrival of COVID-19, that type of treatment has become much more difficult. A process like Narcotics Anonymous and other 12-step or recovery programs created to hold people accountable to their community and peers are now moving to a virtual space.
Carise said that since the outbreak, the addiction community is trying to find new ways to maintain the connection they need using virtual outpatient services. Some experts say that type of connection can be difficult and often overwhelming for those in recovery to navigate.
ADDICT-TURNED-RECOVERY ADVOCATE TALKS DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE DURING CORONAVIRUS
“Recovery is connection,” said Brian Corson, founder and executive director of MVP Recovery Now.
Corson, who is in long-term recovery, founded MVP Recovery Now, which is a sober living community in rural Pennsylvania. The group operates 20 recovery homes with about 125 people in the community. It’s designed for people who are just coming out of treatment where residents typically stay nine to 12 months.
"We focus on life skills,” he said. “It's necessary for someone to continue to be successful in long-term recovery."
MVP Recovery Now is fortunate in that they’re able to continue with house meetings and connected activities within group homes during the coronavirus pandemic. But for those who are not as fortunate, there is an even bigger threat of relapse. Corson said that the danger of relapsing from addiction is comparative with contracting coronavirus.
“If you look at the numbers when it comes to contracting, and then recovering from COVID-19,” said Corson, "those numbers are a lot better than if somebody goes back out and starts active addiction.”
CORONAVIRUS PRESENTS NEW CHALLENGES FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL RECOVERY
In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that over 67,000 Americans died from drug-involved overdoses. Of that number, nearly 47,000 died from an overdose related to opioids. These figures have been deemed successful because it was the first year where total drug overdoses — in particular opioid overdoses — have decreased.
At the end of 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services granted more than $9 billion to states and communities to combat the opioid crisis. The data suggest that increased funding, access to treatment, and knowledge surrounding the epidemic was helping even the hardest-hit communities.
Dr. Berta Madras, a psychobiologist with Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, said that in this world of distance medicine that easy access is being challenged.
"I think it has created a much heavier burden on people with substance use disorders than would be created under normal conditions,” said Madras. “There is a tremendous fear to show up in person and seek help, medical help.”
She also suggested that many of the issues that coronavirus has exacerbated in the addiction community could last even after the virus has subsided.
CORONAVIRUS CAUSING RISE IN DRUG, ALCOHOL RELAPSES AMONG PEOPLE IN RECOVERY, EXPERT SAYS
“I think the isolation, the stress, the fear, the lack of social supports, are all feeding into another storm,” said Madras. “That's brewing for people with substance use disorders. I'm very concerned about it.”
Experts say the long-term ramifications of the coronavirus i.e. the lack of routine, job loss and overall anxiety, could create a wave of relapses that might mirror the spike in overdose deaths seen in 2016. They have started to call these cases “deaths of despair” and indicate that those who struggle with addiction will feel the social and economic impact of COVID-19 the hardest.
“In the midst of this isolation, in the midst of everything that's going on in our communities, things have the potential of getting worse,” said Corson. “And we need to have the proper resources, funding and support to be available on the other end of this.”
Madras agreed that it's a reality both the medical community and policymakers need to accept and get a jump on in order for the country as a whole to recover.
“I think that we have to recognize that and we have to accommodate and adjust to it, otherwise we're going to have much greater problems than even in the past,” she cautioned.
Another element of surprise may be the lack of immediate reporting surrounding drug and overdose deaths. The research on overdoses published by groups like SAMHSA and the CDC are at least a year old — meaning we may not know how virtual recovery treatment and the overall drug epidemic during COVID-19 have affected Americans until well into 2021.
Like with most of the coronavirus-related problems, the solution is unclear. Experts agreed that the focus on jobs and job creation — in addition to continued treatment efforts — is one way to try and head off the problem before it becomes too large.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
"I do think that having a focus on jobs, having a focus on social supports, that our opioid commission reports stressed," said Madras. "I think we have to recognize that this is something that is going to be a critical component in our ... nation's recovery overall."
And in the meantime, Corson said that helping someone in recovery can be as simple as giving them a phone call.
“Just check in on them, see how they're doing. And be someone on the other end.”


foxnews--2020-05-20--Sock hack for coronavirus mask is a simple way to keep safe

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Amid the coronavirus pandemic , the question is not just should you wear a mask , but what kind .
A young man known as The Poof Daddy with platforms on various social media , from TikTok to Instagram , made a sock hack for a coronavirus mask -- a simple way to keep safe .
The video , which has been seen at least 14 million times on TikTok , shows Joshua taking a Nike sock and cutting it up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that wearing surgical masks can significantly reduce the rate of airborne COVID-19 transmission , according to a study released on Sunday .
The study , conducted by a team of scientists in Hong Kong , found the rate of non-contact transmission through respiratory droplets or airborne particles decreased by as much as 75 percent when masks were used .
CORONAVIRUS : WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW “ The findings implied to the world and the public is that the effectiveness of mask-wearing against the coronavirus pandemic is huge , ” said Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hong Kong University who helped discover the SARS virus in 2003 .
The study was released by the department of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong and comes as world leaders , including the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , have questioned the effectiveness of face coverings outside of medical settings .
The study , described as a first of its kind , placed hamsters in two cages , with one of the groups infected with COVID-19 and the other healthy .
They placed the animals in three different scenarios to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) also has recommended wearing masks in public settings to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
A new study suggested that cases of COVID-19 could be cut significantly if 80 percent of people heeded this advice .
The research , published by a group of international experts , created a model that shows the cases could be cut significantly if `` ( near ) universal masking '' is adopted .
`` Universal masking at 80 [ percent ] adoption flattens the curve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' researchers wrote in the study , which has not yet been peer-reviewed .
`` Masking at only 50 [ percent ] adoption is not sufficient to prevent continued spread , '' the researchers added .
Replacing the strict lockdown with social distancing on May 31 without masking results in unchecked spread . ''
The model the researchers built is known as the maskim simulator .
One of the collaborators on the study , economist Guy-Philippe Goldstein , told Forbes that in addition to social distancing , wearing a mask is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ curve of infections '' as the world waits for treatments and vaccines .

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Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the question is not just should you wear a mask, but what kind.
A young man known as The Poof Daddy with platforms on various social media, from TikTok to Instagram, made a sock hack for a coronavirus mask -- a simple way to keep safe.
The video, which has been seen at least 14 million times on TikTok, shows Joshua taking a Nike sock and cutting it up to make a mask.
Researchers have found that wearing surgical masks can significantly reduce the rate of airborne COVID-19 transmission, according to a study released on Sunday.
The study, conducted by a team of scientists in Hong Kong, found the rate of non-contact transmission through respiratory droplets or airborne particles decreased by as much as 75 percent when masks were used.
CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
“The findings implied to the world and the public is that the effectiveness of mask-wearing against the coronavirus pandemic is huge,” said Dr. Yuen Kwok-yung, a leading microbiologist from Hong Kong University who helped discover the SARS virus in 2003.
The study was released by the department of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong and comes as world leaders, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have questioned the effectiveness of face coverings outside of medical settings.
The study, described as a first of its kind, placed hamsters in two cages, with one of the groups infected with COVID-19 and the other healthy. They placed the animals in three different scenarios to analyze the effectiveness of the face coverings.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has recommended wearing masks in public settings to slow the spread of the coronavirus. A new study suggested that cases of COVID-19 could be cut significantly if 80 percent of people heeded this advice.
The research, published by a group of international experts, created a model that shows the cases could be cut significantly if "(near) universal masking" is adopted.
"Universal masking at 80 [percent] adoption flattens the curve significantly more than maintaining a strict lockdown," researchers wrote in the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
"Masking at only 50 [percent] adoption is not sufficient to prevent continued spread," the researchers added. Replacing the strict lockdown with social distancing on May 31 without masking results in unchecked spread."
The model the researchers built is known as the maskim simulator. One of the collaborators on the study, economist Guy-Philippe Goldstein, told Forbes that in addition to social distancing, wearing a mask is the only thing working "to flatten the curve of infections" as the world waits for treatments and vaccines.


foxnews--2020-05-20--Texas church closes after priest dies, members get coronavirus

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A Texas church canceled Mass services just days after reopening after a priest died and several members of his religious order tested positive for the coronavirus .
Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Houston reopened its doors on May 2 , as the Lone Star State began loosening its stay-at-home orders .
But on May 14 , the parish canceled all services after Father Donnell Kirchner died .
Five members of the congregation tested positive for COVID-19 , church officials said Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person at Holy Ghost Church since the reopening on May 2nd , you are strongly encouraged to monitor your health for any symptoms and be tested for COVID-19 , as a precautionary measure , '' the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said in a statement to Fox News .
The church said it was possible Kirchner , 79 , contracted COVID-19 and that `` one or more of the community might have been exposed . ''
The priest 's cause of death is unknown , though he was diagnosed with pneumonia before he died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who worked at Holy Ghost parish in Bellaire , shared a home with seven other members of the Redemptorists religious community .
Five of them tested positive for COVID over the weekend , including two priests who had been active in public Masses at Holy Ghost since reopening .
The diocese reports at least five members of the church tested positive as of Monday and are asymptomatic .
In-person attendance at the 900-seat parish has been `` closely controlled '' and has not exceeded 179 people since May 2 .
Kirchner 's funeral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ livestreamed on Facebook .
Texas has had over 49,900 cases and at least 1,369 deaths due to the coronavirus as the state continues to reopen .

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A Texas church canceled Mass services just days after reopening after a priest died and several members of his religious order tested positive for the coronavirus.
Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Houston reopened its doors on May 2, as the Lone Star State began loosening its stay-at-home orders.
CHICAGO BLOCKED CHURCH PARKING LOTS, MAYOR THREATENS FINES
But on May 14, the parish canceled all services after Father Donnell Kirchner died. Five members of the congregation tested positive for COVID-19, church officials said Monday.
"If you have attended Masses in person at Holy Ghost Church since the reopening on May 2nd, you are strongly encouraged to monitor your health for any symptoms and be tested for COVID-19, as a precautionary measure," the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said in a statement to Fox News.
The church said it was possible Kirchner, 79, contracted COVID-19 and that "one or more of the community might have been exposed." The priest's cause of death is unknown, though he was diagnosed with pneumonia before he died at home May 13.
CANADIAN PASTOR FACES 3 YEARS IN JAIL FOR DEFYING MYANMAR'S CORONAVIRUS BAN
Kirchner, who worked at Holy Ghost parish in Bellaire, shared a home with seven other members of the Redemptorists religious community. Five of them tested positive for COVID over the weekend, including two priests who had been active in public Masses at Holy Ghost since reopening.
The diocese reports at least five members of the church tested positive as of Monday and are asymptomatic. In-person attendance at the 900-seat parish has been "closely controlled" and has not exceeded 179 people since May 2.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
Kirchner's funeral is scheduled for Thursday and will be livestreamed on Facebook.
Texas has had over 49,900 cases and at least 1,369 deaths due to the coronavirus as the state continues to reopen.


foxnews--2020-05-14--Chilling video shows how coronavirus spreads at restaurant buffet

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Japanese broadcaster NHK has worked with scientists in an experiment to show how coronavirus could be spread by touching surfaces at a restaurant buffet .
The experiment , which involved 10 people , saw one individual designated as infected with coronavirus .
Simulating the suppression of a cough by hand , fluorescent paint was applied to the person ’ s hand to represent the virus .
CHILLING VIDEO REVEALS HOW CORONAVIRUS SPREADS FROM A SINGLE COUGH IN A SUPERMARKET The 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minutes , after which time a black light was used to see where the “ virus ” was present .
“ It was found that it spread over a wide area such as tableware and hands , ” NHK reported .
The paint was seen on the hands of all 10 people and was on the faces of three individuals .
“ It was spread through the lid of the container holding the food , the tongs separating the food , and the handle of the drink container , ” NHK said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Finland recently created a chilling video that models how coronavirus could spread from a single cough in a supermarket .
The video was uploaded to YouTube by scientists at Finland ’ s Aalto University .
As of Friday morning , more than 4.44 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide , at least 1,417,889 of which are in the U.S. , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
The disease has accounted for at least 302,493 deaths around the world , including at least 84,136 people in the U.S .

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Japanese broadcaster NHK has worked with scientists in an experiment to show how coronavirus could be spread by touching surfaces at a restaurant buffet.
The experiment, which involved 10 people, saw one individual designated as infected with coronavirus. Simulating the suppression of a cough by hand, fluorescent paint was applied to the person’s hand to represent the virus.
CHILLING VIDEO REVEALS HOW CORONAVIRUS SPREADS FROM A SINGLE COUGH IN A SUPERMARKET
The 10 participants then enjoyed the buffet for 30 minutes, after which time a black light was used to see where the “virus” was present. “It was found that it spread over a wide area such as tableware and hands,” NHK reported.
The paint was seen on the hands of all 10 people and was on the faces of three individuals. “It was spread through the lid of the container holding the food, the tongs separating the food, and the handle of the drink container,” NHK said.
SCIENTISTS TRACK 'ALARMING' CORONAVIRUS SPREAD IN SOUTH KOREAN CALL CENTER
In a separate project, researchers in Finland recently created a chilling video that models how coronavirus could spread from a single cough in a supermarket.
The video was uploaded to YouTube by scientists at Finland’s Aalto University.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
As of Friday morning, more than 4.44 million coronavirus cases have been diagnosed worldwide, at least 1,417,889 of which are in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The disease has accounted for at least 302,493 deaths around the world, including at least 84,136 people in the U.S.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers


foxnews--2020-05-20--Singapore sentences man to death via Zoom for masterminding drug deal

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The sentencing of a man in Singapore to death via Zoom video for his role in a 2011 drug deal has outraged human rights activists who call issuing capital punishment verdicts during the coronavirus pandemic “ abhorrent.
” Punithan Genasan , a 37-year-old Malaysian , was sentenced Friday to death by hanging for masterminding a 2011 heroin transaction .
But the vast majority of court hearings in Singapore have been adjourned until at least June 1 because of coronavirus lockdowns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ where a capital punishment verdict was delivered remotely since the pandemic .
“ For the safety of all involved in the proceedings , the hearing for Public Prosecutor v. Punithan A/L Genasan was conducted by video-conferencing , ” a spokesperson for Singapore ’ s Supreme Court told Reuters .
Court documents said the judge found Genasan recruited two drug couriers and directed them to transport and deliver 28.5 grams of heroin .
Genasan ’ s lawyer , Peter Fernando , told the news outlet that he did not object to the judgment being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ client is considering an appeal .
In Singapore , which has recorded more than 29,000 coronavirus cases and at least 22 deaths , the death penalty is a possible sentence in a range of offenses including drug trafficking , murder , kidnapping , waging war against the government and use of firearms .
The country has defended capital punishment as a deterrent for the most serious crimes .
Most of the cases are drug-related .
The city-state imposed a partial lockdown in early April after it was hit by a second wave of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowded dormitories .
It plans to gradually ease restrictions starting next month .
HUGE HAUL OF METH , METHYL FENTANYL AND HEROIN SEIZED IN MYANMAR , IN ASIA 'S LARGEST EVER DRUG BUST Amnesty International said in a statement that the ruling was a `` reminder that Singapore continues to defy international law and standards by imposing the death penalty for drug trafficking.
” “ At a time when the global attention is focused on saving and protecting lives in a pandemic , the pursuit of the death penalty is all the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Robertson , the Human Rights Watch ’ s deputy director for Asia , told Reuters that Singapore ’ s use of remote technology to sentence a man to death makes the city-state 's death penalty even more “ inherently cruel and inhumane.
” CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP The organization condemned a similar ruling made in Nigeria earlier this month .
Olalekan Hameed , who pleaded not guilty to killing a 76-year-old man in December 2018 , was sentenced to death by hanging last month .

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The sentencing of a man in Singapore to death via Zoom video for his role in a 2011 drug deal has outraged human rights activists who call issuing capital punishment verdicts during the coronavirus pandemic “abhorrent.”
Punithan Genasan, a 37-year-old Malaysian, was sentenced Friday to death by hanging for masterminding a 2011 heroin transaction. But the vast majority of court hearings in Singapore have been adjourned until at least June 1 because of coronavirus lockdowns.
It’s the second known case where a capital punishment verdict was delivered remotely since the pandemic.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
“For the safety of all involved in the proceedings, the hearing for Public Prosecutor v. Punithan A/L Genasan was conducted by video-conferencing,” a spokesperson for Singapore’s Supreme Court told Reuters.
Court documents said the judge found Genasan recruited two drug couriers and directed them to transport and deliver 28.5 grams of heroin.
Genasan’s lawyer, Peter Fernando, told the news outlet that he did not object to the judgment being delivered via video. He said his client is considering an appeal.
In Singapore, which has recorded more than 29,000 coronavirus cases and at least 22 deaths, the death penalty is a possible sentence in a range of offenses including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, waging war against the government and use of firearms. The country has defended capital punishment as a deterrent for the most serious crimes. Most of the cases are drug-related.
The city-state imposed a partial lockdown in early April after it was hit by a second wave of infections sparked by foreign workers living in crowded dormitories. It plans to gradually ease restrictions starting next month.
HUGE HAUL OF METH, METHYL FENTANYL AND HEROIN SEIZED IN MYANMAR, IN ASIA'S LARGEST EVER DRUG BUST
Amnesty International said in a statement that the ruling was a "reminder that Singapore continues to defy international law and standards by imposing the death penalty for drug trafficking.”
“At a time when the global attention is focused on saving and protecting lives in a pandemic, the pursuit of the death penalty is all the more abhorrent,” it added.
Phil Robertson, the Human Rights Watch’s deputy director for Asia, told Reuters that Singapore’s use of remote technology to sentence a man to death makes the city-state's death penalty even more “inherently cruel and inhumane.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
The organization condemned a similar ruling made in Nigeria earlier this month.
Olalekan Hameed, who pleaded not guilty to killing a 76-year-old man in December 2018, was sentenced to death by hanging last month.


foxnews--2020-05-20--Birx touts coronavirus data showing decline in cases, hospitalizations

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Dr. Deborah Birx , the coordinator of the White House 's coronavirus task force , is encouraged by the latest statistics of new coronavirus cases -- which she said shows sharp declines in both deaths and hospitalizations in recent weeks .
Birx said that while certain areas remain at a consistent level , much of the country is seeing significant drops .
“ We are encouraged in reviewing and triangulating clinical data , laboratory data and surveillance data from around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have dropped by 50 percent in the last 30 days , '' Birx said Tuesday .
`` All hospitalizations and ICU hospitalizations are both dropping .
Fatalities continue to decrease week over week . ''
Birx also pointed to how numbers of cases are going down even as testing is increasing .
She said that all states are now seeing less than 20 percent test positive .
In New York , which has been hit harder than any other state , less than 10 percent test positive , down from more than 45 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over week new cases continue to decline – despite significant increases in testing and more testing focused on contact tracing and proactively searching for asymptomatic cases , '' Birx said .
CONNECTICUT RESTAURANTS 'EAGER ' TO REOPEN AS STATE STARTS LIFTING RESTRICTIONS -- AND BRACES FOR INFLUX FROM NEW YORK Birx said she drew three takeaways from the latest data .
First off , she said that major metropolitan areas `` are starting to improve significantly , '' noting that as cities reopen they are expanding testing among vulnerable populations and increasing contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is `` very reassuring '' to see states following her task force 's recommendations by finding cases , testing people , and contact tracing so that they can test additional people who may be asymptomatic , thus helping prevent the further spreading of COVID-19 .
The third takeaway Birx had was that `` testing has been expanding at a rate that in several places the governors are saying they need more people to test . ''
She said the Trump administration is helping governors provide testing in key populations such as nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged areas of the cities . ''
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Birx identified the metropolitan areas of Washington , Chicago , and Los Angeles as locations where the number of new cases have plateaued , and said the task force will be studying them to see which cases are part of community spread and which are from new outbreaks .
`` We study these three metros that are closed and have been closed to understand where precisely the new cases are coming from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' she said .

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Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House's coronavirus task force, is encouraged by the latest statistics of new coronavirus cases -- which she said shows sharp declines in both deaths and hospitalizations in recent weeks.
Birx said that while certain areas remain at a consistent level, much of the country is seeing significant drops.
NEW YORK'S CORONAVIRUS PLAN INVOLVES UV LIGHT TO DISINFECT SUBWAYS
“We are encouraged in reviewing and triangulating clinical data, laboratory data and surveillance data from around the country. It shows that new hospitalizations have dropped by 50 percent in the last 30 days," Birx said Tuesday. "All hospitalizations and ICU hospitalizations are both dropping. Fatalities continue to decrease week over week."
Birx also pointed to how numbers of cases are going down even as testing is increasing. She said that all states are now seeing less than 20 percent test positive. In New York, which has been hit harder than any other state, less than 10 percent test positive, down from more than 45 percent a month ago.
“Week over week new cases continue to decline – despite significant increases in testing and more testing focused on contact tracing and proactively searching for asymptomatic cases," Birx said.
CONNECTICUT RESTAURANTS 'EAGER' TO REOPEN AS STATE STARTS LIFTING RESTRICTIONS -- AND BRACES FOR INFLUX FROM NEW YORK
Birx said she drew three takeaways from the latest data. First off, she said that major metropolitan areas "are starting to improve significantly," noting that as cities reopen they are expanding testing among vulnerable populations and increasing contact tracing.
Second, Birx said it is "very reassuring" to see states following her task force's recommendations by finding cases, testing people, and contact tracing so that they can test additional people who may be asymptomatic, thus helping prevent the further spreading of COVID-19.
The third takeaway Birx had was that "testing has been expanding at a rate that in several places the governors are saying they need more people to test." She said the Trump administration is helping governors provide testing in key populations such as nursing homes, prisons, group housing, and "in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged areas of the cities."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Birx identified the metropolitan areas of Washington, Chicago, and Los Angeles as locations where the number of new cases have plateaued, and said the task force will be studying them to see which cases are part of community spread and which are from new outbreaks.
"We study these three metros that are closed and have been closed to understand where precisely the new cases are coming from and how to prevent new infections," she said.