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US Unlikely To End Covid Testing Rules For International Travel 

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Throughout the past month many countries have made international travel a lot easier as the Covid-19 pandemic continues around the world. Vaccinated travelers have found it much easier to book and experience travel again, however, US travelers returning from abroad must still present negative Covid-19 test results before they’re able to safely return.

The US Virgin Islands became the latest territory to announce that vaccinated travelers no longer need to provide a negative test upon arrival, a move that other international countries, like the UK, have had in place for nearly a month. 

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According to the US Centers for Disease Control And Prevention’s (CDC) last updated guidance for international travel, which was made in December, the US requires all incoming travelers over the age of 2 to submit a negative Covid test taken within one day of departure from a foreign country in order to enter the US. 

It’s become much easier to find at-home Covid-19 tests in the US, which will allow travelers to have greater access to testing in order to go abroad and return safely. The US government’s international travel guidance allows at-home tests as an accurate result for re-entry into the country. 

The provision within the guidelines also provides a list of approved at-home tests that travelers can take before and after traveling abroad. The CDC accepts Ellume, Quered, and BinaxNow at-home tests, which are some of the most commonly sold brands throughout the US. 

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The CDC also requires that the tests are supervised by a live attendant via a video call. BinaxNow tests can even be purchased through the website eMed, which will provide an at-home test shipped directly to your home prior to your trip with instructions on how to take it with live video guidance. 

In a statement to the media, a CVS spokesperson said the company’s stores “have the ability to meet our customers’ needs with at-home test kits both in store and at CVS.com,. We have simplified the digital process so customers can order and pick up a test kit with no up-front, out-of-pocket cost or the need to submit a claim to insurance.”

Walgreens said it “worked diligently with our suppliers to ensure we have enough supply to meet customer demand at nearly all locations.”

While other countries may continue to lift certain Covid-19 protocols for international travel, the US is unlikely to follow suit anytime soon, as it is one of the nation’s with the highest rate of infection.

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Hawaii Likely To Tighten Travel Restrictions In 2022

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Covid-19 cases are once again on the rise in the US due to the highly contagious Omicron variant and lack of vaccination throughout the nation. Restrictions on inbound international travel have already begun to tighten, as travelers need to show proof that they’re fully vaccinated with a negative test result that’s no more than one day old. 

The state of Hawaii already has limited on-island medical centers and resources, so they’re considering strengthening their own requirements for those arriving to the islands. Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor Josh Green is pushing for tighter travel restrictions to be implemented in the near future. 

“The recommendation should be that you’re either boosted or tested, real straightforward, and I think that will come in the New Year.”

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Throughout the entire pandemic Hawaii has implemented some of the strictest interstate entry requirements. 

After Hawaii launched its Safe Travels program, the state was met with a large number of tourists who were looking to escape to the islands. Governor David Ige responded to this uptick in travel by pleading with visitors to delay their visits so the hospitality industry could recover from the past summer. 

With the sudden and rapid increase in Omicron infections, Hawaii-bound travelers may find themselves facing stricter restrictions in the coming weeks. 

According to Jessica Lani Rich at the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii (VASH), there’s been an “increase in calls coming in from visitors who test positive while they’re already in the destination. The new CDC guidance has encouraged some such infected vacationers to ride out their on-island isolation period and then salvage the remainder of their trip, rather than just returning home.”

“The majority of our visitors do not have the funds to spend an extra two weeks during the holidays and so, for those visitors, they are happy that the CDC has changed the rules,” she told local KITV4 News.

Woman Coughing with Mask On

New AI Technology Can Detect Covid-19 From The Sound Of Your Cough 

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One of the biggest concerns that’s been raised surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic regards asymptomatic individuals who unknowingly spread the virus. Now, thanks to newly developed AI technology, healthcare officials may be able to detect asymptomatic cases simply by the sounds of their coughs. 

The technology came from a group of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who claim that the model can detect asymptomatic cases by listening to subtle differences between a healthy cough and a Covid-19 cough. As of right now the AI technology is still in its clinical trial period, however, the group has already started the process of seeking approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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The algorithm is based on previous AI models that were able to detect lung conditions such as pneumonia and asthma, and it’s even been used in some screenings for Alzheimer’s disease, as that can cause some major strain or degradation on the vocal cords and respiratory system of certain patients. In fact, the specific Alzheimer’s model is the main one that was used to develop the Covid-19 detecting technology. 

One of the studies co-authors, Brian Subirana, who’s also a research scientist in MIT’s Auto-ID Laboratory recently explained in a statement how this technology is able to analyze our vocal cords to make such concrete conclusions. 

“Things we easily derive from fluent speech, AI can pick up simply from coughs, including things like the person’s gender, mother tongue or even emotional state. There’s in fact sentiment embedded in how you cough.”

The process began with the group creating a website where volunteers were able to record their coughs using their cell phones or computers. Volunteers were both healthy and infected with Covid-19 so the technology could really hear every little difference. Participants would then fill out survey questionnaires regarding their diagnosis and any symptoms they may be experiencing. 

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People were also asked to record forced coughs, like the one you let out when your doctor tells you to cough so they can listen to your lungs. Researchers have so far gathered over 70,000 individual recordings of forced coughs. Of those recordings 2,660 were from patients with Covid-19, with or without symptoms. After they compiled the recordings they used 4,256 of the samples to train their AI models and 1,064 of the samples to test the model to see whether or not it could detect the difference in a regular cough and a Covid-19 cough. 

They then found that the AI model could tell the differences based on four determining factors: muscular degradation, vocal cord strength, respiratory function and lung performance. So far, the model has been able to correctly identify 98.5% of people with Covid-19 and correctly rule out Covid-19 in 94.2% of people who were healthy and participated in the study. 

In order for this technology to be approved and distributed throughout the nation as a valid form of testing, further research needs to be done. This would mean expanding the sample size of volunteers to include coughs from people of all ages and ethnicities. If the software does prove effective, this technology will likely take the form of a downloadable app on smart devices that would make testing very useful for the remainder of this pandemic. 

The team of researchers are seeking regulatory approval for the app which may come as early as next month, but for now researchers are continuing to perfect the technology so it can be used to its fullest potential and really help curve the spread of Covid-19.

Qingdao China Coronavirus

City Of Qingdao, China To Test All Nine Million Residents For Covid-19 In The Next 5 Days

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Over a period of five days, authorities in the Chinese city of Qingdao will test all nine million of its residents for Covid-19 after it was discovered that a dozen individuals were positive for the virus in a hospital that was treating coronavirus patients arriving internationally. 

While this may seem like a daunting task, back in May China was able to test the entire city of Wuhan, the initial epicenter for Covid-19, for the virus. Wihan is home to over 11 million residents for context. Overall, China has been one of the only countries to get the virus completely under control. 

Compared to other parts of the world, China has remained diligent and strict with their health and safety measures ever since the virus first emerged there in March. Qingdao’s Municipal Health Commission posted a statement to Chinese social media site Weibo this past weekend, claiming that six new cases and six new asymptomatic cases had been discovered.

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All of the cases were directly linked to the same hospital, which will make it easier for Chinese authorities to trace. While this new cluster of cases may not seem that severe, the country as a whole has a strategy of mass testing in any event of new coronavirus clusters, no matter how minor; a stark difference with how America is handling the virus, which is currently infecting 50,000 Americans every day. 

The National Health Commission claimed on Monday that the “whole city will be tested within five days.” Qingdao’s health commission also recently claimed that around 115,000 individuals, including medical staff and newly hospitalized non-Covid patients, have already tested negative for the virus. 

Local media outlets reported on residents lining up late Sunday to get tested, which is also likely connected to the Mid-Autumn Festival festivities that millions of China’s residents participated in a week ago. During the holiday festivities an estimated 4.47 million domestic travelers moved across China. 

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The city of Jinan, which is located in the same province as Qingdao, called upon any resident that may have visited the city since September 23rd to get tested. Daily infection rates in China have dropped drastically, and even after two port workers who handled imported seafood in Qingdao tested positive for the virus, no new cases were reported. 

According to the World Health Organization China is currently dealing with 91,305 active cases and the death toll has stood at 4,746. When they had to test all 11 million residents of Wuhan, China they did it by opening hundreds of new temporary testing stations for a 10-day period. Thousands of staffers were hired and mobile teams were sent out to go to individuals homes who may be too old to travel, or are immunocompromised to the point that going outside poses a major risk. 

Qingdao is also planning on taking a page out of Wuhan’s book by setting up pool-testing, which essentially tests between five and 10 samples at a time. With this type of testing you don’t know who individually tests positive from the group if you get a positive result, so if that is the case, medical workers will go back and individually test every participant again to find who has the virus.

Positive Covid Case

CDC Study Suggests Covid-19 Cases May Be 10 Times Higher Than Reported

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A new study was published by JAMA this week that suggests states within America have been drastically under-reporting the amount of positive Covid-19 cases within them. While previously many healthcare experts discussed how a lack of testing resources/facilities could skew the data and just how severe the pandemic actually is in America, now they’re claiming that even the data that is recorded isn’t fully accurate. 

The study itself was performed with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and it analyzed the routine blood samples of more than 16,000 individuals between the dates of March 23rd and May 12th. 90% of the samples came from individuals over the age of 18 and more than half were women. 10 different states provided samples for the study and each was tested for the presence of Covid-19 antibodies. 

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While the number of infections represented just a small portion of the population in each region that the samples were collected from, the number of positive results was much higher than expected. Specifically, the study claims that the number of infections was 6-24 times greater than what had been reported by the media for each specific region. 

Now, based on the studies results, experts are claiming the positive amount of Covid-19 cases in America could be up to 10 times greater than what’s being reported on the news everyday. Dr. William Schaffner is an infectious disease expert who works at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He recently discussed with the media the reasons behind why this data is so skewed beyond just a lack of testing facilities. 

“The new data was probably a consequence of asymptomatic transmission. This virus is getting out beyond us. If you translate it to today, as much as you think is out there, there’s more, a lot more. The house is on fire.”

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Dr. Amesh Adalja, who’s been working on data collection at Johns Hopkins University since the beginning of this pandemic, agrees with Schaffner’s point that asymptomatic individuals are either overlooked as not being a serious threat, or just are unaware of the fact that they’re spreading the virus. 

Adalja claimed that asymptomatic individuals are not getting tested and some are just going about their daily lives as if nothings wrong, which thus transmits the virus to other people who may not be lucky enough to be symptom-free. 

“If you’re a person that’s sick with mild illness and you don’t want to wait in your car for eight hours at a drive-through to get a test result back in 10 days, then why would you?”

While Adalja understands the logic, it doesn’t trump the fact that the world is still in the middle of the worst public health crisis in decades, and hundreds of thousands of individuals are dying every single week as a result of these asymptomatic individuals who are continuously spreading the virus every time they step outside. 

While the world continues to wait for a vaccine, it’s imperative that we listen to our healthcare providers and wear a mask in public, social distance, and wash our hands/bodies vigorously every day. Even if you feel 100% healthy yourself, you never know what type of damage you can unknowingly be doing if you’re actively going against these government regulations.

Covid Antibody Test

New Report From CDC Claims Half Of All Coronavirus Antibody Tests Are False

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently listed a compilation of new guidance on their website that stated antibody tests used to determine if an individual has been infected with Covid-19 may be wrong half the time. The tests specifically look for evidence of an immune response in the body to determine, and now the CDC is claiming that they shouldn’t be used to “make decisions about grouping persons residing in or being admitted to congregate settings, such as schools, dormitories, or correctional facilities,” according to their website. 

The CDC is now encouraging health officials not to use these tests to make decisions about when essential workers can return to their workplace if they’ve been infected. Health care providers should also ensure that when they do give patients an antibody test that they’re using the most accurate test possible and are able to test the individual twice to be sure that the result is accurate. 

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“In most of the country, including areas that have been heavily impacted, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody is expected to be low, ranging from less than 5% to 25%, so that testing at this point might result in relatively more false positive results and fewer false-negative results. The higher the sensitivity, the fewer false negatives a test will give. The higher the specificity, the fewer false positives. Across populations, tests give more accurate results if the disease being tested for is common in the population. If an infection has only affected a small percentage of people being tested, even a very small margin of error in a test will be magnified,” the CDC said.

One of the biggest concerns is the false positives that some individuals are receiving. A false positive could lead someone to believe that they had the virus and have a certain level of immunity over it when they could’ve actually never had it at all. It’s also extremely important to note that even if the positive test result is accurate, no one is immune from this virus, and you shouldn’t believe that you have no chance at getting it again simply because you have the antibodies. We still don’t know how this virus fully works and mutates, so everyone must continue to ease on the side of extreme caution. 

“It cannot be assumed that individuals with truly positive antibody test results are protected from future infection. Serologic [antibody] testing should not be used to determine immune status in individuals until the presence, durability, and duration of immunity is established,” (CDC). 

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In general, the CDC doesn’t want anyone to use antibody testing as a means of making certain policy decisions. We need to be looking at actual case numbers and rates of infection more than anything when it comes to loosening quarantining measures. They claim that this testing can be wrong so often because of how common the virus is now. 

“For example, in a population where the prevalence is 5%, a test with 90% sensitivity and 95% specificity will yield a positive predictive value of 49%. In other words, less than half of those testing positive will truly have antibodies. Alternatively, the same test in a population with an antibody prevalence exceeding 52% will yield a positive predictive greater than 95%, meaning that less than one in 20 people testing positive will have a false positive test result,” (CDC).

The best way to receive an accurate test result is to take a test with higher sensitivity. High sensitivity antibody tests are much less likely to give a false positive specifically. The Food and Drug Administration has joined the CDC in expressing their hesitation in using antibody results for policy change. For now, both organizations encourage double-testing, and remaining diligent on all other social distancing measures as well.  

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Lady Gaga Organizes “One World: Together At Home” Virtual Concert Special For Covid-19 Relief

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The special is called “One World: Together at Home” and will be a two-hour long concert event beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. And in a rare turn of events for prime time cable programming, the special will be televised across multiple networks including ABC, CBS, and NBC.

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Bill Gates Has Given Over $100 Million To Fund COVID-19 Treatments

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The focus on the foundation has always been to improve on impoverished individuals health and wellbeing in order to lift them out of a life of danger that stripped them of any access to basic human needs.

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United Kingdom Extends Measures To Combat COVID-19 Outbreak

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The world has been rapidly trying to respond to every new development that the World Health Organization and Centers For Disease Control release in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking every recommended step and measure that these officials deliver to us is of the utmost importance right now. The United States and United Kingdom are two of the world’s countries that have been criticized the most for their lack of a response to the coronavirus. Now, the U.S. is quarantining itself more and more every day, and the U.K. has made some major policy changes that will be made official this week.

The United Kingdom is projecting to shut down all their schools this Friday until further notice as their main response to the coronavirus pandemic. The only exceptions to this rule will involve any schools that are looking after the children of government officials and key workers involved in the combating of coronavirus, as well as more vulnerable children who lack the proper resources to survive on their own without the aid of school programming. 

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In England and Wales all academic final exams have been cancelled for the time being, it’s predicted that areas in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be making the same type of changes. The death rate in the United Kingdom has reached 104, after an additional 30 people died within a week, prompting more serious restrictive measures to be implemented. 

According to reports, “confirmed cases in the UK rose to 2,626 on Wednesday, from 1,950 on Tuesday. There have been 56,221 tests carried out in the UK for Covid-19, of which 53,595 were confirmed negative. The government says it plans to more than double the number of tests being carried out in England to 25,000 a day.” 

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will all follow the UK’s lead within the coming weeks as well. In terms of industry worker protections, the European government is bringing forward emergency legislation policies to protect private renters from eviction, after multiple complaints. Other policies involved a new advert that’s being spread across the UK’s television, radio and internet media outlets to remind everyone to stay home as much as they can and to continue to practice good hygiene.  

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announced a series of new key measures that are designed to specifically target individuals with coronavirus currently, and work to maintain their isolation and health. 

England’s Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, told the press that “assessments or exams would not go ahead this year and performance tables would not be published. Officials are working with exam boards to ensure that children get the qualifications that they need, and schools have already been preparing for a shutdown for some time, with some creating homework packs or setting up ways of working online.”

In addition to all of these measures, parts of Europe are enforcing strict travel bans while also working to return tourists to their home countries as smoothly and safely as possible. UK supermarkets are also going to begin placing limits on how much one person can purchase at a time to maintain food rations. 

Closing the schools is the best way to prevent the spread of infection. While young children are the most likely to survive coronavirus and have the least amount of symptoms, their ability to spread it is just as severe as the average adult. Right now, the focus is on maintaining the spread, and curing those infected. Europe is following suit with the rest of the world now when it comes to taking the proper measures to ensure its citizens safety. 

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Testing For COVID-19 Should Be Priority, Says World Health Organization

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The United States has officially declared a National State of Emergency over the coronavirus pandemic. A major part of this declaration entails that the U.S. makes testing for COVID-19 more accessible and more frequent for those exhibiting even the slightest of symptoms. However, the country is still struggling to ramp up basic testing for the virus, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized that social-distancing is not going to be enough to contain the spreading of this virus. 

“These measures [social distancing] can slow transmission and allow health care systems to better cope, but they are not enough to extinguish this pandemic. What’s needed is a comprehensive approach, but we have not seen an urgent-enough escalation in testing, isolation and contact tracing, which is the backbone of the response. The most effective way to prevent infections and save lives is breaking the chains of transmission, and to do that, you must test and isolate,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (aka Dr. Tedros) said in a press release.

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Dr. Tedros also noted that the numbers of cases and deaths in China have begun decreasing since they’ve taken proper containment measures from the start. However, the numbers of cases and deaths in countries outside of China, including the US, have only continued to increase exponentially. 

While the US has taken containment measures such as social-distancing, closing schools/colleges/universities, canceling events, and having most work remotely, it’s still not enough. To put it numerically, other countries have already tested hundreds of thousands of patients since initial cases began appearing, the United States has only tested around 40,000 patients total; South Korea alone has been testing 20,000 people a day. 

President Trump along with many members of his Coronavirus Task Force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, have been appearing in a series of televised press conferences in which they announced plans to dramatically increase our countries testing capacity. A major part of this initiative includes partnerships with major private companies and chains, such as Walmart and Walgreen’s, to help distribute tests in a contained and efficient matter. 

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The United States is projecting to test up to 100,000 patients weekly with its new testing initiatives. However, many citizens aren’t confident in the administration’s ability to deliver on their promises considering the government has made many over exaggerations, and under-exaggerations, in terms of this virus before. Trump has made countless comparisons to the virus and the flu, meanwhile, all major sports leagues, restaurants, bars, and social gatherings have never been closed down for the flu before. 

Trump so far has also announced that Google was creating a website that would allow anyone to log in and determine if they should get tested or not. Once determined the website’s algorithm would help connect people to those who could set up testing facilities at local labs. 

According to reports, “so far, the US has detected over 4,200 cases in 49 states and the District of Columbia. This number is expected to be far lower than the actual number of cases due to the delayed and limited testing. There have been 74 reported deaths in the US. Worldwide, there are over 181,000 cases in at least 148 countries. More than 7,000 people have died.”

The Trump administration has only emphasized testing for those with noticeable symptoms who individually believe that they’re symptomatic enough to be ill. However, WHO recommends testing for all, even with minor symptoms who may have come in contact with others infected, as previously stated, we still aren’t aware of the severity of this pandemic in the US due to its long incubation period. Testing is being prioritized for those working in the healthcare industry and who are more susceptible to getting infected; those with preexisting conditions and those over the age of 65.