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‘I’m in awe’: NASA astronaut salutes coronavirus-fighting doctors and nurses from orbit – Space.com

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic just got an off-Earth shout-out on National Doctors' Day.

NASA astronaut Drew Morgan, a medical doctor who's one of the three people currently living aboard the International Space Station (ISS), tweeted his appreciation today (March 30) to the brave doctors, nurses, medical technicians and other people on the front lines of the war against the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19.

"As a medical doctor looking back on our planet on #NationalDoctorsDay, I think of the healthcare professionals & volunteers that are risking their lives in this crisis. We're at our best when we help each other. I'm in awe of your selfless service. Thank you from @Space_Station," Morgan said via Twitter today. This was the text accompanying a photo of himself and a floating stethoscope in the station's cupola, with Earth in the background.

Updates: The coronavirus pandemic's impacts on space exploration

Healthcare workers are indeed risking their lives to treat COVID-19 patients. For example, medical professionals make up almost 14% of Spain's confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the New York Times. And COVID-19 is raging through the healthcare workforce in New York City, which has been hit particularly hard by the outbreak. A "doctor at a major New York City hospital described it as 'a petri dish,' where more than 200 workers had fallen sick," the Times' Michael Schwirtz wrote in a story today.

As of today, there are more than 740,000 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide and more than 35,000 COVID-19 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Morgan's two companions aboard the ISS are fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, commander of the current Expedition 62. The trio will soon be joined by three colleagues: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner are scheduled to launch toward the orbiting lab aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on April 9.

National Doctors' Day is celebrated in the United States every year on March 30 (though some countries use a different date). The first such observance was held in Georgia in 1933, according to the website doctorsday.org.

"On March 30, 1958, a Resolution Commemorating Doctors' Day was adopted by the United States House of Representatives," the website reads. "In 1990, legislation was introduced in the House and Senate to establish a national Doctors' Day. Following overwhelming approval by the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, on Oct. 30, 1990, President George Bush signed S.J. RES. #366 (which became Public Law 101-473) designating March 30 as 'National Doctors' Day.'"

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

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'I'm in awe': NASA astronaut salutes coronavirus-fighting doctors and nurses from orbit - Space.com

All traditions are scrapped: Keeping coronavirus off the ISS – Digital Trends

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

With the global outbreak of coronavirus, officially called COVID-19, affecting every area of life, you might be surprised to hear that NASA and other space agencies still intend to go ahead with their plan to send more astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) next month.

In fact, ISS astronauts already undergo strict quarantine restrictions as part of their launch preparations, so they might be some of the few people in the world whose plans for the next few weeks havent changed. But now, restrictions have been tightened even further to ensure theres almost no chance of spreading the coronavirus beyond our planet and onto the space station.

While quarantine procedures are new for most of us, they are well familiar to astronauts. For decades, astronauts have been placed in quarantine for periods of time before they launch into space, especially if they are traveling to the ISS. The quarantine period ensures not only that the astronauts arent sick themselves, which could be a problem if they were in space, but also that they dont transport any viruses or bacteria to other members of the crew.

These days, astronauts spend two weeks in quarantine in their quarters before launching to the ISS, with minimal contact with others outside of close family members allowed. Astronauts also quarantine when returning from space missions, to ensure they dont bring anything unexpected back to earth with them.

Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin told Ars Technica that he and his crewmates found ways to keep themselves entertained during post-mission quarantine: Well, Mike Collins and I used to exercise and jog a little bit around the hallway, he said. Though the facilities in the 1960s may not have been quite up to the strict standards of today: We looked at this one crack in the floor, and there were ants crawling in and out, he said.

Currently, there are only three astronauts aboard the ISS Commander Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos, and Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan of NASA. Having so few crew members means extra work and extra stress for the astronauts, and while three is not an unusual number for a crew, the station supports up to six astronauts. Therefore, three more astronauts will join them as part of Expedition 62 next month Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos plus Chris Cassidy of NASA. The original three crew members are expected to return to Earth later in April, so the crew will go back down to three once again.

Cassidy, the NASA astronaut who is scheduled to depart for the ISS next month, is already in quarantine ahead of his trip. He told AP that he sympathizes with what people are going through as they isolate themselves: The things that are stressing the rest of the world and the rest of America, are the same things that are stressing me right now, he said. Its not like any other time in our lives as a generation, really, right? Ill have my own interesting story to tell in years to come.

Traditionally, when astronauts have been in quarantine before heading to the ISS, they have had some freedom of movement. They have been allowed to visit nearby restaurants or attend celebratory events which were held in the vicinity of the launch. In Russia, there is a tradition of astronauts visiting the site where the ashes of Yuri Gagarin, the first man to visit outer space, are located and leaving a red carnation there. Members of the public often turn out to see the astronauts paying their respects.

This year, however, there will be no visiting restaurants, no carnations, and no ceremonies. All the traditions are scrapped, Frank De Winne, the head of the European Space Agencys astronaut corps, told the Guardian. The crew is locked up and cannot see anybody except those who are screened.

The restrictions need to be tougher in order to keep the astronauts safe, De Winne explained: The quarantine is much more strict now. As few people as possible will have access to the crew, which means that scientists who need to get baseline data from them have to go into quarantine as well before they can access the crew and do their final checks. It has a big impact on the operations.

NASA and other space agencies say they intend to go ahead with the launch of the three new crew members to the ISS on April 9, unless events demand a change of plans. The intention is for a Soyuz rocket to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, with a smaller team than usual manning the launch pad.

Members of the public and the media wont be allowed to watch the launch in person, due to the need to maintain social distancing. It is expected for the launch to be livestreamed, so well keep you up to date on details of if and where you can watch the launch happen.

When you can see the International Space Station flying in the night sky over Somerset this weekend – Somerset Live

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Many stargazers out there will be well-versed on the opportunities in catching a glimpse of the International Space Station in the night sky.

Many may have already seen the craft pass overhead in the last few days, mainly between 7pm and 10pm.

But the ISS will be visible in the skies over Somerset again from now until next Saturday (April 4).

Based on information available for Taunton, there are 10 more opportunities to catch it - starting from 8.31pm tonight (Saturday, March 28).

But, be quick, because on this occasion it will only be visible for two minutes.

The space station is currently occupied by an international crew of three people who live and work there while travelling at five miles per second.

The crews living and working space is larger than a six-bedroom house and contains a gym and a 360-degree view bay window.

The International Space Station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes, travelling through 16 sunrises and sunsets in the space of 24 hours.

To see it this year, head outside during the times listed below.

The ISS looks like a fast-flying plane or a very bright star moving across the sky - but it doesnt have flashing lights or change direction.

Planes usually fly at approximately 600 miles per hour whereas the space station flies at 17,500 miles per hour.

People can visit NASA's Spot the Station website and change the sighting location to the town they live in.

When you can see the International Space Station flying in the night sky over Somerset this weekend - Somerset Live

Watch this space, coronavirus weather & penguin-spotting – EURACTIV

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Welcome to EURACTIVs weekly Transport Brief your one port of call for all the news moving the world and much more! Sign up here for the free newsletter.

It is not all coronavirus doom and gloom. Look out for the hidden gems in this weeks newsletter, check out the latest Transport Vlog and stay safe.

Spaced-out

Coronavirus impact is not just limited to Earth. Europes space agency has put four missions on standby until technicians can return to work as normal. NASA astronauts bound for the space station on 9 April are in tighter quarantine than usual, to prevent the outbreak reaching the ISS.

Space travellers are full of sage advice when it comes to dealing with long periods cooped up inside, unable to go out. Here is what astronauts past and present said about surviving quarantine.

The European Commission opened up a consultation on its plans to boost the Galileo global positioning system in critical infrastructure. Brussels wants to make the satellite network the most precise on the market less reliant on rivals GPS and GLONASS.

Arianespace the main rocket firm that puts Europes satellites into orbit is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The French launcher still hopes to debut its new blasters soon but the virus has already forced it to shutter operations at its French Guyana base.

Elon Musks SpaceX project suffered a parachute testing setback that might delay its first crewed mission, while the US Space Force the new branch of the military not the planned Netflix show completed its first satellite launch.

Lockdown getting you down? Pass the hours by helping scientists look for new galaxies or count penguins by tracking their guano stains. It is all for the advancement of human understanding.

More on space in this weeks Transport Vlog

Sky-high

Ghost flights were finally busted, as first MEPs and then the Council gave the airport slots rules waiver the green light. It becomes law today.

Fewer flights might have unexpected consequences: more grounded planes means airlines will have to hunt for parking places to store their jets, while our ability to predict the weather might suffer too. More on the meteorological aspect here

In the UK, London closed one of its airports to try and curb the virus spread, while Virgin Atlantic started to prepare the ground for a government bailout. Budget carrier easyJet grounded its entire fleet.

US airlines are also struggling but billions of dollars in government aid will not be contingent on them upping their environmental credentials as previously planned. Their combined value is currently lower than the market price of Zoom, an e-meeting platform.

Airbus set up an airbridge between its base in Toulouse and Madrid, to deliver crucial medical supplies, while the German airforce flew Italian patients from Bergamo to Cologne in a special hospital plane, to alleviate the overwhelmed health system.

Dutch airline KLM and Australian carrier Qantas both retired their jumbo jet 747 fleets a year ahead of time because of the virus. Qantas also struck a pay deal with pilots about planned non-stop services between New York, London and Sydney.

Planes are flying empty or with more cargo than usual on board so what kind of technical challenges does that pose to keeping jets in the air? Heres a good explainer.

Driven

Europes biggest carmakers urged Brussels to put the brakes on its legislative timetable, citing the virus as reason why many will struggle to meet EU targets. Green groups were quick to accuse the auto giants of trying to profit from the outbreak.

It is the worst crisis ever for the industry and government bailouts might yet be needed. Although the sector has not put a price on the damage set to be caused by the outbreak, the cash could be earmarked for green tech.

Less traffic means less pollution, a theory confirmed by new figures last week, which showed nitrogen dioxide levels have plummeted by up to 50% in some of Europes largest cities.

The virus has also prompted a rethink of the rules of the road. Governments have relaxed laws on mandatory rest times for truckers and made it easier for motorists to get new permits or keep expired ones during the outbreak.

Coronavirus is also being used as a reason to attack the Mobility Package. Some MEPs have said the first part of the legislation should not be adopted as planned, while nine member states also said it should be put on ice for now.

Bulgaria one of those countries is building what it claims is the worlds largest truck park, to accommodate European hauliers on their way to Turkey. Ankaras 14-day quarantine period does not apply to Bulgaria, so Sofia wants to cash in on the opportunity.

New research confirms that electric cars are a cleaner alternative to the combustion engine, across most of the world. Coronavirus might stymie their development, in the US at least, where miners are feeling the pinch.

Long-distance live animal transport should be suspended during the outbreak, according to a group of MEPs and NGOs, who say long border crossing times are harmful for critter welfare. For more stories like this, subscribe to Gerardo Fortuna and Natasha Footes Agrifood Brief.

On track

Europes rail sector wrote to the Commission to make its case for state aid and extra treatment during the outbreak. The open letter points out how train travel demand was growing before the crisis and how that momentum should be defended.

The sector also asked the EU executive in a separate letter what punishments member states will face if they fail to adopt fully the Fourth Railway Package by its June deadline this year.

French train firm SNCF has converted one of its TGVs into a hospital train, in order to shift ill patients from at-risk regional areas to better-equipped facilities. India is also using the power of the railways to prepare for the worse to come.

Trains get flat batteries too. A Eurostar found itself out of juice in Brussels so the next train over had to bring jumper cables to get it running again. Reduced services mean the batteries are not charged as often as they need to be.

The Shipping News

The Commission opened up a consultation on including shipping emissions in the blocs carbon market the emissions trading system- and is sticking to its timetable of publishing a proposal early next year. Background here.

Shippers can continue to form alliances until 2024 without fear of breaching anti-competition rules, the Commission also decided. The European Transport Workers Federation warned that the extension would hurt the sector and was not well thought-out.

Picture of the week

US Navy hospital ship Comfort docks in New York City harbour to help alleviate the crisis there.

Next stops

The airport slots waiver becomes law later today and will last until the end of October.

The European Court of Justice hears a case on 2 April brought by an Austrian group against Volkswagen, off the back of the Dieselgate scandal.

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Watch this space, coronavirus weather & penguin-spotting - EURACTIV

Space holiday, anyone? Space X to send tourists to International Space Station – The Star Online

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Spacex recently announced a partnership to send three tourists to the International Space Station (ISS), the first private trip in more than a decade.

Elon Musks company has signed a deal with Axiom Space to transport the tourists along with a commander on one of its Crew Dragon capsules in the second half of 2021.

Axiom CEO Michael Suffredini said the flight will represent a watershed moment in the march toward universal and routine access to space. He did not reveal a price tag.

The cost of launching a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is around US$60mil (RM246mil) and, throwing in the cost attached to building a new capsule, the project price tag could exceed US$100mil (RM410mil).

Each ticket is therefore likely to cost tens of millions of dollars.

Eight space tourists have so far gone to the ISS on Russian Soyuz rockets with the company Space Adventures.

The first was Dennis Tito, who paid US$20mil (RM82mil) for an eight-hour stay on the ISS back in 2001. The last to go was Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, in 2009.

In February, SpaceX announced a partnership with Space Adventures to send four tourists deeper into orbit than any private citizen before them.

This mission is also projected for late 2021 at the earliest, but more likely 2022.

Other companies involved in space tourism are Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin.

The two are developing vessels to send tourists just beyond the border of space (80km or 100km, depending on how each defines it).

Tickets for Virgin started at US$250,000 (RM1.02mil) when they first went on sale in the mid-2000s.

SpaceXs offering is far more ambitious and powered by the same reusable Falcon 9 rocket that puts satellites into space and sends astronauts to the ISS.

At the same time, Boeing is also developing a crew capsule called Starliner, also with the intention of transporting US astronauts to the ISS.

Like SpaceX, Boeing envisages sending tourists into space, but the programmes development is hampered by major glitches that resulted in the early termination of an uncrewed test flight in December. AFP

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Space holiday, anyone? Space X to send tourists to International Space Station - The Star Online

US launches advanced satellite in 1st Space Force national security mission – Space.com

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket took to the skies Thursday afternoon (March 26), delivering a highly advanced communications satellite to orbit for the U.S. Space Force.

The rocket, outfitted with five strap-on solid rocket boosters, leapt off the pad from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here at 4:18 p.m. EDT (2018 GMT), near the middle of a planned two-hour window.

Perched atop the rocket was the sixth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) satellite. AEHF-6 is the final satellite in the AEHF constellation, and it will provide jam-proof communications including real-time video between U.S. national leadership and deployed military forces.

Related: Blastoff! US Space Force's 1st launch is the AEHF-6 satellite (video)

The AEHF constellation is built by Lockheed Martin and consists of six secure military communications satellites that will replace the military's aging Milstar constellation. Working in tandem, the satellites will provide coverage from geostationary Earth orbit, about 22,200 miles (35,700 kilometers) above the planet. This orbit allows spacecraft to drift along in sync with Earth's rotation, providing constant coverage over the same part of the planet.

Today's launch marks the 83rd flight of an Atlas V and the 11th overall in the 551 configuration. The most powerful version of the Atlas V, the 551 comes with five solid rocket boosters, a 16.5-foot-wide (5 meters) payload fairing and a single engine Centaur upper stage.

The 13,600-lb. (6,168 kilograms) AEHF-6 is the first National Security Space payload to launch under the recently established U.S. Space Force, which was signed into existence by President Donald Trump in December 2019. Just like the Marine Corps is part of the Department of the Navy, the Space Force will operate under the Department of the Air Force.

Rather than deploying soldiers in space, the new military branch will focus on national security and preserving the satellites and vehicles that are dedicated to international communications and observation, U.S. officials have said.

Originally scheduled to fly on March 13, Thursday's launch was pushed back after an off-nominal valve reading occurred during prelaunch processing. Crews removed the suspect hardware and rescheduled the launch.

The launch was the second to occur from Florida's Space Coast in the past eight days, despite the coronavirus pandemic. On March 18, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ferried another batch of the company's Starlink satellites into orbit, bringing the total up to more than 350.

Related: Atlas V rocket launches US milsat and experimental spacecraft

Meanwhile, most of NASA's Kennedy Space Center is working from home after an employee at the center tested positive for the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19.

The virus has wreaked havoc across the globe, overwhelming hospitals and grinding much business activity to a halt. But for now, it's business as usual for the 45th Space Wing and the Eastern Range, which oversees all launch activity at the Cape.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (March 24), Brig. Gen. Doug Schiess, commander of the 45th Space Wing, said that the Eastern Range remains ready to support all upcoming launches.

"We're going to continue to do what we do best, which is provide assured access to space, while also taking care of our airmen and their families," he said. "We obviously can't telework launches, so we'll be here working those."

Schiess told reporters that the Pentagon has directed military commanders to continue critical missions, like AEHF-6 and the upcoming launch of a GPS satellite, scheduled for April, while ensuring the health and safety of their teams during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The Department of Defense's priority is to continue the mission, so we'll continue the mission," Schiess said. "I can't see it happening where they would say, 'Stop doing that.' We may do more testing, more temperature testing, or something like that, but I think we have to have a significant population within the operations folks to be sick to have a situation where it would impact our launches."

Related: Coronavirus pandemic: Full space industry coverage

So far, there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus at either Patrick Air Force base or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Scheiss did say that the base has tests on hand and has administered some of them, but so far all have come back negative.

Scheiss also said that launch teams are taking extra precautions right now. They have reduced staff to essential personnel only and have spread work stations farther apart. Staff are also being monitored for symptoms and encouraged to self-quarantine if they feel sick. Anyone who can telework is encouraged to do so.

According to Scheiss, several hundred people are needed to support a launch, and some missions, like AEHF-6, require more range support than others.

For instance, the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket requires around 200 people versus well over 300 people who are needed to support an Atlas V or Delta IV rocket liftoff. These numbers include operators, weather personnel, safety operators and more.

The reason why SpaceX launch teams are a bit leaner is because the Falcon 9 relies on an automated flight termination system, which triggers a self-destruct automatically versus relying on a human to do so.

Public viewing areas near the Air Force Station's entrance are closed during the pandemic, which further cuts back on the number of team members required to support the launch.

Scheiss said that national security payloads will be given priority over other launches, but he doesn't foresee any delays on the horizon beyond the indefinite hold on SpaceX's SAOCOM 1B mission. Slated to launch this month, the mission is on hold due to travel restrictions implemented by Argentina in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. (Argentina's space agency is the satellite's operator and would need to have representatives on site for the launch.)

According to Scheiss, there is a planned maintenance period scheduled for the beginning of April, where there will be no launches. Following that, launches will resume with a Falcon 9 set to loft another batch of Starlink satellites, and a second will launch an upgraded GPS satellite for the U.S. military. Those two launches are slated for April.

But first, SpaceX (as well as NASA and the military) is looking into an engine anomaly that occurred during the company's launch on March 18. During ascent, one of the Falcon's nine Merlin 1D engines cut out, which led to the booster missing its drone ship landing. This was the fifth flight for this particular Falcon 9 rocket, but SpaceX is being overly cautious and will not launch another rocket until it investigates the anomaly, company founder and CEO Elon Musk has said.

Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

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US launches advanced satellite in 1st Space Force national security mission - Space.com

Need More Space At Home? Try These Astronomy Livestreams – Forbes

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Europe at night viewed from space with city lights.

It doesnt matter your total square footage: any living space starts to feel small and cramped, after a few weeks of social distancing and spending a lot of time at home. Whether youre enjoying the solitude, craving social interaction, and/or trying to keep the entire family occupied its going to take a steady stream of entertainment, activities, and creative solutions to keep us all from developing cabin fever this spring.

To help you feel like you have a little more space in your space, check out these astronomy live streams. Theyll help you get a bigger perspective, educate everyone in the household, and show you the wonders of the universe.

German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst took this image of an aurora as he circled Earth whilst aboard ... [+] the International Space Station (ISS).

As part of ongoing operations, NASA runs a constant livestream from the International Space Station (ISS). The view varies: sometimes its looking down on earth and others its gazing out into the deep black darkness of our solar system.

If you want to get a sense of the bigger picture and how were all in this together, this is a great livestream to put on the TV all day long. (Bonus: Youll get to enjoy up to 16 sunsets and sunrises during a day of watching just like the astronauts do!)

A superb display of aurora borealis from the Churchill Northern Studies Center, Churchill, Manitoba.

Is seeing the aurora on your bucket list? Youre not alone! Thats probably why the Northern Lights livestream has been drawing viewers from around the world over the past week. Oh, and were currently in the days that typically surround the peak of aurora activity each year!

The Northern Lights Live Cam is set up at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in Manitoba, and is powered by Polar Bears International. It runs 24/7 which means half the day it shows the daytime view from the center, including a chance to spot polar bears and other wildlife. Once the sun sets and the sky is clear, you can try to spot the aurora dancing in the sky above Canada. Its not quite like seeing them in person, but for this year, its the best alternative.

Two of the four telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) work under the starry sky of the ... [+] Atacama desert on October 26, 2000, in Paranal, Chile.

Seeing the southern night sky is another astronomy bucket list item and one you can virtually tick off your list with the help of the internet. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has a number of telescopes in Chiles Atacama Desert. Together this facility is called the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the astronomers there conduct research at both the visual and infrared wavelengths and produces some truly awe-inspiring photos.

Theres also a webcam set up on the the VLT observing platform, which you can control to get a perspective similar to what youd experience if you visited the observatory. The camera runs constantly, so check sunset times to watch the southern part of the Milky Way appear in the night sky along with other southern constellations youve probably never seen before.

The Milky Way glows over Bryce Canyon.

This isnt a live stream, but if youre still looking to bring more astronomy into your life at home, Google Arts & Culture has you covered. As part of a project, The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks, which help people experience national parks even if they cant travel, Google has an interactive 360-degree photo of the night sky above Bryce Canyon National Park.

Bryce Canyon is certified as a dark sky park by the International Dark-Sky Association, so you know its an incredible spot for stargazing with dark skies. While its better to stay home, youll get a pristine view of the night sky, learn about some of the constellations above us, and be inspired to book a trip once travel is recommended.

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Need More Space At Home? Try These Astronomy Livestreams - Forbes

Sunlit Peaks in the Himalayas – NASA

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

As the International Space Station (ISS) was traveling over India towards the day-night terminator, an astronaut shot this photograph of Earths third-highest summit, Kangchenjunga, and its surrounding peaks warmly lit by the setting Sun. With the Sun low in the sky, the light was passing through more atmosphere, which scatters it towards the red end of the visible spectrum.

Kangchenjunga rises more than 8500 meters (28,000 feet) above sea level. It stands in eastern Nepal near the border with India and about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east-southeast of Mount Everest. The apex of Kangchenjunga is surrounded by valley glaciers, some of which (like Yalung) are discernable in the shadows of this image. Just out of reach of the Suns rays, a deck of low-lying clouds lingers over the valley floors.

Thirteen other mountain peaks on Earth rise higher than 8000 meters (26,000 feet). These are known by mountaineers and climbers as the eight-thousanders. Oblique views such as this one give the dauntingly dangerous terrain a three-dimensional appearance and depth.

Astronaut photograph ISS061-E-92131 was acquired on December 16, 2019, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a 500 millimeter lens and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 61 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by Andrew Britton, Jacobs, JETS Contract at NASA-JSC.

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Sunlit Peaks in the Himalayas - NASA

Astronaut tips to survive lockdown: talk, teamwork, treats – Reuters

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

BERLIN (Reuters) - Stick to a daily routine, stay connected with family and treat yourself occasionally - those are some of the tips German astronauts gave for surviving lockdown during the coronavirus crisis, which they said was much like their time in space.

Thomas Reiter, 61, who was the first German astronaut to perform a spacewalk, recalled during a Skype conversation with other astronauts on Thursday how he had a tight daily routine in space.

I think its important to follow a conscious routine in such a situation ... keeping that routine all week, said Reiter, now retired.

But weekend treats were important to look forward to.

During the week we picked out the things from the food container that each person liked the most for a Friday or Saturday evening and then had a bit better food, he said.

Reiter recalled using Skype to connect with his family from the International Space Station. Sitting in front of a bookshelf, he recommended using lockdown to catch up on reading.

You have to be able to retreat, he said, but added that in confinement with others, people must put the group first. You work together as a crew, you have to think of the others.

Matthias Maurer, 50, the newest addition to the European Space Agencys astronaut corps, said it was important to address any niggles before they blow up into arguments.

Everyone of us has a quirk which we are comfortable with but which can annoy others, he said, recalling how his taste for bananas annoyed a colleague who couldnt stand their smell.

If he hadnt said that so politely and clearly, I would have continually annoyed him, said Maurer.

Alexander Gerst, 43, who commanded the International Space Station, addressed the anxiety people may feel during the coronavirus epidemic.

Before a mission, astronauts think about the worst that could happen and then train how to respond.

Then you have the feeling not that you are losing control, but that you have some control over the situation, he said.

Now the situation is similar. We have a very effective means of limiting this illness - that is that we stay at home.

Reiter urged people to act likes astronauts going into quarantine before a mission - a protocol to prevent illness in space.

Some people take the attitude Im young, Im not at danger, I have no symptoms, so I dont need to pay attention, he said. It is up everyone to behave appropriately now, just like for us in quarantine.

Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Alexandra Hudson

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Astronaut tips to survive lockdown: talk, teamwork, treats - Reuters

G2 Esports defeats Spacestation Gaming to win RLCS NA Regionals – Daily Esports

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Its safe to say G2 Esports is back at the top of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS). That much was already clear when they finished top 2 in the league, but theyve slammed it home after winning the entire region and being crowned North American RLCS champions over Spacestation Gaming. After a disastrous season 8 where they finished dead last, G2 managed to pull it back together in season 9.

Last season of RLCS, G2 looked like a team ready to disband. Things didnt click, teammates didnt trust each other, and every game they were shakier than a hula girl antenna on wasteland. This season they turned it around by buckling up together in a team house in New York.

They had looked strong throughout the season and many considered them favorites. Where they were once part of the big 3, after last season only NRG remained at the top until now. After losing in the World Championship Grand Final in season 7, G2 looked like they had their best chance to take the World Championship title home in RLCS9. Unfortunately, well never know how that would have turned out.

G2 went into the regional championships after coming second in the league with a 6-3 record. Third and fourth place finishers Soniqs and NRG had the same record, but with a worse game-win differential. And as it turned out, those two would battle it out in the playoffs for a spot to fight G2 in the semi-final. NRG made quick work of Soniqs with a 4-0 sweep and moved on in an attempt to keep G2 from the grand final.

It was a hard-fought battle between last seasons RLCS world champions and relegation candidates. With games going back and forth, the full seven games were required to determine a winner, but ultimately it was G2 with a convincing 3-0 win in the final game to move on to the grand final, where they would face the ever-impressive first-place league finisher SpaceStation Gaming.

Spacestation Gaming is an amazing newcomer to the RLCS. Last season they had their first season and immediately qualified for the world championships. This season, SSG finished first in the league with an 8-1 record. This grand final was surely going to be an epic battle of the ages between a strong new kid on the block and a titan looking for redemption.

Yet G2 destroyed SSG, winning 4-0. They overwhelmed and dismantled SSG.

G2 pocket close to $100,000 for the season and show no sign of stopping. The teams hoping to earn some extra pocket money with the recently announced Spring Series have their work cut out for them because G2 is back in an intimidating way.

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G2 Esports defeats Spacestation Gaming to win RLCS NA Regionals - Daily Esports

10 ways to spot online misinformation – The Conversation US

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Propagandists are already working to sow disinformation and social discord in the run-up to the November elections.

Many of their efforts have focused on social media, where peoples limited attention spans push them to share items before even reading them in part because people react emotionally, not logically, to information they come across. Thats especially true when the topic confirms what a person already believes.

Its tempting to blame bots and trolls for these problems. But really its our own fault for sharing so widely. Research has confirmed that lies spread faster than truth mainly because lies are not bound to the same rules as truth.

As a psychological scientist who studies propaganda, here is what I tell my friends, students and colleagues about what to watch out for. That way, they can protect themselves and each other from lies, half-truths and misleading spins on current events.

If something you see online causes intense feelings especially if that emotion is outrage that should be a red flag not to share it, at least not right away. Chances are it was intended to short-circuit your critical thinking by playing on your emotions. Dont fall for it.

Instead, take a breath.

The story will still be there after you verify it. If it turns out to be real, and you still want to share it, you may also want to consider the fire you may be contributing to. Do you need to fan the flames?

During these unprecedented times we have to be careful about not contributing to emotional contagions. Ultimately, you are not in charge of alerting the public to breaking news, and youre not in any race to share things before other people do.

A new tactic being adopted by misinformation warriors is to post feel-good stories that people will want to share. Those pieces may be true or may have as much truth as urban legends. But if lots of people share those posts, it lends legitimacy and credibility to the fake source accounts that originally post the items. Then those accounts are well positioned to share more malicious messages when they judge the time is right.

These same agents use other feel-good ploys as well, including attempts to play on your vanity or inflated self-image. Youve probably seen posts saying Only 1% of people are brave enough to share this or take this test to see if you are a genius. Those arent benign clickbait theyre often helping a fraudulent source get shares, build an audience, or in the case of those personality quizzes or intelligence tests they are trying to get access to your social media profile.

If you encounter a piece like this, if you cant avoid clicking then just enjoy the good feeling it gives you and move on. Share your own stories rather than those of others.

What you read may make some extraordinary claim like the pope endorsing a U.S. presidential candidate when he has never endorsed a candidate before. Astronomer and author Carl Sagan advocated for the response you should have to such claims: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, which is a longstanding philosophical premise. Consider whether the claim youre seeing was supported by any evidence at all and then check that the quality of that evidence out.

Also, remember that a quirk of human psychology means that people only need to hear something three times before the brain starts to think its true even if its false.

If youre reading something that matches so well with what you had already thought, you might be inclined to say Yep, thats true and share it widely.

Meanwhile, differing perspectives get ignored.

We are strongly motivated to confirm what we already believe and avoid unpleasant feelings associated with challenges to our beliefs especially strongly held beliefs.

It is important to identify and acknowledge your biases, and take care to be extra critical of articles you agree with. Try seeking to prove them false rather than looking for confirmation theyre true. Be on the lookout because the algorithms are still set up to show you things they think you will like. Dont be easy prey. Check out other perspectives.

Posts that are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors are prime suspects for inaccuracies. If the person who wrote it couldnt be bothered to spell-check it, they likely didnt fact-check it either. In fact, they may be using those errors to get your attention.

Similarly, a post using multiple fonts could unintentionally reveal that it had material added to the original or be trying to deliberately catch your eye. (Yes, the errors in the heading for this tip were intentional.)

Memes are usually one or more images or short videos, often with text overlaid, that quickly convey a single idea.

While we may all enjoy a good laugh with a new Ermahgerd meme, memes particularly those sowing political discord have actually been identified as one of the emerging mediums for propaganda. In recent years, the practice of using memes to incite divisiveness has rapidly escalated, and extremist groups are using them with increasing effectiveness.

For example, white supremacist groups have commandeered the Pepe the frog meme, a cartoonish image that may attract younger audiences.

Their origins as benign, humorous images about grumpy cats, cats who want cheeseburgers or calls to keep calm and carry on have led our brains to classify memes as enjoyable or, at worse, harmless. Our guards are down. Plus their short nature further subverts critical thinking. Stay alert.

Was the post from an unreliable media outlet? The Media Bias/Fact Check website is one place to look to find out whether a particular news source has a partisan bias. You can also assess the source yourself. Use research-based criteria to judge the quality and balance of the evidence presented. For instance, if an article expresses an opinion, it may present facts slanted in a way favorable to that opinion, rather than fairly presenting all the evidence and drawing a conclusion.

If you find that youre looking at a suspect site, but the specific article seems accurate, my strong suggestion is to find another credible source for the same information, and share that link instead. When you share something, social media and search-engine algorithms count your sharing as a vote for the overall sites credibility. So dont help misinformation sites take advantage of your reputation as a cautious and careful sharer of reliable information.

It may be surprising, but politicians and other public figures dont always tell the truth. It may be accurate that a particular person said a particular sentence, but that doesnt mean the sentence is correct. You can double-check the alleged fact, of course, but you can also see how truthful particular people are.

If youre hearing information from a friend, of course, theres no website. Youll have to rely on old-fashioned critical thinking to evaluate what she says. Is she credible? Does she even have sources? If so, how reliable are those sources? If evaluating the message is too much work, maybe just stick with the like button and skip the share.

If you find something that seems compelling and true, check out what nonpartisan sources say on the subject. For a view of media outlets perspectives, take a look at the Media Bias Chart.

Finding no mention of the topic in nonpartisan media may suggest the statement or anecdote is just a talking point for one side or the other. At minimum, ask yourself why the source chose to write or share that piece. Was it an effort to report and explain things as they were happening, or an attempt to influence your thinking or actions or your vote?

There are a lot of reputable fact-checking organizations, like Snopes and FactCheck. There is even a dedicated meme-checking site. It doesnt take long to click over to one of those sites and take a look.

But it can take a very long time to undo the harm of sharing misinformation, which can reduce peoples ability to trust evidence and their fellow humans.

To protect yourself and those in your social and professional networks be vigilant. Dont share anything unless youre sure its true. Misinformation warriors are trying to divide American society. Dont help them. Share wisely.

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10 ways to spot online misinformation - The Conversation US

Mayo expert: ‘The landscape of medicine will change as a result of the pandemic’ – PostBulletin.com

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

You might say telemedicine was made for this moment.

Long a form of medicine that was relegated to the sidelines, Telemedicine is about to get into the game in ways that will permanently change health care delivery, experts say.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a surge in demand for telemedicine, experts say, as patients stay at home under shelter-in-place orders and consult with doctors and nurses remotely.

And many of these changes will remain, even when the pandemic ends, said Dr. Steve Ommen, associate dean of the Mayo Clinic Center for Connected Care, who talked with the PB about the new world of medicine being created.

PB: How is telemedicine helping during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Ommen: Traditional telemedicine is helping a lot, because we're using video, phone and monitoring devices so people can get their care in their homes. They don't have to go out into the public or into facilities where other potential infected patients are.

We're also using some of our tools in new ways. Even in the hospitals, for patients who are super high risk for being COVID positive, we're using telemedicine activities so the care team can take care of the patient without a whole bunch of people going into the same room.

PB: Are you seeing a surge in demand for telemedicine during this time of social distancing? Are you staffing up for it?

Ommen: Both. We're seeing a big uptick in demand. The clinic got rid of all unnecessary face-to-face visits so only if you had urgent health care needs (could see a doctor face-to-face). Now we're in the process of converting those practices into virtual practice.

Now (we're cross-training) support staff and individuals who are used to a more traditional in-person (patient setting). They're learning about the skills you need to do it virtually. So the workforce capacities have definitely ramped up.

PB: Do you think the pandemic will transform telemedicine?

Ommen: I think the landscape of medicine will change as a result of this. There's two reasons why that is going to happen. One is that the government removed a bunch of the barriers to the implementation of telemedicine, one, by removing some of the state-by-state licensure requirements and, two, by improving financial coverage for telemedicine patients.

Those might roll back to some degree after the pandemic is over, but I think the value of it will be such that it won't roll back to what it was in 2019.

The other thing that will drive that change will be the fact that the doctors, nurses, care teams will recognize the value of it, and patients will recognize the convenience of getting care when it is appropriate remotely.

PB: What were the biggest regulatory barriers to telemedicine?

Ommen: Prior to this, the physician always needed to be licensed in the state where the patient was during the time of interaction. Just think where we are. We have some patients who live in Wisconsin who get their care from doctors in Rochester. And now, they're being told to shelter-in-place in Wisconsin. Previously, their doctors couldn't have done this.

But with the federal and state governments both relaxing that requirement, they are making sure their patients have access to care.

PB: So you are convinced we're in a paradigm shift in health care?

Ommen: When you are the customer and in health care the customer is the patient they are the ones who are going to say, 'Why can''t I get my care remotely? It worked so well back in April and May.' We're going to see this momentum continue following the pandemic.

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Mayo expert: 'The landscape of medicine will change as a result of the pandemic' - PostBulletin.com

Not how medicine should work: CNN expert outraged that the rich get better coronavirus treatment – Raw Story

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

On CNN Monday, Dr. Seema Yasmin said that if President Donald Trumps administration is knowingly favoring Florida for shipments of the drug hydroxychloroquine due to his relationship with the governor, it sets a terrible standard for government action on public health.

Florida Governor Ron Desantis says shipments of the drug will be sent to some Florida hospitals, and he was able to get access to it because hes friends with the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, who put him in contact with a pharmaceutical company that makes it, said anchor Jake Tapper. So, look, Im sure Floridians are overjoyed that Governor DeSantis did this, and hes looking out for the people in his state. People in other states might wonder if its fair and who knows if hydroxychloroquine will even work, but whether or not its fair that his connection, his personal relationship with a member of the Trump administration, allows him to get this. What are your thoughts on that?

Not how medicine should work: CNN expert outraged that the rich get better coronavirus treatment - Raw Story

Laughter is a medicine we need right now – The Providence Journal

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Did you hear the one about the employer who at some date in the future looked at a job applicants resume and said, Theres a gap in your CV. What were you doing in 2020?

I was washing my hands, the job applicant replied.

Or maybe you saw the TikTok meme of a toilet next to a roll of toilet paper that is bigger than the wheel of a car.

Or the Facebook video Coronavirus Rhapsody, set to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody, Queens signature song. The lyrics begin: Is this a fever? Is this just allergies? Caught in a lockdown. No escape from the family.

Maybe you saw the tweet that said, Due to quarantining, Im only telling inside jokes.

Or another tweet based on a classic joke:

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

A: SOCIAL DISTANCING. STAY AT LEAST 6 FT FROM THE OTHER CHICKENS!

Those last two appeared on a thread started by Megan L. Ranney, an emergency medicine physician at Rhode Island Hospital and associate professor of health services, policy and practice, and emergency medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Ranney is more than busy these days, but she deems a moment or two of levity essential.

Should we laugh, or cry? is how Ranney began on Friday. Today I feel like we need the former. So I'm starting a thread of #COVID19 jokes, inspired by @jbauerme and my own kids. Please add on. Q: Why doesn't anyone in Antarctica have COVID19? A: Because they're ice-o-lated.

The thread took off, just as dark humor has across the internet and elsewhere during the coronavirus pandemic.

Which is little surprise. During these dark times, as in dark times before (albeit never so dark as now), laughter can prove to be, well, good medicine.

In the midst of this pandemic, we're surrounded by dire forecasts of the future, Ranney told The Journal. We're worrying about our kids and our parents and even ourselves. Although it's important to acknowledge our fears, sometimes it's also useful to distract ourselves! We're in a marathon, not a sprint and finding little moments of humor and distraction can help us keep going. Comedy is perhaps MORE valuable in times of fear, than in times of plenty.

Whether through social media or informal group text chats that coworkers have newly created, we are finding something funny about toilet paper shortages, work-from-home attire and a parade of conference calls, Michelle P. Taylor, director of outpatient, HIV services and the Opioid Center of Excellence at the Woonsocket-based Community Care Alliance, told The Journal.

Laughter creates a sense of social connectedness, making us feel less alone. The release of endorphins calms the spirit, mind and body, reducing stress and warding off anxiety and depression. Even better, laughter bolsters the immune system, a real advantage in the face of COVID-19. Gallows humor is an effective way of coping with a really difficult situation and demonstrates positive thinking, creativity and resilience.

Brandon Gaudiano, a clinical psychologist at Butler Hospital and associate professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School, said: Laughter might not technically be the best medicine to fight the coronavirus, but it certainly will make the social isolation and cabin fever stemming from this pandemic a lot more bearable.

Research shows that laughter can lower the body's stress reactions and lift your mood, at least temporarily. The coronavirus can't keep us from having fun, because we can still laugh and joke with friends and family while social distancing. Laughter's biggest benefit is that it helps foster social bonds, by allowing us to see the humor in our shared experiences, even the negative ones. That can help us all to stay connected even in times like this.

Why humor during COVID-19? Why not is more like it, said Jamie Lehane, president and CEO of Newport Mental Health. Laughter relaxes us, relieves stress and tension and releases endorphins that just makes us feel better for up to 45 minutes after a good laugh. Laughter decreases stress hormones like cortisol and boosts your immune system.

Another critical benefit of laughter we need right now is that it is an effective way to defuse anger. Being cooped up with family members where there are sometimes tumultuous relationships under normal circumstances is exacerbated when we are forced together for hours, days and weeks. Humor is a way to release some of the anger and reduce interpersonal conflict. Most importantly, it is a way to connect with others and feel bonded with each other.

We sure need this in such trying times.

How badly?

The answer might be found in Coronavirus Rhapsody, with lyrics by comedian Dana Jay Bein.

The video posted on Tuesday, March 24.

As of this writing, it had more than 5.2 million views, and climbing.

Freaked out by coronavirus? Heres some expert advice on how to lower the stress.

Questions and Answers about coronavirus.

TO OUR READERS: This content is being provided for free as a public service during the coronavirus outbreak. Sign up for our daily or breaking newsletters to stay informed. Please support local journalism by subscribing to The Providence Journal.

gwmiller@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7380

On Twitter: @gwaynemiller

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Laughter is a medicine we need right now - The Providence Journal

Homecoming: Hannah Farmer’s passion for medicine comes alive in Ruleville – Enterprise-Tocsin

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

Hannah (Schlatter) Farmer has a passion for medicine, and she also has a love for her home.

One of the newest additions to the North Sunflower Medical Center staff, the 2007 Indianola Academy graduate has been combining those two loves in her new position as a nurse practitioner in Ruleville.

I wanted to live here, where I was born and raised, Farmer told The E-T in a recent interview.

Farmer was always community-minded growing up.

She was raised on the baseball and soccer fields of Indianola, coached for the most part by her father, Ron Schlatter, who helped found the IA soccer program and coached the program to multiple state championships.

The daughter of Ron and Lynn Schlatter, she is one of five siblings.

I was always at the baseball field or at the soccer field, she said.

Farmer was part of one of the IA state championship teams during her sophomore year.

When her father suffered a stroke two years ago, Farmer stepped up and helped coach the IA girls soccer team during the fall of 2018.

Shes also worked with other community leaders to help revive and maintain the youth soccer program in Indianola.

As a child, she was exposed to the medical field, through her father, who ran the lab at South Sunflower County Hospital for three decades, she said.

During her high school years, she worked summers at the hospital in medical records.

After graduating, she went to Mississippi Delta Community College, where she studied to become a registered nurse.

She moved on to the Mississippi University for Women where she earned a bachelors degree in nursing.

Farmer followed those studies up by attending the University of Mississippi Medical Centers program to become a nurse practitioner.

Farmer studied family medicine at UMMC, but when she applied for and got the job as a nurse practitioner at NSMC, it did not take long for her to find her calling.

She has spent the last couple of months at the Sunflower Diagnostic Center, focusing on womens health.

It didnt really cross my mind, going into womens health (in school), and when I got over here, they needed somebody, and I went over there, Farmer said. Ive only been there since January, but I have loved it.

Farmer said it has been rewarding coming home and serving the people of her home county, particularly women through things like mammograms, bone density scans and pap smears.

Its definitely a big need for womens health, making sure every woman has their mammogram, has their pap smears, she said. Those are things that are very easy we can do to catch cervical cancer and breast cancer.

Farmer said serving the people of Sunflower County and the Delta drives her to do the best job possible for her patients.

She recommends that people get their annual checkups, as well as diagnostic screenings.

Farmer said it is also important for patients to follow up with doctors after they are diagnosed with conditions or if something is suspected.

Its a way we can get things under control and manage issues, Farmer said.

Here are a few things to know about the Sunflower Diagnostic Center

Sunflower Diagnostic Center offers Mammograms, Sonograms, Ultrasound, Bone Density & yearly gynecological screenings, as well as, removal of skin lesions including moles, skin tags, skin cancers and scar treatment. Sunflower Diagnostic Center accepts Medicare, Medicaid, Health Insurance, Private Pay and participates in the BCCP (Breast & Cervical Cancer Program). Have your provider call (662) 756-4000 today to schedule your appointment.

3D Mammography

Sunflower Diagnostic Center provides the latest diagnostic technology available through 3D digital mammography. Sunflower Diagnostic Center is the first center in the delta to feature the 3D state-of-the-art system, Selenia 3D digital mammography from Hologic, offering the state-of-the-art Tomosynthesis imaging.

Sunflower Diagnostic Center is proud to be able to offer the newest technology for breast cancer detection. 3D Digital mammography is different from conventional mammography in how the image of the breast is acquired and, more importantly, viewed. Our radiologist can magnify the images, increase or decrease the contrast and invert the black and white values while reading the images. These features allow our radiologist to evaluate microcalcifications and focus on areas of concern.

North Sunflower Medical Center is a healthcare organization that is proud to offer the services of Sunflower Diagnostic Center, whose primary mission is offering high quality, acute health care and preventative medical care in a caring and compassionate manner to the Mississippi Delta.

Over half of the U.S. News and World Report top 20 hospitals offer Hologic 3D Mammography technology. More than five million women to date in the United States have already been screened with this life-changing technology, which is now available in 50 states and in over 50 countries.

Bone Density Scans are recommended for:

Postmenopausal women

Depo Shot for birth control

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Type 1 Diabetes

Chronic Liver Disease

Using Steroids or Glucocorticoid for 3 months

Women age 65 and older

Men age 70 and older

Height loss of inch or more within one year

Total height loss of 1 inches from your original height

Call today to set up your appointment: (662) 756-4000

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Homecoming: Hannah Farmer's passion for medicine comes alive in Ruleville - Enterprise-Tocsin

UA College of Medicine to hold graduation early in light of COVID-19 pandemic – Arizona Daily Wildcat

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

It's always better to be safe than sorry.

This week, the University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson announced it will allow its fourth-year students to graduate early in order to increase the number of physicians able to combat the COVID-19 pandemic on a volunteer basis.

To date, Arizona has about 920 confirmed cases of COVID-19 along with 18 deaths. As a whole, the U.S. has nearly 140,000 confirmed cases and 2,300 deaths. Nearly two weeks ago, on March 16, the U.S. had 4,400 confirmed cases, meaning there has been an increase in nearly 136,000 cases in just 13 days.

"Some of our students are matching all over the country, so it's not just about residencies here, it's about residency programs in other parts of the country that may need more assistance more rapidly," said Dr. Kevin Moynahan, deputy dean for education at UA College of Medicine Tucson. "At this point in time, we haven't peaked. ... We don't really know what that peak is going to look like and so we would rather be agile if we need to be."

The majority of the fourth-year medical students around the country have already fulfilled their graduation requirements and so this would enable them to graduate at least a month in advance.

Normally, July 1 is the date when newly-graduated physicians begin their first year of residency. This year, given the circumstances, the UA College of Medicine will hold its graduation in April and the students who are volunteering to help fight the pandemic can begin the process earlier.

"We'd rather be prepared than look back and say, 'Oh boy, I wish we had done that,' because it can't be done very rapidly," Moynahan said. "These residency interns will have to be on-boarded by their programs, become employed and get insurance. It's not something that can be done on a dime."

Other medical schools around the country have done the same. Recently, the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University became the first school to announce this change, as New York City is currently the hardest-hit place in the nation.

In addition, the UA College of Medicine Phoenix announced in an email that it will allow its fourth-year students to graduate early, as well.

As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to grow around the country, physicians and other healthcare workers on the front lines are becoming all the more necessary. Estimates are projecting that millions of people will become infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and so a shortage of physicians should be the least of the country's worries.

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UA College of Medicine to hold graduation early in light of COVID-19 pandemic - Arizona Daily Wildcat

The balance between medicine and economics – The Interpreter

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

The evolving policy response to Covid-19 reflects a vexed debate between epidemiologists and economists, moderated by the public-relations experts. Are we getting the right balance?

Initially, some economists thought that the doctors were exaggerating the seriousness of the epidemic, by quoting frightening figures of exponential growth. Were the doctors calling for an excessive degree of containment because they didnt understand the cost of locking down large parts of the economy? A gentler strategy would protect the economy by sequential staged measures, responding to the actual progress of the epidemic. A scaling-up approach might allow us to get by with less damage to the economy.

The experience of Italy, however, has put an end to that argument. No democratic government can maintain a light-touch containment/mitigation strategy in the face of the sort of daily death rates that Italy experienced last week, with deaths rising from 400, to 600 then 800 over three days. Its clear that this high toll was a direct result of an overwhelmed hospital system, with insufficient intensive-care facilities.

The idea of flattening the peak was already widely accepted, but the triage experience of Italy sharpens the idea. The peak that needs flattening is not the total number of cases, but the number of cases needing IC facilities.

The elderly, the immunity-compromised and the infirm are the ones most likely to need IC care if they contract the disease one credible estimate is that 10% of cases in this vulnerable group will need an ICU. This cohort must be protected, not just for their own good, but to avoid an all-out comprehensive lockdown, with the enormous economic damage this would cause. This vulnerable group must be subjected to a rigorous, full-isolating lockdown, much tougher than at present.

Of course the rest of the population will still have to practice stringent social distancing, handwashing and maybe even compulsory mask-wearing (when we have enough of them). Super-spreaders should be understood to be events and environments, not individuals. So no more football, concerts, or religious services with physical meetings. Comprehensive testing (when we have enough facilities) will be needed to identify cases and isolate clusters in the general population. Experts need to decide whether schools and hairdressers can operate. What to do with public transport?

These containment decisions need a greater degree of granularity than current measures. But the objective here is clearer than at present: the bulk of the economy needs to get back to work ASAP. Essential retail trade, factories, construction, and education via remote linkages. All this can return to some kind of normality, with close monitoring for new outbreaks, provided the most vulnerable are protected.

The OECDs forecast of global GDP produced early this month foresaw growth of 2.4% this year, or a worst case of 1.4%. In just a few weeks, this kind of thinking has been entirely overtaken by events. Decimate is the word that springs to mind, in its original meaning of eliminating one in ten. The first quarter of the crisis will see GDP fall by 10% or so, simply reflecting the closing down of a large part of the service economy airlines, restaurants and non-essential retail trade. Unemployment will top 10%, probably substantially.

A successful flattening strategy would entail keeping GDP down, as the strategy spreads out the peak over time. Easing off on containment produces a second wave -- already seen in those Asian countries which succeeded in containing the initial onslaught. So low for long will not only apply to interest rates, but to GDP as well. There is no V-shaped recovery in sight.

If this dramatic scenario is scary enough to get the policy-makers to agree to a more targeted containment strategy, the next task is to sell this unpopular idea to a reluctant public, that only a week ago was basking, cheek-to-cheek, on Bondi beach. To separate grannies from their little-darlings is uncivilised. What is the strategy to sell such an unpalatable message? A bevy of masked-and-gowned ICU surgeons pleading with us to stay at home clearly isnt enough.

Perhaps we need a good cop, bad cop approach. The Prime Minister could go on assuring us that our ANZAC spirit will see us through and well soon be back at the footy with a virus-free pie in our hand. Who for the bad-cop role? Who better than Peter Dutton? Flanked by a couple of black-clad grim-faced members of his border force, he could issue a stern injunction: any elderly person found chatting face-to-face with their grandchildren, or slipping into a convenience store for a loaf of bread, will be disciplined. Their names will be taken down and later, when they are waiting in the queue for the scarce ventilators at an over-stretched hospital, they will be placed last-in-line.

Stephen Grenville is a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute, former deputy governor at the Reserve Bank, and certified elderly by any definition.

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The balance between medicine and economics - The Interpreter

"One of the Greatest Events in the History of Medicine": The Defeat of Polio – WTTW News

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

A major part of modern human history has been the fight to defeat disease, from tuberculosis to measles to waterborne illnesses like cholera. One of humankinds greatest triumphs in that never-ending battle came only some 65 years ago, when Jonas E. Salk developed a vaccine against polio. Within six years, incidences of the deadly disease were down by 90 percent in the United States; within twenty-five it was eliminated from the country. Today, it has been mostly extinguished across the globe.

But, in the middle of the last century, poliomyelitis, also known as infantile paralysis, was a terrifying scourge. While the disease had been documented as far back as the time of ancient Egypt, it evolved into an ever-more pressing problem around the 1920s. Over the following decades, epidemics continually devastated America, hitting especially hard in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Each summer, polio would wrack the population, especially children, sickening thousands, paralyzing a large portion, and killing many. In the five years leading up to 1955, there were an average of 25,000 cases a year in the United States. In 1952, the worst year on record, more than 3,000 of 58,000 cases died; in Chicago alone, 82 of 1,203 reported cases died.

President Roosevelt in his wheelchair on the porch at Top Cottage in Hyde Park, NY with Ruthie Bie and Fala. February 1941. Photo: Margaret "Daisy" Suckley.; FDR Presidential Library and Museum Polio first manifested in flu-like symptoms, then led to paralysis of the limbs. Survivors described waking up from sleep unable to move. Severe cases led to treatment in an artificial respirator called an iron lung. A patients whole body from the neck down was enclosed in the forbidding-looking contraption, which created a vacuum that drew the lungs up and down, helping people lacking muscle power to breathe.

While the disease primarily struck children, no one was completely safe: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, perhaps polios most famous victim, contracted it when he was 39, and was left partially paralyzed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had polio as a two-year-old and was unable to walk until he was five; Chicagos one-time cardinal Francis George had permanent damage to his legs from the disease.

To combat polio, in 1938 FDR created the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, later called the March of Dimes due to its fundraising request to send in a dime. Scientists sought to develop a vaccine for the disease, most working with a live version of the virus. But the young Jonas Salk, a garment workers son who had studied the influenza virus and worked on commercial flu vaccines during the war with the respected Dr. Thomas Francis of the University of Michigan, went against conventional wisdom and devoted his attention to a killed virus vaccine.

I guess I felt the unreasonableness of life in so many ways, he later told the New Yorker about why he went into research. Research was one way to get at reasonableness and logic.

He conducted a small trial in 1952 near Pittsburgh with a group that he told the New Yorker helped us look into the future. Another limited trial followed in 1953, then, in 1954, the March of Dimes pushed for a large-scale field trialthe largest experiment of its kind in history. More than a million people took part, with 440,000 inoculated with Salks vaccine and the others with a placebo. Illinoiss DuPage County, outside Chicago, was involved, with 8,000 children given the vaccine at their schools, their teachers lauding them for being polio pioneers.

After a year of observation by an independent team led by Salks old mentor Dr. Francis, a press conference was held to announce the results of the trial. Nobody could recall a medical press conference quite like this one, wrote the New York Times in a review of a biography of Salk. [F]amilies huddled around radios, as if listening to the World Series or a championship fight. Crowds watched on television sets lining department store windows.

An opinion poll ranked Jonas Salk roughly between Churchill and Gandhi as a revered figure of modern history Photo: Wikimedia Commons/SAS Scandinavian AirlinesOn April 12, 1955the tenth anniversary of FDRs deathFrancis announced that the vaccine was 80-90 percent effective. The chairman of the American Medical Association called it one of the greatest events in the history of medicine. President Eisenhower called Salk a benefactor of mankind. According to the New York Times obituary for Salk, who died in 1995, an opinion poll ranked him roughly between Churchill and Gandhi as a revered figure of modern history. In 1999, Salk appeared in an illustration on the cover of Time magazines 100 Greatest Minds of the 20th Century issue alongside Freud and Einstein.

The success of the vaccine was astounding. Widespread vaccination was launched in the United States in 1955. As Salk himself boasted to the New Yorker, In the late nineteen-forties and early nineteen-fifties there were close to three thousand cases of polio per week during several consecutive weeks in most of those years and in 1960 there were just over three thousand cases the entire year. The last reported case of polio in the United States was in 1979. Globally, cases were reduced from around 350,000 in 1988 to 1,000 in 2003, and the disease has been all but wiped out.

The live virus vaccine developed by Salks rival Albert Sabinfirst licensed in 1961 eventually overtook Salks killed virus vaccine in popularity since it was cheaper to produce and easier to administer (it is an oral vaccine). But Sabins vaccine could occasionally cause someone to contract the disease, and around the turn of the millennium the United States went back to a killed virus vaccine.

In 1963, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies opened outside San Diego with financial support from the March of Dimes. It is now a revered institution that has produced numerous Nobel laureatesa recognition that eluded Salk. Only in his late 30s when he developed the polio vaccine, Salk struggled to find another success to match his first.

The development of the polio vaccine presaged later victories in creating effective preventatives against other infectious diseases such as influenza, measles, and mumps, unfounded contemporary skepticism against vaccines notwithstanding. (2019 saw one of the worst measles outbreaks in the United States in decades, with the majority of cases among people who were not vaccinated.)

In 1981, WTTWs John Callaway spoke with Salk about his career and the development of the polio vaccine. Discussing the public response to a successful vaccine, Salk said, it is always the lifting of fear that they appreciate so.

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"One of the Greatest Events in the History of Medicine": The Defeat of Polio - WTTW News

New WHO Guide to help countries expand access to essential medicines – World Health Organization

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

WHOs new user guide for countries, Selection of medicines at country level, is based on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines. It sets out the key actions countries should undertake to develop and update their own national essential medicines lists based on the treatment needs of their populations and their capacity to reimburse payments for medicines.

The document also aims to support countries in progressing towards universal health coverage. Today, approximately half of the worlds population is unable to access essential medicines. The large majority of these people live in poorer countries, but rising prices of new medicines are also becoming a challenge for health systems in wealthy countries.

A careful selection of essential medicines is the first step in ensuring a population can obtain the quality-assured medicines it needs at an affordable price. Countries need to do more to ensure that all people and communities can access highly effective medicines. WHOs new manual is a resource to do just that.

The document, intended for policy makers in charge of national medicines and reimbursement lists, aims to increase transparency on how essential medicines are selected. Most national lists of essential medicines have several differences when compared with WHOs model list, which lists only medicines of proven safety and efficacy. Some national lists include medicines that bring little extra benefit to patients. Decision-makers should refer to the WHO global list to gauge the public health value of listing certain medicines for their populations.

Essential medicines are:

The essential medicines concept is global and forward-looking. It incorporates the need to regularly update medicines selections to reflect new therapeutic options and changing therapeutic needs; the need to ensure drug quality; and the need for continued development of better medicines, medicines for emerging diseases and medicines to meet changing resistance patterns.

Achieving universal health coverage and equity in public health depends on access to essential, high-quality and affordable health related technologies for all. To achieve access for all by 2030, at least two billion more people will need to have access to essential health services by 2030.

In an effort to make the Model List of Essential Medicines more readily accessible, WHO recently developed an electronic version of the list, bringing the traditional EML to computer screens, tablets and smartphones in a freely accessible, downloadable, online database.

Link to manual: Selection of essential medicines at country level

Link to e-EML:Model List of Essential Medicines

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New WHO Guide to help countries expand access to essential medicines - World Health Organization

How private medicine is dealing with coronavirus restrictions – Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Danzig

When most people think of health care right now, theyre thinking about the hospitals and critical care units that are scrambling to care for COVID-19 patients. But a large swath of the private health care sector is scrambling, too, looking for ways to treat illnesses and injuries that have nothing to do with the new coronavirus.

Louisianas stay-at-home order has prohibited all non-urgent medical services, delivering a big financial hit to the thousands of private doctors in the Baton Rouge area who can no longer see most of their patients.

Our goal is we want to keep people from having to go to the ER or an urgent care, so they dont get exposed or overwhelm the health care centers, says Dr. Linsey Hall of the Dermatology Clinic in Baton Rouge.

The clinic is currently seeing only about 15% of the amount of its regular patient base, she says. That drop stands to have a significant effect on the clinic.

Our livelihood is seeing patients, Hall says.

The clinic is continuing to pay its more than 60 employees while working with only a small, rotating crew of essential personnel and following social distancing protocols, she says.

Medical offices still operating are implementing the recommended screenings for the patients that do come through their doors, checking for any COVID-19 symptoms, practicing social distancing and using protective equipment.

Our hospital partners are counting on us to help provide care and catch the patients who may have otherwise gone directly to the ER, NeuroMedical Center CEO Ben Boudreaux says.

For patients with intractable pain, neurological conditions like MS, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, or epilepsy, it is crucial that they receive a continuation of medical services, he says.

We do not want their conditions to deteriorate throughout this period, nor do we want them to experience any undue pain, Boudreaux says.

Dr. John Brantley at Calais Dermatology Associates says despite a loss in business, he has no plans to shut down. Hes looking to small business grant programs in the new federal stimulus package to help him get staff back to work more quickly when restrictions lift.

BR Orthopedics General Manager Trey Williamson says they see about 10% to 15% of their normal surgical caseload and just 20% to 25% of their in-clinic visits.

Really in our world, a lot of what we do is elective, Williamson says. So they have to postpone cases for 30 days while they wait on new guidance from the department of health.

For the cases that cant wait, the group created a sub-specialty committee to review each case to determine if it should go forward.

While theyve considered layoffs and furloughs, BR Orthopedics has retained all full-time staff and is still generating some delayed revenue as insurance payments come closer to the 30-day mark from last months appointments, he says.

The Dermatology Clinic, NeruoMedical, Calais and BR Orthopedic have all turned to telemedicine to keep patientsand incomeflowing. That could signal a permanent shift in how health care is provided in the long term. But telemedicine, too, takes manpower, Hall says.

While the clinic has talked about using telemedicine before, this is the first time its been implemented at the Dermatology Clinic, Hall says.

The NeuroMedical Center Clinic launched comprehensive telemed services this week, already reporting patient counts near 200. Brantley, too, launched his telemedicine platform just yesterday through an expedited program. BR Orthopedics had used telemed before, but expanded it this week at a much higher level, Williamson says.

As people start to talk about recovery, questions have arisen about when these private doctors will be able to return to work.

Certainly there are discussions about when we can get back to work where it wont be a huge burden on public health, or the safety of patients, or the safety of the community in general, Williamson says.

Yet, with such a new virus and no vaccine, older people are really afraid of this problem and rightfully so, Brantley says, adding that could have lingering effects.

When next years Mardi Gras rolls around, he says, you wont see a Mardi Gras like people are used to seeing.

How private medicine is dealing with coronavirus restrictions - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

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