Daily Archives: July 27, 2020

Coronavirus daily news updates, July 26: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – Seattle Times

Posted: July 27, 2020 at 4:21 am

A half year of pandemic purgatory has left Washington workers and businesses struggling, and schools in limbo. Total case numbers in the state have risen to 51,849, with deaths at 1,494, as of Friday night, with significant racial and geographic disparities. Testing remains insufficient and the future is hard to predict.

Throughout Sunday, on this page, well post Seattle Times journalists updates on the outbreak and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world. Updates from Saturday can be found here, and all our coronavirus coverage can be found here.

The State Department of Health reported 786 new COVID-19 cases in Washington as of Saturday night, and seven additional deaths.

The latest numbers, released Sunday, bring the total count to 52,635 cases with 1,501 deaths. That means 2.9% of people who have been diagnosed with the virus in Washington have died.

This week, Washington state is at a turning point where the outbreak could explode, as in Florida, or might flatten so that hospitals avoid becoming overwhelmed. Read our special Sunday report that explains why "there's no certain end in sight," and some deadly inequities. Hispanic residents account for 43% of cases while only 13% of the state population.

There have been 15,673 more tests reported for the coronavirus in Washington, according to DOH, of which 5% came back positive.

The state's most populous county, King County has seen the highest numbers, reaching 14,417 diagnoses and 644 deaths, as of Saturday. Yakima County, which has been a hot spot, has had 9,629 cases and 194 deaths. In Okanogan County, another farming area where cases are spiking, there have been 605 confirmed cases and 2 deaths.

The data is as of 11:59 p.m. Saturday.

Heidi Groover, Mike Lindblom

Vancouver, B.C. - After crowds at a drum circle filled a Stanley Park beach this week, an artist installed a sign of their health officer, as a reminder to socially distance.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, who projects logic and calm in her daily COVID-19 briefings, is known affectionately as "Aunt Bonnie." Yet she scowls on a stencil by a Vancouver mural artist, who told CBC News it was "a gentle reminder that although we might be over COVID, it's not over us."

British Columbia has waged a relatively strong struggle against coronavirus, though it now faces an uptick. Health authorities reported 27 new cases Friday, with three people currently under intensive hospital care. They count 3,419 cumulative cases and 119 deaths, compared to 51,849 cases and 1,494 deaths in Washington state.

Read the report by CBC here.

Mike Lindblom

Public health experts say masking is essential for the U.S. to climb out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak has spread to more than 4.1 million and killed more than 145,000 in the country, crippled the economy and thrown the upcoming school year into chaos.

But broad skepticism of masks remains, largely along party lines, with polls showing that Republicans are less likely to wear masks than Democrats or independent voters.

One skeptic, Texan Don Caple, thinks masks are a "communistic move" by the government, but will still sell you one for $10. Read more.

Los Angeles Times

Two weeks after Disney World started opening theme parks for the first time since closing in March because of COVID-19, Disney World's future and that of central Florida's tourism-reliant economy are uncertain. It's unclear when and if tourists will return.

More than 75 million visitors came to Orlando in 2018, mostly due to its reputation as a theme park mecca, which also includes Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando. But the coronavirus has upended Orlandos status as the most visited place in the U.S.

In the week that Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom started welcoming back visitors, occupancy of hotel rooms in the Orlando area was down more than 60% from the previous year, a much deeper drop than the state as a whole, according to STR, which tracks hotel data.

Less than half of Disney Worlds 43,000 unionized workers have been recalled to their old jobs, contributing to two Orlando-area counties having the states highest unemployment rates last month.

Will visitors ever come back?

Associated Press

A tiny Italian island braced for the rapid spread of the coronavirus after several visitors had fallen ill with COVID-19.

But days passed and none of Giglios islanders developed any COVID-19 symptoms even though the conditions seemed favorable for the disease to spread like wildfire.

The Gigliesi, as the residents are known, socialize in the steep alleys near the port or on the granite steps that serve as narrow streets in the hilltop Castle neighborhood, with densely packed homes built against the remnants of a fortress erected centuries ago to protect against pirates.

A cancer researcher stuck on the island decided to try to find out why the virus wasn't spreading on the island. Read more about what she found.

Associated Press

Turmoil is universal in the wake of the pandemic, but the despair is particularly pronounced in the Middle East, where wave after wave of war, displacement and disease have left a generation feeling bitter and hopeless.

While in the West, many who have become unemployed believe they will eventually get their jobs back or somehow recover from the recession, the pandemic in some Arab countries was the final blow to economies now on the cusp of complete collapse.

The strains are also made harder because, in the Arab world, lives for young adults tend to be more scripted than for their counterparts in the West. Cultural expectations put more pressure on males to earn enough so they can move out, marry and provide for families.

For many young people, seeing economies crumble the way that they are and seeing their prospects vanish before their eyes its undoubtedly going to be taking a huge toll on mental health and well-being, said Tariq Haq, a Beirut-based senior employment specialist with the U.N. labor agency.

Read the full story here.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday assailed Republican disarray over a new pandemic relief package as the White House suggested a narrower effort might be necessary, at least for now.

The California Democrat panned the Trump administrations desire to trim an expiring temporary federal unemployment benefit from $600 weekly to about 70% of pre-pandemic wages. The reason we had $600 was its simplicity, she said from the Capitol.

The administrations chief negotiators White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were returning to the Capitol later Sunday to put what Meadows described as final touches on a $1 trillion relief bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is likely to bring forward Monday.

Both Mnuchin and Meadows said narrower legislation might need to be passed first to ensure that enhanced unemployment benefits dont run out for millions of Americans. Pelosi has said she opposes approving a relief package in piecemeal fashion.

Read more about the negotiations here.

Associated Press

The global coronavirus pandemic has magnified the stakes in races for the Washington state House and Senate.

When they return as scheduled in January, state lawmakers will likely face excruciating decisions on taxes and spending to balance an $8.8 billion projected state budget shortfall through 2023. The new class of legislators will also consider policing reforms in light of the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd.

They must also grapple with Washingtons persistent preexisting problems, such as homelessness and housing affordability, and continuing to rebuild the states struggling mental-health care system.

All 98 House seats are up for election, along with 26 Senate seats. Ballots started going out two weeks ago.

See how key races are playing out.

Joseph O'Sullivan

Six months since the first person in Washington the first person in the nation tested positive for the novel coronavirus, health officials are saying werein an explosive situation.

Our health care system isnt being overwhelmed. But we have not suppressed the virus. Experts say we may be where Florida currently one of the hardest-hit states with infections was several weeks ago. Poised to see all the charts and curves go the wrong way, but not too late to stop them.

In Washington, more people are diagnosed each day than ever, partly because more people can get a test but also because the virus continues spreading.

The pandemic has cast a spotlight on the deadly inequities in our state, as COVID-19 has disproportionately sickened Hispanic people, who account for 43% of cases but just 13% of the population.

Schools, businesses, hospitalizations: Heres whats going well in Washington state, whats not, and what might come next.

Seattle Times staff

People whove been laid off or furloughed from their jobs now have significantly more time to decide whether to hang on to their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to a recent federal rule.

Under the federal law known as COBRA, people who lose job-based coverage because of a layoff or a reduction in hours generally have 60 days to decide whether to continue health insurance. But under the new rule, that clock doesnt start ticking until the end of the COVID-19 outbreak period, which started March 1 and continues for 60 days after the COVID-19 national emergency ends. That end date hasnt been determined yet.

By extending the time frame to sign up for COBRA coverage, people have at least 120 days to decide whether they want to elect COBRA, and possibly longer depending on when they lost their jobs.

Some health policy experts question the usefulness of the change, given how expensive COBRA coverage can be for consumers, and how limited its reach: It isnt an option for people who are uninsured or self-employed or who work for small companies.

In Washington state, residents may find more affordable plans through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange.

For ideological reasons, this administration cant do anything to expand on the Affordable Care Acts safety net, said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown Universitys Center on Health Insurance Reforms. So theyre using these other vehicles. But its really a fig leaf. It doesnt do much to actually help people.

Read the full story here.

Kaiser Health News

It's been a week of retreat for President Donald Trump as he backs down from long-held positions related to the pandemic after polls showed they didn't align with public attitudes or, in at least one case, his Republican allies.

Federal public health officials have released a new strategy that vows to improve data collection and take steps to address stark inequalities in how the disease is affecting Americans.

Baseball is back, with masked players and stands full of empty seats or cardboard cutouts. See photos from around the league, and catch up with the Mariners.

Washington's restaurants have largely been left to self-police if employees get COVID-19. Restaurateurs say direction from state and county health officials has been spotty. And now, with new rules limiting indoor dining to "members of the same household," they've again been left to figure out how to enforce ever-evolving safety policies.

Around the world:

Seattle Times staff & news services

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Coronavirus daily news updates, July 26: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world - Seattle Times

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COVID-19 Cases Continue To Surge In States Across The U.S. – NPR

Posted: at 4:21 am

A health worker puts a nasal swab sample into a tube in a tent at a COVID-19 testing site at St. John's Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A health worker puts a nasal swab sample into a tube in a tent at a COVID-19 testing site at St. John's Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles.

For the fifth consecutive day, there were more than 1,000 deaths from the coronavirus in the United States and infections haven't shown signs of significantly slowing, according to the COVID Tracking Project. More than 145,000 people in the country have died from the virus and more than 4,000,000 people have been infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New daily cases are increasing in 46 states. Among them are California, which reported its highest number of single-day deaths on Thursday. In Indiana there were 934 new cases and 11 deaths on Saturday and Montana reported its highest daily number of cases on Saturday with 224 new cases.

Louisiana reported more than 2,000 new cases, 29 deaths and 15 hospitalizations on Friday alone, NOLA reported. In total, there are more than 103,000 cases and 3,600 deaths in the state, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. In response to the increase, Gov. John Bel Edwards extended phase two of the state's reopening for another 28 days.

"It is clear that COVID is alive and well in Louisiana, and as we see more people testing positive and admitted to hospitals, we simply are not ready to move to the next phase, and ease restrictions further as businesses open widely," Edwards said in a statement.

Mississippi, another state experiencing an uptick of cases, imposed a mask mandate on multiple additional counties, on top of the original 13 counties that already had mask mandates, this week. On Saturday, the state saw 1,434 new cases and 17 new deaths. In total, the state has more than 49,000 cases and 1,400 deaths.

"We are still in the middle of our most painful period of COVID-19 spread to date," Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday, according to the Sun Herald. "We have to slow the spread to prevent our health care system from becoming overwhelmed."

Over the past 24 hours, there have been nearly 2,000 additional cases in Alabama. Currently, there are more than 76,000 cases in the state and 1,400 deaths, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Nevada just had its deadliest week from the virus. In total, there have been 41,816 cases and 732 deaths in the state, according to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services.

Arizona reported more than 3,700 new COVID-19 cases and 144 more deaths on Saturday. On average, the state has seen some decline in the number of cases since spikes in June and early July.

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Ben Lomond High teacher, victim of COVID-19, remembered as caring educator – Standard-Examiner

Posted: at 4:21 am

OGDEN Next month, when students, faculty and staff return to Ben Lomond High School following an extended absence caused by the global pandemic, one of their own will be missing.

According to her obituary, on June 23, COVID-19 claimed the life of Darla Checketts, 58, a family and consumer science teacher at the school.

Tammy Brown-Johansen, who also teaches FACS classes at Ben Lomond, has been a friend and neighbor of Checketts for more than two decades. She doubts that the word got out to all the students, so it will be a difficult time when they return to school and Ms. Checketts is nowhere to be found.

Its going to be rough when the students come back and go, Well, where is she?, Brown-Johansen said. Theyll have questions. Some of them, these inner-city kids, bond with these teachers, and this will be hard.

Its a tragedy; its horrible. For the family, its devastating, but for us ... Brown-Johansen said, trailing off.

After Checketts died, Brown-Johansen remembers being at the school one day when she ran into a couple of the student custodians who clean the building over the summer.

One of the custodians was one of Darlas students, Brown-Johansen recalls. I told her Darla passed, and this cute little student contacted all her friends, and they collected money to have a tree planted in the forest in her name.

Some of those students showed up at Checketts viewing.

And then they gave me the $60 left over from their collection for me to give it to the family, Brown-Johansen said.

For these students many from lower-income families that donation represented a lot of money, Brown-Johansen said.

STERLING SCHOLAR

According to her obituary, Darla Jean Payne Checketts was born Jan. 20, 1962, in Ontario, Oregon, the oldest of four children. She grew up in Kaysville, graduating from Davis High School in 1980, and was chosen as the Sterling Scholar in home economics.

Beginning at age 14, Checketts spent nine summers working in West Yellowstone, Montana, with the goal of paying for all her college expenses, according to the obituary. Her plan worked, and she graduated from Utah State University with a bachelors degree in home economics education.

A fan of the Peace Corps, Checketts spent two years teaching home economics at a high school in Sierra Leone, West Africa. She later taught at the high school in Malad City, Idaho, for five years.

In 1989, Checketts married Cameron Checketts in the Logan Temple, and they raised five children at their home in West Point. She was a stay-at-home mother, working at a local preschool when her children were at school.

Brown-Johansen says she and Checketts had a lot in common they lived in the same neighborhood, their daughters were the same age, and the two women had studied the same major in college.

It was Brown-Johansen who approached Checketts about a teaching job at Ben Lomond High.

As her kids got older and her youngest, twin boys were in high school, we were in need of another family and consumer science teacher, Brown-Johansen said. It was a part-time position, and Darla only wanted to work part time. I asked her to please come and work with the students at Ben Lomond.

For five years, Checketts worked with Brown-Johansen and two other teachers in the FACS department at the school. She knew how to help students who were struggling in an academic setting, her colleagues say.

SILENT LEADER

Ben Lomond High Principal Steve Poll remembers Checketts as a quiet but powerful force at the school.

She was not one of those teachers who has a loud, big presence on campus, he said. She was more of a silent leader.

Poll said Checketts chose to teach half-time at the school every other day so she could spend time with family.

She still liked to teach, but she also wanted to be there for her grandkids, Poll said.

Poll praised Checketts strong connection with her students. He said she was one of those dedicated teachers who would sacrifice her own personal time to help her charges.

Makenzie Thompson, who also teaches in the FACS department at Ben Lomond, frequently saw that personal sacrifice in action. In a social media post after Checketts death, Thompson wrote: There were many lunches where she wouldnt take a break because she was busy tutoring or letting students retake tests. ... She worked diligently to empower and teach her students enough so they could make better futures for themselves.

Thompson also praised Checketts organizational skills, calling her the most organized teacher I have ever met.

The poor dear had to share a classroom with me this past year and let me just say that I have kind of embraced the chaos of glitter everywhere and students leaving their stuff in each crevice like its their bedroom, Thompson said. Despite this, Darla just went with the flow and made the best of the situation.

ALL ABOUT FAMILY

Brown-Johansen echoes the organized-yet-laid-back vibe of her friend. She said that although Checketts was incredibly clean and organized, shed let her whole house get messed up playing with the grandkids.

Theyd be making something in the kitchen, and thered be flour all over the place, Brown-Johansen said. But it was OK, because her grandkids were with her.

On the day Thompson posted her social media tribute to the person she called her sweet friend/work mom, she and Brown-Johansen had just gone through Checketts classroom, collecting her personal belongings to return them to her family.

Darla did not have many personal items at the school, Thompson wrote. They all fit in 1 box, but in that single box there were 3 framed pictures of her family.

Thompson says that showed Checketts priorities. She loves her children and husband so much and I know that she will continue to love and watch out for them, she wrote.

However, both Thompson and Brown-Johansen say their friend saw her students as her kids as well.

My only thing Id want people to know is that she really, really, really cared about the kids at school, Brown-Johansen said. Thats the thing about working at Ben Lomond. Its not a job; its a stewardship. If its not about the kids, youre not doing it right. And she knew that, and she did it right.

WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Brown-Johansen, Checketts son had recently returned home from an LDS mission.

He was the first one sick, then she got it, and then her husband got it, she said. I didnt even know she was ill. She was only ill one week.

Brown-Johansen said Checketts had gone to the doctor the night before she died because she wasnt feeling well and said she couldnt breathe.

They knew she had it ... but they sent her home; they didnt think she needed to be hospitalized, Brown-Johansen said.

The next day, her condition worsened. Her son, whod been frequently checking on her, decided to take her back to the hospital.

He went in to get her to take her to the emergency room and she was gone, Brown-Johansen said.

Brown-Johansen remembers the last time she was with her friend. It was June 2, just three weeks before her death, and the teachers in the FACS department were meeting at the school to deep-clean the kitchen in the foods lab at the school. She doesnt specifically remember their final conversation, but shes fairly certain it had to do with either kids or school.

It was always either talking about her children, or my children, or the kids at school, she said. Thats what we mostly talked about.

COVID WAKE-UP CALL

Thompson says shes taken the opportunity of her friends death to refresh her commitment to following the recommended safety guidelines during the pandemic including wearing face masks and maintaining social distance in public.

Even though the percentage of COVID-19 cases compared to the general population may not seem scary to some, please know that the family and friends of that percentage of peoples lives have been altered forever, she writes.

Adds Brown-Johansen: This has been a wake-up call to those who think COVID-19 isnt real.

Poll, the principal at Ben Lomond, said the personal nature of the loss makes it a bit more real for everyone involved.

The thing that makes it seem a little more concerning is that it was somebody that we actually know, Poll said. Its not a news story, its not somebody in New York, its not a number or a statistic its somebody you know.

Poll said he realizes that some educators may be uncomfortable about going back into the classroom this fall, but he said district and school administrators have been attacking the problem for months now.

I can see teachers being more concerned because they havent been in on the day-to-day planning, Poll said. But the administration, weve worked on it all summer long, and we have a good plan.

Still, Poll said Checketts death has been a shock to the entire community.

It definitely hits home, he said.

A viewing for Checketts was held July 10 in Layton; a graveside service followed the next day at the West Point City Cemetery.

Brown-Johansen said she feels empty and cried forever over the loss of her friend.

It was like losing my sister, she said. Honestly, it makes me sad to talk about her, but it also makes me sad not to talk about her.

As for Thompson, she said the family and consumer science department at Ben Lomond High will be forever altered.

Even though Ive only known Darla for 4 years, I feel like its been much longer, she wrote in her online tribute. I dread returning to school without my friend. Our team will not be the same without her.

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They have been married 46 years and just overcame Covid-19, cancer and chemo together – CNN

Posted: at 4:21 am

Robert and Janice Beecham have been married for 46 years, and this year they are happy to be recovering after a spring full of turmoil.

"It's a blessing to be here because a lot of people didn't make it," Janice told CNN.

Robert Beecham said he and Janice had been following the safety rules but he started to feel symptoms of Covid-19. A week and a half later he still wasn't feeling well so the couple got tested for the virus.

The next day, on March 25, he called his son and agreed to be taken to the hospital.

"He knew me agreeing without a fight meant that I was feeling pretty terrible," he said.

His anniversary was a motive to get home

Robert was admitted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas alone, and found out the next day that he was COVID-19 positive. He was moved to another floor and started his road to recovery, a feat he attributes to his doctor, Satyam Nayak.

"Dr. Nayak and I would open up casual conversations and it would take my mind off the virus," he said.

Robert told the doctor about having two strokes, one in 2012 and 2016, and missing out on an anniversary. He found himself in the same situation this year, so Nayak decided to use that as motivation to get him home.

Nayak came up with a plan where Robert could go home and get the care he needed from his wife. He made it home in time for their April 15 anniversary.

Janice has a positive test of her own

Meanwhile, Janice had just recovered from having surgery in February after finding out about a second battle with breast cancer and a new diagnosis with ovarian cancer. She also tested positive for COVID-19, but luckily, she told CNN, her symptoms were mild.

"Once I got home, and we did the quarantine, I was getting progressively better but Janice still had issues with her health," Robert said.

"We're best friends, it was just tough," Robert told CNN.

Because of her diagnosis, Janice had not yet started the chemo treatments required for her cancer diagnoses.

Now, after surviving two surgeries, two coronavirus diagnoses, chemo and being declared cancer free, the Beechams only have one thing to say.

"It would have been impossible to make it with all the odds against you without God, and he has been our help, all these many years," Robert said.

Janice still has preventative radiation coming up, but the two said they are blessed to be alive and blessed to have celebrated another year together.

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For many in Connecticut, COVID-19 restrictions have made it harder to go to the beach this summer – theday.com

Posted: at 4:21 am

New London native Melissa Eccleston wants her daughter to have the same childhood experiences she had growing up, like spending summers at Ocean Beach Park.

But this summer, Eccleston said thats proved nearly impossible as Ocean Beach, which is allowingfewer visitors in than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic, has filled to capacity before 10 a.m. most weekends. Eccleston said she works during the week so cant go then when it is usually less busy.

"I've been here my whole life, and now as a parent, I would like my daughter to have the same childhood experiences at Ocean Beach that I had growing up, but with the limited capacity regulations, it is almost impossible to get even halfway down Ocean Avenue to even get close to entering the beach, she said.

While its not uncommon during the summertime for places such as Ocean Beach, which is city-owned, and state parks like Rocky Neck and Harkness to close on weekends due to being full or for there to be a long line of cars waiting to get in, reduced capacity limits as a result of the coronavirus pandemic have led them to close even earlier than usual.

Ocean Beach, for example, has closed at 9:30 a.m. and reopened around 4 p.m. most weekends. Posts on the beachs Facebook page have advised those traveling from a distance not to come on weekends so as not to be turned away when they get there because the beach is at capacity.

In addition to reduced capacity limits, several towns are only allowing residents to access their beaches orselling a limited number of day passes for nonresidents, and theyoften charge much higher fees for nonresidents, making the persistent problem of beach access in Connecticut, with much of its shore privately owned, an even bigger issue this summer.

These measures are also being put in place in other communities across the country.

Invariably, these measures are justified in the name of public health and concerns about the spread of the virus shouldnt be taken lightly. But exclusionary measures that predominantly white and wealthier communities have eagerly adopted, combined with the fact that many cities and towns are keeping public swimming pools closed to help narrow budget gaps, mean many Americans who rely on public facilities for outdoor recreation disproportionately lower income families and people of color will step outside this summer only to find that there are few places left for them to go, wrote Andrew Kahrl, a professor of history and African-American studies at the University of Virginia and the author of Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for Americas Most Exclusive Shoreline, in a recent Op-Ed for the New York Times.

DEEP spokesman Will Healey said, DEEP has worked very hard throughout the pandemic to maintain safe access to the beaches it oversees. Shoreline swimming areas have remained open throughout the pandemic, thanks to the hard work of our Parks staff. We are proud of the fact that we were able to keep shoreline beaches open and operating at the maximum capacity allowed by the parking and acreage available at each of those beaches. The value of these recreational resources has never been more clear as evidenced by the approximately 300% increase in the number of at-capacity events at our beaches this year as compared to last. Last week, DEEP also opened swimming areas at eight of its inland state parks. DEEP has also created the https://portal.ct.gov/whatsopenoutdoors webpage to help residents plan their beach outings.

Demand for outdoor spaces has grown in Connecticut potentially a symptom of people being cooped up indoors for months due to the pandemic. When much else was closed in Connecticut this spring, state parks remained open with reduced visitor capacity. TheConnecticut Trail Census, which tracks usage of the multiuse trails around the state, found huge increases in March, April and May but said additional analysis would be needed to determine whether the jumpcan definitively be attributed to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders.

Being outdoors and in nature has proved benefits for one's mental health, a fact that has taken on newimportanceaftermonths of isolation.

"Just 15 minutes a day can make a big difference in someone'sclarity of mind, mood and stability of emotions as well as reducing cortisol levels and overarching reduction of stress and depression," said Janelle Posey-Green, a licensed clinical social worker who co-owns Magnolia Wellness LLC in New London.

The reality is that not everyone has the sameaccess to outdoor spaces, so Posey-Green tells her clients that even sitting outsidecan be beneficial.

"You dont have to live in a wooded area or near theocean to receive those benefits," she said. "Sitting out on the front steps for five minutes, absorbing thesunlight and observingthesounds aroundyou will make a significant difference in your mental health, clarity and cognitive function."

j.bergman@theday.com

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TWITTER POLL: Arab world should invest in space exploration – Arab News

Posted: at 4:19 am

Updated 3 min 11 sec ago

Reuters

July 27, 2020 06:25

SYDNEY: Australias Victoria state on Monday reported the countrys highest daily increase in coronavirus infections, prompting the authorities to warn a six-week lockdown may last longer if people continue to go to work while feeling unwell.The second-most populous state reported 532 new cases of the virus which causes COVID-19, taking the national total to 549, the most new cases in a day since the pandemic arrived.Victoria currently has more than 4,500 active cases after weeks of triple digits daily rises.It reported six more deaths, taking the state toll to 77, almost half the total national death toll. Five of the deaths were in aged care facilities, which have been hit hardest in the state.Australia has avoided the high COVID-19 casualty rates of other countries, but a wave of community transmission in Victoria has prompted a lockdown in Melbourne, the only Australian city to make it mandatory to wear a facemask in public.If youve got a sniffle, a scratchy throat, a headache, fever, then you cant go to work, said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in a televised news conference.This is what is driving these numbers up, and the lockdown will not end until people stop going to work with symptoms and instead go and get tested because they have symptoms.Melbourne, home to a fifth of Australias 25 million population, is halfway though a six-week ban on movement other than for work, buying food, giving or receiving health care, or daily exercise. Andrews added that he may announce additional measures later this week.Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the high number of new cases in Victoria showed how transmission of the illness among younger people, who were considered lower risk, could spread to aged care facilities through family members.In Victoria there is still a long way to go, Morrison told reporters.We are still seeing case numbers at elevated levels and ... when you get community-based transmission, it does take some time to get that down. Victoria has had a total of 8,173 cases.Neighbouring New South Wales (NSW) state, the countrys most populous, is also grappling with several virus clusters that have sprung up at a hotel, a Thai restaurant and a club. NSW reported 17 new cases on Monday. NSW has had 3,496 cases in total, about 1,100 active.Australia has recorded a total 14,935 cases and 161 deaths and authorities on Monday warned more lives would be lost as infections continued to rise.The tragedy of COVID-19 is that we know, with the number of new infections that we have seen today, that there will be many further deaths in the days ahead, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd told reporters.More than 16.13 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 644,836 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

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TWITTER POLL: Arab world should invest in space exploration - Arab News

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Alyssa Carson: The teenager on a mission to Mars – Siliconrepublic.com

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On a mission to become the youngest person ever in space and one of the first people on Mars, Alyssa Carson discusses her astronaut training to date.

What does it take to become an astronaut? I was fortunate enough to get some insights from one in training recently when I interviewed Alyssa Carson, also known by her Twitter handle NASA Blueberry, after she spoke at Collision From Home.

Now 18 years old, Carson has dreamed of visiting space since she was young. I got really fascinated with space and, more specifically, being an astronaut. I always thought it would be super cool and super fascinating, she said.

The idea of being able float around in space while doing science or whatever it might be really interests me. And the more I learned about space, the more interested I got in actually becoming an astronaut.

October 2016 marked a huge milestone in Carsons mission. She graduated from theAdvanced Possum Space Academy, a programme at Florida Tech for high school and undergraduate students covering atmospheric science, noctilucent cloud science, mission simulations, spaceflight and spacesuit operations, to name a few of its subjects. This made Carson the youngest person to be accepted into the programme and subsequently graduate from it, as well as certified to travel to space as an astronaut trainee.

Before that, she had taken part in countless initiatives in preparation for the day she would become ready for space. She attended Space Camp seven times and was the first person to attend all three NASA Space Camps in the world. She was selected as a Mars One ambassador, becoming one of seven people representing the mission to establish a human colony on Mars in 2030.

Its very important to talk about your dreams and tell people what youre interested in ALYSSA CARSON

With such an array of achievements, it should come as no surprise that time management has been one of her biggest challenges.

A huge challenge has really just been time management, trying to do as much as I can to pursue my dream but, at the same time, just kind of being in school and travelling as much as I do, she said. But also going to college and actually getting my degree, which is the important part.

So my life has kind of always been just a little bit of a juggle, whether thats staying in school, travelling for speaking, doing some sort of training or even just relaxing.

Achieving so much at such a young age has been a lot of hard work and keeping up, she added. I mean, especially doing as much as I have done but younger than youre supposed to, there have been a few academic challenges. Im not necessarily the most genius person in math and science, so its just been a lot of hard work and keeping up with everything you actually have to learn.

Its not every day you get to speak with a future astronaut, so I was eager to ask Carson about the things she had learned in her training so far. A lot of it, she explained, has been about pushing herself and continuing to grow.

I think a good example was when I did some water survival training, she said. So, basically, I was in a spacesuit and I had to pull myself onto a life raft.

And Ive always been, I guess, slightly lacking in upper-body strength, so this was not an easy task. Getting onto a life raft is hard enough, let alone with the extra weight of a spacesuit! And we also had this giant oxygen bottle on our leg. So it was about really pushing myself and being able to pull through.

Another challenge in her water survival training was stepping from a platform high off the ground: I feel like when I was younger, I would have really thought about it for a moment. But now I really just kind of push myself.

I was like: you know what, its gonna happen. So I just kind of did it. I looked down and completely walked off and did it probably faster than anybody else just because I was gung ho to get it over with. So Ive definitely grown in terms of being able to push myself to new levels.

Carson was surprised by her own fortitude when it came to her training, but also by the kind of skills she would need to pick up for the rigorous selection process.

As far as skills in general for becoming an astronaut, so many different skills apply, she explained. If you listen to some astronauts, theyll talk about the interview that they went through in the selection process. And sometimes theyll get asked a question like: how do you change a car tyre? Do you know how to use this type of wrench?

And some of those simple motor and fixing skills, you know, they want you to have some of those as well. So thats also pretty surprising, because its something that most people wouldnt really think of as something you need to learn to become an astronaut.

Whats next for Carson? Shes passionate about contributing to the science industry, she told me, and has chosen to major in astrobiology.

With astrobiology, I really have the opportunity to study anywhere from little bacteria to entire solar systems, she said. So the variety is really there for me to kind of pick and choose what Ill be interested in.

Her curiosity about Mars has by no means been quelled either and shes looking forward to potential missions. Im excited to possibly be able to study, like, are there any bacteria in this water that we found on Mars? And learning more about the atmosphere, the soil, the resources trying to learn as much as we can that will be of benefit.

As someone who has already spent so much of her life learning about space, Carson also had plenty of advice to share with others. When I asked her what shed love other girls and women to know about becoming an astronaut, she said: My advice would be really just start with thinking about yourself, thinking about what youre interested in, because there are so many different paths to becoming an astronaut.

And thats really the cool part about it, that you can study almost anything and then eventually apply and have a chance of getting selected. So really, just start by figuring out what career path youre interested in.

You know, I ended up choosing to go down more of a scientist path. You can also be a pilot. You can also study medicine. But there are other opportunities.

The bare minimum required for astronauts, she added, is getting your masters degree and some work experience. But see if you can find some way to build on that.

Lets say youre interested in robotics and maybe building your own robot. Have that on your rsum. Its kind of the same as any job application: you want to meet the bare minimum, but you want to have something that helps you stick out.

But while youre doing all these add-ons, its very important to talk about your dreams and tell people what youre interested in because you never really know where the opportunities are going to come from.

Someone could know someone who knows someone who can help you out. So, really, just continue to speak about your dreams and really go for it and follow them.

Read more from the original source:

Alyssa Carson: The teenager on a mission to Mars - Siliconrepublic.com

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