Category Archives: Covid-19

Anyone lucky enough to attend this weekends prestigious Pebble Beach automotive concours will be hoping Covid is firmly in the rear-view mirror, while keeping an eye on the Dixie wildfire which has decimated a chunk of northern California not so far from this gilded coastal enclave.

Pebble Beach is the culmination of Monterey car week, one of the greatest celebrations of the automobile in all its forms, since its inception 125-plus years ago. But for all the high-gloss and high-revving braggadocio, the industry itself is determined not to fiddle Nero-style while Rome and lots of other places burn. Take the Audi Skysphere, for example, a wild concept that alludes to the sort of Gatsby-esque roadsters that characterised the original Roaring Twenties. But this ones on a different mission. It wont save the planet, but it recasts the idea of an ultra-luxurious car in a vastly less hedonistic, pure-electric form. Plus, it has a significant party trick: its wheelbase can be physically extended by 250mm, to configure itself in either Sport mode or as an autonomous grand touring car. Neat.

Audi actually claims design inspiration from the 1930s Horch 853 roadster a former Pebble Beach winner, Horch being one of the four brands that constitutes the Audi four-ring logo but the Skysphere pushes the limits in every direction. The 853 has been benchmarked for its driving dynamics on one hand and for its comfort on the other, Audis design boss, Marc Lichte, says. The Skysphere is a modern, very progressive interpretation of these two characteristics.

The Skysphere pushes the limits of design in every direction

And then some. Created in Audis Malibu satellite studio, the Skysphere is the first of three new concepts that, says Audi, are no longer just about driving The [Skysphere] was designed with the clear objective of offering its occupants captivating and world-class experiences. On which basis, the interior is arguably more important than what envelops it, except that the Skysphere is purest aesthetic spectacle: elongated nose, enormous 23-inch wheels, ultra-low cockpit and roofline, abbreviated front and rear overhangs. The rear sweeps to a dramatic quasi-shooting brake conclusion, two bespoke suitcases sitting under the glass expanse. A matrix of LEDs enliven the front and rear end, as well as signalling whether the car is in Sport or GT mode.

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Audis new Skysphere concept is a sleek, shapeshifting vision of the future of electric vehicles - British GQ

In the world of commercial coffee, the blends that are generally used in coffee bars are calibrated by roasters in order to keep the price and the investments on the client low and to ensure to unprofessional baristas a decent yield in the cup.

The largest producer of Arabica coffee in the world is Brazil which, for practical reasons, traditionally uses the so-called natural process. This aspect is also to be considered among the reasons why natural is used in almost all espresso blends.

Washed coffee was trendy when the world coffee market was sourcing from Central American countries, which process their coffee wet.

The commercial coffee market rarely or never uses a single origin coffee for espresso therefore the common espresso consumer can hardly have developed the ability to distinguish between washed and natural and therefore understand and appreciate their differences.

Only the advent of specialty coffees and the movement of baristas and coffee lovers (the third wave of coffee) introduced the use of single origin coffees for filter and espresso extractions and consequently, baristas, roasters and coffee lovers were able to express their own taste tendencies between the more complex aromas of washed coffees and the full-bodied sweetness of natural coffees.

Natural coffees are generally less fresh and complex than washed coffees, but more immediate due to their evident sweetness and body and therefore suitable for espresso, are also more popular in the specialty universe. Full bodied and less acid, natural coffees allow an easy and immediate approach even to the least experienced palates.

However, processing processes only partially determine the sensorial profile of a cup, on which weigh the botanical variety (cultivar), altitude, cultivation in shade or sun, the ripening level of the cherries harvested and therefore the chemical composition of the cherry.

In addition to the most common wet and dry systems and to the less common honey process, an interesting phenomenon is the fermentation design that, as we know, starts from wine and invests in the whole food planet and since some years has also landed in the world of specialty coffee.

By modulating and controlling time and temperature in partial or almost total absence of oxygen and in some cases, by adding yeasts or bacteria as in carbonic maceration for example, it is possible to obtain very complex and often unique cups.

In the world of specialty coffee, studies and experiments of fermentation design are getting a lot of interest and are giving surprising results, giving coffee different sensorial profiles, which change considerably, according to the solutions adopted.

All this implies innovative choices among producers, push for improvement and ambition for a professional recognition as well as an economic one.

The risk to be avoided is trivialization, routine, homologation, mystification of the genetic imprint of the varieties. Even with all the risks, however, the process of fermentation in coffee, besides giving excellent results, if well done, is also a method with less impact on the environment.

Moreover, producers who choose to work on post-harvesting processes cannot avoid harvesting cherries with knowledge and therefore it means they made a quality choice.

Maybe terroir is also evolution, research, experimentation.

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Slow Food Coffee Coalition: new trends in the world of coffee - Slow Food International

It would be a mistake to think that, in sun-drenched Northern California wine country, all vintages are created equal. Its true that California vineyards rarely struggle to ripen as those in Old World regions often do, but a late frost can threaten after bud break; a sudden August heat spike can send sugar levels surging; a fireenough said.

But then there was 2018. After several years of drought, generous rain set vineyards up with the moisture they needed. Cool, foggy mornings, warm afternoons and cold nighttime tempssans heat spikesheld through the summer into fall, giving winemakers the choice to let their fruit hang (without losing crucial acidity), to develop complexity. As it turns out, Mike Sullivan, winemaker and co-owner at Benovia Wineryknown for beautiful Pinot Noir and Chardonnaymade Cabernet Sauvignon for the first time under the brand in 2018 (one from Napa and one from Sonoma). It was a brilliant vintage debut. The Cabs, in his view, have exceptional color and structure, with ideal balance. Ripe tannins, bright acidity, hedonistic aromatics

In short, the best of the 2018 Bordeaux-style reds from Napa Valley and Sonoma County are stunningly beautiful. Theyve captured the holy grail of finesse and power together, pure fruit with classic tannin structure. These are the wines youll want to drink the day they land on your porch, but also hold in your cellar for years (good luck with that). Now is the time to order or join mailing lists, to make sure bottles head your way come September. Here are 13 you really shouldnt miss.

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13 Best Bordeaux-Style Red Wines From Napa & Sonoma's Outstanding 2018 - Robb Report

WASHINGTON, D.C. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) today released the following statement regarding a new House Foreign Affairs Committeereportthat shows the CCP covered up the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, which likely began at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

I commend Rep. McCaul for his work to uncover the origins of COVID-19, pushing forward despite Democrat obstruction. His new report outlines the role Peter Daszak played in spreading disinformation during the critical early days of the pandemic. As evidence mounts in favor of the lab-leak hypothesis, Congress should use every tool at its disposal to understand what happened in Wuhan, why the intelligence community missed it, and how U.S. taxpayer dollars funded dangerous gain-of-function research in Wuhan. Issuing a subpoena to Peter Daszak is an obvious and appropriate next step to get these answers."

Rep. Gallagher has led the charge in investigating the origins of COVID-19. In recent months, he has:

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Gallagher Statement on Addendum to Origins of COVID-19 Report - Congressman Mike Gallagher

Santa Rosa, CA August 3, 2021 Due to increasing case rates and testing demand, the Sonoma County Department of Health Services ispartnering with four trusted providers - Curative, LHI, Molecular Matrix, and Fox Home Health - to offer expanded COVID-19 testing services for Sonoma County residents.

As case rates have risen in recent weeks, the demand for pop-up COVID-19 testing has significantly increased. In the two weeks from June 22 to July 5, the DHS Field Services team administered 572 tests. From July 6 to July 19, DHS testing more than doubled to 1150 tests. In the last single week for which the county has data, from July 20 to July 26, the team administered 1054 tests in just seven days. Expanding the testing services of LHI, Curative, Molecular Matrix, and Fox Home Health raises testing capacity from just over 1,000 tests per week to more than 10,000 tests per week.

The Field Services team also has been limited in where it could effectively operate, hosting sites only in Santa Rosa. Partnering with these proven vendors will enable COVID-19 testing to expand beyond Santa Rosa to confirmed sites in Boyes Hot Springs, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Guerneville, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, and Petaluma, said Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase. There are even more sites in the final planning stages that will allow us to expand locations and capacity even further. We strongly encourage everyone in Sonoma County to get vaccinated as soon as possible to limit the significant impact of the Delta variant in our community.

This plan allows the Field Services team to instead focus on outbreak and surveillance testing. Though DHS will not administer COVID-19 tests at pop-up events, the department is overseeing the placement of sites and working with these providers to ensure that as many community members as possible have equitable access to testing. The County will also continue to provide help navigating the many options available to community members through the testing and vaccine hotline at (707) 565-4667.

Curative Testing

Appointments and walk-ins are accepted. Appointment openings appear on the Curative website three to four days before each event. Visit curative.com or call (888) 702-9042 to make an appointment. Beginning Aug. 2, Curative will host sites throughout Sonoma County:

LHI Testing

Appointments are highly recommended. Visit lhi.care/covidtestingor call LHI at (866) 284-8788 to make an appointment.Beginning Aug. 3, LHI will test from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at:

Molecular Matrix

Appointments are required. Visit molecularmatrix.com/covidtesting to make an appointment. In addition to the location below, Molecular Matrix is in the process of securing another site in Petaluma as well as several sites in Santa Rosa:

Fox Home Health

Santa Rosa Community Health ceased operation of the Roseland Community Center clinic at 779 Sebastopol Road on July 31. Fox Home Health has agreed to take over and offer vaccines and testing in southwest Santa Rosa beginning Aug. 3:

In addition, Fox has added testing to their existing vaccine clinic at 1400 N. Dutton Ave., Suite 17, Santa Rosa:

For the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 testing in Sonoma County, please visit socoemergency.org/test.

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Sonoma County partners with private providers to expand COVID-19 testing opportunities | Press Releases | County Administrator's Office | County -...

Posted August 3, 2021 | 7:38 PM

Walk-in locations will open on Saturday, Aug. 7

With COVID-19 cases increasing due to the Delta variant, Hillsborough County will temporarily open two free public testing sites.

These walk-in locations will open on Saturday, Aug. 7. They will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All testing will be conducted indoors. Five-hundred tests per day will be available at each site on a first-come, first-serve basis. Rapid tests will be administered; PCR tests will be available upon request. Appointments are not needed.

There is no charge to be tested. In accordance with federal guidelines, health insurance information will be collected; however, individuals who do not have health insurance will still be tested.

People being tested should bring a photo ID (driver's license, state-issued ID, or passport) with name and date of birth, as well as their health insurance card (if applicable). Face coverings will be required except during the brief time when the sampling is done.

While there are many private COVID-19 testing locations available in Hillsborough County, the County is opening the two temporary sites out of an abundance of caution and to enhance community testing capabilities. The number of positive cases in Hillsborough County has been increasing in recent weeks, and some residents are reporting wait times of up to three days to be tested.

For information, go to HCFLGov.net/COVIDTesting. Residents without digital access may call (813) 272-5900, the County's main information line. For other testing options, go to FloridaHealthCOVID19.gov/testing-sites.

People who are experiencing a medical emergency should dial 9-1-1 immediately.

Get Connected. Stay Alert.For more information on COVID-19, and any other potential emergency in the region, visit HCFLGov.net/StaySafe and sign up for the HCFL Alert system. Additionally, you can follow Hillsborough County on social media at Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor for updates. For general County information, call (813) 272-5900, the County's main information line.

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Hillsborough County to Temporarily Resume COVID-19 Testing Operations - Hillsborough County

Vanguard signage at a Morningstar Investment Conference.

M. Spencer Green | AP

Vanguard is offering its employees $1,000 to get vaccinated against Covid-19, the company has confirmed.

The asset management giant follows Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other employers calling on workers to get the coronavirus vaccine amid growing concerns about the fast spread of the delta variant.

"Vanguard recognizes vaccines are the best way to stop the spread of this virus and strongly encourages crew to be vaccinated," Charles Kurtz, a spokesperson for Vanguard, said in a statement shared with CNBC. "As such, we are offering a vaccine incentive for crew who provide COVID-19 vaccination proof. The incentive recognizes crew who have taken the time to protect themselves, each other, and our communities by being vaccinated."

Kurtz also confirmed the company's 16,500 eligible employees have until Oct. 1 to get the vaccine, which Bloomberg first reported Wednesday.

Walgreens Boots Alliance said Wednesday that the number of vaccines it has administered has surged by more than 30% in the past few weeks in certain states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Kentucky.

That number could rise as the Food and Drug Administration gives full approval, versus emergency use authorization, to the vaccines, which it aims to do for the Pfizer vaccine next month. Still, businesses like Vanguard are encouraging employees not to wait.

Read more:

Vanguard says it will give employees $1,000 to get the Covid-19 vaccine - CNBC

Mobile, Ala., paramedic Lisa Chestang recites the Pledge of Allegiance on Monday with nearly three dozen health care workers who arrived from around the country to help supplement the staff at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, La. Ted Jackson/AP hide caption

Mobile, Ala., paramedic Lisa Chestang recites the Pledge of Allegiance on Monday with nearly three dozen health care workers who arrived from around the country to help supplement the staff at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, La.

In Louisiana, which now has the country's highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita, Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered an indoor mask mandate and offered a stark warning:

"Nobody should be laboring under the misapprehension that this is just another surge," Edwards said Monday. "We've already had three of these. This is the worst one we've had thus far."

Dr. Joseph Kanter, an emergency room doctor and the top medical official of the Louisiana Department of Health, spoke with NPR's Morning Edition about the increasingly dire situation. Listen to the full interview.

Delta changed the game. Kanter says the state went from its lowest to highest number of cases and hospitalizations in just four weeks, and the surge doesn't show signs of slowing.

Hospitals have "never been busier." "We're on track today, short of a divine intervention, to exceed the peak, at any point prior in the pandemic, of the number of hospitalized COVID patients," Kanter says. Large hospital systems have had to cancel procedures and decline patient transfers, and he's heard stories of patients sitting in emergency rooms for four or five days while teams try, unsuccessfully, to find them a bed.

There's a staffing shortage. Many nurses have taken time off, pursued nonclinical jobs or gone back to school after a challenging year. Hospitals are struggling to recruit and retain new nurses and have had to call in federal disaster assistance medical teams what Kanter calls a "drastic move" that typically only follows natural disasters.

Vaccines have a new sense of urgency. About 37% of Louisiana residents are fully vaccinated. Up until now, Kanter says, there was a sense that a lot of people would get the jab at some point, just not yet. But it's a small state, and many people now know others who are getting sick and they're scared. The rate of vaccinations has increased fourfold over the past two weeks, and Monday saw 11,000 people opting to begin their vaccine series. He adds: "I guarantee each one of them would rather have done it five weeks ago."

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.

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Louisiana's Current COVID-19 Surge Is Its Worst Yet - NPR

Coronavirus

We have watched SARS-CoV-2 develop for 18 months and have some idea of its trajectory. The Delta variant is the prime example of strains succeeding each other, becoming progressively worse in waves of infection. According to a recent report from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) in the United Kingdom, the virus is very likely to evolve into a still more dangerous form. We must be prepared for this outcome, for we are already behind the curve as SARS-CoV-2 is outpacing our response.

Intended for reference by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and key public health decision-makers, the report compiled by leading physicians, scientists, and epidemiologists outlines what is known about viral evolution presents scenarios we are likely to encounter in the coming months and years as the Delta variant continues to evolve into something even more dangerous. The report assigns probabilities for each scenario and recommends strategies to limit the damage and control the pandemic.

The report outlines four scenarios:

Scenario one: The Delta variant mutates to a point of increased lethality. Under this scenario, the virus has the potential to kill between 10 and 35% of people infected, as did SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, up from the 1 to 2% lethality, characteristic of the current strains.

Scenario two: The Delta variant mutates to evade vaccines.

Scenario three: The Delta variant mutates to a point of multi-drug resistance, challenging antiviral treatments designed to prevent and treat disease.

Scenario four: The Delta variant mutates to become less harmful, similar to the four coronaviruses circulating today, such as the common cold.

Before dissecting these scenarios, it is important to recognize the basis of their conclusions. The report is cognizant of the behavioral patterns of viruses and coronaviruses in particular. They can alter their genetic structures by mutation and recombination, leading to substantial changes in fundamental characteristics, including replication rate, transmission efficiency, and pathogenesis.

Wisely, the SAGE report considers the entire viral genome in its analysis, not just the potential changes in the Spike (S) protein, as is common in many other discussions on the topic. They note that the efficiency of transmission and evasion from immune surveillance is largely driven by the S protein. However, they also recognize that many other regions of the virus may contribute to both pathogenesis and transmission.

In considering how much more transmissible the virus can be, we note a study by Schreiber et al. that indicates that certain S mutations can increase avidity between the ACE2 receptor of the host cell and the virus by 600-fold, creating a far more transmissible variant. The progression from the original Wuhan virus to Alpha and then Delta seems to be following a path of increased avidity, as well as increased immune evasion. So far, the avidity appears to be increased by only four to eight-fold, far from the range that is theoretically possible.

In what follows, we provide a detailed summary and analysis of each scenario.

Scenario One: Increased Lethality

The SAGE report considers the development of strains with increased lethality a realistic possibility.

The Delta variant has driven a rise in cases to levels we have not observed in the United States since mid-February, and recent data shows a surge in deaths related to Delta variant infection in the UK, their highest rates since mid-March. The SAGE report highlights the possibility of recombination between two aggressive variants, resulting in a new, substantially more lethal and virulent virus. Specifically, the report highlights the possibility of an alpha and beta variant recombination. Were these variants to recombine, the variant could be comprised of the best of both worlds, forming a variant of dangerous transmission and immune evasion.

The report highlights another likely origin of a more pathogenic virus through the current advent of antigenic drift. Orf and structural proteins are particularly important in the suppression of host immune responses. Orf9b, for example, suppresses innate immunity by targeting mitochondria and the mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS), TNF receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3), and TRAF6. In the alpha variant, a single amino acid mutation in the latter portion of the genome enabled the virus to replicate Orf9b mRNA to 80-fold greater amounts than in non-alpha variant samples.

As the report notes, the likelihood of genotypic change in internal genes...is high. So long as infections continue, the virus will continue to mutate to better adapt to its host environment: us. If a single amino acid outside the S protein could enhance an immune suppression function by 80-fold, imagine the evolutionary capacity of dozens of other fine-tuned mutations down the line.

Scenario Two: Evading Vaccines

The SAGE report considers the possibility that the virus will develop into what I call vaccine-busting variants to be an almost certainty.

Influenza is an effective model for their concern. In addition to successive antigenic mutations that avoid immune suppression, a coronavirus has the evolutionary capability of antigenic shift, which involves substituting one or more genomic segments from a prevalent strain to an unrelated strain of animal origin. Such antigenic shifts of Influenza have occurred three times over the past century, each time giving rise to a new strain of flu, which evades existing prior immunity.

We note that a number of human and other animal retroviruses make use of the same ACE2 receptor as SARS-CoV-2, and given that hundreds of millions of people around the world have been and will be infected with SARS-CoV-2, it is highly likely that such a recombination event could take place.

At present, we are witnessing real-time antigenic drift, which could also result in vaccine-busting variants. Each variant, as they arise, contains a series of point mutations in the exterior spike protein, which serve to reduce the potency of extant vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. Observations based on the annual recurrence of cold-causing coronaviruses indicate that the virus has nowhere near exhausted its capacity to reduce recognition by antibodies produced by previous infection or vaccine.

Scenario Three: Anti-Viral Drug Resistance

The SAGE report considers the possibility that the virus will develop antiviral drug resistance to be likely.

The development of potent small-molecule antiviral drugs has been slower than originally anticipated. A problem plaguing the development of antiviral drugs is a long asymptomatic period prior to the onset of symptoms. By the time symptoms typically appear, the concentration of the virus has rapidly dropped in infected people and further treatment by anti-viral drugs yields limited efficacy. There are two strategies to counter. One is much more vigorous, which is the early identification of the infected, contact tracing, and use of antiviral drugs for prophylaxis. That has been a successful approach with monoclonal antibodies. The Regeneron combination monoclonal antibody was recently approved by the United States for preventing infections in nursing homes and other congregate living settings.

Resistance to single and, in some cases, multiple monoclonal antibodies is already apparent. Many of the variants can no longer be neutralized by monoclonal antibodies that were produced early in the pandemic. Reports from separate laboratory studies show that single combinations of small molecule drugs also result in rapid adaptation and resistance. The lessons learned from successful treatment and prophylaxis of HIV show that combinations of antiviral drugs are critical for both the prevention and treatment of HIV infections. Combination treatment with two or more drugs dramatically reduces the possibility that the virus would rapidly develop resistance. Currently, there are more than 25 drugs, focusing on at least five or five to six different HIV targets that are used in combination.

It is likely that a successful program for chemoprevention and treatment of coronaviruses requires a similar large pharmacopeia to cope with the viruss propensity for developing resistance. The report urges dramatically increased research on the development of antiviral drugs. The model could be the recent drug, Xofluza, which was developed to prevent household transmission and length of influenza, and has been shown to reduce infection duration by 80% when administered promptly post-exposure to active Influenza infection.

Scenario Four: Decreased Virulence

The SAGE report considers the possibility that the virus will develop decreased virulence to be a realistic possibility, only in the long term.

It is possible, but by no means certain, that over time the virus could mutate through a form that is highly transmissible but far less lethal. This may have been the case for the four coronaviruses currently in circulation, although there is no hard evidence to support this speculation. The report mentions that it is unlikely that the virus will mutate to become less lethal in the near future. They suggest that if the virus does mutate to a less lethal form, such mutations may occur over a period of many years to many decades.

This report is not entirely pessimistic. It offers a number of different approaches; many of these involve additional research and vaccines which may produce better immune responses, capable of protection from many different viruses. The report also calls for major increases in fundamental and applied research of coronaviruses to fill in glaring gaps in our knowledge necessary to create new generations of vaccines and antiviral drugs. Finally, the report mentions that we are not helpless in the face of these viral changes. Human behavior is a driving factor in the spread of the virus. Behavior modifications including mask-wearing, isolation, lockdowns, contact tracing, all combined with vaccines and antiviral drugssomething I am calling Multimodal Covid Controlholds a prospect for effective management of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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A Warning About The Future Of Covid-19 From The Scientific Advisory Group For Emergencies Of The United Kingdom - Forbes

TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - After more than a year at the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic, Japanese emergency doctor Shoji Yokobori finds himself at the unlikely calm of the Olympics, overseeing a venue with strict protocols, no spectators and low infection risks.

A volunteer medical officer at the Tokyo Olympics weightlifting venue, Yokobori and a team of around a dozen other medical staff are yet to see a major injury, let alone a coronavirus outbreak.

It's a world apart from the strain of his regular job running the intensive care unit at Tokyo's Nippon Medical School Hospital, fighting a fifth wave of the pandemic that is pushing the city's medical care system to the brink.

"I am now living in two different worlds," said the 47-year-old director of the hospital's department of emergency and critical care medicine, wearing a pink medical vest as he stood in the quiet of a near empty Tokyo International Forum.

"When we go back to the real world, like in the hospital, we see the many patients of COVID-19," Yokobori said. "It is like heaven or hell, I don't know."

Yokobori's dual existence illustrates life at the two extremes of Tokyo's Olympic "bubble". Games organisers are running a village for athletes and coaches where more than 80% are vaccinated against the coronavirus, testing is compulsory and movement is stringently curtailed. In the broader Japanese capital, vaccination rates remain low and protocols around testing and movement are nowhere near as strict. read more

Yokobori's hospital was chosen to help with the Olympics given its reputation for emergency care and Yokobori, a fan of tennis player Naomi Osaka, said he was happy to volunteer.

He makes rounds of the cavernous venue's medical stations, checking in and sometimes assigning nurses to take athlete blood samples for doping tests. The lack of spectators cuts the workload, volunteers said.

But Yokobori also takes urgent calls from his staff at the hospital, seeking advice on issues like whether to use lung support for critical COVID-19 cases.

A spike in cases fuelled by the Delta variant this week led Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to announce that only seriously ill COVID-19 patients would be admitted to hospital, raising fears of an increase in deaths. The government on Wednesday signalled it might consider rolling back the controversial policy. read more

Nippon Medical School Hospital's ICU doctor Shoji Yokobori watches weightlifting at a medical station of Tokyo International Forum, the weightlifting venue of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where he works as an emergency medicine officer overseeing the venue in Tokyo, Japan, August 2, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

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BACK TO THE FRONT

Yokobori was back on the floor of the hospital intensive care unit on Sunday, when he had a day off from Olympic duties.

Just after he told Reuters there was only one ICU bed left for severe COVID-19 cases, another patient was admitted, taking the last of the allotted 10 beds.

Yokobori said he was particularly worried about the spike in cases involving younger patients, who took longer to treat, tying up beds longer.

"We still don't know when it will peak out. That's why we are afraid," Yokoburi said as he monitored live video of patients in the ICU's 60 beds.

One doctor at another Olympics venue is considering quitting his volunteer work at the Games to return to his hospital to ease the burden on colleagues, according to public broadcaster NHK.

As it stands, Yokobori plans to continue his volunteer work through the Paralympics after the Olympics end on Aug.8. Yet he is also ready to leave the Olympics should the situation at his hospital worsen.

"I don't want to see peaks during the Olympic period," he said, standing on the floor of the ICU. "But if that happens we will have to change shifts and put more firepower here."

Olympics: Best of August 4

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Table Tennis - Women's Team - Semifinal - Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium - Tokyo, Japan - August 4, 2021. Sun Yingsha of China in action against Ying Han of Germany. REUTERS/Thomas Peter - RC22YO9HC2QK

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Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by David Dolan and Jane Wardell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Tokyo doctor at the crossroads of a COVID-19 crisis and a quiet Olympics - Reuters