Wednesday, January 20, 2021

FIFA releases report on sexual abuse of female football players in Haiti

6 DAYS AGO

FIFA's ethics committee said Yves Jean-Bart, the president of Haiti’s football federation, allegedly raped girls as young as 14 and took “habitual mistresses” among players.

File Photo: Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, arrives for a court hearing regarding allegations that he abused female athletes, in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, on May 21, 2020. (AP)

FIFA released details Wednesday of its investigation into systematic sexual abuse of female football players in Haiti, saying there were 14 alleged victims of the national federation’s president.

The FIFA ethics committee said Yves Jean-Bart, the president of Haiti’s football federation for 20 years, allegedly raped girls as young as 14 and took “habitual mistresses” among players.

The details were included in a newly published verdict that explained why Jean-Bart was banned from football for life in November.

The 45-page document said “many of the girls from very poor backgrounds became known as his ‘restaveks,’ a Haitian term for a child slave.”

One 14-year-old player allegedly became pregnant by Jean-Bart and was taken by football federation officials to have an abortion.

“Mr. Jean-Bart’s behavior is simply inexcusable, a disgrace for any football official,” FIFA's ethics judges concluded. “The pain and suffering he has caused his various victims of sexual harassment and abuse cannot even be fully comprehended.”

FIFA received evidence from investigations by the global football players’ union FIFPro and Human Rights Watch.

They identified 34 “possible victims of sexual abuse and 10 potential perpetrators, including 14 names of potential victims of Mr. Jean-Bart," the report said. It cited intimidation of witnesses and the “authoritarian and economic power that Mr. Jean-Bart appears to have in Haiti."

Witnesses said Jean-Bart would give gifts of underwear to teenage girls, including minors, when he began to build abusive relationships, according to the FIFA document.

A therapist working with Human Rights Watch reported “the majority of the victims/witnesses are still working on regaining a sense of psychological safety and … have not fully processed their traumas.”

A protester holds up a sign that reads in Creole "We are asking for justice," during the hearing of President of the Haitian Football Federation Yves Jean-Bart in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti onMay 14, 2020. (AP)

Jean-Bart has denied the allegations, which were first revealed by British newspaper The Guardian in April. He said he will challenge the FIFA ban, and a fine of 1 million Swiss francs ($1.13 million), at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

FIFA's ethics investigators have also opened cases against other Haitian football federation officials alleged to have committed or enabled sexual abuse of players.

The abuse is said to have happened at the country’s national training center at Croix-des-Bouquets, which FIFA helped fund. It was known as “The Ranch.”

Jean-Bart led the Haiti federation since 2000 and sat on several FIFA committees, including the women’s football panel from 2002-05.

He continued to be a member of the FIFA committee organizing the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia after the sexual abuse allegedly started in 2014.

FIFA judges accepted the allegations

At his FIFA hearing, held by video link in November, Jean-Bart’s defense included the claim that witness testimonies “are similar, almost identical, and are lies.”

“Mr Jean-Bart could not have raped or engaged in sexual intercourse with anybody since he was not virile,” his lawyers said.

They also claimed the success of Haiti women’s national teams “could have never been reached if the sexual abuse or harassment alleged (by FIFA investigators) existed.”

The FIFA panel of three judges accepted the allegations, saying: “The abuse was perpetrated at various locations and by different persons within the [Haiti football federation], occasionally resulting in rape and even pregnancies and abortions.”

US athletes slam police handling of 'white' riots in Capitol

Sports personalities are enraged over the restraint shown by the police to largely white protesters – many armed with guns and rods – who occupied the highest seat of government and dented US' global image.

An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of US President Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. (Reuters)

Athletes, coaches, and former players have lodged a strong reaction to the storming of Capitol Hill by supporters of outgoing President Trump, with many drawing parallels between Black Lives Matter protests and right-wing demonstrators and how each of the protests was dealt with by security officials.

"The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today's protesters who acted illegally just shows how much work we have to do," a joint statement from Boston Celtics and Miami Heat said on Wednesday night.

"2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed," the statement said.

"We play tonight's game with a heavy heart after yesterday's decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation's capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on."

The reactions came hours after pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and disrupted a congressional vote to certify the US presidential election.

One day earlier, news broke that the police officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, will not be charged.

Chaos in Capitol

The Capitol was under siege on Wednesday, as the nation’s elected representatives scrambled to crouch under desks and don gas masks while police futilely tried to barricade the building, one of the most jarring scenes ever to unfold in a seat of American political power.

A woman was shot and killed inside the Capitol, and Washington's mayor instituted an evening curfew in an attempt to contain the violence.

More than 50 protesters have been arrested so far, police say.

Controversial police reaction

National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts expressed disappointment and frustration about the ongoing double-standard regarding race in the country.

"Every single player that contacted me – or that I contacted – saw the same connection to the Blake shooting being justified," Roberts told ESPN.

"We were watching these people essentially committing treason at the Capitol and I have yet to hear about a single shot being fired.

"On a day like this, it's the first thing that comes to mind. And all I can say is that I'm grateful knowing that hopefully, nobody who looks like me is going to Capitol Hill to respond to this, because if they do, you'll see a different response by law enforcement. You know it – and I know it," Roberts said.

What if Black people stormed Capitol?

His sentiment was echoed by Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers.

"It basically proves the point about a privileged life in a lot of ways," Rivers said.

"I'll say it because I don't think a lot of people want to, could you imagine today if those were all Black people storming the Capitol and what would've happened?"

"No police dogs turned on people, no billy clubs hitting people, people peacefully being escorted out of the Capitol. So it shows that you can disperse a crowd peacefully, I guess, would be the one thing," Rivers said.

Not long after, the play came to a halt moments after the Detroit Pistons tipped off against the host Milwaukee Bucks.

All 10 players on the court stopped and took a knee after the opening tip.

'Domestic terrorism'

Many other athletes reacted to the day's events on social media.

"An absolute disgrace what's happening at the US Capitol right now," Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love wrote on Twitter.

"And a blatant example of inequity in how law enforcement chooses to deal with those involved."

US football player Megan Rapinoe mocked police on Twitter for opening gates to protesters at Capitol Hill.

Former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade wrote on Twitter: "Black people get pulled over and don’t make it out alive. We can’t sleep in our own beds without being killed. We can’t jog without being killed. We can’t walk down the street with our hoodies up without being killed but they can do this???"

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy added, "If you are an American and aren't embarrassed by the domestic terrorism taking place at the Capitol there is something wrong with you. This is a shameful day for our country."

Poll: 80% want Tokyo Games cancelled or delayed because of pandemic

The world's biggest multi-sports event, postponed last year due to the pandemic, is scheduled to be held from July 23-August 8 in the Japanese capital.

A man wearing a protective mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), walks in front of an advertising billboard of Tokyo Olympics 2020, near the Shinjuku station in Tokyo, Japan, March 15, 2020. (Reuters)

A Kyodo News poll has showed that about 80% of people in Japan say this year's Tokyo Olympics should be cancelled or delayed as worries mount about a record surge in coronavirus cases across the country,

The survey found 35.3% want the Games to be cancelled and 44.8% favoured another delay.

The world's biggest multi-sports event, postponed last year due to the pandemic, is scheduled to be held from July 23-August 8 in the Japanese capital.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for the greater Tokyo region on Thursday and could extend the measure to other areas as Japan struggles to contain a surge in infections.

Suga has come under fire for his handling of the pandemic and his support rate has tumbled since he took office in September.

His cabinet's approval rate slid 9 points from a month earlier to 41.3% with the disapproval rate at 42.8%, the Kyodo survey showed.

About 79% said Suga's decision to call the state of emergency for Tokyo came too late and 68% were dissatisfied with the government's response to the pandemic, the survey found.

More Stimulus Checks Should Be Among Biden's Top Priorities, Nearly 80% of Americans Say

Nearly 80 percent of Americans believe that President-elect Joe Biden should prioritize providing the public new stimulus checks after being sworn into office on Wednesday, according to a new poll.

© Chip Somodevilla/Getty President-elect Joe Biden is pictured speaking at the Major Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center in New Castle, Delaware on January 19, 2021.

A Morning Consult poll released Tuesday found that 79 percent of respondents believe that the "top" or "important, but lower" economic priority of the Biden administration should be to "provide new stimulus checks." An even larger share, 82 percent, said that the administration should prioritize "additional small business aid" to help businesses continuing to struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden Unveils Huge COVID Relief Plan: What To Know About $1,400 Stimulus Checks

A call to "extend housing finance policies," potentially including new moratoriums on evictions or foreclosures, was also a popular priority for the incoming president, favored by 72 percent. Additionally, 69 percent said Biden should "increase unemployment benefits," the same percentage that said the administration should supply new "aid to state and local government."

Increasing the "taxes on wealthy" was the next most popular choice, with 65 percent support.

Other economic policy issues that a majority of respondents said should be prioritized included boosting the U.S. manufacturing industry, regulating climate risks in finance, regulating large banks and providing student loan debt relief. The least popular choice to make the list was regulating small or mid-sized banks, which 43 percent of respondents said should be a priority.

The poll was conducted among 2,200 adults in the U.S. between January 8 and January 11. It has a margin of error of plus or minus two percent.

Biden plans to push for $1,400 stimulus checks after taking office, which would bring the total among of recent payments to $2,000 when combined with recently issued $600 checks. The smaller payment was the subject of widespread backlash, prompting a surprise push for the $2,000 checks from President Donald Trump. The outgoing president found a rare point of agreement with congressional Democrats, who also demanded the higher amount, joined by a handful of their Republican colleagues.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) repeatedly blocked a vote on the measure last month. Republicans will lose control of the upper chamber shortly after the Biden inauguration on Wednesday, when new Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are sworn in.

The title of majority leader will then be transferred to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is unlikely to block voting on new stimulus checks.

Senate Democrats now appear to be united in their support of the new $1,400 stimulus checks and measure is expected to pass Congress, even if the Republicans who supported Trump's call for increased payments change course and oppose the proposal under Biden.

Newsweek reached out to the Biden transition team for comment.

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Nepal team become first to summit Pakistan's K2

in winter

The climbers made history as they reached the peak of what is known as the "Savage Mountain" where winds can blow at more than 200 kilometres per hour and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius

FILE PHOTO: In this file photo taken on August 14, 2019, porters set up tents at the Concordia camping site in front of K2 summit (C) in the Karakoram range of Pakistan's mountain northern Gilgit region. (AFP)

A team of Nepali climbers has made history after becoming the first to summit Pakistan's K2 in winter, singing their country's national anthem as they reached the top.

Dozens of mountaineers have been competing over the past few weeks to summit the world's second-highest mountain, the last peak above 8,000 metres (26,000 feet) to be topped in wintertime.

"WE DID IT," tweeted Seven Summit Treks, a trekking company leading one of the expeditions.

"The Karakorum's 'Savage Mountain' been summited in most dangerous season: winter. Nepalese climbers finally reached the summit of Mt K2 this afternoon at 17:00 local time."

The name "Savage Mountain" comes from the punishing conditions there – winds can blow at more than 200 kilometres per hour and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 76 Fahrenheit).

Since the maiden attempt in 1987-1988, just a handful of winter expeditions have been tried on the storied 8,611-metre (28,250-foot) peak in the Karakoram range along the Chinese border.

None had got higher than 7,650 metres until Saturday, when the good conditions allowed the climbers to push ahead.

The 10 Nepali climbers had earlier been spread across different teams, but formed a new group in order to claim the feat in Nepal's name.

'Very special moment'

Despite being famed for their climbing expertise, there has never before been a Nepali climber on the first winter ascent of a peak over 8,000 metres.

One of the triumphant climbers, Nirmal Purja, who is also known as Nimsdai, described it as a "very special moment".

"The whole team waited 10m below the summit to form a group then stepped onto the summit together whilst singing our Nepalese National Anthem," wrote Purja in a social media post.

"We are proud to have been a part of history for humankind and to show that collaboration, teamwork and a positive mental attitude can push limits to what we feel might be possible."

Bravery and strength

At least one of the climbers, Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, had planned to reach the summit without using oxygen.

The news sparked joy throughout Nepal, long used to watching foreign climbers seize the records.

"For decades, Nepalis have assisted foreigners to reach the summits of the Himalayas, but we've not been getting the recognition we deserve," said renowned Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa, who has climbed Everest a record 24 times.

READ MORE: Rescue mission for seven climbers stranded on Pakistan peak 'soon'

"The spotlight has always been on foreign climbers. It is wonderful that today on K2 ten Nepalis have made history and shown our bravery and strength."

Nepali guides, usually ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Everest, are considered the backbone of the climbing industry in the Himalayas for bearing huge risks to carry equipment and food, fix ropes and repair ladders.

"Sherpas are top climbers of the world, and it is a proud moment for us. But reaching the summit is only the first half. We hope now that they can all make it back down safely," warned Ang Tshering Sherpa, the former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

A lonely place

One of the final technical difficulties to be overcome by the group was the dreaded "bottleneck", a narrow and steep passage where 11 people were killed in August 2008 in K2's worst known tragedy.

Many climbers have died trying to reach the summit, while others were killed on the dangerous descent.

Lockdowns and travel bans sparked by the coronavirus pandemic meant the summer climbing season last year was a bust in most of the popular climbing destinations in the region, such as Nepal.

READ MORE: Nepali becomes world’s fastest climber after scaling 14 highest peaks

With Pakistan's borders open and few other places to go, this winter an unprecedented four teams totalling around 60 climbers converged on the mountain, more than all previous expeditions put together.

Unlike Mount Everest, which has been topped by thousands of climbers young and old, K2 is a much lonelier place.

Northern Pakistan is home to some of the world's tallest mountains, including K2 in the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Nestled between the western end of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush mountains and the Karakoram range, Gilgit-Baltistan has 18 of the world's 50 highest peaks.

READ MORE: Nepalese Sherpa conquers Mount Everest for 23rd time

Popular Thai politician charged with defaming monarchy

BANGKOK — Thai officials on Wednesday filed criminal charges against a popular former politician, accusing him of defaming the monarchy by broadcasting criticism of government efforts to secure supplies of coronavirus vaccines.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The action against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit came just a day after Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters that that his government will prosecute anyone who shares false information about coronavirus vaccines.

Thanathorn, former leader of the dissolved Future Forward Party, accused the government of acting too slowly in procuring the vaccines. He also pointed out that the government’s main contract for vaccine supply was made with a Thai company owned by the royal palace. The government and the company deny any wrongdoing.

“What Thanathorn said is not true at all. The monarchy has nothing to do with the vaccines and they are not in the position to respond to him in the public,” said Thosaphol Pengsom, a vice minister attached to the prime minister’s office.

Vice Minister of Digital Economy and Society Newin Chochaiyathip said at a news conference that anyone who shares Thanathorn’s broadcast or distorted information about vaccines and monarchy judged to be distorted would be prosecuted.

Thanathorn’s office said he had no immediate comment.

The government has increasingly used the law against defaming the monarchy to crack down on critics. The law, widely know as Article 112, makes insulting King Maha Vajiralongkorn or his family punishable by three to 15 years’ imprisonment.

Thanathorn has long been a thorn in the side of Prayuth’s government. His party, critical of the army, a pillar of the country’s establishment, made a strong third-place showing in the 2019 general election, but he was forced out of Parliament when a court ruled that he had broken an election law. His party was later dissolved on a similar technicality. He has faced a number of legal cases which supporters charge are politically motivated.

Also Wednesday, six activists from Thailand’s pro-democracy movement reported to police to acknowledge Article 112 charges against them.

Their appearance at a central Bangkok police station was the latest skirmish between Thailand’s royalist establishment and the youth-led protest movement that caught fire last year with a series of well-attended rallies around the country calling for major political reforms, including of the country’s influential monarchy.

The six protesters were charged by police with insulting or expressing malice toward the king in connection with a December protest at a Bangkok shopping mall. The charge sheet offers no details.

According to a member of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, who asked for anonymity because she was not authorized to release information, police explained that the charges were related to wearing short cropped T-shirts at their protest to make fun of the king and his queen. Two minors were not accused of wearing inappropriate attire but of having signs or making hand gestures supporting the protest.

Photographs of the king casually wearing cropped T-shirts have circulated widely on social media and have been published overseas, but not in Thai mass media, which does not publish undignified photos of the royal family.

The monarchy is revered by many Thais and until recently was almost universally treated as an untouchable institution. But the protest movement charges that monarchy is unaccountable and wields too much power is what is supposed to a democratic constitutional monarchy.

From November to January this year, about 50 people have been charged with lese majeste — though none has yet gone to trial. Most if not all cases were based on statements made at public rallies or posted on the internet.

Critics says the law can easily be abused because anyone — not just royals or authorities — can lodge a complaint. After Vajralongkorn took the throne in 2016, he informed the government that he did not wish to see the law used.

But the escalating criticism of the king late last year prompted Prayuth to declare that the protesters had gone too far and could now expect to be prosecuted for their actions.

——-

Associated Press video journalist Tassanee Vejpongsa contributed to this report.

Grant Peck And Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul, The Associated Press

CANADA

Set clear rules for vaccinating health care workers against SARS-CoV-2

CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

Research News

Provincial and territorial governments should set clear rules for vaccinating health care workers against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in public and private settings, and should not leave this task to employers, according to an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

"An effective vaccine provided to health care workers will protect both the health workforce and patients, reducing the overall burden of COVID-19 on services and ensuring adequate personnel to administer to people's health needs through the pandemic," writes Dr. Colleen M. Flood, University of Ottawa Research Chair in Health Law & Policy and a professor at the university, with coauthors.

The analysis, authored by legal scholars and a physician-researcher, describes legal precedents from attempts to mandate influenza vaccines for health care workers and how those precedents might apply to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. It also describes the legal justification for mandating SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for health care workers and other legal considerations.

When creating policy for mandatory vaccination of health care workers, it will be important to include exemptions for people who cannot receive a vaccine because of underlying health issues or other reasons. These exemptions will help protect government mandates if there is a challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Based on current evidence, these challenges would likely be unsuccessful if there are exemptions in place for employees. It is important to note that any vaccinate or stay at home order would not force a health care worker to be vaccinated.

"What is less clear is whether or not a health care worker could argue that they should be able, in lieu of vaccination, to wear personal protective equipment," says Dr. Flood. "Initially, even those vaccinated will continue to wear PPE, but we think courts should accept the application of the precautionary principle so as to require vaccination in most circumstances. It will, however, be essential to collect and weigh real-world evidence of the benefits of both vaccines and PPE."

The authors distinguish between overall mandated government actions that might qualify under the Charter and actions from nongovernmental organizations, such as a private long-term care home requiring its own health care workers to be vaccinated, in which case the Charter would not apply.

"This is an important issue to address with science and law working together," says Dr. Kumanan Wilson, senior scientist, The Ottawa Hospital, and Clinical Research Chair in Digital Health Innovation, University of Ottawa. "Given the rapid development of various COVID-19 vaccines and emerging evidence, new data will determine whether these policies will stay in effect or will be modified."

Support for people who may experience a rare adverse event from mandatory vaccination is important. "We applaud the recent announcement of a no-fault vaccine compensation scheme and await the implementation of the program. Although not a cure all, it does provide some security for health care workers obligated to vaccinate pursuant to carrying out their vital work," the authors write.

Listen to a podcast with Dr. Colleen M. Flood on the legal aspect of mandatory vaccination of health care workers https://soundcloud.com/cmajpodcasts/202755-ana

New COVID-19 model shows little benefit in vaccinating high-risk individuals first

NYU TANDON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Research News

BROOKLYN, New York, Tuesday, January 19, 2021 - The World Health Organization reports that as of January 19, 2021, there are approximately 94 million cases of COVID-19 globally, with over 2 million deaths. In the face of these numbers -- driven in part by an aggressive resurgence of the virus in the U.S. -- health authorities face a tenuous balancing act: how to enact policies to keep citizens safe while doing the least possible damage to quality of life and local economies, especially in smaller cities and towns, where short supply of intensive care units and tight budgets make the thin line between precautionary measures and normalcy even thinner.

A new theory and simulation platform that can create predictive models based on aggregated data from observations taken across multiple strata of society could prove invaluable.

Developed by a research team led by Maurizio Porfiri, Institute Professor at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, the novel open-source platform comprises an agent-based model (ABM) of COVID-19 for the entire town of New Rochelle, located in Westchester County in New York State.

In the paper "High-Resolution Agent-Based Modeling of COVID-19 Spreading in a Small Town," published in Advanced Theory and Simulations, the team trains its system, developed at the resolution of a single individual, on the city of New Rochelle -- one of the first outbreaks registered in the United States.

The ABM replicates, geographically and demographically, the town structure obtained from U.S. Census statistics and superimposes a high-resolution -- both temporal and spatial -- representation of the epidemic at the individual level, considering physical locations as well as unique features of communities, like human behavioral trends or local mobility patterns.

Among the study's findings are those suggesting that prioritizing vaccination of high-risk individuals has only a marginal effect on the number of COVID-19 deaths. To obtain significant improvements, a very large fraction of the town population should, in fact, be vaccinated. Importantly, the benefits of the restrictive measures in place during the first wave greatly surpass those from any of these selective vaccination scenarios. Even with a vaccine available, social distancing, masks, and mobility restrictions will still be key tools to fight COVID-19.

Porfiri pointed out that focusing on a city of New Rochelle's size was crucial to the research because most cities in the U.S. have comparable population sizes and concentrations. "We chose New Rochelle not only because of its place in the COVID timeline, but because agent-based modelling for mid-size towns is relatively unexplored despite the U.S. being largely composed of such towns and small cities," he said.

Supported by expert knowledge and informed by officially reported COVID-19 data, the model incorporates detailed elements of pandemic spread within a statistically realistic population. Along with testing, treatment, and vaccination options, the model also accounts for the burden of other illnesses with symptoms similar to those of COVID-19.

Unique to the model is the possibility to explore different testing approaches -- in hospitals or drive-through facilities-- and vaccination strategies that could prioritize vulnerable groups. "We think decision making by public authorities could benefit from this model, not only because it is 'open source,' but because it offers a 'fine-grain' resolution at the level of the individual and a wide range of features," noted Porfiri.

The research team included Zhong-Ping Jiang, professor of electrical and computer engineering; post-docs Agnieszka Truszkowska, who led the implementation of the computational framework for the project, and Brandon Behring; and graduate student Jalil Hasanyan; as well as Lorenzo Zino from the University of Groningen, Sachit Butail from Southern Illinois University, Emanuele Caroppo from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and Alessandro Rizzo from Turin Polytechnic, and visiting professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NYU Tandon.

###

The work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation (CMMI1561134 and CMMI-2027990), Compagnia di San Paolo, MAECI ("Mac2Mic"), the European Research Council, and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.

About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute. A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences as part of a global university, with close connections to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. NYU Tandon is rooted in a vibrant tradition of entrepreneurship, intellectual curiosity, and innovative solutions to humanity's most pressing global challenges. Research at Tandon focuses on vital intersections between communications/IT, cybersecurity, and data science/AI/robotics systems and tools and critical areas of society that they influence, including emerging media, health, sustainability, and urban living. We believe diversity is integral to excellence, and are creating a vibrant, inclusive, and equitable environment for all of our students, faculty and staff. For more information, visit engineering.nyu.edu.

A Black scientist who approved the coronavirus vaccine says it is 'nothing like Tuskegee' and people of color will not be 'guinea pigs'

Black Americans are less likely to get the coronavirus vaccine than white people, but are more likely to get sick and die from COVID-19.

Some are concerned about the speed of vaccine development. Dr. James E. K. Hildreth, a Black immunologist, explained how the process was safely expedited.

He also said the coronavirus vaccine is "nothing like Tuskegee" in part because Black scientists like him have been involved every step of the way.

As the coronavirus vaccine is haphazardly distributed across the country, Black Americans are being left behind.

A Kaiser Health News analysis found that while Black Americans are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, in some states their vaccination rates are two to three times lower than their white neighbors.

The gap is due in part to a long history of racial discrimination and mistreatment by the US healthcare system, which has contributed to mistrust in vaccines among people of color. In December, 35% of Black people said they probably or definitely wouldn't get the shot.

Dr. James E. K. Hildreth, a Black immunologist who serves on the FDA committee that authorized both Pfizer and Moderna's shots for emergency use in the US, understands why.

"How can we be confident that a vaccine that was developed so quickly is safe and effective?" he said people of color ask him, adding that they also "don't want to be the guinea pigs, they don't want to be experimented on as were the men in the Tuskegee experiment from many decades ago."

He addressed those concerns during Monday's Choose Healthy Life Black Clergy Conclave, an online convening of more than 100 Black clergy, leading public-health officials, and corporate and scientific leaders who are working to boost COVID-19 testing and other resources in the Black community.

The doctor said there are three key reasons that explain the vaccine's speed of development, and many more why the coronavirus vaccine is "nothing like Tuskegee."

The vaccine was developed quickly due to technology, parallel processes, and existing infrastructure

Past vaccines have taken years to develop. After decades of global research, an HIV vaccine is still elusive.

But coronavirus vaccines have been developed in just 10 months, which "will go down probably as one of the greatest scientific achievements of this century," Hildreth, who's also the president and CEO of Meharry Medical College, said.

It was possible because "we have technologies available to us that just a few years ago were not even imaginable," he said. Plus, vaccines are typically developed iteratively, or with one step completed before the next begins. "In this case ... those [processes] have been running parallel," Hildreth said.

Finally, the worldwide infrastructure already in place for HIV vaccine development - including scientists and facilities - pivoted to focus on COVID-19, eliminating the need to develop a new one from the ground up.
The coronavirus vaccine is 'nothing like Tuskegee'

During the infamous Tuskegee experiment, US scientists monitored about 400 Black men with syphilis but did not treat them for the disease or even tell them they had it. The study lasted about four decades, according to a timeline from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ending in 1972.

Hildreth said the horror of Tuskegee prompted major changes in human research.

Today, institutional review boards approve research protocols before they can begin, data safety monitoring boards continuously watch data from ongoing trials to ensure they're safe, and advisory groups review the data before recommending vaccine approval.

Black people have been involved in it all, Hildreth said. "We have been involved in every phase of development, we're sitting on all sides of the table, and that alone makes this very different from the Tuskegee experiment."

He added that his university, a historically Black institution, is involved in vaccine trials and giving the vaccine to people in its community. "We would not risk our reputation as an institution if there was the least bit of concern that the vaccines were not safe."

Last, 10% of participants in the vaccine trials were Black, and 30% to 50% had underlying conditions like diabetes, asthma, obesity, and high blood pressure that disproportionately affect people of color. In all those groups, the vaccines were more than 90% effective.

"For all those reasons, I am convinced that this is a vaccine people of color must take," Hildreth said, "because otherwise, we're putting our lives and our communities at risk."
Read the original article on Business Insider

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