A doctor shares the right way to take off gloves amid the coronavirus

BUSINESS INSIDER

Some people are choosing to wear gloves in the hope that they may 

offer some protection from the coronavirus. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Some people in areas hit hard by the coronavirus may choose to wear gloves when out in public spaces, like grocery stores or public transportation, where they may have to touch objects that others may have touched as well 

Dr. Dean Winslow, an infectious diseases specialist at Stanford Health Care, told Business Insider he doesn't personally use gloves when he's not in a medical setting. He said that if you do choose to use them outside, it's important to take them off in the right way.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to properly put on, wear, and take off gloves, according to Winslow, the World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Though less ubiquitous than masks, gloves are becoming more common in public spaces across the US, especially in areas hit harder by the coronavirus.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation for non-medical professionals is that washing your hands regularly is more effective in preventing the spread of the coronavirus than donning gloves.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only recommends personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves for healthcare workers or for those with who have or might have COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. In guidelines for those caring for COVID-19 patients at home, the CDC's guidelines only mention wearing gloves when touching soiled laundry from the patient.

Still, some people are choosing to wear nitrile or latex gloves in the hope that they may offer some protection from the coronavirus.

DO NOT USE LATEX GLOVES THEY ARE NOT CHEMICAL PROOF, THEY TEAR EASILY AND PEOPLE ARE ALLERGIC TO THE LATEX. WEAR NITIRLE GLOVES, DISPOSABLE OR HEAVY DUTY.

ALSO MAKE SURE YOUR GLOVES ARE ONE SIZE LARGER THAN YOUR HAND SO AS NOT TO BE ON TOO TIGHTLY SO IF YOU WEAR SMALL USE MEDIUM, WEAR MEDIUM USE LARGE ETC.

It's important to properly put on and take off gloves to avoid spreading the virus. Wearers should still follow regular social distancing rules and avoid touching their faces, in the same way that they would if they were not wearing them.


It is also important to note that the most important thing that people can do during this time is to abide by shelter in place orders to the greatest extent possible, according to Dr. Dean Winslow, an infectious diseases specialist at Stanford Health Care. If you have to go outside, Winslow told Business Insider, try to keep a safe distance from other people.
—Jessica Layton (@JLaytonTV) April 2, 2020


Here is what to do to safely put on, wear, and take off gloves as recommended by Winslow, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC and WHO guidelines are originally meant for healthcare professionals, not the public. 

Step 1: Wash (and dry) your hands before touching the gloves

If there's one thing to emphasize throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and especially when donning and taking off protective gear, it is this: Wash. Your. Hands. As often as possible, as scrupulously as possible, and for at least the recommended 20 seconds outlined by both the CDC and WHO.

People have recommended that an easy way to keep track is to sing the "Happy Birthday" song two times over. NPR recommends a few alternatives for when that gets old (and it will): Beyonce's "Love on Top" chorus is one example and the chorus of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" also does the trick. The New York Times went the extra mile and had lyricists create not one but two hand-washing songs, which were then sent to Broadway actors to perform and upload videos of.

Washing your hands regularly is by far one of the most important things to do during this pandemic, Dr. Winslow told Business Insider. The CDC emphasizes this point and says that because bacteria can easily multiply in moist environments underneath gloves, glove-wearers "should make sure hands are dry before putting on gloves."

Step 2: Put on your gloves carefully

This one is pretty self explanatory.

Step 3: Avoid touching your face while you have your gloves on

Gloves are not a replacement for scrupulous hand washing, like mentioned above, but they might provide wearers with a false sense of security.

The CDC tells wearers that they should limit opportunities for "touch contamination," which means touching potentially contaminated surfaces (think can of beans at the grocery store, light switches, door handles) and then touching non-contaminated surfaces (your face, glasses, nose, etc.)

Also keep in mind that gloves may "have small defects that are hard to see or may be torn during use." 

MOST IMPORTANT STEP
Step 4: Remove your gloves carefully, without touching the outside of the gloves

Here is an excellent step-by-step guide on how to take off gloves without touching the outsides with your hands. Keep in mind that hands easily become contaminated when taking off gloves (CDC) so it's important to be diligent in this last step.

"You should remove your gloves by pinching one from outside with one gloved hand, and using your clean hand to reach inside the glove to remove the other one," Dr. Winslow told Business Insider. "Even after you do that, with good technique, practice good hand hygiene."

Step 5: Carefully place your used gloves into the garbage

Do not throw them onto the streets of NYC as pictured below.

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Step 6: Wash your hands. For 20 seconds. Sing the songs.

If you take away anything from this article it's this: Wash. Your. Hands.
More glove-related resources:

"Important! There's a right way to take off those gloves!" (CBS' Jessica Layton | Twitter)

How to remove gloves (with pictures) (WHO)


Does wearing gloves replace the need for handwashing? (CDC)

PPE Guidance in Healthcare Settings (CDC)

Is wearing rubber gloves while out in the public effective in preventing the new coronavirus infection? (WHO Facebook)

Amazon employees say they're scared to go to work, but they're not alone — here are 7 big companies facing worker criticism over their coronavirus safety response

Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

The coronavirus pandemic has put most of the US on lockdown, but millions of "essential" workers — even outside the healthcare system — are still showing up for their jobs.

Even as many of their colleagues are able to make a living from the relative safety of their homes, these workers are putting themselves at an increased risk of catching COVID-19.

But many say their employers aren't doing enough to minimize those risks, from failing to provide protective gear and clean workplaces to refusing to offer them hazard and sick pay.

Amazon warehouse employees, Uber drivers, and Instacart shoppers are just some of the people who have spoken out against companies they say aren't looking out for them at a time when they need it most.

Around 95% of Americans have been ordered to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. But those orders don't apply to "essential" businesses, which has inadvertently created a new category of workers who continue to show up to help the country keep its critical infrastructure functioning — and by doing so, increase their risk of becoming sick.

The definition of an essential business has varied across different locations, and some companies have interpreted states' orders loosely. But even among businesses widely considered to meet the threshold, like grocery stores and transportation companies, coronavirus lockdowns have revealed a stark divide between workers who are able to work remotely and those who aren't.

Those who often can work from home are often higher-paid, full-time employees who enjoy more robust paid sick leave and healthcare benefits, and therefore have a significant leg up in avoiding exposure to the virus and receiving care if they get infected.

But many of those whose jobs can't be done remotely, such as delivery workers, rideshare drivers, retail, and food service employees, are hourly, part-time, or contract workers who lack access to those benefits — or simply can't afford not to work without pay — leaving them with no choice but to go into work.

Some companies have taken bold and proactive action to help employees weather this crisis. Starbucks, for example, said it would pay all US workers for 30 days even if they chose not to come into work. While others have made some efforts to step up cleaning procedures, provide employees with protective equipment, or enforce social distancing measures, many workers still say the steps their employers have taken aren't enough.


Here are some of the companies that have faced criticism from workers over their response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Amazon



Amazon is one of the few companies that have actually seen business boom as a result of the coronavirus. But the surge in online shopping has put additional strain on Amazon's warehouse workers and delivery drivers, who say the company is failing to provide protective equipment, making social distancing unfeasible at work, and not offering paid sick leave. One worker in Houston told Business Insider: "everybody looks scared, but we can't afford not to go to work."

Amazon workers have gone on strike in New York, Chicago, and Italy after colleagues tested positive for COVID-19, New York has opened an investigation into Amazon's firing of an employee who organized a strike to protest the company's coronavirus response, and Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly demanded information from the company about steps it's taking to protect workers.

Amazon has defended conditions in its warehouses, telling Business Insider in a statement that it has ramped up cleaning efforts and is enforcing social distancing. It has said workers with a COVID-19 diagnosis will get sick pay (though CNBC reported that some have struggled to receive that pay). Amazon also changed its policy to allow unlimited unpaid sick leave (workers would previously have been fired for taking too much time off).


GameStop



GameStop, the world's biggest video game retailer, kept its stores operating far longer than most and even argued its business operations were "essential" because they "enable and enhance our customers' experience in working from home."

Employees still working during the pandemic say proper safety measures aren't being taken to ensure they don't get sick. According to a memo sent to GameStop managers and reported by the Boston Globe, employees were reportedly told to cover their hands am arms with plastic bags when interacting with customers.

A GameStop spokesperson told Business Insider that the company has closed all stores to customer access, is processing digital and curbside pick-up orders only, and is assuring employees they do not have to work if they're not comfortable or need to stay home to care for a family member.


Google



While Google has been praised for its preparedness and proactive steps to protect full-time employees, some have raised concerns internally about the company's treatment of its army of around 119,000 contract workers amid the coronavirus pandemic, demanding better and more clear policies for them.

"We're working closely with all our vendor partners to increase the ability for their employees to work from home by rolling out remote access as quickly as possible," a Google spokesperson told Business Insider.


Instacart



While most businesses have closed, grocery stores remain open and extremely crowded, and more people are turning to online delivery as they seek to minimize contact with others. Instacart shoppers went on strike last week, asking for hazard pay and saying the company wasn't providing them with protective and cleaning supplies.

"Instacart has turned this pandemic into a PR campaign, portraying itself the hero of families that are sheltered-in-place, isolated, or quarantined," labor groups Instacart Shoppers and Gig Workers Collective said in a statement.

"Our goal is to offer a safe and flexible earnings opportunity to Shoppers, while also proactively taking the appropriate precautionary measures to operate safely," Instacart told Business Insider, adding that it respects the rights of shoppers to voice their concerns. The company also announced it would ship distribute health and safety kits to shoppers.


McDonald's



Last week, more than 100 McDonald's employees in Florida walked out of work in protest of the company's anti-mask policy (McDonald's said it's now working to source masks for certain workers), while some have argued that the company isn't an essential business and they shouldn't be required to work during the pandemic in the first place.

"Listening to employees, listening to feedback we're getting from customers and others is important," David Tovar, vice president of US communications at McDonald's, told Business Insider. "We know that over the past few weeks as this situation has continued to evolve, we've been willing to listen to make adjustments as we need to."


Uber



Uber drivers have told Business Insider the company's restrictive and inconsistent coronavirus sick pay program is forcing them to choose between their health and their bank accounts, and even those who qualify for compensation have found it difficult to get paid. Since drivers are independent contractors, not direct employees of the company, they don't automatically have paid sick leave or healthcare like Uber's full-time employees.

Drivers who are still on the road say they're making little money and that they're not getting much help from the company in terms of staying safe: cleaning supplies the company promised to provide are nowhere to be found, even as the company offers drivers' services to healthcare workers, potentially increasing their risk of exposure to the virus.

"We remain committed to working with drivers and delivery people around the world to help support them. We will continue to advocate for independent workers," Uber said in a statement to Business Insider, adding that it has paid US drivers $3 million under its sick pay program.


Whole Foods



Workers at Whole Foods staged a "sick-out" to demand paid leave for employees of the Amazon-owned grocery store who stay home during the crisis. The protest came after Whole Foods employees in California, New York City, Chicago, and Louisiana, among other locations, tested positive for COVID-19. The stores remained open, prompting employees to say that the company wasn't looking out for them despite booming business, according to Vice.

"We have taken extensive measures to keep people safe, and in addition to social distancing, enhanced deep cleaning and crowd control measures, we continue rolling out new safety protocols in our stores to protect our Team Members who are on the front lines serving our customers," a Whole Foods spokesperson told Vice.

10 shocking things that Trump's new press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has actually said
Picture: Zach Boyden-Holmes/AP

Donald Trump has shaken up his White House press team by replacing Stephanie Grisham with Kayleigh McEnany as his press secretary.

The 31-year-old was a spokesperson for Trump's re-election campaign has contributed to CNN and is a graduate from the prestigious Harvard Law School. 

PROVING THAT WHITE FOLKS GOING TO HARVARD IS ALL ABOUT $$$$$$$$$$$$ NOT SMARTS

You would hope that with some of those credentials that McEnany would be a considerable step up from the likes of Sean Spicer, Sarah Sanders and Stephanie Grisham who have proceeded her in the job.

Unfortunately, we are saddened to report that judging by her history and Twitter account McEnany is possibly just as bad as her predecessors.

Despite being in her role for less than a day, many historic tweets and eye-opening quotes from McEnany have already resurfaced, ranging from subjects such as racism, birtherism, Islamophobia, coronavirus and pizza, lots of pizza.

One of McEnany's prime obsessions is with Barack Obama and, like Trump, she is in doubt as to where the former president was born.

Throughout 2012, McEnany engaged with conspiracy theories that Obama was born in Kenya, rather than his actual birthplace of Hawaii, resulting in several tweets of an offensive nature.

Speaking of Obama, she once falsely accused him of going to play golf after the death of journalist Daniel Pearl, who was executed after being abducted while reporting in Pakistan in 2002. At the time, Obama was still a senator and wasn't elected to the White House until 2008.

She has also used Obama as a scapegoat for Islamophobia. In 2016 she attacked his claimed that Islam was a peaceful religion by falsely claiming that Muslims were responsible for a 'genocide' against Christians in Iraq.

As Middle East Eye reports the drop in Iraqi Christians was mostly down to the unrest created by the 2003 Iraq war and sectarian violence.

Following on from that, in an article for The Hill, shortly after the 2017 London Bridge terror attack, she said that although most Muslims were peaceful, a 'political correctness' in Western Europe had allowed extremism to thrive.

A toxic and deadly political correctness has enveloped Western Europe and enabled an unending wave of terrorist attacks. Refusing to utter the words 'radical Islamic extremism,' opening the door to millions of half-vetted refugees and decrying the concepts of borders and assimilation have resulted in a culture in crisis – a culture without democratic, freedom-loving identity and constantly under murderous attack from cancers within.

The article also attacked the incumbent mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn, who has a long-running feud with Donald Trump.

Moving on to more current topics and you might not be shocked to learn that McEnany has some pretty interesting views about coronavirus and like the president, has mostly downplayed the pandemic.

During an appearance on Fox Business in April, McEnany claimed that Trump was the 'best authority' to deal with the crisis and not somebody like National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.

If that wasn't alarming enough, on February 25 she appeared on Fox News' Trish Regan Primetime, to defiantly say that Covid-19 would never arrive in the United States. To date, the country has recorded more than 330,000 cases of the disease, more than any other nation in the world.
By now, it would appear to be pretty obvious that McEnany is willing to defend Trump on any issue, even when he has blatantly lied to the US public. In August 2019, she appeared on CNN to claim with a straight face, that the president had told any fibs to the American public.



On slightly less controversial topics (depending on your political persuasion) McEnany has a lot of things to say about pizza. Like, loads.

In tweets ranging from 2011 to 2013, she would regularly give her approval to Dominos pizza, claiming that it was better than any pizza in New York City.

In fact, she just seems to love everything about Dominos.

All in all, after reading these tweets, it's little wonder her new boss hired her.

TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE
Trump raves about coronavirus being a 'genius', says antibiotics don't work because it's 'too brilliant'

PERFECTLY STABLE GENIUS COMPLEMENTS MICROBE

Posted 4/11/2020 Sirena Bergman in news

At a coronavirus briefing yesterday, Donald Trump went on a bizarre rant in which he seemed to be... bragging (?!) about how intelligent coronavirus is, saying the virus is "so brilliant" it's outsmarted antibiotics.

It was a strange way to describe a non-IQ-having virus, but more importantly, betrayed a worrying lack of understanding of even basic biology: as most of us know, antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. They are – and have always been – useless against viruses, regardless of how "smart" they are.

A widely circulated clip shows an even-more-confused-than-usual Trump raving about the virus's ability to stand up to antibiotics, which he claims "used to solve every problem".

These are his words exactly. And no, we haven't got confused in our transcription. This ridiculous word salad of nonsense is what the actual president said.

"This is a very brilliant enemy, you know. It's a brilliant enemy. They develop drugs like the antibiotics, you see? Antibiotics used to solve every problem. Now one of the biggest problems the world has is... the germ has gotten so brilliant that the antibiotic can't keep up with it!"

"And they're constantly trying to come up with a new... people go to a hospital and they catch... they go for a heart operation – that's no problem – but they end up dying from... from... problems! You know the problems I'm talking about."

"There's a whole genius to it! We're fighting... not only is it hidden but it's very smart, OK? It's invisible! And it's hidden! But it's very smart."

While it's true that antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a cause for concern, this has absolutely nothing to do with coronavirus, which – you may have gathered from its name – is a virus, not a bacteria.

No need to take our word for it, people on Twitter jumped at the chance to fact-check Trump's latest nonsense:

Trump has repeatedly appeared to get the basic facts of coronavirus confused, spreading such dangerous misinformation during his briefings that some TV networks have even decided to stop airing them live in order to be able to fact-check them.
Seems nothing is changing.
More AboutDonald TrumpCoronavirusAntibiotics

White people are discovering what police harassment feels like for the first time

4/11/2020 Moya Lothian-McLean 

iStock

Last week, the UK’s police forces were issued a stark warning against “overreaching” in the use of new lockdown enforcement powers.

“This is what a police state is like,” remarked former supreme court judge Lord Sumpton after reports of officers curtailing (perfectly legal) exercise and quibbling over the definition of an “essential” item. “It is a state in which a government can issue orders or express preferences with no legal authority and the police will enforce ministers’ wishes.”

In particular, Sumpton singled out Derbyshire Police, who filmed hikers in the Peak District and uploaded the footage to Twitter. Their actions had “shamed our policing traditions” Sumpton said.

Except what Derbyshire Police did was actually very in keeping with certain traditions – they just happen to be ones that almost 86 per cent of the UK don’t tend to experience on a regular basis.

Overpolicing, unfairly targeted harassment, arbitrary searches; these are all far more common experiences at the hands of those charged with keeping the peace if you’re a member of an ethnic minority, particularly if you are a young, black man.

But under coronavirus regulations, white people are finally getting a taste en masse of what it feels like to be automatically seen as a suspect. And it’s a sour medicine.

This week, Cambridgeshire Police were met by outcry after they tweeted about patrolling a local Tesco.

“Good to see everyone was abiding by social distancing measures and the non essential aisles were empty,” they wrote.

The backlash was swift and furious, with thousands outraged at the thought of officers sifting through their baskets to arrest them on suspicion of buying Hob Knobs.

“There is no law which prevents retailers selling 'non essential' items,” wrote human rights barrister Adam Wagner. “There is a list of retailers which can stay open and they can sell what they sell. And even if there were, who defines 'non-essential'?”

Who indeed? Quite the infringement on our basic individual liberties. And people are right to oppose it.

But this sort of overzealous policing is familiar knowledge in the UK to Bame communities, with black people bearing the brunt of it (who can forget Bristol Police tasing their own race relations adviser?).

You’re nearly 10 times more likely to be subject to an intrusive police stop and search in England and Wales if you’re black. And if a Section 60 order – which allows officers in an area to conduct “suspicionless” searches for a limited period – is in place, that rises to a shocking 40 times more likely. Figures from London also show that black individuals are 12 times more likely to suffer through more intrusive searches, which meant they were forced to remove more than just a coat or jacket.

Despite this overrepresentation, outcome rates are similar whatever someone’s ethnicity: 25 per cent of searches result in action being taken. And although the use of Section 60 orders was expanded in order to specifically tackle knife crime, a recent investigation by The Times discovered that increased stop and search showed no consistent correlation with reduction in knife crime.

Moreover, the yawning racial chasm regarding who stop and search targets has not improved in recent years – it’s actually got worse. Not to mention the racial disparity in those on the receiving end of police violence; from 2017 to 2018, black people experienced 12 per cent of police force incidents, despite only accounting for 3.33 per cent of the population. It’s massively disproportionate.

As many are discovering for the first time under lockdown, being treated with constant suspicion by the police is a harrowing and psychologically stressful ordeal.

A report by StopWatch, a UK organisation campaigning for fairer policing, collected the experiences of black and Asian individuals who’d been subjected to stop and search. Participants spoke of feeling fear, anger and helplessness during and after the experience.

“The impact it had on me was huge, huge; and it was negative,” said Paul Mortimer, a former footballer and anti-racism campaigner who has been stopped more than 20 times.

“I felt that I needed a shower after. I felt really inadequate, I felt dirty. You’re looked at a certain way, you are treated a certain way, as if you are actually guilty”.

Others in the report remarked on the lingering distrust they felt towards the police as a body.

“If you’re an eight-year-old child and you go to play football, and [a] police officer stops and searches you, if you experience that from the age of eight, all the way through your secondary school career, then you’re not going to have a positive view of the police. You will not invest faith in the police if something happens to you,” said Kwabena Oduro-Ayim. “For my entire childhood I would never have turned to the police for any assistance."

It’s a point we’re seeing reflected now in current lockdown discourse. “Genuinely bemused some police officers straying so clearly beyond their powers,” tweeted Gavin Phillipson, professor of Law at Bristol University, referring to the Cambridgeshire Police shopping debacle.

“First don't they have enough on their plates just enforcing the actual, legal restrictions? Second, don't they realise this kind of thing undermines public trust and thus hampers policing by consent?

Well clearly not, because they’ve been doing it to minority communities for years. It’s only now that police officers are starting to be held to account by a large swathe of the general public, and not just dedicated action groups, that they’re having to backtrack so publicly to avoid swinging a wrecking ball through their relations with the UK population at a time when they’re requesting more cooperation than ever.

Clearly, it should not have taken a pandemic to wake a nation up to the reality of targeted and often unlawful harassment at the hands of the police

A problem as persistent as this one should be top of the agenda, whether it affects white people or not. But now that so many understand what it’s like to carry the terrible, crushing weight of being viewed as a suspect for simply going about their (perfectly lawful) daily business, it must spark action.

Because empathy isn’t enough when human rights are being erased.

Trump escalates battle with World Health Organization over coronavirus response

Alexander Nazaryan National Correspondent,Yahoo News•April 10, 2020

Trump says U.S. may cut funding for WHO because it’s ‘China-centric’

At Friday’s coronavirus task force press briefing, President Trump explained why the U.S. is looking at cutting funding for the World Health Organization, accusing the global body of being “China-centric.”

WASHINGTON — Reprising the skeptical tone he has applied to the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, President Trump accused the World Health Organization of helping China conceal the number of its citizens that have been infected by the coronavirus.

“I do believe they knew,” the president said at Friday’s briefing of the coronavirus task force, suggesting that the WHO was aware that China was not being truthful about the scope of COVID-19 infections. “But they didn’t want to tell the world. And we’re gonna get to the bottom of it.”

Trump did not provide evidence to support his assertion, but he made clear that the international public health organization would remain a primary target in the coming days. “We're going to talk about the WHO next week in great detail. I didn't want to do it today, Good Friday. I didn't want to do it before Easter, and also didn't want to do it before we have all the facts,” he said.

Friday’s comments came during a week in which Trump has repeatedly blamed the WHO for improperly handling the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, he said that the WHO was “very biased toward China.”

Trump has said he wants to put a hold on U.S. funding to the WHO, although when or how he intends to do so remains unclear (funding is appropriated by Congress). The United States contributed $893 million to the WHO for its current two-year funding period, while China’s latest contribution was $86 million.

“We’re paying them more than 10 times more than China,” the president said. “And they are very, very China-centric.”

President Trump and WHO Director-General Tedros 

Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Jim Watson/AFP via

 Getty Images, WHO video via AFP/Getty Images)

The source of Trump’s irritation appears to be that the WHO did not endorse his restriction on travel from China to the United States, which he implemented on Jan. 31. Four days before that, a WHO guidance advised against “unnecessary restrictions of international traffic.”

More broadly, the president appears to be annoyed that the WHO has generally praised China’s response to the pandemic, which originated within its borders, in the southeastern city of Wuhan. Praise for China has indeed been fulsome from WHO officials. Dr. Bruce Aylward, a Canadian epidemiologist who led the WHO team in China, told Yahoo News that if he were to get infected by the coronavirus, he would seek treatment in China.

“They know how to keep people alive,” he said.

Aylward added, however, that Chinese epidemiologists learned much of what they know from American counterparts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Praise for China has irked some in the United States, Trump’s allies in particular. They believe that Trump has been unfairly maligned while China has been unfairly celebrated. “Instead of acting in the best interest of our global health, the WHO has served as a propaganda arm for the Chinese government,” Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., wrote on Twitter earlier this week. She said she supported a funding freeze.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has also criticized the WHO for what he perceives as its overly solicitous attitude towards China.

Earlier this week, Trump also charged that the WHO “minimized the threat very strongly.” That appears to be a reference to a Jan. 14 tweet from the WHO that declared that “Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission.” That would prove an incorrect assertion. Trump has also made false assertions about the coronavirus, including that it would vanish of its own accord.

Experts warn that there is no proof the coronavirus will stop spreading in warmer weather

Haven Orecchio-Egresitz,Business Insider•April 9, 2020

Some have hoped that warmer weather would slow or stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Health experts warn that we don't know yet what the virus will do.

A recently released report indicates that the studies published so far on potential seasonal effects have conflicting results and are hampered by weak data.

While springtime may bring hope of life returning to normal in the Northern Hemisphere, scientists don't think people should bet on warm weather alone being enough to stop the coronavirus from spreading at alarming rates.

There have been several studies on how a change in temperature could affect the coronavirus. However, the results have been conflicted and hampered by weak data, a report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said.

"One should not assume that we are going to be rescued by a change in the weather" Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Thursday on Good Morning America. "You must assume that the virus will continue to do its thing."

There has been some precedent of other coronaviruses and influenza not thriving in warmer temperatures, but at this time there is no proof that COVID-19 will respond similarly.

Some studies outlined in the report did find that that an increase in temperature or humidity led to a drop in the transmission of the virus. Still, the data it was based on was not without its flaws, the report said.

One early study out of China's Hubei province suggested that for every 1 degree C increase in atmospheric temperature at relatively high levels of humidity, daily confirmed cases decreased 36-57%, but the results didn't hold up across mainland China.

A different study found that 90% of global transmission through March 22 occurred when temperatures were 3-17 degrees C. That study, though, didn't figure in variables like a country's testing capacities or policy responses.

"Some limited data support a potential waning of cases in warmer and more humid seasons, yet none are without major limitations," the report says. "Given that countries currently in 'summer' climates, such as Australia and Iran, are experiencing rapid virus spread, a decrease in cases with increases in the humidity and temperature elsewhere should not be assumed."

The conflicting studies don't necessarily mean that summer vacations are entirely off the table, though.

Fauci told CBS This Morning that getaways "can be in the cards."

"And I say that with some caution, because as I said, when we do that, when we pull back and try to open up the country, as we often use that terminology, we have to be prepared that when the infections start to rear their heads again that we have it in place a very aggressive and effective way to identify, isolate, contract trace and make sure we don't have those spikes we have now," Fauci said. "So, the answer to your question is yes, if we do the things that we need to do to prevent the resurgence."

Bill Gates warns that a coronavirus-like outbreak will probably happen 'every 20 years or so'

(Rosie Perper),Business Insider•April 9, 2020

Bill Gates spoke to the Financial Times via a video chat on April 2.\
Screenshot/Financial Times

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said that people are now realizing that a viral outbreak similar to COVID-19 will likely happen "every 20 years or so."

Speaking to the Financial Times earlier this month, Gates said that COVID-19 was the "biggest event that people will experience in their entire lives" and said world leaders and global policymakers have "paid many trillions of dollars more than we might have had to if we'd been properly ready."

The 67-year-old billionaire has been warning about the risk of a pandemic disease for years, stating that a global health crisis like coronavirus could wipe out 30 million people in less than a year.



Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said that this coronavirus pandemic was the "biggest event that people will experience in their entire lives," and warned that a viral outbreak will likely happen "every 20 years or so."

Gates discussed the global fight against the novel coronavirus with the Financial Times via Skype on April 2. FT posted the interview and transcript online on April 8.

He said world leaders and global policymakers have "paid many trillions of dollars more than we might have had to if we'd been properly ready."

"This is the biggest event that people will experience in their entire lives," Gates told FT.

He said that in response to this outbreak, future governments will have "standby diagnostics, deep antiviral libraries, and early warning systems."

"The cost of doing all those things well is very small compared to what we're going through here," he said. "And so now people realize, 'OK, there really is a meaningful probability every 20 years or so with lots of world travel that one of these [viruses] will come along.' And so the citizens expect the government to make it a priority."

He said he was confident that lessons learned from this outbreak will encourage people to better prepare for next time, but lamented that the cost this time around was too high.

"It shouldn't have required a many trillions of dollars loss to get there," he said. "The science is there. Countries will step forward."

The 67-year-old billionaire has been warning about the risk of a pandemic disease for years, stating that a global health crisis like coronavirus could wipe out 30 million people in less than a year.

In 2015, Gates gave a Ted Talk warning that the world was "not ready" for an impending pandemic.

"There's no need to panic ... but we need to get going," he said in 2015.

In February, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $100 million last month to fight the coronavirus outbreak, designating money towards vaccine research, frontline responders, prevention measures, and treatment efforts around the world.

Business Insider

THIRD WORLD USA
"It's been torture": LGBTQ health care suffers amid coronavirus

Li Cohen,CBS News•April 10, 2020


The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted life for billions of people, forcing the world to deal with a sudden loss of jobs, security, and regular health care. But for those who identify as .

"If someone is transphobic, if someone is anti-black, if someone is anti-immigrant, if someone is anti-queer, and they have to make a choice between a patient who is visibly gender non-conforming, and someone who is gender conforming ... it actually doesn't matter whether something is scientifically sound or not," Swadhin said. "If the health care provider has that bias then that is what's going to steer their hand in the moment of making decisions."

Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative at the Human Rights Campaign, said, "Out of all the folks under the LGBTQ spectrum, trans folks are going to fare even worse" throughout the pandemic. She added, "I don't think that we can rely on the federal government to provide any protections in favor of trans folks."

In the more than 300 pages that comprise the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress, there is no mention of the LGBT community. On March 31, the International Transgender Day of Visibility, the governor of Idaho signed two anti-transgender bills into law, one of which bans people from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates.

"A lot of our lawmakers don't represent the communities that they serve," Cooper said. They represent a small part of the community, but they don't represent the fullness and the color and the vibrancy and the diversity that exists within so many of our communities across the country."

German minister criticises U.S. coronavirus response as too slow: Spiegel

Reuters•April 10, 2020

FILE PHOTO: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas
DON'T FORGET HE IS A CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has criticised the United States' handling of the coronavirus outbreak as too slow, the latest sign of tensions between the two allies as they respond to the crisis.

China took "very authoritarian measures, while in the U.S., the virus was played down for a long time," Maas said in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine in a preview sent to the media on Friday.

"These are two extremes, neither of which can be a model for Europe," he said.

Germany was among countries that last week accused the United States of "Wild West" tactics in outbidding or blocking shipments to buyers who had already signed deals for vital medical supplies. [nL8N2BR5O2] THEY CALLED IT PIRACY

Maas told Der Spiegel that he hoped the United States would rethink its international relationships in light of the coronavirus crisis.

"Let's see to what extent the actions of the American government will lead to discussions in the U.S. about whether the 'America First' model really works," he said, adding that aggressive trade policies may have hurt the country's ability to procure protective equipment.

A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Berlin was not immediately able to respond to a request for comment.