Over the previous three weeks, the US has averaged greater than 1,000 Covid-19 deaths per day.
“Covid is now the No. 3 cause of death in the US — forward of accidents, accidents, lung illness, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and many, many different causes,” mentioned Dr. Thomas Frieden, a former director of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
Coronary heart illness and most cancers are the main causes of death in the US, in accordance to the CDC.
Advertisement
The speed of deaths from Covid-19 is additionally a lot larger in the US than in many different international locations, Frieden mentioned.
“Final week, People have been eight occasions extra seemingly to get killed by Covid than have been Europeans,” he mentioned.
Much less testing = extra contaminated folks strolling round
Advertisement
Simply as extra college students head again to college, well being consultants are nervous a couple of disturbing development: lowering testing mixed with excessive take a look at positivity charges.
In different phrases, Covid-19 is nonetheless spreading rampantly, however there’s much less testing to find and isolate cases.
The quantity of checks carried out every day in the US dropped by a mean of 68,000 in contrast to the day by day fee in late July, in accordance to knowledge from the Covid Tracking Project.
Fifteen states carried out fewer checks this previous week in contrast to the earlier week: Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, Washington state, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
But take a look at positivity charges — the proportion of checks which might be optimistic — are nonetheless increased than the advisable 5% in more than 30 states, in accordance to knowledge from Johns Hopkins College.
“The testing scenario is not good in the United States. What we’re not choosing up is people who find themselves contagious,” mentioned William Haseltine, chairman and president of ACCESS Well being Worldwide.
Advertisement
“We’re in all probability lacking eight out of 10 people who find themselves contagious. And any lower in testing is worrisome as a result of we’re not already doing properly. And in case you do not decide folks out of a crowd who’re contagious, then the epidemic spreads. … This epidemic is nonetheless spreading broadly.”
Why are some states testing much less?
Medical consultants say there may very well be a number of causes.
Advertisement
“One of the causes that testing is lowering is that provides aren’t being shipped to locations that may take a look at. I feel it is half of a method not to depend how many individuals are contaminated,” Haseltine mentioned.
Another excuse is that individuals could also be much less motivated to get examined, figuring out it might probably take several days or longer to get outcomes. And major delays can make some tests “borderline useless.”
Dr. Kent Sepkowitz mentioned he is nervous some states could also be taking cues from President Donald Trump, who mentioned “whenever you do extra testing, you find extra cases,” which could make the US “look bad.”
Sepkowitz famous that a number of states which have touted decreased case counts also had some of the highest test positivity rates — an indicator that the virus is spreading rampantly.
“So whilst the charges are worsening, many states have determined to scale back their efforts to find cases,” he wrote. “Because of this, by wanting much less, they’re discovering fewer cases and certain sufficient, the case numbers are happening.”
Scarcity of minority volunteers may delay vaccines
Whereas medical consultants hope a vaccine will be publicly available in 2021, researchers have encountered an issue: not sufficient Black and Latino volunteers have signed up for medical trials.
Of the 350,000 individuals who’ve registered on-line, 10% are Black or Latino, in accordance to Dr. Jim Kublin, govt director of operations for the Covid-19 Prevention Network.
That is not practically sufficient, as trial contributors are supposed to mirror the inhabitants that is affected. Analysis exhibits greater than half of US Covid-19 cases have been amongst Black and Latino folks.
Much of the distrust stems from a historical past of medical atrocities in opposition to minorities. From 1932 to 1972, Black males have been topics in the Tuskegee syphilis study with out their data or consent and weren’t provided penicillin to deal with their illness.
In the 1800s, Dr. J. Marion Sims experimented on slaves and carried out surgical procedures with out their consent and with out anesthesia.
And from the 1940s till the 1970s, researchers in a number of research uncovered lots of of topics — principally Black folks — to dangerous amounts of radiation.
Well being officers are trying to gain the trust of minority communities and recruit extra numerous volunteers for Section 3 coronavirus vaccine trials.
Thus far, phases 1 and 2 have proven the vaccine to be protected. Some volunteers skilled fever and muscle aches, however they felt higher after a day or two.
A quick, cheap take a look at simply obtained emergency approval
Advertisement
There is some excellent news: A brand new saliva take a look at may give People a fast approach of studying if they’ve Covid-19 — and in the event that they want to isolate to assist stop the unfold.
Researchers from the Yale College of Public Well being created the SalivaDirect test, which obtained emergency use authorization from the Meals and Drug Administration on Saturday.
“If low cost options like SalivaDirect will be carried out throughout the nation, we could lastly get a deal with on this pandemic, even earlier than a vaccine,” mentioned Nathan Grubaugh, a Yale assistant professor of epidemiology.
Not like another checks that require specialized supplies, the SalivaDirect take a look at would not require a selected swab or assortment system. It can be used with reagents from a number of distributors.
“We simplified the take a look at in order that it solely prices a pair of {dollars} for reagents, and we anticipate that labs will solely cost about $10 per pattern,” Grubaugh mentioned.
Researchers mentioned the new take a look at can produce outcomes in lower than three hours, and the accuracy is on par with outcomes from conventional nasal swabbing. They mentioned SalivaDirect checks may turn into publicly accessible in the coming weeks.
‘We have to break by way of to our younger folks’
Advertisement
Shortly after their lecture rooms reopened, hundreds of college students must stay home and quarantine after coronavirus clusters at their colleges.
Well being consultants are urging youthful People to take precautions critically, particularly after the CDC mentioned Covid-19 cases amongst kids have been “steadily rising” from March to July.
“Current proof means that kids seemingly have the similar or increased viral hundreds in their nasopharynx in contrast with adults and that kids can unfold the virus successfully in households and camp settings,” the CDC mentioned.
Outbreaks have additionally emerged at schools and universities.
Oklahoma State College mentioned Sunday that a minimum of 23 sorority members in an off-campus home examined optimistic for the virus. Your entire home is in isolation or quarantine and “might be prohibited from leaving the facility,” the college mentioned.
Lower than every week after beginning courses, the College of North Carolina at Chapel Hill introduced its fourth cluster of coronavirus. The clusters have been situated at two residence halls, a non-public house complicated that serves college students and the Sigma Nu fraternity.
The North Carolina Division of Well being and Human Providers defines a cluster as 5 or extra cases in shut proximity.
Advertisement
“We have to break by way of to our younger those that they don’t seem to be immune to the virus,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot mentioned.
The town has seen a gentle enhance in cases, which she attributed to 18 to 29-year-olds.
CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen, Dana Vigue, Madeline Holcombe, Lauren Mascarenhas, Carma Hassan and Chandler Thornton contributed to this report.
Passionate news enthusiast with a flair for words. Our Editorial Team author brings you the latest updates, in-depth analysis, and engaging stories. Stay informed with their well-researched articles.
Peruvian psychologist Ana Estrada became the first person in the world to die through euthanasia. She had been suffering from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles for many years.
On Monday, her legal team stated that she had become the first person in Peru to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
She had been fighting in Peruvian courts for years for the right to choose to die.
Advertisement
She gained national attention, especially in a country where assisted suicide or euthanasia is considered illegal.
Peruvian psychologist Ana Estrada, who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles, has become the first in her country to die by euthanasia, AP reports https://t.co/SlrHe7VkdK— Bloomberg (@business) April 23, 2024
Ana Estrada becomes the first person in Peru to die by euthanasia
Back in 2022, Estrada was allowed by the nation’s Supreme Court, which validated the ruling by the lower court.
It gave Estrada the right to decide when she wanted to end her life.
Advertisement
Plus, those who helped her would not be regarded as murderers and would not be punished.
Her lawyer, Josefina Miró Quesada, stated:
“Ana’s struggle for her right to die with dignity has helped to educate thousands of Peruvians about this right and the importance of defending it, her struggle transcended our nation’s borders.”
As mentioned above, Ana Estrada, aged 47, was suffering from an incurable disease called polymyositis. The disease started showing its first symptoms during her teenage years and she had to use a wheelchair from the age of 20.
Advertisement
Things started to worsen, and by 2017, she lost her ability to get up from her bed. With time, she had problems breathing and developed pneumonia. It got to the point that she could not type and had to use transcription software to write a blog called “Ana for a Death with Dignity.
In the wake of the Bowie High School shooting incident, the school was placed on lockdown. The lockdown was imposed on Wednesday afternoon.
A huge police force assembled following the incident outside the Bowie High School campus in Arlington, Texas.
The shooting incident resulted in one casualty. The person was later transported to a local hospital. The victim was a student who passed away, reported CBS News.
Advertisement
UPDATE:
The Arlington Police Department is investigating a shooting incident @Bowie High School. Parents can reunite with students at 1001 E Division St at the AISD Athletics and Aquatics Center.
Please avoid the area.
We will provide further updates as they come.— Arlington, TX Police (@ArlingtonPD) April 24, 2024
Several netizens on social media claimed that “a gunfire incident took place outside the campus.” Thus, this is how the cops received the initial reports regarding the incident and rushed to the scene.
The investigation was initiated after they arrived at the scene.
Reunification Space Established Over Bowie High School Shooting
The Arlington police responded to this alarming situation by establishing a reunification space in the Arlington ISD Athletics and Aquatics Center, 1001 E. Division Street.
Advertisement
Cops asked people to stay away from the school.
According to Dallas News, Arlington police updated about the situation via their official social media account on X, shortly after 3:00 pm, per local time, which is the same time around which students are released from school every day.
Bowie High School has been placed on lockdown while we respond to an incident outside of the school.
The initial statement by the Arlington Police Department read, “Bowie High School has been placed on lockdown while we respond to an incident outside the school. Officers are on the scene now”. It added that more information would be made public soon.
Advertisement
In a Facebook post, Bowie High School administration urged parents not to enter the school campus. They added that “students will not be released at normal dismissal time.”
As per Arlington ISD, they have planned to shift all the students present in the school to the reunification facility. However, for safety and security reasons, the exact time of release of all on-campus students was not announced at the time of writing the article.
A close associate of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Brendan Paul, who is charged with drug possession, pleaded not guilty. Paul has been accused of being the mule for the music baron’s drugs and guns and has been under detention since March 25, 2024. He was arrested at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and was formally arraigned in a Miami-Dade County courtroom on Wednesday. Paul, who played basketball for Syracuse University in 2019, bonded out of jail on March 26.
The 25-year-old Brendan Paul has been officially charged with possessing cocaine and marijuana-laced candy, a controlled substance. Paul was not physically present in the courtroom, and his attorney, Brian Bieber, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Paul’s lawyer, Brian Bieber, said,
Advertisement
“We entered Brendan’s plea of not guilty in court today. We will be dealing with this case in the courtroom, not the court of public opinion.”
Videos showed Diddy walking around the same airport where Paul was arrested on March 25 when Homeland Security was conducting a raid on the mogul’s mansions in Miami Beach and Los Angeles. The raids were part of the ongoing sex trafficking probe. Diddy’s attorney, Aaron Dyer, called the raids akin to an “unprecedented ambush” and maintained that his client is innocent and will do everything to clear his name.
Aaron Dyer said,
“There was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”
Diddy is under investigation for sex trafficking, illegal gun possession, and other alleged crimes. Paul, who is very close to Diddy and knows a lot about the goings-on in Diddy’s party, is now a wild card. Though the Feds are not going to see this as a major crime but use Paul as a witness and charges in return for cooperation in the Diddy case and could offer a dropping of charges or a reduced sentence in return.
Advertisement
Paul’s name was added in music producer Rodney Jones’ amended sexual assault lawsuit against Diddy where the former claimed that Paul worked as a “mule” for the rapper and would procure transport and distribute ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana, mushrooms, and tuci. Jones also revealed that Paul worked as a mule and transported drugs on three separate trips on Dec. 22, 2022; April 28, 2023; and Nov. 4, 2023. Paul Jones allegedly also procured sex workers for Diddy and was the person who negotiated the fees for the sex workers for their services.
