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Scientists Create Antibody That Defeats COVID-19 In Lab & It’s A Step Towards Finding A Cure

5May

By Brett ArendsNo Comments

News, Technology

Scientists Create Antibody That Defeats COVID-19 In Lab & It’s A Step Towards Finding A Cure

Almost every other Coronavirus-related news has been about how the number of positive cases is increasing across various parts of the world. But today, we have some positive news straight from the journal, Nature Communications. It looks like scientists have created a monoclonal antibody that can defeat the new Coronavirus in the lab. It's an early but promising step towards finding a potential cure for the virus and curb its spread. So, we're looking at an experimental antibody that has neutralized the virus in cell cultures. It's called 47D11 and it managed to prevent COVID-19 and SARS in the study. Does it mean we finally have a cure? Well, not exactly, but there's a lot of potential. This particular antibody is early in the stage of development, which means there's stil...

5May

By Brett ArendsNo Comments

News

The suspected ground zero of the Spanish flu ranges from Kansas to China. But it was clear to US officials even in 1918 that it didn’t start in Spain.

The pandemic took on Spain's name only because its free press ambitiously reported the devastation in the disease's early 1918 wave while government officials and a complicit press in countries at war — the US among them — played it down in a time of jingoism, censorship and denial. Medical advice from then also resonates today: "If you get it, stay at home, rest in bed, keep warm, drink hot drinks and stay quiet until the symptoms are past," said Dr. John Dill Robertson, Chicago health commissioner in 1918. "Then continue to be careful, for the greatest danger is from pneumonia or some kindred disease after the influenza is gone." In the manner of the day, there just had to be a catchy rhyme in circulation, too: "Cover up each cough and sneeze. If you don't you'll spread disease." ...

FUNET trials ADVA FSP 3000 TeraFlex™ to dramatically expand network capacity

5May

By Brett ArendsNo Comments

News

FUNET trials ADVA FSP 3000 TeraFlex™ to dramatically expand network capacity

ESPOO, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ADVA (FSE: ADV) today announced that CSC – IT Center for Science, which operates the Finnish University and Research Network (FUNET), has transported 400Gbit/s over its existing long-haul network using the ADVA FSP 3000 TeraFlex™. The trials pave the way for ultra-fast access to Finland’s supercomputers and could offer a major boost to Europe’s research and education community. They also demonstrated the terminal’s ability to carry 1200Gbit/s channels for the transport of 3x 400GbE over a live meshed ROADM infrastructure. What’s more, the trials highlighted how TeraFlex™ maximizes spectral efficiency in any open line system. Using the terminal’s ultra-flexible modulation and adaptive baud rate capabilities, FUNET also achieved new levels of bandwidth effici...

5May

By Brett ArendsNo Comments

Agriculture, News

Farmers Market season is here and markets prepared to serve

HARRISBURG–Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today reminded Pennsylvanians that with spring and warm weather comes farmers market season in the commonwealth. Farmers markets, like grocery stores, offer life-sustaining food and essentials and have been provided guidance from the department for how to continue operations safely and with minimal risk amid the COVID-19 public health crisis. “While farmers work hard year-round to push food to grocery stores, many are also working hard to stock their own market shelves and feed their local community,” said Secretary Redding. “Farmers markets are a fundamental piece of Pennsylvania’s supply chain; something many Pennsylvanians have become acutely aware of in recent weeks.” When Governor Tom Wolf first designated agriculture and the supp...

5May

By Brett ArendsNo Comments

News

State lab isn’t relying on ‘TestIowa’ machines to process COVID-19 test results

DES MOINES, Iowa — Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday said the state lab is still in the process of validating testing machines designated for Iowa's new testing initiative, more than a week after testing launched. The $26 million "TestIowa" contract promises 540,000 tests—as much as 3,000+ per day when at full capacity—and also provides 10 testing machines to run diagnostic tests. The State Hygienic Lab at the University of Iowa is in receipt of the machines but they have not yet passed muster, so lab staff aren't relying on them to process TestIowa testing. Instead, staff at the lab are running the tests twice: once through TestIowa machines and again through the lab's ex machines they have been using for other coronavirus testing to ensure accuracy. “I have complete confidence in Dr. ...

Covid-19 live updates, May 5: Auckland museum seeking Covid-19 objects; James Hardie to close

5May

By Brett ArendsNo Comments

News

Covid-19 live updates, May 5: Auckland museum seeking Covid-19 objects; James Hardie to close

For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level three – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here. The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The Spinoff Members here. 3.10pm: Today’s numbers charted and mapped TOTAL ACTIVE AND RECOVERED CASES, MAY 5. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 164 ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 IN NEW ZEALAND. (GRAPH: CHRIS MCDOWALL) See all of Chris McDowall’s charts, graphics and data visualisations for May 5 here. 3.00pm: Manufacturer James Hardie to close RNZ reports that the Australian building products company James Hardie is set to close its Penrose...

5May

By Brett ArendsNo Comments

News

Asia Today S Korea Has Low Daily Increase As Sports Resume

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Tuesday reported its lowest daily increase in coronavirus cases since Feb. 18, continuing a downward trend as the country restarts professional sports and prepares to reopen schools. South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday reported three fresh infections and two more virus-related deaths, bringing national totals to 10,804 cases and 254 fatalities. After reporting around 500 new cases daily in early March, infections have slowed over the past month amid tightened border controls and waning transmissions in the worst-hit city of Daegu, which reported zero new cases on Tuesday. Health authorities still raise concern over a broader “quiet spread” and plan antibody tests to learn how widespread the virus is. Amid the s...

Murphy: Today’s COVID Numbers Are Suspect

5May

By Brett ArendsNo Comments

News

Murphy: Today’s COVID Numbers Are Suspect

TRENTON, NJ – During his May 4 COVID-19 daily briefing, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy stated that the low number of new positive cases and recorded deaths reported today were “suspect.” “The numbers may be low as a result of a network outage we had yesterday. This may have prevented all cases from being processed,” said Murphy. New positive cases reported: 1,621; Cumulative positive cases: 128,269 New deaths reported: 45; Cumulative deaths for NJ: 7,910 Throughout their reports, Murphy and Commissioner of the NJ Department of Health, Judy Persichilli reported positive news. 5,287 patients are being treated in hospitals for COVID-19. “This is a drop of about a thousand in five days,” said the Governor. 1,610 cases in critical or intensive care. “This number, too, has d...