… the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico should they retake control of … nation’s capital and Puerto Rico full U.S. states with … to make D.C. & Puerto Rico a state and get four … same level of representation to Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico is set to vote on …
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Moscow – Russia is the first country to register a coronavirus vaccine after less than two months of testing on humans.
Officials dubbed the vaccine “Sputnik V”, named after the Soviet-era satellite that was the first launched into space.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the vaccine, developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute, is offering a lasting immunity from the deadly coronavirus.
“As far as I know, a vaccine against a new coronavirus infection has been registered this morning, for the first time in the world.”
Putin emphasised that the vaccine underwent the necessary checks, adding that one of his daughter has received the shot and is feeling well.
The phase three of the clinical trials for the vaccine are set to begin on Wednesday. Countries including the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia are taking part in those trials.
No data has yet been published by the researchers and the long-term effects and safety of this possible vaccine currently remain unclear.
Russian officials said that 100% of volunteers developed immunity on the 21st day after receiving the first dose and that their immunity doubled after the second injection.
However, there has been international skepticism that Russia has developed an effective and safe vaccine. One of whom is top infectious disease expert and White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing the vaccine before they are administering the vaccine to anyone. Because claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute before you do testing is, I think, problematic at best.”
Other experts said they were concerned that not enough was known about Russia’s research.
“There seems to be rather little detail thus far on Russian (vaccine) candidates. The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective could exacerbate our current problems insurmountably.” said Danny Altmann, a professor of Immunology at Imperial College London.
Britain and Canada last month has accused Russia of using hackers to steal vaccine research from Western laboratories.
Meanwhile, a World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesman told Reuters that the WHO is in “close contact” with Russian health authorities about the “possible pre-qualification process for a Covid-19 candidate vaccine which requires rigorous review.”
Last July, the World Health Organization said that there were 26 candidate vaccines in the clinical evaluation stage, including the one registered in Russia that was developed by the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology.
Russia has already received pre-orders for 1 billion doses of the from over 20 countries.
“We’ve seen considerable interest in the Russian vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute from abroad,” said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
Gamaleya’s vaccine is based on the adenovirus, a similar technology to the coronavirus vaccine prototype developed by China’s CanSino. It employs another virus to carry the DNA encoding of the needed immune response into cells.
Dmitriev added that along with foreign partners Russia is ready to manufacture 500 million doses of vaccine per year in five countries.
Industrial production is expected to start from September.
The RDIF launched a dedicated site for the vaccine: https://sputnikvaccine.com/
Scientists tested 14 different types of face-covering
The post Russia registers “1st” coronavirus vaccine appeared first on Caribbean News Now!.
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Scientists at Duke University tested 14 different types of face-covering and found that one of them actually increases the risk of COVID-19 infection.
The coverings ranged from the kind worn by healthcare professionals to neck fleeces and DIY face coverings.
“The fundamental question is, how well does a specific mask type prevent droplets from spreading,” said lead researcher and molecular imaging specialist Martin Fischer.
Researchers of Duke’s physics department demonstrated the use of a simple method that uses a laser beam and cell phone to evaluate the efficiency of masks by studying the transmission of respiratory droplets during a regular speech.
The result of their experiment shows that the least effective face-covering was a neck fleece. It was found to actually increase the risk of infection by having a droplet transmission fraction of 110%.
“We were extremely surprised to find that the number of particles measured with the fleece actually exceeded the number of particles measured without wearing any mask,” Fischer added.
Bandannas, gaiters and knitted masks are also performed poorly in preventing the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Fischer emphasized the need to really encourage everyone to wear masks that actually work. Hence, they did the study.
N95 masks, often used by health care professionals, worked best to stop the transmission of respiratory droplets during regular speech.
Other good performers at stopping leakage were three-layer surgical masks, and polypropylene mask.
Handmade cotton face coverings were also shown to perform well and eliminated a substantial amount of the spray from normal speech.
The study was published in Science Advances.
1st (most effective) N95 mask, no exhalation valve, fitted (14)
2nd Surgical mask (1)
3rd Cotton-polypropylene-cotton mask (5)
4th Two-layer polypropylene apron mask (4)
5th Two-layer cotton, pleated style mask (13)
6th Two-layer cotton, pleated style mask (7)
7th N95 mask with exhalation valve (2)
8th Two-layer cotton, Olston style mask (8)
9th One-layer Maxima AT mask (6)
10th One-layer cotton, pleated style mask (10)
11th Two-layer cotton, pleated style mask (9)
12th Knitted mask (3)
13th Bandana (12)
14th (least effective) Gaiter type neck fleece (11)
The post COVID-19: Scientists test 14 face-coverings appeared first on Caribbean News Now!.
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St Kitts and Nevis is planning to reopen its borders for international tourism, according to Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris.
Harris said the twin-island federation expected to reopen its borders in October, allowing for the resumption of air and sea commercial traffic carrying international passengers.
The reopening will be accompanied by the relaunch of a pair of high-profile resorts in St Kitts: the St Kitts Marriott Resort and the Park Hyatt St Kitts, both of which will reopen in October, he said.
The Park Hyatt has announced an Oct. 1 reopening, according to the property’s Web site.
The Four Seasons Resort Nevis will also be announcing its reopening plans soon, he said.
Local tourism authorities are in the midst of conducting training for more than 5,000 industry stakeholders in the country, focusing on health and safety protocols.
St Kitts and Nevis will be requiring hotels and tourism businesses to obtain a “Travel Approved” certification and seal in order to open.
The country’s phased reopening is being implemented in partnership with St Kitts and Nevis Chief Medical Officer and medical experts, the country’s government said.
St Kitts and Nevis has the lowest total of confirmed cases among independent CARICOM states with 17 — there are no active cases, and there have been no deaths in the country due to the virus.
For more, visit St Kitts.
— CJ
The post St Kitts and Nevis to Reopen Its Borders in October appeared first on Caribbean Journal.
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Another Elite Island Resorts property is reopening in the Caribbean.
The popular St James’s Club Antigua resort will be relaunching operations on Oct. 14, Caribbean Journal has learned.
The all-inclusive beach resort is set on a private 100-acre peninsula in Antigua.
It’s the most recent reopening announcement in Antigua, which was among the first Caribbean destinations to reopen for tourism when it did so in early June.
Looking to head to Antigua and Barbuda? Make sure you get acquainted with the island’s COVID-19 travel protocols.
For more, visit St James’s Club Antigua.
— CJ
The post All-Inclusive St James’s Club to Reopen in Antigua appeared first on Caribbean Journal.
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