Doctors, novelists and other writers are exploring, as quickly as they can, the pandemic’s impact on a country that was among its earliest victims.
Reported by NYTimes.com 10 hours ago.
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In Italy, Coronavirus Books Rush to Publication
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UK coronavirus death toll remains higher than France, Italy and and Spain
It includes 41 deaths in Wales, 765 in England and 81 in Scotland
Reported by Wales Online 10 hours ago.
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The Latest: Italy Catholic charity decries nursing home use
The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
TOP OF THE HOUR
— Spaniards staying home during Holy Week.
— Dr. Fauci: Don’t assume virus fades in warm weather.
— Germany's Merkel stresses discipline, ‘cautious optimism’ in virus fight.
— British PM Boris Johnson continues to improve in ICU.
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ROME — One of Italy’s most influential Catholic charities is demanding the government guarantee access to health care for residents of nursing homes after hundreds have died during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sant’Egidio Community, which is close to the Vatican, says it was “scandalous” some eldercare homes were being used as wards for recovering COVID-19 patients.
Prosecutors have already launched a criminal investigation into Italy’s largest nursing home, the 1,000-bed Pio Albergho Trivulzio facility in Milan, following complaints that management downplayed the risk of infection after accepting recovering virus patients.
The scandal at Trivulzio has underscored the overall problem in Europe of huge numbers of dead in nursing homes and the lack of coherent data about how many residents had the virus.
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PARIS — Locked-down Paris has been blessed by the bishop of the French capital.
Archbishop Michel Aupetit blessed both Paris and its inhabitants, a spiritual and symbolic gesture on Maundy Thursday before Easter celebrations.
He looked down on the unusually quiet city from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the heights of Montmartre.
France has been in a coronavirus lockdown since March 17. All gatherings including... Reported by SeattlePI.com 9 hours ago.
TOP OF THE HOUR
— Spaniards staying home during Holy Week.
— Dr. Fauci: Don’t assume virus fades in warm weather.
— Germany's Merkel stresses discipline, ‘cautious optimism’ in virus fight.
— British PM Boris Johnson continues to improve in ICU.
___
ROME — One of Italy’s most influential Catholic charities is demanding the government guarantee access to health care for residents of nursing homes after hundreds have died during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sant’Egidio Community, which is close to the Vatican, says it was “scandalous” some eldercare homes were being used as wards for recovering COVID-19 patients.
Prosecutors have already launched a criminal investigation into Italy’s largest nursing home, the 1,000-bed Pio Albergho Trivulzio facility in Milan, following complaints that management downplayed the risk of infection after accepting recovering virus patients.
The scandal at Trivulzio has underscored the overall problem in Europe of huge numbers of dead in nursing homes and the lack of coherent data about how many residents had the virus.
___
PARIS — Locked-down Paris has been blessed by the bishop of the French capital.
Archbishop Michel Aupetit blessed both Paris and its inhabitants, a spiritual and symbolic gesture on Maundy Thursday before Easter celebrations.
He looked down on the unusually quiet city from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the heights of Montmartre.
France has been in a coronavirus lockdown since March 17. All gatherings including... Reported by SeattlePI.com 9 hours ago.
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Coronavirus: Eurogroup relaunches talks on divisive economic aid
Finance ministers from the 19 members of the eurozone are re-launching their contentious discussions over how to protect the economy from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown. The debate has largely pitted Germany and the Netherlands against France, Italy, and Spain - with some warning that a failure to act could threaten the bloc's future.
Reported by France 24 9 hours ago.
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Eni’s HPC5 Supercomputer Contributes To Coronavirus Research
Eni said Thursday it has freely made its supercomputing infrastructure and its molecular modelling skills available for Coronavirus research, offering its contribution with its tools and resources of excellence in the fight against this global emergency.
The collaboration is part of the European EXSCALATE4CoV project, led by the biopharmaceutical company Dompé, which brings together institutions and research centres in Italy and other European countries to identify the safest and most promising drugs in the fight against the Coronavirus. Eni contributes to the project in partnership with Cineca, a non-profit research consortium that involves the collaboration of universities, national research centres and the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research.
The joint team will carry out dynamic molecular simulations of viral proteins relevant to the COVID-19 strain, to identify the most effective pharmaceutical components among the 10,000 present in the databases. Afterwards, an activity will be carried out for the research of new specific anti-viral molecules through the screening of billions of structures.
Eni has already started the activity with Cineca, and is providing the consortium with its technical skills and its HPC5 supercomputing system, the world’s most powerful supercomputer for industrial use. Its hybrid architecture makes the algorithms for molecular simulation particularly efficient.
“During a global emergency such as this, we must mobilize all available resources to overcome the challenges ahead. We are proud to contribute to finding solutions to this challenge facing humanity,” said Claudio Descalzi, Eni’s CEO.
“We thank Eni for its valuable contribution and we are confident that this collaboration will significantly contribute to achieve a result in the next future as well as providing a model for the recovery” said Sanzio Bassini, Director of Cineca’s supercomputing department.
Eni presented its new supercomputer HPC5 in February 2020. It supports the previous system (HPC4), by tripling its computing power from 18 to 52 PetaFlop/s, equivalent to 52 million billion mathematical operations per second, allowing Eni’s supercomputing ecosystem to reach a total peak power of 70 PetaFlop/s. The supercomputer was designed to accelerate the company’s transformation and the development of new energy sources.
The post Eni’s HPC5 Supercomputer Contributes To Coronavirus Research appeared first on Eurasia Review. Reported by Eurasia Review 9 hours ago.
The collaboration is part of the European EXSCALATE4CoV project, led by the biopharmaceutical company Dompé, which brings together institutions and research centres in Italy and other European countries to identify the safest and most promising drugs in the fight against the Coronavirus. Eni contributes to the project in partnership with Cineca, a non-profit research consortium that involves the collaboration of universities, national research centres and the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research.
The joint team will carry out dynamic molecular simulations of viral proteins relevant to the COVID-19 strain, to identify the most effective pharmaceutical components among the 10,000 present in the databases. Afterwards, an activity will be carried out for the research of new specific anti-viral molecules through the screening of billions of structures.
Eni has already started the activity with Cineca, and is providing the consortium with its technical skills and its HPC5 supercomputing system, the world’s most powerful supercomputer for industrial use. Its hybrid architecture makes the algorithms for molecular simulation particularly efficient.
“During a global emergency such as this, we must mobilize all available resources to overcome the challenges ahead. We are proud to contribute to finding solutions to this challenge facing humanity,” said Claudio Descalzi, Eni’s CEO.
“We thank Eni for its valuable contribution and we are confident that this collaboration will significantly contribute to achieve a result in the next future as well as providing a model for the recovery” said Sanzio Bassini, Director of Cineca’s supercomputing department.
Eni presented its new supercomputer HPC5 in February 2020. It supports the previous system (HPC4), by tripling its computing power from 18 to 52 PetaFlop/s, equivalent to 52 million billion mathematical operations per second, allowing Eni’s supercomputing ecosystem to reach a total peak power of 70 PetaFlop/s. The supercomputer was designed to accelerate the company’s transformation and the development of new energy sources.
The post Eni’s HPC5 Supercomputer Contributes To Coronavirus Research appeared first on Eurasia Review. Reported by Eurasia Review 9 hours ago.
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Coronavirus: The Internal Threat – OpEd
COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus, is an infectious disease of recent origin that causes respiratory problems. There is no prescribed treatment of vaccine for the disease. While most infected persons are likely to recover within in about 20 days time, old people and children as also problems like cardiovascular, diabetes and chronic respiratory problems, are more likely to develop serious illness even leading to death
The virus originated from China and spread to 180 countries across world; it has been declared a Pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The severity of this pandemic can be gauged from the fact that as on date, nearly 1,42,294 people have tested positive while 61,239 have succumbed due to this fatal disease. Most affected countries are Spain, Italy, China, Iran and United States of America where death toll is very high.
India also faces wrath of coronavirus which has till now claimed 86 lives, and the number of people testing positive is surging with every passing day. The newly created Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh too have recorded more than 106 positive cases and recorded two fatalities.
Pakistan is also in the throes of the infection which is spreading at a very fast pace over there. China is Pakistan’s “all weather friend” and has strong diplomatic and business relations with it. CPEC is a huge joint venture between the two in which thousands of Chinese employees are working inside Pakistan. These technicians and labourers keep making frequent trips to their country for meeting their families or for some job-related work.
Since China has been one of the most severely coronavirus hit countries, it’s but natural that the massive workforce working on CPEC projects would have brought along this virus while returning from mainland China. Since Pakistan did not go in for the ‘lockdown’ option like India, there is just no possibility that locals in Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) could have saved themselves from contracting coronavirus.
The Pakistan army has set up quarantine camps in PaK and GB but it has done so only after corona virus pandemic has spread all over. To make matters worse, Pakistan army have shifted positive cases of corona virus infection to PaK due to which this pandemic is likely to go out of control. The locals have expressed their unhappiness by coming out on the streets and protesting. In any case, since the idea of shifting positive coronavirus cases into PaK is that of the Pakistan Army and not the Imran Khan government, no amount of objection will make the army reverse its decision!
There are very reliable reports that Pakistan Army has already starting moving positive cases of corona virus into PaK and due to excessive patients and limited facilities, the overall situation there is not very good. This becomes a matter of very serious concern for the people of Kashmir because the corona virus will also infect militants staying in launch pads situated inside PaK and when they infiltrate across the LoC and enter Kashmir, they will bring this virus into the valley with them.
Thus, while on the one hand Imran Khan is expressing concern about Coronavirus spreading in Kashmir and even asking UN and global community to intervene, the Pakistan Army is hell-bent on sending Corona Infected militants into Kashmir and further aggravating the problems here!
The fear of coronavirus infection reaching us from across the LoC isn’t hypothetical, it’s real. Just two days ago, the army thwarted an infiltration bid by killing five militants on the LoC in the Kupwara sector of Kashmir. Such men are likely to be active carriers of the Virus that remains dormant in healthy people but is prevalent all the same.
What makes infection being spread by militants even more worrisome is that in order to avoid being identified by security forces, militants will not go to hospitals for check-ups and if they get infected, they cannot be kept in isolation and under medical supervision. Thus, even if one militant gets corona virus, he will not only infect his comrades but also the people he comes in contact with and this transmission of the virus will continue till he is alive.
The US will soon begin the process to withdraw the troops from Afghanistan and the pulling out of soldiers will have direct implications in the Valley since the spillover of militants will feel emboldened to cross over on the eastern border. This is worrisome for both for government of India as well as for the people of Kashmir.
Luckily, the Indian army is seized with this problem and has enhanced vigil along the LoC so that infiltrators are not able to infiltrate and enter Kashmir but the danger persists. The Indian Army has also launched a multi-pronged campaign to reach out to people in remote, rural and urban areas of Jammu and Kashmir and educate and assist them in the fight against Coronavirus. As part of the campaign titled “Jointly we will put an end to Corona”, distribution of pamphlets, masks, sanitizers and also ration is being done besides installation of hand wash facilities. The gesture of Army was very well received and appreciated by the local populace.
The world is in the receiving end of the biggest challenge of the century as posed by the COVID 19 virus. Ultimately, human spirit will prevail and things will get back to normal. When that happens, it is the manner in which people helped each other that will be remembered. India is putting up a valiant fight, which has resulted in the lowest numbers of deaths in this highly populous country. The spirit being exhibited in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh by the people that emulates the spirit of India. Under these testing circumstance a well conceived political outreach and empowerment of the civil society aided and abetted by the central Government is necessary.
The post Coronavirus: The Internal Threat – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. Reported by Eurasia Review 9 hours ago.
The virus originated from China and spread to 180 countries across world; it has been declared a Pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The severity of this pandemic can be gauged from the fact that as on date, nearly 1,42,294 people have tested positive while 61,239 have succumbed due to this fatal disease. Most affected countries are Spain, Italy, China, Iran and United States of America where death toll is very high.
India also faces wrath of coronavirus which has till now claimed 86 lives, and the number of people testing positive is surging with every passing day. The newly created Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh too have recorded more than 106 positive cases and recorded two fatalities.
Pakistan is also in the throes of the infection which is spreading at a very fast pace over there. China is Pakistan’s “all weather friend” and has strong diplomatic and business relations with it. CPEC is a huge joint venture between the two in which thousands of Chinese employees are working inside Pakistan. These technicians and labourers keep making frequent trips to their country for meeting their families or for some job-related work.
Since China has been one of the most severely coronavirus hit countries, it’s but natural that the massive workforce working on CPEC projects would have brought along this virus while returning from mainland China. Since Pakistan did not go in for the ‘lockdown’ option like India, there is just no possibility that locals in Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) could have saved themselves from contracting coronavirus.
The Pakistan army has set up quarantine camps in PaK and GB but it has done so only after corona virus pandemic has spread all over. To make matters worse, Pakistan army have shifted positive cases of corona virus infection to PaK due to which this pandemic is likely to go out of control. The locals have expressed their unhappiness by coming out on the streets and protesting. In any case, since the idea of shifting positive coronavirus cases into PaK is that of the Pakistan Army and not the Imran Khan government, no amount of objection will make the army reverse its decision!
There are very reliable reports that Pakistan Army has already starting moving positive cases of corona virus into PaK and due to excessive patients and limited facilities, the overall situation there is not very good. This becomes a matter of very serious concern for the people of Kashmir because the corona virus will also infect militants staying in launch pads situated inside PaK and when they infiltrate across the LoC and enter Kashmir, they will bring this virus into the valley with them.
Thus, while on the one hand Imran Khan is expressing concern about Coronavirus spreading in Kashmir and even asking UN and global community to intervene, the Pakistan Army is hell-bent on sending Corona Infected militants into Kashmir and further aggravating the problems here!
The fear of coronavirus infection reaching us from across the LoC isn’t hypothetical, it’s real. Just two days ago, the army thwarted an infiltration bid by killing five militants on the LoC in the Kupwara sector of Kashmir. Such men are likely to be active carriers of the Virus that remains dormant in healthy people but is prevalent all the same.
What makes infection being spread by militants even more worrisome is that in order to avoid being identified by security forces, militants will not go to hospitals for check-ups and if they get infected, they cannot be kept in isolation and under medical supervision. Thus, even if one militant gets corona virus, he will not only infect his comrades but also the people he comes in contact with and this transmission of the virus will continue till he is alive.
The US will soon begin the process to withdraw the troops from Afghanistan and the pulling out of soldiers will have direct implications in the Valley since the spillover of militants will feel emboldened to cross over on the eastern border. This is worrisome for both for government of India as well as for the people of Kashmir.
Luckily, the Indian army is seized with this problem and has enhanced vigil along the LoC so that infiltrators are not able to infiltrate and enter Kashmir but the danger persists. The Indian Army has also launched a multi-pronged campaign to reach out to people in remote, rural and urban areas of Jammu and Kashmir and educate and assist them in the fight against Coronavirus. As part of the campaign titled “Jointly we will put an end to Corona”, distribution of pamphlets, masks, sanitizers and also ration is being done besides installation of hand wash facilities. The gesture of Army was very well received and appreciated by the local populace.
The world is in the receiving end of the biggest challenge of the century as posed by the COVID 19 virus. Ultimately, human spirit will prevail and things will get back to normal. When that happens, it is the manner in which people helped each other that will be remembered. India is putting up a valiant fight, which has resulted in the lowest numbers of deaths in this highly populous country. The spirit being exhibited in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh by the people that emulates the spirit of India. Under these testing circumstance a well conceived political outreach and empowerment of the civil society aided and abetted by the central Government is necessary.
The post Coronavirus: The Internal Threat – OpEd appeared first on Eurasia Review. Reported by Eurasia Review 9 hours ago.
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Mino Raiola scheming to steer Man Utd target away from Old Trafford
Reports in Italy claim that the agent is attempting to scupper Manchester United's transfer plans
The post Mino Raiola scheming to steer Man Utd target away from Old Trafford appeared first on teamtalk.com. Reported by Team Talk 8 hours ago.
The post Mino Raiola scheming to steer Man Utd target away from Old Trafford appeared first on teamtalk.com. Reported by Team Talk 8 hours ago.
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Rangers hero Marco Negri goes 'sailing' during lockdown in hilarious video
Former Ibrox star Marco Negri has continued to show off his love of sport in a latest hilarious clip from isolation at his home in Bologna, Italy.
Reported by Daily Record 8 hours ago.
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EU nears deal on coronavirus package as Germany puts its foot down
Prospects for a European Union deal on a package to support its coronavirus-battered economies brightened on Thursday as Germany put its foot down to end opposition from the Netherlands and to reassure Italy that the EU would show it solidarity.
Reported by Reuters 8 hours ago.
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Italian cemeteries can't keep up with deaths from pandemic
In Bergamo, a city in Northern Italy, bodies are being kept in a makeshift morgue, unrefrigerated.
Reported by CBS News 8 hours ago.
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Fiat reaches deal with unions on measures for production restart in Italy
Fiat Chrysler reached a deal with unions on Thursday over measures to adopt in its Italian plants once the government eases restrictions on business activity put in place to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
Reported by Reuters 8 hours ago.
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COVID-19: Genetic Network Analysis Provides ‘Snapshot’ Of Pandemic Origins
Researchers from Cambridge, UK, and Germany have reconstructed the early “evolutionary paths” of COVID-19 in humans – as infection spread from Wuhan out to Europe and North America – using genetic network techniques.
By analysing the first 160 complete virus genomes to be sequenced from human patients, the scientists have mapped some of the original spread of the new coronavirus through its mutations, which creates different viral lineages.
“There are too many rapid mutations to neatly trace a COVID-19 family tree. We used a mathematical network algorithm to visualise all the plausible trees simultaneously,” said geneticist Dr Peter Forster, lead author from the University of Cambridge.
“These techniques are mostly known for mapping the movements of prehistoric human populations through DNA. We think this is one of the first times they have been used to trace the infection routes of a coronavirus like COVID-19.”
The team used data from virus genomes sampled from across the world between December 24, 2019 and March 4, 2020. The research revealed three distinct “variants” of COVID-19, consisting of clusters of closely related lineages, which they label ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’.
Forster and colleagues found that the closest type of COVID-19 to the one discovered in bats – type ‘A’, the “original human virus genome” – was present in Wuhan, but surprisingly was not the city’s predominant virus type.
Mutated versions of ‘A’ were seen in Americans reported to have lived in Wuhan, and a large number of A-type viruses were found in patients from the US and Australia.
Wuhan’s major virus type, ‘B’, was prevalent in patients from across East Asia. However, the variant didn’t travel much beyond the region without further mutations – implying a “founder event” in Wuhan, or “resistance” against this type of COVID-19 outside East Asia, say researchers.
The ‘C’ variant is the major European type, found in early patients from France, Italy, Sweden and England. It is absent from the study’s Chinese mainland sample, but seen in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.
The new analysis also suggests that one of the earliest introductions of the virus into Italy came via the first documented German infection on January 27, and that another early Italian infection route was related to a “Singapore cluster”.
Importantly, the researchers say that their genetic networking techniques accurately traced established infection routes: the mutations and viral lineages joined the dots between known cases.
As such, the scientists argue that these “phylogenetic” methods could be applied to the very latest coronavirus genome sequencing to help predict future global hot spots of disease transmission and surge.
“Phylogenetic network analysis has the potential to help identify undocumented COVID-19 infection sources, which can then be quarantined to contain further spread of the disease worldwide,” said Forster, a fellow of the McDonald Institute of Archaeological Research at Cambridge, as well as the University’s Institute of Continuing Education.
The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The software used in the study, as well as classifications for over 1,000 coronavirus genomes and counting, is available free at www.fluxus-technology.com.
Variant ‘A’, most closely related to the virus found in both bats and pangolins, is described as “the root of the outbreak” by researchers. Type ‘B’ is derived from ‘A’, separated by two mutations, then ‘C’ is in turn a “daughter” of ‘B’.
Researchers say the localisation of the ‘B’ variant to East Asia could result from a “founder effect”: a genetic bottleneck that occurs when, in the case of a virus, a new type is established from a small, isolated group of infections.
Forster argues that there is another explanation worth considering. “The Wuhan B-type virus could be immunologically or environmentally adapted to a large section of the East Asian population. It may need to mutate to overcome resistance outside East Asia. We seem to see a slower mutation rate in East Asia than elsewhere, in this initial phase.”
He added: “The viral network we have detailed is a snapshot of the early stages of an epidemic, before the evolutionary paths of COVID-19 become obscured by vast numbers of mutations. It’s like catching an incipient supernova in the act.”
Since today’s PNAS study was conducted, the research team has extended its analysis to 1,001 viral genomes. While yet to be peer-reviewed, Forster says the latest work suggests that the first infection and spread among humans of COVID-19 occurred between mid-September and early December.
The phylogenetic network methods used by researchers – allowing the visualisation of hundreds of evolutionary trees simultaneously in one simple graph – were pioneered in New Zealand in 1979, then developed by German mathematicians in the 1990s.
These techniques came to the attention of archaeologist Professor Colin Renfrew, a co-author of the new PNAS study, in 1998. Renfrew went on to establish one of the first archaeogenetics research groups in the world at the University of Cambridge.
The post COVID-19: Genetic Network Analysis Provides ‘Snapshot’ Of Pandemic Origins appeared first on Eurasia Review. Reported by Eurasia Review 8 hours ago.
By analysing the first 160 complete virus genomes to be sequenced from human patients, the scientists have mapped some of the original spread of the new coronavirus through its mutations, which creates different viral lineages.
“There are too many rapid mutations to neatly trace a COVID-19 family tree. We used a mathematical network algorithm to visualise all the plausible trees simultaneously,” said geneticist Dr Peter Forster, lead author from the University of Cambridge.
“These techniques are mostly known for mapping the movements of prehistoric human populations through DNA. We think this is one of the first times they have been used to trace the infection routes of a coronavirus like COVID-19.”
The team used data from virus genomes sampled from across the world between December 24, 2019 and March 4, 2020. The research revealed three distinct “variants” of COVID-19, consisting of clusters of closely related lineages, which they label ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’.
Forster and colleagues found that the closest type of COVID-19 to the one discovered in bats – type ‘A’, the “original human virus genome” – was present in Wuhan, but surprisingly was not the city’s predominant virus type.
Mutated versions of ‘A’ were seen in Americans reported to have lived in Wuhan, and a large number of A-type viruses were found in patients from the US and Australia.
Wuhan’s major virus type, ‘B’, was prevalent in patients from across East Asia. However, the variant didn’t travel much beyond the region without further mutations – implying a “founder event” in Wuhan, or “resistance” against this type of COVID-19 outside East Asia, say researchers.
The ‘C’ variant is the major European type, found in early patients from France, Italy, Sweden and England. It is absent from the study’s Chinese mainland sample, but seen in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.
The new analysis also suggests that one of the earliest introductions of the virus into Italy came via the first documented German infection on January 27, and that another early Italian infection route was related to a “Singapore cluster”.
Importantly, the researchers say that their genetic networking techniques accurately traced established infection routes: the mutations and viral lineages joined the dots between known cases.
As such, the scientists argue that these “phylogenetic” methods could be applied to the very latest coronavirus genome sequencing to help predict future global hot spots of disease transmission and surge.
“Phylogenetic network analysis has the potential to help identify undocumented COVID-19 infection sources, which can then be quarantined to contain further spread of the disease worldwide,” said Forster, a fellow of the McDonald Institute of Archaeological Research at Cambridge, as well as the University’s Institute of Continuing Education.
The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The software used in the study, as well as classifications for over 1,000 coronavirus genomes and counting, is available free at www.fluxus-technology.com.
Variant ‘A’, most closely related to the virus found in both bats and pangolins, is described as “the root of the outbreak” by researchers. Type ‘B’ is derived from ‘A’, separated by two mutations, then ‘C’ is in turn a “daughter” of ‘B’.
Researchers say the localisation of the ‘B’ variant to East Asia could result from a “founder effect”: a genetic bottleneck that occurs when, in the case of a virus, a new type is established from a small, isolated group of infections.
Forster argues that there is another explanation worth considering. “The Wuhan B-type virus could be immunologically or environmentally adapted to a large section of the East Asian population. It may need to mutate to overcome resistance outside East Asia. We seem to see a slower mutation rate in East Asia than elsewhere, in this initial phase.”
He added: “The viral network we have detailed is a snapshot of the early stages of an epidemic, before the evolutionary paths of COVID-19 become obscured by vast numbers of mutations. It’s like catching an incipient supernova in the act.”
Since today’s PNAS study was conducted, the research team has extended its analysis to 1,001 viral genomes. While yet to be peer-reviewed, Forster says the latest work suggests that the first infection and spread among humans of COVID-19 occurred between mid-September and early December.
The phylogenetic network methods used by researchers – allowing the visualisation of hundreds of evolutionary trees simultaneously in one simple graph – were pioneered in New Zealand in 1979, then developed by German mathematicians in the 1990s.
These techniques came to the attention of archaeologist Professor Colin Renfrew, a co-author of the new PNAS study, in 1998. Renfrew went on to establish one of the first archaeogenetics research groups in the world at the University of Cambridge.
The post COVID-19: Genetic Network Analysis Provides ‘Snapshot’ Of Pandemic Origins appeared first on Eurasia Review. Reported by Eurasia Review 8 hours ago.
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Italy planning to extend coronavirus lockdown until May 3 - union sources
The Italian government is planning to extend its lockdown to contain the country's COVID-19 outbreak until May 3, two trade union sources told Reuters on Thursday after meeting ministers.
Reported by Reuters India 7 hours ago.
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Melania Trump Says US ‘Providing $100 Million In Assistance’ To Italy In Call With Daughter Of Italian President
What do you think?
Reported by Daily Caller 7 hours ago.
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African Nations Race To Set Up Labs for Coronavirus Testing
Watch VideoThe coronavirus has begun spreading across Africa with more than 9000 reported cases so far across 51 countries, and over 400 deaths.In addition to the travel restrictions, lockdowns and curfews, medical scientists are racing to set up more labs to test for the virus. Particularly in areas where at-risk households are concentrated.
"Our goal is to make sure that we break the chain of transmission and not get to where countries like Italy and Spain are right now," said Dr. Mary Stephen, Technical Officer for WHO's Regional Office in Africa.
At-risk households include those with people over the age of 60 and smokers who are more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses.
Newsy obtained data from Fraym research showing where at risk households are in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.
In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, the at-risk households are concentrated in the northeast, middle belt and pockets of the south. In Kenya, they are located in parts of the mid-west and south. And in South Africa, the hardest hit country on the continent, the at risk homes are along the coast and in the major cities.
Recently, all three countries have rapidly enhanced testing capacity. When we compared the location of the testing sites to where vulnerable communities are, here’s what we found:
Nigeria has nine testing sites, seven of which are in or close to those at risk communities. The country plans to expand to 13 sites. Kenya is expanding from two to nine sites, all of which are concentrated in the at-risk areas. Most of South Africa’s labs are privately run, but government-run labs will soon go from six to nine, five of which are in the most vulnerable communities.
"If you have more laboratories it gives you an advantage. You want to test more people as quickly as possible. Also, it reduces the turnaround time," said Dr. Stephen.
The World Health Organization and the African Union’s Centers for Disease Control are helping countries boost testing capacity and the number of tests they provide.
"The best strategy is not to have many critically ill patients and we are doing that by testing," said Dr. Ahmed Ogwell, Deputy Director for the Africa CDC.
In South Africa with over 1300 confirmed coronavirus cases, the government has turned to aggressive testing and monitoring.
"Around 10,000 field workers will be visiting homes in villages, towns and cities to screen residents for the coronavirus symptoms," said South Africa's President, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Yet testing remains a luxury for some African countries.
"For those countries that don't have the capacity to do the testing and those are relatively few now we have a mechanism where their samples can be able to be transported to the nearest laboratory that can be able to do it in a neighboring country," said Dr. Ogwell.
The continent has learned invaluable lessons from combating infectious diseases like cholera, meningitis and Ebola.
"In terms of outbreak response, the mechanisms are basically the same. The only thing that makes the difference is the peculiarity of the disease you're dealing with," said Dr. Stephen.
But with few medical resources and staff, authorities are rushing to contain the spread of the virus in Africa.
"The health systems are fragile. Adding COVID-19 to it is a recipe for something that is quite unpleasant and we are trying to slow that down," said Dr. Ogwell. Reported by Newsy 4 hours ago.
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Italy planning to extend coronavirus lockdown until May 3: union sources
The Italian government is planning to extend its lockdown to contain the country's COVID-19 outbreak until May 3, two trade union sources told Reuters on Thursday after meeting ministers.
Reported by Reuters 7 hours ago.
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Global coronavirus COVID-19 positive cases cross 14 lakh, death toll reaches 91,783
The US continues to record the highest number of cases at 3,63,851, followed by Spain at 152,446, Italy at 143,626, Germany at 114,257, and France at 83,080.
Reported by Zee News 6 hours ago.
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Italy demands apology after German paper said 'mafia waiting for EU coronavirus money'
'You should never paint everyone with the same brush,' says minister
Reported by Independent 5 hours ago.
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Meet Herman Dolce: The First Generation Immigrant Who Wants To Help Others Achieve the American Dream Too
*NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 9, 2020 / *The American Dream can be many things--migrating to the United States and starting from zero, or being able to grow in the corporate world. Like the many different people that make up this country, the American Dream itself is different.Herman Dolce's American Dream had always been having his own company and achieving financial freedom through it. As a first generation immigrant from Haiti, achieving this gives him a special sense of pride.
"My parents migrated from the island of Haiti in the 1970s. My mother was a certified nursing assistant and my father was a property manager for the Trump organization. Trying to find the balance between the cultural norms within my home and avoiding American assimilation was always a fight my parents had with me. But wanting me to become successful in the land of the free was paramount to my upbringing." Herman shares.
After a trip to Italy on the babymoon of his first daughter, Herman was motivated to start his company. He had enjoyed the trip so much that he was dreading going back to work. This is when his brother motivated him to start his own company and start his path to financial freedom.
"I was disappointed that I had to go back to work after living like a King in Italy, and that I had to ask for permission to go visit another country. I realized that as long as I did not own my own company I would never be free." Herman says.
Once he was motivated by his brother, Herman started Bella Sloan Enterprises a financial services company named after his first born. The company educates clients on credit and repairs their poor scores. They also help startups and medium-sized companies get business credit/funding. Their mission statement is, precisely, "the American Dream."
Two years after starting Bella Sloan Enterprises, Herman was able to quit his six figure job. His main advice for those who are starting a business is to focus on what is important to yourself and on what is the mission of the business.
"Losing sight of this will make you sign deals that are not necessary and ill-advised to your business strategy. Focus on the reason why you started the business in the first place and it will take you to your first million dollars." Herman advises.
For Herman to achieve success, mindset was also crucial--given that it allowed him to understand his daily goals in building his brand and in providing the best service possible for his clients. If no one was going to believe in him, he had to believe in himself.
"I started with the work ethic of getting up every day at 5:45 and putting in 12 or 13 hours a day in my own business, which did not feel like work." Herman says. "This laser focus helped me build a brand that will outlast even my daughter's children."
Now that Herman is on the path to financial freedom, he can look back to when he decided to start his business. He was on a train to visit the Tower of Pisa in Italy and had realized he wanted to take the same trip whenever he felt like it--he quickly realized he could only do this if he started his own company with his own hours. But back then this could have been overshadowed by fear easily.
"Fear is the unknown. Once I am knowledgeable, once I have gained understanding, fear subsides significantly, and on the other side there is success." Herman says. "This success means building something that will outlast me. Planting seeds for fruit that I will never be able to taste. This is in the DNA of the businesses that I have built for myself and my children."
With this in mind, Herman is headed to his next projects, which include entering into different private sectors. He is in the process of working on multi unit buildings in Cleveland, Philadelphia and Baltimore, in order to work on his original passion: real estate.
"I also started a second company called the Olivia Monroe Enterprises, after my second daughter, which will be about trucking and logistics." Herman shares. "During this trying time in our economy, I will ensure that there is something in my portfolio that continues flowing, by growing sustainable enterprises."
Herman will continue to differentiate himself from his competition for his consistency. He provides the exact same service to anyone who comes to him, whether it was a free consultation or a $5,000 ticket client. For him every client is important. Especially now.
"Emerging on the other side of this pre-recession or current recession is going to be significant for my company. I think I have built a brand that will outlast one of the most trying times in our country, and doing it on the shoulders of my immigrant parents gives me an enormous sense of pride. I look forward to the journey." Herman states.
To visit Bella Sloan Enterprises' official website, click here.
To follow Herman Dolce on this journey, click here.
*CONTACT:*
Paula Henderson
202-539-7664
phendersonnews@gmail.com
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*SOURCE:* VIP-Media
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/584571/Meet-Herman-Dolce-The-First-Generation-Immigrant-Who-Wants-To-Help-Others-Achieve-the-American-Dream-Too Reported by Accesswire 6 hours ago.
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