Victoria's events industry says it is being left behind while others get 'special treatment'
Back to Victoria, where reaction to todays announcement of eased restrictions has been coming in.
We are deeply concerned that some activities get special treatment, and the event industry gets left behind, Simon Thelewis from the Save Victorian Events group said.
Under the new rules, an increase in outdoor stadium capacity means 25,000 people will be able to attend AFL games at the MCG, and 15,000 people will be able to attend the A-League Grand Final at AAMI Park.
Theatres will return to 50 per cent capacity, to a maximum of 1,000 people. In another week's time, capacity at stadiums will rise to 85 per cent, and to 100 per cent at theatres.
Business events remain limited to 300 people, depending on the venue, with density caps in place.
Mr Thelewis questioned why there was much higher capacity for theatres when we all have very high levels of experience in risk management and we all have comprehensive risk management plans.
Business events and the main setting they happen in still aren't even mentioned in the restrictions so event organisers and venues have to guess what might apply to them, he said.
There is still so much uncertainty.
Reporting by Yara Murray-Atfield
Two surveys of high school students are being released today -- and both suggest that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will be with colleges for some time.
A significant portion of students report that their college plans have changed and that they want to study close to home and inexpensively.
One survey was done by America's Promise Alliance, a national coalition of education and other groups focused on "the barriers that stand in the way of young people's success." The other was by Strada Education Network, which is focused on findings ways to improve lives "by forging pathways between education and employment."
The America's Promise survey was planned before the pandemic but was restructured after the pandemic was underway. The survey was conducted in March and April 2021 among a nationally representative sample of 2,439 high school students. (It is not clear if the results would have been changed because of the more optimistic view of the pandemic that has taken hold in the last month or two.)
"Students have witnessed tremendous upheaval in their families, schools, and communities over the past academic year," a report on the survey says. "Broader influences including the nation's economy, disruptions to the higher education landscape, and looming public health concerns have imposed a great deal of uncertainty on students lives after graduation. Overall, approximately four out of five (78percent) 11th and 12th graders reported that COVID-19 has impacted their plans after high school at least a little bit, with almost one in five reporting their plans were impacted a great deal."
The report says, "Most commonly, students reported changes to where they plan to attend college. For example, one-third (34percent) of young people report changing their plans to attend college closer to home and one-quarter (24percent) plan to attend a two-year instead of a four-year institution. Some young people (7percent) report that they no longer plan to attend college, and 16percent say they plan to attend college later."
Of the 11th and 12th graders who said their plans had changed, nearly half said that their plans have changed due to financial (47percent) or family reasons (45percent). Far fewer cited changes to their interests (24percent), the report said, "suggesting that shifting plans are driven largely by constraints beyond young peoples control."
Sean Flanagan, senior director of research at America's Promise, said large proportion of students have changed their plans. "They are really grappling with what their postsecondary education will be like," he said.
Strada surveyed 1,212 high school seniors (half from last year's senior class) whose plans had been disrupted by the pandemic.
The survey found:
The high school Classes of 2020 and 2021 have experienced massive disruption to their educational experiences, said Dave Clayton, senior vice president at Strada. In order to help those students reconnect, educators and policy makers should listen to what those students say they need: better guidance, clear information on educations connection to careers and an easier financial aid process.
The latest:
More Ontarians living in designated hot spots for the delta COVID-19 variant are eligible to book earlier second vaccine doses starting today.
Health units covering Toronto, Peel, Halton, Porcupine, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, Waterloo and York, Hamilton, Simcoe-Muskoka and Durham are considered hot spots for the more infectious virus variant.
People in those health units who received a first dose of an mRNA vaccine on or before May 30 can move up their second shots today.
The provincial vaccine booking portal openedto those eligible at 8 a.m. ET.
The province says sometime next week, all adults who received a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna's product can book a second appointment as soon as 28 days after their initial shot.
Second doses were initially booked four months after the first in Ontario but the province is shortening that timeline as more vaccine is expected to arrive in theprovince.
Health officials inOntarioonWednesday reported 11 additional deaths and 255 new cases of COVID-19.
-From The Canadian Press, last updated at 9:55a.m. ET
As of 11:25 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Canada had reported 1,410,596confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 10,586 considered active. A CBC News tally of deaths stood at 26,169.More than 33.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country, according toCBC's vaccine tracker.
InQuebec, health officials on Wednesday reported three additional deaths and 127 new cases of COVID-19. The update came a day after the premier announced a further easing of restrictions set to begin Friday.
Across the North on Wednesday, there were no new cases reported inNunavut. Health officials inYukonand theNorthwest Territorieshadn't provided updated information for the day.
Police saidtraffic wasat a standstillWednesdayalong the Trans-Canada Highway at Nova Scotia's boundary with New Brunswick as a protest continuedover COVID-19 travel restrictions. The protest came afterPremier Iain Rankin announced on Tuesday that Nova Scotia would impose modified quarantine rules on people coming from New Brunswick.
In Atlantic Canada on Tuesday, health officials reported a total of four cases of COVID-19, including:
There were no new cases inPrince Edward Island, where officials are ramping up hiring to deal with the P.E.I. Pass travel document system.
In the Prairie provinces on Tuesday,Manitobareported 69 new cases of COVID-19. Health officials also reported five deaths, including one involving a patient being treated out of province.
Saskatchewan,meanwhile, reported no new deaths and 36 new cases of COVID-19. The update came as officials said more than one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the province.
InAlberta, health officials on Tuesdayreported one death and 57 new cases of COVID-19.
InBritish Columbia, health officials said Tuesday that more than one million people in the province had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The news came as the province reported no new deaths and 56 additional cases of COVID-19.
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 11:25 a.m. ET
As of early Wednesday morning, more than179.1 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to the data reported by Johns Hopkins University's case tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than 3.8 million.
In the Middle East, Abu Dhabi is offering tourists free COVID-19 vaccinations, previously restricted to United Arab Emirates citizens and residency visa holders.
In Europe, the mayor of Moscowannounced new coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, saying that "the situation with the coronavirus remains very difficult" in the Russian capital.
In the Americas,Colombia reached 100,000 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 this week, becoming just the tenth country in the world to hit the unwanted milestone.
The South American nation of 50 million has been registering a growing number of daily cases since April, and over the past seven days it had the world's third-highest per capita death rate from COVID-19, according to data published by Oxford University and Johns Hopkins University's COVID tracker.
InAfrica,the WHO said Tuesday that the number of reported cases on the continent had risen to more than 5.2 million, with more than137,000 deaths. South Africa, the hardest-hit country on the continent, reported more than 11,000 new cases on Tuesday.
In theAsia-Pacificregion,India's vaccinations over the next few weeks could fall short of the pace set on the first day of a federal campaign, experts said.
Australia's most-populous state reported its biggest daily increase in cases in nearly a week, while New Zealand paused quarantine-free travel with the state.
-From The Associated Press, Reuters and CBC News, last updated at 7 a.m. ET
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The biotech firm Theravance Biopharma said that a trial of its drug nezulcitinib in hospitalized patients with acute lung injury caused by Covid-19 had failed, and that patients who received the drug didnt have more days without respiratory failure than those who received a placebo.
Shares of Theravance (TBPH) initially fell as much as 17.4%, to $14.42, from their Friday closing price of $17.52. Shares recovered later in the premarket session, however, and by 7:30 a.m. Eastern time, the stock was down only 3.6%, to $16.88.
Theravance said there were positive signals in the data. The company said that a post-hoc analysis of the trial showed an improvement in mortality and time to recovery in a subgroup of patients who received nezulcitinib and whose blood tests indicated certain proteins were below a level indicative of hyperinflammation.
The company also said it saw a positive trend in the mortality rate in the treatment group.
Even though this Phase 2 study, enrolling more than 200 patients, didnt meet the primary endpoint, we are encouraged by the trend in the pre-specified analysis of the 28-day mortality rate in the intent-to-treat population, said Theravances CEO, Rick Winningham, in a statement.
Theravance said that it would discuss the results with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to seek input on protocols to further study nezulcitinib in acute hyperinflammation in the lung.
Nezulcitinib is a so-called JAK inhibitor, a member of a class of drugs that seeks to combat inflammation by blocking the activity of certain enzymes. Unlike most JAK inhibitors, nezulcitinib is inhaled and designed to target the lungs. The company has said it may also test nezulcitinib for other conditions.
The drug is one of a number of drugs that combat inflammation that companies have sought to test in the sickest Covid-19 patients, often with disappointing results. One apparently successful set of results came just last week, when a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that Pfizers (PFE) JAK inhibitor, which is marketed as Xeljanz, lowered the incidence of death or respiratory failure compared with a placebo in patients with Covid-19 pneumonia.
The incidence of death or respiratory failure in the placebo group in the study, which was run in a hospital in Brazil, was 29%, compared with 18.1% in the group that received Xeljanz.
Theravance shares are down 1.4% so far this year, and down 21.6% over the past 12 months. The company has a market value of $1.1 billion. Of the nine analysts tracked by FactSet who cover Theravance, seven rate it at Buy, one rates it at Hold, and one rates it Underweight.
The company scheduled a call for investors at 8 a.m. Eastern.
Write to Josh Nathan-Kazis at josh.nathan-kazis@barrons.com
Selbyville, Delaware, June 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
According to latest report COVID-19 Detection Kits Market by Product (RT-PCR Assay Kits, Immunoassay Test Strips/Cassettes), Specimen Type (Nasopharyngeal Swab, Oropharyngeal Swab, Nasal Swab), End-use (Hospitals, Diagnostic Centers), Regional Outlook, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast 2027, by Global Market Insights Inc., the market valuation of COVID-19 detection kits will cross $8 billion by 2027. Increasing cases of COVID-19 and rising number of diagnostic tests across the world will propel the market growth.
COVID-19 is a virus that attacks the respiratory system of person in short span of time making it more dangerous if goes undetected. The virus gets transmitted directly from person to person through oral or nasal droplets and indirectly when person gets in contact with infected environment. Due to the nature of the disease, major target population affected by COVID-19 is old age people. It is observed since the outbreak of pandemic, the elderly population is more likely to suffer severe infection as compared to younger population. One of the major reasons for high susceptibility of old people to virus is underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases among others. It is extremely important to diagnose the COVID infection early, especially in old age people. The increasing number of cases and geriatric population has led to high demand for COVID-19 detection kits across the world. The demand for COVID-19 detection kits is likely to grow in the initial years of the assessment period. However, the demand is likely to reduce by the end of the forecast period.
Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/4610
The RT-PCR assay kits segment dominated more than 71% of the COVID-19 detection kits market share in 2020 led by the high accuracy, reliability and increased adoption of RT-PCR tests. The market of RT-PCR test kits is expected to flourish during initial years of pandemic, however, as the effect of virus subsides, the demand for diagnostic tests is projected to decrease during the forecast timeframe.
The nasal swab segment accounted for around 12% of revenue share in 2020. The growth of this segment is majorly attributed to worldwide acceptance and availability of the products and convenience in the sample collection.
The diagnostic centers segment in the COVID-19 detection kits market exceeded USD 6.6 billion in 2020 on account of the increased number of diagnostic centers involved in COVID-19 detection tests, high capacity to run patient samples, and advanced diagnostic infrastructure.
Asia Pacific COVID-19 detection kits market captured around 34% of revenue share in 2020 impelled by the rapid spread of virus in large populated countries like China and India. These countries generated huge demand for COVID detection kits, thus increasing the revenues. Besides, recurring demand for diagnostic tests in countries during the second wave is likely to drive the market.
Request for customization of this research report @
https://www.gminsights.com/roc/4610
Some of the key players operating in the COVID-19 detection kits market include Cepheid, Co-Diagnostics, BGI, Abbott Laboratories, BioFire Diagnostics, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, GenMark Diagnostics, Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech, Mylab Discovery Solutions, Qiagen, Quidel Corporation, Randox Laboratories, SD Biosensor, Seegene, Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology and Thermo Fisher Scientific. These industry participants are adopting various growth strategies to capture maximum share and sustain the market competition.
Table of Contents (ToC) of the report:
Chapter 3COVID-19 Detection Kits Market Insights
3.1 Industry segmentation
3.2 Industry landscape, 2020 - 2027
3.3 Industry impact forces
3.3.1 Growth drivers
3.3.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges
3.4 Growth potential analysis
3.4.1 By product
3.4.2 By specimen type
3.4.3 By end-use
3.5 COVID-19 detection kits pricing analysis, 2021
3.6 Regulatory landscape
3.7 Porters analysis
3.8 Competitive landscape, 2020
3.9 PESTEL analysis
Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @
https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/covid-19-detection-kits-market
About Global Market Insights Inc.
Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.
Here's one method of containing COVID-19 at nursing homes: Pair long-term care facilities (LTCF) staff and residents who've recovered with susceptible residents to help reduce transmission. It seems to work, says a study.
Long-term care facilities (LTCFs), particularly nursing homes, received a lot of unwanted attention and not enough desperately wanted assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, COVID-19 has caused 655,110 cases in nursing home residence and 132,608 deaths,accordingto the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). Among those staff working in nursing homes, there have been 583,756 cases and 1931 deaths. It has been estimated that of those living in LTCF within the United States, 8% died of COVID-19.
The coronaviruss sieges and surges underscored systemic problems in the facilities. One of those problems is that states do not as yet mandate that a fulltime infection preventionist (IP) be assigned to nursing homes, something that the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology lobbies for. Adding to the problems, since COVID-19 theres been an exodus of workers from nursing homes.
The impact to this particular patient and health care worker population is astounding and one that wholly underscores a deeply-rooted vulnerability. Infection Control Today has reported on ways nursing homes and other LTCFs can shore up systemic problems in a cost-effective manner, and even conducted a case study on methods one nursing home used to keep COVID-19 for the most part at bay during a surge.
Early in the pandemic, testing was a hurdle that the health care system struggled to overcome. If testing was more widely available though, what would transmission be within nursing homes? Moreover, what about cohorting patients and staff who had recovered from COVID-19 with those who were susceptible?
A new research study from researchers at Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Womens Hospital, addressed this within JAMA Network. The goal was to understand and evaluate transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within nursing homes when certain interventions were in placespecifically routine screening testing and pairing staff/residents who were recovered with susceptible residents to help reduce transmission.
The goal was simplepair those susceptible staff and residents with those who were recovered and felt to have protective immunity. For recovered residents, they were moved back into non-COVID-19 cohorts once they were recovered and were prioritized for new roommates.
For staff, this meant that those considered immune (recovered) were placed in the non-COVID-19 unit, leaving susceptible staff to work in the COVID-19 unit with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). Meaning, by breaking up susceptible groups who could spread it between each other and by replacing susceptible contacts with recovered contacts, they could cut transmission.
Utilizing an agent-based susceptible-exposed infectious-recovered model between July and September of last year, the simulation included 100 residents and 100 staff across 3 shifts. Residents were categorized based upon COVID-19 diagnosis. Screening was done with two types of tests (rapid antigen and PCR) done at varying frequency.
The authors noted that among the simulated cohort of 100 residents and 100 staff members, frequency and type of testing were associated with smaller outbreaks than the cohorting and staffing interventions. The testing strategy associated with the greatest estimated reduction in infections was daily antigen testing, which reduced the mean cumulative incidence proportion by 49% in absence of contact-targeted interventions.
Under all screening testing strategies, the resident cohorting intervention and the immunity-based staffing intervention were associated with reducing the final estimated size of the outbreak among residents, with the immunity-based staffing intervention reducing it more (eg, by 19% in the absence of testing) than the resident cohorting intervention (eg, by 8% in the absence of testing). The estimated reduction in transmission associated with these interventions among staff varied by testing strategy and community prevalence.
As the authors note, utilizing routine screening testing for not only residents, but also staff could help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, utilizing an immunity-based approach to staffing could also help reduce transmission. These findings are particularly important and while they may require some operational hurdles for nursing homes to recover, they offer alternatives for reducing transmission within these high-risk environments.
This article first appeared inContagion.
(CNN) The United States has extended Covid-19 restrictions on non-essential travel at land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico until July 21, according to a tweet from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Sunday.
"DHS also notes positive developments in recent weeks and is participating with other US agencies in the White House's expert working groups with Canada and Mexico to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably."
In March 2020, the US and Canada mutually agreed to shut down the border to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
Canada continues stringent restrictions
Addressing media after the announcement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that the extension of the travel restrictions may be "frustrating" for many people but that his goal is to keep Canadians safe.
"We're not out of this pandemic yet. We have to hit our targets of 75% vaccinated with the first dose, at least 20% vaccinated with the second dose before we can start loosening things up because even a fully vaccinated individual can pass on Covid-19 to someone who is not vaccinated," Trudeau said,
Blair said the government will soon announce how it plans to handle travel among those who are fully vaccinated.
Canada is largely off-limits to US travelers. Tourism, leisure and casual visits are all forbidden. Some exceptions exist for family members, foreign workers and international students.
Those arriving by air are required to quarantine for three nights in a government-authorized hotel in addition to the rest of the testing and quarantine requirements.
Travel to Mexico
Mexico allows US travelers by air. There's no need for a negative PCR test for Covid-19, and no quarantine required. Most resorts, however, ask guests to fill out health questionnaires.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) A COVID-19 vaccine clinic is being held at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield Tuesday.
Curative will administer the Pfizer vaccine to individuals 12 years or older from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A parent or guardian will need to sign a consent form for children ages 12 14. The second dose will be available on July 13.
The Basketball Hall of Fame is issuing a free ticket to the Hall that can be used after the return of the second dose.
Walk-ins are welcome however, appointments can be booked online at Curative.com. The Basketball Hall of Fame is located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield.
According to the states Department of Public Health as of Sunday, there are 8,449,443 doses administered with a total of 3,818,482 fully vaccinated people.
Thanks to vaccines against COVID-19, the summer of 2021 feels very different from the summer of 2020. Restaurants, stores, and tourist attractions are starting to open again, people are gathering, and families are planning vacations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that if you are fully vaccinated, you dont have to wear a mask or social distance, except when required by law or other regulations.
But what do you do if you have children who arent vaccinated?
Currently, only people 12 years and older can be vaccinated. While its looking hopeful that we will be able to vaccinate younger children sometime later in 2021 or early 2022, its not going to happen this summer. And while most of the time children dont get seriously ill with COVID-19, it certainly can happen.
This doesnt mean that families with children younger than 12 need to isolate all summer but it does mean that families need to be careful and thoughtful as they plan summer activities.
Here are some tips that will help:
Make sure everyone who can be vaccinated is vaccinated. By "everyone," I mean parents, siblings, and any other family and friends that you regularly see or would like to see. The vaccine is widely available, and serious side effects are very, very rare.
Stay outdoors as much as possible. The risks are lower. Children dont have to wear a mask outdoors if they are with their immediate family or in a small gathering with all vaccinated people. If there is a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated, they must wear masks.
Avoid crowds even outdoors. While wearing a mask helps to decrease the risk, crowded places and events can be risky, even for those who are vaccinated. The risk may not be that high in communities with low COVID-19 case counts, but you just cant know where the people in the crowd have traveled recently. As fun as ball games and theme parks are, it would be better to wait until next summer.
Be cautious in indoor spaces. Unvaccinated people, including children, should wear masks in indoor public spaces. (In crowded indoor spaces, vaccinated people should wear masks too, but weve already talked about avoiding crowds.) If you have children, it may be best to save the indoor seating at restaurants for date night. Theres always takeout. Have a picnic.
When visiting with other families with children, the safest thing is for all the children to wear masks. If you have had other families in your bubble, keep up the conversations about what everyone is doing, and the ground rules for your bubble, to be sure that its a safe enough bubble for your children to go mask-free. And be sure that the families know to report any exposures or symptoms to others in the bubble and isolate themselves as needed.
Parents, older siblings, and close friends and family may want to mask up sometimes, even if vaccinated. No vaccine is perfect. Since you are the ones with the most consistent contact with the unvaccinated children in your family, taking some extra precautions isnt a bad idea. This doesnt mean you have to wear a mask all the time. But carry one with you and err on the side of wearing it when you are out in places where social distancing is tough and there could be unvaccinated people.
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