Utah County is developing a vaccination scheduling tool to prevent long lines at health clinics and limit physical human interaction once a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to the public.
During a Utah County Commission work session on Wednesday, Eric Edwards, director of health promotion at the Utah County Health Department, told the commissioners that, in the beginning of the swine flu pandemic in 1999, health clinics experienced the huge long lines and there were frustrations about the supply and demand needs of vaccines.
It just wasnt well coordinated because we werent prepared at that point for anything like that, Edwards said. We hadnt experienced it before.
One of the greatest lessons learned from the swine flu pandemic, Edwards said, is the need to have some way of organizing appointments for individuals so that they could come and receive in a systematic way rather than having the Disneyland line effect.
After being instructed by the Utah Department of Health in April that it should start preparing for the eventual arrival of a vaccine for COVID-19, the county health department began working with Utah County Information Systems on a web-based application that would allow patients to schedule vaccination appointments online.
Such a tool would address the greatest challenges of large-scale vaccination, he said, including massive lines, physical distancing needs and appropriately vaccinating priority populations.
Allowing users to download and fill out their form beforehand speeds up the vaccination process and prevents the Health Department from having crowded waiting areas wherein patients are filling out forms, according to a health department presentation.
IS Director Patrick Wawro said the tool would help the health department administer vaccinations in a safe way during the pandemic, noting that patients dont have to come in contact with anyone to make this appointment, at all, until its time to actually come in and get their shot.
It really speeds up the process for the health department, Wawro said. And no longer do you have to come in and have them fill out a form at the side table or anything like that, theyve already done all that. So the idea here is that we dont have groups of people. Pretty much, as soon as you arrive, youre going to be ushered in in the next few minutes, which is what were after.
County programmers developed a prototype of the tool and did a soft launch with county employees, Edwards said. On Sept. 9, 56 county employees successfully set flu shot appointments using the tool, while 72 employees successfully registered the next day.
Weve actually already begun testing this application in a real way, said Wawro. Any county employee(s) last week were able to register to get their first flu shot of the year using this application because we wanted to test our capability and performance.
The next step, Edwards said, will be testing the tool with the public at community flu clinics, including at an upcoming drive-thru flu clinic in Spanish Fork.
But doing this, I dont think we can test it enough so that we truly can be prepared for whatevers to come with the eventual arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine, Edwards acknowledged.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told a United States Senate panel on Wednesday that he predicted a coronavirus vaccine would be generally available to the American public in the late second or third quarter of 2021.
Connor Richards covers government, the environment and south Utah County for the Daily Herald. He can be reached at crichards@heraldextra.com and 801-344-2599.
TipRanks
Did the stock markets epic rally just need a little breather? The last few weeks have seen stocks experience their first meaningful correction since the bull market kicked off in March. Now, the question swirling around the Street is, will the rally pick back up again, or is more downside on the way?According to Morgan Stanleys chief U.S. equity strategist Mike Wilson, uncertainty regarding the presidential election and stalemate on the next stimulus package could lead to declines in September and October. On the correction, there's still downside as markets digest the risk of congressional gridlock on the next fiscal deal. While we think something will ultimately get done, it will likely take another few weeks to get it over the goal line, he noted.However, Wilson argues the recent volatility in no way signals the end of the current bull market. We think this correction is just that, a correction in a new bull market. It's normal for markets to pullback after such an incredible run like we've experienced since March. Furthermore, when a new bull market coincides with a new economic cycle, the bull market usually runs for years, not months, the strategist explained.Taking Wilsons outlook to heart, our focus shifted to three stocks getting a thumbs up from Morgan Stanley. As the firms analysts see over 50% upside potential in store for each, we used TipRanks database to get the full scoop.Akero Therapeutics (AKRO)With its innovative medicines designed to restore metabolic balance and halt the progression of NASH, a severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Akero Therapeutics wants to address the unmet medical needs of patients from all over the world. Based on the strength of its lead candidate, Morgan Stanley is pounding the table.Representing the firm, 5-star analyst Matthew Harrison tells clients that AKROs treatment for NASH, efruxifermin (EFX), has a best-in-class profile. EFX is the companys lead asset and was designed to mimic the biological activity of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), which regulates multiple metabolic pathways and cellular processes, to reduce liver fat and inflammation, reverse fibrosis, increase insulin sensitivity and improve lipoproteins.According to Harrison, NASH is a complex disease, with patients usually having multiple co-morbidities like obesity, type-2 diabetes, increased triglycerides, increased LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol. A promising therapeutic solution would not only treat the multiple components of NASH but would also have an acceptable side effect profile given the potential co-morbidities, the analyst explained.Thats where AKROs therapy comes in. In June, Akero presented best-in-class data from its Phase 2a study. This data indicates that EFX improved the two liver histological endpoints recommended by the FDA along with resulting in weight loss, improving cardiovascular health (increasing good HDL cholesterol, decreasing triglycerides, not raising bad LDL cholesterol), and improving factors related to controlling blood glucose levels. This benefit/risk profile beats the competition, Harrison stated.Looking at the indication as a whole, Harrison views NASH as a very large opportunity given that roughly 20 million people in the U.S. suffer from the condition.The analyst, however, acknowledges there are commercial hurdles. One of these is the fact that NASH is currently undiagnosed in all but a very small percentage of the prevalent pool since diagnosis currently requires an invasive liver biopsy. Therefore, along with demonstrating a positive benefit/risk profile, AKRO will need to find patients and secure payer support should the candidate receive FDA approval, in Harrisons opinion.That said, Harrison believes AKRO is up for the task. We believe that given EFXs clean safety profile and broad-based effects, Akero will likely largely overcome these commercial hurdles, he commented.Harrison added, Importantly, since Akeros treatment is injectable, we only assume the drug will penetrate into the population of the most sick patients where there are currently at least 400,000 patients diagnosed and seeking treatment in the U.S. To this end, he assigns a 60% probability of success, and estimates unadjusted peak sales for the U.S. and the EU will land at $4.5 billion.Based on all of the above, Harrison rates AKRO an Overweight (i.e. Buy) along with a $70 price target. Should his thesis play out, a potential twelve-month gain of 93% could be in the cards. (To watch Harrisons track record, click here)Are other analysts in agreement? They are. Only Buy ratings, 6, in fact, have been issued in the last three months. Therefore, the message is clear: AKRO is a Strong Buy. Given the $58.50 average price target, shares could rise 61% in the next year. (See AKRO stock analysis on TipRanks)TransDigm Group (TDG)Next up we have TransDigm Group, which is one of the top producers, designers and suppliers of highly engineered aerospace components, systems and subsystems. Its products are used on nearly all commercial and military aircrafts in service today. Given its ability to weather the COVID-19 storm, Morgan Stanley sees a bright future ahead.Morgan Stanley analyst Kristine Liwag stated, We view TransDigm as the most defensible business model in commercial aerospace. However, this is not to say the company hasnt been confronted with serious challenges.Over the past few years, management has had to grapple with how to price its defense business, the sustainability of its pricing strategy in aerospace, the durability of its levered balance sheet and the ability to weather a downturn. That said, Liwag remains optimistic going forward. TDG has overcome short thesis after short thesis in the past few years and we do not expect these concerns to repeat, she noted.According to Liwag, TDGs ability to hold on to margins during a global pandemic conveys its operating strength. To this end, her estimate for EBITDA margins is well above the rest of the Streets. The analyst also points out that the company cut its SG&A expense by $89 million year-over-year in fiscal Q3 2020. We assume the company will retain at least half of those savings, with the remainder returning in the form of variable selling expenses, she said.Liwag added, We are positive on TransDigm, particularly as recovery in global air traffic would be favorable for TransDigms core profit maker, the aftermarket. Additionally, we view it positively that TDG has the means to acquire weaker players.Back in April, management raised $1.5 billion of additional debt to trim liquidity risks and provide an extra cushion. A large debt load is part of managements strategy to provide private equity like return for its shareholders. Historically, the company has used debt to acquire businesses with similar attributes to TDGs portfolio of 90% proprietary products and 75% sole sourced. If passenger air traffic continues to normalize, we would expect TDG to use its incremental capital to acquire struggling businesses that fit its strategy, Liwag commented.All of this prompted Liwag to leave her bullish call and $772 price target unchanged. This target conveys her confidence in TDGs ability to climb 48% higher in the next year. (To watch Liwags track record, click here)Looking at the consensus breakdown, 7 Buys and 5 Holds have been published in the last three months. Therefore, TDG gets a Moderate Buy consensus rating. Based on the $500.58 average price target, shares are poised to stay range-bound for now. (See TDG stock analysis on TipRanks)Cemex SAB (CX)Cemex counts itself as one of the leading players in the building materials industry, with the company manufacturing and distributing cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates. As its risk/reward profile has just gotten more positive, now could be the time to snap up shares, so says Morgan Stanley.Covering the stock for Morgan Stanley, analyst Nikolaj Lippmann believes that CXs bullish guidance for the third quarter and FY20, which was significantly ahead of consensus, was the catalyst that builds a bridge to a favorable risk-reward shift. On top of this, the stock is trading at 6.4 2020e EV/EBITDA, which is cheap compared to its historical performance and its peers, according to the analyst.That being said, Lippmann argues CX is mainly a good, strong deleveraging story with a call option on what could be an exceptional U.S. cement market if the U.S. Congress approves an infrastructure package in 2021... If we get a U.S. infrastructure package beyond 2020, it would add icing to the cake, we think, and take the market from good to possibly great.Although a large multi-year package is dependent upon the outcomes of the U.S. presidential and congressional elections, even in the base case, Lippmann expects cement to show pricing power in the U.S.It should be noted that Lippmann thinks its possible the next year will be relatively uneventful, but in that case, he expects the industry to pause at 90% capacity utilization and grow from there. On top of this, pricing in Mexico has been holding up. This limits the downside risk materially and helps skew the risk-reward positively, in Lippmanns opinion.What else is working in CXs favor? The cement demand year-to-date has pleasantly surprised Lippmann, with upside seen during the first stage of the pandemic. He points to DIY and Department of Transportation maintenance work during periods of low traffic, and strong residential construction as the drivers of this demand.Everything that CX has going for it convinced Lippmann to rate the stock an Overweight (i.e. Buy). Along with the call, he attached a $6 price target, suggesting 50% upside potential. (To watch Lippmanns track record, click here)Turning to the rest of the analyst community, opinions are split almost evenly. 6 Buys and 5 Holds add up to a Moderate Buy consensus rating. At $4.16, the average price target implies 4% upside potential. (See Cemex stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
In recent days, the President has accused Democratic nominee Joe Biden of being mentally "shot" and "on drugs," and implied that the 77-year-old will not be fit to serve within a month of taking office -- a crude attack on a rival only three years his elder. His disparagement of Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris has taken an increasingly racist and sexist tone. And during a riotous campaign swing, he claimed Democrats generally want to "lock law-abiding Americans in their homes."
Trump is also escalating false claims that the election will be rigged, claiming that mail-in voting is "unconstitutional" an outright lie. And he's resorting to ever-more inflammatory rhetoric to scare up the votes of White suburbanites: "Does anybody want to have somebody from Antifa as a member, as a resident of your suburb? I don't think so," Trump said Thursday, conjuring a fantasy of picket-fenced suburbs under invasion.
What is he up to? Of course, Trump loves saying outrageous things to get a rise from crowds. But he also needs to win over more voters than the typical 42% or so who think he's doing a great job. And his turn toward the unhinged reveals a huge bet at the center of his reelection bid.
We'll find out in 50 days.
'Now I can be really vicious'
Despite his flame-thrower rhetoric, Trump says it's Democrats who've crossed the line. On the campaign trail this weekend, the President complained that Democrats had been unfair to him by seizing on his reported remarks that US war dead in France were "losers" and "suckers." "Pathetic Joe, he's a pathetic human being to allow that to happen," Trump said at a rally in Nevada Saturday night, concluding: "Now I can be really vicious."
Spot the difference
'The last vestiges of the Flat Earth Society of this generation'
First in line for a jab?
"No, I will not get in the line for a coronavirus vaccine," writes Damien in Paris. "Vaccines take years to research and more years to test. Rushing science is not a good idea. We must learn, as a society that lives increasingly in tight packed cities, to adopt hygenic practices in our daily lives. When and if there is a vaccine, I will wait a few years to see if it seems efficient and harmless."
In Pennsylvania, Kathy seemed to agree: "With virtually EVERYTHING being politicized by Trump who would feel safe taking some half-baked vaccine!? NO WAY!!!!!"
Guy in Belgium said that he would happily volunteer to take it if it would help advance the science. "As I am 67 and fit, I could be a good test person for the study here in Belgium."
We got a conditional yes from Alan in South Africa. "It would depend on the supplier of the vaccine and who endorses it. A vaccine released by Trump -- I would be at the end of the queue. Endorsed by Faucci and/or created, tested and released by other Western nations, I would be at the front of the line," he said.
And Carolyn said she would trust a vetted vaccine -- but would wait for the most exposed members of society to get the jab first.: "I'm a 68-year-old White female Democrat. I think essential workers should be first in line. Then the most vulnerable. Then those over age 65 followed by the young and healthy. Finally at the end of the line all those who are not practicing social distancing or wearing masks. I think that would serve some justice to all those who could have easily helped their fellow man but refused."
In the past 25 weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed 25 years of progress in global vaccine distribution. Immunization coverage, a good barometer for how health systems are functioning, has plummeted to levels last seen in the 1990s, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations fourth annual Goalkeepers Report.
Now, the unequal distribution of vaccines stands to do even more damage as countries with greater financial resources preemptively stockpile limited doses of future COVID-19 vaccines, a move that Northeasterns MOBS Lab determined could cause almost twice as many coronavirus deaths than if vaccines were equally distributed once available.
We believe global collaboration is the most effective way forward. Businesses and governments must understand that the future is not a zero-sum contest in which winners win only when someone else loses. It is a co-operative endeavor in which we all make progress together, said Bill and Melinda Gates in a recent op-ed in the Financial Times.
Matteo Chinazzi is a senior research scientist in Northeasterns Network Science Institute. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation asked a team of researchers at the MOBS Lab, led by Alessandro Vespignani, director of the Network Science Institute and Sternberg Family distinguished university professor of physics, and Matteo Chinazzi, senior research scientist, to estimate the outcomes for two different vaccine scenarios.
In one scenario, approximately 50 high-income countries monopolize the first 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. In the other, doses are distributed everywhere based on each countrys population, not its ability to afford the vaccine.
The models found that 61 percent of deaths could be averted if the vaccine was distributed to all countries proportional to population, while only 33 percent of deaths would be averted if high-income countries got the vaccines first.
Thats quite a difference, says Vespignani. You see immediately that, on the global level, the second scenario is far superior, and not even just for ethical reasons.
To avoid making unpredictable assumptions about the future course of the pandemic in their models, the team of researchers instead examined what would have happened if a vaccine had been available mid-March when the virus started spreading worldwide.
Using this framework, the researchers modeled the evolution of the pandemic based on its previous trajectory and considered interventions adopted by each country concerning travel restrictions and non-pharmaceutical public health policies such as school closures.
Without an actual vaccine, researchers also had to make assumptions about its efficacy. The model considers estimates for 80 and 65% percent efficacy in a single dose two weeks after administration with 3 billion doses administered in total.
But while these models can simulate how vaccine deployment would have panned out this spring, will these same estimates and patterns hold true for vaccine deployment against a potential second wave of COVID-19?
This is only the first step, says Vespignani. There are still lots of unknown factors that go unaccounted for in this model, for example, how many people will be immune in the next months, how efficient will the vaccine actually be, and even if countries have the means to acquire enough doses, will they have the resources and coordination to distribute them?
In any case, decisions about how countries allocate vaccines cant be made based on only one model, Chinazzi says. But for now, the results from the model are clear. When countries cooperate, the number of deaths is cut in half.
For media inquiries, please contact j.hair@northeastern.edu.
Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who has been indicted for fraud, is connected to a ... [+] "whistleblower' claiming that the Covid-19 coronavirus was manufactured in China. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
Being a real scientist would be easy if it werent for this needing evidence stuff, just like being a professional golfer would be simple if it werent for this having to put the ball in the hole thing.
Lack of real scientific evidence has been the big hole in ongoing conspiracy theories that claim that the Covid-19 coronavirus was actually manufactured by China. I covered these conspiracy theories back in March for Forbes, and mentioned how scientists and scientific studies have been debunking these claims and instead pointing to natural origins of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2).
But these days conspiracy theories, like the Covid-19 coronavirus, dont seem to just go away and disappear, regardless of whether there is a herd mentality or whatever. Now, a person named Li-Meng Yan, who was referred to as a whistleblower by Fox News, is claiming that she has the big e word. No, not eggplant Parmesan, but evidence supporting the China-made-the-virus conspiracy theory. But does she really? Who is she? And what might Steve Bannon have to do with all of this?
On Tuesday, Yan appeared the Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight. As you can see in the following video, Carlson introduced Yan as a virologist who says that she has evidence of where this pandemic actually came from:
The trouble is they never quite got to the whats the evidence part of the conversation. During the segment, Yan made various general statements but Carlson didnt really push her to provide verifiable evidence to back her claims.
In fact, some of Yans statements took the conspiracy theory to another level. For example, she claimed that "the scientific world also keeps silent, works together with the Chinese Communist Party, they don't want people to know his truth. That's why I get suspended, I get suppressed, I am the target that Chinese Communist Party wants disappeared."
The entire scientific world works with the Chinese Communist Party? Really? Does the scientific world outside China know that? Was there a memo? Getting scientists to wear tops that match their bottoms or agree on a dinner order can be a challenge, let alone getting every scientist outside China to go along with the Chinese Communist Party. What exactly would be the incentive for a scientist in countries like Japan, Taiwan, the U.S., the U.K., or Germany to follow the Chinese Communist Partys bidding. Again Carlson never challenged Yan on such claims and threw enough softballs to start a league.
On his Fox News show, Tucker Carlson didn't really push the "whistleblower" to produce concrete ... [+] evidence to support her claims. Here Carlson is pictured the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
So who exactly is Yan? Carlson did not delve much into her qualifications, expertise, or experience when introducing her. He called her a virologist but thats far from an official title. A virologist is someone who studies viruses just like someone who studies mac-and-cheese could be considered a mac-and-cheese-ologist. Theres no virologist police that will apprehend you if you call yourself one. The only thing clear is that she is the lead author of a paper that has been posted on Zenodo and is entitled, Unusual Features of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome Suggesting Sophisticated Laboratory Modification Rather Than Natural Evolution and Delineation of Its Probable Synthetic Route. That is a rather long and unusual title for a scientific research paper.
When Carlson said to her I know that youve published some of your research, is posting a paper Zenodo what he meant? Keep in mind that Zenodo is to peer-reviewed scientific journals what the local miniature golf course is to the PGA Tour. Practically anyone can post a paper on Zenodo. All you need is Internet access and, well, all you need is Internet access. Oh, you also have to know how to use an Internet browser and have written something.
Therefore, before calling it evidence, its important to read what the paper actually says. Currently, it actually reads more like an opinion piece than an original research paper. The paper made a number of unsupported claims such as it is noteworthy that scientific journals have clearly censored any dissenting opinions that suggest a non-natural origin of SARS-CoV-2. Clearly censored? In the words of Owen Wilson, wow.
The paper also didnt provide much concrete evidence supporting its claims that the virus was manufactured. Instead, it mentioned some observations and then jumped to conclusions. For example, finding that the genomic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 is similar to that of a bat coronavirus discovered by military laboratories does not in itself mean that the SARS-CoV-2 was bioengineered. Thats a bit like saying, oh you have a torso? So does Harry Styles. You must sing for One Direction.
Ultimately, before this paper can be taken seriously, it needs to go through formal scientific peer-review by reputable virologists, who can further dissect the evidence thats provided. During the peer-review process, reviewers may ask for more information and data to back the papers claims. If the authors cant provide the information, the paper would have about as much credibility as a Tinder profile. You can say that you are really interesting and have moves like Jagger, but ultimately you have to prove that your moves arent more like a vacuum bagger.
Even more interesting is that the four authors of the paper, Li-Meng Yan, Shu Kang, and Jie Guan, and Shanchang Hu, all have the Rule of Law Society and Rule of Law Foundation as their affiliation. That doesnt exactly sound like a virology lab or a scientific research center. Usually a virology lab will have the word virus or some other scientific term in its name.
So what exactly is this society or foundation? Well, if you go to the Rule of Law Society website, youll find a video of the Steve Bannon (as opposed to a Steve Bannon) announcing the formation of the Rules of Law Society and standing next to the founder. Bannon, as you may recall, was a strategist for U.S. President Donald Trump. The society lists as its mission: To expose corruption, obstruction, illegality, brutality, false imprisonment, excessive sentencing, harassment, and inhumanity pervasive in the political, legal, business and financial systems of China. Sounds like the society is not a fan of China.
Bannon hasnt exactly been lovey-dovey towards people of Asian-descent either. His comments about Asians and Asian-Americans have even prompted Maya Kosoff to write an article for The Atlantic entitled, Steve Bannons Racist Comments About Silicon Valley Are Also Wildly Inaccurate. Then there was the article by Frank H Wu, a law professor and President of Queens College, City University of New York, for The Guardian that bore the headline, Peter Thiel and Steve Bannon fuel a new Yellow Peril over Google and China. So it looks like anything about Asia or people of Asian-descent supported by Bannon could have a bit of a COI, which in this case means conflict of interest and not chicken on ice.
As the following tweet showed, scientists on Twitter soon picked up on the Bannon connection:
So why affiliate yourself with a Bannon-supported organization to then try to get evidence about China out there. Again if you have any real scientific evidence that the SARS-CoV2 did not emerge naturally, just submit it to real reputable peer-reviewed scientific journals for publication. If you believe that such scientific journals are censoring any dissenting opinions, then show everyone the rejection letters and the reviewer comments. Scientific journals can be quite competitive with each other, competing for articles and eyeballs. (Not literally, which would be gross, but figuratively.) So if you really do have a bombshell piece of evidence, theres a good chance that youll find at least one scientific journal to publish it.
And Dr. Maragakis noted that any number of factors could confound the data, and it may be that wearing glasses is simply associated with another variable that affects risk for Covid-19. For example, it could be that people who wear glasses tend to be older, and more careful and more likely to stay home during a viral outbreak, than those who do not wear glasses. Or perhaps people who can afford glasses are less likely to contract the virus for other reasons, like having the means to live in less crowded spaces.
Its one study, Dr. Maragakis said. It does have some biological plausibility, given that in health care facilities, we use eye protection, such as face shields or goggles. But what remains to be investigated is whether eye protection in a public setting would add any protection over and above masks and physical distancing. I think its still unclear.
Health care workers wear protective equipment over their eyes to protect them from droplets that can fly from coughs and sneezes, as well as aerosolized particles that form when patients undergo medical procedures, such as intubation. But for the vast majority of people, that extra level of protection probably isnt needed if a person is wearing a mask and keeping physical distance in public spaces. Theres also the possibility of introducing risk by wearing glasses some people might touch their faces more when they put on glasses, rather than less, noted Dr. Maragakis.
That said, more study is needed to see if the trend holds up in other study populations, said Dr. Thomas Steinemann, a spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and professor of ophthalmology at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland.
I think its provocative, and its extremely interesting, Dr. Steinemann said.
But Dr. Steinemann noted that the study shouldnt cause worry among people who dont wear glasses. It probably cant hurt to wear glasses, but does everybody need to do that? Probably not, he said. I think you have to consider the practicality of wearing eye protection or a face shield. People in certain occupations, first responders, caregivers for someone who is ill, those are people who should maybe take special notice.
The findings also raise interesting questions about how often the eyes might be the entry portal for the virus. Its long been established that viruses and other germs can enter the body through facial mucous membranes in the eyes, nose and mouth. But the nose seems to be a main entry point for coronavirus, because it has a high number of receptors that create a friendly environment in which the virus can replicate and move down the respiratory tract.
But doctors are seeing a small percentage of patients with eye symptoms, including conjunctivitis or pink eye, which suggests the virus may also be entering the body through the eyes. Although eye symptoms are less common than other symptoms like cough or fever, various studies have reported that eye complaints can be a sign of Covid-19 infection.
Last month, researchers reported a study of 216 children hospitalized with Covid-19 in Wuhan. Among those patients, 49 children, or nearly 23 percent of the cases, had eye symptoms, including conjunctival discharge, eye rubbing and conjunctival congestion. In addition to pink eye, itchy eyes, excessive tearing, blurred vision and feeling like something is in the eye have all been described by patients with Covid-19.
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Updates on the impact of COVID-19 in the Milwaukee area and around the state of Wisconsin.
BY THE NUMBERS: Tracking coronavirus cases in Wisconsin
FOLLOW THE MONEY: How coronavirus is impacting Wisconsin businessand unemployment
RELATED: Coronavirus cases in U.S. and around the world
UW-Madison on Wednesday said it had learned of one student hospitalized with complications of COVID-19.
Students and employees are not required to tell the university they are hospitalized.
The school alsoreported 47 new cases, including two employees.
On-campus sites reported11 of the positive cases out of 392 tests. The remaining 36 positive cases came from off-campus testing sites.
As of Wednesday morning, 486 students were in isolation or quarantine, in addition to all the residents of Witte and Sellery halls and several fraternityand sorority houses.
The seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin climbed higher than ever Wednesday as the state reported more than 1,400 new cases.
The state Department of Health Services reported 1,408 new cases as well as 10,788 negative tests, for a positivity rate of 11.5%.
Wisconsin also reported eight additional deaths from the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,228.
The numbers Wednesday were on par with results reported Tuesday, and theycame as the state continued to see a surge of new coronavirus cases: DHShas reported more than 1,300 new cases onsix of the last seven days.
The consistently high new daily case counts have led to a rising seven-day new case average since the start of September. On Wednesday the seven-day average was ata new record of1,339.
Read the full story.
Sophie Carson
A student at St. Robert Catholic School in Shorewood, which saw a boost in enrollment this year because of its decision to hold in-person classes, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the school reported on its website.
According to the posting on its COVID-19 dashboard, St. Robert had a single active case involving a child as of Tuesday, and 15 other children had close contact with the child. No other information about the student, grade level oractions the school has taken were provided on the dashboard.
Efforts to reach the principal and communications director were not immediately successful Wednesday.
The site includes a letter from the North Shore Health Department saying students would need to be quarantined and attend school virtually 10 days for the infected child and 14 days for those exposed.
St. Robert added about 50 students this year, most from families in Shorewood, Milwaukee and Whitefish Bay who were looking for in-person instruction after their schools decided to start the school year online or with a hybrid online/in-person model
Annysa Johnson
According to a university release, the University of Wisconsin in Madison has adjusted academic and financial deadlines for families who still might back out of the school year because of COVID-19 concerns.
We understand these are difficult times for students and families as they evaluate rapidly changing circumstances during the pandemic,university registrar Scott Owczarek said int he release. To help reduce some pressure theyre feeling, weve provided some flexibility in the timeline for making important decisions about this semester.
For students negatively impacted by COVID-19 and who choose to completely withdraw from the semester, a full tuition refund will be possible for one additional week, to Friday, Sept. 18, an extra week from the initial Sept. 11 deadline.
Students are encouraged to contact theiracademic deans officeto discuss their situation if they are considering withdrawing or withdrew since Sept. 11.
The deadline for students to drop a fall term course and receive a 50 percent tuition refund on adjusted tuition remains Friday, Sept. 25.
Nearly 90% of University of Wisconsin-Madison students who have tested positive for COVID-19 have exhibited symptoms, according to public health officials.
According to Madison and Dane Countys combined health department, contact tracing has found that 88% of students who test positive have shown some level of illness.
"There are a lot of theories about what COVID-19 is and isn't, but the science and data from these cases on the UW-Madison campus shows most people who get it, get sick," Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said in a statement.
As of Tuesday, 2,160 UW-Madison students have tested positive, according to the local health department. At least 7% of the universitys undergraduate students are positive, the department said.
Patrick Marley
The Tommy Bartlett Show, a water ski showcase that opened in 1952 and has been a fixture in Wisconsin Dells for decades, announced Wednesday that it would be closing permanently, too deeply impacted by losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the Tommy Bartlett Show will not be able to make a comeback in 2021 as we had hoped," said Tom Diehl, the show's co-owner and president, in a statement.
"After 69 years, we are permanently shuttering the business. ... From May through September 6, we experienced a complete loss of revenue when we had to cancel our 2020 summer season on Lake Delton due to the pandemic. Each fall, we begin to plan for the next season, and with so much uncertainty surrounding the future of the pandemic and travel, we cannot undergo additional financial risk and investment to begin planning for summer 2021. While we are grateful that we have had almost seven decades of entertaining visitors in Wisconsin Dells, we have no choice but to close the Show.
The show closed down in May because of pandemic restrictions on large gatherings. The show usually runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day and had plans to return in 2021.
Read the full story from Sarah Hauer.
JR Radcliffe
The Washington-Ozaukee Public Health Department is investigating COVID-19 cases at 16 schools across Washington and Ozaukee counties, according to the department's COVID-19 dashboard.
The department defines a school investigation as one or more positive cases in a school setting that cause the quarantine of close contacts or additional positive cases.
According to the county health department, there are 27 children with active coronavirus cases within the West Bend School District boundaries. Twenty-one of those are between the ages of 15 and 18.
These cases are not necessarily all at public schools; the boundaries include public as well as private, parochial and homeschools.
As of last week, West Bend School District said 37 students and one staff member had been placed in quarantine after having close contact with three people who had tested positive for coronavirus.
The number of active cases within other school district boundaries are:
Read the full story.
Alec Johnson
People ages 18 to 24 largely have driven Wisconsin's recent surge in COVD-19 cases, according to state health officials.
The state on Tuesday reported 1,348 new cases as well as 10 new deaths as officials said young people needed to help stop the spread of the virus to older, more vulnerable people.
"We have outbreaks in younger folks. Now is the time we really need to pay attention to protecting older and vulnerable patients so that the transmission doesn't reach those who are at high risk of severe disease," said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer for the state Department of Health Services.
The state on Tuesday reported 10,918 negative tests as well, for a positivity rate of 11%, down from nearly 20% Monday.
Read the full story.
Sophie Carson
On Tuesday, as they hunkered down for their first full day under quarantine at Marquette University's Schroeder Hall, students took to their windows and posted messages.
"Is this hell?" read one sign made of multicolored Post-it notes.
More like a dose of reality, as Marquette like other colleges and universities around the state and nation deals with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Late Monday night,officials quarantined the Schroederresidence hallfor two weeks after a cluster of coronavirus cases was detected in the facility.
You cant see any friends at all,Sean Bishop said as he left the dorm Tuesday for home. That makes the decision really easy for me.
Read the full story.
Sarah Hauer and Bill Glauber
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After months of complaints about testing delays, New York City officials on Thursday are set to announce that they have opened a lab in Manhattan that should significantly cut down on wait times as the city prepares for its most ambitious period of reopenings, with public school classes and indoor dining scheduled to begin this month.
Rather than depend on the big laboratory companies which have been inundated with demand from across the country as the virus continues to spread, leading to backlogs the new facility will prioritize New York City residents, meaning turnaround times within 24-48 hours, officials said.
Within a few weeks it is expected to be able to process more tests for city residents than any other lab, a rare bright spot for New Yorkers, who since March have experienced numerous woes in trying to get tested for the coronavirus.
It will give us more capacity just in terms of sheer numbers, said Dr. Jay Varma, a City Hall adviser who is playing a leading role in the citys coronavirus response. It will also give us control because this is a laboratory really dedicated to New York City.
New York City has one of the most ambitious coronavirus testing programs in the country, swabbing more than 200,000 people a week, more than 2 percent of all city residents. The new lab, which began processing tests this week, should eventually help significantly expand on that.
The laboratory, on the 12th floor of a building on First Avenue and East 29th Street, is run by Opentrons, a small robotics firm. But New York City has played a significant role in the laboratorys creation, city officials said. For now, the city and its public hospital system are the labs only customer.
At first, the new laboratory, which is being called the Pandemic Response Lab, will handle just a few thousand tests a day, mainly from samples collected at testing sites run by the citys public hospital system, officials with City Hall and Opentrons said.
But the expectation is that the laboratory will eventually be able to test more than 40,000 samples a day, possibly including some from public school students and teachers, depending on the need.
By Wednesday morning, the lab had returned results on the first 712 samples it had been sent, and is currently able to handle about 3,000 samples a day, a number that is expected to rise dramatically over the next week, a spokesman for the lab said.
Public health officials are hopeful that testing will for the first time since the coronavirus arrived in New York City no longer be a scarce resource.
The new laboratory is the latest chapter in the citys long-running efforts to fix a series of problems plaguing testing efforts. The problems go back to February and March, when a series of missteps and disastrous decisions by the federal government meant that few people qualified for a test even when they exhibited clear Covid-19 symptoms as the virus began circulating across New York City and its suburbs.
At first, the federal government had a monopoly over testing, and the city scrambled to develop the ability to test on its own. Early on, the effort was hamstrung by shortages of test kits, chemical reagents and even the swabs used to collect samples.
In the months that followed, the largest national laboratories dramatically increased their testing capacity, and New York City began to rely on them to handle most local testing. But some of these laboratories, like Quest Diagnostics, grew overwhelmed this summer amid worsening outbreaks elsewhere in the country.
That contributed to wait times as long as 2 to 3 weeks for test results in New York. To public health officials, it was clear New York City needed more testing infrastructure that it could control or at least rely on.
Well be getting into the scale of testing capacity that we feel is critical, Dr. Varma said.
The additional capacity could come in handy amid the coming push for students and teachers to get tested as in-class instruction resumes for hundreds of thousands in the public school system. And as flu season begins and colds began circulating in greater numbers, the demand for testing may increase as New Yorkers contend with symptoms that might or might not mean Covid-19.
We knew that we really needed our testing capacity to be at the maximum in the fall, Dr. Varma said.
Opentrons, the robotics company that will run the lab, specializes in automating research laboratories. Jonathan Brennan-Badal, the companys chief executive officer, said three robotic arms will move trays, each containing some 380 samples, between different testing stations.
The laboratory expects to start pooling samples, a method where a number of samples are grouped together and tested as one.
James Patchett, the president of the citys economic development corporation, expressed hope that with pooling the laboratory would be able to eventually test 40,000 to 60,000 samples a day.
The push for the laboratory goes back to early April, at the height of outbreak, when City Hall realized it faced shortages of critical supplies.
Month after month, the citys testing program remained a weak link in its ability to respond to the coronavirus.
The city itself has had limited capacity to process tests. There was the Health Departments own public health laboratory, as well as rapid testing equipment at various city-run sexual health clinics and public hospitals. All told, the city could process about 10,000 tests a day on its own, Jeff Thamkittikasem, the director of the mayors office of operations, said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has spoken of the citys ambition to test 50,000 New Yorkers per day by summers end.
For months now, City Hall and the citys economic development agency have been speaking with lab companies and start-up firms about building more lab capacity devoted to handling tests for New York City.
The new laboratory will rely in part on a process that was developed by genetic researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center, Mr. Brennan-Badal, the chief executive of Opentrons, said. In addition to allowing for high-volume testing, the process also consumes comparatively fewer reagents and other supplies that have been scarce at various points in the pandemic, he said.
The city will pay Opentrons $28 for each test, which Mr. Brennan-Badal said was less than a third of what some other laboratories were charging.
Mr. Thamkittikasem, the mayors operations aide, said that the plan was for the lab to eventually test samples for influenza as well.
PARIS In the early days of the pandemic, President Emmanuel Macron exhorted the French to wage war against the coronavirus. Today, his message is to learn how to live with the virus.
From full-fledged conflict to cold war containment, France and much of the rest of Europe have opted for coexistence as infections keep rising, summer recedes into a risk-filled autumn and the possibility of a second wave haunts the continent.
Having abandoned hopes of eradicating the virus or developing a vaccine within weeks, Europeans have largely gone back to work and school, leading lives as normally as possible amid an enduring pandemic that has already killed nearly 215,000 in Europe.
The approach contrasts sharply to the United States, where restrictions to protect against the virus have been politically divisive and where many regions have pushed ahead with reopening schools, shops and restaurants without having baseline protocols in place. The result has been nearly as many deaths as in Europe, though among a far smaller population.
Europeans, for the most part, are putting to use the hard-won lessons from the pandemics initial phase: the need to wear masks and practice social distancing, the importance of testing and tracing, the critical advantages of reacting nimbly and locally. All of those measures, tightened or loosened as needed, are intended to prevent the kind of national lockdowns that paralyzed the continent and crippled economies early this year.
Its not possible to stop the virus, said Emmanuel Andr, a leading virologist in Belgium and former spokesman for the governments Covid-19 task force. Its about maintaining equilibrium. And we only have a few tools available to do that.
He added, People are tired. They dont want to go to war anymore.
Martial language has given way to more measured assurances.
We are in a living-with-the-virus phase, said Roberto Speranza, the health minister of Italy, the first country in Europe to impose a national lockdown. In an interview with La Stampa newspaper, Mr. Speranza said that though a zero infection rate does not exist, Italy was now far better equipped to handle a surge in infections.
There is not going to be another lockdown, Mr. Speranza said.
Still, risks remain.
New infections have soared in recent weeks, especially in France and in Spain. France recorded more than 10,000 cases on a single day last week. The jump is not surprising since the overall number of tests being performed now about a million a week has increased steadily and is now more than 10 times what it was in the spring.
The death rate of about 30 people a day is a small fraction of what it was at its peak when hundreds and sometimes more than 1,000 died every day in France. That is because those infected now tend to be younger and health officials have learned how to treat Covid-19 better, said William Dab, an epidemiologist and a French former national health director.
The virus is still circulating freely, were controlling poorly the chain of infections, and inevitably high-risk people the elderly, the obese, the diabetic will end up being affected, Mr. Dab said.
In Germany, too, young people are overrepresented among the rising cases of infections.
While the German health authorities are testing over a million people a week, a debate has started over the relevance of infection rates in providing a snapshot of the pandemic.
At the beginning of September, only 5 percent of confirmed cases had to go to the hospital for treatment, according to data from the countrys health authority. During the height of the pandemic in April, as many as 22 percent of those infected ended up in hospital care.
Hendrik Streeck, head of virology at a research hospital in the German city of Bonn, cautioned that the pandemic should not be judged merely by infection numbers, but instead by deaths and hospitalizations.
Weve have reached a phase where the number of infections alone is no longer as meaningful, Mr. Streeck said.
Much of Europe was unprepared for the arrival of the coronavirus, lacking masks, test kits and other basic equipment. Even nations that came out better than others, like Germany, registered far greater death tolls than Asian countries that were much closer to the source of the outbreak in Wuhan, China, but that reacted more quickly.
National lockdowns helped get the pandemic under control across Europe. But infection rates began rising again over the summer after countries opened up and people, especially the young, resumed socializing, often without adhering to social-distancing guidelines.
Even as infections have been rising, Europeans have returned to work and to school this month, creating more opportunity for the virus to spread.
We control infection chains better compared to March or April when we were completely powerless, said Mr. Dab, the former French national health director. Now the challenge for the government is to find a balance between reviving the economy and protecting peoples health.
And its not an easy balance, Mr. Dab added. They want to reassure people so theyll go back to work, but at the same time, we have to make them worried so that theyll keep respecting preventive measures.
Among those measures, masks are now widely available across Europe, and governments, for the most part, agree on the need to wear them. Early this year, faced with shortages, the French government discouraged people from wearing masks, saying they did not protect wearers and could even be harmful.
Wearing a face covering has become part of the lives of Europeans, most of whom last March still regarded with suspicion and incomprehension mask-wearing tourists from Asia, where the practice has been widespread for the past two decades.
Instead of applying national lockdowns with little regard to regional differences, the authorities even in a highly centralized nation like France have begun responding more rapidly to local hot spots with specific measures.
On Monday, for example, Bordeaux officials announced that, faced with a surge in infections, they would limit private gatherings to 10 people, restrict visits to retirement homes and forbid standing at bars.
In Germany, while the new school year has started with mandatory physical classes around the country, the authorities have warned that traditional events, like carnival or Christmas markets, may have to be curtailed or even canceled. Soccer games in the Bundesliga will continue to be played without fans until at least the end of October.
In Britain, where mask wearing is not especially widespread or strictly enforced, the authorities have tightened the rules on family gatherings in Birmingham, where infections have been rising. In Belgium, people are restricted to limiting their social activity to a bubble of six people.
In Italy, the government has sealed off villages, hospitals or even migrant shelters to contain emerging clusters. Antonio Miglietta, an epidemiologist who conducted contact tracing in a quarantined building in Rome in June, said that months of battling the virus had helped officials extinguish outbreaks before they got out of control, the way they did in northern Italy this year.
We got better at it, he said.
Governments still need to get better at other things.
At the peak of the epidemic, France, like many other European nations, was so desperately short of test kits that many sick people were never able to get tested.
Today, though France carries out a million tests a week, the widespread testing has created delays in getting appointments and results up to a week in Paris. People can now get tested regardless of their symptoms or the history of their contacts, and officials have not established priority tests that would speed up results for the people at highest risk to themselves and others.
We could have a more targeted testing policy that would probably be more useful in fighting the virus than what were doing now, Lionel Barrand, president of the Union of Young Medical Biologists, said, adding that the French government should restrict the tests to people with a prescription and engage in targeted screening campaigns to fight the emergence of clusters.
Experts said that French health officials must also greatly improve contact-tracing efforts that proved crucial in reining in the spread of the virus in Asian nations.
After the end of its two-month lockdown in May, Frances social security system put in place a manual contact-tracing system to track infected people and their contacts. But the system, which relies greatly on the skills and experience of human contact tracers, has produced mixed results.
At the start of the campaign, each infected person gave the contact tracer an average of 2.4 other names, most likely family members. The campaign improved steadily as the number of names rose to more than five in July, according to a recent report by the French health authorities.
But since then, the average figure has fallen gradually to less than three contacts per person, while the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases has increased tenfold in the meantime, rising from a seven-day average of about 800 new cases per day in mid-July to an average of some 8,000 per day currently, according to figures compiled by The New York Times.
At the height of the epidemic, most people in France were extremely critical of the governments handling of the epidemic. But polls show that a majority now believe that the government will handle a possible second wave better than the first one.
Jrme Carrire, a police officer who was visiting Paris from his home in Metz, in northern France, said it was a good sign that most people were now wearing masks.
In the beginning, like all French people, we were shocked and worried, Mr. Carrire, 55, said, adding that two older family friends had died of Covid-19. And then, we adjusted and went back to our normal lives.
Reporting was contributed by Constant Mheut and Antonella Francini from Paris, Matt Apuzzo from Brussels, Gaia Pianigiani and Emma Bubola from Rome, and Christopher F. Schuetze from Berlin.
This post will be updated as news about the coronavirus in New Jersey breaks.
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