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As Canada continues to reopen, some grocery stores, salons and other businesses have implemented temperature screening an approach that uses a touchless scanner to measure a persons body temperature in an attempt to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The process was made mandatory for all air travellers in Canada in mid-June. Any passenger who shows a fever on two measurements, taken 10 minutes apart, will be asked to rebook after 14 days.

However, some experts wonder whether the step is effective given a person can shed the COVID-19 virus without having a fever or any change in body temperature. The tool often used to measure temperature has also been shown to be unreliable.

READ MORE: Temperature screening not always reliable to mitigate coronavirus risk, experts say

For those reasons, temperature screening has not been recommended by Canadas chief public health officer Theresa Tam. In fact, she quickly shut down the approach when more businesses began implementing the practice in May.

The more you actually understand this virus, the more you begin to know that temperature-taking is not effective at all, Tam said in a ministerial update that month.

Tam said the likelihood of screening someone who was symptomatic was relatively inefficient in comparison to those who were asymptomatic.

If we have a significant number of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people, that also even reduces the effectiveness even more.

Dr. Susy Hota, the medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control and Medical Device Reprocessing department at the University Health Network in Toronto, agrees.

"There really are a lot of limitations to temperature checks, and I'm not really convinced that they're worth investing in for this purpose," Hota said.

READ MORE: Canada to screen air travellers for fever amid coronavirus pandemic: Trudeau

There are also inaccuracies with the temperature probes used for this purpose, Hota said.

She worries they can give patrons and business owners a "false sense of security."

Temperature screening is typically not an effective way to detect COVID-19 when used on its own, and that's because of the way the virus spreads.

"When we talk about the issue of pre-symptomatic shedding and transmission, we're talking about people who have no symptoms yet so no fever," Hota said.

"Once you've developed the fever, we know what we're dealing with ... but in the pre-symptomatic phase, a temperature check won't help."

Problems can also arise from the touch-less temperature probes currently being used in airports, grocery stores and by other businesses.

"It's a variable that ... isn't infallible," said Dr. Leighanne Parkes, infectious disease specialist and microbiologist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.

"It depends on the instrument that we're using, the ambient temperature, (if) the instrument is calibrated correctly, is the individual coming in from a hot outside or a cold outside?"

All these things come into play when a temperature probe is used, making true measures hard to come by.

READ MORE: You might be wearing your mask, gloves wrong. How to use PPE properly

There are also other reasons a person's body temperature could be elevated that don't have to do with COVID-19.

Medication, certain pre-existing conditions, weather and what you were doing immediately prior to having your temperature checked are all factors that can affect your body temperature, Hota said.

"It is possible that your ambient temperature and what you were doing before ... might register a higher temperature than you really would have otherwise," she said.

However, Parkes believes temperature screening could be helpful when it's "bundled" with other preventative health measures.

"If you have an adequately calibrated machine, you're [testing the person's temperature] indoors using appropriate techniques and ... you're also symptom-screening for things that are not fever, and risk factors including contact, those altogether can pick up some of the most high-risk cases," Parkes said.

Temperature screening should be considered just one layer in a "pyramid of prevention," she said.

"It's not a replacement for the other means that we have in place, such as social distancing, masking in public spaces, adequate ventilation, adequate environmental cleaning ... all those things combined."

Although temperature screening may not accurately detect COVID-19, it's still within the rights of a business to deny you service on the grounds of a high temperature.

This is because employers and employees have the right to a safe working environment.

"You can't be denied entry on grounds of race or religion ... because that's discrimination, but if your temperature is above some arbitrary scale, then you can be denied entry," said Bernard Dickens, professor emeritus of health law and policy in the faculty of law, faculty of medicine and Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto.

READ MORE:Planes, salons and grocery stores: Companies that require masks in Canada

"It's a security ground ... to protect the staff who work in the facility. They have a right to a safe working environment, and the store is responsible for the safety of its employees."

Basically, any business can make conditions for who they serve as long as they don't discriminate [and they're not] in violation of the human rights code.

For this reason, you can refuse to take a temperature test, but the store can refuse your entry upon doing so.

"You have no right to go into the store ... because the store can set reasonable conditions [for protection]," Dickens said.

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

In situations where you can't keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

With files from Global News' Emerald Bensadoun

Meghan.Collie@globalnews.ca

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Can I refuse a temperature check? What to know about the COVID-19 screening tool - MSN Canada

Researchers are still uncovering the different ways that COVID-19 can affect the body.

Now, a new study out of the United Kingdom has found that COVID-19s neurological complications can include delirium, brain inflammation, stroke, and nerve damage.

A rare and sometimes fatal inflammatory neurological condition also appears to be increasing in prevalence due to the pandemic, according to a new study by British scientists.

The study, which appears this week in the journal Brain, was led by researchers from University College London and University College London Hospital.

In particular, researchers found a spike in adults with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a rare condition typically seen in children and that can be triggered by viral infection, during the study period. The researchers typically see one adult patient with this condition each month.

During that study period, however, they saw an average of one adult per week with ADEM.

For this study, researchers retrospectively reviewed the clinical, radiological, laboratory and neuropathological findings of 43 people ranging in age from 16 to 85 who had either confirmed or suspected COVID-19. The patients were treated at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. In all, there were 24 males and 19 females. Twenty-nine of these patients were defined as definite COVID-19, eight were probable and six were possible. The severity of the COVID-19 symptoms varied from mild to critical.

The researchers identified 10 cases of transient encephalopathies, or temporary brain dysfunction with delirium. There were also 12 cases of brain inflammation, 8 cases of strokes, and 8 others with nerve damage.

The researchers found evidence that the brain inflammation was likely caused by an immune response to the disease. The researchers say this suggests that some neurological complications of COVID-19 might come from the immune response rather than the virus itself.

Researchers say this new study confirms previously reported findings of a higher than expected number of stroke patients conditions that were triggered by the excessive stickiness of the blood in COVID-19 patients.

Still they say that because the disease has only been around for a few months, the long-term damage of COVID-19 remains unclear.

Additionally, experts are not certain exactly why the virus increases the risk of these neurological challenges.

Possibilities include direct effects of the virus, the bodys own immune or inflammatory response, the effects of hypoxia (low body oxygen levels), changes to blood vessels, changes in the coagulability (stickiness) of the blood, the effects of severe illness (including prolonged ICU stay in some patients), or a combination of these factors, Dr. Rachel Brown, a clinical research fellow at University College London and a joint first author of the paper, said by email.

We saw neurological effects of COVID-19 in adult patients of all ages, genders, and ethnicities, and in patients both with or without underlying health conditions and with both mild and severe COVID-19 infection. As a retrospective cohort study, we cannot at this stage say why these particular patients were affected but this should be a focus of future study.

Brown added that while researchers cannot give a definite estimate of the numbers affected, neurological complications of COVID-19 are likely to be rare.

We are probably reporting on the more severe end of the spectrum in this respect, she said. For patients who have been affected by neurological complications however, the effects can be life changing and should not be downplayed. As ever, we need to consider COVID-19 seriously, and continue to follow public health advice to limit the spread of the virus and the number of people affected.

Dr. Serena Spudich, a professor of neurology at the Yale School of Medicine, called the study a very valuable collection of descriptions by a group of world-class neurological experts, all putting their heads together to try to draw cohesive conclusions from a disparate group of patients. It represents the best, most thoughtful sort of clinical case series.

Still, Dr. Guilherme Dabus, an interventional neuroradiologist at the Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute and Baptist Neuroscience Institute, said the study demonstrates that we are yet to have a good understanding of why some patients may develop neurological syndromes and why there are so many different types of neurological manifestations among those who do.

He noted that this emphasizes the need for the medical community to be aware of possible neurological syndromes that may affect COVID-19 patients, so they are attentive to the signs and symptoms.

Some of these neurological manifestations such as stroke are time sensitive, and a prompt suspicion and diagnosis may be the difference between life and death, he said.

Added Dr. George Teitelbaum, an interventional neuroradiologist and director of the Stroke & Aneurysm Center at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, California, the study shows that COVID-19 is turning out to be a very virulent virus that has a variety of presentations.

Its turning out to be a more complex virus than we thought it was, he said.

He added that one of the lessons of this study is a reminder about the need to follow basic preventative guidelines such as the use of face masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing.

Those are things that are highly effective at reducing the spread, he said. This is not a political issue; its a public health issue. For some people, it is a life and death issue, particularly if they are older and have underlying conditions. This is not rocket science.

Read more:
COVID-19 Linked to Major Neurological Conditions Including Stroke - Healthline

INDIANAPOLIS Dr. Herman G. Morgan, the 33-year-old secretary of the Indianapolis Board of Health, presented the situation in simple terms.

In November 1918, Indianapolis and the rest of the world were in the grips of the worst influenza pandemic in history. Less than two months had passed since the city's newspapers reported the first cases among soldiers stationed at the Indiana School for the Deaf and Fort Benjamin Harrison.

Morgan's Board of Health issued sweeping orders in early October 1918, similar to those the city imposed in March and April 2020 in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schools and churches closed. Businesses and theaters shut down. Public meetings were banned. Streets emptied.

Newspapers.com

By November, Indianapolis began reopening and its citizens gathered in celebration of victory in World War I, leading to another rise in cases, according to Bill Beck, a current member of the Marion County Historical Society's board of directors.

"Flu cases had spiked late the week before in the wake of the Armistice celebrations on Monday, Nov. 11, and the Board of Health reacted by trying to get ahead of the curve," Beck said.

Morgan determined it was time for citizens to wear masks in public or risk the city shutting down for a second time.

"The board of health has placed on the individual and, to a larger extent, his employer, the matter decided of whether business shall continue in Indianapolis," Morgan said in the Indianapolis Star on Nov. 20, two days after the mask requirement was announced. "If there is a tendency on the part of the public to disregard the health regulation, the only resort is to close up all business houses and public gathering places."

No ordinary flu

The H1N1 flu, also known as the Spanish Flu and La Grippe, was both rapid and violent.

Fueled by soldiers moving around the globe at the end of World War I, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the flu infected one-third of the world's population and killed at least 50 million people worldwide, including 675,000 Americans.

The author John H. Barry wrote in his book "The Great Influenza" the first confirmed cases appeared on March 4, 1918, at Fort Riley, Kansas. It finally subsided in the summer of 1919 after arriving in three waves. The second wave in the fall of 1918 was the most severe.

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In his book, Barry described the swiftness with which the virus struck its victims and the horrifying symptoms many experienced.

"Symptoms were terrifying," Barry wrote. "Blood poured from the noses, ears, eye sockets; some victims lay in agony; delirium took others away while living."

The Indianapolis Star reported on Nov. 24 that 3,266 Hoosiers died statewide from the flu in October, and 3,020 children became orphans. The illness struck the youngest and strongest adults the hardest.

"More than 53 percent of the 3,266 persons who died of influenza-pneumonia in Indiana during October were between the ages of 20 and 40 years," the Star reported.

Beck said his grandfather was a mortician in Indianapolis during the pandemic.

My dad remembered never seeing his father that whole fall because he was so busy burying people," Beck said. This thing was so lethal that people would basically come down with it one morning and be dead the next morning."

'But we gotta do it'

With cases rising, on Nov. 18, the Indianapolis Board of Health announced an order requiring face masks, along with the closure of all schools.

In that evening's edition of The Indianapolis News, Morgan said masks "should be made of cheese cloth, surgeon's gauze or other porous material." The News reported the board considered re-closing the city, but first wanted to attempt the mask order.

"The board said the order requiring the wearing of masks was adopted in the hope that thereby the necessity for a renewal of the general closing order would be avoided," the News reported. "It is up to the business men and the managers of business houses, theaters, poolrooms, barber shops and all other public places to see to it that persons without masks are barred. Places which violate this ruling will be closed."

Newspapers.com

In a Nov. 20 piece headlined, "All Dressed Up Like a Horse, With a Goshawful Nosebag--but We Gotta Do It," Indianapolis Star columnist Mary E. Bostwick described the scene in offices and streets as people acclimated themselves to wearing face masks.

"On the street, the masks were seen yesterday at intervals, although not frequently enough to keep the unmasked citizens from snickering at their brethren who were going around with their faces all under cover," Bostwick wrote. "But the mask wearers did not care. No one could tell who they were anyway."

While she found some humor and ridiculousness in the situation, in the end, Bostwick concluded the mask order was necessary.

"Whether we want to or not, we positively must not go anyplace indoors with our faces undressed," she wrote. "And if we get to chortling raucously at somebody so adorned, remember we look just as funny ourselves."

Newspapers.com

Still, same as today, there were those who fought against the mask order.

While the penalty for violating Marion County's order that is scheduled to go into effect Thursday is a fine of up to $1,000, the city treated "mask slackers" harshly in 1918. On Nov. 22, The Indianapolis Star reported three men were arrested in a hotel lobby after they refused to wear masks.

"They were released at the City Prison on their own recognizance," according to the Star.

As objections to wearing masks continued, Morgan spoke about the importance of following the order. In the Star on Nov. 24, he pleaded with citizens to wear masks in order to prevent the city from being shut down for a second time.

He emphasized the wearing of masks "is not a pet whim of any member of the health department" and that "the cooperation of the majority of people is absolutely necessary to make any preventative measure a success."

In full, Morgan said:

This was not for the purpose of causing an inconvenience to the public, as some conscientious objectors have stated, but to prevent infection from being transferred from one individual to another. The wearing of gauze masks is not a pet whim of any member of the health department. This method of preventing cross infection has been successfully used in a number of cities and has been used by surgeons for years to prevent droplet infection from reaching the field of operation. The mask has been adopted by military hospitals in both the general and infectious wards. Medical literature is full of data which proves conclusively the efficiency of this method.

When a community is confronted with a serious epidemic, the cooperation of the majority of the people is absolutely necessary to make any preventative measure a success. This is not a time for destructive criticism, petty jealousies or all-time 'knockers,' but an occasion for every individual to aid in the enforcement of the preventative measure to end that disease and death may be reduced to a minimum.

A turn for the better

At the beginning of the following week, however, Morgan was pleased with the results of the city's mask campaign. He urged caution, but with infection rates decreasing, on Nov. 25, the Board of Health rescinded the city's mask order. Schools remained closed until Dec. 2.

"This measure enabled the board to bridge over a very alarming influenza situation and to reduce the chances of cross-infection," Morgan said in The Indianapolis News on Nov. 25.

Morgan, who led the Indianapolis Board of Health for 33 years until his death in 1946, added that the wearing of masks allowed the city to continue business and retain at least a semblance of normalcy.

"It prevented a large number of persons from being deprived of employment, a situation that would have developed if a closing ban on all forms of business had been established," he said. "While the mask recommendation was met with some opposition, the spirit of cooperation in the beginning was all that could have been expected and enabled the board to cut short the present epidemic."

Newspapers.com

By the time flu pandemic passed, Indianapolis had a rate of 290 deaths per 100,000 people, one of the lowest among U.S. cities, according to the "Influenza Encyclopedia," produced by the University of Michigan Center for the History of Medicine and Michigan Publishing.

Bill Beck, of the Marion County Historical Society, said he and Dr. William McNiece, the Historical Society's president, estimate 950 people in Indianapolis died from the flu in October, November and December 1918.

I get the impression that both the state board of health and the county board of public health were very proactive," Beck said.

Being proactive will be a necessity in the days, weeks and months ahead in the current battle against COVID-19, which has killed at least 132,000 Americans, including more than 2,500 Hoosiers.

"This pandemic has not gone away," current Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said last week while announcing a face mask mandate. "And across the country, we are seeing examples of what can happen when a city lets its guard down."

If there is a singular lesson we can apply from Morgan's campaign against the influenza pandemic of 1918 to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, it is that the path toward defeating a virus leads only through cooperation and collective will.

This virus obeys the laws of physics. It obeys the laws of chemistry. It obeys the laws of biology," Beck said. "It couldn't care less about anything else. You have to just keep your focus on the virus. You don't focus on anything else, you focus on the virus.

The Indiana Medical History Museum will host a virtual presentation featuring Bill Beck and Dr. William McNiese titled "The 1918 Pandemic: Indianapolis Confronts the 1918 Spanish Influenza" at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 12.

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In 1918, Indianapolis required masks during the fight against 'The Great Influenza' - WRTV Indianapolis

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) should soon get results from clinical trials it is conducting of drugs that might be effective in treating COVID-19 patients, its Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attend a news conference organized by Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland July 3, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via REUTERS

Nearly 5,500 patients in 39 countries have so far been recruited into the Solidarity trial, he told a news briefing, referring to clinical studies the U.N. agency is conducting.

We expect interim results within the next two weeks.

The Solidarity Trial started out in five parts looking at possible treatment approaches to COVID-19: standard care; remdesivir; the anti-malaria drug touted by U.S. President Donald Trump, hydroxychloroquine; the HIV drugs lopinavir/ritonavir; and lopanivir/ritonavir combined with interferon.

Earlier this month, it stopped the arm testing hydroxychloroquine, after studies indicated it showed no benefit in those who have the disease, but more work is still needed to see whether it may be effective as a preventative medicine.

Mike Ryan, head of the WHOs emergencies programme, said it would be unwise to predict when a vaccine could be ready against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has killed more than half a million people.

While a vaccine candidate might show its effectiveness by years end, the question was how soon it could be mass produced, he told the U.N. journalists association ACANU in Geneva.

There is no proven vaccine against the disease now, while 18 potential candidates are being tested on humans.

WHO officials defended their response to the virus that emerged in China last year, saying they had been driven by the science as it developed. Ryan said what he regretted was that global supply chains had broken, depriving medical staff of protective equipment.

I regret that there wasnt fair, accessible access to COVID tools. I regret that some countries had more than others, and I regret that front-line workers died because of (that), he said.

He urged countries to get on with identifying new clusters of cases, tracking down infected people and isolating them to help break the transmission chain.

People who sit around coffee tables and speculate and talk (about transmission) dont achieve anything. People who go after the virus achieve things, he said.

Editing by Michael Shields and Andrew Cawthorne

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WHO sees first results from COVID drug trials within two weeks - Reuters

With the number of people affected by autoimmune diseases on the rise, Executive Medicine of Texas is dedicated to help. Their new Autoimmune Concierge Program is aimed at diagnosing and treating patient who may have begun to lose hope.

SOUTHLAKE, Texas (PRWEB) July 07, 2020

The National Institutes of Health reports that as much as 7% of the American population is suffering from some sort of autoimmune disease, equal to about 23.5 million Americans. They also report that the prevalence of such diseases continues to rise.

Executive Medicine of Texas, a company that's renowned for their half-day executive physicals and all-inclusive concierge packages, knows first-hand how much damage an untreated autoimmune condition can do. "Autoimmune diseases are notorious for causing chronic inflammation. We know that this inflammation can lead to heart disease, cancer, and a number of other serious health complications," says Walter Gaman, MD. "That's why we have to get these patients diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.

Dr. Gaman, one of the founders of the practice, knows first hand how complicated these conditions can be, as he has dealt with his own diagnosis of celiac disease for almost two decades. "I was diagnosed long before patients were being screened so regularly for the disease. Sometimes we study conditions because we want to, and sometimes it's because we have to. Mine started as the latter, but now I study and treat autoimmune disease because I know I can make a difference in the lives of these patients."

Lyme disease, another common autoimmune condition, accounts for much of the rise in this category of illness. The Center for Disease Control reported that there are approximately 329,000 new cases per year in the United States. Mark Anderson, MD said, "When our CEO came down with neuro lyme disease a few years back, it certainly got our attention. Subsequently, we began to see more patients with lyme-like symptoms, many of which tested positive. While not all have long term affects from this disease, many do. That's why proper management is so important."

Celiac and lyme disease are not the only illnesses that fall into this category, there are over 80 conditions that belong to the autoimmune family. Since symptoms can be wide-spread and often mimic other conditions, patients are often misdiagnosed prior to finding the correct diagnosis and form of treatment.

The Autoimmune Concierge Program at Executive Medicine starts with a half-day exam with over one hundred different lab values, some of which are specific for these types of conditions. Because autoimmune disease can cause a host of other health problems, the patients are also screened for cardiac and autonomic nervous system abnormalities. "The goal," Dr. Gaman says, "is to listen to the patient, gather all the right information through extensive testing, and then develop a plan to help them live a healthier and longer life. Part of that plan will be to significantly reduce inflammation and repairing damage when possible."

About:Executive Medicine of Texas is a luxury medical practice that focuses on preventative and proactive medicine. Their clients come from all over the globe and include individuals, as well as many corporate clients. Located in Southlake, Texas, half-way between Dallas and Fort Worth, many patients fly in to DFW airport or one of the many private airports within the area. You can obtain a FREE copy of their award-winning book Age to Perfection: How to Thrive to 100, Happy, Healthy, and Wise by clicking HERE.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/executive_medicine_of_texas_announces_new_autoimmune_disease_program/prweb17240078.htm

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Executive Medicine of Texas Announces New Autoimmune Disease Program - Benzinga

Omar P. Haqqani, for the Daily News

Dr. Haqqani: Eliminating disparity in health care

The medical community should make every effort to eliminate the impact of racism in health care. Although the disparities are being brought to light by the current pandemic, the problem has been acknowledged in the past. Now is the time for health care professionals to aggressively seek to reverse the impact of negative attitudes and practices that have long been in place.

Causes and effects of racism in health care

There is an alarmingly high national rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths within the minority community, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is 4.5% higher for African Americans than that of the non-minority population. It also rises for Hispanic or Latino individuals and Native Americans.

Aside from the increases brought to light by the coronavirus, the disparity in general good health can be seen across the board in every medical arena. The higher rates of diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other conditions among minorities have contributed not only to higher coronavirus consequences, but to cardiovascular issues, kidney failure and other dangerous circumstances.

In a report published in the archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine in 2019, unequal access to medical care for minorities is a major factor in fostering health inequities. Other factors in maintaining or widening the gap include a lack of childhood development, a higher rate of poverty, and income inequality between minority workers and non-minority workers. Housing and other social and economic factors are also important in the health care disparity discussion. While they may not all seem related specifically to medical care, they result in inadequate circumstances for minorities.

Lack of preventative care

The economic disadvantages more frequently faced by minorities in childhood and adulthood lead to less consistent medical care. Infrequent checkups and less education about signs of disease increase the odds of major health difficulties. According to the NIH/NLM report, only 3% of all health care money in the United States is spent on preventative care. Many dangerous medical conditions, including cardiovascular issues, are preventable, or at least more controllable when warning signs are detected.

The economic factors of racism decrease the probability of prevention. Because wages are lower, doctor visits are infrequent. Many low paying jobs do not include health benefits. Workers may also resist relinquishing a day's pay to go to a doctor's office for a checkup, as well.

Availability and procedural disparities

The there is also a fracture quality of health care for minorities once a diagnosis is made and treatment is prescribed. The impact of this is obvious in all age groups. Infant mortality rates are higher and life expectancy is shorter in minority communities. In one example of specific treatment recommendations, the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology cites a study that revealed that 35% fewer minority patients who were eligible for kidney transplants received them, versus the non-minority eligible patients.

Steps the medical community must take

Addressing social risk factors among minorities, diversifying the health care work force, improving the availability of health care and providing more avenues to primary care are among the strategies that can help.

There are programs in place that provide outreach into minority and underprivileged communities to provide better health care. Medical institutions should encourage their doctors and nurses to participate in programs that deal with childhood intervention, senior care and assistance to the disabled.

The American Medical Association has acknowledged that bias exists within health systems and peripheral institutions that contribute to the disparities. Health professionals and institutions are being urged to examine and correct it.

Ask Dr. Haqqani

If you have questions about your cardiovascular health, including heart, blood pressure, stroke lifestyle and other issues, we want to answer them. Please submit your questions to Dr. Haqqani by e-mail at questions@vascularhealthclinics.org.

Dr. Omar P. Haqqani is the chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Vascular Health Clinics in Midland: http://www.vascularhealthclinics.org

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Dr. Haqqani: Eliminating disparity in health care - Midland Daily News

As record breaking numbers continue in Georgia, health officials weigh in on what it means.

ATLANTA It was another record-breaking day for new COVID-19 cases in Georgia. Wednesday, the Department of Public Health reported 2,946 new cases.

The number of current COVID-19-related hospital patients now stands at 1,570, as shown in the graphic below. Thats not the highest number of active patients weve had in this pandemic, but it is the largest since Georgia Emergency Management started providing the data on May first.

I think were seeing a diagnosis made earlier in the course of disease than we did in March or April, and thats because of increased access to testing, said Dr. Danny Branstetter, who serves as the Medical Director of Wellstars Infection Prevention.

Wellstar Kennestone sits in Health District N, which, according to Georgia Emergency Management, is already using 89 percent of its ICU beds between COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Im really concerned about what the next week holds as far as the demand on our ICU level care," Branstetter said.

The line on the chart above indicates the number of active COVID-19 patients since May.

Branstetter said hospitals are ready for it and have room to care for patients, despite how that GEMA data might sound.

We probably operate on a normal basis, without COVID, at a little bit higher than that at capacity. So, those numbers are not too concerning, Branstetter added. "If anything, it says, 'yes, weve got room to take care of people.' And remember, that number does not include our surge capacity planning."

What is making Branstetter concerned, is the unnecessary risk too many are taking by not wearing masks or social distancing.

All of these infections are preventable if we just continue to push on and persist. I know everyones got COVID fatigue. I have COVID fatigue. Its important though we get up every day and realize we still have to do our part. We still have to get up and do all those things we really dont enjoy," Branstetter said.

Hes especially concerned about the rise in cases among 18 to 29 year olds. They now account for 22 percent of the state's positive cases, as shown in the graphic below.

Thats concerning a little bit because theyre the most mobile members of society, so theyre likely to bring it places, Branstetter explained. The one thing I want that age group particularly to know, theyre not immune to the complications of COVID infections.

Thats because young adults tend to visit doctors less for preventative medicine, so they dont know if they have any of the underlying factors that increase risk. He said now that theyre coming in, doctors are seeing an increase in high blood pressure and diabetes diagnosis.

Piedmont Health System shared a chart with us, based on internal surveys regarding patient care. It seems people were just starting to feel comfortable with the idea of going back to the hospital for treatment of chronic illnesses and elective surgeries until mid-June.

Despite a dip in confidence, both Piedmont and Wellstar say theyre well-equipped to handle patients of any kind and urged those in need of care not to wait.

Dont delay. Were very prepared to separate those with COVID infection or potential infection from everyone else, so its very safe to come to receive your health care," Branstetter said.

11Alive is focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. We want to keep you informed about the latest developments while ensuring that we deliver confirmed, factual information.

We will track the most important coronavirus elements relating to Georgiaon this page.Refresh often for new information.

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Here's what is - and isn't -concerning to health experts watching coronavirus in Georgia - 11Alive.com WXIA

GLOBAL

However, such mobile phone apps have raised data privacy and bioethical issues around their use in public health.

Public health relies on good quality surveillance, noted Angus Dawson, professor of bioethics and director of Sydney Health Ethics at the University of Sydney, Australia.

However, contact tracing can generate all kinds of ethical problems, he said, speaking at a June webinar organised by the bioethics group of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Global Health Program, noting that it raises issues of privacy, informed consent and confidentially.

One of the concerns is what actually is the data being collected, said Dawson. How much of it is identifiable data in relation to particular individuals?

It is not just a technical issue but a medical one too, he said, adding that every intervention in the COVID area has to involve ethical considerations whether we are talking about distribution of protective equipment, ICU beds, or hopefully in the future when we might have some vaccines.

Apps in use in the region include the Alipay Health Code app in China, which codes people as green or red depending on their health status and requires identity card details as well as full face scans.

Hong Kong has the StayHomeSafe app combined with a wristband linked with the app. Developed by Gary Chan, a professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the app maps a unique footprint of a persons locality. Stepping out beyond certain perimeters triggers an alert. Taiwans Intelligent Electronic Fences System app uses different measures, but with similar functionality.

New Zealands NZ COVID Tracer app is based on a digital diary of places visited by individuals by scanning the official QR codes, which can alert and be shared with contact tracers.

Singapores TraceTogether app, developed by the Government Technology Agency together with the Ministry of Health, exchanges short-distance Bluetooth signals between mobile phones to detect other TraceTogether users in close proximity. The data is shared once the individual is contacted by contact tracers. The Singaporean app has also been adopted in Japan and Australia.

Some of the apps have supplementary functions where individuals can input symptoms to create an alert.

What happens to the data?

Calvin Ho, associate professor in the faculty of law at the University of Hong Kong researching health and biomedical technologies, said international health regulations drawn up by the World Health Organization (WHO) put a lot of emphasis on technological surveillance as well as rapid technological advances, but it did not quite anticipate the developments that have arisen from this particular [coronavirus] outbreak.

In many of the countries and cities where mobile phone use is high, such apps have been very effective in controlling the rate of infections many of the cities did not have to introduce a complete lockdown, Ho said during the webinar.

However, privacy is a huge question. We do not yet know what is going to happen to the data, Ho said. There needs to be public discussion on what principles of data protection have to be observed.

For the public to be willing to take part, trust and transparency is crucial, he added.

In the midst of an outbreak, as we have seen in South Korea, for example, people are very conscious about social responsibility. Theres a very strong societal and peer emphasis so people tend not to invoke their right [to privacy] straight away. That seems to be the phenomena right across East Asia, he said. But also in Australia and New Zealand, people were extremely cooperative.

In Western Europe and the United States, people have been more vocal on privacy issues.

Privacy has not been highlighted as a huge issue across Asia, particularly in the initial stages, Ho said. But it does not mean these concerns are not there. Individuals remain concerned about whats going to be used out of all the data thats been collected about them. Its very vivid in their minds.

Involvement of tech giants

Ho described the use of such mobile technologies as a form of mass surveillance. Some ethical principles are not always followed with surveillance, he noted.

The WHO Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Public Health Surveillance, published in 2017, state: Those responsible for surveillance should identify, evaluate, minimise and disclose risks for harm before surveillance is conducted. Monitoring for harm should be continuous, and, when any is identified, appropriate action should be taken to mitigate it.

Ho, who helped draft the WHO guidelines, noted that they were drawn up with governments and public health systems in mind, rather than corporations or NGOs.

Ho pointed to the involvement of technology giants such as Google and Apple in developing some of the apps in use during the pandemic, which raises questions of whether we are further empowering very powerful industry players with control over public health measures, and added that it is unclear what such companies will do with the data.

Technically, the data will be owned by these commercial developers. With other contact-tracing apps there should be an agreement with the public at the authority and then the data belongs to the public health authority, Ho told University World News.

Ho added that if such companies are not carefully monitored, then ultimately it does mean that these huge commercial entities could potentially exploit public health systems and potentially vulnerable individuals, essentially for political gains or some kind of influence over government.

Balance of public health and privacy

Dawson, who is also one of the drafters of the WHO guidelines, said COVID needs to be thought about as a global ethical issue, and not just a concern to an individual.

Issues of data ethics and the balance of personal privacy often come down to the advantages we might have through having that data, Dawson said. Public health systems can have very good reasons to try to understand what the levels of infection are in different regions and cities across the world and then use that to plan how they are going to respond.

He noted that with some of the recent contact-tracing apps, some of that data is identifiable and some is not.

We should not just think public good versus privacy. There are ways to try to think about how they are both important and we can put protections in place, for example putting coding attached to individual level data to make sure individuals cant be identified, Dawson said.

Research ethics

Bioethical principles used in conducting medical research can be useful in guiding use and data issues surrounding such apps.

This kind of surveillance is very similar to research in many ways, said Ho. It can involve similar methodologies and activities. These can include systematic investigation, medical record review and data mining.

Both involve human subjects and both can raise similar ethical issues, including exposure of subjects to risk, standards of care and questions about informed consent. However, Ho pointed out: Informed consent is a basic tenet of research ethics, but it is often not sought in the context of surveillance.

Biomedical research has strong regulations in place and systems overseen by ethical committees in universities, hospitals and research institutions.

There is less institutional oversight for surveillance, which means app-based surveillance, data and research derived from it may not undergo ethics committee reviews, Ho said.

With academics and researchers well trained and experienced with research ethics, they can contribute to improving bioethical aspects of surveillance, Ho said, adding that university input into issues of data governance, accountability and transparency measures were likely in the wake of the pandemic.

Mellissa Withers, associate professor at the department of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California in the US and director of the APRU Global Health Program, said the bioethics group within the APRU programme would continue to look at such issues to inform policy-makers.

A lot of the experts are involved in research ethics committees, and they are very active in reviewing the ethics of human subject research in their own universities, but more needs to be done across universities and, in particular, there is a real need for sharing and doing training in low- and middle-income countries, she noted.

There was a lot of interest from [those in] the Philippines and Indonesia attending the webinar which shows they really want some guidelines and recommendations on bioethics. They are interested in building capacity around these areas and learning whats going on in the field.

Structured regulation needs to be in place or at least these ethical issues need to be considered because there is the opportunity for [data] misuse by governments, Withers told University World News.

We need more standardised policies that can be implemented across countries because it wont go away even after COVID-19. The amount of data collected for public health purposes is growing exponentially every year.

More here:
COVID-19 apps Are there enough ethical safeguards? - University World News

Editors note: The Salt Lake Tribune is providing free access to critical stories about the coronavirus. Sign up for our Top Stories newsletter, sent to your inbox every weekday morning. To support journalism like this, please donate or become a subscriber.

The state recorded another 499 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Utah Department of Health announced Wednesday with one more Utahn dying from the disease.

A Salt Lake County man, between ages 65 and 84 and in a hospital, was the latest person in Utah to die from COVID-19, UDOH reported. His death brings the states toll due to the coronavirus to 173 people.

Another 32 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the state report. There were 194 people hospitalized in Utah as of Tuesday (hospitalization figures are a day behind case counts), and there have been 1,476 Utahns hospitalized with COVID-19 since the first cases were reported in March.

Wednesdays new cases bring the states total number of cases to 22,716. Of those, 12,707 are considered recovered meaning, by the states definition, its been three weeks since they were diagnosed and theyre still alive.

Another 2,605 tests were administered Wednesday, bringing the total number of Utahns tested to 343,358. The rate of positive tests for the last seven days is 11.8%, and its at 6.6% since the first cases were reported in March.

The state has averaged 561.7 cases per day in the last week. Thats well above the 200-cases-per-day average the states epidemiologist, Dr. Angela Dunn, said in an internal memo last month would be necessary by July 1 for the state to avoid a complete shutdown of the states economy.

Also Wednesday, researchers at the University of Utah announced the latest results from the Utah HERO study, measuring the spread of COVID-19 in Utah.

Counting nearly 9,000 residents in Davis, Salt Lake, Summit and Utah counties, the studys first phase found about 1% tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies. The results match the preliminarily findings, announced Friday in a webinar.

Antibody tests are a lagging indicator, showing more of where the virus has been than where its going, said Dr. Stephen Alder, the Utah HERO studys director of field operations and a professor in the U.s Department of Family and Preventative Medicine.

Were looking a few weeks in the past, when were looking at antibodies, Alder said. Its a good historical marker.

The second wave of the study will expand past the four counties measured in the first phase, into hot spots of viral activity that were going to go into and understand those areas better, Alder said.

Originally posted here:
Utah tallies another 499 cases of COVID-19, and one more death - Salt Lake Tribune

By: Reuters | Geneva, London | Published: July 4, 2020 6:39:32 am There is no proven vaccine against the disease now, while 18 potential candidates are being tested on humans.

The World Health Organization (WHO) should soon get results from clinical trials it is conducting of drugs that might be effective in treating COVID-19 patients, its Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.

Nearly 5,500 patients in 39 countries have so far been recruited into the Solidarity trial, he told a news briefing, referring to clinical studies the U.N. agency is conducting.We expect interim results within the next two weeks.

The Solidarity Trial started out in five parts looking at possible treatment approaches to COVID-19: standard care; remdesivir; the anti-malaria drug touted by U.S. President Donald Trump, hydroxychloroquine; the HIV drugs lopinavir/ritonavir; and lopanivir/ritonavir combined with interferon.

Earlier this month, it stopped the arm testing hydroxychloroquine, after studies indicated it showed no benefit in those who have the disease, but more work is still needed to see whether it may be effective as a preventative medicine.

Mike Ryan, head of the WHOs emergencies programme, said it would be unwise to predict when a vaccine could be ready against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has killed more than half a million people.

While a vaccine candidate might show its effectiveness by years end, the question was how soon it could be mass produced, he told the U.N. journalists association ACANU in Geneva.

There is no proven vaccine against the disease now, while 18 potential candidates are being tested on humans.

WHO officials defended their response to the virus that emerged in China last year, saying they had been driven by the science as it developed. Ryan said what he regretted was that global supply chains had broken, depriving medical staff of protective equipment.

I regret that there wasnt fair, accessible access to COVID tools. I regret that some countries had more than others, and I regret that front-line workers died because of (that), he said.

He urged countries to get on with identifying new clusters of cases, tracking down infected people and isolating them to help break the transmission chain.

People who sit around coffee tables and speculate and talk (about transmission) dont achieve anything. People who go after the virus achieve things, he said.

The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App.

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WHO sees first results from coronavirus drug trials within two weeks - The Indian Express

In this moment of social distancing and turmoil, many of us are yearning for the collective inspiration and joy that is unique to the concert experience. In a special Power of Live section that appears in our new issue, a number of singular voices chime in with their thoughts on the importance of in-person gatherings.

Were multidimensional rhythm machines embedded in the universe of rhythmits as simple as that, observes Mickey Hart. The species needs music, it needs sound, it needs rhythm. Were coded for it. We dont have much choice since were made up of rhythms ourselves. His remarks reflect a lifetime of experiencesfrom his years with the Grateful Dead to his current role in Dead & Company and his pioneering world-music pursuits. Hart has also explored the topic in his books Drumming at the Edge of Magic, Planet Drum and Spirit Into Sound, as well as through his scientific research into the impact of rhythm on diseased and damaged brains.

During this moment of quarantine, some people have described a physical longing for live music. Whats your response to that?

Many people dont appreciate the power of music. When its ripped away, all of a sudden, you start to think, Wow, whats missing in my life? Thats the thing about music: It allows people to engage in life.

Remember, were a vibratory animal. The big bang was the inspiration for the whole universe 13.8 billion years ago and its the glue. So, youre made up of star stuff as they say, and that sets your brain. Your brain is the master clock; thats what music is. So its the cognitive part of you that you are missing. It defines our species. Its not a pleasure; its a necessity.

Music is just controlled vibrationsand the universe started through vibrations. Thats a lot to take away from people. Its one of the greatest ingredients in this thing we call life. Without music, the human race would be in a lot worse of a place. I see life in rhythmic terms because Im a rhythmist primarily. Life is filled with rhythms: good rhythms and bad rhythms. A bad rhythm is stepping in front of a car; a good rhythm is having a happy life or a healthy life. When youre out of rhythm, youre not as healthy and things arent as efficient.

Theres also that community aspect, which youve experienced over the years.

Were groupists. Humans like to group; were more powerful in groups. So take away music, and youre not just taking away the sound, youre taking away everything that goes around the music too. We dance with life, and thats partly why we go to concerts. Music allows us to dance, which is really important these days.

The other thing about music is that it brings you into the now, into the moment not the past, not the future, but the now. Thats also something that youll really miss when its yanked away. When youre in the sphere of music, those cares go away, at least for the time that the music is playing.

Playing live is important. For me, its more than importantits necessary. Playing in the studio is one thing, but when you play with an audience, not to an audience, thats a whole different ball of wax. Playing live in front of people is just so energizing for both the audience and for the band. It serves a great purpose in civilization.

Can you talk about the impact of music on the mind?

The brain is a rhythm machine. There are billions of electrical signals going on in the brain at any given nanosecond. Its the most extraordinary instrument and tool that we know on the planet. Life is really all about cognition, about how things are recognized and how we react to them. Thats what music is all about: neurologic function. You see these gamma waves and beta waves associated with certain states of mind. Consciousness comes out of gamma waves and music is full of gamma waves. Whats being studied now is neurologic functionmusic in the mind, music in the brain, how you can use it for preventative medicine. Thats being examined by people like Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist at UCSF, and Nina Kraus at Northwestern.

I sit here making drones every day. I wake up every day and my meditation is musical, so I drone. I meditate and drone and try to create these positive wave forms. We even have a little group on Zoom and we find time each week to work on drones. These drones are deep and low so they affect these brain waves. On the low-end, below 40 or 50 hertz, is where you find the gamma, which is very valuable. Everybody is looking at what the beta and gamma do how to reach them and how to perform with them. Its like a dance.

Music feeds the brain; youve gotta mind your head and, if you dont, youll fall into disrepair. A happy brain is a good brain and thats a really important thing to remember.

You mentioned that playing live is important to you. What are you doing in lieu of a Dead & Company tour?

I play every day for at least three hours, even on Sundays, to stay in the game. You lose your skills after you dont practice for a long time, no matter who you are. So Im hoping that were all keeping our skills up until the day we can actually go out and play. Can you imagine what its like practicing for 70 years and then being told that you cant go out and play?

Can you imagine all the work that musicians put into their art and then, all of a sudden, thats ripped away? Theres an enormous vacancy there.

Being a musician is really a hard life and most are struggling. Right now, its hitting our community tremendously. There are a few of us who are luckyweve been practicing the art for years and years. For the youngsters who are coming up, its really difficult. But you have to stay at it all the time. You cant just sit back and drink a beer and watch TV or whatever. Youve got to be at it constantly or else itll slip away.

I see life in terms of rhythm and its not just about music. But you can look at life as a musical instrument as wellhow you play it is how you look at life. Music is a really important part of this developing species. Its part of our DNA. Musicians are coded to make music; they make it because thats really who they are.

Now, we are developing a whole new way to transmit this energy. The music thats going to come out of this is going to be revealing. I cant wait to hear what artists are doing now. Theyre writing, theyre composing, theyre practicing. I think that this will bring more light than darkness when its overand it will be over. Then we can get back to making the world a better place because thats what music certainly does. It doesnt make it worse; it makes it a lot better. Were going to make it the best we can because thats what musicians do.

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Mickey Hart on the Power of Live - Relix

Geneva/London The World Health Organization has updated its account of the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis to say it was alerted by its own office in China, and not by China itself, to the first pneumonia cases in Wuhan.

The U.N. health body has been accused by U.S. President Donald Trump of failing to provide the information needed to stem the pandemic and of being complacent towards Beijing, charges it denies.

On April 9, WHO published an initial timeline of its communications, partly in response to criticism of its early response to the outbreak that has now claimed more than 521,000 lives worldwide.

In that chronology, WHO had said only that the Wuhan municipal health commission in the province of Hubei had on Dec. 31 reported cases of pneumonia. The U.N. health agency did not, however, specify who had notified it.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference on April 20 that the first report had come from China, without specifying whether the report had been sent by Chinese authorities or another source.

But a new chronology, published this week by the Geneva-based institution, offers a more detailed version of events.

It indicates that it was the WHO office in China that on Dec. 31 notified its regional point of contact of a case of viral pneumonia after having found a declaration for the media on a Wuhan health commission website on the issue.

The same day, WHOs epidemic information service picked up another news report transmitted by the international epidemiological surveillance network ProMed based in the United States about the same group of cases of pneumonia from unknown causes in Wuhan.

After which, WHO asked the Chinese authorities on two occasions, on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2, for information about these cases, which they provided on Jan. 3.

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a news conference Friday that countries have 24-48 hours to officially verify an event and provide the agency with additional information about the nature or cause of an event.

Ryan added that the Chinese authorities immediately contacted the WHO as soon as the agency asked to verify the report.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing that the organization should soon get results from clinical trials it is conducting of drugs that might be effective in treating COVID-19 patients. | AFP-JIJI

Trump has announced that his country, the main financial contributor to WHO, will cut its bridges with the institution, which he accuses of being too close to China and of having poorly managed the pandemic.

The WHO denies any complacency toward China.

Also Friday, Tedros told a news briefing that the WHO should soon get results from clinical trials it is conducting of drugs that might be effective in treating COVID-19 patients.

Nearly 5,500 patients in 39 countries have so far been recruited into the Solidarity trial, he said, referring to clinical studies the U.N. agency is conducting.

We expect interim results within the next two weeks.

The Solidarity Trial started out in five parts looking at possible treatment approaches to COVID-19: standard care; remdesivir; the anti-malaria drug touted by Trump, hydroxychloroquine; the HIV drugs lopinavir/ritonavir; and lopanivir/ritonavir combined with interferon.

Earlier this month, it stopped the arm testing hydroxychloroquine, after studies indicated it showed no benefit in those who have the disease, but more work is still needed to see whether it may be effective as a preventative medicine.

Ryan, the WHOs emergencies program chief, said it would be unwise to predict when a vaccine could be ready against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that has killed more than half a million people.

While a vaccine candidate might show its effectiveness by years end, the question was how soon it could be mass produced, he told the U.N. journalists association ACANU in Geneva.

There is no proven vaccine against the disease now, while 18 potential candidates are being tested on humans.

WHO officials defended their response to the virus that emerged in China last year, saying they had been driven by the science as it developed. Ryan said what he regretted was that global supply chains had broken, depriving medical staff of protective equipment.

WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan | Pool via REUTERS

I regret that there wasnt fair, accessible access to COVID tools. I regret that some countries had more than others, and I regret that front-line workers died because of (that), he said.

He urged countries to get on with identifying new clusters of cases, tracking down infected people and isolating them to help break the transmission chain.

People who sit around coffee tables and speculate and talk (about transmission) dont achieve anything. People who go after the virus achieve things, he said.

On the sidelines ACANU briefing, another top WHO official said almost 30 percent of genome sequencing data from samples of the COVID-19 virus collected by the body have shown signs of mutation, but there is no evidence this has led to more severe disease.

I think its quite widespread, said Soumya Swaminathan, WHO chief scientist.

The U.N. agency has so far collected 60,000 samples of the disease, she said.

Scientists at Scripps Research this month found that by April the mutated virus accounted for some 65 percent of cases submitted from around the world to a major database.

The genetic mutation in the new coronavirus, designated D614G, significantly increases its ability to infect cells and may explain why outbreaks in northern Italy and New York were larger than ones seen earlier in the pandemic, they found in a study.

Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on the COVID-19 pandemic at the WHO, said at Fridays briefing the mutated strain had been identified as early as February and had been circulating in Europe and the Americas.

So far, there is no evidence it leads to more severe disease, she said.

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WHO says it was first alerted to coronavirus by its office, not China - The Japan Times

As Canada continues to reopen, some grocery stores, salons and other businesses have implemented temperature screening an approach that uses a touchless scanner to measure a persons body temperature in an attempt to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The process was made mandatory for all air travellers in Canada in mid-June. Any passenger who shows a fever on two measurements, taken 10 minutes apart, will be asked to rebook after 14 days.

However, some experts wonder whether the step is effective given a person can shed the COVID-19 virus without having a fever or any change in body temperature. The tool often used to measure temperature has also been shown to be unreliable.

READ MORE: Temperature screening not always reliable to mitigate coronavirus risk, experts say

For those reasons, temperature screening has not been recommended by Canadas chief public health officer Theresa Tam. In fact, she quickly shut down the approach when more businesses began implementing the practice in May.

The more you actually understand this virus, the more you begin to know that temperature-taking is not effective at all, Tam said in a ministerial update that month.

Tam said the likelihood of screening someone who was symptomatic was relatively inefficient in comparison to those who were asymptomatic.

If we have a significant number of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people, that also even reduces the effectiveness even more.

Dr. Susy Hota, the medical director of the Infection Prevention and Control and Medical Device Reprocessing department at the University Health Network in Toronto, agrees.

There really are a lot of limitations to temperature checks, and Im not really convinced that theyre worth investing in for this purpose, Hota said.

READ MORE: Canada to screen air travellers for fever amid coronavirus pandemic: Trudeau

There are also inaccuracies with the temperature probes used for this purpose, Hota said.

She worries they can give patrons and business owners a false sense of security.

Temperature screening is typically not an effective way to detect COVID-19 when used on its own, and thats because of the way the virus spreads.

When we talk about the issue of pre-symptomatic shedding and transmission, were talking about people who have no symptoms yet so no fever, Hota said.

Once youve developed the fever, we know what were dealing with but in the pre-symptomatic phase, a temperature check wont help.

Problems can also arise from the touch-less temperature probes currently being used in airports, grocery stores and by other businesses.

Its a variable that isnt infallible, said Dr. Leighanne Parkes, infectious disease specialist and microbiologist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.

It depends on the instrument that were using, the ambient temperature, (if) the instrument is calibrated correctly, is the individual coming in from a hot outside or a cold outside?

All these things come into play when a temperature probe is used, making true measures hard to come by.

READ MORE: You might be wearing your mask, gloves wrong. How to use PPE properly

There are also other reasons a persons body temperature could be elevated that dont have to do with COVID-19.

Medication, certain pre-existing conditions, weather and what you were doing immediately prior to having your temperature checked are all factors that can affect your body temperature, Hota said.

It is possible that your ambient temperature and what you were doing before might register a higher temperature than you really would have otherwise, she said.

However, Parkes believes temperature screening could be helpful when its bundled with other preventative health measures.

If you have an adequately calibrated machine, youre indoors using appropriate techniques and youre also symptom-screening for things that are not fever, and risk factors including contact, those altogether can pick up some of the most high-risk cases, Parkes said.

Temperature screening should be considered just one layer in a pyramid of prevention, she said.

Its not a replacement for the other means that we have in place, such as social distancing, masking in public spaces, adequate ventilation, adequate environmental cleaning all those things combined.

Although temperature screening may not accurately detect COVID-19, its still within the rights of a business to deny you service on the grounds of a high temperature.

This is because employers and employees have the right to a safe working environment.

You cant be denied entry on grounds of race or religion because thats discrimination, but if your temperature is above some arbitrary scale, then you can be denied entry, said Bernard Dickens, professor emeritus of health law and policy in the faculty of law, faculty of medicine and Joint Centre for Bioethics at the University of Toronto.

READ MORE:Planes, salons and grocery stores: Companies that require masks in Canada

Its a security ground to protect the staff who work in the facility. They have a right to a safe working environment, and the store is responsible for the safety of its employees.

Basically, any business can make conditions for who they serve as long as they dont discriminate in violation of the human rights code.

For this reason, you can refuse to take a temperature test, but the store can refuse your entry upon doing so.

You have no right to go into the store because the store can set reasonable conditions , Dickens said.

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

In situations where you cant keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

With files from Global News Emerald Bensadoun

Meghan.Collie@globalnews.ca

2020Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Can I refuse a temperature check? What to know about the COVID-19 screening tool - cjoy.com

Camel milk is converted into powder form to preserve it for a longer time period. Camel milk powder has high levels of iron, protein, and vitamin C, and less fat. Apart from being rich in nutrients, camel milk powder is used as a potential preventative medicine for diabetes. According to the studies conducted by some researchers in Bikaner, Rajasthan, camel milk has sufficient levels of insulin, which can help prevent and even treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Camel milk powder helps in providing immunity due to its high levels of proteins and other organic compounds. Since many of these compounds have antimicrobial properties, the consumption of camel milk can improve human health by boosting the immune system.

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Key Players:

After studying key companies, the report focuses on the startups contributing towards the growth of the market. Possible mergers and acquisitions among the startups and key organizations are identified by the reports authors in the study. Most companies in the Camel Milk Powder market are currently engaged in adopting new technologies, strategies, product developments, expansions, and long-term contracts to maintain their dominance in the global market.

Analysis tools such as SWOT analysis and Porters five force model have been inculcated in order to present a perfect in-depth knowledge about Camel Milk Powder market. Ample graphs, tables, charts are added to help have an accurate understanding of this market. The Camel Milk Powder market is also been analyzed in terms of value chain analysis and regulatory analysis.

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In-depth qualitative analyses include identification and investigation of the following aspects:

Market Structure

Growth Drivers

Restraints and Challenges

Emerging Product Trends & Market Opportunities

Risk Assessment for Investing in Global Market

Critical Success Factors (CSFs)

The competitive landscape of the market has been examined on the basis of market share analysis of key players. Detailed market data about these factors is estimated to help vendors take strategic decisions that can strengthen their positions in the market and lead to more effective and larger stake in the global Camel Milk Powder market. Pricing and cost teardown analysis for products and service offerings of key players has also been undertaken for the study.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

2 Preface

3 Camel Milk Powder Market Overview

4 Market Trend Analysis

5 Global Camel Milk Powder Market Segmentation

6 Market Effect Factors Analysis

7 Market Competition by Manufacturers

8 Key Developments

9 Company Profiling

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Camel Milk Powder Market 2027 COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Type (Full Cream Milk Powder, Skimmed Milk Powder); Application (Infant formula,...

Goldman Pharmaceutical Group announces the creation of the only FDA registered over-the-counter pet medicines available online and without a prescription, Pet OTC. Treating animals suffering from motion sickness, digestive issues and emotional distress.

NEW YORK, July 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Goldman Pharmaceutical Group announces that its full lineup of over-the-counter pet medications include: NausX, an anti-emetic medication designed for dogs with motion sickness which include nausea, dizziness and vomiting; Calmatrol, an anti-histamine medication designed to relieve dogs in stress related circumstances bringing instant relief to your dog; and DIFIXN, an anti-diarrheal treatment designed to relieve dogs with diarrhea.

American Pet Products Association (APPA) announced in February of this year that the U.S. is expected to reach a record 100 billion in sales for pet products and services. The CEO, Steve King of the American Pet Products Association (APPA), reported that U.S. sales of pet products and services are nearing $100 billion for the first time, as 2019 spending reached $95.7 billion. The announcement came during Global Pet Expo, the largest annual pet products trade show presented by APPA and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA). APPA's pet industry expenditures encompass spending in four major categories: Pet Food & Treats; Supplies, Live Animals & OTC (over-the-counter) Medicine; Vet Care & Product Sales; and Other Services.

"Scientific research from the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) shows that when you invest in your pets' health, you're investing in your own health," said King. "Improved physical health and reduced feelings of loneliness and social isolation are just a few of the health benefits you're likely to experience by owning a pet."

Goldman Pharmaceutical Group understands that motion sickness in dogs is a common problem before you know it, your furry best friend's breakfast can end up all over your backseat!

NausX by Pet OTC is the ultimate treatment for canine motion sickness. It's a powerful preventative when taken before a trip, and a fast-acting remedy to treat sudden symptoms immediately. Some of the signs and symptoms of motion sickness in dogs include:

Goldman Pharmaceutical Group created Calmatrol as a calming formula that reduces anxiety and stress in dogs and puppies for a much more confident and relaxed pet. Calmatrol by Pet OTC will soothe anxious dogs and alleviate symptoms of:

The Calmatrol treatment by Pet OTC is formulated to encourage canine calmness android behavior, while helping your fury friend overcome feelings of nervousness, agitation and aggression.

The last of the over-the-counter pet treatments manufactured by Goldman Pharmaceutical Group is Difixn by Pet OTC an anti-diarrheal treatment that works fast to relieve dogs of the symptoms of Diarrhea.

Pet OTC Products:

Associated Press American Pet Products Association (APPA) press release cited, visit https://apnews.com/4b4705fc9bc1cdd6f3f951af2d3cd63d for more information.

About American Pet Products Association (APPA)

The American Pet Products Association is the leading trade association serving the interests of the pet products industry since 1958. APPA membership includes more than 1,100 pet product manufacturers, their representatives, importers and livestock suppliers representing both large corporations and growing business enterprises. APPA's mission is to promote, develop and advance pet ownership and the pet product industry and to provide the services necessary to help its members prosper. APPA is also proud to grow and support the industry through the following initiatives: Pets Add Life (PAL), Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) Pets and Vets Program, the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), Bird Enjoyment and Advantage Koalition (BEAK), and the Pet Care Trust. Visit http://www.americanpetproducts.org for more information.

About Goldman Pharmaceutical Group (GPG)

Goldman Pharmaceutical Group is concerned with the overall health and well being of people and animals. GPG develops and markets products dedicated to human and animal health and safety. The company markets disinfectants, diagnostic test kits to detect viral bacteria, allergens, teeth and oral care, fungal nail treatments, acne skincare, luggage technology, pet food, pet wellness aids, and over-the-counter pet treatments. Goldman Pharmaceutical Group is a leader in contract manufacturing and distribution of a variety of animal healthcare products, including diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, wound care and disinfectants.

GPG started as a pharmaceutical repacking company focusing mainly on private labeling. Their mission is to continuously innovate and bring new products to market within the medical and pharmaceutical industries, while upholding and creating strong relationships with their clientele and the public. Visit http://goldmanpharma.com/ for more information. Exclusive Manufacturer and Distributor for Pet OTC Products.

Contact Information for Goldman Pharmaceutical Group and Pet OTC:Jeff Magsitzajeff@goldmanpharma.comwww.petsotc.com

Media Contact:Annamarie Seabright, PublicistSignature |PRA Public Relations & Digital Marketing Agency in California and New Yorkannamarie@SignaturePR.presswww.SignaturePR.press

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SOURCE Goldman Pharmaceutical Group

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US Pet Products and Services are Expected to Reach 100 Billion in Sales for 2020, the Over-the-Counter Pet Meds are a Huge Percentage of Consumer...

Tuesday, June 30, 2020 3:17 a.m. EDT by Thomson Reuters

By Kate Kelland

LONDON (Reuters) - A global trial designed to test whether the anti-malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine can prevent infection with COVID-19 is to restart after being approved by British regulators.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) took its decision on what is known as the COPCOV trial after hydroxychloroquine was found in another British trial to have no benefit as a treatment for patients already infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

TheCOPCOVstudy was paused pending review after the treatment trial results.

It is a randomised, placebo-controlled trial that is aiming to enrol 40,000healthcare workers and other at-risk staffaround the world, and is being led by the Oxford University's Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit(MORU) in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in March hydroxychloroquine could be a game-changer and then said he was taking it himself, even after the U.S. regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), advised that its efficacy and safety were unproven.

The FDA later revoked emergency use authorisation for the drugs to treat COVID-19, after trials showed they were of no benefit as treatments.

But White, who is co-leadng the COPCOV trial, said studies of the drugs as a potential preventative medicine had not yet given a conclusive answer.

"Hydroxychloroquine could still prevent infections, and this needs to be determined in a randomised controlled trial," he said in a statement. "The question whether (it) can prevent COVID-19 or not remains as pertinent as ever."

White's team said recruitment of British health workers would resume this week, and said plans were under way for newsites in Thailand and Southeast Asia,Africa and South America.Results are expected by the end of this year.

(Reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Paul Sandle and Timothy Heritage)

Read more:
Global COVID-19 prevention trial of hydroxychloroquine to resume - WNWN-FM

Launches First-in-Kind Reimbursed Virtual Fitness Program for GO365 Members

NEW YORK, June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Virtual Health Partners (VHP), an innovator in cost-effective virtual health and wellness solutions, and Gold's Gym, the world's trusted fitness authority, today announce the launch of their highly comprehensive live virtual fitness and nutrition programming and on-demand services to members ofGO365, a Humana brand, powered by Concierge Health's Connected Ecosystem.

VHP empowers and incentivizes GO365 members to become more active and take control of their health and fitness goals by tracking participation and progress to achieve rewards.

In partnership with Gold's Gym, VHP streamlines the home workout process by granting members exclusive on-demand classes, live workouts, nutrition, training tips, progress tracking, accountability groups, and 24/7 access to Gold's Gym fitness experts. This virtual system fills in the gaps that are left by the new regulations imposed on the fitness industry by COVID-19, providing a sense of community many people need to stay inspired and motivated."

"This pandemic has accelerated the need to provide consumers a fully omnichannel fitness and wellness offering, both in our clubs and at home," shares Adam Zeitsiff, President & CEO of Gold's Gym. "Virtual Health Partners enables us to deliver world-class fitness, training, and class variety that Gold's Gym is known for the last 50+ years, straight into GO365's member's home. Leveraging Concierge Health's ecosystem, we can provide an end to end solution making data collection from the home seamless for the members to receive their reward benefits."

"Our model provides a scalable and customizable solution to fit any of our partners' needs all thru a turnkey HIPAA and Privacy compliant platform," states Jillian Bridgette Cohen, VHP Co-Founder, and CEO. "Our extensive understanding across multiple sectors has enabled us to build broad integration capabilities within the marketplace, which, in partnership with Gold's Gym, has allowed us to help merge the fitness, medical, and insurance industry cohesively."

GO365 members can get started by going to https://virtualhealthpartners.com/go365golds/to get registered and started.

AboutVirtual Health PartnersVirtual Health Partners (VHP) is an innovator in cost-effective health and wellness, focusing on live, virtual nutrition, fitness and lifestyle modification within a contained ecosphere of support. Offered exclusively through networks of participating partners including insurers, hospital systems, physicians, corporations, pharmaceutical, medical device, fitness and nutrition companies, VHP's Business-to-Business-to-Consumer (B2B2C) model provides a SaaS and PaaS solution that is scalable and can be white labeled to fit partners' needs. Through the private, HIPAA compliant platform, VHP provides its partners with a turnkey solution for clients in the areas of weight loss and weight loss procedures, metabolic syndrome, oncology, women's health, digestive diseases, cardiac rehab, preventative medicine, plastic surgery and general wellness.www.virtualhealthpartners.com

About Gold's GymGold's Gym has been the world's trusted fitness authority since 1965. From its beginning as a small gym inVenice,California, Gold's Gym has grown into a global icon with nearly 700 locations in 29 countries. Featuring personalized transformation plans, state-of-the-art equipment, certified personal trainers, a diverse group exercise program and a supportive, motivating environment, Gold's Gym delivers the most dynamic fitness experience in the industry. The Gold's Gym experience includes GOLD'SSTUDIO which gives members access to boutique-style classes like GOLD'S FIT, GOLD'S BURN and GOLD'S CYCLE, all under one roof along with GOLD'S AMP, the first digital personal training app from a brick-and-mortar gym. More than a gym, Gold's Gym combines coaching, community and more than 50 years of fitness expertise to help people around the world achieve their potential through fitness. For more information, visitwww.goldsgym.comor follow Gold's Gym onFacebook,InstagramandTwitter.

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Virtual Health Partners Teams Up With GOLD'S GYM To Instantly Give Millions Better Health On Demand - Yahoo Finance

Sleep paralysis is the feeling of being unable to move when you're falling asleep or waking up. That's because people experiencing sleep paralysis are awake and alert, but unable to move their muscles.

The condition is relatively common, says Gonzalo Laje, MD, director of Washington Behavioral Medicine Associates in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Roughly 8% of people in the U.S. will experience sleep paralysis at least once in their lives.

"The body paralyzes itself during REM sleep, so we don't act out our dreams and hurt ourselves or our bedpartners," says Nate Watson, MD, co-director of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center.

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Sleep paralysis can occur at two points, says Patricia Celan, MD, a psychiatry resident at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

However, many people with sleep paralysis develop anxiety because the episodes can be frightening. In some cases, this can even cause insomnia if people feel afraid to sleep, Laje says. If that happens or if episodes become more frequent, it's time to seek professional help.

"There is no definitive cure for sleep paralysis, but if someone is bothered by it, there are actions that can be taken to reduce its risk of occurring," Celen says.

In fact, people who say they have good sleep quality are less likely than those who have bad sleep quality to experience sleep paralysis.

"Treating sleep paralysis involves optimizing sleep habits," Celen says. "That means improving sleep hygiene so you can fall asleep more easily and get a full night's rest."

If that's the case, it's most important to treat those conditions, like sleep apnea or depression, as it can help prevent sleep paralysis and improve your overall health.

Knowing more about sleep paralysis like the fact that it's common and not actually harmful can make occurrences easier to deal with and help reduce anxiety about the condition.

Some types of CBT like CBT-I, which is used to treat insomnia also teach relaxation techniques that are useful for improving your sleep hygiene and getting better sleep.

There is some early research that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), commonly used to treat depression, can help treat sleep paralysis.

If you experience sleep paralysis once, it's not an immediate cause for concern, but you should focus on improving your quality of sleep.

"Although scary when it occurs, sleep paralysis is generally brief, self-limited, and does not indicate the presence of narcolepsy," Watson says. "When it occurs, it is a sign that your sleep may not be healthy."

Read the rest here:
What causes sleep paralysis and how to reduce your risk - Business Insider India

Many veterinarians will agree that preventive care is the secret to keeping pets healthy and happy at all times.However, achieving this can prove to be a daunting task especially when your clients do not believe it to be true.It is for this reason that most veterinarians are looking forward to helping clients understand the significance of preventative healthcare and the value of making visits to the veterinarian.One professional who is already raising the bar of quality and service in veterinary medicine is Miamis Dr. Xavier Meaux.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Xavier Meaux has greatly transformed the veterinary industry.After receiving his Bachelors in Animal Science from Purdue University in 2002, he went on to graduate from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2006.It is after his graduation that he started his quest of making the veterinary industry better.

After amassing years of experienceas a relief emergency veterinarian, Dr. Meaux together with Pedro Armstrong, DVM, DACVIM, decided to start a company called Mobile Pet Imaging.This is after witnessing how patients with neck discomfort find it hard to eat, yet most radiologists and doctors would think twice before putting the patient in a CT scanner.

Mobile Pet Imaging is already changing the veterinary landscape by making imaging technology more accessible to patients having neck discomfort and others with less daunting features such as floppy ears.What is even more fascinating is the fact that the company delivers robotic high-definition CT (HD CT), fluoroscopy, and IR straight to the doorsteps of veterinary facilities. For Dr. Meaux, this is just but a new beginning for veterinarians with many things expected in the future.

Originally posted here:
On the road with Dr. Xavier Meaux - Jill Lopez

Verdict Medical Devices caught up with Vectorious medical director Dr Leor Perl to learn more about the V-LAP system. Credit: Vectorious The V-LAP is a miniature device of 2.5 millimetres in diameter which anchors to the interatrial septum. Credit: Vectorious Data from V-LAP is transmitted out into an external belt, which sends the information to the cloud. Credit: Vectorious

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Many people, both healthy and sick, use wearable devices to monitor their body and track their health. Its common knowledge that the readings from these devices wont be the most accurate in the world, but under the right circumstances they can provide interesting titbits about how a person is doing physically. But when it comes to monitoring serious health conditions, patients need something more heavy-duty.

Around 26 million people worldwide live with heart failure, where the muscles of the heart struggle to pump blood around the body. All people with chronic heart failure will need monitoring, but it can be hard to predict when adverse events arising from the condition will occur until theyre already happening.

Enter Vectorious. The Israeli medtech company has developed the worlds first in-heart computerised device, the V-LAP. V-LAP is a miniature, wireless, battery-free microcomputer that rests directly on the hearts interatrial septum and provides precise pressure readings to patients and clinicians at the push of a button.

The data is passed through an accompanying portable belt, which wirelessly syncs with the implant and then transmits information from the device securely into the cloud. Using artificial intelligence (AI), clinicians can see a preventative analysis of any heart anomalies, detecting potential risks before they occur and helping to prevent them.

Verdict Medical Devices caught up with Vectorious medical director Dr Leor Perl to learn more about the implantable blood pressure monitor.

Chloe Kent: How does the V-LAP device work?

Leor Perl: The V-LAP is silent and does not work throughout the day unless it is being activated by an external unit. The external unit does two main things one, it transmits energy by inductive coupling to the implant, creating a situation where the implant begins measuring pressure. It can give you information on the heart rate, temperature, pressure rating. It holds a lot of information because its a high-fidelity, high-resolution waveform each beat.

The implant has a computer within it, theres an AC chip, and it corrects for drift, which is a major issue with biological tissues in general. The data is then transmitted out into the external belt, which sends the information to the cloud. Clinicians can then get a pressure reading remotely, with heart rate and the temperature and so on, anywhere in the world.

CK: What is this experience like for a patient?

LP: Its a tremendous change. The patient does have to undergo the implantation procedure. It takes minutes; its a minimally invasive procedure. We get some local anaesthesia and we go through the femoral vein via a needle into the heart and implant it there. Its a miniature device, its 2.5 millimetres in diameter, and its anchored to the interatrial septum, so it just sits there like any other device thats being implanted in the heart.

Assuming the patient is compliant, measuring pressure once or twice a day, this data is transmitted to the team that takes care of these patients. Remember, these are patients with heart failure, who have a very high risk of being admitted to hospital once again. Heart failure is the number one condition in terms of the risk of readmissions. These are patients who come in and out of the hospitals, usually with severe symptoms of shortness of breath, they feel like they basically are being strangled to death. Its a very scary, uncomfortable, bad place to be at when they become admitted. This device from now on will foresee these acute exacerbations in heart failure where there is a risk for an acute heart failure event like that.

CK: Would you say your product represents a shift in how to approach patient care?

LP: Its a whole new world. Its a completely different way of treating these patients. Imagine trying to balance patients with diabetes without having glucose monitors. Treating patients with heart failure without having knowledge of the pressure within the cardiovascular system has been shown scientifically to be inaccurate. What they do presently is they measure weight, they look at symptoms and thats how medications have been titrated. Now we have objective, actionable data that shows us how to treat these patients.

CK: How do you feel the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted remote monitoring technologies like yours?

LP: Like many other crises in the past, humanity is going to grow. One of the things in the medical device world that I think people are appreciating now is that patients dont necessarily have to come into the hospital for some of the things that weve been doing. In fact, its probably better if they stay at home, with or without the pandemic. Thats been the case that weve been trying to make for years, because admissions in the US and the UK are very expensive, and it can actually be dangerous to come into the hospital when you have heart failure or other chronic diseases.

Theres been a change in the reimbursement strategies of many of the healthcare organisations to try and mitigate some of this flow into the hospital. Some physicians and some hospitals are looking at admissions actually, as a complementary event to the maintenance of care that we can perform at home.

CK: What do you see as the future of remote care post-pandemic?

LP: Things are not going to be what they used to be. The whole strategy of the hospital is going to change. In the world of telemonitoring, I think this is going to be the dawn of remote patient care. We have to realise that not all wearables and remote data is useful. To actually use data to care for these patients, physicians have to go through regulated medical devices that have been shown to pinpoint valuable information and we can treat these patients according to that data, which has been scientifically proven and legally regulated.

I think that 10 years from now, many chronic conditions, and maybe some acute ones, will be diagnosed, monitored and treated according to multiple sensors. Patients with chronic lung disease, cancer, chronic pain, neurological conditions these patients can benefit a lot from data that comes from remote monitoring. Thats going to be a huge shift because it requires infrastructure, it requires new training for the medical staff, but its going to make life easier and safer for patients.

CK: So youre seeing medicine shifting more towards prevention than cure?

LP: Im just going to throw in a crazy thought. Imagine a future where 20 years from now all babies born in the UK and Israel and the US are implanted with completely safe, durable and efficient sensors that can let you know when theyre at risk for things like sudden infant death syndrome, or when theyre having an allergic reaction or fever. And then as you become older, you go in during your puberty to get your puberty chip implanted and that lets you know when your cholesterol goes up, or if youre going into a risk category for diabetes. It sounds crazy, but I do think that our children will have that opportunity.

CK: I can see a lot of people being very averse to what youve suggested there how would you convince them its a good idea?

LP: Oh, yeah, therell be some pushback. It has to be regulated, has to be safe. But this is not to invade privacy and to know where you are, but to have information on disease to protect us.

Read more here:
Developing the world's first implantable blood pressure monitor - Medical Device Network