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Those going to Greece for their summer holidays have been warned of a spike in Covid cases related to the new FLiRT variant.

The increase has been reported by the Mediterranean country over the last 20 days.

In its latest report Greeces National Public Health Organization, EODY, said it had seen an increase in hospital admissions, with 669 new Covid patients admitted from July 8 to 14, 2024. The report adds that this was a 44% increase in the average weekly number of new admissions over the previous four weeks.

In total 26 Covid deaths were recorded.

Greece has recently stuggled with heatwaves that has left many vulnerable people shieding from high temperatures inside.

Last week the Metaxa Oncology Hospital in Piraeus, the port area of Athens, reintroduced masks and other protective measures within its wards.

Visitors are limited to two per patient and there is a 48-hour rapid test requirement for those visiting.

Hospital Director Sarantos Efstathopoulos announced the measures to safeguard its patients, adding that they will be reassessed on July 29.

President of EINAP Matina Pagoni told the Greek television network MEGA: Its summer, were going on vacation, we never said the coronavirus was gone. The truth is that this year, compared to last year, the cases have nothing to do with it. There are too many, there are many hospitalisations and also deaths. 21-22 deaths are too many.

According to EuroNews the city of Thessaloniki has seen a rise in cases reported through sewage testing.

Bulgaria, who shares a border with Greece, issued a warning to any of its residents visiting the country this summer. On the number of cases in Greece, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs added: In this regard and considering the large number of Bulgarian citizens visiting the country during the summer period, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends strict compliance with preventive and hygienic measures in the context of the spread of the disease.

The Association of Hospital Doctors Union of Athens and Piraeus (EINAP) warned that the outbreak of the coronavirus is expected to continue until the end of July.

UK health experts have suggested that FLiRT and LB.1 might be able evade immunity, which is why people who have been vaccinated are still getting ill.

Increased travel and big events such as festivals often result in crowded settings where the virus can spread more easily, and there are no longer any legal restrictions like wearing masks or social distancing, says Dr Mariyam Malik, an NHS and private GP at Pall Mall Medical.

The FLiRT variant has specific changes in its spike protein that might make it spread more easily and dodge immunity from past infections or vaccines, Dr Malik added. Similarly, the LB.1 variant has mutations that help it spread and possibly weaken the protection we get from previous immunity, making these variants different from earlier versions of the virus.

New variants come about because the virus naturally changes over time, added the GP. When lots of people get infected, the virus has more chances to mutate. Also, our immune responses from past infections or vaccines can push the virus to evolve.

The symptoms of the FLiRT and LB.1 variants are generally like those of earlier Covid-19 strains. Common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, muscle or body aches, shortness of breath, headache, and a runny nose.

Last week, the World Health Organization released a statement indicating Covid-19 is still responsible for around 1,700 deaths per week globally. WHO encouraged vulnerable populations to get vaccinated.

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Tourists heading to Greece warned of Covid variant as hospital rules return - The Independent

COVID-19 dealt an outsized blow to India during the first year of the pandemic, reveals an analysis of survey data from 765,180 residents that fills a gap left by the incomplete vital statistics and disease surveillance often seen in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Thestudy, led by researchers from the University of Oxford and the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics in Connecticut, estimates a 2.6-year lower life expectancy at birth and a 17% higher death rate, with the greatest losses among females, the youngest and oldest people, and marginalized groups.

The investigators compared high-quality empirical data on death rates and socioeconomic characteristics from Indias National Family Health Survey-5 from 2019 to 2021 with official estimates from the United Nations and the Indian government. Prepandemic rates and characteristics from the two data sources matched closely.

The team used a subsample of households from 14 states and territories (representative of roughly a quarter of India's population) interviewed in 2021 to compare death rates in 2020 with those in previous years.

The research was published late last week in Science Advances.

Life expectancy fell 2.6 years from 2019 to 2020, a decline larger than that in modeled life-expectancy estimates in India and in any high-income country (HIC) during the same period. While drops in life expectancy in HICs were mainly driven by rising death rates among people aged 60 or older, nearly all Indian age-groupsespecially the youngest and oldestcontributed to lower life expectancy.

The death rate was 17% higher in 2020 than in 2019 in India, implying an estimated 1.19 million excess deathseight times higher than the official number, 1.5 times higher than World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, and more than 2.5 times higher than US deaths.

Higher death rates among children were likely due to other causes in addition to COVID-19 (eg, worse economic conditions, public health service disruptions), but excess deaths in 2020 among older people was higher than expected based on age-specific infection deaths in HICs and the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence seen in India, the authors said.

"Greater observed than expected excess mortality for older age groups could have been due to higher age-specific infection fatality rates in India as well as due to indirect effects of the pandemic," they wrote.

Unlike other countries, Indian women lost 3.1 years in life expectancy1 year more than males, which the authors said could be attributed to healthcare inequalities and uneven allocation of resources in households. And Muslims and Scheduled Tribes lost 5.4 and 4.1 years, respectively, compared with 1.3 years among high-cast Hindu groups.

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Data: COVID shaved 2.6 years from life expectancymuch more in some groupsin India - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for COVID-19 still call for a period of isolation for those dealing with the virus. This comes after a summer COVID wave appears to have grown in some parts of the country. CBS News medical contributor Dr. Cline Gounder has more on the current protocols in place.

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Latest COVID-19 guidelines to remember as virus appears to spike - CBS News

Florida's COVID-19 deaths top 3,000 this year

Updated: 3:36 PM EDT Jul 23, 2024

With the year a little over halfway finished, more than 3,000 Florida resident deaths have been linked to COVID-19, according to data on the Florida Department of Health website.The website said a reported 3,002 resident deaths have been tied to the virus. This years pace of deaths is lower than during the past four years.The pandemic hit the state in 2020. That year, Florida had a reported 23,346 deaths, according to state data.The number jumped to 39,869 in 2021, before declining to 21,294 in 2022 and 8,440 in 2023. This year, 268 of the deaths have been in Miami-Dade County, while 235 have been in Palm Beach County, and 173 have been in Pinellas County.DOWNLOAD the free NBC2 News app for the latest news and alerts.

With the year a little over halfway finished, more than 3,000 Florida resident deaths have been linked to COVID-19, according to data on the Florida Department of Health website.

The website said a reported 3,002 resident deaths have been tied to the virus. This years pace of deaths is lower than during the past four years.

The pandemic hit the state in 2020. That year, Florida had a reported 23,346 deaths, according to state data.

The number jumped to 39,869 in 2021, before declining to 21,294 in 2022 and 8,440 in 2023.

This year, 268 of the deaths have been in Miami-Dade County, while 235 have been in Palm Beach County, and 173 have been in Pinellas County.

DOWNLOAD the free NBC2 News app for the latest news and alerts.

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Florida's COVID-19 deaths top 3,000 this year - NBC2 News

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv preprint* server, researchers in Japan evaluated the virological characteristics of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) KP.3.1.1 variant.

SARS-CoV-2 BA.2.86.1.1, viz., the JN.1 variant, has outpaced XBB lineages by the start of 2024. It emerged from the BA.2.86.1 variant with an L455S substitution within the spike protein. The sub-variants of JN.1, such as KP.2 and KP.3, have emerged over time; these sub-variants harbor R346T, F456L, and Q493E substitutions in the spike. In addition, JN.1 sub-variants, such as LB.1, KP.2.3, and KP.3.1.1, which acquired a serine deletion in the spike, have been spreading since June 2024. Previously, the authors characterized the features of SARS-CoV-2 LB.1, KP.2, KP.2.3, and KP.3 variants.

Study: Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 KP.3.1.1 variant. Image Credit:Fit Ztudio/ Shutterstock

*Important notice: bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

In the present study, researchers investigated the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 KP.3.1.1. First, they used a Bayesian multinomial logistic model to estimate the variants relative effective reproduction number (Re) based on surveillance data from the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), Canada, Spain, and France.

The Re of the KP.3.1.1 variant was 1.2-fold higher in Spain than that of JN.1; it was much higher than that of LB.1, KP.2, KP.2.3, and KP.3 variants. The Re of KP.3.1.1 was over 1.5-fold higher than that of JN.1 in the US, UK, and Canada. Besides, KP.3.1.1 had a much higher Re than LB.1, KP.2, KP.2.3, and KP.3 variants in all countries. This suggested that the KP.3.1.1 variant will spread globally along with other sub-lineages of JN.1.

Next, the team used a lentivirus-based pseudovirus assay to examine the virological properties of the KP.3.1.1 variant. HOS cells expressing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2) (HOS-ACE2/TMPRSS2 cells) were infected with pseudoviruses displaying the spike protein of KP.3.1.1 or KP.3. The infectivity of KP.3.1.1 and KP.3 was compared.

The researchers observed significantly higher infectivity of KP.3.1.1 compared to KP.3. Further, they performed neutralization assays using pseudoviruses harboring the spike of KP.3.1.1, KP.2.3, or KP.3 against convalescent or vaccine sera. Convalescent sera were obtained from fully vaccinated individuals with an EG.5 or XBB.1.5 breakthrough infection.

Besides, convalescent sera were obtained from JN.1- or HK.3-infected donors. Vaccine sera were collected from recipients of the monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine. KP.3.1.1 had a 1.4- to 1.6-fold lower half-maximal neutralization titer (NT50) than KP.3 against all convalescent sera groups. It also had a lower NT50 than KP.3 against vaccine sera. Notably, KP.3.1.1 exhibited significantly higher resistance than KP2.3 to convalescent sera from HK.3- or JN.1-infected individuals.

The findings indicate that the SARS-CoV-2 KP.3.1.1 variant has higher Re, pseudovirus infectivity, and neutralization evasion than the KP.3 variant. This is consistent with a recent report that JN.1 sub-variants with the serine deletion in the spike exhibit increased immune evasion and Re relative to other JN.1 sub-variants without the serine deletion, underscoring the evolutionary significance of the serine deletion within JN.1 lineages. Overall, these findings have implications for public health measures, suggesting that current strategies may need to be adapted to account for the increased transmissibility and immune evasion of the KP.3.1.1 variant.

*Important notice: bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

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Understanding the new coronavirus mutant strain KP.3.1.1 - News-Medical.Net

When youre sick, exercise is usually the last thing on your mind. Simply engaging in your routine daily activitiesmuch less intentional exercisemay feel impossible if youre grappling with acute COVID-19 or Long COVID. But, surprisingly, recent research shows that physical activity might be the key to lessening certain acute and lasting symptoms of COVID-19 (especially mental and neurological symptoms)at least for some people.

Following earlier studies showing that regular physical activity lowers risk of COVID-19 and Long COVID, researchers from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, investigated how regular exercise impacted COVID-19 and Long COVID symptoms in young women. This group was chosen to study because research has found that young women, in particular, have a higher prevalence of Long COVID.

Their findings, published earlier this year in Nature Scientific Reports, suggest that those who engaged in regular exercise fared better both when they were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and if they experienced subsequent Long COVID symptoms. Butand importantlythese findings may not hold true for those with post-exertional malaise (PEM), the defining characteristic of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and a persistent symptom of Long COVID.

The researchers conducted the study by asking 802 women aged 18-34 to complete surveys. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was used to sort study participants into low, moderate, and high activity categories. The IPAQ form asks participants about their frequency of physical activity, defined as moderate (activities that make you breathe somewhat harder than normal) and vigorous (activities that make you breathe much harder than normal).

Women from each physical activity level were represented in the study: 43% of participants reported low levels, 35% moderate levels, and 22% high levels. For the highest level of physical activity, for example, one would need to climb stairs for 10 minutes, run for 20 minutes, or walk or cycle for 25 minutes daily. (You can read more details about the activity categories here.)

To assess the study participants COVID-19 history and symptoms, the researchers used the World Health Organizations Post COVID Case Report Form. Fifty-five percent of study participants reported having COVID-19 (84% of which had a confirmed infection via a positive test). Around 90% of these patients had a mild severity COVID-19 infection, about 13% had a moderate infection, and 0.5% had a severe infection.

Among the 50 different symptoms tracked in the study, over half of the participants reported fatigue, anxiety, dysmenorrhea (severe menstrual cramps), depressed mood, loss of interest/pleasure, and dizziness/lightheadedness during their COVID-19 infection. On average, patients reported 14 symptoms during acute COVID-19.

Whats interesting is that the number of symptoms reported decreased as physical activity went up: High-activity patients in the acute COVID-19 group had an average of 12 symptoms while low-activity patients reported 16. Moderate-activity patients were in the middle with an average of 13 symptoms.

In those who experienced Long COVIDa group that averaged 12 symptomsthe authors found a similar trend: High-activity groups reported fewer symptoms (an average of 8) compared to low- and moderate-activity groups (11, 14, respectively). In patients reporting Long COVID, 63% experienced fatigue and at least 40% of participants experienced one or more of the symptoms of dysmennorhea, loss of interest/pleasure, forgetfulness, anxiety, depression, palpitations, and/or trouble concentrating.

Reinfection (being infected more than once) was not correlated with participants level of physical activity.

The researchers hypothesize that the correlation of higher physical activity and fewer COVID-19 and Long COVID symptoms might be due to the known benefits that exercise and other forms of movement can have on the immune system. For instance, with Long COVID, specifically, increased cardiorespiratory fitness (how well your heart and lungs function) has been shown to reduce severity.

So far, except for people with post-exertional malaise, the evidence suggests the possibility that finding an exercise that you love and can do on a regular basis might help protect against a variety of symptoms caused by COVID-19 and Long COVID. However, its important to remember that this is not a one-size-fits-all approach and may not be suitable for some individuals.

Rhys Richmond is an MD candidate at Yale School of Medicine.

One of my teachers, back when I was a resident, often said, "Exercise is the answer; whats your question?" It was her way of saying that no matter what, exercise is good for you. Turns out to be particularly true for most people who get infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and those at risk for developing post-acute COVID syndrome. We already know that exercise is good for you. This study simply points out one more way it protects us.

Unfortunately, it is very hard for patients who suffer from post-exertional malaise (PEM) to exercise. And yet, it is clear that not exercising at all allows another process to join with PEM to cause even more sufferingcardiovascular and muscular deconditioning. Deconditioning makes movement harder.

This doesnt mean that patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and PEM should exercise. But they should try to integrate physical activity into their daily livesto the extent that they can. Its not easy. When you have ME/CFS and PEM, nothing is easy. But it is important. Patients with ME/CFS have limitations to the amount of energy they have to expend each day. Being active should be one of the many priorities they haveevery day. It may be a small amount of activity, but some activitywithin the limits they live inwill reduce the loss of muscle and strength and may end up making the other activities just a little easier.

Read other installments of Long COVID Dispatches here.

If youd like to share your experience with Long COVID for possible use in a future post (under a pseudonym), write to us at: LongCovidDispatches@yale.edu

Information provided in Yale Medicine content is for general informational purposes only. It should never be used as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Always seek the individual advice of your health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition.

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Exercise May Ease COVID-19 and Long COVID Symptoms - Yale Medicine

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Biden gets all clear from his doctor after COVID-19: 'symptoms have resolved' - USA TODAY

In mid-July,the US state of Colorado reportedsix cases ofavian flu orH5N1 in samples taken from poultry workers. This brought the national total to 10 cases confirmed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since April 2024.

The United States government has upped zoonotic/animal testing, and is now discovering more cases of infection with the virus in cows and other mammals. So far, it has reported H5N1 in more than 160 herds of cows.

The growing number of cases comes amid growing concern about the spread of the virus, with a recent studypublishedin the journal Nature suggestingthat the H5N1 found in cows may be more adaptable to humans.

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In response to this situation, the US governmentrecently awarded a $176m project to Moderna to support clinical trials for an mRNA vaccine against the virus. Other countries are also becoming alert about these developments, with Finland launching a vaccination drive aimed at safeguarding the most at-risk communities from the disease.

The increasingly frequent reports of new cases have caused some experts to suggest that another pandemic situation may be on the horizon. While that is by far not a certainty, we should still be prepared for it. Yet the worlds readiness to respond tosuchhealth threats still appears fragmented and inequitable.It should be worrying to us all that we still do not haveadequate tools for early detection and containment.

What we know so far is that H5N1 is a fast-moving, rapidly evolving virus that can cause severe illness and death. However, the lack of diagnostic testing and genetic sequencing for humans and animals obscures our understanding of how the virus is mutating and if there are any potential mutations that may increase the likelihood of human-to-human transmission. The lack of focus on surveillance and investment in diagnostics is irresponsible.

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It is crucial to avoid repeating mistakes from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when dealing with H5N1, where the risks could be even greater due to its high mortality rate. Over the past 20 years, fatal outcomes have been reported in about 50 percent of known cases.

It is likely that infections have been under-reported and under-diagnosed due to limited testing capacity and so the mortality rate may be lower. Furthermore, this rate would not necessarily be replicated if the virus established itself in the human population. Still, there is a risk that a H5N1 pandemic may be significantly different from the COVID-19 one and deadlier.

The bad news is that at present, there are currently no commercially available diagnostic tests to detect H5N1 specifically. Nucleic acid-based (molecular) tests are the current gold standard for the detection of influenza viruses, but they generally require lab infrastructure to support their use. And even when such infrastructure is available, it may not function fast enough. For example, whena sickAustraliangirl was tested for bird fluin March,it tookseveral weeks to get the positive result back.

As seen duringtheCOVID-19pandemic, rapid tests that can provide a result in around 10-15 minutes are a critical tool for outbreak containment even if they are less sensitive than molecular tests.Investing in research and development that leads to quick,affordable tests for H5N1 influenzacan laythe foundationforpreparedness.

Tests should be made available worldwide including in low- and middle-income countries and prioritised in populations where there is a likelihood of human exposure to the virus, like farms or veterinary clinics.

Scaling up the monitoring of bird and animal populations, training personnel effectively, streamlining reporting mechanisms and utilising cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence for speedy analysisshouldallbepriorities for governments. There also need to be incentives to encourage at-risk populations, currently those working with animals that are potentially sick, to test.

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Effective ongoing collaboration on developing and sharing treatments and vaccines is equally essential. Partnerships, like the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator which includes health leaders from the World Health Organization; the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND); Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) should be used to encourage governments and pharmaceutical groups to ensure the production of at-scale health countermeasures and that they are available to all countries.

This is not charity, it is investing in global public health to ensure we are all protected. No country can stop a pandemic by itself.

More than a million lives may have been lost during COVID-19 because of inequity. We need to make sure this does not happen again. There needs to be a focus on helping low- and middle-income countries gain access to all the countermeasures needed to tackle the next pandemic.

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Action is needed now, while human-to-human transmissionhas still not beendetected, so that if and when it is, arapid coordinated global response to H5N1can be deployed.

The new cases in Colorado do not suggest the world is about to end, but are a signal worth heeding. While the US and other Western countries are able to take measures, poorer countries that do not have the resources or access to technology cannot.

This unequal situation notonlythreatensnationalhealth security but also hindersthe worldsability to preventan H5N1 pandemic if it is to emerge. Global leaders must acknowledge the interconnectedness of health systems and commit to distributing resources fairly.

If H5N1 starts spreading from human to human and we are not prepared for it, we will pay an unimaginable heavy price in terms of human lives and livelihoods.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.

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Has the next pandemic already started? - Al Jazeera English

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Yes, COVID-19 is rising again. Here's what you should do - The Cincinnati Enquirer

President Joe Biden walks down the steps of Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, ... [+] Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Biden is returning to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., to self-isolate after testing positive for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Covid-19 has now been a factor in two second-term presidential campaigns. In November 2020, when the virus was raging throughout the world, and fears were at their peak, the country sought a return to normalcy and a plan to reduce health and economic turmoil was a key factor. Voters selected the Biden presidency to do that, and with no small irony, President Bidens run for a second term was given a blow by his own Covid-19 infection a cautionary reminder of the pathogens staying power over two presidencies.

This is a symptom of the challenge both providers and consumers in the U.S. healthcare system face. Immediate concerns are generated by the growing surge of Covid-19. Test positivity was 11% as of July 6, per the CDC, up from 9.1% the previous week. For context, this past winter's peak was 12%. A CDC map shows that test positivity is highest in California and the Southwest. Covid-19 related emergency room visits were up 23% in the past week and hospitalizations are rising steadily, per the CDC.

Long-Term term concerns are still evidenced by Covid-19 post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) also known at long Covid. And this is even among vaccinated persons who have had viral infections during the Omicron era. One study of more than 400,000 infected U.S. Veterans published on July 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine continued to raise these concerns about long Covid.

Healthcare providers are facing new challenges that could affect their ability to respond to this pandemic. According to a May 24 report by the American Hospital Association, hospitals and health systems incurred significant underpayments for several essential and complex health care services in 2023. They also are facing mounting administrative burdens and costs, due to commercial health insurer practices like prior authorization and denials. At the same time, health insurance costs to consumers have grown twice as fast as hospital prices in 2023 and the industry is in the throes of the biggest M&A wave in more than a decade, with healthcare deal activity having grown 42% since 2010.

Pharmaceutical drug prices are rising and shortages are increasing. The yearly median list price of pharmaceutical drugs has risen 35% over the previous year. There was an average of 301 drug shortages per quarter last year, the most in a decade.

Labor costs, which on average account for 60% of a hospitals budget, increased by more than $42.5 billion between 2021 and 2023. Even at higher wages, staffing is becoming a problem. Hospitals cant function without nurses. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, by 2025, the United States may face a shortage of 200,000 to 450,000 nurses available for direct patient care, equating to a 10% to 20% gap.

Even the payment system for hospitals and physicians is undergoing fundamental changes. Payers are now encouraging providers to move toward value-based care arrangements, which pay hospitals and physicians based on patient health outcome rather than fees for service. It remains to be seen if these value-based models will really achieve better outcomes and cost savings. Still, if they do or dont, its estimated that VBC reimbursement will grow from between 80 and 100 million patients in 2022 to between 130 and 160 million in 2027.

Covid-19 is continuing to have a profound effect on every facet of our society, from children to adults. Children who became addicted to social media during the stay-at-home mandate during the pandemic have suffered a lack of social development. Between these post-pandemic issues and many who have long-term effects of Covid-19, we are still seeing fundamental changes to the economics of healthcare. Think of what another national pandemic could do?

Some have openly argued that Covid-19 may have given President Biden the excuse needed to withdraw from a difficult campaign without admitting defeat. Even if this is true, the reality is that another virus will challenge us soon enough. We have learned very little from dealing with Covid-19 and now, Avian Influenza (H5N1) is becoming the specter that our healthcare system really needs to understand. H5N1 is a highly pathogenic virus that is steadily spreading, and human-to-human transmission is no longer abstract. From birds to cows to pigs, it is adapting to animals that could be gateways to widespread human infection.

Detection may even have gotten worse than before Covid-19, as we are only surveying wastewater to track the spread of H5N1. What we need is the development of multiplex diagnostics, real-world vaccines and next-generation anti-viral therapies today. We can only ameliorate another pandemics impact, by planning and implementing protective and preventive measures before the crisis begins. The consequences of not doing so may be far more unsettling than even the change in the presidential race we have just witnessed.

Originally posted here:

How Covid-19 Is Still A Big Factor In Presidential Politics - Forbes