Category: Corona Virus

by: ECU News Services, Emily Cervarich

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) Researchers at East Carolina Universitys Brody School of Medicine have found a new way to detect the virus that causes COVID-19 by testing the air passing through building ventilation systems.

The study could lead to earlier detection of the virus, improved quarantine protocols, reduced transmission and fewer outbreaks.

Two people spearheaded the effort. Dr. Sinan Sousan is an assistant professor in Brodys Department of Public Health and Research Faculty at North Carolina Agromedicine Institute who is also an expert of environmental and occupational airborne exposure. Dr. Rachel Roper is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology with an extensive background studying coronaviruses. Together, they have been working to learn whether SARS-CoV-2 could be detected through the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in student dorms.

The team collected a total of 248 air samples from two large student dormitories as well as an isolation suite housing COVID-positive students during the 2021 spring semester.

Roper and Sousan recently published their findings in The American Journal of Infection Control, representing a possible quantum leap when it comes to early detection of COVID-19 before an individual even tests positive.

The challenge was to collect enough virus and have it concentrated enough. And also to keep it intact until we got it into the lab because we couldnt detect the RNA if it was already degraded and then we had to extract it enough in a compatible way so it would work in the PCR. So we were really excited we were able to get it to work, Roper said.

The professors told 9OYS there is still further research to be done to better utilize this study on larger scales. They believe their findings could be used in hotels, prisons, dorms and other larger buildings for surveillance to test for COVID and other air spread viruses.

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East Carolina University researchers discover new way to detect coronavirus through building ventilation systems - WAVY.com

People in Singapore mask up to take a mass rapid transit train on Friday. Singapore has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. As of Sunday, 85% of its population was fully vaccinated. Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

People in Singapore mask up to take a mass rapid transit train on Friday. Singapore has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. As of Sunday, 85% of its population was fully vaccinated.

Singapore's government has been covering the medical bills of COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic. But it says unvaccinated people will soon be on their own.

Those who are "unvaccinated by choice" will have to start paying for their own COVID-19 treatment starting Dec. 8, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday, citing the strain they are putting on the nation's health care system.

"Currently, unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources," it said in a statement.

Until now, the government has been covering the cost of COVID-19 care for all Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders, excluding those who tested positive after returning from overseas travel.

"This was to avoid financial considerations adding to public uncertainty and concern when COVID-19 was an emergent and unfamiliar disease," it explained, adding that this system will continue to apply to "the majority who are vaccinated ... until the COVID-19 situation is more stable."

The policy change means the government will start charging all unvaccinated COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals and designated "COVID-19 Treatment Facilities" on or after Dec. 8. Those patients can still use their regular health care financing arrangements to pay their bills where applicable.

There are a few exceptions. People who aren't eligible for vaccination like children under 12 and people with medical exemptions will still have their medical bills covered by the government. And people who are partially vaccinated won't be charged until Dec. 31, to give them time to complete the full series.

Specifically, starting on Jan. 1, the government will only foot the bill for those Singaporeans (including permanent residents and long-term pass holders) who are fully vaccinated and have not recently traveled.

"Our hospitals really much prefer not to have to bill these patients at all, but we have to send this important signal, to urge everyone to get vaccinated if you are eligible," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Monday.

Singapore has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. As of Sunday, 85% of its population was fully vaccinated, and 18% had received booster shots, according to health ministry data.

The health minister credited the hard work of vaccination teams with reducing the number of unvaccinated seniors from 175,000 in early August to below 64,000.

"If not for this reduction, our hospitals and ICUs today would have been already overwhelmed," he added.

Singapore had 1,725 recorded hospitalizations as of Monday, with an intensive care unit utilization rate of 68.5%. The health ministry also looked at the difference in cases between those who are fully vaccinated and those who are partially or not at all vaccinated.

Over the last seven days, it said, the number of critically ill cases who were fully vaccinated and not fully vaccinated were at 0.5 and 5.2 per 100,000 population, respectively. Over that same period, the number of fully vaccinated and not fully vaccinated cases who died were 0.1 and 0.9 per 100,000 population, respectively. Those numbers were considerably larger for seniors.

Singapore has seen a surge in cases over the last few months and decided in October to abandon its "zero COVID strategy" in favor of learning to coexist with the virus.

Officials said on Oct. 20 that they would extend their plan for another month, with a midpoint review. Their Monday announcement about COVID-19 medical coverage also said that the growth in new cases had slowed and that certain restrictions have been eased as a result.

For example, it will allow up to five fully vaccinated people from the same household to eat together at a dining establishment and take steps to simplify travel protocols.

The government also said it would "pilot the resumption of more activities" like sports, meetings and conferences for those who are fully vaccinated, subject to additional rapid testing requirements.

Unvaccinated people are not offered those same options.

"As for individuals who do not want to take any of the vaccines, we will need to have Safe Management Measures which differentiate between the vaccinated and unvaccinated," the health ministry explained. "This is in order to protect the unvaccinated, and also to preserve our healthcare capacity."

This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.

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Singapore will stop covering the medical bills of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients - NPR

People queue to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), during a night of vaccinations with music, at the Arena Treptow vaccination centre in Berlin, Germany, August 9, 2021. John Macdougall/Pool via REUTERS

FRANKFURT, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Germany's coronavirus infection rate has risen to its highest level since the start of the pandemic, public health figures showed on Monday, and doctors warned they will need to postpone scheduled operations in coming weeks to cope.

The seven-day incidence rate - the number of people per 100,000 to be infected over the last week - rose to 201.1, higher than a previous record of 197.6 in December last year, the figures from the Robert Koch Institute showed on Monday.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 4,782,546 from 4,767,033 a day earlier. The number of deaths increased by 33 to a total of 96,558.

Christian Karagiannidis, scientific director at the DIVI association for intensive and emergency medicine, said an expected rise in coronavirus cases in coming weeks meant some scheduled operations would have to be postponed.

"We will only be able to cope with the burden of all emergencies if savings are made somewhere else, though definitely not with surgical cancer treatments," he told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.

Germany has already had to relocate some patients from regions with overburdened hospitals.

The three German parties in talks to form a coalition government by early December have agreed not to extend a nationwide state of emergency.

Instead, they presented a draft law late on Monday that would amend existing legislation to allow for measures such as compulsory face masks and social distancing in public spaces to continue to be enforced until March next year.

The draft law is due to be presented to the Bundestag lower house of parliament on Thursday and voted on in a special session a week later.

Bavaria state premier Markus Soeder earlier called for more decisive action in view of the new peak in the incidence rate. More needs to be done "than a little compulsory testing in old people's homes", he told Deutschlandfunk radio.

He called for tests to be offered free of charge again, vaccination centres to be reactivated and for states and the federal government to coordinate their strategies. Germany has abolished free testing to incentivise people to get vaccinated.

Writing by Vera Eckert, Paul Carrel and Sarah Marsh, Additional Reporting by Alexander Ratz; editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Mark Heinrich and Alex Richardson

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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German coronavirus infection rate hits highest since pandemic began - Reuters

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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

There are continued concerns that California could see a resurgence of COVID-19 over the coming weeks and months.

What that might look like, and how severe it may ultimately turn out to be, remains an open question.

Officials and experts largely agree that California is unlikely to see a surge that reaches the grim heights of last winters which overloaded hospitals with COVID-19 patients and killed tens of thousands statewide largely because many residents are already vaccinated.

But a spike in cases during the winter months, when temperatures fall and a packed holiday calendar might tempt residents to travel and mingle without taking appropriate precautions, is still a real possibility.

With cases ticking up in most parts of the state, we cannot let our guard down, and we cannot underestimate this deadly virus, Dr. Toms Aragn, director of the California Department of Public Health and the states public health officer, said in a statement Monday.

Heres a breakdown of where we are.

Health officials have been warning about a potential new rise in COVID-19 cases in California as seniors who got their shots last winter and havent received a booster shot may start to see their immunity wane, leaving them exposed to greater risk for infection and hospitalization, and as people gather indoors more with cooling weather and approaching holidays.

Demand for booster shots has fallen below expectations in California. And each infected Californian is increasingly spreading the coronavirus to more people.

As of Saturday, computer models estimated that every infected Californian was spreading the virus on average to 0.96 other people. If that number rises above 1, that will set the stage for further growth of the pandemic.

Officials are hopeful that strict vaccination requirements in some of Californias most populated areas will help slow the spread of cases in the winter. In Los Angeles, a new city rule generally requiring patrons to show proof of full vaccination to enter venues such as indoor restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, and hair and nail salons went into effect Monday but wont be enforced until after Thanksgiving.

Statewide, infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations have plateaued following months of decline.

But in some areas with lower vaccination rates, hospitalizations for COVID-19 have risen significantly since mid-October: by 35% in San Bernardino County and 27% in Fresno County. Even in Orange County, where vaccination rates are relatively high, COVID-19 hospitalizations are up by 29% over the same time period.

The San Joaquin Valley is reporting the states highest rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations; for every 100,000 residents, the region has 25 people hospitalized with COVID-19, compared with 15 per 100,000 in rural Northern California, 14 in the greater Sacramento area, eight in Southern California and four in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Some experts say a rate of five or greater is concerning.

In Southern California, San Bernardino and Riverside counties are reporting the worst hospitalization rates per 100,000 residents: 15 and 10, respectively. San Diego County is at eight, Orange County seven, L.A. County six and Ventura County four.

On Nov. 8, 2020, California reported a seven-day average of 6,200 new coronavirus cases a day. One month later, the state was reporting 26,000 new cases a day. In early January, the number jumped to more than 45,000. Daily reported caseloads didnt consistently fall back below 10,000 until mid-February.

Current case rates are roughly the same as last year at this time. For the seven-day period that ended Monday, California was reporting 5,720 new coronavirus cases a day, according to data compiled by The Times.

Roughly 69% of Californians have received at least one dose, and nearly 63% are fully vaccinated.

However, there are millions of residents statewide who have less protection against the coronavirus. Given the evidence that vaccine immunity can wane over time, officials stress that its important for everyone eligible particularly those who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms to get a booster shot.

Unvaccinated Californians continue to be disproportionately affected by the pandemic, state data show. Unvaccinated individuals are roughly seven times more likely to get COVID-19, nearly 10 times more likely to require hospitalization and 18 times more likely to die than those who are vaccinated.

The biggest concentration of coronavirus cases has expanded from Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming and is spreading farther south, through Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.

States with low vaccination rates, such as Wyoming, where only 44.5% of residents are fully vaccinated, are seeing among the nations highest case rates, as are several states with vaccination rates similar to Californias 61.9%, such as Colorado at 62.1%, New Mexico at 62.6% and Minnesota at 61.6%, Rutherford said.

Even in highly vaccinated places like New Hampshire and Vermont, you can see how these northernmost tiers of counties are starting to develop outbreaks and more transmission, as is Alaska, Dr. George Rutherford, a UC San Francisco epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert, said recently at a campus forum.

Thats why Colorado, New Mexico and Minnesota could be warning signs of Californias future, Rutherford said. Those three states have weekly coronavirus case rates that are triple what California is reporting now. Wyomings is more than 3 times worse than Californias.

Rutherford said that relatively speaking, L.A., Orange and Ventura counties are doing well. But he warned that San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have a fairly high level of cases.

These factors all suggest that unvaccinated people should get their shots, including children ages 5 to 11 who just became eligible last week, Rutherford said.

People who have recovered from COVID-19 still need to get immunized, too. A study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said COVID-19 survivors who remained unvaccinated were five times more likely to get a new coronavirus infection compared with fully vaccinated people who had never been infected.

See the rest here:

Should California worry about another winter COVID-19 surge? - Los Angeles Times

GREENVILLE, N.C. Researchers at East Carolina Universitys Brody School of Medicine have found a new way to detect the virus that causes COVID-19 by testing the air passing through building ventilation systems.

The discovery could lead to earlier detection of the virus, improved quarantine protocols, reduced transmission and fewer outbreaks.

Dr. Sinan Sousan, an assistant professor in Brodys Department of Public Health and Research Faculty at North Carolina Agromedicine Institute, and expert of environmental and occupational airborne exposure, and Dr. Rachel Roper, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology with an extensive background studying coronaviruses, spearheaded the effort to learn whether SARS-CoV-2 could be detected through the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in student dorms.

Their research was recently published in The American Journal of Infection Control and represents a breakthrough in the way the virus can be detected before an individual tests positive.

Read more here.

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ECU researchers discover new way to detect coronavirus through building ventilation systems - WNCT

The N.F.L. has fined the Green Bay Packers $300,000 and two of its players, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Allen Lazard, $14,650 each for failing to follow the Covid-19 protocols agreed on by the league and players union.

The penalties come about a week after Rodgers tested positive for the coronavirus and his subsequent public statements espousing false and unfounded claims about the Covid-19 vaccines and treatments. Those comments were condemned by public health officials and by some fellow athletes but the leagues decision focused on his compliance with the rules.

Rodgers and Lazard, who is also unvaccinated, were penalized for attending a Halloween party even though the Covid-19 protocols prohibit unvaccinated players from gathering outside of the team facility in a group of more than three players.

Rodgers also did not wear a mask when speaking with reporters, another violation of the leagues rules.

The team, which was notified of the fines late Tuesday and cooperated with the leagues investigation, was penalized far more than the players because it did not do more to police their behavior. The team did not sanction the Halloween party, for instance, but was aware that it took place and did not discipline Rodgers or Lazard and did not report their violations to the league.

We respect the Leagues findings and we recognize the importance of adherence to the COVID protocols to keep our team and organization safe and healthy, Mark Murphy, the Packers team president, said in a statement. We will continue to educate the team regarding the importance of the protocols and remain committed to operating within the protocols.

The league said it found no widespread mask-wearing violations. But if the Packers are found to have violated the leagues protocols again, they could face harsher penalties, including the loss of draft picks. The players were also told they could face additional discipline if they violated the protocols again.

Rodgers, who is in the middle of a 10-day isolation period, missed the teams 13-7 road loss to Kansas City on Sunday. The earliest he can return is Saturday, though like all unvaccinated N.F.L. players who test positive for the virus, Rodgers must be cleared by a team doctor in consultation with an independent expert after his isolation.

If he is cleared, Rodgers, 37, could play on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks in Green Bay, Wis.

On Tuesday, Rodgers told the Pat McAfee Show that he stood by the comments he made last week about why he has not been vaccinated, but he admitted to being misleading about his status before he tested positive. Rodgers had evaded answering directly when asked if he was vaccinated, saying he was immunized.

I shared an opinion that is polarizing, Rodgers said. I get it. And I misled some people about my status, which I take full responsibility of, those comments. But in the end, I have to stay true to who I am and what Im about. I stand behind the things that I said.

Nov. 10, 2021, 11:31 a.m. ET

The fines for Rodgers and Lazard, 25, are similar to those levied against players last season, and were in line with penalties negotiated by the N.F.L. and the players union. The penalty against the Packers was largely in line with those against other teams found to have violated the Covid-19 protocols.

Last season, the Tennessee Titans were fined $350,000 for their handling of an outbreak of coronavirus infections that forced the league to reschedule an array of games.

The league did not suspend anyone associated with the Titans, including their coach, general manager and players. Rather, the fine was imposed for the teams failure to communicate workout protocols and rules governing the wearing of masks in team facilities.

The league fined several coaches and teams last season after they did not abide by its rules, penalizing head coaches seen during games not wearing masks properly $100,000 and their teams $250,000.

Last season, the Raiders were also fined $50,000 after an unauthorized person entered the teams locker room, potentially exposing players and staff to the virus. Nine players were fined $15,000 each for attending a charity event that was held indoors with hundreds of people who were not wearing masks. A 10th player, Darren Waller, who hosted the event, was fined $30,000.

The New Orleans Saints lost a sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft after repeated violations of the Covid-19 protocols last season during the height of the pandemic.

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N.F.L. Fines Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers for Covid Violations - The New York Times

COVID-19: What to know about vaccines for children 5-11

COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11 have begun across the country. Heres what we know about the risks and side effects.

Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

A bell solemnly tolled nine times in Broward County, Florida, at a memorial service Tuesday for sheriff's department employees who died from the coronavirus.

Sheriff Gregory Tony was flanked by an honor guard as American flags were placed in the hands of the victims' relatives.

We didnt lose one, two, three we lost nine, the sheriff said.

Tony said more than half the the departments 5,600 employees have been exposed, and 32% 1,800 employees have contracted the disease that has killed more than 60,000 Floridians and more than 750,000 Americans.

The county does not require employees to be vaccinated, but offers a$500 bonus for those who provide proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated employees facea biweekly surcharge of $20 toward the additional cost of health insurance as well asweekly COVID testing.

Tony didnt mention vaccines, but he urged the memorial crowd of several hundred that the pandemic is not over and to remain vigilant.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has bannedvaccine mandates and has called a special legislative session for next week to tighten rules against requiring vaccines and masks.

"We must protect the jobs of Floridians and preserve the ability of Floridians to make their own decisions regarding what shots to take," he said last month.

Also in the news:

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona toldCBS's "Face the Nation" that given the widespread availability of vaccines and improved treatment against COVID-19,there "should be no need for remote or hybrid learning."

The NFL fined Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers for violating COVID-19 protocols.The league conducted a review of Rodgers and the Packers' activities related to protocol after the quarterbacktested positive for COVID last week.

Today's numbers:The U.S. has recorded more than 46.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than757,000 deaths,accordingtoJohns Hopkins Universitydata. Global totals: More than 251million cases and 5 million deaths. More than 194.1 million Americans58.5% of the populationare fully vaccinated,according to theCDC.

What we're reading:Are you vaxxed? Some families face fraught divide over jabs.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more?Sign up forUSA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletterto receive updates directly to your inbox, andjoin ourFacebook group.

"Professionals" who purposely spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines are criminals, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says.In an interview with the Atlantic Council think tank, Bourla said the world has become divided into two groups: those who are vaccinated and those who are not. Both groups, he said, are driven by fear vaccinated people are afraid of contracting COVID-19 and unvaccinated people are skeptical of the vaccine and mad that people are pressing them to get it. Those I understand. They are very good people, decent people.

But Bourla has less empathy or understanding for what he said are the small number of people who have knowingly circulated misinformation. Those people cant be qualified just bad people, he said, adding: They are criminals. They have literally cost millions of lives.

The interview was live-streamed online and the replay is available to watch here.

More than 3,100 claimsalleging injuries from COVID-19 vaccines and treatmentshave been filed with the federal Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program duringthe pandemic.Of the 3,158 claims, 1,357 allege injuries or deaths from the COVID-19 vaccine.So far, none of the claims have been paid, and only two vaccine cases have been rejected.Just one COVID-19 claim has been deemed eligible for compensation, but program staffers are reviewing allowable expenses.That leaves more than 3,000 cases still under review. Read more here.

"We work to process claims as expeditiously as possible," said Christy Choi, a spokeswoman for the Health Resources and Services Administration, which runs the compensation program. "About 90% of claims are awaiting medical records for review."

Ken Alltucker

People who trust Fox News Channel and other media outlets that appeal to conservatives are more likely to believe misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines than those who primarily go elsewhere for news, a study has found.Viewers who trust information from CNN, MSNBC, NPR, network news and local TV news were less likely to be misled, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation study released this week. But the study took no stand on whether the coverage was responsible for viewer beliefs.

It may be because the people who are self-selecting these organizations believe (the misinformation) going in, said Liz Hamel, vice president and director of public opinion and survey research at Kaiser.

A police officer who was placed on leave for missing San Franciscos deadline to be inoculated has died after being stricken by COVID-19, theSan Francisco Chroniclereported.Officer Jack Nyce, 46, tested positive on Nov. 2 and died Saturday at a hospital in Manteca, his wife, Melissa Nyce, told the newspaper.The Chronicle said Melissa Nyce declined to say whether her husband was vaccinated. However,the vice president of the Police Officers Association, Lt. Tracy McCray, said Jack Nyce was on a 30-day stint of paid administrative leave because he had not received the vaccination required by the city.

The Police Department said last week that as many as 70 sworn and civilian workers had been placed on leave for not meeting a Nov. 1 vaccination deadline. As of Nov. 2, 97.5% of department employees were fully vaccinated.

If youre taking your child to get vaccinated against COVID-19, experts say there areapproaches that can make it easier for you both you and your child. It starts with maybe the oldest rule in the book: Honesty is the best policy.Adam Keating, a general pediatrician with Cleveland Clinic Childrens, told USA TODAY that parents canform a strategy to talk about the COVID-19 vaccine and vaccines in generalwith their children.

Anytime you're doing a vaccine with a kid, it's worth having a conversation beforehand and a strategy before they get the vaccine, Keating said.

In general, my preference is that this is a conversation that the kid has time to prepare for beforehand, and they don't learn about it 30 seconds before it happens, he said. That doesn't give the kid control over the vaccine. And so much of the worry and the pain that happens with vaccines is about the lack of control and the lack of time to prepare. Read more here.

Marina Pitofsky, USA TODAY

Republican lawmakers in Kansas are pushing to enact new state laws before Thanksgiving to protect workers financially if they refuse to comply with federal mandates to get vaccinated against COVID-19.Top GOP legislative leaders called Tuesday for lawmakers to have a special session to consider proposals making it easier for workers to claim religious exemptions from vaccine mandates and providing unemployment benefits to workers who are fired for refusing to get inoculated. Both proposals emerged from a legislative committee meeting Tuesday and come in response to vaccine mandatesannounced in Septemberby President Joe Biden.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly last weekwent public with her oppositionto the Democratic president's mandates, but she also said she didn't think a special session is warranted. Lawmakers can force one if two-thirds of them sign a petition, and Republicans have big enough majorities.Lawmakers adjourned for the year in May and aren't scheduled to reconvene until January.

The NFL and NFLPA agreed to modifications to the COVID-19 protocols and informed teams in a memo, but there were no changes to the requirements about mask use for unvaccinated players.Instead, the memo included a reminder that such players are required to adhere to those requirements in all cases inside of facilities.

Clubs are reminded that any individual who is not fully vaccinated is required to wear a mask at all times when inside the club facility. This includes while giving media interviews or participating in media briefings conducted indoors either at the club facility or at the stadium on game day, the memo read.

It added: Individuals who are not fully vaccinated may conduct media interviews outdoors or in the practice bubble without wearing a mask, provided that physical distancing is maintained at all times.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers lack of mask use at news conferences made this a renewed topic of scrutiny last week after hetested positive for COVID-19.

Mike Jones, USA TODAY

Contributing: The Associated Press

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9 employees of the Broward County Sheriff's Office have died from the coronavirus: COVID-19 updates - USA TODAY

How did major Chinese and U.S. outlets differ in their initial coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic? Thats the central question behind a new study published last week in the Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly journal.

The overall finding: Chinese outlets focus on Covid-19 was much more domestic, perhaps because they were focused on trying to contain the outbreak, while the U.S. view was much more focused on politics and the conflict between various levels of government when it came to combatting the crisis.

To arrive at these findings, researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, looked at the three largest newspapers by circulation in each of the two countries. In the U.S., the list included The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. In China, the newspapers wereThe Beijing News, Caixin Weekly, and Peoples Daily. It turned out that these six outlets also represent different ideological views, according to Kaiping Chen, an assistant professor of life sciences communication at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the senior author of the new paper. Some are more party-focused in China and some more investigative and we tried our best to cover a variety of mainstream outlets, she said.

They also only looked at coronavirus coverage between January and May 2020, to get a snapshot of what early coverage of the pandemic looked like.

They also looked at the themes of coverage in both countries. In China, coverage was overwhelmingly focused on the domestic pandemic response especially how different groups were coming together to handle the crisis followed by international response to the pandemic. And while some of this international coverage focused on how other countries were focused on battling the coronavirus crisis, much of the focus was on international cooperation and how countries were helping each other with medical and other aid for response efforts.

In the U.S., the news scene looked different. Politics, especially centered on conflict between different political entities, was the main focus. Stories focused on the conflict between the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for instance, or between conflicting guidelines issued by various government figures.

Other differences that emerged were how news stories in the two countries focused on how Covid-19 was impacting society. In the U.S., stories tended to focus on everyday life, with stories highlighting individuals. Chinese media tended to focus more on collective impacts, such as the impact of the pandemic on students and education. Its interesting because these cultural differences kind of play into how journalists might write stories in the different countries, Chen said.

At the same time, U.S. coverage shifted over time to recognize the complexity of Covid-19 and how it was a multifaceted risk. The U.S. media talked about the impact on small businesses, the ongoing impact on families and, when it was signed in March 2020, the CARES Act. Chinese media remained more or less focused on the same topics throughout the study duration, the authors found.

Overall, a big theme that emerged was also how the U.S. media tended to play the role of a watchdog, while Chinese media tended to be much more of a cheerleader. One possible explanation for this, according to the study:

Part of the difference in representation and focus on political coverage could be due to the different media systems. In the Chinese media system, limited press freedom and high levels of state intervention may have prevented coverage of political conflicts, while emphasizing how well the country was coping with the outbreak. In the United States, in contrast, high levels of press freedom combined with a competitive media market may have led the news media to cover politics more to cater to the high levels of political polarization among American audiences. Therefore, while it might be that there was more political conflict in the United States than in China during this time period that conflict and the coverage of such conflict might also reflect what each government and media system allow for. It could be that conflict in the United States was just more transparent, and media were able to then further broadcast that conflict.

What could all this mean for future risk and pandemic communication? If the news continues talking about the leadership doing a bad job, then it might create very confusing signals to citizens, Chen said. This is where I would think about depoliticizing Covid-19 and instead talking about the hope of science to the public.

Chen said the aim isnt to glaze over political missteps or only put a positive spin on things, but instead to aim for a good balance between the hopeful stories and those that might dampen the outlook for a given crisis.

As far as future steps, Chen and her group are continuing to look at coverage past May 2020 to see how themes continued to evolve beyond the initial months of the pandemic. The group is also looking at how news narratives about collaboration (or lack thereof) between different countries during the pandemic may have affected how people perceive those from different racial and ethnic groups.

Continue reading here:

Conflict vs. community: How early coronavirus coverage differed in the U.S. and China - Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard

DENVER (KDVR) Colorados COVID-19 positivity rate is now nearing 10%, a number local doctors say is a disappointment.

We were hoping at this point we d be like the rest of the United States and down trending, but obviously not the case, said Dr. Michelle Barron, the Senior Medical Director of Infection Prevention at UCHealth.

Barron told FOX31 the timing and trajectory of cases in Colorado is different from other states, which saw their surge earlier than Colorado, possibly due to Colorados vaccination rate. Plus, other states saw a dramatic spike,while Colorados increase has been slower and steadier.

If you look at states that had their big surges earlier this fall, late summer, they really went quickly. They went from a few cases to cases in the thousands. Colorado has never been on that sort of slope. Weve never had thousands of cases in one day and that probably has to do with our vaccination rates, Barron said.

So, Colorados surge came later, and its taking longer to reach the peak. But there are plenty of other factors at play.

I know its very confusing for everybody out there. We want it to be black and white. Unfortunately, its messy. Its very gray, said Dr. Scott Joy, the Chief Medical Officer of HealthONE Physician Services Group in Denver.

Its so complex with the travel, and the different patterns of behavior that are going on, Joy said. When it gets cold out, youre going to be a little bit closer, so you start to violate that W of watching your distance.

Joy said he wants to emphasize that vaccination is the way out of this pandemic.

Over 3 million Coloradans have gotten the vaccine, roughly 2.4 million still have not, and I think that this virus is relentless, Joy said.

Now that immunity is waning for some Coloradans, doctors say it is very important to get booster shots and continue to take precautions.

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Why is Colorados COVID rate increasing while other states are seeing rates drop? - FOX 31 Denver