Month: December 2021

US President Joe Biden says defeating the coronavirus pandemic – both at home and around the world – is his top priority. VOA looks at how he handled this unprecedented global and domestic challenge during his first year as president, with this report from White House correspondent Anita Powell. …

While many countries are fighting off their worst coronavirus outbreaks yet, Japan is detecting hardly any COVID-19 infections at all. Observers are trying to figure out why. As recently as late summer, Japan’s coronavirus outlook wasn’t great. An outbreak coinciding with the Tokyo Olympics was killing dozens per day and overwhelming hospitals. Starting in September, though, as Japan ramped up its vaccination campaign, the country saw a dramatic plunge in the number of reported cases and eventually the number of deaths. Since then, the situation has only improved. Japan this month has reported an average of less than one COVID-19 death per day – a shockingly low number for a country of 126 million. No one knows exactly why Japan has experienced such success — especially while other countries, even its immediate neighbors, have been hit by serious winter waves of the coronavirus. There are many possible explanations. Nearly 80% of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated. Virtually everyone wears masks. Even after the government relaxed restrictions this autumn, people continued to socially distance themselves. Some researchers have pointed to Japan’s low rates of obesity. Several recent studies have concluded that COVID-19 is more severe in obese individuals. Cultural customs may also play a role. For instance, Japanese do not typically kiss, hug, or even shake hands during greetings. Many Japanese are also relatively quiet in public settings, points out Kentaro Iwata, an infectious disease specialist at Japan’s Kobe University. “Masking and keeping silent in public places is very important [for …

“White-knuckle” — That’s how Rusty Whitman describes the month ahead, after the launch of the historic James Webb Space Telescope, now tentatively set for Saturday.  From a secure control room in Baltimore, Maryland, Whitman and his colleagues will hold their breath as Webb comes online. But that’s just the beginning.  For the first six months after Webb’s launch, Whitman and the team at the Space Telescope Science Institute will monitor the observatory around the clock, making tiny adjustments to ensure it is perfectly calibrated for astronomers across the world to explore the universe. The most crucial moments will come at the beginning of the mission: the telescope must be placed on a precise trajectory, while at the same time unfurling its massive mirror and even larger sun-shade — a perilous choreography.    “At the end of 30 days, I will be able to breathe a sigh of relief if we’re on schedule,” said Whitman, flight operations system engineering manager.  He leads the team of technicians who set up Webb’s control room — a high-tech hub with dozens of screens to monitor and control the spacecraft.  In the first row, one person alone will have the power to send commands to the $10 billion machine, which will eventually settle into an orbit over 1.5 million kilometers away.  In other stations, engineers will monitor specific systems for any anomalies.  After launch, Webb’s operations are largely automated, but the team in Baltimore must be ready to handle any unexpected issues.    Luckily, they have had …

Worried that a new COVID-19 wave could overwhelm understaffed U.S. hospitals, federal officials on Thursday loosened rules that call on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive. Those workers will now be allowed to come back to work after seven days if they test negative and don’t have symptoms. Isolation time can be cut to five days or even fewer if there are severe staffing shortages, according to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “As the health care community prepares for an anticipated surge in patients due to omicron, CDC is updating our recommendations to reflect what we know about infection and exposure in the context of vaccination and booster doses,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “Our goal is to keep health care personnel and patients safe, and to address and prevent undue burden on our health care facilities,” she added. Isolation is designed to keep infected people away from uninfected people and prevent further spread of the virus. CDC officials have advised that in calculating the 10-day isolation period, the first day should be the first full day after symptoms first developed or after a positive test. If a person develops symptoms sometime after a positive COVID-19 test, the quarantine period must restart, beginning one day after the symptoms develop.  …

NASA looks likely to launch a much hyped and often-delayed space telescope. Plus, SpaceX makes history again, and a space tourist is already planning his next trip. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space. …

New research from Britain and South Africa suggests the fast-spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus is milder and results in fewer hospitalizations than other versions.   Researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland unveiled a study Wednesday showing that people who had contracted omicron were at least 60% less likely to be admitted, compared to those who had been infected with the delta variant, which had been dominating the world in recent months. A separate study conducted at Imperial College London revealed that people diagnosed with omicron were 15%-20% less likely to seek emergency care at a hospital, while also showing a 40%-45% decline in the number of omicron patients who needed to be admitted for severe symptoms.   And scientists at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases Wednesday released a study that discovered the risk of hospitalization was 70%-80% lower among patients who tested positive for omicron, compared with those who tested positive for delta or other strains. The NICD researchers also said Wednesday the omicron outbreak in that country appears to have peaked, with a 20% decline in new infections in the last week.   But John Nkengasong, the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned Thursday during a virtual press briefing that South Africa should not be used as an example for what may happen in other nations with omicron.  More encouraging news came Wednesday in the U.S.-based military publication Defense One, which said the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the largest of …

A suggestion by Australia’s most populous state to charge unvaccinated people for COVID-19 medical costs has received widespread criticism. The New South Wales proposal has angered doctors and some federal politicians, who argue that health care in Australia is free and universal. The New South Wales government has said that unvaccinated patients being treated for COVID-19 have been irresponsible and have burdened taxpayers with “very substantial costs.” And they could be forced to pay for their hospital care. “There already is two classes of the hospital system because you have got the unvaccinated that are there because they have not been taking responsibility for their actions, and you have got the vaccinated there who have got a genuine requirement for health care, said State Transport Minister David Elliott. But members of Australia’s federal government have been skeptical about making unvaccinated COVID-19 patients pay for their treatment. The Australian Medical Association said the proposal was “unethical,” and it doubted that it was even legal. The president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr. Karen Price, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that it would affect disadvantaged communities. “We might make all sorts of judgments on people who smoke or have an unhealthy lifestyle, and the unvaccinated would be a large cohort of those people who might have low health literacy, and we know in some of our Indigenous communities where vaccination rates are low, this would be an unethical procedure to implement,” he said. Ninety percent of eligible Australians are …

U.S. health officials say 2021 is shaping up to be even deadlier than last year. It’s too early to say for sure, since all the death reports for November and December won’t be in for many weeks. But based on available information, it seems likely 2021 will surpass last year’s record number of deaths by at least 15,000, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s death statistics. Last year was the most lethal in U.S. history, largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A CDC report released Wednesday shows 2020 was actually worse than the agency previously reported. The report presents a final tally for last year of about 3.384 million U.S. deaths, about 25,000 more than a provisional count released earlier this year. Such jumps between provisional and final numbers are common, but 2020’s difference was higher than usual because of a lag in death records from some states that switched to new electronic reporting systems, Anderson said. The CDC this week also revised its estimate of life expectancy for 2020. Life expectancy at birth that year was 77 years, a decrease of 1.8 years from 2019. The agency previously estimated the decline at 1.5 years. Anderson said it’s likely that the nation will see more than 3.4 million deaths in 2021. Other experts said they think deaths for the year will end up either about the same as in 2020, or higher. “It’s really sad,” said Ali Mokdad, a mortality statistics expert at …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of an antiviral COVID-19 pill, the pill’s maker Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday. The company says the pill, which is to be taken with another antiviral drug, ritonavir, is 90% effective in preventing hospitalization and death in high-risk people. “The efficacy is high, the side effects are low and it’s oral. It checks all the boxes,” Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic told The Associated Press. “You’re looking at a 90% decreased risk of hospitalization and death in a high-risk group—that’s stunning.” The pill is the first at-home treatment for the virus and is approved for use in those 12 and older who are at high risk. Pfizer says it’s ready to start delivery of the drug immediately in the U.S. and will produce 120 million courses in 2022. The U.S. government has a contract with the company for 10 million courses priced at $530 per course. The drug will be sold under the name Paxlovid and will have to be taken every 12 hours for five days once COVID-19 symptoms appear. Potential users of the new drug will have to show a positive virus test. Drug giant Merck is also working on a similar drug. Despite the promise, health officials say getting a vaccine is still the best way to stave off the worst effects of the virus.  Some information in this report comes from The Associated Press and Reuters. …

Researchers in Australia have identified a gene that indicates the kidney has its own way of resisting damage. However, they have also identified a mutation of the gene that can in patients with, for example, diabetes, trigger the development of renal disease.  A gene called VANGL1 has been found to help stop the immune system from attacking the kidney. But Australian researchers say the genetic mutation, which is present in about 15% of the population worldwide, can cause renal disease in patients with diabetes and other autoimmune conditions.    The mutation is highly prevalent among indigenous people on the Tiwi Islands, 80 kilometers from the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory. According to the study, just less than 50% of the islands’ residents have the genetic mutation.    The islands’ recorded rates of kidney disease are four times those of mainland indigenous Australians and about 11 times that of non-Indigenous Australians, according to researchers.  Dr. Simon Jiang is from the John Curtin School of Medical Research at Australian National University. He says the mutation is mostly benign in healthy adults.  “If your body is not inflamed and you are otherwise healthy, it is probably not too much of an issue. It is when you have another condition that occurs on top of it. And so in the Tiwi Islands, rates of infection, of diabetes and probably some immune diseases, are a lot higher than the rest of Australia. And so, when you have that process happening within your body, what is initially a reasonably benign mutation suddenly takes on a new turn and becomes something that is really bad news for the kidney,” Jiang said.   The study could lead to better transplant screening that would identify potential donors …

U.S.-based drugmaker Moderna says that initial laboratory tests show a third shot of its current COVID-19 vaccine is effective against the fast-spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus.  In a statement released Monday, the company said a half dose of the vaccine given as a booster increased the antibodies levels 37 fold, while a full dose of the vaccine — which is used in the full dose regimen — boosted antibodies levels over 80 fold. Dr. Paul Burton, Moderna’s chief medical officer, says the study — which has not been peer-reviewed — proves the company’s vaccine is effective, “extremely safe” and “will protect people through the coming holiday period and through these winter months, when we’re going to see the most severe pressure of omicron.”  U.S. federal health officials authorized both the Moderna and the two-shot Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be used as booster shots for all adults last month. Moderna’s announcement comes a day after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, warned that omicron is “raging through the world” as he urged Americans to get vaccinated and get a booster shot. The World Health Organization said Sunday that omicron, which was first detected last month in a handful of southern African nations, is now present in 89 countries. New York state marked a third consecutive day of record-setting new infections Sunday with nearly 22,500 confirmed cases. The rising number of infections has triggered closures of numerous theater shows and restaurants in New York City in a …

The United Nations estimates 7.7 million people, half of Somalia’s population, will require humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022.It is appealing for $1.5 billion to assist 5.5 million of the most vulnerable among them. Decades of conflict, recurrent climatic shocks, disease outbreaks, and increasing poverty, including the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are devastating the lives and livelihoods of people in Somalia. They are facing acute hunger. Many are on the verge of famine because the rains have failed to fall for a third year in a row.U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdelmoula says 80 percent of the country is affected by drought.  Speaking on a video link from the capital Mogadishu, he tells VOA 169,000 people have abandoned their homes in search of water, food, and grazing land for their livestock.  “When I visited the countryside, I saw many dead animals,” he said. “The people I met with, including one woman told me that she lost all her 200 goats, and two camels and her donkey and she and her three children are living under a tree…and the elderly people I met with told me they had not seen this level of drought since the 1970s and 80s.” Abdelmoula says conditions in Somalia are dire. He expresses concern about a less than adequate response to the U.N. appeal given the fierce competition for funds. He says Somalia has been pushed to the back burner because of emerging crises elsewhere, especially Tigray in northern Ethiopia and Afghanistan.  He …

“The Netherlands is shutting down again,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Saturday in a televised address. The new measures, beginning Sunday, Rutte said, are because of a “fifth wave” of COVID-19, due to the highly contagious omicron variant. Under the new rules, all non-essential shops will be closed to at least mid-January. Only two guests will be permitted to visit a household at one time. Four guests, however, will be allowed during the upcoming holidays from Dec. 24-26 and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Schools will be immediately closed until at least Jan. 9. While the Netherland boasts an 85% inoculation rate of its population, only 9% have received booster shots. Jaap van Dissel, the chief of the Dutch outbreak management team, said the shutdown will give people time to get their booster jabs and gives hospitals time to prepare for the possible surge in COVID cases. Other European countries are also moving to reimpose restrictions to contain the variant’s spread. The new variant has fueled infections in Britain close to the peak levels of early 2021, while other European countries and the United States are also experiencing surges. Scientists are warning the British government needs to go further to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed amid the surge. The warning comes after the government reimposed an indoor mask requirement and ordered people to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test when entering night clubs or large venues. Britain’s Health Security Agency said Friday that 65 …

CNN is closing its offices in the United States to all nonessential employees as COVID-19 cases increase, the network said on Saturday in an internal memo to staff seen by Reuters. CNN, part of AT&T Inc’s WarnerMedia division, will close its offices to all employees who do not have work in the office, the memo said. “We are doing this out of an abundance of caution,” CNN President Jeff Zucker said in the memo. “And it will also protect those who will be in the office by minimizing the number of people who are there.” Employees who need to come to the office will be required to wear a mask at all times, CNN said. The network will also make changes to its studios and control rooms to minimize the number of people at offices, according to the memo. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The network had set a tentative return-to-office date in January and it isn’t known if that date will move, the Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. CNN requires all employees to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 to come to office or to work on field with other employees. In August, the company terminated three of its workers for coming to the office unvaccinated.     …

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration said Saturday that it would not issue citations tied to its coronavirus vaccination mandate before Jan. 10, so that companies have time to adjust to and implement the requirements. The federal agency separately said there would be no citations of companies regarding its testing requirements before Feb. 9. The announcement came after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth District in Cincinnati decided on Friday that the mandate for large employers could go forward, reversing a previous court decision made after 27 Republican-led states, conservative groups, business associations and some individual companies challenged the mandate. OSHA said in a statement that it would not issue citations before the listed dates “so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard.” The mandate was previously slated to take effect Jan. 4. The Biden administration’s vaccine requirement applies to companies with 100 or more employees and covers about 84 million U.S. workers. Employees who are not fully vaccinated have to wear face masks and be subject to weekly COVID-19 tests. There are exceptions, including for those who work outdoors or only at home. Administration officials estimate that the mandate will save 6,500 lives and prevent 250,000 hospitalizations over six months.  …

Egyptian health authorities said they have identified the country’s first cases of the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus. Three people were found to have the variant among 26 travelers who tested positive for coronavirus at Cairo International Airport, the Health Ministry said in a statement late Friday. It didn’t say where the three came from. The local Masrawy news outlet reported the three were among travelers from South Africa. The ministry said two of the people infected showed no symptoms, while the third suffered from mild symptoms. The three have been isolated in a Cairo hospital, it said. Authorities on Friday reported more than 900 confirmed new cases of coronavirus and 43 deaths over the previous 24 hours. Egypt has reported a total 373,500 cases, including 21,277 fatalities, since the pandemic began.    …

The head of the World Health Organization says the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases is a result of the unequal distribution of vaccines. Speaking at the First International Conference on Public Health in Africa, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that it has been just over a year since the first COVID-19 vaccines began to be administered. He said, “A year ago, we all hoped that by now vaccines would be helping us all emerge from the long, dark tunnel of the pandemic. Instead, as we enter the third year of the pandemic, the death toll has more than tripled, and the world remains in its grip. COVID-19 has now killed more than 5 million people. And they’re just the reported deaths.” Tedros told the virtual conference that the rapid development of not one, but several safe and effective vaccines, is a triumph of science. But he said, “the inequitable distribution of vaccines has been a failure for humanity.” The WHO chief said that while more than 8.5 billion doses have been administered globally – the largest vaccination campaign in history, only 8% of Africa’s eligible population is fully vaccinated. “We have often said that as long as vaccine inequity persists, the more opportunity the virus has to spread and mutate in ways no one can prevent or predict. And so, we have omicron,” the director-general said. Tedros noted, however, that vaccine-sharing programs are “picking up speed.” He said, “In the past 10 weeks, COVAX has shipped more vaccines than …