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Have the flu? Try the Keto diet! Study finds the high-fat, low-carb diet triggers the release of immune system cells that trap the virus before it spreads Experts fed mice infected with influenza virus a high-fat, low-carbohydrate Also known as the keto diet, those who stuck to the diet had a high survival rate The team found the diet triggered the release immune system cells in the body These cells produce mucus in in the cell linings of the lung and trapped the virus The ketogenic diet has become a popular way to shed unwanted pounds and a recent study reveals it can also fight off the flu. Researchers fed mice infected with the influenza virus a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, which resulted in a higher survival rate than compared to those on a normal high-carbohydrate diet. The team found the ketogenic diet, or keto for short, triggered the release immune system cells that produce mucus in the cell linings of the lung and trapped the virus before it became worse. Researchers fed mice infected with the influenza virus a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, which resulted in a higher survival rate than compared to those on a normal high-carbohydrate diet Keto includes a menu of meat, fish, poultry and non-starchy vegetables. This diet is said to share many similarities with the Atkins diet, as it involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. Experts have now determined it may be a way to tame the flu, as it was found to activate a subset of T cells in the lungs not previously associated with the immune system's response to influenza, enhancing mucus production from airway cells that can effectively trap the virus, the researchers reported. The study was conducted at Yale University by two trainees and a lead scientist. The team found the ketogenic diet, or keto for short, triggered the release immune system cells that produce mucus in the cell linings of the lung -while the high-carbohydrate diet did not The two trainees are, Ryan Molony who found that immune system activators called inflammasomes can cause harmful immune system responses in their host, and Emily Goldberg who worked in Dixit's lab, which had shown that the ketogenic diet blocked formation of inflammasomes. Co-senior author Akiko Iwasaki, the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute said the findings were 'totally unexpected'. 'This study shows that the way the body burns fat to produce ketone bodies from the food we eat can fuel the immune system to fight flu infection, Dixit explained. WHAT IS THE KETO DIET? The Ketogenic diet defines a low-carb, high-fat way of eating. Following this eating plan forces the body into a metabolic state, known as ketosis, which starves the body of carbohydrates but not calories. Carbs are shunned in the keto diet as they cause the body to produce glucose, which is used as energy over fat. Keto diets therefore lead to weight loss as they make the body burn fat as its primary energy source. On the diet, followers can eat: Meat Leafy greens and most vegetables Full-fat dairy Nuts and seeds Avocadoes and berries Fats, such as coconut oil People cannot eat: Grains, including rice and wheat Sugar, like honey and maple syrup Most fruit White or sweet potatoes During the study, the team showed that mice infected with the flu virus that were fed the keto diet had a higher survival rate than mice on a high-carb normal diet. The researchers were more excited to find the details behind this event. The keto diet actually triggered the release of gamma delta T cells, immune system cells that produce mucus in the cell linings of the lung -while the high-carbohydrate diet did not. When mice were bred without the gene that codes for gamma delta T cells, the ketogenic diet provided no protection against the influenza virus. The Ketogenic diet is a low-carb and high-fat regime Source

Forum: Allow $5,000 withdrawal from CPF to tide us over crisis The Government should allow citizens to withdraw $5,000 from their Central Provident Fund (CPF) Retirement Account, as this will help those who are in dire financial straits. The amount in my Retirement Account has reached the full retirement sum for my age. I need funds to tide me over this difficult Covid-19 period. Many people have had their salaries cut and are struggling to get by. https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/forum-allow-5000-withdrawal-from-cpf-to-tide-us-over-crisis

TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) - Japan's Health Ministry has begun a special approval process for the antiviral drug remdesivir as a potential treatment for Covid-19, NHK reported. More here

Bustling economy is coming back https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/reopening-of-america-accelerates-as-states-prepare-to-relax-coronavirus-restrictions/2020/04/25/cd2f939c-866a-11ea-a3eb-e9fc93160703_story.html

SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - Only 17 foreign domestic workers (FDWs) here have been confirmed to have Covid-19 so far, and they did not get it from foreign workers. Most of them were infected by their employers, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in response to The New Paper's queries on Sunday (April 19). Among the 17, Cases 102, 104 and 108 were linked to the Wizlearn Technologies cluster. All three had employers who were either employees of Wizlearn Technologies or were linked to employees. Another infected FDW was Case 21, a 44-year-old Indonesian. Her employer, Case 19, worked at the Yong Thai Hang health products shop, which was one of the earliest clusters. The cluster has since been closed. With the number of infections among foreign workers living in dormitories shooting up, there has been speculation that maids may have come into contact with infected foreign workers on their rest days. A WhatsApp message claimed that the situation could "very quickly spiral out of control" if maids met infected workers and carried the virus back to their employers. Addressing these concerns in an interview with Lianhe Zaobao last Friday, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said: "First of all, now (FDWs) can't go out, and second, when you drill down on the data, the rate of infection among foreign domestic workers is very low. "The evidence we have so far is that they get the infection from their employers, not from outside." STAY HOME On April 11, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said all maids must stay home on their rest days, except to buy meals or run essential errands. Mr William Lau, general manager of employment agency Maid Avenue, was not surprised by the low rate of infection among maids. He said: "Even before the circuit breaker started, many FDWs were already staying at home and minimising contact with outsiders. "Adding to that, MOM's recent announcement sent a very strong message to FDWs - it is no longer just an instruction from their employers." A spokesman for the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) said of the WhatsApp message: "Perpetuating such messages targets the migrant worker community unfairly as it is speculative." The Home spokesman said employers should not be unduly worried about their maids being infected since all parties are subject to the same circuit breaker measures. Ms Josephine Chia, 44, a mother of two children aged four and six, said that while employers have valid concerns about infections among FDWs, the WhatsApp message is "irresponsible fearmongering". Ms Chia, who now accompanies her Filipina helper to remit money, said: "Of course, there is a basis for worry, but we should remain calm and logical about it, especially as the low number of infected FDWs provides some reassurance."

SINGAPORE - With tighter circuit breaker measures in place, some food and beverage brands have fewer outlets open while others have adjusted operating hours. AWFULLY CHOCOLATE Status: All outlets closed except for flagship restaurant, Ninethirty by Awfully Chocolate at 131 East Coast Road. Info: Facebook BEE CHENG HIANG Status: All outlets closed. Info: Order online BENGAWAN SOLO Status: All outlets and central kitchen closed. Info: Website BREADTALK Status: Most BreadTalk outlets remain open to sell a selected range of bread, toast and packaged drinks. Selected outlets are closed, including those at Marina Bay Sands, The Centrepoint and Funan mall. Info: Order online or via GrabFood and Deliveroo. For more information, go to the BreadTalk website. CAT & THE FIDDLE Status: All three outlets - which specialise in selling cheesecakes - at Clarke Quay Central, Westgate and Junction 8 are closed. Info: Order online CEDELE Status: Fifteen of its 28 outlets remain open - those with higher volume of traffic. These include Novena Square, Raffles City and Great World City. Info: Order online CHATERAISE Status: All outlets of the chain of cake shops closed except the branch in Isetan Scotts' supermarket at Shaw Centre. Info: Facebook FAMOUS AMOS Status: All outlets closed. Info: Facebook MONGA Status: All three Monga outlets at Jem, SingPost Centre and Ion Orchard are open. The fried chicken brand sells bubble tea at its SingPost Centre branch, but it must be purchased with food. The bubble tea is available for islandwide delivery (call 8896-5136) and takeaway from the SingPost Centre branch. Info: Facebook MR BEAN Status: Fifty-five of its 76 stores across Singapore remain open for takeaway and delivery service, which include hot food such as wholegrain rice bowls, and millet grains porridge. Info: Order online OLD CHANG KEE Status: Sixty of its 79 stores - mainly located in the heartland - are still operating for takeaway and delivery. Info: For more information and updated operating hours, go to the Facebook page. PARIS BAGUETTE Status: Five of its 13 outlets remain open - at Wisma Atria, Bugis Junction, Jem, Jewel Changi Airport and One Shenton Way. Info: Order online STARBUCKS Status: Most Starbucks outlets remain open. Its menu is available for delivery on GrabFood, foodpanda and Deliveroo. Info: For more information and updated operating hours, go to the Starbucks website. THE PINE GARDEN Status: All kiosks at AMK Hub, Century Square, Compass One and Northpoint City are closed. Its flagship outlet at Block 529 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 remains open. Info: Facebook TOAST BOX Status: Most Toast Box outlets remain open. Selected ones are closed, including at VivoCity, Ion Orchard and Esplanade Mall Info: For more information, go to the Facebook page. YOLE Status: All outlets closed. Info: Facebook

SINGAPORE — A total of 16 Singapore Airlines (SIA) employees working in the city-state have been infected with the coronavirus in recent weeks, according to the airline’s internal messages seen by Yahoo Lifestyle SEA. SIA is working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Ministry of Health to implement measures to prevent the spread of the virus, and updating its staff about the cases and measures. Based on several messages circulated to SIA staff, the 16 infected Singapore-based employees had tested positive for the coronavirus in March and April. Of the infected cases, 14 are cabin crew members while the remaining two are ground crew from SIA Engineering Company, who were based in the airport apron area. Eight of them had recovered and been discharged from hospital. In response to queries from Yahoo Lifestyle SEA, a spokesperson with the SIA group, which also owns SilkAir and Scoot, said, “Singapore Airlines can confirm that several of our crew members tested positive for COVID-19 in March and April 2020. SIA has been providing all necessary support to our staff who test positive for COVID-19, and we continue to monitor the situation closely to take steps to ensure the health and safety of all customers and staff.” The internal messages revealed that the infected crew members had worked on Singapore-based routes to and from London, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Houston, Manchester, Kuala Lumpur, New York, Sydney, Amsterdam and Munich.

Freedom in action!

Forum: Mask exemption for outdoor exercise is dangerous I am alarmed by the exemption from wearing face masks granted to those who exercise outdoors, and the rationale given. Scientific studies have shown how easily the coronavirus spreads via infectious droplets, even from asymptomatic carriers. This is why the authorities now mandate that anyone stepping outdoors must wear masks. Exempting those doing strenuous outdoor exercise from wearing a mask creates a chink in society's armour against the contagion. Those exercising breathe faster and harder, increasing the amount of potentially infectious droplets in the air, making them potentially more infectious than those walking slowly. While it would be safe to exercise without a mask if alone, runners and cyclists range far and wide, encountering numerous people. Many do not have the courtesy to make a wide berth around those they pass. On park connectors, there is also no space to keep a 1m distance when passing others. Just one unmasked asymptomatic carrier may spread the virus to many random people in an hour, who will not be traceable by contact tracing. While there may be an increased risk of triggering a heart attack if one exercises with a face mask on, would it not be safer to wear a mask but decrease the intensity of exercise? Or to give up strenuous outdoor exercise altogether in favour of home exercises as is done in other countries? Finally, consider the injustice of exempting one small group of people doing a non-essential activity from using masks, while the majority have to wear them. Or the injustice of allowing a non-essential activity to proceed when other more necessary activities, such as elective surgery for poor vision or painful conditions affecting function, are not allowed. I urge the authorities to reconsider this ill-advised exemption from the use of masks and for outdoor exercise in general. Let us show solidarity in our fight against the coronavirus and not send contradictory messages. If the science shows that wearing face masks will reduce the spread of the virus, then let us not exempt anyone from doing so. If banning non-essential activity is deemed necessary, then do not exempt any such activity. Not exercising outdoors for a month or two will not kill anyone, but continuing to do so without a mask might very well do so. Andrew Yam Kean Tuck (Dr) Source

Vince McMahon Is Advising Trump on How to Restart US Economy WWE's Vince McMahon was named as one of a few sports magnates to aid President Donald Trump in restarting the U.S. economy. Talk show and radio host Andy Slater broke the news through his official Twitter. This followed a press conference earlier this week in which Trump stated he was putting together a group of sports commissioners and other executives to form an economic task force. Slater wrote on Twitter, "JUST NOW: Adam Silver, Rob Manfred, Roger Goodell, Gary Bettman, Robert Kraft, Jerry Jones, Dana White, and Vince McMahon are part of a large group that will help advise on how to restart the economy, President Trump says." He followed up with, "MORE: Mavs owner Mark Cuban will also be part of this group." He even quoted the President saying, “We need to get our sports back." This comes after weeks of Trump talking about wanting to restart the economy sooner rather than later. The inclusion of people such as White, Cuban and McMahon did not come as a surprise given their prowess as businessmen and owners in their respective fields. The men also happen to be personal friends of the President. McMahon made a name for himself by turning his father's wrestling promotion company WWF into the global phenomenon that it is today. Recently, he made headlines by furloughing WWE staff, releasing some of its superstars and cutting executives pay as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Source

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2020/04/10/91-s-koreans-retest-positive-for-covid-19-after-recovery SEOUL (Xinhua): A total of 91 South Koreans had retested positive for the Covid-19 after being released from quarantine with full recovery, the country's health authorities said Friday (April 10). An epidemiological and clinical investigation was underway into the 91, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It was up from 74 cases that retested positive as of Thursday. KCDC Director-General Jeong Eun-kyeong told a press briefing that the ongoing test was to isolate and culture viral cells from respiratory organs of those who retested positive, saying it would take at least two weeks to find the test result. Jeong said the test was also to determine whether the antibody is found from those who retested positive. The KCDC has seen a higher possibility for the virus remaining in certain cells to be reactivated, rather than people being re-infected, as they retested positive in a relatively short period of time after being released from quarantine. In the latest tally, the country reported 27 more Covid-19 cases for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 10,450. The daily caseload fell below 30 in 50 days. - Xinhua

Boris Johnson has been admitted to hospital 10 days after testing positive for coronavirus. As recently as Friday, the UK prime minister said he was “feeling better”, but that he would remain in self-isolation until his temperature dropped. However, on Sunday evening Downing Street revealed he had been taken to hospital for precautionary tests. It is not believed to be an emergency admission though the PM is expected to stay in overnight, having thought to have been admitted in the early evening. “On the advice of his doctor, the prime minister has tonight been admitted to hospital for tests,” a spokeswoman said. “This is a precautionary step, as the prime minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus 10 days after testing positive for the virus. “The prime minister thanks NHS staff for all of their incredible hard work and urges the public to continue to follow the Government’s advice to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.” Johnson has been continuing to the lead the Government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis from inside Downing Street, chairing Cabinet meetings via video link. He is understood to be in an NHS hospital in London, where he will stay for “as long as needed”. A Number 10 spokesman insisted on Sunday he remained “in charge of the Government” and has not handed responsibilities to his de facto deputy Dominic Raab. However, Mr Raab is likely to chair the daily COVID-19 meeting on Monday morning for ministers and officials instead of the PM.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/solidarity-budget-600-cash-support-all-adult-covid-19-coronaviru-12613836 Solidarity Budget: S$600 cash support for all adult Singaporeans, other cash payouts to be brought forward to June SINGAPORE: All adult Singaporeans aged 21 and above will receive a one-off Solidarity Payment of S$600 in cash, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced on Monday (Apr 6). For the majority of Singaporeans who have provided their bank account details to the Government, the Solidarity Payment will be credited directly into their bank accounts by Apr 14 this year, said Mr Heng, who is also Finance Minister. The rest will receive the payment by cheque, to be issued in stages later, starting Apr 30, he added. The S$600 is made up of S$300 that he announced in his earlier supplementary budget and an additional S$300, Mr Heng explained. The additional support is part of a Solidarity Budget to provide help to firms, workers and households in response to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic that has affected many sectors in Singapore. This is the third round of support measures from the Government. “I will bring forward S$300 from the Care and Support – Cash payout that I announced earlier,” he said. “I will provide timely support for households, to ensure that no household stands alone during this difficult period.” Other cash payouts under the Care and Support Package, which were earlier announced, will be brought forward to June this year, instead of August. These payouts include the remaining S$300 or S$600 from the higher tiers of the Care and Support – Cash payout, the additional S$300 payout for each parent with at least one child aged 20 and below, and the S$100 PAssion Card top-up, which will be given in cash, for Singaporeans aged 50 and above, Mr Heng said. “Not everyone will need these cash payouts. I am very encouraged that many have written to me, my ministerial colleagues and MPs, that they do not need the cash payouts, and suggest that we give these to those who need the cash more. I thank fellow Singaporeans for your thoughtfulness,” Mr Heng said. He urged those who can to donate to charities on the Giving.sg website or the Community Chest’s Courage Fund, or to directly share it with others. He encouraged those who need more support to approach Social Service Offices and Community Centres, to apply for new schemes such as the Temporary Relief Fund and the upcoming COVID-19 Support Grant, which will be available from May 2020, as well as existing ComCare schemes. “Some Singaporeans will also be emotionally affected or distressed in this period. So besides financial support, let us provide emotional and mental health support to our people,” he said. READ: Singapore sees record daily spike of 120 COVID-19 cases, 'significant number' linked to worker dormitories Community mental health support services will continue to provide care and support for clients through phone consultations, or home visits for those who may need more support, he said. He also commended a 24/7 National Care Hotline which the Ministry and Social Family Development announced over the weekend. “I am glad that mental health professionals and trained volunteers have stepped forward to offer their help in setting up the new hotline,” he said.

Tiagong from my fren

Not the young. Not the old. Not the athletes. Not the healthy eaters. It's the nerds, the social misfits, socially awkward colleagues whom you don't even remember their names. The otakus, the tinder swiped lefts, the society rejects. Yea that's right. They are the ones you won't even stand close to on the bus, the ones you won't share a lift with. They have no place to go except stay alone in their rented room, or their parents basement where even the virus shun. They got no parties to attend, no high school get-togethers to be at; their soulmate is only solitude. Yet these are the ones who will survive this pandemic with ease with just a computer and working internet. Food is merely calories in some form. They don't even need to weigh in the macronutrients or whether it's roasted, baked or stewed. ...... So yeah we watching you socialites from afar, from a safe social distance, and we wait. We wait however long it takes. We alone, but we survive. One day, just one day, introverts and social distancing will be the norm. We be waiting.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/27/social-distancing-new-study-suggests-two-metres-not-enough/ Social distancing: new study suggests two metres is not enough People may still be at risk even when they are more than two metres away from an infected person BySarah Knapton, SCIENCE EDITOR27 March 2020 • 7:00pm The two-metre social distancing rule being used to keep people apart may need to be four times bigger to prevent coronavirus from spreading, a new study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests.Currently, people are being asked to keep a distance of around 6ft 6in when out in the community, and many supermarkets have now stuck lines of tape to the floor to ensure adequate separation between shoppers when queuing.But the new analysis by MIT has found that viral droplets expelled in coughs and sneezes can travel in a moist, warm atmosphere at speeds of 33ft to 100ft per second (ten metres to 100 metres), creating a cloud that can span approximately 23ft to 27ft (seven metres to eight metres).The researchers also warned that droplets can stay suspended in the air for hours, moving along airflow patterns imposed by ventilation or climate-control systems.Virus particles have already been found in the ventilation systems of hospital rooms of patients with coronavirus, which the MIT team believe could have been carried on "turbulent clouds" of air.Scientists said the research had implications for both the public and healthcare workers, who may not realise they need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) even when they are not in close proximity to an infected patient.Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama), the authors said that current distance guidelines may be too short. "These distances are based on estimates of range that have not considered the possible presence of a high-momentum cloud carrying the droplets long distances."Given the turbulent puff cloud dynamic model, recommendations for separations of three feet to six feet (one metre to two metres) may underestimate the distance, timescale, and persistence over which the cloud and its pathogenic payload travel, thus generating an underappreciated potential exposure range for a healthcare worker."For these and other reasons, wearing of appropriate personal protection equipment is vitally important for health care workers caring for patients who may be infected, even if they are farther than six feet away from a patient."A separate study in the same journal by Chinese researchers also showed that the virus can survive well in the warm, humid conditions of a swimming bathsIt was hoped that when the weather warms up , coronavirus might die away, which is usually what happens with seasonal flu. But the new study suggests that this might not happen.Nanjing Medical University in China found that after one infected man visited a bath house in the town of Huai’an, about 435 miles northeast of Wuhan, eight people using the pool contracted the coronavirus in the following days.The virus appeared to survive despite the temperature of the pool being between 25 degrees Celsius and 41 degrees Celsius and humidity of approximately 60 per cent, conditions that normally would have killed a virus like flu."Previous studies have demonstrated that the transmission rate of a virus is significantly weakened in an environment with high temperature and humidity," author Dr Qilong Wang wrote."However, judging from the results of this study, the transmissibility showed no signs of weakening in warm and humid conditions."

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/not-wearing-masks-protect-against-coronavirus-big-mistake-top-chinese-scientist-says# Not wearing masks to protect against coronavirus is a ‘big mistake,’ top Chinese scientist says By Jon CohenMar. 27, 2020 , 6:15 PM Chinese scientists at the front of that country’s outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have not been particularly accessible to foreign media. Many have been overwhelmed trying to understand their epidemic and combat it, and responding to media requests, especially from journalists outside of China, has not been a top priority. Science has tried to interview George Gao, director-general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for 2 months. Last week he responded. Gao oversees 2000 employees—one-fifth the staff size of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—and he remains an active researcher himself. In January, he was part of a team that did the first isolation and sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19. He co-authored two widely read papers published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that provided some of the first detailed epidemiology and clinical features of the disease, and has published three more papers on COVID-19 in The Lancet. His team also provided important data to a joint commission between Chinese researchers and a team of international scientists, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), that wrote a landmark report after touring the country to understand the response to the epidemic. First trained as a veterinarian, Gao later earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Oxford and did postdocs there and at Harvard University, specializing in immunology and virology. His research specializes in viruses that have fragile lipid membranes called envelopes—a group that includes SARS-CoV-2—and how they enter cells and also move between species. Gao answered Science’s questions over several days via text, voicemails, and phone conversations. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Q: What can other countries learn from the way China has approached COVID-19? A: Social distancing is the essential strategy for the control of any infectious diseases, especially if they are respiratory infections. First, we used “nonpharmaceutical strategies,” because you don’t have any specific inhibitors or drugs and you don’t have any vaccines. Second, you have to make sure you isolate any cases. Third, close contacts should be in quarantine: We spend a lot of time trying to find all these close contacts, and to make sure they are quarantined and isolated. Fourth, suspend public gatherings. Fifth, restrict movement, which is why you have a lockdown, the cordon sanitaire in French. Q: The lockdown in China began on 23 January in Wuhan and was expanded to neighboring cities in Hubei province. Other provinces in China had less restrictive shutdowns. How was all of this coordinated, and how important were the “supervisors” overseeing the efforts in neighborhoods? A: You have to have understanding and consensus. For that you need very strong leadership, at the local and national level. You need a supervisor and coordinator working with the public very closely. Supervisors need to know who the close contacts are, who the suspected cases are. The supervisors in the community must be very alert. They are key. Q: What mistakes are other countries making? A: The big mistake in the U.S. and Europe, in my opinion, is that people aren’t wearing masks. This virus is transmitted by droplets and close contact. Droplets play a very important role—you’ve got to wear a mask, because when you speak, there are always droplets coming out of your mouth. Many people have asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections. If they are wearing face masks, it can prevent droplets that carry the virus from escaping and infecting others. Q: What about other control measures? China has made aggressive use of thermometers at the entrances to stores, buildings, and public transportation stations, for instance. A: Yes. Anywhere you go inside in China, there are thermometers. You have to try to take people’s temperatures as often as you can to make sure that whoever has a high fever stays out. And a really important outstanding question is how stable this virus is in the environment. Because it’s an enveloped virus, people think it’s fragile and particularly sensitive to surface temperature or humidity. But from both U.S. results and Chinese studies, it looks like it’s very resistant to destruction on some surfaces. It may be able to survive in many environments. We need to have science-based answers here. Q: People who tested positive in Wuhan but only had mild disease were sent into isolation in large facilities and were not allowed to have visits from family. Is this something other countries should consider? A: Infected people must be isolated. That should happen everywhere. You can only control COVID-19 if you can remove the source of the infection. This is why we built module hospitals and transformed stadiums into hospitals. Q: There are many questions about the origin of the outbreak in China. Chinese researchers have reported that the earliest case dates back to 1 December 2019. What do you think of the report in the South China Morning Post that says data from the Chinese government show there were cases in November 2019, with the first one on 17 November? A: There is no solid evidence to say we already had clusters in November. We are trying to better understand the origin. Q: Wuhan health officials linked a large cluster of cases to the Huanan seafood market and closed it on 1 January. The assumption was that a virus had jumped to humans from an animal sold and possibly butchered at the market. But in your paper in NEJM, which included a retrospective look for cases, you reported that four of the five earliest infected people had no links to the seafood market. Do you think the seafood market was a likely place of origin, or is it a distraction—an amplifying factor but not the original source? A: That’s a very good question. You are working like a detective. From the very beginning, everybody thought the origin was the market. Now, I think the market could be the initial place, or it could be a place where the virus was amplified. So that’s a scientific question. There are two possibilities. Q: China was also criticized for not sharing the viral sequence immediately. The story about a new coronavirus came out in The Wall Street Journal on 8 January; it didn’t come from Chinese government scientists. Why not? A: That was a very good guess from The Wall Street Journal. WHO was informed about the sequence, and I think the time between the article appearing and the official sharing of the sequence was maybe a few hours. I don’t think it’s more than a day. Q: But a public database of viral sequences later showed that the first one was submitted by Chinese researchers on 5 January. So there were at least 3 days that you must have known that there was a new coronavirus. It’s not going to change the course of the epidemic now, but to be honest, something happened about reporting the sequence publicly. A: I don’t think so. We shared the information with scientific colleagues promptly, but this involved public health and we had to wait for policymakers to announce it publicly. You don’t want the public to panic, right? And no one in any country could have predicted that the virus would cause a pandemic. This is the first noninfluenza pandemic ever. Q: It wasn’t until 20 January that Chinese scientists officially said there was clear evidence of human-to-human transmission. Why do you think epidemiologists in China had so much difficulty seeing that it was occurring? A: Detailed epidemiological data were not available yet. And we were facing a very crazy and concealed virus from the very beginning. The same is true in Italy, elsewhere in Europe, and the United States: From the very beginning scientists, everybody thought: “Well, it’s just a virus.” Q: Spread in China has dwindled to a crawl, and the new confirmed cases are mainly people entering the country, correct? A: Yes. At the moment, we don’t have any local transmission, but the problem for China now is the imported cases. So many infected travelers are coming into China. Q: But what will happen when China returns to normal? Do you think enough people have become infected so that herd immunity will keep the virus at bay? A: We definitely don’t have herd immunity yet. But we are waiting for more definitive results from antibody tests that can tell us how many people really have been infected. Q: So what is the strategy now? Buying time to find effective medicines? A: Yes—our scientists are working on both vaccines and drugs. Q: Many scientists consider remdesivir to be the most promising drug now being tested. When do you think clinical trials in China of the drug will have data? A: In April. Q: Have Chinese scientists developed animal models that you think are robust enough to study pathogenesis and test drugs and vaccines? A: At the moment, we are using both monkeys and transgenic mice that have ACE2, the human receptor for the virus. The mouse model is widely used in China for drug and vaccine assessment, and I think there are at least a couple papers coming out about the monkey models soon. I can tell you that our monkey model works. Q: What do you think of President Donald Trump referring to the new coronavirus as the “China virus” or the “Chinese virus”? A: It’s definitely not good to call it the Chinese virus. The virus belongs to the Earth. The virus is our common enemy—not the enemy of any person or country.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-singapore-sex/red-lights-out-singapores-sex-industry-shuts-due-to-coronavirus-idUSKBN21E0TI SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Shortly after midnight on Friday, a young Asian sex worker dressed in a baggy cotton dress and slippers stepped out of a brothel in Singapore’s deserted red light district and rolled a wheelie bin to the side of the street. A view of Orchard Towers after it shut down shortly before midnight, as part of measures to curb the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Singapore March 27, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su Two hours earlier, Singapore’s vibrant Geylang neighborhood was having a more typical night - clusters of men negotiating with chain-smoking pimps on the street as women in tight dresses tapped at phones inside neon-lit houses alongside. Singapore closed bars, nightclubs and cinemas from Friday until the end of April in an effort to contain a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. Although the announcement made no mention of the government-sanctioned brothels in Geylang, pimps and sex workers said they were passed the message that they too would need to close shop. “I got nice girls for you. Might be your last chance for a while,” a grizzled pimp mumbled in the hours before midnight outside one of the dozens of brothels dotted along Geylang’s streets, which are monitored by police security cameras. Singapore announced massive stimulus measures on Thursday to soften the economic shock from the coronavirus outbreak, including generous cash handouts for locals. But for the hundreds of low-income Asian migrant sex workers and nightclub entertainers in the wealthy city-state, there is huge uncertainty about their future. “I don’t know how we’ll survive,” said one freelance sex worker, sitting on a plastic chair across the street from a brothel decorated with Chinese red lanterns, a nod to customers about the nationality of the women working inside. “We don’t get looked after like people in other jobs.” Government departments and police did not respond to requests for comment on the closure of brothels. Singapore, known for its strict laws, does not explicitly criminalize prostitution although aspects of the industry are illegal, including soliciting, pimping and running a brothel. That has not stopped the sex trade operating in the Asian financial hub, from rendezvous in high-end hotel bars to the infamous Orchard Towers, a drab 1970s commercial building in Singapore’s prime shopping district. Orchard Towers is now closed with police tape around its entrances. “What am I gonna do now?” said one young woman in a sequined dress as men shuffled out of the tower’s drinking holes, including Naughty Girl Nightclub and the Downunder Bar, on Thursday night. “I guess we’ll work something out, honey. People still got to have fun.”

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/malaysia-covid-19-vegetables-supply-movement-control-order-12579348?cid=FBcna KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's vegetable farmers have warned of a supply shortage in the coming months, as the current movement control order (MCO) has affected production processes. Among the challenges faced by farmers and sellers include difficulties in purchasing supplies, labour shortage as well as a prolonged pause in farming due to the extended MCO. Organic farmer John Liew told CNA that the vegetable farming industry is vulnerable, as it is made up of a chain of processes. “In order for us to successfully farm, we need our suppliers who provide us with things like feed and fertilisers. “But right now, with the movement restriction, all the agricultural shops are closed. Although I don’t need pesticides for organic farming, there are many other materials I source from them for my daily farming,” he said. He added: "Of course there will be a shortage (going forward)". Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had announced on Mar 16 that the nation would be under a MCO from Mar 18 until Mar 31 in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. As part of the control order, Mr Muhyiddin announced that only those providing essential services were allowed to stay open with minimal staff. Earlier this week, he announced an extension of the MCO until Apr 14, explaining that it was necessary as the number of new cases were still high daily. Vegetables at a Singapore supermarket (Photo: Chew Hui Min) Everfresh Agriculture managing director G Balamurugan said the shortage would affect at least 80 per cent of Malaysians. “There is going to be some serious shortage and this is going to happen in about two or three months,” he predicted. Mr Balamurugan, whose farm is located in Cameron Highlands, explained that most of the vegetables consumed domestically involved a three-month growing period before harvesting. “We can harvest them sooner, as some vegetables can be harvested in about two months. But that is the minimum period before they can be harvested,” he said. He added that besides the disruption to the production schedule, the closure of many morning markets during the MCO would also affect farmers financially, potentially putting some of them out of business. A morning market at SS2, Petaling Jaya, has been told to close during the Movement Control Order. (Photo: Tho Xin Yi) LOSSES RUN INTO MILLIONS Malaysian Vegetable Farmers Association's president Tan So Tiok told CNA that the 6,000 farmers in Malaysia face a cumulative loss of RM948,000 (US$221,000) daily. He said that the 6,000 farmers are working on around 30,000 ha of land and producing about 960,000 tonnes of vegetables per year. Of this, 23 per cent, or about 220,800 tonnes will be exported to Singapore, while the rest is distributed domestically. READ: Most imports of fresh food from Malaysia arrived as normal, other goods also allowed in, says Chan Chun Sing Mr Tan said that with the MCO, supply has been reduced by an estimated 30 per cent. “We are unable to distribute to various markets (due to the MCO restrictions) and this constitutes losses of about 790 metric tonnes a day. "The average price for one kilogram of vegetables is RM1.20. Therefore 790 metric tonnes would translate into RM948,000 in losses daily,” he said. Vegetable trucker Loo Chin Khong arriving at Ringlet, Cameron Highlands, after a 24-hour journey from Singapore, and the vegetables for his next trip are ready to be loaded. (Photo: Amir Yusof) LABOUR SHORTAGE In enforcing the MCO, the government had also limited the number of foreign workers who are allowed to work in the markets. Each vegetable seller is only allowed two foreign workers to assist them in the market. READ: How are Singaporeans in Malaysia affected by the restricted movement order? Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers Association chairman Chong Teck Keong said this has a huge impact on operations. He noted that work in the vegetable markets is labour intensive, with manpower needed to load and unload up to 300 boxes of vegetables a day per seller. “The City Hall has restricted our workers because they are mostly refugees and I can’t blame the government. They are doing what is best for the people. “We usually have two shifts. To manage the current situation, we have hired some locals to help us. However, with the shortage of workers, we are already reducing the intake from the farmers for the time being,” he said. (Photo: Mediacorp) With business doing poorly as restaurants are closed and people stay home, farmers and vegetable sellers are trying to minimise their losses and keep going. Mr Tan of the vegetable farmers association said the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority should help to absorb some of the excess supply right now, and coordinate with local governments to guarantee that supply is normalised. “Besides that, the Ministry of Agriculture should restart production grants to farmers in order to reduce the cost of production. “More agricultural land needs to be opened by the government for vegetable farmers to carry out sustainable cultivation,” he said. READ: COVID-19 -Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, ministers to take pay cut Similarly, Mr Balamurugan of Everfresh Agriculture has called for the government to provide tax exemptions and tax breaks for farmers. “This can be anything from land tax to income tax or even basic living expenses, just so that the economic burden could be reduced," he said. Mr Chong, the organic farmer, also said the government should consider keeping morning markets open during the MCO, as this would help vegetable farmers to cut their losses. “Each neighbourhood has its own morning market. This way, the government can avoid people gathering in the big markets," he said. “People can just get what they need from their neighbourhood morning markets and go back to their respective homes.”