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 Post-pandemic workspace makeover
As lockdowns are gradually lifted and people anticipate returning to
offices, many wonder what the post-pandemic workspace will look
like.
Occupational experts say one-way corridors, buffer zones marked out
by coloured carpet or tape around desks, and clear plastic screens
to guard against colleagues' coughs and sneezes may become the norm.
The changes could be hard to adapt to, and could have a negative
impact on employee well-being, said organizational psychologist Brad
Bell.
Remdesivir pricing
Beximco Pharmaceuticals, one of Bangladesh's largest drugmakers,
will start this month to make the experimental antiviral drug
remdesivir, which has shown promise in fighting the virus.
In a first cost indication, the company plans to price each vial
between $59 and $71, Beximco's Chief Operating Officer Rabbur Reza
told Reuters, adding that a patient might need anywhere from five to
11 vials.
Gilead's remdesivir patent in theory means it has exclusive rights
to make it, but global trade rules allow nations defined by the
United Nations as least-developed countries, including Bangladesh,
to ignore such patents and make drugs more affordable in those
markets.
Bangladesh would then be allowed to export the drug to other
least-developed countries, though Reza stressed Bangladesh would get
first priority.
Pakistanis testing positive on repatriation
Many Pakistani citizens being repatriated from the United Arab
Emirates are testing positive for the virus on arriving home,
officials said on Tuesday.
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The UAE government rejected the claim, saying everyone was tested before
departure, with those found infected not being allowed to travel.
About 12% were testing positive on most flights, but on a couple, the proportion
rose to between 40% and 50%.
"The hypothesis is that a lot of the labourers live in crowded dormitories and
in those, essentially, it's easier to infect each other," Moeed Yusuf, a prime
ministerial special assistant on national security, told Reuters.
Llama nanobodies
A llama called Winter could prove useful in the hunt for a virus treatment, say
U.S. and Belgian scientists who have identified a tiny particle that appears to
block the coronavirus.
The llama in Belgium is central to the studies of the scientists, from the
country's VIB-UGent center for medical biotechnology and the University of Texas
at Austin, who published their research on Tuesday in the journal Cell.
Llamas and other members of the camel family are distinct in creating standard
antibodies and smaller antibodies called nanobodies, with which scientists can
more easily work.
The team aims to begin animal tests, with a view to allowing trials with humans
to begin by the end of the year. Saelens said negotiations were under way with
pharmaceutical companies.
(Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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