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 Vaccine distribution plans
Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining a global
COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health
Organization (WHO) that aims to help buy and fairly distribute the
shots, the project's co-lead said on Wednesday.
COVAX is designed to discourage national governments from hoarding
COVID-19 vaccines and to focus on first vaccinating the most
high-risk people in every country.
In the United States, which said on Tuesday it would not join COVAX
due to the Trump administration's objection to WHO involvement, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked state
public health officials to prepare to distribute a potential
coronavirus vaccine to high-risk groups as soon as late October,
documents published by the agency showed on Wednesday.
Steroids save lives
Treating critically ill COVID-19 patients with corticosteroid drugs
reduces the risk of death by 20% regardless of which steroid is
used, according to an analysis of seven international trials
published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical
Association.
"This is equivalent to around 68% of (the sickest COVID-19) patients
surviving after treatment with corticosteroids, compared to around
60% surviving in the absence of corticosteroids," the researchers
said in a statement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) health agency said
corticosteroids should only be used in treatment of the sickest
COVID-19 patients, and also urged countries to maintain sufficient
stocks of corticosteroids, "while not maintaining excessive stocks
which could deny other countries access".
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COVID-19 for the long haul
Thousands of people worldwide are reporting a wide range of ongoing
symptoms many months after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Some call
themselves COVID "long haulers", while others have adopted the term
"long COVID" to describe their condition.
Breathlessness, memory loss, extreme fatigue, headaches, brain fog,
muscle pain and swelling joints, are commonly described among
multiple recurring symptoms in global online patient advocacy blogs
and chatrooms.
And for many, the anxiety, depression and dread around the unknown
progression of the disease are at least as debilitating as the
physical frailties.
Masks on during sex, Canada's top doctor says
Skip kissing and consider wearing a mask when having sex to protect
yourself from catching the coronavirus, Canada's chief medical
officer Dr Theresa Tam said on Wednesday, adding that going solo
remains the lowest risk sexual option in a pandemic.
Tam said in a statement there is little chance of catching COVID-19
from semen or vaginal fluid, but sexual activity with new partners
does increase the risk of contracting the virus, particularly if
there is close contact like kissing.
"The lowest risk sexual activity during COVID-19 involves yourself
alone," she said.
(Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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