Imagesines / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Jean-Marc Neveu and Olivier Civil never expected to find themselves battling against disposable mask pollution.
When they founded their recycling start-up Plaxtil in 2017, it was textile waste they set their sights on. The project developed a process that turned fabrics into a new recyclable material they describe as "ecological plastic."
<p>But almost as soon as face coverings became standard attire to help fight the spread of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/covid-19">COVID-19</a>, the pair noticed disposable masks strewn around the streets and parks of their town, Chatellerault, France.</p>
<p>"We said to ourselves: 'It's not possible to leave this pollution,'" Neveu recalls. "We thought, we've found a solution for fabrics, [so] maybe we can also find a solution to reuse the masks."</p><p>In July, the company began one of the earliest face mask recycling programs and has since processed more than 100,000.</p><p>Neveu and Civil don't deal with special medical-grade masks used by healthcare professionals, which tend to be disposed of separately as clinical waste in hospitals. And although they can process fabric face coverings, they focus on disposable ones which are plastic-based.</p><p>As many of the mass-produced fabrics they were used to working with contain large amounts of plastic fibers, they were able to tweak their existing process to deal with the plastic composition of the masks.</p><p>Sections of the mask pass under UV light to kill any remaining virus particles and are fed into a whirring shredder. The scraps are then mixed with additional plastic and formed into new products to help fight coronavirus transmission. This includes visor attachments, mask strap extenders and door-openers for nursing home residents. </p>
Mounting Piles of Waste
<p>It is not only the streets of Chatellerault where pandemic pollution is piling-up, but also the world's beaches and oceans. Once there, they can take up to 450 years to degrade and disappear.</p><p>Esther Röling, co-organizer of the annual Adventure Clean Up Challenge held on Hong Kong Island, has seen this waste firsthand. In October the sports challenge pitted teams against one another in a competition to remove trash from 13 hard-to-reach coastal areas around the city.</p><p>They find tons of both disposable and reusable masks, said Röling. "You wonder how it ended up there. Was it just thrown on the ground? Or was it in a garbage bag that broke open?"</p><p>Almost 10,000 kilometers away in Antibes on the sunny French Riviera, it's a similar picture. For the past few months, divers and clean-up volunteers working with an ocean clean-up non-profit called Operation Mer Propre have been collecting an increasing number of masks found on land and in the sea.</p><p>"Since the beginning of the lockdown when we started to count, we've reached 800, 900, [and now in total] 1000 masks," said co-founder Joko Peltier. </p><p>According to <a href="https://unctad.org/news/growing-plastic-pollution-wake-covid-19-how-trade-policy-can-help" target="_blank">UN estimates</a>, up to 75% of all coronavirus-related plastic could end up as waste in oceans and landfills.</p>The Limits of Recycling
<p>Yet not all are convinced the recycling of this waste is possible on a global scale. </p><p>"What those citizen groups are doing is really beneficial but once they collect it, it should just go to a landfill or an incinerator. They shouldn't necessarily expect it to get recycled," said Jonathan Krones, an industrial ecologist and visiting assistant professor of environmental studies at Boston College.</p><p>That's because mask recycling programs like Plaxtil are few and far between and most don't have the benefit of a readily adaptable production process. </p><p>Even in countries with solid recycling infrastructure, he says, the system is designed to separate out specific types of waste like bottles or cardboard.</p><p>"I imagine that it would be technically feasible to develop a separation process to filter out masks, but there simply aren't enough of them to make that economical," he said.</p><p>Collection is a big hurdle, he adds. Since each mask only weighs a fraction of a gram and they're scattered on roads or mixed with other trash, it is difficult and costly. </p><p>"You need a lot of raw material of the right quality to make investing in the recycling technology and the recycling system worthwhile," he said.<span></span><br></p>Hemp, Sugar Cane and Sustainable Alternatives
<p>Some projects are instead addressing the material used to make masks.</p><p>French company Geochanvre have created a mask made primarily from hemp, while in Australia, researchers at the Queensland University of Technology are experimenting with a disposable product made from agricultural waste. </p><p>Biodegradable options are exciting alternatives to reduce the fossil fuels needed for the creation of plastic-based masks, said Krones, but they don't absolve the wearer from the responsibility of what happens afterwards. </p><p>Bio-based masks often need their own composing solutions, he explains, because in landfill they can produce high amounts of the greenhouse gas methane when anaerobic bacteria feeds on the organic material. Methane is known to be significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.</p><p>"I think as long as we have in our mind that we want to have disposability, we're going to have to wrestle with a variety of different sorts of environmental tradeoffs," he said, adding that reusable, fabric masks are the best option available to most people.</p><p>Precimask is developing a clear face covering with an optional visor made from hard plastic, designed to be long-lasting.<br></p><p>Air enters either side of the cheeks through a technology normally found in pool filters and car exhaust systems, said company spokeswoman Juliette Chambet.</p><p>"We wanted to make ceramic-based filters that would be washable and cleanable, which would allow them to be reused as many times as desired without having to buy a new consumable or produce waste," she said. </p><p>Ultimately, encouraging mask wearers to think about the entire lifecycle of a mask is key, explains Neveu. </p><p>"We want people who put on the masks to realize that they are also responsible for the waste, he said. "It's not inevitable that this [pandemic] will become an environmental catastrophe.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from </em><em><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/covid-19-recycling-pollution-trash-pandemic/a-55707817" target="_blank">Deutsche Welle</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2649032193#/" target="_self"></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- Coronavirus Plastic Waste Polluting the Environment - EcoWatch ›
- Scuba Divers Make Face Masks out of Recycled Ocean Plastic ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Fossil fuel companies received $110 billion in direct and indirect financial assistance during the coronavirus pandemic, including up to $15.2 billion in direct federal relief. Andrew Hart /
By Bret Wilkins
In a year in which the United States has already suffered 16 climate-driven extreme weather events causing more than $1 billion in economic damages, and as millions of American workers face loss of essential unemployment benefits due to congressional inaction, a report published Monday reveals the Trump administration has given fossil fuel companies as much as $15.2 billion in direct relief — and tens of billions more indirectly — through federal COVID-19 recovery programs since March.
<p>The report by BailoutWatch, Public Citizen, and Friends of the Earth — titled <em><a href="https://www.citizen.org/article/bailed-out-and-propped-up/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=94926f68-3c0f-462d-87c9-ae6d05950810" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bailed Out and Propped Up</a> —</em>tracks taxpayer funds flowing to fossil fuel companies since pandemic-related bailouts began. It found a total of $110 billion in direct and indirect benefits went to 66 companies, including between $10.4 and $15.2 billion in direct disbursements to coal, oil, and gas companies that are largely responsible for the worsening climate emergency. </p>
<p>Here's a breakdown, according to the report:</p><ul><li>At least $5.5 billion went to 70 money-losing polluters via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.</li><li>$582 million in direct, subsidized loans were approved for 37 mid-sized fossil fuel and related companies through the Federal Reserve's Main Street Lending Program.</li><li>$4.3 to $9.1 billion in forgivable loans went to at least 25,931 companies through the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program.</li><li>At least 229 oil and gas companies received waivers for fees normally paid to drill on public land — giveaways that cost the government a minimum of $4.5 million in lost revenue, and likely far more.</li></ul><p>The report found that five fossil fuel companies — Diamondback Energy, EOG Resources, Marathon Petroleum, Phillips 66, and Valero — received more than 10% of the $110 billion in direct benefits, including tax refunds, and indirect support through the issuance of bonds, even if they were losing money. Reassured by the Fed's actions, private investors purchased more fossil fuel bonds, generating some $100 billion in additional indirect benefits.</p>
<div id="dbef0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2841b587ecc5cf0041553e90425d4397"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330888073228427264" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: The fossil fuel industry has received up to $15,000,000,000 in direct COVID relief since bailout programs… https://t.co/znbkDW2f0M</div> — Public Citizen (@Public Citizen)<a href="https://twitter.com/Public_Citizen/statuses/1330888073228427264">1606143418.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"When the pandemic hit last spring, Trump's corporate cronies made sure the fossil fuel industry was able to squeeze whatever favors they could out of the resulting economic rescues," wrote Alan Zibel, research director of Public Citizen's Corporate Presidency Project and a co-author of the report. "The Biden administration and the next Congress will have a golden opportunity to ensure our efforts to rescue the economy no longer benefit the very companies most responsible for the devastation caused by climate change."</p><p>Christopher Kuveke, a BailoutWatch analyst and a co-author of the report, added that "the fossil fuel industry took advantage of the pandemic to put their hands out for help escaping a financial mess of their own making, and their allies in the federal government rode to the rescue."</p><p>"By artificially delaying the industry's inevitable decline at taxpayers' expense, the government has made it that much harder to make the necessary transition to clean energy sources," he added.</p>
<p>The report comes just after members of Congress <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/11/23/21575394/stimulus-covid-relief-bill-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">headed home</a> on vacation without having passed a new coronavirus relief bill, and as millions of Americans <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/18/about-be-catapulted-cliff-study-shows-12-million-set-lose-jobless-benefits-after" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">face the grim prospect</a> of losing essential unemployment benefits as the CARES Act is set to expire at the end of the year.</p><p>Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) <a href="https://the-beam.com/finance/how-to-finance-a-global-green-new-deal-and-stop-climate-change-at-1-5c/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">excoriated</a> Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on the floor of the House of Representatives, accusing him of "abandoning our people."</p><p>"While... thousands of people in Texas lined up for food lines... hospitals no longer have beds to house the sick... [and] 30 million Americans are on the brink of eviction, [McConnell] dismissed the Senate," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Every single day, when we go back to our communities, people are asking us, 'Where is there going to be help? Is there going to be a second stimulus check? Are we going to get the resources that we need?"</p>
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d1d7e9aa2b3b10ad4d53e11ce35e240a"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nNBeI-G3eQQ?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<p>Climate activists and many economists argue that giving money to those most culpable for carbon emissions is the exact opposite of what governments should be doing. One economist says that instead of selling fossil fuel bonds, governments should be promoting "Green Climate Bonds."</p><p>"With a mere fraction of the Covid-19 recovery funds, central banks could support climate protection," <a href="https://the-beam.com/finance/how-to-finance-a-global-green-new-deal-and-stop-climate-change-at-1-5c/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> World Future Council chief economist Matthias Kroll last week. He continued:</p><blockquote>The price for coping with the systemically relevant climate crisis... appears almost to be a bargain: with a fraction of the funds used to overcome the Covid-19 crisis (or the banking crisis of 2008), the central banks could trigger investments in climate protection of a magnitude that would make the 1.5°C target [under the Paris agreement] achievable. The central banks would not even need to create additional money for this. It would be sufficient to replace expiring assets from previous purchase programs with new types of "Green Climate Bonds."</blockquote><p>A May 2020 <a href="https://www.worldfuturecouncil.org/press-release-study-pandemic-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> by the World Future Council estimated the cost of a global "climate bailout" at a relatively modest $175 million per year, resulting in a one-third reduction in worldwide carbon emissions by the end of the decade.</p><p>"We need to start thinking about how to practically finance a Green New Deal and a swift transition to 100% <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a>, and central banks should start playing a proactive role," wrote Kroll. "Let's treat the climate emergency as what it is, and let's bail out the climate, too!"</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/23/time-cut-dirty-energys-lifeline-report-details-how-fossil-fuel-industry-feasted" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- 'We Need People's Bailout, Not Polluters' Bailout': Climate Groups ... ›
- Corporate Polluters Have Received Tens of Millions in PPP Loans ... ›
- Trump Bails Out Oil Industry, Not U.S. Families, as Coronavirus ... ›
- Former Federal Reserve Governor Rebukes Fed for Fossil Fuel Bail ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
From Your Site Articles
- Best CBD Oils of 2020: Reviews & Buying Guide - EcoWatch ›
- Best CBD Oil for Pain Management - Top 10 CBD Oil Review 2020 ... ›
- Best CBD for Dogs 2020 - Organic CBD Oil for Pets - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Why Face Masks Belong at Your Thanksgiving Gathering + 7 Things You Need To Know About Wearing Them
22 November
Health + Wellness
martin-dm / E+ / Getty Images
By Jason Farley
COVID-19 has disrupted our daily lives, and it is poised to completely disrupt the holiday season. As people make holiday plans and think about ways to reduce the risks to their loved ones, a strategy is essential.
<p>
Face masks are a crucial part of that strategy, and they're now mandatory in public in an <a href="https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/state-data-and-policy-actions-to-address-coronavirus/#long-term-care-cases-deaths" target="_blank">increasing number of states</a> as COVID-19 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank">cases soar</a>.
</p>
<script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150130/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150130/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<p><iframe id="XvEp5" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/XvEp5/11/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p>I am <a href="https://nursing.jhu.edu/faculty_research/faculty/faculty-directory/jason-farley" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an infectious disease-trained epidemiologist</a>, researcher and nurse practitioner. Here are answers to some key questions about how and when to wear masks, and how to manage their use during the holidays.</p>
Are masks really necessary at family gatherings?
<p>If you're gathering with friends and family who don't live in your home, yes. Just because you're with people you know doesn't mean you're safe from the coronavirus. Infection rates are <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/new-cases-50-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">higher now than they have ever been</a> in the U.S., and <a href="https://youtu.be/ehdgceGzQxs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">small gatherings have been a source</a> of viral spread. All it takes is one infected person who doesn't know they have the coronavirus to infect others.</p><p>Remember, people can be <a href="https://medical.mit.edu/covid-19-updates/2020/07/how-long-symptom-onset-person-contagious" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contagious two to three days</a> before symptoms show – that's one thing that makes this virus so hard to stop. And it's why, even if you feel fine, you should wear a mask.</p><p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates that when both people are wearing masks, the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html" target="_blank">likelihood of infection is low</a>.</p>Who am I protecting when I wear a mask?
<p>In a word: everyone. The coronavirus <a href="https://theconversation.com/aerosols-are-a-bigger-coronavirus-threat-than-who-guidelines-suggest-heres-what-you-need-to-know-142233" target="_blank">spreads through respiratory droplets</a> that you send out into the air when you talk, sing or even just breathe. The tiniest of these droplets can float on air currents for long periods.</p><p>Face masks stop many of those droplets, reducing the amount of virus in the air. That lowers your chances of getting infected, and it also lowers the chances that you'll infect someone else.</p><p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html" target="_blank">Studies of people who had prolonged exposure</a> to others with COVID-19 have demonstrated how masks can reduce the chance of the virus spreading. In general, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/masking-science-sars-cov2.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">well-fitted cloth masks</a> made up of multiple layers can stop most large droplets and at least half of the tiny ones. Plastic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.05.20207241" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">face shields</a> alone are far less effective. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/08/13/cdc-mask-guidance-masks-valves/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Face masks with valves or vents</a> might be good for construction work, but they don't stop the wearer from breathing out virus into the air.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc5NzEwNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjkzMjY1N30.yuC-t9EuKND4riy4QFNYyZFGAq8wqiOlUg-m8nF3gmI/img.png?width=980" id="eec5a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fdbe59d0560b36d0481bb1e14e3c25cf" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Can I reuse a mask and when should I replace it?
<p>Reusable masks should be kept clean and dry. We're moving into cold and flu season, and noses get drippy. A rule of thumb: Anytime a mask is wet to the point that you can discern the wetness, it's time for a new one if it's disposable, or it's time to clean your reusable mask.</p><p>Wetness allows viruses to more easily move through paper or fabric because it allows the threads to move and may reduce the electrostatic charge in the masks that add extra protection with some fabrics.</p><p>In general, you can use a mask that stays clean and dry for about a week before you need to wash or discard it.</p>How should I clean a cloth mask?
<p>Washing your mask is like washing your clothes. You know when it is time.</p><p>In general, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wash-cloth-face-coverings.html" target="_blank">cleaning your mask weekly</a> should be sufficient. If odors develop before then, it's a good idea to wash it sooner. Odor generally means bacterial buildup.</p><p>Cleaning your mask by hand with soap and water is your best option. Using a general detergent on a gentle cycle in the washing machine is also fine, but that may increase the risk of damage, depending on the quality of the material. COVID-19 is not a hardy virus. Any soap or detergent should work fine. There's no need for special chemicals, bleach or harsh soaps.</p><p>Be careful to remove any inserts before washing. Inserted filters are generally not washable.</p><p>Air drying masks works best. Remember, masks should be completely dry before use. So be sure to have a replacement mask handy while the one you just washed dries.</p><p>Sunlight is always a great source of heat to dry your mask. Also, sunlight has ultraviolet radiation, which has been shown to <a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/php.13293" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">eliminate coronavirus</a> and is also known to have antibacterial properties.</p>Can I wear the mask below my nose?
<p>Wearing your mask below your nose is, frankly, ridiculous.</p><p>Think about it. If you are breathing through your nose and only covering your mouth, you are effectively eliminating the point of the mask. Properly wearing a mask requires covering both your nose and mouth at all times.</p><p>Studies show that wearing a proper cloth mask or surgical mask while exercising <a href="http://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202008-990CME" target="_blank">doesn't affect the flow of oxygen</a> or carbon dioxide in any detectable way. So, unless you have serious heart and lung problems, that isn't an excuse.</p>How do I safely remove my mask if I’m going to eat or drink?
<p>When you <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wash-cloth-face-coverings.html" target="_blank">take your mask off</a>, remove it carefully by the straps without touching anything else and put it somewhere safe, like wrapped in paper in a purse, bag or pocket. Then wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. When you put it back on, wash your hands again.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc5NzExMi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTM4MjcxNX0.cH07Fc1uzS2xj6QW0LF2vaOcfDTe3Iw8Q-w1b6gA3Ig/img.png?width=980" id="4fa02" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b7b047d91f5cbe7b4482e49053ded4f6" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="984f28dc79047c773982b846583aef90"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lAGOB1zy8Kk?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
So, how can I have a safe holiday gathering?
<p>The safest way to celebrate this year is to do so with members only within your household. The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CDC is now stressing that point</a>, as well. If you do celebrate with friends and relatives from outside your household, you need an action plan to reduce the risk of exposure.</p><p>Here are five recommendations:</p><ul><li>Limit the number of people – fewer people means fewer opportunities for exposure, and you'll have more room to spread out.</li><li>Require masks when not eating or drinking.</li><li>Use physical distancing when eating. Try to seat people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3223" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">at least 6 feet apart</a>. Eat outside if you can.</li><li>Consider being tested for COVID-19 before traveling or gathering. It's not a guarantee, but it can help flag illnesses. Remember to self-isolate between the test and the event.</li><li>Be prepared to self-isolate for 14 days after traveling or participating in any event that involves people from outside your home.</li></ul><p>[<em>Research into coronavirus and other news from science</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/science-editors-picks-71/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=science-corona-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Subscribe to The Conversation's new science newsletter</a>.]</p><p><em>The map has been updated with New Hampshire announcing a mask mandate effective Nov. 20.</em></p><p><em>Jason Farley is a professor, infectious disease-trained epidemiologist and nurse practitioner at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.<br></em></p><p><em>Disclosure statement: Jason Farley, PhD, MPH, ANP-BC, FAAN receives funding from the National Institutes of Health on the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics for COVID-19 and Becton Dickinson for studies on SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-face-masks-belong-at-your-thanksgiving-gathering-7-things-you-need-to-know-about-wearing-them-150130" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Does laundry need to be treated differently and disinfected ... ›
- Reusable Cups, Bags and Containers Can Be Safe During COVID ... ›
- How to Host a Safe Holiday Meal During Coronavirus – an ... ›
- 10 Organizations Honoring Native People on Thanksgiving ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
12 Things You Can Do To Help Stop COVID-19 (in Addition To Staying Home for Thanksgiving)
20 November
Health + Wellness
This Thanksgiving, consider a virtual family gathering. Drazen Zigic / iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Pamela M. Aaltonen
As Americans prepare for the first Thanksgiving in the time of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a stark warning a week before the big day: Don't travel.
No over the river and through the woods to grandmother's condo. No flying to a beach gathering with the family you choose.
<p>And if it sounds like the CDC is trying to be like the Grinch who stole Thanksgiving, it is important to remember the grim statistic of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank">more than a quarter of a million people dead from COVID-19</a>. There is no mistaking: The coronavirus is out of control.</p><p>Ultimately, lowering the staggering numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths lies squarely with us. Yes, governments can mandate actions; but we're the ones responsible for adhering to them. Our failure is clear when you look at the latest numbers: Deaths from the virus <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/" target="_blank">are projected</a> to soon approach 2,000 Americans a day, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cases continue to climb</a> in the vast majority of states.</p><p>If national numbers don't spur action, will it help to localize the problem? You can find out what's happening closer to home <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/new-cases-50-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a> at the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Drill down to see the data in your state and county, then take a moment to pause and consider the catastrophic consequences. It's still within our power to reverse course and lower these numbers. But as a public health <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/nur/directory/faculty/aaltonen_pamela.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">scholar and researcher</a>, I can tell you that as infections increase, the more difficult that becomes.</p><p>Even the rural states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wyoming <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are experiencing</a> tremendous surges. Exhausted hospitals and health care workers across the U.S. are becoming overwhelmed, if not already there. Overwhelmed systems <a href="https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-surge-hospitals-overwhelmed-b0d089a0-87cc-4745-b128-8b0972c0ddf8.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">place care at risk</a>. Those with other health conditions need medical intervention and hospitalization. And those with a lax attitude about COVID-19 put themselves <a href="https://psnet.ahrq.gov/issue/new-us-health-crisis-looms-patients-without-covid-19-delay-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">at increased risk</a> for negative health outcomes.</p>
<h2>Changing Behavior Is a Must</h2><p>Modifying our behavior minimizes the chances to spread infection. But this is a big task. Government actions <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/covid-19-is-out-of-control-what-can-we-do/617097/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">are most effective</a> when based on local data and the option to loosen or tighten restrictions based on solid information. We should not view these actions as an attempt to take away our civil liberties. Instead, we should think of them as liberating, a way to keep us away from the virus.</p><p>It is not too late to modify your behavior if you've been reluctant to accept the realities of the virus. With promising vaccines on the horizon, our challenge as individuals is to reduce current infection numbers. And to do that, everyone must commit to established public health strategies.</p>
<h2>A Dozen Things You Can Do</h2><ol><li>Always mask up when indoors and around people who don't live in your household.</li><li>Always mask up when outdoors and unable to maintain physical distancing.</li><li>Use either disposable masks or a multi-layer tightly woven cotton mask. Single-layer kerchiefs are insufficient.</li><li>When you mask up, make sure it fits your face and covers both nose and mouth. Wash or sanitize your hands after touching or removing the mask.</li><li><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Remember that</a> masks are not a substitute for physical distancing.</li><li>Maintain at least six feet of distance between you and others outside of your household.</li><li>Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds, or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.</li><li>Avoid motions that transfer organisms from your hands to your face. Your mouth, nose and eyes have mucous membranes that are potentially receptive to these organisms.</li><li>Clean frequently touched surfaces.</li><li>Do as much as possible outside and keep interactions with others short.</li><li>Fortify ventilation systems for more frequent air exchanges.</li><li>Curtail in-person holiday celebrations with those not in your household.</li></ol>
<p>Celebrations are <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/covid-19-is-out-of-control-what-can-we-do/617097/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">particularly challenging</a> because it's difficult for everyone to self-quarantine for the 14 days prior to the event. Also, events are typically inside rather than out; spacing of six feet may not be an option; ventilation systems in our energy-efficient homes are likely COVID-19-insufficient; and one cannot be masked while eating.</p><p>So for Thanksgiving, do a virtual gathering instead. Cook the same menu in different houses to promote a sense of sharing. Send e-cards to each other with a personal note and wish for a good holiday. Or do a Zoom call where all can speak and express thankfulness for the ability to still be able to connect this year.<br></p><p><a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/heidi-stevens/ct-heidi-stevens-i-was-hospitalized-with-covid-19-1116-20201116-3z3jt5dexneydhyun7lgm46uvm-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">It is not unusual</a> for COVID-19 patients to rage when they discover that those around them dismissed or downplayed the wisdom and experience of scientists and doctors about the realities of the pandemic. But there is no need to give up, even in the face of increasingly frightening statistics. Instead, now is the time we need to commit not just to ourselves, but to one another. What's standing in the way of curtailing the numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths is us.</p>
<p>
<em>Pamela M. Aaltonen is a professor emerita and immediate past president of APHA at Purdue University.</em><br/>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: Pamela M. Aaltonen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-cdc-warns-against-thanksgiving-travel-here-are-a-dozen-more-things-you-can-do-to-help-stop-covid-19-150256" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150256/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>From Your Site Articles
- How New Zealand Has Eliminated COVID-19 - EcoWatch ›
- Coronavirus: How Well Do Face Masks Protect Against Viruses ... ›
- How to Prevent Coronavirus From Spreading Indoors - EcoWatch ›
- How to Stop the Spread of Covid-19 in Africa: Lessons from Ebola ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Евгения Матвеец / Moment / Getty Images
By Alexander Freund
Finally, some good news — soon, frontrunning vaccine developers could submit applications for fast-tracked authorizations of their coronavirus vaccines.
Three companies have reported early Phase III successes in the last several days.
<p>The latest team to release positive interim results is Swedish-British company AstraZeneca, developers of a viral vector vaccine, who published their final report on the <a href="https://bit.ly/3fdOwFn" target="_blank">combined Phase II/ Phase III study on November 18 in The Lancet.</a> </p>
<p>Their trial involved a total of 560 healthy volunteers, with researchers finding that participants more than 56 responded well to the vaccine. Overall, though, a similarly strong immune response was observed in all age groups after the boost vaccination.</p><p>Although there were 13 "serious adverse events" during the study, none of them were "considered to be related to either study vaccine," researchers wrote.</p><p>Even still, further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of the vaccine, the authors stressed. <br><br>BioNTech/Pfizer have edged even further ahead than AstraZeneca with their vaccine trial. </p>
<p>On November 18, the drugmakers reported that they had gathered enough data to effectively end Phase III trials, finding their vaccine had achieved an efficacy of 95%, <a href="https://investors.biontech.de/news-releases/news-release-details/pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">researchers wrote in a press release. </a> </p><p>This news came after BioNTech/Pfizer announced results from their <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-vaccine-90-effective-say-pfizer-and-german-company-biontech/a-55542947" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">initial Phase III evaluations on November 9,</a> showing their mRNA vaccine was 90% effective against COVID19. <br> <br>Following suit on November 16, pharmaceutical manufacturer <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/us-pharma-firm-moderna-says-its-covid-19-vaccine-is-945-effective/a-55616749" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Moderna announced its mRNA vaccine had shown an efficacy of 94.5%</a> in Phase III trials involving more than 30,000 participants. </p><p>While BioNTech and Pfizer, as well as Moderna, are leading the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, other pharma companies — such as Sanofi, Sinovac and Johnson & Johnson — <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/australias-coronavirus-vaccine-shows-promise-in-initial-testing/a-55583492" target="_blank">are expected to soon present candidates of their own</a>.<br></p><p>According to the World Health Organization, 47 vaccines candidates are currently in clinical trials, of which 10 are in phase 3 efficacy trials. Russia has already registered two vaccines, one of which — <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/russia-vaccine-sputnik-coronavirus/a-54819322" target="_blank">Sputnik V — became available for public use in August</a>. Experts, however, warn that this vaccine has been insufficiently tested.</p>
Open Questions
<p>Many questions, however, remain unanswered. It is unclear, for instance, how effective these vaccines are, and how they affect individuals of different ages and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Little is known about whether the vaccines lead to long-term immunity, or if they can prevent severe, or indeed asymptomatic COVID-19 infections.</p><p>It is also not known how much the vaccines will cost, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-set-up-hundreds-of-vaccination-centers-from-december-report/a-55605652" target="_blank">who will have access to them</a> and in what quantity and at what time, and how they will be distributed around the globe.</p>How Effective Are These Vaccines?
<p>BioNTech and Pfizer claim their vaccine candidate BNT162b2 is 95% effective in preventing a COVID-19 infection. Moderna claims to have developed a candidate, mRNA-1273, that is 94.5% effective. These are unusually high figures.</p><p>By contrast, the vaccine administered for the 2018/2019 influenza season was only 21% effective, according to Germany's disease control and prevention agency, the Robert Koch Institute. This means only around one in five individuals vaccinated were protected by the influenza shot.</p><p>Achieving a vaccine that is 100% effective is practically impossible, as human bodies differ and because viruses such as the influenza pathogen mutate continuously. This explains why each year, influenza vaccines must be adapted to seasonal and emerging virus strains.</p><p>Nevertheless, vaccines significantly lower the risk of an infection. Elaborate studies ascertain the exact vaccine efficacy. It is determined by studying the antibody concentration developed in patients.</p><p>A typical randomized controlled study consists of two groups of participants. BioNTech and Pfizer assessed the efficacy of their vaccine candidate by testing it on 43,538 participants in different countries. One half of the group was administered the vaccine candidate, while the other half received a placebo. The vaccine was administered twice, with a three-week gap in between shots.</p><p>For obvious ethical reasons, participants were not infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the trial. Still, over the course of the study, 170 individuals contracted the virus in their daily lives. 162 of them belonged to the placebo group.</p><p>The group who had received the vaccine, in contrast, had a 95% chance of protection. This means that 19 out of 20 individuals who statistically speaking could have contracted the virus did not become infected.</p><p>Such efficacy is on par with vaccines administered against measles, mumps and rubella that afford 93% to 99% of individuals with immunity. It is to be expected that as the COVID-19 vaccine trial progresses, efficacy levels will gradually decline. The stage 3 study will be completed once 164 persons have reported a SARS-CoV-2 infection. All participants will be monitored for two full years.</p><p>The Moderna vaccine trial, by comparison, involved over 30,000 participants, half of whom received a placebo. The other half received the vaccine candidate. Over the course of the study, 95 individuals fell ill with COVID-19. Of these, 90 belonged to the placebo group and just five belonged to the vaccinated group.</p>
Are the Vaccines Safe?
<p>Independent monitoring groups registered no serious safety concerns with the vaccines being developed by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna. This does not, however, rule out the possibility of serious side effects occurring during large-scale testing, or when vaccines are given to persons with rare pre-existing health issues.</p><p>Intramuscular injections also bear to the risk of causing local reactions. Moreover, immune responses that entail the production of B cells and supportive T cells can lead to fever, chills, muscle aches or headaches.</p><p>In addition, both vaccines — BioNTech/Pfizer's BNT162b2 and Moderna's mRNA-1273 — belong to a new family of vaccines that so far has not been approved for medical use. They contain nucleoside-modified messenger RNA which functions as a blueprint for the virus spike protein. Once administered, the vaccine stimulates the human immune system to produce antibodies against this protein and thus the virus.</p>When Will the Vaccines Be Approved?
<p>The approval process differs in the United States and European Union. Intermediate tests are designed to speed up the procedure.</p><p>BioNTech and Pfizer have announced that they will request emergency use authorization (EUA) for their vaccine from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the coming weeks. By this time, a minimum two-month observation period after the second vaccine shot will have passed. This is an FDA requirement. Moderna similarly plans to request a EUA from the FDA in coming weeks.</p><p>It is unclear when BioNTech will request the stricter European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve its vaccine. In Germany, the Paul Ehrlich Institute tests and approves vaccines for public use.</p><p>It looks likely that a coronavirus vaccine will become available in Europe later this year, or in early 2021, thanks to the EU's fast-tracked approval process.</p>Challenges Ahead
<p>For months, the EU <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-vaccine-eu-seals-deal-with-biontech-pfizer-to-secure-doses/a-55551329" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">has been in talks with BioNTech and Pfizer</a>. Initially, the bloc aimed to secure up to 300 million vaccine doses. A contract drawn up between the parties now places an order for 200 million doses, with the option of a further 100 million.</p><p>The Commission is reportedly also negotiating with Moderna to secure up to 160 million doses of its vaccine. So far, however, no contract has been finalized.</p><p>In addition, the EU has struck a deal to buy 300 million vaccine doses from AstraZeneca. It has also reached deals with Sanofi-GSK and Johnson & Johnson.</p><p>In early June, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands joined forces <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/eu-joins-whos-coronavirus-vaccine-alliance-offers-400-million-investment/a-54774743" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to create the so-called Inclusive Vaccine Alliance</a>, which will aim to boost vaccine production in as many locations across the EU as possible as soon as possible.</p><p>This way, the EU plans not only to <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/paris-peace-forum-to-raise-more-than-500-million-for-global-coronavirus-vaccine-access/a-55577629" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">make affordable vaccines available</a> to member states but also to poorer nations, for example in Africa.</p><p>Yet big questions still remain over <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-germany-debates-how-to-distribute-a-vaccine/a-55554314" target="_blank">how the vaccines will be distributed</a> and administered across the globe. Most will presumably need to be permanently stored at minus 80 degrees Celsius, which poses a major logistical challenge.<br></p><p><em>This article was translated from German. It has been updated on November 19, 2020 to include the publication of the study on the Oxford-vaccine.</em></p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-can-we-trust-recent-covid-vaccine-successes/a-55623111" target="_blank">Deutsche Well</a>.</em><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/r/entryeditor/2648980453#/" target="_self"></a></p>
Read More
Show Less
A young girl with a mask stands in the flooded Jiangtan Park, caused by heavy rains along the Yangtze River on July 10, 2020 in Wuhan, China. Getty Images
By Kenny Stancil
"The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how vulnerable the world is to a truly global catastrophe. But another, bigger, catastrophe has been building for many decades, and humanity is still lagging far behind in efforts to address it."
<p>So begins <em>Come Heat or High Water</em>, the 2020 <a href="https://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/20201116_WorldDisasters_Full.pdf" target="_blank">World Disasters Report</a> published Tuesday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).</p><p>While "Covid-19 has demonstrated that humanity has the capacity to recognize and respond to a global crisis," the authors wrote, "climate change is an even more significant challenge to humanity... one which literally threatens our long-term survival."</p><p>Indeed, "the impacts of global warming are already killing people and devastating lives and livelihoods every year," including in 2020, the report noted. "Climate change is not waiting for Covid-19 to be brought under control."</p><p>The analysis showed that more than 100 climate change-related disasters occurred in just the first six months of the pandemic, affecting over 50 million people.</p>
<p>"Many people are being directly affected by the pandemic and climate-driven disasters all at once," the report said, drawing attention to what researchers called "compounding shocks."</p><p>"And the world's poorest and most at-risk people are being hit first and hardest," which is consistent with "trends in vulnerability and exposure" that have led scholars to describe climate as a "risk multiplier."</p><p>While there is hope that one or more vaccines will soon provide protection against the coronavirus, IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/17/climate-change-bigger-threat-than-covid-red-cross" target="_blank">told</a> reporters that "unfortunately, there is no vaccine for climate change."</p><p>To the contrary, the report stressed that climate-driven disasters "will only get worse without immediate and determined action."</p>
<p>According to the IFRC:</p><ul><li>In the past 10 years, 83% of all disasters triggered by natural hazards were caused by extreme weather- and climate-related events, such as floods, storms and heatwaves;</li><li>The number of climate- and weather-related disasters has been increasing since the 1960s, and has risen almost 35% since the 1990s;</li><li>The proportion of all disasters attributable to climate and extreme weather events has also increased significantly during this time, from 76% of all disasters during the 2000s to 83% in the 2010s;</li><li>These extreme weather- and climate-related disasters have killed more than 410,000 people in the past 10 years, the vast majority in low and lower middle-income countries; and</li><li>Heatwaves, then storms, have been the biggest killers. A further 1.7 billion people around the world have been affected by climate and weather-related disasters during the past decade.</li></ul>
<p>Governments "may well be 'busy' with the pandemic" right now, the Red Cross acknowledged, but the climate crisis is getting worse—not taking a break—meaning "there's still never been a more urgent time to... adapt to its realities."</p><p>"We must work to limit the deaths and damage that climate-driven disasters are already" causing, the report noted, while also "taking action to reverse climate change."</p><p>The good news, the authors wrote, is that "the massive stimulus packages that are being developed around the world in response to Covid-19 are an opportunity to build back better."</p><p>Even though the climate crisis is much more dangerous to human life on Earth than the pandemic, the $10 trillion spent on the global response to the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis is far more than the amount of money the Red Cross said is necessary to "adapt to current and imminent climate-driven disaster risks."</p>
<p>According to the IFRC, "it would take an estimated $50 billion annually to meet the adaptation requirements set out by 50 developing countries for the coming decade."</p><p>The report advocated for investing "not only [in] a green recovery, but an adaptive one, using funds to... create jobs [while] making communities safer and more resilient."</p><p>Using "resources well" is crucial, the authors argued, given the "uneven geographic impacts of... hazards between regions," as well as how land-use patterns and socio-economic inequalities "affect who is at greatest risk... within countries."</p><p>The Red Cross pointed out that "funding for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction does not seem to consistently prioritize the countries at highest risk and with the lowest ability to adapt and cope with these risks."</p>
<p>"Many highly vulnerable countries are left behind, receiving little climate change adaptation support," the analysis showed. "None of the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change and to climate- and weather-related disasters were among the 20 highest per person recipients of climate change adaptation funding."</p><p>"An additional challenge is ensuring that funding reaches the most at-risk people within these countries," the report continued. "Many communities may be particularly vulnerable to climate-related risks, from people affected by conflict whose capacity to manage shocks is already strained, to migrants and displaced people who may struggle to access the services and assistance they need, to urban poor people and other marginalized communities."</p><p>We must "get the priorities right," the authors added, and ensure that support reaches the "communities that are most exposed and vulnerable to climate risks."</p><p>"Let's not miss our chance," the report said, calling on society to "act effectively before it's too late."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/18/no-vaccine-climate-change-coronavirus-has-been-disastrous-says-red-cross-global?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>
Read More
Show Less
The Sherburne County generating station, a coal-fired power plant owned by Xcel Energy, in Becker, Minnesota. Tony Webster / CC BY 2.0
By Elizabeth Sawin
The next president will be inaugurated in the midst of a raging pandemic, an economic recession, a crisis of structural racism and an escalating climate emergency. The best chance for making progress on any of these issues is to tackle them all together.
<p>That's an approach called <a href="https://www.climateinteractive.org/ci-topics/multisolving/" target="_blank">multisolving</a> — ensuring that every dollar invested in solving one problem solves others at the same time. It's the preferred approach when facing intersecting problems with tight budgets and an urgent timeline.</p>
<p>A COVID-19 economic recovery package will be one of the biggest opportunities to multisolve in 2021. A well-designed recovery could lock in decades of low-carbon emissions. It could reap the public health benefits that come along with replacing air-polluting energy sources with clean energy generation. And it could steer benefits, like good jobs that can't be offshored, to the communities that have historically been left out of economic opportunity.</p><p>But multisolving doesn't happen by accident. It happens by design. If the next administration wants to achieve four benefits — climate protection, economic recovery, health and equity — for the price of one, it will need to place multisolving at the center of its plans.</p><p>Nine months into the pandemic, there are bright spots around the world that show what might be possible if economic recovery investments were designed to achieve multiple goals. These can be found in small developing countries and in major economies. Their focus ranges from clean energy to ecosystem restoration to walking and cycling infrastructure.</p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDc4MjE0Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMzYwNDI3Nn0.rcnnOoURkrdrGUlQeNEE9h7qKHgL-2XnW1KeXVenl7U/img.jpg?width=980" id="c50df" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="eae52511e1d1402812b640966a68b242" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Separated bike lane. Paul Krueger / CC BY 2.0
<p>Here are a few cases drawn from a growing <a href="https://www.climateinteractive.org/ci-topics/multisolving/great/great-recovery-policies/#section-1-nat" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">database</a> of examples my colleagues and I are tracking:</p><ul><li>The Nigerian government is focusing on solar electricity as part of its recovery <a href="https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/245447/nigeria-plans-solar-household-boost/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plan</a>, with a goal of installing solar-generation capacity on 5 million homes;</li><li><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/08/spain-pins-covid-recovery-hopes-green-investment-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Spain</a> has pinned its recovery on an "ecological transformation" including installing 100,000 electric vehicle charging stations, making 500,000 homes more energy efficient and accelerating progress toward its goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2050;</li><li>A joint EU-Africa <a href="https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2020-218-eib-and-afreximbank-direct-eur-300m-of-support-to-african-covid-response" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">project</a> will direct €300 million ($354 million) to projects that help businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially ones owned by women. At least 25% of the funds are for projects involving renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change resilience;</li><li>The United Kingdom has launched a £2 billion ($2.6 billion) <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/2-billion-package-to-create-new-era-for-cycling-and-walking" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plan</a> to increase cycling infrastructure as part of its COVID-19 response. In the short term this will help people travel safely through the pandemic. In the long term it will reduce emissions from transportation and capture the health benefits of active travel.</li></ul><p>Sadly, these bright spots are so far the exception, not the rule.</p><p>A <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6514/298.full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study</a> published last month in <em>Science</em> highlights the potential of this moment. Countries around the world have already committed $12 trillion to economic recovery packages. If only 12% of that amount were to be invested in the next five years in clean energy and energy efficiency the world could place itself on a path to meeting the goals of Paris Climate Agreement, while also driving job opportunities and improving human health. But so far, the world as whole is falling short of even this modest amount of multisolving.</p><p>Some regions are doing well, though. In the European Union, for instance, somewhere between <a href="https://rhg.com/data_story/green-stimulus-and-recovery-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">19%</a> to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/09/revealed-covid-recovery-plans-threaten-global-climate-hopes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">30%</a> of recovery investments are rated as "green." But many other governments are allowing this opportunity to multisolve slip away. Estimates are that only <a href="https://rhg.com/data_story/green-stimulus-and-recovery-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">1%</a> of U.S. recovery funding so far has been green. For China the estimate is 0.3%; for India it's 2.4%.</p><p><br>With recovery plans still taking shape, and with many of the opportunities for investment on hold until the public health threat of the virus is under control, the window of opportunity has not yet closed. That is good news. The United States, under the incoming administration, could direct the funds needed to stimulate the economy in a way that simultaneously helps us meet climate, health and equity goals.</p><p>To ensure this quadruple benefit is captured, each element of a recovery plan will need to be designed with multiple criteria in mind. Policy makers should be asking questions such as:</p><ul><li>Does an energy infrastructure project lock in low carbon emissions while also providing good jobs?</li><li>Does a particular investment include racial, gender and economic equity provisions to make sure benefits go to communities that have been left out of past opportunities?</li><li>Are investments like home weatherization targeted towards low-wealth communities, where the resulting utility bill savings will make the most difference?</li><li>Are job training, healthcare and childcare offered so that everyone can benefit from new employment opportunities?</li></ul><p>Success will require sustained effort well beyond the design phase. It will require agencies to work together. Can an energy efficiency program coordinate with a jobs program? Can a cycling project be designed with input from housing and public health?</p><p>A true multisolving recovery will invest authority in local communities. While the federal government functions in silos, all the elements of carbon emissions, health, jobs, equity and well-being come together on the ground, at the grassroots level. Funding mechanisms will need to be flexible to allow communities to steer their own green and equitable recoveries.</p><p>That's a tall order, and even the most effective multisolving recovery plan will not be enough if it focuses only within the United States. The transition to a zero-carbon future needs to be a global one. Rich nations like the United States can offer financial assistance so that all countries can recover in ways that are green, resilient and equitable.</p><p>The country and the world could emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic more resilient, more equitable, and on track to meet climate goals. But that won't happen by accident. It's time to start multisolving.</p><p><em>You can learn more about <a href="https://www.climateinteractive.org/ci-topics/multisolving/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">multisolving</a> on Climate Interactive's website, where you can also explore a <a href="https://www.climateinteractive.org/ci-topics/multisolving/great/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">database</a> of green, resilient, equitable recovery measures being taken around the world.</em></p><p><em>The opinions expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of</em> The Revelator,<em> the Center for Biological Diversity or their employees.</em> </p><p><span></span><a href="https://therevelator.org/author/elizabethsawin/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Sawin</a> is co-founder and co-director of Climate Interactive a think-tank that helps people find solutions to climate change and related issues like equity, health, food and water.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://therevelator.org/multisolving-covid-recovery/" target="_blank">The Revelator</a>. </em></p>
Read More
Show Less
Trending
How to Host a Safe Holiday Meal During Coronavirus – an Epidemiologist Explains Her Personal Plans
10 November
Insights + Opinion
martin-dm / E+ / Getty Images
By Melissa Hawkins
Like many people in this unusual year, I am adjusting my family's holiday plans so that we can all be safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
<p>I am an epidemiologist and mother of four with a large extended family. Given the serious <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa/u-s-sets-single-day-record-for-covid-19-cases-during-new-surge-idUSKBN2781UF" target="_blank">nationwide resurgence</a> of COVID-19 infections, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">gatherings of family and friends over the upcoming holidays</a> have the potential to amplify the spread of the virus. Several <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6944e1.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recent studies</a> have further confirmed that <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.04.20188417v2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">indoor socializing at home carries a significantly higher risk</a> of viral transmission than outdoor activities. Health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have warned that much of transmission this fall is happening across all age groups at <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fauci-says-small-gatherings-driving-new-covid-outbreaks-worries-about-n1245159" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">small indoor gatherings</a>.</p><p>For the past 15 years my family tradition is to travel from Washington, D.C., along with both grandparents, to sunny Florida to celebrate Thanksgiving with cousins. This year we decided to skip the travel and will have fall and winter celebrations at home.</p><p>We are not canceling the holidays, but to keep ourselves and others safe, we are keeping plans small and flexible and remembering that the health of those we love is most important as we enter the season of gratitude.</p>
Before You Gather
<p>First, it is important that everyone who will be attending any holiday celebration is on the same page about how to take precautions before getting together. The idea is to lower infection risk in the weeks leading up to the holidays and then test to confirm.</p><p>In general, everyone should plan to be vigilant in their public health practices beforehand, especially since grandparents are at higher risk. In my family, we have <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-covid-19-testing-and-quarantining-to-safely-travel-for-the-holidays-147154" target="_blank">agreed to limit contact with other people</a> as much as possible the week before Thanksgiving. We have also agreed that everyone <a href="https://theconversation.com/quarantine-bubbles-when-done-right-limit-coronavirus-risk-and-help-fight-loneliness-140134" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">needs to be extra cautious around the few close people we see regularly</a>.</p><p>In conjunction with quarantining, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-covid-19-testing-and-quarantining-to-safely-travel-for-the-holidays-147154" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">testing</a> is the second strategy.</p><p>Research has consistently shown that people are most contagious a day or two before they show symptoms, so everyone <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-covid-19-testing-and-quarantining-to-safely-travel-for-the-holidays-147154" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">plans to get tested with an RT-PCR test</a> within 72 hours of Thanksgiving, while still being able to get results in hand before we gather.</p><p>If the demand for <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-tests-are-pretty-accurate-but-far-from-perfect-136671" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tests</a> is high and wait times are long, we will get rapid tests. But these are a second choice, as they are <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-covid-19-testing-and-quarantining-to-safely-travel-for-the-holidays-147154" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">less reliable and can be expensive</a>.</p>Where and How to Eat and Socialize
<p>No matter how careful you and your family are, there is some risk that someone will be infected. With that in mind, the goal is to reduce the conditions that lead to <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/09/29/science.abd7672" target="_blank">viral spread</a>. The biggest risks are indoor spaces with <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-ventilation-and-air-filtration-to-prevent-the-spread-of-coronavirus-indoors-143732" target="_blank">poor ventilation</a>, large groups and close contact. So we are planning the opposite: a short outdoor Thanksgiving with a small group and plenty of space between everyone.</p><p>To reduce the risk of infection from flying and to keep the gathering small, the only people coming to Thanksgiving at my family's home in D.C. are my mother, my aunt and my uncle – all of whom live within driving distance. This is in addition to myself, my husband and our kids. When deciding how many people will come to the holidays, keep it small and consider the amount of space you have to maintain social distancing.</p><p>If the weather cooperates, we plan to be outside for trivia games and the turkey meal. Rather than eat around one table, we will have individual tables and place settings spaced far apart and space heaters around. I've got a mini care package planned for each guest so that everyone will have their own blanket, hand sanitizer, utensils and a festive mask. My mother won't be helping out in the kitchen this year and, unfortunately, that goes for cleanup too. We won't take a group picture but I will be sure to capture some of the special moments.</p><p>If the weather doesn't cooperate, Plan B is to be inside in the large family room with as many windows open as possible and with everyone spaced as far apart as possible. Being outside is safer, but if you must be indoors, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-ventilation-and-air-filtration-to-prevent-the-spread-of-coronavirus-indoors-143732" target="_blank">improve ventilation</a> by opening doors and windows. Consider turning on exhaust fans and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-ventilation-and-air-filtration-to-prevent-the-spread-of-coronavirus-indoors-143732" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">using an air purifier</a>.</p><p>Everyone who lives in the household will be in one section while my mom will have her own individual area, as will my aunt and uncle. Even though we won't hold hands before sharing the meal, we will still recite that we are "thankful for family, friends and food."</p><p>Whether outside or inside, everyone will wear masks when they aren't eating, maintain 6 feet of distance and use the hand sanitizer that I will place throughout the house.</p><p>It is also important to be mindful of alcohol consumption, as a pandemic is not the time for lowered inhibitions and bad judgment.</p>After the Event
<p> I hope everyone enjoys the meal and quality time spent with one another in this melancholy year, but the work is not done once the dishes are clean and everyone is home safely. </p><p> Everyone is planning to get another COVID–19 test one week after the meal. Additionally, Thanksgiving is our family's trial run for Christmas, so a few days after, I plan to call everyone and discuss what worked well and what didn't. If all goes well, I hope to repeat this quarantine, test and gather process for Christmas.<br> </p><p> The ending of 2020 deserves to be celebrated, given this difficult year. This Thanksgiving will be different from those of other years, and my kids understand they need to manage their expectations. But we still plan to uphold our tradition of writing all that we are thankful for and reading our messages aloud to one another. We will still share love, some laughs and a good meal while everyone does their part to protect one another. </p><p> <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/melissa-hawkins-1116324" target="_blank">Melissa Hawkins</a> is a professor of Public Health and the Director of Public Health Scholars Program at American University.</em> </p><p> <em>Disclosure statement: Melissa Hawkins receives funding from USDA.</em> </p><p> <em style="">Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-host-a-safe-holiday-meal-during-coronavirus-an-epidemiologist-explains-her-personal-plans-149144" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="">The Conversation</a>.</em> </p><script type="text/javascript" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149144/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" async="async"></script>From Your Site Articles
- Coronavirus: Can We Trust Recent COVID Vaccine Successes? - EcoWatch ›
- Why Face Masks Belong At Your Thanksgiving Gathering + 7 Things You Need to Know About Wearing Them - EcoWatch ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
A mink at a farm in Denmark on Oct. 8, 2020. MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty Images
Denmark will kill all of its up to 17 million farmed mink after a mutation of the new coronavirus spread from the animals back to humans, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Wednesday.
<p>The decision came after authorities found strains in both humans and mink that were less susceptible to antibodies, fueling concern that the new mutation would make any future vaccine less effective, <a href="https://fr.reuters.com/article/idUKKBN27K1X6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>"The worst case scenario is a new pandemic, starting all over again out of Denmark," Kare Molbak, director at the State Serum Institute that conducted the tests, said, as Reuters reported.</p><p>The institute, which is the Danish authority in charge of managing infectious diseases, said it had found five antibody-resistant cases of COVID-19 in the mink farms and 12 in humans, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/05/europe/denmark-mink-cull-coronavirus-intl-hnk-scli/index.html" target="_blank">according to CNN</a>.</p>
<p>Denmark is the world's No. 1 producer of mink fur, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54818615" target="_blank">according to BBC News</a>. It has struggled to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading across its mink farms for several months now. In October, a million mink within five miles of confirmed or suspected infections were culled, according to CNN.</p><p>Frederiksen said Wednesday that the decision to cull the entire population was made with a "heavy heart."</p><p>"We have a great responsibility towards our own population, but with the mutation that has now been found, we have an even greater responsibility for the rest of the world as well," Frederiksen said.</p>
<p>Denmark is not the only place where the new coronavirus has spread to farmed mink and potentially back to humans. A <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.01.277152v1" target="_blank">study</a> that has not yet been peer reviewed found evidence that people had contracted the coronavirus from farmed mink in the Netherlands, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/health/covid-mink-mutation.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>. Thousands to hundreds of thousands of mink have been culled in the Netherlands, Spain and Utah because the coronavirus spread to farmed populations, according to BBC News and The New York Times.</p><p>More than 50 million mink are raised for the fur trade every year, according to BBC News. Scientists are still researching why the animals catch and spread the new coronavirus, but The New York Times pointed out that they are often kept in crowded conditions that encourage the spread of disease. Once infected, they can become very sick and die.</p>
<p>Since the coronavirus pandemic first emerged, scientists and environmentalists have pointed to the exploitation of nature, including intensive farming, as a major risk factor in the spread of disease.</p><p>"Rampant <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" target="_self">deforestation</a>, uncontrolled expansion of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/agriculture" target="_self">agriculture</a>, intensive farming, mining and infrastructure development, as well as the exploitation of wild species have created a 'perfect storm' for the spillover of diseases from wildlife to people," a group of biodiversity experts wrote in April, as EcoWatch <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pandemics-environmental-destruction-2645854694.html" target="_self">reported</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/animal-welfare" target="_self">Animal welfare</a> advocates have responded to the news of Denmark's mink cull to call for the end of fur farming altogether.</p><p>"The right decision would be to end mink farming entirely and help farmers into [another] occupation that does not jeopardize <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> and animal welfare," Animal Protection Denmark told The New York Times.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.hsi.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Humane Society International</a> / Europe's senior director of public affairs Dr. Joanna Swabe, meanwhile, praised Denmark's decision.</p><p>"Denmark is one of the largest fur producers on the planet, so a total shutdown of all Danish mink fur farms amid spiralling Covid-19 infections is a significant development," Swabe told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/04/denmark-announces-cull-of-15-million-mink-over-covid-mutation-fears" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. "Although not a ban on fur farming, this move signals the end of suffering for millions of animals confined to small wire cages on Danish fur farms solely for the purposes of a trivial fur fashion that no one needs."</p>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Trending
Are You Having Trouble Sleeping Lately? ‘Coronasomnia’ Might Be the Reason
05 November
Health + Wellness
The pandemic has increased sleep disorders and insomnia for many. University of Maryland Medical System
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, between 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders, and 1 in 3 adults do not regularly get the recommended 7 to 8 hours per day of uninterrupted sleep. The pandemic has made this worse, causing disruptions to many sleep routines and exacerbating preexisting challenges to getting a good night's rest, CNN reported.
<p>Some experts have coined the trend "coronasomnia," highlighting the connection between the pandemic and increased sleeplessness, said clinical psychology and behavioral sleep medicine researcher Christina Perpaoli Parker, reported CNN. The changes range from more subtle, like increased restlessness or poorer quality of sleep, to a nightmarish "flat-out hell" of chronic lack of sufficient sleep or full-on insomnia, the news report said.</p><p>According to the <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-guidelines-covid-19-isolation" target="_blank">Sleep Foundation</a>, reasons for increased sleeplessness during the pandemic could include disruptions to daily routines, health and economic concerns, social isolation, increased family and work stress and too much screen time.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.umms.org/coronavirus/what-to-know/managing-medical-conditions/healthy-habits/sleep" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">University of Maryland Medical System</a> noted that lack of light may also contribute. Being inside for quarantine limits exposure to natural light, which signals to the body when to be awake and asleep.</p><p>Anxiety and biology may also bolster the connection.</p><p>Humans are wired to stay awake in the face of danger, so the fears surrounding the first widespread global pandemic in 100 years have pushed many into unhealthy sleep patterns, said professor of medicine Jennifer Martin, CNN reported.</p><p>"It would have been an unfortunate mistake of evolution if we were sleepy when there was a tiger outside of our cave and we went to sleep," Martin told the news report. "When we perceive a threat, we are awake. That's adaptive. That's good for us. Yet when there is a large threat in our environment like a global pandemic, one of our initial biological stress reactions is to not sleep so we can be prepared to deal with the threat."</p>
<p>The <a href="https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/sleep-disorders" target="_blank">Anxiety and Depression Association of America</a> agreed that anxiety causes sleeping problems, and found new research that sleep deprivation might cause anxiety disorders. Amidst the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/public-health" target="_self">public health</a> and economic crises, fear and sleeplessness could be stuck in a positive feedback loop that is contributing to diminished <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/health-stories/" target="_self">health and wellness</a>.</p><p>Data confirms that sleep difficulties have increased during the pandemic. A <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/report/kff-health-tracking-poll-july-2020/" target="_blank">Kaiser Family Foundation study</a> found that 36% of Americans reported difficulty sleeping due to pandemic stress. Sleep medication prescriptions rose 14.8% during the first month of shutdowns, CNN reported. Not surprisingly, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/anxiety-medication-coronavirus-lockdown-2645733481.html" target="_self">anxiety medication prescriptions also rose 34%</a> during the same time period. And, while many are sleeping more during the pandemic, a new <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7284244/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">study</a> indicated the quality of rest is declining precipitously.</p><p>This is a problem because "[g]ood sleep undergirds every aspect of mental and physical health, which we need to support now more than ever," Pierpaoli Parker told CNN.</p>
<p>The Sleep Foundation reported that while quality sleep is always important, it takes on higher significance during a pandemic. Sleep boosts the immune system, heightens brain function, enhances mood and helps combat depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the Foundation reported.</p><p>The <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/04/sleep-problems-becoming-risk-factor-as-pandemic-continues/" target="_blank">Harvard Gazette</a> reported that poor sleep also increases disease risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, Alzheimer's and dementia.</p>
<p>Experts suggested a few tips to boost quality sleep, even during the pandemic:</p><ul><li>Set a consistent sleep routine that might be different from your non-pandemic one which factors in commute times and omits virtual schooling, the Harvard Gazette suggested.</li><li>Get regular exercise to tire out your body, CNN reported.</li><li>Don't nap because it ruins your "appetite" for sleep, reported the Harvard Gazette.</li><li>Reserve the bed for sleep and intimacy to train the mind to relax there. "Working-from-home shouldn't be working-from-bed. It also means avoiding bringing a laptop into bed to watch a movie or series," the Sleep Foundation advised.</li><li>Use relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga and reading, the Sleep Foundation offered.</li><li>Try new ways to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pandemic-coping-activities-2648147999.html" target="_self">boost your coping mechanisms</a> with pandemic stress, such as baking bread, adopting a pet or plant, organizing your home or learning a new language.</li><li>Limit screen time, which can be stimulating, for 1-2 hours before bed, CNN suggested.</li><li>Avoid stressful news before bedtime. "Doomscrolling" and oversaturation of bad news right before sleep can lead to stressful and poor sleep, the <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/coronavirus-pandemic-insomnia-tips/" target="_blank">Cleveland Clinic</a> reported.</li><li>Schedule in "worry time" so your mind gets accustomed to "worrying at the same time and same place every day" and so those worries interfere less with sleep, CNN suggested.</li></ul>
From Your Site Articles
- Anxiety Medication Prescriptions up 34% Since Coronavirus ... ›
- More Than Half of COVID-19 Survivors in Study Reported ... ›
- 5 Surprising Ways People Are Coping During the Pandemic ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Soybean crops affected by a drought near Navasota, Texas on August 21, 2013. Bob Nichols / USDA / Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images
By Keith Schneider
In many ways, the story of Texas over the last century is the state's devout allegiance to the principle that mankind has dominion over nature.
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic shut down that idea in 2020. By 11 October, nearly 800,000 people had been infected in Texas and over 16,000 died.</p><p>The sharp and irrepressible rise in virus cases and mortality adds to the intensifying view among Texans that far from living in a place distant from the vagaries of nature, Texas has become a national and global epicenter of natural calamity.</p><p>More people and businesses in Texas are in the way, as booming population and economic growth this century have written a much different story of vulnerability – to nature's bullying and to government's uncertain capacity to adjust. The state's principal <a href="https://texasstatewaterplan.org/statewide" target="_blank">water research agency projects that demand for fresh water</a> will increase dramatically by mid-century as supplies steadily drop, precipitating what looks like an inevitable supply crisis. In short, the second- largest American state and one of the world's largest economies looks a lot like China, India, Australia, South Africa and every other place in the world contending with the confrontation between diminishing water supply and increasing demand.</p><p><span></span>"Texas does not understand shortages," said Dr. Larry McKinney, one of the state's top water researchers and the former director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, a unit of Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. "It's the Texas mentality. Texas is so big we've had a hard time coming to grips that resources are finite. We really never had to deal with that. Frankly, we're reaching that point."</p>
Rising Demand Confronts Lower Supplies
<p>There are a couple of ways to examine the coming hardship. The first is in numbers. The <a href="https://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/data/projections/index.asp" target="_blank">Texas Water Development Board found</a> that by 2070 the state's population will grow to 51 million people, 22 million more than today. The state's annual demand for water, the State Water Board projects, will climb to 21.6 million acre-feet (27 trillion liters), up from 18.4 million.</p><p>At the same time, a severe drought will bring increasing constraint. <a href="https://texasstatewaterplan.org/statewide" target="_blank">State authorities project</a> that in a drought comparable to the most severe on record, water supplies will fall over the next 50 years from 15.2 million acre-feet to 13.6 million acre-feet (17 trillion liters). During the driest periods, more people will have considerably less water.</p><p>Here's how that confrontation is playing out in the Hill Country, a region of rapid population growth and uncertain water supply west of Austin, Texas' capital city.</p><p>Two generations ago, about 40,000 people made their homes in Hays County, an epic, rural, rolling masterpiece of space and sky close to Austin and San Antonio. Authorities in Hays counted 14,000 homes that were supplied with water from the Trinity Aquifer, a giant freshwater reserve that lay below. <a href="https://www.circleofblue.org/2020/world/when-it-rains-texas-forgets-drought-and-worsening-water-scarcity/" target="_blank">In both wet years and dry, water was readily available</a>.</p><p>Four decades later, Hays County has grown to 222,000 residents and 75,000 housing units. The Trinity Aquifer is tapped out. Since 2003, a pipeline from Lake Travis, a reservoir near Austin, has provided developers with sufficient water to continue building big subdivisions.<br></p><p>But <a href="https://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:04bd3fbb-54df-4be7-bd27-265778ff134f/Mitchell2014%20-%20updated.pdf" target="_blank">a study</a> by the Hill Country Alliance and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University in San Marcos found that the piped water encouraged more drilling fo water wells into the aquifer. In one area, they found that pumping jumped from just over 3 million gallons annually to 90 million gallons (409 million liters).</p><p>The idea of the sanctity of economic expansion produces all manner of conflict and turmoil about water throughout Texas. The annual <a href="https://www.forbes.com/places/tx/" target="_blank">$1.89 trillion Texas economy,</a> the second-largest state economy and <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?most_recent_value_desc=true" target="_blank">ninth-largest in the world</a>, is entirely dependent on access to adequate supplies of water.</p><p>The 2011 drought <a href="https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2012/03/21/updated-2011-texas-agricultural-drought-losses-total-7-62-billion/#:~:text=Updated%202011%20Texas%20agricultural%20drought%20losses%20total%20%247.62%20billion,-March%2021%2C%202012&text=COLLEGE%20STATION%20%E2%80%93%20Texas%20agricultural%20losses,Texas%20AgriLife%20Extension%20Service%20economists." target="_blank">caused more than $7 billion in agricultural losses</a>, and indirect costs of $16.9 billion. From 1980 to 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Texas also led all states, by far, in losses from severe storms and flooding. In 2017 alone, Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that stalled near Houston, caused <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/08/hurricane-harvey-was-years-costliest-us-disaster-125-billion-damages/" target="_blank">$125 billion in damages</a>.</p>
<p>"Water is the economy in Texas," said McKinney. "It drives everything, particularly as you get less of it."</p><p>Sound familiar? It should. Struggles over water occurring across Texas are essentially the same as those unfolding in places where growth is highest and water resources are under the most stress. In the United States that means California, the Southwest and the Rocky Mountain West.</p><p>The same two trends are unfolding around the planet, most notably in China and India. In 2011, China discovered that its program of energy development, grain production, and construction of new cities was using so much water that <a href="http://en.pkulaw.cn/display.aspx?cgid=3256f00ff8d269babdfb&lib=law" target="_blank">by 2020 it would be 20 to 25 trillion liters</a> in deficit, a shortage so dire it could wreck China's booming economy.</p><p>A command-and-control society, China aggressively set out to shrink the deficit by quickly acting on three big initiatives. It moved much of its grain production from the dry Yellow River Basin to the wet northeast provinces. It closed water-thirsty coal mines, coal-washing stations, and water-cooled coal-fired power stations. And it<a href="https://www.circleofblue.org/2011/world/choke-point-chinaconfronting-water-scarcity-and-energy-demand-in-the-worlds-largest-country/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> built the largest water-conserving solar and wind electrical generating industry on Earth</a>.</p>
<p>India is having less success. Groundwater levels are steadily declining in the northwest states that produce much of country's rice, wheat, and sugarcane. But the state and national governments encourage the trend. In a nation that has known pervasive hunger, food production is a paramount cultural objective. Keeping the 700 million Indians who are involved in agriculture happy is another prime objective. That's why farmers pay nothing for water. They can use what they like. And they <a href="https://www.circleofblue.org/2013/world/choke-point-india-the-leopard-in-the-well/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pay nothing for electricity to run ever-more powerful pumps needed to pull water to the surface that lies ever-deeper below ground</a>.</p><p>Texas is Texas. Texas is big, rich, growing, impulsive and impressive. The significant question Texas hasn't answered is where it will find enough water by 2070 – 10 trillion liters, according to the Texas Water Development Board, or about half the Chinese water deficit – to keep over 50 million people safe, satisfied and thriving during deepening droughts.</p><p>There are two ways to look at the challenge. The most optimistic view is so Texas. The Water Board, with its process of reviewing and revising the State Water Plan every five years, lays out steps that are meant to give Texas guidance and time to figure it out. The more realistic and accurate assessment is that as Texas pursues its steep growth vector, the hardships of serious droughts will grow worse.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/texas-water-supplies-running-dry/" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em><br/></p>From Your Site Articles
- Drought-Stricken Texas Fracks Its Way to Water Shortages - EcoWatch ›
- A Twenty-First Century Water War Erupts in Texas - EcoWatch ›
- Brain-Eating Amoeba Found in Texas City's Water Spurs Disaster ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Health Insurers Are Starting To Roll Back Coverage for Telehealth, Even Though Demand Is Way Up
01 November
Health + Wellness
Private insurers saw telehealth claims increase over 4,000% from 2019 to 2020. JOEY MCLEISTER / Star Tribune via Getty Images
By Jennifer A. Mallow and Steve Davis
In less than a year, telehealth has gone from a niche rarity to a common practice. Its ability to ensure physical distance, preserve personal protective equipment and prevent the spread of infection among health care workers and patients has been invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
<p><br/></p>
<p>As health care specialists and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=5Zl62KMAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate" target="_blank">researchers</a>, we have long seen the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-0400-9" target="_blank">potential of telehealth, providing health care remotely with technology</a>, which has been around for several decades. Despite evidence it could <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-telehealth-as-good-as-in-person-care-a-telehealth-researcher-explains-how-to-get-the-most-out-of-remote-health-care-142230" target="_blank">safely treat and manage a range of health conditions</a> in a cost-effective manner, widespread adoption of the practice had been limited by issues including insurance coverage, restrictions on prescribing and technology access.</p><p>On March 27, 2020, The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/cares-act-ama-covid-19-pandemic-telehealth-fact-sheet" target="_blank">CARES Act</a>, removed many of the barriers to widespread telehealth use. Soon after, the <a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/downloads/medicaid-chip-telehealth-toolkit.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Centers for Medicare & Medicaid released a toolkit</a> encouraging state Medicaid agencies to adopt CARES policy changes to promote the expansion of telehealth. Many <a href="https://www.ahip.org/health-insurance-providers-respond-to-coronavirus-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">private insurers followed suit</a>. Collectively, these policy changes facilitated the explosion of telehealth. Now, due to the financial strain on health care systems and insurers, the increase in telehealth use may be forced to shrink even though the public health crisis remains.</p>
<h3>Sudden Changes</h3><p>At the very beginning of the pandemic, the use of telehealth went from <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200715.454789/full/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">13,000 to 1.7 million</a> visits per week among Medicare recipients. Between mid-March and mid-June 2020, during the height of the national lockdown, over 9 million telehealth visits were conducted for Medicare recipients. Private insurers, who mimicked the CARES Act policy changes, also reported exponential increases – with <a href="https://www.ahip.org/telehealth-growth-during-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">telehealth claims increasing over 4,000%</a> from the previous year.</p><p>Telehealth is typically used for new health concerns like a sore throat, psychotherapy and in-home monitoring with mobile devices for chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or heart failure. Telehealth is convenient because it can be done from anywhere and more frequently than in-person visits.</p>
<p>The changes triggered by the CARES Act were intended to last only until the <a href="https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertEmergPrep/Downloads/PHE-Questions-and-Answers.pdf" target="_blank">public health emergency was considered over</a>. Making telehealth coverage expansions permanent could lead people to use their insurance coverage more often by making care more convenient, thus <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318776/an-american-sickness-by-elisabeth-rosenthal/" target="_blank">costing private insurance companies more money</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.acponline.org/advocacy/state-health-policy/new-primary-care-codes-for-payment" target="_blank">Provider compensation</a> is traditionally based on the amount of time spent with the patient and how complicated and risky the exam and procedures are to perform. Historically, telehealth was reimbursed at a lower rate than in-person care. The CARES Act had addressed this payment disparity by mandating the same rate for telehealth visits as in-person visits for those insured by Medicare, with more than 80 new telehealth services being reimbursed at the <a href="https://codingintel.com/telemedicine-and-covid-19-faq/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">same rate</a> as in-person services.</p><p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-covid-19-cases-rise-insurers-reduce-coverage-for-virtual-doctors-visits-11601494901" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Many private insurers</a> followed suit and paid providers who conducted telehealth visits at the same rate as office visits. Now, that's all <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2020/07/03/despite-covid-19-increase-insurance-companies-pull-back-telehealth/5352297002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">changing due to financial loss by insurance companies</a>. As of Oct. 1, telehealth visits are not always paid at the same rate as in-person visits by these private insures.</p>
<p>Several big private insurers are <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-covid-19-cases-rise-insurers-reduce-coverage-for-virtual-doctors-visits-11601494901" target="_blank">pulling back some of their coverage of telehealth</a> for non-COVID issues. Companies including <a href="https://www.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/covid-19/telehealth-options" target="_blank">UnitedHealthcare</a> have already rolled back policies that waived co-pays and other fees for non-COVID-related appointments. Other plans such as <a href="https://www.anthem.com/coronavirus/individual-and-family/" target="_blank">Anthem BlueCross BlueShield</a> have extended their coverage through the end of the year, but only the first two sessions are free for the consumer.</p><p>Further complicating matters is that <a href="https://www.ahip.org/health-insurance-providers-respond-to-coronavirus-covid-19/#C" target="_blank">every private insurance plan and many state-funded Medicaid plans</a> have different sets of rules and dates for what telehealth treatments they cover. This means some patients are paying more. Costs are getting confusing. Patients may end up with <a href="https://theconversation.com/surprise-medical-bills-increase-costs-for-everyone-not-just-for-the-people-who-get-them-146476" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a surprise bill</a> – or they may delay care due to cost.</p>
<h3>A System Under Pressure</h3><p>Health care providers and hospital systems are also in limbo. They don't know whether they'll lose telehealth payments when the federal public health emergency for the pandemic lapses or what to expect from private health insurance companies.</p><p>Hospitals and health systems have had to meet <a href="https://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-06-20-00300.pdf" target="_blank">unprecedented challenges in 2020</a> – increasing testing, treating infected patients, expanding intensive care unit capacity, safeguarding staff and non-COVID-19 patients, procuring personal protective equipment and canceling nonemergency procedures. These challenges have created <a href="https://www.aha.org/fact-sheets/2020-04-24-fact-sheet-financial-challenges-facing-hospitals-and-health-systems-result" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">historic financial pressures</a> for health care offices and hospitals. The American Hospital Association estimates that the country's health care systems are <a href="https://www.aha.org/guidesreports/2020-05-05-hospitals-and-health-systems-face-unprecedented-financial-pressures-due" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">losing an average of $50.7 billion per month</a>.</p><p><span></span>This financial crisis puts telehealth in jeopardy. Providers and health systems still have to pay salaries and purchase expensive technological equipment, making it difficult to accept a reduced rate for telehealth visits. Without payment parity, in the current financial crisis, health care systems will not be able to continue to offer telehealth services.</p>
<h3>What's Next</h3><p>A continued <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/first-and-second-waves-of-coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increase in COVID-19 cases is expected this fall</a>, just as insurance providers are starting to diminish coverage for telehealth visits.</p><p>Our team – and teams across every state – will undertake rigorous evaluation of each of the CARES Act policy changes (and similar Medicaid and private insurer changes) and their impact. These evaluations will provide information on how telehealth affects cost and cost effectiveness in the future.</p><p>Clearly, telehealth is in jeopardy now as patients are paying more, health care practices are receiving less and the risk of infections increases. While the diminished risk of infection through the use of telehealth seems positive, it is clear to us that insurers are trying to drive patients back to the in-person care model. How will vulnerable populations and the fragile health care system respond? Will patients and providers still have a choice in how they receive and provide care, or will we lose the innovation gained during this period?</p>
<p><em>Jennifer A. Mallow is an associate professor of nursing at West Virginia University.<br/>Steve Davis is an associate professor of health policy, management and leadership at West Virginia University.<br/><br/>Disclosures: Jennifer A. Mallow receives funding from the US DHHS-Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services & National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute. </em><em>Steve Davis receives funding from the WV DHHR-Bureau for Medical Services & the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.</em></p><p>
<em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-insurers-are-starting-to-roll-back-coverage-for-telehealth-even-though-demand-is-way-up-due-to-covid-19-147648" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
</p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147648/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/147648/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>From Your Site Articles
- Is Now the Right Time to Get Your Annual Physical or Dental ... ›
- Is Telehealth as Good as In-Person Care? - EcoWatch ›
- Online Therapy Is Showing How to Expand Mental Health Services ... ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less