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from AP (Associated Press)
LEFT-CENTER BIASED, VERY HIGH, News Agency in New York City
U.S. regulators on Friday allowed emergency use of the first drug that appears to help some COVID-19 patients recover faster, a milestone in the global search for effective therapies against the coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Gilead Science’s intravenous drug for hospitalized patients with “severe disease,” such as those experiencing breathing problems requiring supplemental oxygen or ventilators. President Donald Trump announced the news at the White House alongside Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day and FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.
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from Asia Times
LEAST BIASED, HIGH; News & Media Website based in Hong Kong
China tells WHO they’re not wanted
Thanks, but no thanks. Really, we don’t need you. That was the response as China has refused repeated requests by the World Health Organization to take part in investigations into the origins of Covid-19, the WHO representative in China has told Sky News. “We know that some national investigation is happening but at this stage we have not been invited to join,” Dr. Gauden Galea said. “WHO is making requests of the health commission and of the authorities,” he said. “The origins of virus are very important, the animal-human interface is extremely important and needs to be studied. The priority is we need to know as much as possible to prevent the reoccurrence.”
US says Iran helping Venezuela oil sector
The United States said Thursday that cash-strapped Venezuela is paying Iran in gold to rebuild its troubled oil industry as it denounced what it saw as growing cooperation between its two adversaries. Elliott Abrams, the envoy who leads US efforts to topple Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, said that Iran has been sending “more and more planes” to the South American nation, including this week. “Our guess is that they are being paid in gold,” he said at the Hudson Institute, a conservative Washington think tank. “Those planes that are coming in from Iran that are bringing things for the oil industry are returning with the payments for those things: gold.”
Russian prime minister says he has Covid-19
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Thursday said he tested positive for coronavirus and will self-isolate to protect other cabinet members. “I have just learned that the test on the coronavirus I took was positive,” Mishustin said in a video meeting with President Vladimir Putin. “I have to observe self-isolation and follow orders of doctors. This is necessary to protect my colleagues,” he said, promising to be in constant contact “on all the main issues.” He suggested that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov takes his place as an “acting” prime minister.
Thanks, but no thanks. Really, we don’t need you. That was the response as China has refused repeated requests by the World Health Organization to take part in investigations into the origins of Covid-19, the WHO representative in China has told Sky News. “We know that some national investigation is happening but at this stage we have not been invited to join,” Dr. Gauden Galea said. “WHO is making requests of the health commission and of the authorities,” he said. “The origins of virus are very important, the animal-human interface is extremely important and needs to be studied. The priority is we need to know as much as possible to prevent the reoccurrence.”
The United States said Thursday that cash-strapped Venezuela is paying Iran in gold to rebuild its troubled oil industry as it denounced what it saw as growing cooperation between its two adversaries. Elliott Abrams, the envoy who leads US efforts to topple Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, said that Iran has been sending “more and more planes” to the South American nation, including this week. “Our guess is that they are being paid in gold,” he said at the Hudson Institute, a conservative Washington think tank. “Those planes that are coming in from Iran that are bringing things for the oil industry are returning with the payments for those things: gold.”
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Thursday said he tested positive for coronavirus and will self-isolate to protect other cabinet members. “I have just learned that the test on the coronavirus I took was positive,” Mishustin said in a video meeting with President Vladimir Putin. “I have to observe self-isolation and follow orders of doctors. This is necessary to protect my colleagues,” he said, promising to be in constant contact “on all the main issues.” He suggested that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov takes his place as an “acting” prime minister.
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from Conciliar Post
I’m going to start this off with a pretty controversial statement, Frozen is the best Disney movie. I grew up with the Lion King, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, etc.—but none of those can beat a movie that centers sisterly, familial rather than romantic love, features Idina Menzel’s amazing voice, and arguably is an apology for queerness. Given Frozen’s indisputable G.O.A.T. status, I was excited to see Frozen II recently, though admittedly it took me far too long to find the time!
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from ScienceAlert
PRO-SCIENCE, HIGH, science news website in Australia
A vitamin commonly produced by sun-exposed skin cells might play a role in preventing death by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, according to new research. Preliminary results from a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study carried out by scientists from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation Trust and the University of East Anglia have linked low levels of the hormone vitamin D with COVID-19 mortality rates across Europe.
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from ScienceDirect
Taxonomically, SARS-CoV-2 was shown to be a Betacoronavirus (lineage B) closely related to SARS-CoV and SARS-related bat coronaviruses, and it has been reported to share a common receptor with SARS-CoV (ACE-2). Subsequently, betacoronaviruses from pangolins were identified as close relatives to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we perform structural modeling of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. Our data provide support for the similar receptor utilization between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, despite a relatively low amino acid similarity in the receptor binding module. Compared to SARS-CoV and all other coronaviruses in Betacoronavirus lineage B, we identify an extended structural loop containing basic amino acids at the interface of the receptor binding (S1) and fusion (S2) domains. We suggest this loop confers fusion activation and entry properties more in line with betacoronaviruses in lineages A and C, and be a key component in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 with this structural loop affecting virus stability and transmission.
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LEFT-CENTER, HIGH, Online and former print newspaper in Seattle, WA
Inslee to extend Washington's stay-at-home order through May 31
Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday announced he would extend Washington's stay-at-home order through May 31 and would use a phased approach for reopening the state to prevent a rise in the number of novel coronavirus cases.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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