Health

September 22, 2020 | 1:41pm | Updated September 22, 2020 | 2:47pm Plastic face shields are all but useless when it comes to defeating the spread of the coronavirus, according to a new Japanese study. The clear coverings were tested in a simulation by Fugaku, the world’s fastest supercomputer, which found that nearly 100 percent…

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 25 additional cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday and no new deaths.The number of Mainers with COVID-19 who have died remains at 140.The 25 additional cases bring the total since the outbreak began in Maine to 5,171. Twelve of the new cases were in York County,…

People walk on Stranvagen in Stockholm on September 19, 2020.JONATHAN NACKSTRAND | AFP | Getty ImagesSweden's chief epidemiologist has partly blamed the country's high coronavirus death toll on mild flu outbreaks in recent winters."When many people die of the flu in the winter, fewer die in heat waves the following summer. In this case, it…

The Trump administration’s bungled response to the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent efforts to meddle with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are taking a substantial toll on the nation’s foremost public health institution.In interviews with half a dozen current and former CDC officials, they described a workforce that has seen…

Image copyright EPA Image caption Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance came under fire at the start of the pandemic As the UK introduces fresh restrictions on social contact to curb the spread of coronavirus, controversy continues to rage about whether the government had initially considered trying a very different approach.At the start of…