Portugal grants migrants and asylum-seekers citizenship rights during pandemic
Portugal has temporarily given all migrants and asylum seekers full citizenship rights, granting them full access to the country’s healthcare until at least June 30.
Public health & disease
New coronavirus test provides results in as little as 5 minutes
The new point-of-care test, having just received an emergency-use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) begins shipping today, April 1.
Social distancing is slowing coronavirus infections in the U.S., new data suggest
Kinsa Health, a company that produces internet-connected thermometers, first created a national map of fever levels in the U.S. on March 22 and was able to spot the trend within a day.
MIT to publish plans for an emergency ventilator that can be built for $400
The ventilator shortage is a key barrier worldwide to effectively managing the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Now, teams around the world can use MIT’s plans to make them for less than $500.
Coronavirus home testing to be made available to millions in the U.K.
Millions of 15-minute home coronavirus tests are set to be available for delivery to people self-isolating, according to Public Health England, in a move that could restore many people’s lives to a semblance of normality.
Mylab becomes first Indian company to get COVID-19 test kits validated
Mylab’s innovation reduces test time from 4 to 2.5 hours. The company has promised that it can manufacture up to 100,000 tests in a week which can be further scaled up if needed.
U.K. government will pay wages for anyone facing unemployment due to pandemic
Unveiling an unprecedented intervention by the state in the British economy, the government will cover 80% of worker salaries for at least the next three months up to a maximum of $2,900 a month.
Carnival offers its cruise ships to help with COVID-19 care
The company’s portfolio of cruise line brands includes Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn, including 102 ships. During normal times, they host over 225,000 guests on any given day.
Scientists can now accelerate COVID-19 testing by screening multiple samples at the same time
Health care professionals may be able to dramatically speed up COVID-19 testing now that Israeli scientists have developed a technique for screening up to 60 patient samples at the same time.
Japanese flu drug ‘clearly effective’ in treating coronavirus, says China
Patients who were given the medicine in Shenzhen turned negative for the virus after a median of four days after becoming positive, compared with a median of 11 days for those who were not treated with the drug.