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Prisons infected by COVID-19 threaten nearby communities researchers say

(Xinhua)14:33, August 04, 2020

Jails infected by COVID-19 pose a threat not only to prisoners inside but also to people in nearby communities, researchers reported in the journal Health Affairs Monday.

Data suggests more than 4,700 cases of COVID-19 in Illinois up through April 19 were associated with 2,129 individuals going through the Cook County Jail in March, researchers from Harvard University said.

The prison may be linked with 15.7 percent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in Illinois and 15.9 percent in Chicago, they said.

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Study shows face coverings in public helps mitigate spread of COVID-19

(Xinhua)14:39, August 04, 2020

U.S. communities that mandated the use of face masks in public saw an ongoing decline in the spread of coronavirus, according to a study reported by CNN on Monday.

After five days of mask mandates, the daily coronavirus growth rate slowed by just under 1 percent, while after 21 days, the growth rate slowed by about 2 percent, researchers from the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Iowa College of Public Health reported in the journal Health Affairs.

Between April 8 and May 15, governors of 15 U.S. states and the mayor of Washington, D.C. signed orders to place mask mandates in public. The researchers studied changes in the daily county-level COVID-19 growth rates between March 31 and May 22.

The researchers also projected the number of averted COVID-19 cases with the mandates for face mask use in public by comparing actual cumulative daily cases with daily cases predicted by a model if none of the states had enacted the public face cover mandate at the time they did.

The model estimates suggested that 230,000-450,000 cases may have been averted by May 22 due to these mandates.

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Anti-COVID-19 measures to last years even with vaccine Canadian health officials

(Xinhua)08:26, August 05, 2020

Canadians shouldnt expect a COVID-19 vaccine to end the coronavirus pandemic and return to normal, Canadas Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said on Tuesday.

Were going to have to manage this pandemic certainly over the next year, but certainly it may be planning for the longer term on the next two to three years during which the vaccine may play a role, said Tam at a press conference on COVID-19 in Ottawa.

People might think that if we get a vaccine then everything goes back to normal the way it was before. Thats not the case. All of the measures weve put in place now will still have to continue with the new reality for quite some time, Canadas Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Howard Njoo said at the press conference.

Certainly I think that we need to temper peoples expectations, thinking that the vaccines can be that silver bullet that will take care of everything, and everything weve done up to now wont be necessary in the future, said Njoo.

Tam reiterated the importance of physical distancing, proper hand hygiene and mask wearing.

We cant at this stage just put all of our focus [on a vaccine] in the hopes that this is the silver bullet solution, said Tam. It is a very important solution if we get a safe and effective vaccine, but I would say that the public health measures that we have in place the sort of personal, daily measures that we take is going to have to continue.

Tam said its unclear at this stage how effective a vaccine will be. She said key questions remain about the degree and duration of immunity a vaccine will provide, the dosage that will be needed and whether it will prevent people from getting infected altogether or simply prevent severe illness requiring hospitalization.

It is reported that there are more than 166 vaccines at various stages of preclinical and clinical (human) testing across the globe right now.

Tam warned that even once a vaccine is tested and deemed to be both safe and effective, there will be challenges with distributing it widely to those who need it.

Its likely that there wont be enough vaccines for the population, said Tam. So therell be prioritization and were looking at that.

COVID-19 has hit the whole world. More than 18.36 million people are infected worldwide and 696,000 have died, according to the tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Up to Tuesday afternoon, there have been 117,343 confirmed cases and 8,953 deaths from the virus, according to CTV.

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Canadians divided over COVID-19 vaccination survey

(Xinhua)08:28, August 05, 2020

Canadians show different attitudes toward getting vaccinated when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available in the country, according to a survey released by the Canadian Angus Reid Institute on Tuesday.

The survey showed that 46 percent of the respondents say they have no reservations and are ready to get a vaccination as soon as it becomes available. However, 32 percent say they would wait and see.

About 76 percent of those who say they will wait to get the vaccine also say they are worried about side effects. By contrast, only 37 percent among those who are eager to get vaccinated as soon as possible worry about possible side effects.

The survey also showed 75 percent say they do not feel life in their community will get back to normal until most people are vaccinated.

Meanwhile, 75 percent say that a coronavirus vaccine should be mandatory in long-term care homes, which have been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for healthcare workers. About 63 percent say vaccinations should be mandatory in schools.

As of Monday, a total of 116,884 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Canada, including 8,945 deaths. Over the past week, an average of 40,665 people were tested daily, with 1 percent testing positive and an average of 461 cases were reported daily from across the country, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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U.S. NIH launches clinical trial to test potential therapeutics for mild, moderate COVID-19

(Xinhua)08:33, August 05, 2020

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Tuesday a Phase 2 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential new therapeutics for COVID-19, including an investigational therapeutic based on synthetic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to treat the disease.

Researchers sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, are working with clinical sites to identify potential patient volunteers currently infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, who have mild to moderate disease not requiring hospitalization, according to a release of NIH.

They will be invited to take an experimental therapy or a placebo as part of a rigorously designed randomized clinical trial. The trial, which is known as ACTIV-2, also may investigate other experimental therapeutics later under the same trial protocol.

The design of the study is adaptive to enable maximum flexibility in the shortest time frame. If the experimental treatment appears effective in the first stage, the treatment can be advanced rapidly to testing in larger groups of volunteers. The study also can be adapted to test additional therapeutics, according to NIH.

We have seen encouraging, rapid results from other adaptive treatment trials for COVID-19, said NIH Director Francis Collins. Under ACTIV, specific therapeutics are being prioritized based on their likelihood for success. Prioritized therapeutics under ACTIV will use a master protocol that emphasizes flexibility, which enables these critical trials to be conducted without incurring delays when a treatment shows promise.

The first therapeutic to be tested in this trial will be LY-CoV555, an investigational monoclonal antibody made by Eli Lilly and Company.

This antibody, which was discovered by AbCellera in collaboration with NIAIDs Vaccine Research Center, was isolated from a blood sample from a recovered COVID-19 patient. Copies of this antibody were then synthesized in a lab — the term monoclonal refers to these laboratory-manufactured antibodies.

Investigating a variety of different therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies, will help ensure that we advance towards an effective treatment for people suffering from COVID-19 disease as quickly as possible, said NIAID Director Anthony Fauci.

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A Little Red Flower continues leading box office on Chinese mainland

(Xinhua)09:19, January 10, 2021

BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — Chinese feature film A Little Red Flower continued leading box office chart on the mainland Friday, grossing 35.1 million yuan (around 5.48 million U.S. dollars).

The film, telling of a heartwarming story about two families battling cancer, had been topping the box office chart since its debut on Dec. 31, generating a total of 935 million yuan in nine days, data from the China Movie Data Information Network showed Saturday.

Coming in second was comedy Warm Hug, which raked in about 18.09 million yuan on Friday. The film, starring well-known Chinese comedian Shen Teng, is adapted from Korean comedy The Plan Man.

It was followed by Chinese action crime thriller Shock Wave 2, which earned about 17.84 million yuan Friday. Since its Dec. 24 debut, the film had pocketed 910 million yuan.

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Chinese-born director Chloe Zhao continues to sweep critics awards in U.S.

(Xinhua)09:36, January 10, 2021

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — Chinese-born female director Chloe Zhaos critically-acclaimed film Nomadland continued to pile up awards this week in the United States, strengthening its Oscars chances.

On Thursday, the American contemporary western drama film from Disneys Searchlight Pictures was named one of the top 10 films of 2020 by the Columbus Film Critics Association, along with Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, Ma Raineys Black Bottom, Minari, Soul, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Trial of the Chicago 7, First Cow, and Mank.

Adapted by Zhao from Jessica Bruders 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the film stars two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand as an out-of-work woman who packs her van and sets off from her small town to travel around the vast landscape of the American West, exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.

Zhao took home the Best Director award and Best Adapted Screenplay award at the annual Columbus Film Critics Association Awards. The film also won Best Cinematography for Joshua James Richards in an online ceremony held by the U.S. critics group, made up of film critics based in Columbus, Ohio, and the surrounding areas.

Zhao took an understated story and delivered it almost perfectly, wrote Brad Keefe, a voting member of the association for Columbus Alive, a weekly entertainment magazine and website serving Central Ohio.

One day earlier, Nomadland racked up four honors at the 2020 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle awards on Wednesday.

Zhao was named Best Director of 2020 by the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, composed of Oklahoma-based print, broadcast and Internet film critics. She also nabbed Best Adapted Screenplay at the awards.

The film also won Best Actress for Frances McDormand and landed in the critics groups top 10 films of 2020.

Nomadland dominated the 2020 Alliance Of Women Film Journalists Awards on Monday, taking home six top honors, including Best Film.

Zhao won Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing for the film. Frances McDormand won the accolade for Best Actress while Joshua James Richards snagged the Best Cinematography award.

Alliance of Women Film Journalists, based in New York City, is dedicated to supporting work by and about women in the film industry.

Nomadland also took home four trophies on Monday at 2020 North Carolina Film Critics Association Awards, including Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Cinematography.

Nomadland nabbed the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Peoples Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2020.

The film is racking up top honors ahead of the 2021 Oscar nominations. It has swept awards from coast to coast in the United States in recent weeks, including Best Director awards from the Boston Online Film Critics Association, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Florida Film Critics Circle, Indiana Film Journalists Association awards, IndieWire Critics Poll, the New York Film Critics Circle and the LA Film Critics Association. Enditem

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Chinese-born directors Nomadland wins big at National Society of Film Critics Awards in U.S.

(Xinhua)13:46, January 10, 2021

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — Chinese-born female director Chloe Zhaos feature film Nomadland turned out to be a big winner on Saturday at the annual National Society of Film Critics Awards with four trophies, continuing to sweep the awards circuit in the United States.

At the U.S. critics groups 55th awards voting meeting, which was held virtually this year, the American contemporary western drama film from Disneys Searchlight Pictures was named Best Picture of 2020. Zhao also nabbed the Best Director award at the annual event.

Adapted by Zhao from Jessica Bruders 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the film stars two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand as an out-of-work woman who packs her van and sets off from her small town to travel around the vast landscape of the American West, exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.

McDormand won Best Actress for her performance in the film while Joshua James Richards walked away with the Best Cinematography award.

The National Society of Film Critics is made up of 60 prominent movie critics across the United States.

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Chinese-born director Chloe Zhao wins big at U.S. NSFC Awards

(Xinhua)09:24, January 11, 2021

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — Chinese-born director Chloe Zhaos feature film Nomadland became a big winner on Saturday with four trophies at the annual National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) Awards, and is continuing to sweep the awards circuit in the United States.

Nomadland, an American contemporary Western drama distributed by Searchlight Pictures, was named best film of 2020 at the virtual NSFCs 55th awards voting meeting, and is Zhaos second film after the cowboy drama The Rider two years ago.

Zhao also nabbed the best director award. Best actress went to Frances McDormand for her performance, and Joshua James Richards walked away with the best cinematography award.

It was at least the fifth top prize in film directing this week for Zhao from the countrys critics groups, with the others from the Columbus Film Critics Association, the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, the Alliance Of Women Film Journalists, and the North Carolina Film Critics Association.

An adaptation from a 2017 non-fiction book, the film stars McDormand, a two-time Oscar winner, as an out-of-work woman who packs her van and sets off from her small town across the vast landscape of the American West, exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.

Earlier, Nomadland had won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Peoples Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, making history as the first to win both honors. Awards have piled up from coast to coast in the United States in recent weeks, putting it on the fast track for Oscar contention.

Voting of the NSFC, consisting of 60 prominent movie critics from major papers and outlets across the United States, is conducted via a weighted ballot system this year. Delroy Lindo nabbed best actor for his role in Netflixs war drama Da 5 Bloods. Eliza Hittman in Never Rarely Sometimes Always was awarded best screenplay, and the Romanian film Collective won the best foreign language film award.

The South Korean film Parasite was the best film at the NSFC Awards last year. It went on to make history at the 92nd Academy Awards, winning four top prizes, including the one for best picture.

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2021 LPL Spring Split kicks off in Shanghai

(Xinhua)09:45, January 11, 2021

SHANGHAI, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) — The 2021 League of Legends Pro League (LPL) Spring Split kicked off here on Saturday.

In the opener, SN beat TES 2-0, who also sealed a 3-1 victory over the opponent in the semifinals of the 2020 League of Legends World Championship (S10). Elsewhere, EDG edged OMG 2-1.

In 2020, more than 21.8 billion person-time watched the live broadcast of professional events in the LPL, according to the statistics released by Jin Yibo, the co-CEO of TJ Sport, which manages eSport, and the game of LOL, in China.

The press conference before the game announced the reform plan of LPL that 10 teams will compete in 12 playoff games this year.

According to the official Weibo account of LOL, the 2021 League of Legends World Championship (S11) will still take place in China, including the final in Shenzhen, south Chinas Guangdong Province.