Category: Community
Japan may lift coronavirus emergency ban earlier than expected
As the number of new coronavirus cases continues to decline in Japan, its government is likely to lift the state of emergency ban currently in place in Tokyo, Hokkaido, and nearby prefectures, by the end of May 2020. The emergency has already ended in 42 of the country’s 47 prefectures – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe […]
Medical Fair Asia postponed to December
With the ongoing onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic globally, the Singapore-held 13th edition of Medical Fair Asia, originally scheduled for 9-11 September 2020, will be postponed to the last quarter of the year from 9-11 December 2020. Rescheduling the trade fair was necessary in view of the continuing fight against Covid-19 which includes ongoing travel […]
Taiwan, the Vatican collaborate to provide 100,000 facial masks to Africa
The Holy See will donate 100,000 surgical face masks provided by Taiwan – which arrived in the city-state along with two infrared thermal imaging cameras – to certain African countries to help them combat the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Taiwan’s Ambassador to the Vatican, Matthew Lee. The donation of about 200,000 masks by Taiwan was […]
People with heart conditions have increased risk of a severe COVID-19 infection, South Korean cardiologist claims
A 21-year-old woman in Daegu, South Korea, was the first case of a heart disease linked to COVID-19 – the young woman had noprior medical conditions but suffered an acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and had to be taken to the intensive care unit of a coronavirus-only hospital for critically-ill patients in Daegu. […]
Japanese healthcare system feared to collapse amid a wave of new COVID-19 cases
As the coronavirus outbreak in Japan worsens, its doctors have warned that the country’s medical system could collapse due to the extra burden caused by the virus. This suggests Japan has not prepared well for the emergency, despite being the second country outside China to record an infection, way back in January. The country initially […]
New data reveals significant differences between how the sexes respond to COVID-19
Infection with the novel coronavirus, which causes the deadly COVID-19 illness and the associated mortality rates, has much to do with sex differences and gender. Sex differences are the biological characteristics we associate with the sex that one is assigned at birth, while gender is commonly understood as the ensemble of social expectations, norms, and […]
Face masks are a surprising hazard even as they protect against COVID-19
Almost all countries and territories around the globe have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak since the first case was reported in Wuhan, China, late last year. The COVID-19 virus is easily transmissible, so societies have rightfully opted to protect themselves and others by using a face mask. With frequent and prolonged use however, many […]
“It’s Morphin’ Time!” when Filipino nurse makes colourful PPEs for medics of COVID-19
Filipino OR nurse Adrian Pe, who has a penchant for fashion design, is making colourful personal protective suits (PPE) inspired by pop culture characters such as the Teletubbies and the Power Rangers for his fellow health workers in one of the hospitals in Iloilo, Panay Island, in the Philippines. Pe chose to add a pop […]
A question of mass testing to weed out COVID-19 infections in Malaysia
Malaysia is apparently still under-testing its people – some may have been infected or are spreading the deadly COVID-19 virus – and the next two weeks of the Movement Control Order (MCO) will be critical in determining if it can effectively suppress COVID-19 infections. The number of positive cases in the country has regrettably spiked […]
Singaporean company develops rapid test kit which can detect COVID-19 in minutes
The current testing done to confirm patients with COVID-19 requires laboratory specialists, dedicated medical testing equipment and a few hours of waiting. However, a Singapore-based firm, Biolidics Limited (Biolidics), has fortunately come up with a rapid test kit which can detect the coronavirus in less than 10 minutes, with an accuracy of more than 95% […]
