Cybercriminals could trace your device or access sensitive personal
data through contact-tracing apps built for the coronavirus pandemic, a
new report says. In a report released Thursday,
cybersecurity firm Check Point noted that U.S. developers are working
on contact tracing apps that measure Bluetooth signal strength to detect
the distance between device users. The basic idea is, if two devices
are close enough, within 6 feet, an infected user could potentially
transmit the virus. If somebody is infected, other app users would be
notified and could self-quarantine and get tested.
GPS can also be used to determine location. This approach allows
health authorities to analyze the geography of the infection spread and
take preventative measures. MIT’s SafePaths app, for example, uses GPS technology.
Checkpoint researchers laid out a number of concerns about the apps, including issues with the following:
Bluetooth: If not implemented correctly, hackers can trace a
person’s device by matching devices and the “identification packets”
they send out.
GPS: If GPS is used, it can give away sensitive information,
revealing where users are traveling and their location during previous
days or weeks.
Personal data: Apps store contact logs, encryption keys and other
sensitive data on devices. This data could be vulnerable if not
encrypted and stored in the application “sandbox.”
There is also a danger that identity could be exposed if phone
number, name or other identifying data is associated with a tracing app.
“The jury is still out on how safe contact tracing apps are. After
initial review, we have some serious concerns,” Jonathan Shimonovich,
Manager of Mobile Research at Check Point, said in a statement.
“Contact tracing apps must maintain a delicate balance between
privacy and security, since poor implementation of security standards
may put users’ data at risk,” he added.
Google and Apple made news in April when they announced
a framework based on Bluetooth for registration of contact events. Each
device generates keys to send to nearby devices and the devices store
the contact IDs locally.
According to the framework, if a user decides to report a positive
diagnosis of COVID-19 to their app, they will be added to the positive
diagnosis list – managed by a public health authority – so that other
users who came into range of the infected person’s Bluetooth “beacons”
can be alerted.
Check Point has offered some pointers on how you can protect yourself from exposing your data:
Install apps from reputable stores only such as the App Store and
Google Play Store. Those stores only allow authorized government
agencies to publish such apps.
Use mobile security: install mobile security software to scan applications and protect the device against malware.
US property and casualty insurers have cast the coronavirus pandemic as an unprecedented event whose massive cost to small businesses they are neither able nor required to cover.
The industry has warned it could cost them $255 billion to $431
billion a month if they are required, as some states are proposing, to
compensate firms for income lost and expenses owed due to virus-led
shutdowns, an amount it says would make insurers insolvent.
The estimate, made by the American Property Casualty Insurance
Association, a trade group, was recently used by the industry to
successfully lobby against state and city lawmakers’ efforts to
legislate to make the sector pay.
Insurers say business interruption policies only apply when actual
physical property damage prevents a business from operating and any
attempt to apply cover beyond that, for a pandemic, are
unconstitutional.
The stance has discouraged some policyholders from filing claims and prompted others to take legal action.
A Reuters examination of APCIA’s estimate, however, suggests the possible bill may not be so onerous.
The APCIA estimate is an industry worst-case scenario based on all
small firms with business interruption coverage being able to claim. It
also assumes that 60 percent to 90 percent of businesses with fewer than
100 employees will be affected by COVID-19.
Only about 40 percent of small firms have business interruption
coverage, according to the Insurance Information Institute, and most of
the policies explicitly exclude pandemics, according to Tyler Leverty
and Lawrence Powell, professors who specialize in insurance at the
University of Wisconsin and the University of Alabama, respectively.
Powell has estimated that insurers could be on the hook for a maximum
of $120 billion a month in claims on the basis that half of small firms
have business interruption insurance.
Leverty said that if the estimate counted only businesses without
explicit exclusions for pandemics, “it would be in the millions per
month.”
The APCIA said it stood by its numbers, which it said reflect the
unique and widespread impact of the virus. It declined to comment on
Powell’s analysis.
“Yes, these are eye-popping figures,” APCIA Chief Executive David
Sampson told Reuters, referring to the association’s estimate. “This
pandemic is unprecedented in its scale, reach, and economic impact.”
New Jersey’s business interruption bill, a model for others, is
stalled while Roy Freiman, the lawmaker who introduced it, waits for an
alternative plan from the industry.
“I said, ‘Look, we don’t want insolvency, but surely there is some
place between 100 percent denial and insolvency that you can operate
within,’” Freiman told Reuters.
The city council in Washington, DC, shelved a similar plan in early
May after “pretty intense” lobbying, Council Member Charles Allen, a
supporter, told Reuters. APCIA’s cost estimate was cited in council
discussions along with an association white paper describing the plan as
unconstitutional.
Chairman Phil Mendelson, who introduced the plan, withdrew it after
members voiced fears of a lengthy court fight and insurer insolvency.
“Obviously, our concerns were heard,” Sampson told Reuters at the time.
Trade groups say the industry’s stance has deterred many claims.
“Businesses are being told if you file they will probably deny you,”
Andrew Wrigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality
Alliance, which represents 2,500 bars and restaurants in New York City, told Reuters.
“We’re telling them to seek counsel and be on record filing claims.”
That’s not an option for George Sizemore, owner of Bit of England Darts & Games Shoppe in Virginia Beach.
Sizemore’s insurance agent told him it would be pointless to claim
for the $40,000 in revenue he said he lost while his store was shut
because his policy does not cover pandemics.
“The only way I could file a claim would be to have a lawyer,” said Sizemore. “I just don’t have the money.”
There are currently dozens of lawsuits in US courts seeking compensation on behalf of small businesses for lost earnings due to the pandemic.
Legal experts said that while many policies exclude pandemics, some
do not and there is precedent for courts requiring insurers to pay for
physical loss without physical damage, such as when pollution or
asbestos make property uninhabitable.
“It’s not anywhere near as clear-cut as the industry says,” said John
Ellison, a partner at Reed Smith who has represented policyholders for
three decades. https://nypost.com/2020/06/12/small-businesses-dont-qualify-for-covid-19-claims-insurers/
Abstract Background: While several trials are ongoing for
treatment of COVID-19, scientific research on chemoprophylaxis is still
lacking even though it has potential to delay the pandemic allowing us
time to complete research on vaccines. Methods: We have conducted a
cohort study amongst Health Care Workers (HCW) exposed to COVID-19
patients, at a tertiary care center in India where there was an abrupt
cluster outbreak within on duty personnel. HCWs who had voluntarily
taken hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) prior to exposure were considered one
cohort while those who had not were considered to be another. All
participants with a verifiable contact history were tested for COVID-19
by rtPCR. The two cohorts were comparable in terms of age, gender,
comorbidities and exposure. The primary outcome was incidence rates of
rtPCR positive COVID-19 infection amongst HCQ users and non – users.
Results: 106 healthcare workers were examined in this cohort study of
whom 54 were HCQ users and rest were not. The comparative analysis of
incidence of infection between the two groups demonstrated that
voluntary HCQ usage was associated with lesser likelihood of developing
SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to those who were not on it, X2=14.59,
p<0.001. None of the HCQ users noted any serious adverse effects.
Conclusions: This study demonstrated that voluntary HCQ consumption as
pre-exposure prophylaxis by HCWs is associated with a statistically
significant reduction in risk of SARS-CoV-2. These promising findings
therefore highlight the need to examine this association in greater
detail among a larger sample using Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT).
Migraine headaches are notoriously difficult to treat with pain
medications, which perform no better than placebo in studies. Now, a new paper in the journal Headache finds
that 83% of patients who completed a short course of cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT) had fewer headaches. The researchers believe
that changes in a key brain area for pain management explains how CBT
helps with migraines. But what’s most interesting about these findings
is the way it challenges the way we classify these headaches in the
first place.
Migraines hurt. Badly. Patients often describe the throbbing
headaches as so painful, all they can do is lie down in a dark room. The
mainstay of treatment for migraines has long been medication, but
medications for acute migraines often don’t work. It gets even harder
when people have frequent or chronic migraines, where preventative
medicines are thought to work only about 20% of the time.
When medications don’t work, doctors prescribe other methods like
biofeedback training, acupuncture or stress reduction therapy. But
because migraine is considered a medical problem, these treatments are
second line.
Therapy for migraine headaches
That’s why this new study is so important. Most of the 18 adolescents
in the study with frequent migraine headaches saw a reduction in their
migraines. Unlike many studies which run special protocols that no one
can access outside the lab, this one used an easily available remedy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the one of most widely taught and
available types of psychotherapy in the U.S. today.
To sort out how the therapy might have helped, researchers ran MRIs
on the study participants both before and after their time in CBT. The
adolescents had 15 + or – 7.4 headaches a month before enrolling in the
study. They then participated in 8 weekly sessions of CBT. After the
eight weeks, their headache frequency decreased to 10 + or – 7.4 a
month.
The technical details: the MRIs were a particular type called
structural and resting-state blood-oxygen-level dependent contrast
scans. They also used arterial spin labeling to look at brain activation
during the resting state and compared the left and right amygdala to
assess connectivity. They also looked at voxels, or 3D pixels, across
the whole brain over time.
Therapy activated the brain’s pain control areas
After CBT, the scans showed greater brain activations in the frontal
regions associated with cognitive regulation of pain. So these were the
areas in the frontal cortex where we can consciously think about our
pain and cope with it. The MRIs also found increased connectivity
between the amygdala and frontal regions after CBT. So the amygdala,
which is the stress and raw emotion center of our brain, was talking
more with the frontal area where we can think through our pain.
In other words, cognitive behavioral therapy helped the part of our
brains that freaks out about pain listen to calming thoughts from the
brains’ higher levels.
That’s pretty cool. When medical problems are treated more
effectively by talk therapy than by medication, it raises questions
about the nature of the problem in the first place. It would be easy to
wonder if migraine headaches are really an emotional or psychosomatic
problem; an “all in our heads” sort of thing. It’s an old idea, passed
down from ancient Greek ideas that formed a foundation in western
culture: that the mind and body are separate. It leads us to ask
questions like, “Is this a medical problem or this is a psychological
problem?”
Mind and body are a single biological system
Studies like this highlight the growing understanding that there is
no separation between our minds and our bodies. Neither is there a
meaningful separation between our thoughts, emotions or our physical
symptoms.
We exist as one biological system with different access points.
That idea can be challenging at first. But once we wrap our minds
around it, humans make more sense. If we are a single interconnected and
unified system with lots of inputs and outputs, recent findings in
medical science stop seeming so weird.
Here’s one example: it’s a mind-bender to consider the role of the
gut microbiome. The “guest” bacteria living in our gut impact a host of
“separate” systems in our bodies. Evidence suggests that the population
makeup of gut bacteria determines whether we have inflammation that
leads to heart disease. AND those bacteria also impact our serotonin
levels, making us happy or depressed.
How can the bacteria in our gut be the reason we are depressed? We
have cherished the idea that depression is in the realm of mind and that
it’s something we can control. Yet recent science suggests that
organisms who live inside us are a big part of it. That only makes sense
if we think of our bodies and minds as a single system.
Going to talk to a therapist because you have migraines may be giving
you a lot more than just coping skills. It may be actually rewiring
your brain. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisonescalante/2020/06/12/83-of-patients-had-fewer-migraine-headaches-after-doing-therapy/#63a50f96251f
Human medical trials have begun on severely ill COVID-19 patients using low-doses of radiation. The first results on a very small group
were published this week in a non-peer-reviewed journal that exists to
get critical results out quickly to the scientific and medical
community.
The results were quite extraordinary.
Researchers at Emory University Hospital, led by Dr. Mohammad Khan, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, treated five COVID-19 patients
with severe pneumonia who were requiring supplemental oxygen and whose
health was visibly deteriorating. Their median age was 90 with a range
from 64 to 94, four were female, four were African-American, and one was
Caucasian.
These patients were given a single low-dose of radiation (1.5 Gy) to both lungs, delivered by a front and back beam configuration. Patients were in an out of the Radiotherapy Department in 10 to 15 minutes.
Within 24 hours, four of the patients showed rapid improvement in
oxygenation and mental status (more awake, alert and talkative) and were
being discharged from the hospital 12 days later. Blood tests and
repeated imaging of the lungs confirmed that the radiation was safe and
effective, and did not cause adverse effects – no acute skin, pulmonary,
gastrointestinal or genitourinary toxicities. The gray (Gy) is a dose unit of ionizing radiation defined as the absorption of one joule of radiation energy per kilogram of matter. The Gy replaces the older unit of the rad, and 1 Gy = 100 Rad.
Potential role of low-dose radiation to combat the cytokine storm in severe pneumonia associated … [+]
George Wilson
These studies indicated possible mechanisms by which low doses of
radiation mitigates inflammation and facilitates healing, one being the polarization of macrophages to an anti-inflammatory or M2 phenotype.
The M1 type tends to overstimulate the immune system which can lead to a
cytokine storm, while the M2 type tends to suppress the overreaction of
the immune system.
We kind of knew this would work because we did the same thing 70 to
80 years ago. Dr. E. J. Calabrese at the University of Massachusetts School of Public Health & Health Sciences and Dr. Gaurav Dhawan at the University of Massachusetts reviewedhow X-ray therapy was used during the first half of the 20th century to successfully treat pneumonia, especially viral pneumonia like that caused by this coronavirus.
As Welsh puts it, for COVID-19 patients who progress to severe
disease where there is no established treatment and death is a
significant possibility, low-dose radiation would appear to be a
relatively safe strategy that could be widely implemented, once evidence
of efficacy is produced. This can be readily achieved with small,
pragmatic and expeditious clinical trials, with an extremely rapid
clinical signal of benefit.
As the other human radiation trials move forward, it will be exciting
to see the results because we need an easy, quick and safe treatment
for the most dangerous virus of our time. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2020/06/12/1st-human-trial-successfully-treated-covid-19-using-low-doses-of-radiation/#195f75f0dc69
There is no one-size-fits all way to resume, as the risks of Covid-19
transmission vary from region-to-region and sport-to-sport. Youth
leagues should follow local public health and government guidelines and
parents should seek the advice of a medical professional before allowing
their child to return to a sport.
Phase-in team practices, first focusing on ways individuals can
practice skills six feet apart from other players with minimal touching
of shared equipment.
Dr. Rishi Desai, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and chief
medical officer at online medical educator Osmosis, recommends
practicing outside with fewer than 10 kids who are old enough to wash
their hands alone and understand social distancing. Young children who
need to be constantly reminded to follow safety rules should not yet
return to team sports.
Athletes should wear a mask while playing whenever possible, though not if it obstructs breathing.
The safest sports are those that have a strong individual component,
take place outside, can be done wearing a mask, and don’t involve much
equipment, such as track and field, according to Desai.
Sports with shared equipment are at higher risk for virus spread.
The main concern with sharing an object like a ball is that an athlete
could rub their mouth, nose or eyes before or after touching it, says
Desai. Any equipment should be frequently cleaned.
Avoid indoor sports, contact sports, and travel sports outside of a local municipality.
Participating on a swim or dive team in a well-maintained pool that
is constantly circulating is generally safe, since the virus isn’t known to spread
in chlorinated water. Each team member should have their own towel and
goggles. Water polo is not recommended since it is a contact sport
involving a shared ball.
Locker rooms at youth sports facilities should not be used. Public drinking fountains should be turned off.
Coaches, officials, and volunteers should wear masks. Spectators
should be limited, and those who attend should socially distance and
wear masks.
Half of parents are concerned their child will get sick by returning to sports, according to a survey by The Aspen Institute’s Project Play.
Youth sports leagues should aim to exceed safety and social distancing
guidelines, train coaching staff, and offer the lowest-risk forms of
training including individual drills.
Parents should review the youth sport league’s guidelines and protocols with their child’s pediatrician.
Coaches should frequently communicate with parents and athletes
about how practices will be run, what drills they will do, and
expectations and goals for players.
A recent survey
of 37,000 student-athletes by the NCAA found that a majority reported
experiencing high rates of mental distress since the outset of the
pandemic. The top concern was a fear of exposure to Covid-19 (43%),
followed by a lack of motivation (40%), feelings of stress or anxiety
(21%), and sadness or depression (13%).
Positive Coaching Alliance CEO Chris Moore says
coaches must step back from being results-driven and prioritize
supporting the emotional, social well-being of athletes. Focus on life
skills so kids will be more coachable and productive.
Little League Baseball and Softball is implementing changes this
season to protect players, coaches and spectators. “America’s pastime is
going to look a lot different this year,” says Nina Johnson-Pitt,
central region director, Little League International. “Above all we want
parents and coaches to have patience especially with the kids as they
figure this all out.”
Players are not required to wear masks on the field but the Little
League encourages them to be worn when on the sidelines. Dugouts should
have a tape mark or sign every six feet and assigned spots for players.
They also banned sunflower seeds and gum in dugouts and mandated that
coaches and players refrain from spitting. Bats, water bottles, and
gloves must be kept outside in a designated spot for each player, and
there is no sharing of any of these items. Coaches, umpires and players
should all have their own hand sanitizer.
New ball rules are also in effect. Baseballs and softballs will be
rotated on a regular basis and sanitized in between use. If one goes
foul, the league wants catchers to retrieve them, not the umpire or fans
in the stands. High-fives, piling on the home-run hitter at home plate,
and the post-game handshake between teams are also not allowed.
Ripken Baseball, which hosts youth camps and tournaments, has closed
all bleachers, picnic tables and other dining seating areas. Fans are
asked to bring their own seating and to remain six feet apart.
Youth leagues should not be asking for signed commitments and payment
from players ahead of state and local governments lifting restrictions
on play, and local sports facilities implementing proper social
distancing and safety protocols. Facilities that have not been deeply
cleaned and sanitized should not be used. Coaches and officials who
treat safety and social distancing protocols as optional should be
reported to league offices.
While teamwork is important, the focus on individual skills could
help players fine tune accuracy in scoring, throwing, hitting and other
mechanics. This could also be a blessing in disguise for children with
performance anxiety, since restrictions on the number of spectators may
reduce the number of parents behaving badly and coaching from the
stands. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinasettimi/2020/06/12/how-to-safely-resume-playing-youth-sports/#61e5780a1985
As the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic continues, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have now released new “Deciding to Go Out” guidelines.
So if you are considering dining out, it may be time to “digest” what
they say about visiting and eating at a restaurant. Here are the 10
recommendations that they served up, each paraphrased a bit: 1. Check, please: search the restaurant’s website and social media for their Covid-19 safety guidelines.
If the restaurant website or social media does not mention of
Covid-19 or the coronavirus, that’s not a great sign. That would be like
ignoring the elephant in the room. Actually, it would be more like
ignoring the elephant that’s playing Taylor Swift songs on the accordion
in the room. Beware of restaurants that are acting as if the pandemic
were no big deal. 2. Make the call: call ahead to ask if their staff are wearing face coverings at work.
Prior to the pandemic, calling a restaurant and asking, “hey, do
people wear masks at your restaurant,” might not have gotten the best
reaction. But nowadays, it should be expected. If the restaurant is
shocked or offended by your query, that’s also not a good sign. Your
safety should be their concern.
3. Face the facts: wear face coverings when you are indoors or less than 6 feet apart from others.
The CDC did specify cloth face coverings in case you were thinking of
wearing a metal bucket on your head. Of course, when you are ready to
drink or eat, you can uncover your mouth. Otherwise, trying to shove a
hot dog through a face covering ain’t going to work.
4, Stay distant: try to stay at least 6 feet apart from people who do not already live with you.
If you are dining with people who don’t regularly live with you, this
isn’t the time to whisper sweet nothing into their ears. Keep your
distance. Act as if they were constantly farting. 5. Park yourself: choose self-parking instead of valet service.
Treat your car as you would your genitalia. Don’t just hand it to a stranger, give the person a tip, and walk away. 6. Wait for it: stay at least six feet away from others in entryways, hallways, or waiting areas.
Where you eat is not the only place to keep your distance. This
applies to anywhere other people may be. Always think about Denzel
Washington, who is around six feet tall. Always. When you are in a
waiting area, hallway, entry way, or anywhere else, try to keep at least
one Denzel away from everyone else, as I have written before for Forbes. 7. Wash your hands when entering and exiting the restaurant.
If you aren’t already frequently and thoroughly washing your hands,
then what exactly is going to convince you to start do so? When washing
your hands, lather up with soap for at least 20 seconds. As I have mentioned before for Forbes,
that means singing through at least the first “Oh no, oh no, oh no” of
the Divinyls song, “I Touch Myself.” Don’t actually touch yourself while
singing the song, because that would defeat the whole purpose. When
singing the song, don’t stare directly at strangers, because that’s kind
of weird. 8. Maintain proper table settings: try to sit outdoors at tables that are at least six feet apart from other people.
Unless there is an active tornado going on, it’s a better to dine
outdoors where the wind can provide natural ventilation. Even when you
are outside, try to keep the tables at least six feet apart. If people
aren’t staying six feet away from you, loud and heavy moaning may work. 9. Don’t be so self-serving: avoid self-serve food and drink options so that you don’t have to touch shared items.
Being self-serving these days can be bad in more ways than one. It
can result in your touching things such as utensils, handles, buttons,
touchscreens, and other things that people have been panting on and
touching. 10. Check the rest of the restroom: before you use a
bathroom, check that there is enough soap and paper towels or hand
sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
You are going to need to wash your hands after using the bathroom,
whether you are going number one, number two, or number
one-two-one-two-one-two. After all, a bird in hand is, well, pretty
dirty. So is anything else that may be in your hands while you are in
the bathroom. Don’t wait until you’ve done the deed before realizing
that the soap dispenser is empty, the faucet doesn’t work, or the paper
towels available are dirtier than your underwear. Instead, treat your
bathroom trip like a tennis match. Scope out the place first and have a
game plan before serving up whatever you are going to throw out onto the
court.
The CDC does offer additional tips when you are considering going out
in general. Be aware of the local orders and how prevalent Covid-19 may
be in your community. That Baconator sandwich may not be worth the risk
if the virus is actively spreading in your area. Always consider how
many people you will be interacting with and for how long, as well as
whether it will be feasible to at least one Denzel away from everyone.
Avoid situations that may put you at higher risk, such as a restaurant
that requires naked Twister. You may want to avoid such a restaurant in
general. When dining out, don’t bite off more risk than you can chew. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/06/13/cdc-10-ways-to-dine-safely-at-a-restaurant-with-coronavirus-around/#26b547df6444
