The U.S. space agency, NASA and aerospace firm Northrop Grumman Wednesday conducted a full-scale test of a rocket motor, known as a “Flight Support Booster” or “FSB-1,” that will power the first Artemis mission to the moon.During the test at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Promontory, Utah, the 47-meter booster motor was anchored to the ground horizontally, and fired for just over two minutes, producing 1.6 million kilograms of thrust.NASA and Northrop Grumman will use data from the test to evaluate the motor’s performance using potential new materials and processes that can be incorporated into future boosters. NASA has contracted Northrop Grumman to build boosters for future rocket flights.Researchers Discover First Intermediate-size Black HoleAstronomers say they have discovered evidence of the first intermediate-size black hole, created by merger of two smaller black holesTwo similar boosters will be used on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket the space agency has ever built. They will provide 75 percent of the power needed to send the rocket into space. NASA says the SLS is the only rocket that can send the space craft, Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.NASA plans to send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface by 2024, with a goal of exploring Mars targeted for the mid-2030s.The successful test sets the stage for a planned launch, without crew, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida next year, before a crewed launch in 2023.In Greek mythology, Artemis is both the goddess of the moon and the twin sister of Apollo.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that it has informed public health officials in all 50 states and several large cities to be prepared to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by November 1, two days before the presidential election.The McClatchy news service was the first to report Wednesday that the CDC had sent out a four-page memo on August 27 for health departments to draft vaccination plans by October 1  “to coincide with the earliest possible release of COVID-19 vaccine.” The Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus crisis hearing, July 31, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington.Fauci’s take on potential vaccine
News of the CDC memo coincided with remarks made Wednesday by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who said that he is confident there will be a “safe and effective” COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year.However Fauci also said in an interview last week with Reuters news agency that “the one thing that you would not want to see with a vaccine is getting an [emergency approval of a vaccine] before you have a signal of efficacy.””One of the potential dangers if you prematurely let a vaccine out is that it would make it difficult, if not impossible, for the other vaccines to enroll people in their trial,” he said.Other  health experts have also expressed skepticism about rolling out a vaccine before the completion of clinical trials, saying hastening its distribution to the public could pose safety risks and deepen anti-vaccination sentiments.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 2 MB480p | 3 MB540p | 3 MB1080p | 9 MBOriginal | 19 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioSafety checks
Patricia Zettler, a former Food and Drug Administration associate chief counsel told the Washington Post this week, “I think it’s extremely critical we have rigorous evidence of safety and effectiveness supporting a vaccine before the FDA gives its okay.” Zettler is currently a law professor at Ohio State University.Some state health departments say they lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses, according to the Associated Press.  “There is a tremendous amount of work to be done to be prepared for this vaccination program, and it will not be complete by Nov. 1,” Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director of immunization education at the Immunization Action Coalition, a national vaccine education and advocacy organization in Minnesota, told the AP. “States will need more financial resources than they have now.”   Only half of Americans trust vaccine
A recent Thousands of bikers rode through the streets for the opening day of the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle rally Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, in Sturgis, S.D. (AP Photo/Stephen Groves)COVID death linked to South Dakota rally
Meanwhile, a resident of the northern state of Minnesota is believed to be the first person to have died of the coronavirus after attending a huge motorcycle rally in the neighboring state of South Dakota last month.Health officials in Minnesota say the man was in his 60s and had underlying health conditions.  He was one of hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts who converged on the small town of Sturgis for 10 days, many of them also refusing to wear face masks or observe social distancing.  At least 260 new COVID-19 infections in 11 states have been tied directly to the event, according to the Washington Post.    
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It seems possible, though how often it happens isn’t known.
Researchers in Hong Kong  recently reported evidence of a person who got the coronavirus a second time, months after an initial infection.
The finding has not yet been published in a journal. But scientists said the 33-year-old man had mild symptoms the first time and none the second time, suggesting his immune system may have provided some protection against serious illness even if it could not prevent a reinfection. His more recent infection was detected through screening and testing at the Hong Kong airport, and researchers said genetic tests revealed different strains of the virus.
Several other possible cases have been reported, including a U.S. man who was sicker the second time than the first.
Even if people can get reinfected, the World Health Organization says it likely wouldn’t happen regularly.
Health experts generally believe people who had COVID-19 will have some immunity against a repeat infection. But they don’t know how much protection, or how long it would last.
This is important because if immunity wears off, it could pose a challenge for vaccines. Some experts say booster shots may be needed.
It’s also unclear whether reinfected people would be able to spread the virus to others. That’s another reason scientists say people should continue to wear masks, social distance and practice good hygiene.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent guidelines on August 27 to all 50 states, U.S. territories and several large cities, telling them to be prepared to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by Nov. 1, two days before the presidential election, according to several media reports Wednesday.In a four-page memo sent to governors in August, the CDC told health departments to draft vaccination plans by October 1 “to coincide with the earliest possible release of COVID-19 vaccine.”McClatchy first reported news of the letter, which other media then reported.The CDC declined to comment on the letter, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.States “in the near future” will receive permit applications from McKesson Corp., the firm that has contracted with the CDC to distribute vaccines to sites including state and local health departments and hospitals, CDC Director Robert Redfield wrote in the August 27 letter, according to the media.“CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020,” Redfield wrote.’Tremendous amount of work to be done’Health departments, however, said they lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses, according to the AP.“There is a tremendous amount of work to be done to be prepared for this vaccination program, and it will not be complete by November 1,” Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director of immunization education at the Immunization Action Coalition, a national vaccine education and advocacy organization in Minnesota, told the AP. “States will need more financial resources than they have now.”A recent poll from AP-NOR Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about half of Americans said they would get vaccinated.Molly Howell, who manages the North Dakota Department of Health’s immunization program, told the AP it would be crucial to educate people about the benefits of vaccination.The AP report said while the U.S. has committed more than $10 billion to developing new coronavirus vaccines, no money has specifically been allocated for distributing and administering the vaccines.Also Wednesday, the United States said it will not participate in a global initiative to develop, manufacture and equally distribute a vaccine for COVID-19 because the World Health Organization (WHO) is taking a leading role in the effort.More than 170 countries are in talks to participate in the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, called COVAX, a joint project undertaken by WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.Gavi was founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to vaccinate children in the world’s poorest countries.White House spokesperson Judd Deere issued a statement saying the United States “will continue to engage our international partners to ensure we defeat this virus, but we will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China.”President Donald Trump announced in July that he was withdrawing the United States from WHO, claiming the agency mishandled the coronavirus outbreak and showed deference to China, where the virus was first detected late last year.The State Department said Wednesday that as part of the withdrawal, the administration would redirect $62 million of its 2020 WHO dues to meet its obligations under the United Nations’ regular budget.Under withdrawal terms, Washington must provide a one-year notice to WHO and fully meet the payment of its assessed financial obligations. Washington had already paid $58 million of this year’s $120 million contribution at the time of the president’s decision to withdraw. The U.S. says it will in the future redirect money that would have gone to WHO to “other more credible partners.”’A real blow’On the vaccine effort, Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Center at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, told The Washington Post that when the United States decides not “to participate in any sort of multilateral effort to secure vaccines, it’s a real blow.”The Trump administration has launched its own COVID-19 vaccine initiative, Operation Warp Speed, that aims to deliver 300 million doses of an approved vaccine by January. The initiative has distributed billions of dollars to a handful of pharmaceutical companies to develop, manufacture and test a potential vaccine.”This president will spare no expense to ensure that any new vaccine maintains our own FDA’s gold standard for safety and efficacy, is thoroughly tested, and saves lives,” Deere said in his statement, referring to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).The Trump administration’s initiative is one of many around the world aiming to quickly introduce a COVID-19 vaccine, with a handful currently in late-stage human trials. But recent remarks by FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn that the agency would consider authorizing an emergency use of a vaccine before the completion of late-stage human trials raised concerns Monday among WHO officials.Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s chief scientist, said issuing such an authorization “has to be done with a great deal of seriousness and reflection. It’s not something that you do very lightly.”Blood plasma treatmentIn a related development, a panel of U.S. government health experts said there is no evidence to date that convalescent blood plasma is an effective treatment for coronavirus patients to help them build immunity.Convalescent blood plasma comes from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and is rich in antibodies. The FDA approved an emergency authorization of the use of convalescent blood plasma August 23, a decision Trump described as “truly historic.”But a panel of more than 30 experts for the National Institutes of Health issued a statement Tuesday that there is “insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use” of convalescent blood plasma, and said doctors should not rely on it as a standard of care until more studies have been conducted.A day after the emergency authorization was announced, Hahn apologized for apparently overstating the benefits of using convalescent blood plasma.Hahn reaffirmed claims made by Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar of a 35% decrease in mortality among those younger than 80 years of age who were not on a respirator, a month after receiving the treatment early in the course of their disease.But critics said the administration’s claim was a gross exaggeration of preliminary findings of a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, noting that the study lacked a comparison group of untreated COVID-19 patients.Hahn conceded this fact in a tweet apologizing for his remarks, explaining that he should have said that the data shows “a relative risk reduction, not an absolute risk reduction.”Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report. 
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A Mexican court will later this week hear a case brought on by 15 young people demanding the government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador set out clear policies on climate change, documents show. Lopez Obrador is under increased pressure to help mitigate the effects of climate change. The plaintiffs from the state Baja California filed a legal stay of proceedings, known locally as amparo, before a district court in administrative matters, several documents related to the case show. In it, the youths, aged 17 to 23, demand clearer regulations and public policies derived from the country’s existing General Law on Climate Change and the Mexican constitution, the documents showed. All of the documents, which have not been made public, were provided by a representative of the plaintiffs. Demonstrators march during the global protest on climate change in Mexico City, Sept. 20, 2019.The hearing is scheduled for Sept. 4 and comes just days after the country’s environment minister quit. “There’s no bigger mistake than doing nothing based on a belief that one can only do little: However small or simple our actions may seem, they sow what future generations will reap,” said Gema Osorio, one of the plaintiffs, aged 20. “My wish is that even if we don’t manage to repair the damages, at least we stop continuing to harm the planet,” she said on Wednesday. Mexico’s previous government had laid out targets to reduce emissions. Lopez Obrador has not reaffirmed those goals but highlights projects such as a large-scale tree-planting scheme as evidence of commitment to the environment. The environment ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. National oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, has come under particular pressure from investors looking to reduce the carbon footprint of their investments. Pemex alone was the ninth biggest energy producer of carbon and methane emissions globally between 1965 and 2018, according to data from the Climate Accountability Institute, a non-profit. With emissions of some 23 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent, the troubled oil company was the largest emitter among its Latin American peers.  
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The World Health Organization issued Teachers and auxiliary staff take COVID-19 tests in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 2, 2020.Dr. Todd Rice, an associate professor of medicine and critical care physician at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, who co-authored an editorial in JAMA, told The New York Times newspaper that the results were a confidence booster for medical professionals worried about steroid use in the sickest COVID-19 patients.”This shows us steroids are clearly beneficial in this population and should clearly be given, unless you absolutely can’t for some reason, which needs to be a pretty rare occasion,” he said.Researchers with the WHO’s Rapid Evidence Appraisal for COVID-19 Therapies (REACT) Working Group evaluated data on three steroids used in seven randomized clinical trials in 12 countries. Researchers found the corticosteroid drug dexamethasone reduced death by 36% in 1,282 patients in three separate trials. Hydrocortisone reduced death by 31% in 374 patients in three trials, and methylprednisolone reduced death by 9% in a small 47 patient trial.The JAMA editorial described the analysis as an “important step forward in the treatment of patients with COVID-19.””People are dying from this disease, and we want treatment that we are confident will decrease mortality and save people’s lives,” Rice said.Though the death rate among the sickest COVID-19 patients remained high, of the six studies that reported serious adverse events, 64 of the events occurred among 354 patients on steroids, while 80 events occurred among the 342 patients receiving standard care.Initial results showing that dexamethasone could reduce death in critically ill COVID-19 patients came out in mid-June, from the RECOVERY trial led by the University of Oxford. This was the other meta-analysis WHO used to develop Wednesday’s guidelines update. In the trial, 2,104 patients received the steroid, while 4,321 patients received standard care.Many of the sickest COVID-19 patients die not from the coronavirus itself but from their immune system’s overreaction to the virus, turning the body on itself. The steroid drugs allow doctors to tamp down the immune system’s response in a controlled way and reduce the inflammation and pain.The WHO cautioned against using the drugs on people with milder cases, who don’t have the “physiological signs of an inflammatory response that’s leading to respiratory distress,” explained Janet Diaz, the lead for Clinical Management at the WHO’s Emergencies Program.”The reason we said that [recommendation] is because there was a concern for harm,” she said at a live Q&A Wednesday explaining the WHO guidance. Live Q&A on COVID-19 clinical care with Dr Maria Van Kerkhove and Dr Janet Diaz. Ask your questions!Live Q&A on COVID-19 clinical care with Dr Maria Van Kerkhove and Dr Janet Diaz. Ask your questions!Posted by World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, September 2, 2020The data was less clear, she said, contributing to the conditional status of the recommendation. Steroid treatment could hinder healthier patients’ reaction to the virus and worsen their condition.As of Wednesday, there were nearly 26 million cases of COVID-19 around the world and nearly 900,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads in both confirmed cases and deaths. Leslie Bonilla contributed to this report. 
 
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Astronomers say they have discovered evidence of the first intermediate-size black hole, created by the merger of two smaller black holes.Up to this point, astronomers had observed black holes – super-dense regions of space with gravity so strong light cannot escape them – in only two general sizes.There are small, or “stellar” black holes, formed when stars collapse into themselves. They range in size from three to four times the mass of our sun to tens of times the mass of our sun.There are also are supermassive black holes that are millions, maybe billions, of times more massive than our sun. A supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is believed to be 4 million times the mass of our sun. Intermediate-size black holes had been theorized, but never “observed” by astronomers, until now.In a study published Wednesday in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers say the observation came in the form of a signal detected in May 2019 by the National Science Foundation’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). The signal was a brief but powerful gravitational wave.One of the authors of the study, French researcher Nelson Christensen, explains that due to the nature of gravitational waves – literally, ripples in the fabric of space-time – they offer a completely different way to observe the universe, as opposed to the light that different cosmic bodies give out – in other words, what we can see through a telescope.Christensen says light allows you to see the universe, but gravitational waves allow you to “hear” it. He compares it to a doctor seeing a patient and noting some physical symptoms that appear on the outside, but then placing a stethoscope on the patient’s chest to get a better understanding of what may be wrong.By studying the gravitational wave signal, the team discerned this ripple in the cosmic fabric was likely created by the merger or collision of two black holes, about 85 and 66 times the mass of the sun, respectively. They created a new, intermediate black hole about 142 times the mass of our sun.Christensen said all this came from a signal that lasted about a tenth of second and resulted from an event that occurred about 7 billion years ago. But he said without that “blip” of a gravitational wave, they never would have known it had happened. He said, “There would be no way to see two black holes spinning around each other and colliding if not for gravitational waves.”Though long theorized, studying gravitational waves is fairly new. Scientists detected gravitational waves for the first time in 2015, using LIGO. Since then, the gravitational-wave detector has listened in to more of these ripples in space-time.Christensen says each time they turn on the detectors, they “hear” interesting things. “The universe is providing us with all kinds of surprises, and that’s really wonderful.” 
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Louisianians woke up Wednesday, Aug. 26 to news that Laura would be arriving as a Category 4 hurricane. The storm was expected to hit Lake Charles early Thursday morning.   Throughout the day, doctors, nurses, maintenance and cafeteria workers filled Lake Charles Memorial Hospital. The plan was for several shifts of employees to be ready once the winds picked up that night. Whole floors were designated as sleeping areas for off-duty staff. Dr. Gary Kohler, a pulmonary critical care physician, arrived for his shift at 6:30 a.m. He remembered sensing how nervous everyone was in those hours before the storm. 
 “No one wanted to be alone,” he said. “When we were on break, a lot of us would sit around a table together. It was a shared fear of not knowing what was coming.”    In 2005, the hospital was evacuated before Hurricane Rita arrived and devastated the city. Hurricane Laura was predicted to be more ferocious. But this time, there were no plans to leave.    “You can’t help but wonder what’s going to hold and what isn’t, both at the hospital, but also at your home,” Kohler said.The calm before   A headshot of Dr. Gary Kohler, who works at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital in Louisiana. (Photo courtesy/Lake Charles Memorial Hospital)As the strengthening hurricane headed for the Louisiana-Texas border, 1.5 million residents were ordered to evacuate.    Most chose to heed the warning, particularly residents in Lake Charles, a city of 80,000 that bore the brunt of the storm.   Tens of thousands of the city’s residents evacuated to areas north, east and west on Wednesday.  But some were asked to stay. “Our families left town,” Kohler told VOA. “But as long as there were patients at the hospital, we were going to be there.”    Kohler works in the intensive care unit (ICU) treating the critically ill. During a normal year, patients in the ICU might include those with heart, lung and kidney ailments, or those who suffered strokes or are battling major infections. But this year, a separate wing is reserved for patients who tested positive for the coronavirus. “Our patients tend to be the sickest in the hospital — that’s why they’re in the ICU,” Kohler explained. “And we’ve been hit pretty hard by COVID patients this year, which has made the work a lot more challenging.” Louisiana has the highest number of cumulative coronavirus cases per capita of any state in the U.S. Kohler said Lake Charles Memorial had so many patients this summer from a second wave of the virus that multiple patients were placed in a single room.   “That’s a lot of very sick patients we’re taking care of,” he said. “And when it became clear how strong Hurricane Laura was going to be when it hit us, I knew it had the potential to be a long night.”  Nagging fears   A storm surge of nine feet was predicted for parts of Lake Charles. Everyone at the hospital knew that if the building lost water, they would not be able to properly sanitize themselves or their patients. And if the power went out and the generators did not operate, they would have to manually sustain patients on ventilators.  Shannon Williams, an ICU registered nurse, arrived Wednesday at 5:45 a.m. She called the storm the scariest moment of her life. 
 
“To be honest, my biggest fear was that the building was going to collapse on us, and that all that would be left of my co-workers, patients and me was a very sad story,” she said.A photo of three nurses, including Shannon Williams, are at work at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital in Louisiana. (Photo courtesy/Shannon Williams)Laura hits Kohler and Williams said the wind began to pick up around 8:30 p.m. Shortly after that, the hospital lost its main power source.   “I was concerned we lost power so early and before the main part of the storm arrived,” Kohler said. “But fortunately, the generators kicked on.” The generators are only meant to keep the essential functions of the hospital running, which does not include air conditioning. The lack of air conditioning is a serious problem in southern Louisiana, where temperatures and humidity climb to unbearable heights during summer months. Kohler recalled the uncomfortable situation.   “I was soaked with sweat,” he said. “But the nurses — they’re dressed for hours in their PPEs (personal protective equipment), and they looked like they had just come in from a rainstorm.”  Kohler said it was so humid in the hospital, the flooring was slick from condensation. The windows leaked from the rainfall. Around 1 a.m. Thursday, Williams said the wind sounded like a train speeding past the east side of the building where she was trying to sleep.  A maintenance worker checked the situation. The news was not good.  “These are six-foot-tall windows, so you could see some random debris smashing against them,” she said. “And the maintenance guy said it’s because the window was warped — you could see them flexing in and out — which is why water was also leaking in.” The storm caused many of the windows in the hospital to warp, including those in the ICU. The immediate danger was that the windows would shatter, leaving no protection from the storm outside.  Williams said the nurses frantically thought of ways to protect the patients and themselves should the windows burst. One window did collapse, creating a noisy wind tunnel in the ICU. But the remaining windows managed to hold.   “You had patients crying, and just generally really afraid,” Kohler said. “They were so hot and uncomfortable, and it was a scary experience. Plus, who knows when they saw their family last — family members aren’t allowed to visit COVID patients.” Kohler said the toughest moment of the night for him was when the hospital’s water stopped running.   “You can’t stay sterile if you can’t wash your hands,” he said. “We couldn’t even flush toilets anymore, let alone think about doing a procedure. At that point, you just hope a patient doesn’t require anything big.”   The aftermath   For the remainder of the night, the phones were not working, and employees had no idea what was happening outside.    “Our focus was on making our patients as comfortable as possible, and our nurses did an incredible job,” Kohler said. He explained that in the middle of the storm, some nurses took a device designed to heat patients and repurposed it to keep them cool. “They did everything they could to keep our patients comfortable,” Kohler said. “Our nurses are the real heroes of this hurricane.” Kohler said he woke up at 6 a.m. Thursday and could see outside for the first time since Laura made landfall. “I could see a neighborhood across the street from our hospital, and it was hard to find a home that didn’t have a tree through their roof,” he said. “Trees on roofs. Roofs gone. Trees inside houses. Electrical poles down. Debris all over the street. It’s hard to imagine my city ever being the same.”   But there was no time to think about the future. The staff still had work to do.    “I’m just extremely proud of our resilience,” Williams said. “The next day, we still had no air conditioning and no water. We still had no idea what was happening in the outside world, or what happened to our homes. But we kept working for our patients.”    Williams said the moment when the winds died down, and she realized everyone would survive, was when she finally breathed a sigh of relief.  Kohler’s moment came Thursday afternoon, when ambulances from Mississippi, Georgia and Kentucky arrived to transport critically ill patients to other hospitals.  “That’s where you felt the collective sigh of relief,” he said. “That’s when it felt like we made it. We had never lost the ability to give medication. We had never lost the ability to give blood. And we had never lost the ability to give antibiotics. We did a good job.” On Friday, when it became clear that the city might not have water or electricity for three weeks or more, the announcement was made that the hospital would be completely evacuated.    Patients were evacuated that day. The staff stayed until the last one left.   “I saw heroes,” Kohler said. “The nurses, the maintenance workers, the cafeteria workers. They sacrificed themselves for the patients at this hospital. They’re heroes, and they’ll be ready to get back to work when it’s time.” 
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The World Health Organization’s Europe director says the COVID-19 crisis won’t necessarily end with a vaccine, but with societies learning how to live with it.In an interview with British broadcaster SKY News Wednesday, WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge said the governments that take an active leadership role and embrace public health and social measures will have the most success moving beyond the COVID-19 crisis. He said, “That could happen tomorrow.”Kluge understands that economies have been badly hurt by lockdowns and shutdowns, but every approach has its risks.Like many other health experts, Kluge predicts new surges in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as the colder months approach and people are indoors. But he said it will not be like early in the pandemic when governments were taken by surprise.He said, “Now, we target the virus. We can manage transmission, manage our economies and open the education sector and that’s good news.”Kluge said for that reason, he is optimistic that while the virus will not be gone, nations now have tools to deal with it. He said people must continue to avoid mass gatherings, use masks and testing capacity must be improved, along with tracking and tracing, and localized lockdowns must be an option.“We have to be prepared for this in a positive manner,” he said.
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