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What is tocilizumab? May 14, 2020

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What is tocilizumab? Thanks for asking!

Tocilizumab is a prescription drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients in over 100 countries. It’s administered by intravenous infusion in medical centres and hospitals, or by subcutaneous injection, which patients can carry out at home. In some cases, it has shown potential effectiveness in treating critically ill covid-19 patients.

What is the power of tocilizumab?

Tocilizumab was developed in the early 2000s by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Hoffman-La Roche. Its trade names are Actemra and RoActemra and it is a humanized monoclonal antibody, which blocks the interleukin-6 receptor. Believe it or not, the main danger to critically ill patients isn’t the coronavirus itself, but the response the body has in trying to fight it. That’s because the immune system can sometimes harm healthy cells by overreacting to the threat of a disease. One such example is a cytokine storm, which can lead to excessive inflammation. Cytokines are proteins which are important in cell signaling. When an illness occurs, they are released to mobilize defensive forces in the infected part of the body. Cytokine signalling usually ceases once the infection threat fades. But in the case of a cytokine storm, the alarm continues to sound, calling more and more cells and molecules. These end up causing more harm than the disease itself.

So, is there a chance that tocilizumab could work? Or is tocilizumab the new chloroquine? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is an FFP2 mask?

What is social distancing?

What is herd immunity?

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What is mass testing? May 13, 2020

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What is mass testing? Thanks for asking!

The benefit of screening for diseases is to enable early diagnosis when a person is asymptomatic. That’s the case for a large proportion of those infected with COVID-19, which is why mass testing is being championed as a solution to slow the spread of the disease. With lockdown measures being eased in many places, there’s a risk of the coronavirus circulating more freely again. To combat this, governments are ramping up their screening capacities, in order to test more widely.

But is the mass testing working in other countries?

Several countries have seemingly handled the health crisis better than others due to mass testing. South Korea has carried out more tests than any other country since the start of the pandemic. At 10,000 per day, the country was able to react quickly to new waves of infection. Meanwhile in Europe, Germany was quick to react to the danger of the virus spreading. From the end of January, they began widespread testing of those returning from countries where the virus had already struck. On the other hand, certain countries have been criticised for not reacting quickly enough in this area, even after a global pandemic had been declared. The UK government set itself a target of 100,000 tests per day, which it’s so far struggling to meet. And in the United States, researchers believe that 20 million tests would be required every day, in order to safely reopen the economy.

So how exactly are these tests carried out? And what about antibody tests? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is herd immunity?

What is social distancing?

What is an FFP2 mask?

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What is an FFP2 mask? May 11, 2020

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What is an FFP2 mask? Thanks for asking!

You likely hadn’t heard of FFP2 masks in pre-COVID-19 days, but they are in huge demand right now. The FFP abbreviation stands for filtering facepiece, which pretty much explains the purpose of such a mask. They are also known as respiratory protection masks and cover half of the face, specifically the chin, nose and mouth. FFP2 masks filter dust particles in the air, as well as viruses such as COVID-19. The spotlight is currently on care workers using them as personal protective equipment in hospitals. But they are commonly used by workers in many industries when they are exposed to fine particles.

And what is the particularity of this mask?

In the European Union, the EN149 standard is used to class FFP masks from 1 to 3 according to their efficiency. As you have likely surmised, the FFP2 mask is in the middle of the range. It has a minimum filtration of 94% and maximum 8% internal leak rate. Different criteria are used to classify masks depending on the jurisdiction. In the USA, the N95 mask is considered functionally equivalent to the FFP2 mask. In China, it’s the KN95 respirator and in Australia it’s the P2 mask. During the ongoing international health crisis, wearing a mask is recommended to limit airborne transmission of the virus. However, there are shortages of suitable surgical and respiratory masks in many countries, so they are being reserved primarily for frontline care workers.

Does wearing a mask really help stop coronavirus? And what about homemade masks then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is the World Health Organization?

What are tracking app?

What is care work?

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What is social distancing? May 09, 2020

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What is social distancing? Thanks for asking!

The term social distancing refers to measures taken to reduce physical contact between people to a minimum. The aim is to stop a contagious disease from spreading, in cases such as the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

This can be done by ordering citizens to avoid shaking hands for example. Or in more extreme circumstances, people must stay a minimum distance away from others when in public, or remain under lockdown.

One of the earliest instances of social distancing was introduced in October 1918, during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Max C. Starkloff, Health Commissioner in St Louis, Missouri, closed all public venues and banned gatherings of more than 20 people.

At the official end of the lockdown, will we get back to normal? Do we risk further coronavirus peaks by coming out of lockdown? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is the World Health Organization?

What are tracking apps?

What is care work?

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What is herd immunity? May 07, 2020

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What is herd immunity? Thanks for asking!

Also known as community immunity, herd immunity is an indirect form of protection against an infectious disease. It occurs when a high enough percentage of the population has acquired immunity either naturally or through vaccination. This then prevents the spread of the disease, protecting those who are not yet immune. Herd immunity is generally beneficial for people who cannot be vaccinated due to their medical situation, for example if they have immunodeficiency or are waiting for a transplant.

And what does it mean in the case of the COVID 19 pandemic ?

In the case of the COVID 19 pandemic, this means allowing people to gain immunity by contracting the virus and of course recovering. Their organisms build their own defense system by developing the necessary antibodies. In other words, if you are not immunized yourself, but you only encounter people who are immunized, you aren’t at risk of being infected.

The percentage of infected people varies by location, and there’s no way of having reliable data on this without widespread testing. Especially as infected people sometimes don’t show any symptoms. Experts have estimated that up to 10% of the population may have had coronavirus in some countries. In any case, the figure is a long way off the 66% required to make herd immunity effective.

So why are so many of us in lockdown then? Aren’t these measures preventing us from reaching herd immunity? Wouldn’t countries be putting their citizens in danger through such a policy? And what about all the unknown factors? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is a lockdown?

What is care work?

What are tracking app?

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What is the World Health Organization? May 06, 2020

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What is the World Health Organization? Thanks for asking!

The World Health Organization is a United Nations agency that is responsible for international public health. In the case of a global health pandemic, such as the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, the WHO has a central role in coordinating the response plan. However, some people have called into question its effectiveness.

When the World Health Organization was created?

The United Nations created the WHO in the aftermath of the Second World War, on April 7th 1948 to be exact. Its headquarters are located close to Geneva, Switzerland, and the agency has 7,000 employees around the world. Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom has been Director General since 2017. Due to its role as an international leader, the organization has to increase public awareness on health threats, fight illnesses and improve access to healthcare, especially in the world’s poorer countries.

One of the key principles in the WHO’s constitution reads as follows: “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”

In the case of emergencies, especially international epidemics, the WHO has to coordinate the action plan to prevent the illness from spreading. They do that by making official recommendations, based on the information they get from countries affected by the disease.

So is it down to the WHO that half the world’s population is under lockdown? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is a lockdown?

What is care work?

What are tracking app?

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What are tracking apps? May 04, 2020

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What are tracking apps? Thanks for asking!

Exceptional times call for exceptional measures, as they say. Tracking apps are now being used by governments to combat the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In several countries, they are already live, while elsewhere, the apps are still at the development stage. Despite the obvious importance of stemming the spread of the virus, there has been much debate about resulting privacy issues.

Why do we need tracking apps then?

Many people with coronavirus experience only mild symptoms, or none at all. The problem is they are still able to transmit the disease to other people unknowingly. If a person later experiences symptoms, contact tracing can be used to help others realise they are at risk. In turn, they can then self-isolate for the required amount of time to avoid potentially spreading the disease.

The smartphone is perhaps the one item that almost all of us have in our possession constantly. It will come as no surprise to younger generations that their geolocation data is regularly collected by smartphone apps. Manufacturers and app providers have access to information on our whereabouts all the time. The difference is at the moment apps are being designed specifically for tracking purposes.

What about governments then? Do they track us in the same way as brands? And do citizens

have a say in the matter at all? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is lockdown?

What is chloroquine?

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What is care work? May 02, 2020

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What is care work? Thanks for asking!

This subcategory of the workforce includes jobs that provide services to other people. Despite doing work that is physically and emotionally demanding, care workers have long been underpaid and underappreciated in society.

But since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, they have been widely hailed as heroes. In many countries, citizens under lockdown have been holding a minute’s applause from their balconies on a daily basis, in honour of care workers.

So, who exactly are we talking about?

Of course, anyone in the healthcare sector is by definition a care worker. Through the nature of their work, people working in a hospital are at a greater risk of being infected. That’s especially true for those who have hands-on contact with infected patients, like nurses, doctors and their assistants. They are frequently referred to as being the “front line” in the fight against coronavirus. But sometimes they are being sent into battle without adequate protective equipment, like masks and gloves.

The role of workers in care homes is just as important. The older a person infected with coronavirus is, the more likely they are to have serious symptoms. Anyone who looks after one or more dependent people can be considered a care worker. So that includes childcare workers, although schools and nurseries are closed in many places for the time being.

What are the demographics of care workers? And will care workers get greater recognition once the coronavirus pandemic calms down? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:

What is lockdown?

What is chloroquine?

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What is a lockdown? Apr 30, 2020

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What is a lockdown? Thanks for asking!

It’s estimated that up to 50% of the world’s population has been under some form of lockdown since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Governments have imposed these measures to reduce physical contact and stop the disease from spreading. The current lockdown in India, which has a population of 1.3 billion people, is reported to be the largest in human history.

Although restrictions vary from country to country, the general principles of a lockdown remain the same. Only essential businesses are allowed to remain open. People are being ordered or advised to stay in their homes all the time apart from certain exceptions. Those include going to work if remote work isn’t an option, buying essential supplies like food, and helping vulnerable people like elderly family members.

Some countries require their citizens to print and sign an official form any time they go out. Law enforcement officers can then carry out spot checks.

So schooling, exercise, watching movies and dining are all exclusively home-based activities for the time being. Towns and cities across the world are practically deserted.

So, what’s the best advice for those living in lockdown?

It's best to not to let yourself go during the lockdown period. It’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, by getting regular exercise, sticking to a balanced diet and sleeping well. In most countries, citizens are allowed to do some daily exercise outdoors, as long as they avoid other people and don’t go too far from their homes.

You also need to protect your mental health. Being in lockdown and aware of the Coronavirus threat is a stressful situation for many. It’s important to get the facts from a trustworthy source of information. But if you feel anxious, consider limiting the time you spend following media coverage, especially when you’re feeling anxious.

And while we may not be able to see friends and loved ones in person, we can still stay in contact via social media and video calling apps.

When’s it all going to end then? And could we go back into lockdown mode at any time? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions !

If you want to know what is lockdown in french : https://podcasts.ba-ba-bam.com/maintenant-vous-savez/202004060500-quest-ce-que-le-confinement.html

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What is HouseParty? Apr 29, 2020

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What is HouseParty? Thanks for asking

HouseParty is a video chat app that was created in the United States in 2016 and became particularly popular among millennials. Those who download it use it for an average of 51 minutes per day. That’s comparable to Facebook and higher than other popular apps like Instagram, Messenger and Snapchat.

The current coronavirus-related lockdowns have led to a resurgence in the app’s popularity around the world. It was downloaded 50 million times in the space of just a month, which is 70 times more than usual.

Other video chat services, like Zoom and Skype, are often used by companies for remote work, whereas HouseParty is mainly aimed at younger generations. That gives it more of a fun image than its rivals.

OK so what can I do with HouseParty then?

It’s fairly basic compared to a lot of messaging apps, not having any emojis, stickers or filters. The main purpose of the app is to make video calls between up to 8 devices.

You can also play games and quizzes like Time Up and Trivial Pursuit. When one of your friends opens the app, you instantly get a notification. As you can imagine that can get pretty irritating if you have a lot of contacts, but thankfully you can turn notifications off for selected or all contacts.

To download HouseParty, you need to set up a username and verify your cell phone number. The app accesses your phone contacts in order to find people you know. You also have the option to connect to Facebook or share your HouseParty profile link on Snapchat.

One big difference with other social media apps is that friends of friends can join video chats and games. By default when you open the HouseParty app, your personal video room goes live and any of your contacts can join.

But, are there any privacy issues ? Should I avoid using HouseParty then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions !

If you want to know what is HouseParty in french : https://podcasts.ba-ba-bam.com/maintenant-vous-savez/202004080500-quest-ce-que-houseparty.html

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