This Co-Inventor Of The Rotavirus Vaccine Believes A Coronavirus Vaccine Is Years Away

Reuters

National Interest: Why A Coronavirus Vaccine May Be Years Away

Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, says, “I don’t see eighteen months—Dr. Anthony Fauci could see something I don’t here, he is certainly closer to it—but I think eighteen months is a very, very, very optimistic timeline.”

Jacob Heilbrunn: How does the COVID-19 crisis end?

Paul Offit: German chancellor Angela Merkel said it best: “We need to get to a doubling time of longer than ten days.” The number of hospital admissions and deaths caused by COVID-19, those doubling intervals, is more than ten days. For example, on March 26 we had one thousand deaths; on March 28, two thousand. That’s a doubling time of two days. By April 1 we had four thousand deaths. That means we had a doubling time of four days. If you can get to a ten-day doubling time, it is likely that hospital discharges will exceed admissions and you can say that you accomplished what you wanted—no longer overwhelming the healthcare system. That’s what you are worried about—not that you can’t take care of these patients, but that you can’t take care of any patients.

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WNU Editor:  My brother works in the bio-tech industry, and he is very knowledgeable on these things. He agrees with Dr. Paul Offit. Making a vaccine takes time, and as my brother put it to me tonight, he would not take any vaccine until it has been thoroughly tested. And it does not stop there. Once a vaccine has been developed and tested, it will take time to manufacture and distribute it. To say that this is distressing is an understatement. I know that no major government in the world is going to make a major economic and/or political decision until this is resolved. Bottom line. This pandemic and the restrictions that have been imposed on the world may last well into 2021.

Islamic State Tells Its Followers To Launch Attacks Against Its Enemies

ISIS has called on God to increase the coronavirus torment of non-believers (file photo)

Daily Mail: ISIS tells its followers to show no mercy and launch attacks during coronavirus crisis amid fears counter-terror efforts will be weakened by the outbreak

* Islamist extremist groups say coronavirus is punishment for non-Muslims
* The comments were made in a new editorial of the IS al-Naba newsletter
* Crisis groups warn Covid-19 is threatening efforts to stop terrorism

An IS newsletter has urged followers to launch attacks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A new editorial in the latest al-Naba newsletter has called for members to continue their globe-spanning terror, even as the virus spreads, and provides a list of directives to deal with epidemics.

The commentary added that coronavirus was a punishment for non-Muslims and that no mercy should be shown.

While the list included 'stay away from sick people', 'wash your hands before eating' and 'avoid travel to affected areas', it also included directive to 'put your faith in God and seek refuge in him'.

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WNU Editor: Islamic State leaders and fighters are not immune from the coronavirus. they are going to be hit just as hard as everyone else.

More News On The Islamic State Telling Its Followers To Launch Attacks Against Its Enemies

Extremists see global chaos from virus as an opportunity -- AP
Could ISIS Use the Coronavirus To Attack the West? -- National Interest
U.S. military fears pandemic could lead to ISIS resurgence in Syria -- Politico

Captain Of Coronavirus-Stricken Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Fired Over Leak Letter to Leadership

Daily Mail: US Navy FIRES captain of coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt for 'extremely poor judgment' after his letter to superiors begging for help was leaked - and his commanders insist NONE of the infected sailors need hospitalization

* Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly announced that Captain Brett Crozier is being relieved of his command of the USS Roosevelt on Thursday
* It comes four days after Crozier penned a letter to Navy leaders calling for the immediate evacuation of the aircraft carrier
* Modly said that the decision to relieve Crozier was driven by the fact that he shared the letter with at least 20 people before it was leaked in the media
* The secretary insisted that he was not accusing Crozier of leaking it himself
* However, US officials told Reuters that the Navy did believe he was responsible
* The USS Roosevelt was docked in Guam last week after 25 crew members tested positive for COVID-19
* At least 93 sailors on the nuclear aircraft carrier have since tested positive
* The Navy is in the process of evacuating 2,700 sailors from the ship

The US Navy has relieved the captain of the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt days after his plea for help for his sailors went public.

Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly announced on Thursday afternoon that Captain Brett Crozier had been relieved of his command of the nuclear aircraft carrier, four days after he penned a scathing letter to Navy leaders calling for stronger action to address the COVID-19 outbreak he said was unnecessarily threatening his sailors lives.

Modly said that the decision was driven by the fact that Crozier shared his letter with at least 20 people before it was leaked in the media on Tuesday.

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More News On The Captain Of The Coronavirus-Stricken Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Being Removed After Letter Is Leaked

Navy fires Theodore Roosevelt skipper following leaked letter pleading for COVID-19 assistance -- Navy Times
Navy fires captain who sought help for virus-stricken ship -- AP
U.S. Navy relieves aircraft carrier commander who wrote letter urging coronavirus action -- Reuters
Navy removes captain who raised alarm about coronavirus on aircraft carrier -- CBS
Navy fires captain of aircraft carrier over leak of letter to leadership -- ABC News
Navy relieves captain who raised alarm about coronavirus outbreak on aircraft carrier -- NBC
Pentagon removes captain of virus-struck aircraft carrier -- France 24
The US Navy just fired a commander for creating 'little bit of a panic' on his aircraft carrier reeling with coronavirus — but its reasoning isn't adding up -- Business Insider
Navy Sacks Carrier Captain, Pulls Another Carrier Off Station Over COVID-19 Concerns (Updated) -- Warzone/The Drive
Shooting the messenger? US Navy SACKS captain for ‘causing alarm’ with plea to save lives of Covid-19-stricken carrier crew -- RT

Covid-19 Coronavirus Cases Hit ONE MILLION Worldwide As Pandemic Shows No Signs Of Slowing Down

Daily Mail: Coronavirus cases hit ONE MILLION worldwide as pandemic explodes in the United States and death tolls continue to rise in UK, Italy and Spain

* The virus has killed more than 51,000 across the world with the largest number of deaths in Italy, then Spain
* The first 100,000 cases of the coronavirus were reported in around 55 days and the first 500,000 in 76 days
* Cases of the killer illness have doubled to one million within the past eight days and are continuing to increase
* Total cases reported by Thursday grew 10 per cent from day earlier, the first time the rate has hit double digits

Global coronavirus cases have soared past one million as the pandemic explodes in the US and the death tolls continue to climb in Italy and Spain, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The deadly virus has killed more than 51,000 across the world, with the largest number of deaths in Italy, followed by Spain and the US.

The first 100,000 cases were reported in around 55 days, the first 500,000 in 76 days, and they doubled to one million within the past eight days.

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More News On Covid-19 Coronavirus Cases Hitting One Million Worldwide Coronavirus Cases

Economic fallout mounts, worldwide cases top 1 million -- AP
Global coronavirus cases surpass one million -- Reuters
Coronavirus: Confirmed global cases pass one million -- BBC
More than a million confirmed cases of Covid-19 globally -- The Guardian
Coronavirus latest: Global coronavirus infections top 1 million -- DW
Coronavirus latest: Over 1 million people infected worldwide, with US accounting for more than a fifth -- SCMP
One million people worldwide confirmed infected with Covid-19 -- RTE
Grim milestone as global confirmed COVID-19 cases top one million -- Al Jazeera
Coronavirus cases worldwide top 1 million; 10,000 deaths in Spain -- UPI
Coronavirus cases top 1 million worldwide, researchers say -- FOX News
Covid-19 cases reach 1 MILLION worldwide, 50,000 dead as pandemic continues to ravage the globe -- RT

NATO Forms 10-Member Panel To Ponder The Organization's Future

Politico: NATO names panel to find its brain

The secretary-general appoints a group to help ponder NATO’s future.

BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg named a panel of 10 experts on Tuesday to help ensure the alliance isn't brain dead.

Stoltenberg had agreed to seek expert advice on NATO's future after French President Emmanuel Macron declared that the alliance was experiencing "brain death" in a controversial interview with The Economist last autumn.

Macron's comments came amid the chaos of two major allies — the U.S. and Turkey — taking unilateral military action in northern Syria, which seemed clear evidence that NATO was fraying at its seams.

Other allies, however, reacted angrily to Macron's remarks, which they regarded as reckless and damaging. U.S. President Donald Trump called Macron's statement "very insulting to a lot of different forces."

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Update #1: Nato names expert panel after Emmanuel Macron 'brain death' remarks (The Telegraph)
Update #2: NATO forms 10-member panel to reflect on past, mull future (UPI)

WNU Editor: This should be NATO's moment with the pandemic raging through Europe, but they are not being called upon .... The Coronavirus Pandemic Should Be NATO’s Moment (Defense One).

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Japan Says Destroyer And Chinese Fishing Boat Collide In East China Sea

Al Jazeera: Japanese warship, China fishing boat collide in East China Sea

No casualties reported following the incident, which happened north of Japan-controlled islets that China also claims.

A Japanese destroyer collided with a Chinese fishing boat in the East China Sea on Monday night but no one was injured or missing, Japan's Defence Ministry said.

The collision caused a hole in the destroyer Shimakaze above its waterline, but it was still able to move on its own, the ministry added.

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More News On A Japanese Destroyer Colliding With A Chinese Fishing Boat In The East China Sea

Japan says destroyer and Chinese boat collided; China says one hurt -- Reuters
Japanese Naval Ship Involved in Collision With Chinese Fishing Vessel in East China Sea -- The Diplomat
Japan destroyer and Chinese fishing ship collide with no injuries -- Nikkei Asian Review
Japanese destroyer, Chinese boat collide -- NHK

Half Of Mankind Now Under Lockdown

People walk around an almost empty Grand Central Terminal as the coronavirus disease outbreak continues in New York, March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Euronews/AP/AFP: Coronavirus: Half of humanity now on lockdown as 90 countries call for confinement

More than 3.9 billion people, or half of the world's population, have now been asked or ordered to stay at home by their governments to prevent the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.

Data from an AFP database collated compulsory or recommended confinements, curfews and quarantines in more than 90 countries or territories.

Due to the introduction of a curfew in Thailand (effective from Friday), the threshold of 50% of humanity will be reached.

Meanwhile, the number of dead in Spain from coronavirus has now risen above 10,000, according to the latest health authority figures published on Thursday.

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WNU Editor: No surprises here .... As world battles virus, governments under fire (AFP). I expect all governments in the world will be criticized for their response. That is a given. And it will be helped by some in the media who report the news with a political bias, and who are taking advantage of the current crisis to push their own agenda. But in the end I think most people understand that this is a unique global crisis impacting billions. And as a long as governments honestly report their efforts to end it while planning how (and when) to re-open their economies in the future, the majority of people now under lock-down will give them a pass.

China Makes Its Move To Assert Its Authority In The South China Sea

Asia Times: China seizes Covid-19 advantage in South China Sea

China ramps up military drills and energy exploitation in contested waterway while US military bogged down in virus crisis at home.

MANILA – With the Covid-19 pandemic mostly contained in China and now wreaking havoc on the United States, security analysts are closely watching Beijing’s military moves in the hotly contested South China Sea.

In recent days, China has conducted military drills and deployed large-scale military assets to the maritime area while at the same time officially celebrating strides made in exploiting disputed energy resources in the fossil fuel-rich sea.

While some see China’s nationalistic messaging as a bid to rally its people during difficult Covid-19 times, others view the increasingly aggressive naval maneuvers as a bid to exploit America’s weakened condition to secure new advantage in the hot spot theater.

Rival Southeast Asian claimants are also in a compromised strategic position as they contend with worsening Covid-19 outbreaks.

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Update: China Chases Indonesia’s Fishing Fleets, Staking Claim to Sea’s Riches (DNYUZ)

WNU Editor: With the entire world now focused on the Covid-19 pandemic, this is the perfect time for China (and other countries) to seize territory and assert their jurisdiction.

U.S. Navy To Cut In Half Its Aircraft Carrier Presence In The Middle East

USS Harry S. Truman in the Atlantic Ocean, December 12, 2018. US Navy/Mass Comm. Specialist 2nd Class Scott Swofford

Politico: 2nd aircraft carrier set to leave the Middle East

The U.S. military began surging forces to the Middle East last summer after Iranian proxies attacked ships in the Persian Gulf.

The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is planning to leave the Middle East, marking the end of the first extended use of two carriers in the region in years amid heightened tension with Iran, two defense officials tell POLITICO.

After a rocket attack by Iran-backed Shia militia groups on a base in Iraq killed two U.S. troops in early March, U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie took the unusual step of keeping two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region: the Truman, which had been scheduled to depart, and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

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WNU Editor: There is more than enough U.S. firepower in the Middle East to handle any crisis. But it looks like there has been a decision in the Pentagon to bring back home U.S. forces, a decision that I am sure many families are happy to hear.