December 9, 2020 11:48 PM By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Asian equities eased from record highs on Thursday as stalled U.S. stimulus talks and a sell-off in tech stocks weighed, while sterling traders sat on a knife’s edge as last-ditch Brexit negotiations yielded only an agreement to keep talking. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.34%. Japan’s Nikkei erased early losses to trade 0.1% lower. Both are up more than 60% from March lows. S&P 500 futures meanwhile pared early gains and steadied in Asian afternoon trade. U.S. Treasuries rose while the dollar slightly eased after a volatile overnight session in currency markets, with traders now looking ahead to a European Central Bank monetary policy meeting. Sterling teetered at $1.3366 as it awaits a Brexit resolution. “We’ve risen so far so fast that it’s making investors cautious,” said Michael McCarthy, chief strategist at stockbroker CMC Markets in Sydney. “The fall in tech stocks was a bit of a concern, given that they’ve risen in all market weather over the last six weeks, so to see them come off might signal that we’re looking at a short term corrective move.” A near 2% drop in the Nasdaq on Wednesday was driven by a 1.9% fall in Facebook shares after U.S. regulators filed lawsuits alleging the company used its dominance to buy or crush rivals, harming competition. Meanwhile, S&P Dow Jones Indices said on Thursday it would remove ten Chinese companies from its equities indices and several others from its bond indices. This move comes after a Trump administration order to prohibit purchases by U.S. investors of certain Chinese securities. Index provider FTSE Russell did the same last week. Cautious trading in Asia came amid widespread uncertainty surrounding long-running U.S. pandemic relief negotiations and talks between Britain and the European Union over trade arrangements post Brexit. U.S. lawmakers approved a stopgap government funding bill on Wednesday, but were unable to sort out disagreements over aid to state and local governments that are holding up a broader spending package. British and EU leaders meanwhile gave themselves until the end of the weekend to seal a new trade pact, with some $1 trillion in annual trade at risk of tariffs if they can’t reach a deal by Dec. 31, when transition arrangements end. More https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-global-markets/stocks-take-a-breather-as-brexit-u-s-stimulus-talks-stall-idUKKBN28J3AR?il=0 Billionaire Shocked by Son’s Quick $50 Million Trading Loss By Jonathan Browning December 9, 2020, 11:06 AM GMT Updated on December 9, 2020, 1:35 PM GMT · Temur Akhmedov accused by mother of hiding assets in U.K. case · Akhmedov denies allegations, says he lost $50 million trading The son at the center of a $600 million divorce case in London said he felt he let his father down when he lost more than $50 million while day trading as a college student. Temur Akhmedov is testifying to counter accusations from his mother, who says he worked with his father, Farkhad Akhmedov, to hide assets after their divorce. Temur says he isn’t hiding the money, but instead lost much of it with bad trades. His father, a one-time fur trader who went on to amass a fortune running a gas producer in Siberia, was very angry when he found out about the trading loss, he said. “I suspected he was thinking that he would never have made the same mistakes that I had,” the 27-year-old said in a legal filing Wednesday. “To him, it was a shocking sum to have lost, especially so quickly.” Temur said he’d had some initial success and made a profit trading stocks, only to hit a losing streak while studying at the London School of Economics. When he tried to make back the money, “convinced this loss was just bad luck,” he increased his risk exposure and lost everything, he explained in court. What happened to Temur’s trading is key to the latest legal fight stemming from Britain’s largest divorce case. His mother, Tatiana, has said that Temur helped her former husband to move assets, including by trading large sums. But Temur, her eldest son, has insisted that she knew all about his losses. She is seeking to recover a 450 million-pound ($600 million) court-approved divorce payout. Farkhad Akhmedov has refused to pay, leaving Tatiana to pursue legal cases in at least six countries. Farkhad made much of his wealth from the $1.4 billion sale of his stake in a Russian gas producer in November 2012. His original fur trading business collapsed with the fall of the Soviet Union. More https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-09/gas-billionaire-shocked-by-son-s-quick-50-million-trading-loss Nasdaq records worst day since October as tech stocks fall Dec. 9, 2020 / 4:55 PM Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Tech stocks dragged the three major U.S. indexes down from record highs on Wednesday as the Nasdaq Composite marked its worst day since late October. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was the biggest loser on Wednesday as it fell 243.82 points, or 1.94%, its worst day since dropping 2.5% on Oct. 30. The S&P 500 dropped 29.43 points, or 0.79%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 105.07 points, or 0.35%. Salesforce dropped 3.21%, Apple stock fell 2.09% and Facebook slid 1.93% after the Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from 48 states filed a lawsuit against the company. The S&P's tech sector also fell 1.9% to drag the index lower. Food delivery service DoorDash saw its stock skyrocket 85% as it held its Initial Public Offering, giving it a market valuation of bout $60.2 billion. Markets fell from early gains after Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Republicans and Democrats in Congress were "still looking for a way forward" in negotiations for another round of financial aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday's losses came after all three major markets posted record highs on Tuesday, including the S&P topping 3,700 for the first time, largely in response to positive news surrounding a coronavirus vaccine. https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/12/09/Nasdaq-records-worst-day-since-October-as-tech-stocks-fall/9741607548168/ FTC, coalition of states accuse Facebook of monopoly in lawsuits Dec. 9, 2020 / 4:53 PM Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The Federal Trade Commission and a group of 48 states and territories filed lawsuits Wednesday accusing Facebook of anticompetitive conduct in its acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp. Though the FTC and attorneys general from the 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam worked together to investigate the company, they filed two separate lawsuits in federal courts. The FTC said Facebook, for years, engaged in a systematic strategy to eliminate any threats to its monopoly in the social media industry. In addition to purchasing competing products, the federal agency accused Facebook of imposing anticompetitive conditions on software developers. "Personal social networking is central to the lives of millions of Americans," said Ian Conner, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition. "Facebook's actions to entrench and maintain its monopoly deny consumers the benefits of competition. Our aim is to roll back Facebook's anticompetitive conduct and restore competition so that innovation and free competition can thrive." The company is asking the courts to force Facebook to divest itself of assets, which could include Instagram and WhatsApp; prevent the company from certain conditions on software developers; and require the company to seek approval before future mergers and acquisitions. New York Attorney General Letitia James' office described Facebook's acquisitions as "predatory." "For nearly a decade, Facebook has used its dominance and monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users," she said. RELATED Top cybersecurity firm FireEye hacked by nation-state "Instead of competing on the merits, Facebook used its power to suppress competition so it could take advantage of users and make billions by converting personal data into a cash cow. Almost every state in this nation has joined this bipartisan lawsuit because Facebook's efforts to dominate the market were as illegal as they were harmful." Facebook said it's reviewing the complaints and would issue a full statement at a future time. More https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/12/09/FTC-coalition-of-states-accuse-Facebook-of-monopoly-in-lawsuits/4221607545747/ Winter Watch. From around mid-October, the northern hemisphere snow cover usually rapidly expands, while the Arctic ice gradually expands back towards its winter maximum. Over simplified, a rapid expansion of both, especially if early, can be a sign of a harsher than normal arriving northern hemisphere winter. Perhaps more so in 2020-2021 as we’re in the low of the ending sunspot cycle, which possibly also influenced this year’s record Atlantic hurricane season. Update: we seem to have started new sunspot cycle 25 this month , though it’s unlikely to affect 2020-2021s coming winter. Northern Eur-Asia turned snowy fast in mid-October. The Arctic sea ice expansion was slow, and from a very low level at the end of September, but with the vastly expanded snow cover, sea ice formation sped up. With the Laptev sea ice back to normal at the end of November I think that it will likely be a normal to slightly warmer winter ahead for western Europe. The failure of the Kara Sea ice to return to normal, leads me to bet on a warmer western European winter ahead. Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice. http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/ https://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/ims/ims_gif/DATA/cursnow_asiaeurope.gif Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists. John Kenneth Galbraith Covid-19 Corner This section will continue until it becomes unneeded. Today, vaccinate in haste repent at leisure. Vaccination by press release with no long term studies in animals nor humans. What could possibly go wrong? UK issues anaphylaxis warning on Pfizer vaccine after adverse reactions December 9, 2020 11:18 AM By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s medicine regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a medicine or food should not get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, giving fuller guidance on an earlier allergy warning about the shot. Starting with the elderly and frontline workers, Britain began mass vaccinating its population on Tuesday, part of a global drive that poses one of the biggest logistical challenges in peacetime history. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there had been two reports of anaphylaxis and one report of a possible allergic reaction since rollout began. “Any person with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine,” MHRA Chief Executive June Raine said in a statement. “Most people will not get anaphylaxis and the benefits in protecting people against COVID-19 outweigh the risks... You can be completely confident that this vaccine has met the MHRA’s robust standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.” Anaphylaxis is an overreaction of the body’s immune system, which the National Health Service describes as severe and sometimes life-threatening. The fuller guidance, clarifying that the main risk was from anaphylaxis specifically, was issued after consulting experts on allergies. The MHRA had initially advised anyone with a history of a “significant allergic reaction” not to take the shot. Pfizer and BioNTech said they were supporting the MHRA’s investigation. Last week, Britain’s MHRA became the first in the world to approve the vaccine, developed by Germany’s BioNTech and Pfizer, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) continue to assess the data. A top U.S. official said on Wednesday that Americans with known severe allergic reactions may not be candidates for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine until more was understood about what had happened. Canada’s health ministry said it would look at the reported adverse reactions in Britain, but said adverse events were to be expected and would not necessarily change the risk/benefit of the shot, after the country approved the vaccine. More https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-vaccine/uk-issues-anaphylaxis-warning-on-pfizer-vaccine-after-adverse-reactions-idUKKBN28J1DX South Korea scrambles to build container hospital beds to combat third COVID-19 wave December 10, 2020 3:34 AM By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea authorities scrambled on Thursday to build hospital beds in shipping containers to ease strains on medical facilities stretched by the latest coronavirus wave, which shows little sign of abating with 682 new cases. The resurgence of infections has rekindled concerns about an acute shortage of hospital beds, prompting Seoul city to begin installing container beds for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Health authorities plan to step up testing by launching temporary sites at some 150 locations across the greater Seoul area. “We’re in a critical situation where our anti-virus efforts and medical system’s capacity could reach their limits before long,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told a meeting, vowing to mobilise all available resources. “Above all, we will secure sufficient treatment centres and hospital beds for critical cases so that they can receive proper treatment in a timely manner.” In Seoul, with a population of 10 million, only around 3% of hospital beds were available for severe cases, and 17% for all patients, according to Park Yoo-mi, a quarantine officer at the city government. The city has dispatched 50 epidemiological investigators to 25 districts to help track down potential patients, in addition to 10 sent from the central government, Park said. A total of 274 military and police officers and other administrative staff will also be mobilised for epidemiological surveys starting Friday, she added. More https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-healthcare-coronavirus-southkorea/south-korea-scrambles-to-build-container-hospital-beds-to-combat-third-covid-19-wave-idUKKBN28K09W?il=0 UAE says Chinese vaccine 86% effective, offers few details By JON GAMBRELL December 9, 2020 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday a Chinese coronavirus vaccine tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, in a statement that provided few details but marked the first public release of information on the efficacy of the shot. The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, conducted a trial beginning in September of the vaccine by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm involving 31,000 volunteers from 125 nations. Volunteers between 18 and 60 years old received two doses of the vaccine over 28 days. The UAE’s Health and Prevention Ministry announced the results via a statement on the state-run WAM news agency, saying they “have reviewed Sinopharm CNBG’s interim analysis of the Phase III trials.” “The analysis shows no serious safety concerns,” the statement said, without detailing whether any participant suffered side effects. It wasn’t immediately clear if the announced results included only those taking part in the testing in the UAE or if they also include results from China and elsewhere. The statement described the vaccine as receiving “official registration” without elaborating on what that meant. Emirati officials and Sinopharm did not be immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press. However, calls Wednesday to SEHA, the Abu Dhabi health authority, included an option for individuals to schedule an appointment to receive a “COVID-19 vaccine.” The center was swamped with calls following the announcement on the vaccine’s efficacy. The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine. More https://apnews.com/article/technology-dubai-united-arab-emirates-abu-dhabi-coronavirus-pandemic-7450361e298f2536b221e953be12a177 'This was a gift to us': Ivermectin effective for COVID-19 prophylaxis, treatment By Erin Michael December 08, 2020 Numerous studies have provided evidence supporting the use of ivermectin to prevent and treat COVID-19, according to the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance. Paul Marik, MD, FCCM, FCCP, founder of the alliance and a professor and chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said that ivermectin “is a safe drug that is exceedingly cheap.” He added that “what is truly remarkable — this was a gift to us — ivermectin has high activity against COVID-19.” In a press conference, researchers said that ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug that has been available for approximately 40 years and previously earned researchers a Nobel Prize. Ivermectin is a key factor in the alliance’s I-MASK+ protocol for prophylaxis and early treatment of outpatients with COVID-19. In the protocol, those at high risk for COVID-19 infection receive ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg on day 1 and day 3, and weekly for 4 weeks; those who were exposed to COVID-19 receive the same dose at day 1 and day 3; and both groups receive daily doses of vitamin D3, vitamin C, quercetin, zinc and melatonin. For early outpatients with COVID-19, the protocol calls for one dose of ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg at day 1 and day 3, along with the same daily vitamins and 325 mg per day of aspirin. During the press conference, Marik said that much of the data available on ivermectin in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 has been published since August, which was the last time the NIH updated its recommendations for the novel coronavirus. Thus far, Marik said, studies have indicated that ivermectin has demonstrated efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infection prior to and after exposure to COVID-19. He also said that it has been shown to effectively treat the virus in the early symptomatic stages and among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In a review of the literature, Marik and colleagues detailed all available clinical trial results on ivermectin in COVID-19 and concluded that the drug has benefits in preventing and treating COVID-19 infection. For instance, Marik and colleagues noted that a randomized controlled trial in Egypt found that among health care and household contacts of COVID-19 patients, just 2% of those who received ivermectin and wore PPE tested positive for the novel coronavirus, compared with 10% of contacts who were only given PPE. Marik and colleagues also described a randomized controlled trial of hospitalized patients that was done concurrently with the prophylaxis study. The trial included 400 patients split into four groups — two consisting of patients with mild to moderate illness and two consisting of severely ill patients. Patients with mild to moderate illness received one dose of ivermectin per day in addition to standard care or hydroxychloroquine twice a day in addition to standard care. The researchers determined that the rate of illness progression was significantly lower among those who received ivermectin (1% vs. 22%). Severely ill patients were assigned to receive standard care plus ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. The researchers determined that in addition to lower rates of COVID-19 illness progression in the ivermectin group (4% vs. 30%), the ivermectin group also had a lower mortality rate (2% vs. 20%). Pierre Kory, MD, MPA, an associate professor of medicine and a critical care physician at St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, said that in the days since their review was written, even more studies have been published supporting the use of ivermectin in patients with COVID-19. “All studies showed positive benefits — the majority showed a decrease in mortality, decreases in hospitalization,” Kory said. In light of the positive data on ivermectin in COVID-19, the researchers called on national and global health authorities — including the NIH, WHO and the CDC — to examine the data. “We are appealing to these national and global health authorities,” Marik said. “Please, review the data, and provide guidance to health care workers across the world so that they can prescribe this medication.” https://www.healio.com/news/primary-care/20201208/this-was-a-gift-to-us-ivermectin-effective-for-covid19-prophylaxis-treatment Israeli researchers note possible link between Parkinson's and COVID-19 "We diagnosed parkinsonism, meeting the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale criteria for the diagnosis of probable Parkinson's disease," researchers explained. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 9, 2020 07:06 Israeli researchers have noted a possible connection between a novel coronavirus infection and the early onset of Parkinson's disease, based off the data of a Ashkenazi-Jewish man who was hospitalized at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital in Ashdod. The 45-year-old man was initially hospitalized with a dry cough and muscle pain - the patient also reported a loss of smell. He was admitted two days after returning from Israel after being abroad in the USA. The patient believes he contracted the virus on the plane as he reported a passenger coughing repeatedly behind him. Via PCR testing he was found positive for SARS-CoV-2, the scientific term for the novel coronavirus - he had two underlying conditions: hypertension and asthma. He was treated for three days at the hospital, mainly for his asthma with salbutamol inhalations with no need for invasive treatments such as oxygen assistance via a ventilator or oxygen supplementation. His only other symptoms were fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain; no fever. The patient was then released into isolation following his three-day stint in the hospital. During his three-week isolation, the patient "noticed that his handwriting had changed and become smaller and less readable than previously. He started having difficulties speaking and writing text messages on his mobile phone. He also had episodes of tremor in his right hand," the researchers said. Two months following his initial positive coronavirus diagnosis, the patient was admitted to the Department of Neurology at Shaare Zedek Medical Center after his Parkinson's-like symptoms failed to subside. "On examination, the patient had hypomimia and hypophonic fluent speech. He had moderate cogwheel rigidity in the neck and in the right arm, mild cogwheel rigidity in the left arm, moderate bradykinesia in the right extremities, mild bradykinesia in the left extremities, and no tremor," the researchers said. "His gait was slightly slow, with no right arm swing, and the elbow appeared to be in flexion during walking but with normal step length and height. More https://www.jpost.com/health-science/israeli-researchers-note-possible-link-between-parkinsons-and-covid-19-644153?draft=true Next, some vaccine links kindly sent along from a LIR reader in Canada. The links come from a most informative update from Stanford Hospital in California. World Health Organization - Landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines NY Times Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html Stanford Website. https://racetoacure.stanford.edu/clinical-trials/132 Regulatory Focus COVID-19 vaccine tracker. https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/3/covid-19-vaccine-tracker Some other useful Covid links. Johns Hopkins Coronavirus resource centre https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html Rt Covid-19 https://rt.live/ Covid19info.live https://wuflu.live/ Centers for Disease Control Coronavirus https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html The Spectator Covid-19 data tracker (UK) https://data.spectator.co.uk/city/national Technology Update. With events happening fast in the development of solar power and graphene, I’ve added this section. Updates as they get reported. Is converting sunlight to usable cheap AC or DC energy mankind’s future from the 21st century onwards. Battery startup backed by Bill Gates claims major breakthrough By Aaron Pressman December 8, 2020 12:00 PM GMT QuantumScape, a battery startup backed by Bill Gates and Volkswagen, said its new technology is on track to be able to power cheap, long-range electric vehicles within four years. The company’s lithium-metal battery offered greater capacity in testing than similar-size current lithium-ion batteries, could recharge more quickly, and could operate at low temperatures, the company said Tuesday. The battery could also be recharged repeatedly without degrading, avoiding a common problem with batteries. QuantumScape argued that its technology would be cheaper for car manufacturers and provide cars with power over a longer period of time. If the company can manufacture the new batteries in large numbers, they could displace the lithium-ion batteries currently used by companies like Tesla and Chevrolet. “That’s really our goal, to build a battery that could help EVs become more mainstream,” CEO Jagdeep Singh told Fortune. “The potential now exists for this technology to make its way into real cars on real roads within the next few years.” Still, the demonstrations were carried out on a small version of QuantumScape’s battery, about the size of a thick playing card, instead of the hefty battery packs used in cars. The company must still prove that it can manufacture larger batteries and in high quantities. Volkswagen has agreed to invest up to $300 million in the startup, taken an ownership stake, and also agreed to partner with QuantumScape on a manufacturing joint venture. Volkswagen has said it’s looking to produce car batteries with QuantumScape’s technology in 2025. For QuantumScape, ramping up production will take time. If all goes as planned, it expects revenue to grow gradually from $39 million in 2025 to $275 million in 2026 to $3.2 billion in 2027. “We’d love it to be faster than that, but the reality is you can’t,” Singh said. “Where we are today is, we’ve got the materials, we’ve shown they work, and now we need a good team that knows what it’s doing scaling up production and building factories.” QuantumScape appears to be taking the lead in a crowded field. A number of startups are working to improve batteries as are the big automakers. Tesla said in September that planned modifications to its batteries will lower costs and increase range without requiring new technology. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously made big promises about batteries and then failed to achieve them. One of QuantumScape’s key innovations is to replace the liquid in today’s lithium-ion batteries with a strip of metal. That makes the batteries smaller and is supposed to make them safer, since the liquid in today’s batteries is combustible. In its demonstrations, QuantumScape said it was able to recharge a depleted battery to 80% full in just 15 minutes, about one-third the time required by today’s EV batteries. It also ran the battery at temperatures as low as –30 degrees Celsius. And the company frequently recharged the battery over time to show that it could power a car over hundreds of thousands of miles, just as good as today’s battery technology. QuantumScape went public last month by merging with a special purpose acquisition company called Kensington Capital Acquisition. That has drawn additional scrutiny, since other companies that have used the technique, like emission-free vehicle builder Nikola, later ran into problems. But QuantumScape appears to be on firmer ground since it has already been working with Volkswagen for several years and has filed copies of its signed agreements with the major manufacturer with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nikola did not have a signed deal with General Motors when it announced its partnership, and GM ultimately backed out of investing in the startup. Also, unlike some other hyped startups that later ran into trouble, outside experts have been able to assess QuantumScape’s new technology. More https://fortune.com/2020/12/08/quantumscape-battery-lithium-bill-gates/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosgenerate&stream=top In central banking as in diplomacy, style, conservative tailoring, and an easy association with the affluent count greatly and results far much less. John Kenneth Galbraith
December 9, 2020 11:18 AM By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s medicine regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a medicine or food should not get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, giving fuller guidance on an earlier allergy warning about the shot. Starting with the elderly and frontline workers, Britain began mass vaccinating its population on Tuesday, part of a global drive that poses one of the biggest logistical challenges in peacetime history. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there had been two reports of anaphylaxis and one report of a possible allergic reaction since rollout began. “Any person with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine,” MHRA Chief Executive June Raine said in a statement. “Most people will not get anaphylaxis and the benefits in protecting people against COVID-19 outweigh the risks... You can be completely confident that this vaccine has met the MHRA’s robust standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.” Anaphylaxis is an overreaction of the body’s immune system, which the National Health Service describes as severe and sometimes life-threatening. The fuller guidance, clarifying that the main risk was from anaphylaxis specifically, was issued after consulting experts on allergies. The MHRA had initially advised anyone with a history of a “significant allergic reaction” not to take the shot. Pfizer and BioNTech said they were supporting the MHRA’s investigation. Last week, Britain’s MHRA became the first in the world to approve the vaccine, developed by Germany’s BioNTech and Pfizer, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) continue to assess the data. A top U.S. official said on Wednesday that Americans with known severe allergic reactions may not be candidates for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine until more was understood about what had happened. Canada’s health ministry said it would look at the reported adverse reactions in Britain, but said adverse events were to be expected and would not necessarily change the risk/benefit of the shot, after the country approved the vaccine. More https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-vaccine/uk-issues-anaphylaxis-warning-on-pfizer-vaccine-after-adverse-reactions-idUKKBN28J1DX South Korea scrambles to build container hospital beds to combat third COVID-19 wave December 10, 2020 3:34 AM By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea authorities scrambled on Thursday to build hospital beds in shipping containers to ease strains on medical facilities stretched by the latest coronavirus wave, which shows little sign of abating with 682 new cases. The resurgence of infections has rekindled concerns about an acute shortage of hospital beds, prompting Seoul city to begin installing container beds for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Health authorities plan to step up testing by launching temporary sites at some 150 locations across the greater Seoul area. “We’re in a critical situation where our anti-virus efforts and medical system’s capacity could reach their limits before long,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told a meeting, vowing to mobilise all available resources. “Above all, we will secure sufficient treatment centres and hospital beds for critical cases so that they can receive proper treatment in a timely manner.” In Seoul, with a population of 10 million, only around 3% of hospital beds were available for severe cases, and 17% for all patients, according to Park Yoo-mi, a quarantine officer at the city government. The city has dispatched 50 epidemiological investigators to 25 districts to help track down potential patients, in addition to 10 sent from the central government, Park said. A total of 274 military and police officers and other administrative staff will also be mobilised for epidemiological surveys starting Friday, she added. More https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-healthcare-coronavirus-southkorea/south-korea-scrambles-to-build-container-hospital-beds-to-combat-third-covid-19-wave-idUKKBN28K09W?il=0 UAE says Chinese vaccine 86% effective, offers few details By JON GAMBRELL December 9, 2020 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday a Chinese coronavirus vaccine tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, in a statement that provided few details but marked the first public release of information on the efficacy of the shot. The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, conducted a trial beginning in September of the vaccine by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm involving 31,000 volunteers from 125 nations. Volunteers between 18 and 60 years old received two doses of the vaccine over 28 days. The UAE’s Health and Prevention Ministry announced the results via a statement on the state-run WAM news agency, saying they “have reviewed Sinopharm CNBG’s interim analysis of the Phase III trials.” “The analysis shows no serious safety concerns,” the statement said, without detailing whether any participant suffered side effects. It wasn’t immediately clear if the announced results included only those taking part in the testing in the UAE or if they also include results from China and elsewhere. The statement described the vaccine as receiving “official registration” without elaborating on what that meant. Emirati officials and Sinopharm did not be immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press. However, calls Wednesday to SEHA, the Abu Dhabi health authority, included an option for individuals to schedule an appointment to receive a “COVID-19 vaccine.” The center was swamped with calls following the announcement on the vaccine’s efficacy. The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine. More https://apnews.com/article/technology-dubai-united-arab-emirates-abu-dhabi-coronavirus-pandemic-7450361e298f2536b221e953be12a177 'This was a gift to us': Ivermectin effective for COVID-19 prophylaxis, treatment By Erin Michael December 08, 2020 Numerous studies have provided evidence supporting the use of ivermectin to prevent and treat COVID-19, according to the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance. Paul Marik, MD, FCCM, FCCP, founder of the alliance and a professor and chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said that ivermectin “is a safe drug that is exceedingly cheap.” He added that “what is truly remarkable — this was a gift to us — ivermectin has high activity against COVID-19.” In a press conference, researchers said that ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug that has been available for approximately 40 years and previously earned researchers a Nobel Prize. Ivermectin is a key factor in the alliance’s I-MASK+ protocol for prophylaxis and early treatment of outpatients with COVID-19. In the protocol, those at high risk for COVID-19 infection receive ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg on day 1 and day 3, and weekly for 4 weeks; those who were exposed to COVID-19 receive the same dose at day 1 and day 3; and both groups receive daily doses of vitamin D3, vitamin C, quercetin, zinc and melatonin. For early outpatients with COVID-19, the protocol calls for one dose of ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg at day 1 and day 3, along with the same daily vitamins and 325 mg per day of aspirin. During the press conference, Marik said that much of the data available on ivermectin in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 has been published since August, which was the last time the NIH updated its recommendations for the novel coronavirus. Thus far, Marik said, studies have indicated that ivermectin has demonstrated efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infection prior to and after exposure to COVID-19. He also said that it has been shown to effectively treat the virus in the early symptomatic stages and among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In a review of the literature, Marik and colleagues detailed all available clinical trial results on ivermectin in COVID-19 and concluded that the drug has benefits in preventing and treating COVID-19 infection. For instance, Marik and colleagues noted that a randomized controlled trial in Egypt found that among health care and household contacts of COVID-19 patients, just 2% of those who received ivermectin and wore PPE tested positive for the novel coronavirus, compared with 10% of contacts who were only given PPE. Marik and colleagues also described a randomized controlled trial of hospitalized patients that was done concurrently with the prophylaxis study. The trial included 400 patients split into four groups — two consisting of patients with mild to moderate illness and two consisting of severely ill patients. Patients with mild to moderate illness received one dose of ivermectin per day in addition to standard care or hydroxychloroquine twice a day in addition to standard care. The researchers determined that the rate of illness progression was significantly lower among those who received ivermectin (1% vs. 22%). Severely ill patients were assigned to receive standard care plus ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. The researchers determined that in addition to lower rates of COVID-19 illness progression in the ivermectin group (4% vs. 30%), the ivermectin group also had a lower mortality rate (2% vs. 20%). Pierre Kory, MD, MPA, an associate professor of medicine and a critical care physician at St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, said that in the days since their review was written, even more studies have been published supporting the use of ivermectin in patients with COVID-19. “All studies showed positive benefits — the majority showed a decrease in mortality, decreases in hospitalization,” Kory said. In light of the positive data on ivermectin in COVID-19, the researchers called on national and global health authorities — including the NIH, WHO and the CDC — to examine the data. “We are appealing to these national and global health authorities,” Marik said. “Please, review the data, and provide guidance to health care workers across the world so that they can prescribe this medication.” https://www.healio.com/news/primary-care/20201208/this-was-a-gift-to-us-ivermectin-effective-for-covid19-prophylaxis-treatment Israeli researchers note possible link between Parkinson's and COVID-19 "We diagnosed parkinsonism, meeting the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale criteria for the diagnosis of probable Parkinson's disease," researchers explained. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 9, 2020 07:06 Israeli researchers have noted a possible connection between a novel coronavirus infection and the early onset of Parkinson's disease, based off the data of a Ashkenazi-Jewish man who was hospitalized at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital in Ashdod. The 45-year-old man was initially hospitalized with a dry cough and muscle pain - the patient also reported a loss of smell. He was admitted two days after returning from Israel after being abroad in the USA. The patient believes he contracted the virus on the plane as he reported a passenger coughing repeatedly behind him. Via PCR testing he was found positive for SARS-CoV-2, the scientific term for the novel coronavirus - he had two underlying conditions: hypertension and asthma. He was treated for three days at the hospital, mainly for his asthma with salbutamol inhalations with no need for invasive treatments such as oxygen assistance via a ventilator or oxygen supplementation. His only other symptoms were fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain; no fever. The patient was then released into isolation following his three-day stint in the hospital. During his three-week isolation, the patient "noticed that his handwriting had changed and become smaller and less readable than previously. He started having difficulties speaking and writing text messages on his mobile phone. He also had episodes of tremor in his right hand," the researchers said. Two months following his initial positive coronavirus diagnosis, the patient was admitted to the Department of Neurology at Shaare Zedek Medical Center after his Parkinson's-like symptoms failed to subside. "On examination, the patient had hypomimia and hypophonic fluent speech. He had moderate cogwheel rigidity in the neck and in the right arm, mild cogwheel rigidity in the left arm, moderate bradykinesia in the right extremities, mild bradykinesia in the left extremities, and no tremor," the researchers said. "His gait was slightly slow, with no right arm swing, and the elbow appeared to be in flexion during walking but with normal step length and height. More https://www.jpost.com/health-science/israeli-researchers-note-possible-link-between-parkinsons-and-covid-19-644153?draft=true Next, some vaccine links kindly sent along from a LIR reader in Canada. The links come from a most informative update from Stanford Hospital in California. World Health Organization - Landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines NY Times Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html Stanford Website. https://racetoacure.stanford.edu/clinical-trials/132 Regulatory Focus COVID-19 vaccine tracker. https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/3/covid-19-vaccine-tracker Some other useful Covid links. Johns Hopkins Coronavirus resource centre https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html Rt Covid-19 https://rt.live/ Covid19info.live https://wuflu.live/ Centers for Disease Control Coronavirus https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html The Spectator Covid-19 data tracker (UK) https://data.spectator.co.uk/city/national Technology Update. With events happening fast in the development of solar power and graphene, I’ve added this section. Updates as they get reported. Is converting sunlight to usable cheap AC or DC energy mankind’s future from the 21st century onwards. Battery startup backed by Bill Gates claims major breakthrough By Aaron Pressman December 8, 2020 12:00 PM GMT QuantumScape, a battery startup backed by Bill Gates and Volkswagen, said its new technology is on track to be able to power cheap, long-range electric vehicles within four years. The company’s lithium-metal battery offered greater capacity in testing than similar-size current lithium-ion batteries, could recharge more quickly, and could operate at low temperatures, the company said Tuesday. The battery could also be recharged repeatedly without degrading, avoiding a common problem with batteries. QuantumScape argued that its technology would be cheaper for car manufacturers and provide cars with power over a longer period of time. If the company can manufacture the new batteries in large numbers, they could displace the lithium-ion batteries currently used by companies like Tesla and Chevrolet. “That’s really our goal, to build a battery that could help EVs become more mainstream,” CEO Jagdeep Singh told Fortune. “The potential now exists for this technology to make its way into real cars on real roads within the next few years.” Still, the demonstrations were carried out on a small version of QuantumScape’s battery, about the size of a thick playing card, instead of the hefty battery packs used in cars. The company must still prove that it can manufacture larger batteries and in high quantities. Volkswagen has agreed to invest up to $300 million in the startup, taken an ownership stake, and also agreed to partner with QuantumScape on a manufacturing joint venture. Volkswagen has said it’s looking to produce car batteries with QuantumScape’s technology in 2025. For QuantumScape, ramping up production will take time. If all goes as planned, it expects revenue to grow gradually from $39 million in 2025 to $275 million in 2026 to $3.2 billion in 2027. “We’d love it to be faster than that, but the reality is you can’t,” Singh said. “Where we are today is, we’ve got the materials, we’ve shown they work, and now we need a good team that knows what it’s doing scaling up production and building factories.” QuantumScape appears to be taking the lead in a crowded field. A number of startups are working to improve batteries as are the big automakers. Tesla said in September that planned modifications to its batteries will lower costs and increase range without requiring new technology. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously made big promises about batteries and then failed to achieve them. One of QuantumScape’s key innovations is to replace the liquid in today’s lithium-ion batteries with a strip of metal. That makes the batteries smaller and is supposed to make them safer, since the liquid in today’s batteries is combustible. In its demonstrations, QuantumScape said it was able to recharge a depleted battery to 80% full in just 15 minutes, about one-third the time required by today’s EV batteries. It also ran the battery at temperatures as low as –30 degrees Celsius. And the company frequently recharged the battery over time to show that it could power a car over hundreds of thousands of miles, just as good as today’s battery technology. QuantumScape went public last month by merging with a special purpose acquisition company called Kensington Capital Acquisition. That has drawn additional scrutiny, since other companies that have used the technique, like emission-free vehicle builder Nikola, later ran into problems. But QuantumScape appears to be on firmer ground since it has already been working with Volkswagen for several years and has filed copies of its signed agreements with the major manufacturer with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nikola did not have a signed deal with General Motors when it announced its partnership, and GM ultimately backed out of investing in the startup. Also, unlike some other hyped startups that later ran into trouble, outside experts have been able to assess QuantumScape’s new technology. More https://fortune.com/2020/12/08/quantumscape-battery-lithium-bill-gates/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosgenerate&stream=top In central banking as in diplomacy, style, conservative tailoring, and an easy association with the affluent count greatly and results far much less. John Kenneth Galbraith
December 10, 2020 3:34 AM By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea authorities scrambled on Thursday to build hospital beds in shipping containers to ease strains on medical facilities stretched by the latest coronavirus wave, which shows little sign of abating with 682 new cases. The resurgence of infections has rekindled concerns about an acute shortage of hospital beds, prompting Seoul city to begin installing container beds for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Health authorities plan to step up testing by launching temporary sites at some 150 locations across the greater Seoul area. “We’re in a critical situation where our anti-virus efforts and medical system’s capacity could reach their limits before long,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told a meeting, vowing to mobilise all available resources. “Above all, we will secure sufficient treatment centres and hospital beds for critical cases so that they can receive proper treatment in a timely manner.” In Seoul, with a population of 10 million, only around 3% of hospital beds were available for severe cases, and 17% for all patients, according to Park Yoo-mi, a quarantine officer at the city government. The city has dispatched 50 epidemiological investigators to 25 districts to help track down potential patients, in addition to 10 sent from the central government, Park said. A total of 274 military and police officers and other administrative staff will also be mobilised for epidemiological surveys starting Friday, she added. More https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-healthcare-coronavirus-southkorea/south-korea-scrambles-to-build-container-hospital-beds-to-combat-third-covid-19-wave-idUKKBN28K09W?il=0 UAE says Chinese vaccine 86% effective, offers few details By JON GAMBRELL December 9, 2020 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday a Chinese coronavirus vaccine tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, in a statement that provided few details but marked the first public release of information on the efficacy of the shot. The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, conducted a trial beginning in September of the vaccine by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm involving 31,000 volunteers from 125 nations. Volunteers between 18 and 60 years old received two doses of the vaccine over 28 days. The UAE’s Health and Prevention Ministry announced the results via a statement on the state-run WAM news agency, saying they “have reviewed Sinopharm CNBG’s interim analysis of the Phase III trials.” “The analysis shows no serious safety concerns,” the statement said, without detailing whether any participant suffered side effects. It wasn’t immediately clear if the announced results included only those taking part in the testing in the UAE or if they also include results from China and elsewhere. The statement described the vaccine as receiving “official registration” without elaborating on what that meant. Emirati officials and Sinopharm did not be immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press. However, calls Wednesday to SEHA, the Abu Dhabi health authority, included an option for individuals to schedule an appointment to receive a “COVID-19 vaccine.” The center was swamped with calls following the announcement on the vaccine’s efficacy. The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine. More https://apnews.com/article/technology-dubai-united-arab-emirates-abu-dhabi-coronavirus-pandemic-7450361e298f2536b221e953be12a177 'This was a gift to us': Ivermectin effective for COVID-19 prophylaxis, treatment By Erin Michael December 08, 2020 Numerous studies have provided evidence supporting the use of ivermectin to prevent and treat COVID-19, according to the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance. Paul Marik, MD, FCCM, FCCP, founder of the alliance and a professor and chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said that ivermectin “is a safe drug that is exceedingly cheap.” He added that “what is truly remarkable — this was a gift to us — ivermectin has high activity against COVID-19.” In a press conference, researchers said that ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug that has been available for approximately 40 years and previously earned researchers a Nobel Prize. Ivermectin is a key factor in the alliance’s I-MASK+ protocol for prophylaxis and early treatment of outpatients with COVID-19. In the protocol, those at high risk for COVID-19 infection receive ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg on day 1 and day 3, and weekly for 4 weeks; those who were exposed to COVID-19 receive the same dose at day 1 and day 3; and both groups receive daily doses of vitamin D3, vitamin C, quercetin, zinc and melatonin. For early outpatients with COVID-19, the protocol calls for one dose of ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg at day 1 and day 3, along with the same daily vitamins and 325 mg per day of aspirin. During the press conference, Marik said that much of the data available on ivermectin in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 has been published since August, which was the last time the NIH updated its recommendations for the novel coronavirus. Thus far, Marik said, studies have indicated that ivermectin has demonstrated efficacy in preventing COVID-19 infection prior to and after exposure to COVID-19. He also said that it has been shown to effectively treat the virus in the early symptomatic stages and among patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In a review of the literature, Marik and colleagues detailed all available clinical trial results on ivermectin in COVID-19 and concluded that the drug has benefits in preventing and treating COVID-19 infection. For instance, Marik and colleagues noted that a randomized controlled trial in Egypt found that among health care and household contacts of COVID-19 patients, just 2% of those who received ivermectin and wore PPE tested positive for the novel coronavirus, compared with 10% of contacts who were only given PPE. Marik and colleagues also described a randomized controlled trial of hospitalized patients that was done concurrently with the prophylaxis study. The trial included 400 patients split into four groups — two consisting of patients with mild to moderate illness and two consisting of severely ill patients. Patients with mild to moderate illness received one dose of ivermectin per day in addition to standard care or hydroxychloroquine twice a day in addition to standard care. The researchers determined that the rate of illness progression was significantly lower among those who received ivermectin (1% vs. 22%). Severely ill patients were assigned to receive standard care plus ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. The researchers determined that in addition to lower rates of COVID-19 illness progression in the ivermectin group (4% vs. 30%), the ivermectin group also had a lower mortality rate (2% vs. 20%). Pierre Kory, MD, MPA, an associate professor of medicine and a critical care physician at St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, said that in the days since their review was written, even more studies have been published supporting the use of ivermectin in patients with COVID-19. “All studies showed positive benefits — the majority showed a decrease in mortality, decreases in hospitalization,” Kory said. In light of the positive data on ivermectin in COVID-19, the researchers called on national and global health authorities — including the NIH, WHO and the CDC — to examine the data. “We are appealing to these national and global health authorities,” Marik said. “Please, review the data, and provide guidance to health care workers across the world so that they can prescribe this medication.” https://www.healio.com/news/primary-care/20201208/this-was-a-gift-to-us-ivermectin-effective-for-covid19-prophylaxis-treatment Israeli researchers note possible link between Parkinson's and COVID-19 "We diagnosed parkinsonism, meeting the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale criteria for the diagnosis of probable Parkinson's disease," researchers explained. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 9, 2020 07:06 Israeli researchers have noted a possible connection between a novel coronavirus infection and the early onset of Parkinson's disease, based off the data of a Ashkenazi-Jewish man who was hospitalized at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital in Ashdod. The 45-year-old man was initially hospitalized with a dry cough and muscle pain - the patient also reported a loss of smell. He was admitted two days after returning from Israel after being abroad in the USA. The patient believes he contracted the virus on the plane as he reported a passenger coughing repeatedly behind him. Via PCR testing he was found positive for SARS-CoV-2, the scientific term for the novel coronavirus - he had two underlying conditions: hypertension and asthma. He was treated for three days at the hospital, mainly for his asthma with salbutamol inhalations with no need for invasive treatments such as oxygen assistance via a ventilator or oxygen supplementation. His only other symptoms were fatigue, shortness of breath and chest pain; no fever. The patient was then released into isolation following his three-day stint in the hospital. During his three-week isolation, the patient "noticed that his handwriting had changed and become smaller and less readable than previously. He started having difficulties speaking and writing text messages on his mobile phone. He also had episodes of tremor in his right hand," the researchers said. Two months following his initial positive coronavirus diagnosis, the patient was admitted to the Department of Neurology at Shaare Zedek Medical Center after his Parkinson's-like symptoms failed to subside. "On examination, the patient had hypomimia and hypophonic fluent speech. He had moderate cogwheel rigidity in the neck and in the right arm, mild cogwheel rigidity in the left arm, moderate bradykinesia in the right extremities, mild bradykinesia in the left extremities, and no tremor," the researchers said. "His gait was slightly slow, with no right arm swing, and the elbow appeared to be in flexion during walking but with normal step length and height. More https://www.jpost.com/health-science/israeli-researchers-note-possible-link-between-parkinsons-and-covid-19-644153?draft=true Next, some vaccine links kindly sent along from a LIR reader in Canada. The links come from a most informative update from Stanford Hospital in California. World Health Organization - Landscape of COVID-19 candidate vaccines. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/draft-landscape-of-covid-19-candidate-vaccines NY Times Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html Stanford Website. https://racetoacure.stanford.edu/clinical-trials/132 Regulatory Focus COVID-19 vaccine tracker. https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/3/covid-19-vaccine-tracker Some other useful Covid links. Johns Hopkins Coronavirus resource centre https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html Rt Covid-19 https://rt.live/ Covid19info.live https://wuflu.live/ Centers for Disease Control Coronavirus https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html The Spectator Covid-19 data tracker (UK) https://data.spectator.co.uk/city/national Technology Update. With events happening fast in the development of solar power and graphene, I’ve added this section. Updates as they get reported. Is converting sunlight to usable cheap AC or DC energy mankind’s future from the 21st century onwards. Battery startup backed by Bill Gates claims major breakthrough By Aaron Pressman December 8, 2020 12:00 PM GMT QuantumScape, a battery startup backed by Bill Gates and Volkswagen, said its new technology is on track to be able to power cheap, long-range electric vehicles within four years. The company’s lithium-metal battery offered greater capacity in testing than similar-size current lithium-ion batteries, could recharge more quickly, and could operate at low temperatures, the company said Tuesday. The battery could also be recharged repeatedly without degrading, avoiding a common problem with batteries. QuantumScape argued that its technology would be cheaper for car manufacturers and provide cars with power over a longer period of time. If the company can manufacture the new batteries in large numbers, they could displace the lithium-ion batteries currently used by companies like Tesla and Chevrolet. “That’s really our goal, to build a battery that could help EVs become more mainstream,” CEO Jagdeep Singh told Fortune. “The potential now exists for this technology to make its way into real cars on real roads within the next few years.” Still, the demonstrations were carried out on a small version of QuantumScape’s battery, about the size of a thick playing card, instead of the hefty battery packs used in cars. The company must still prove that it can manufacture larger batteries and in high quantities. Volkswagen has agreed to invest up to $300 million in the startup, taken an ownership stake, and also agreed to partner with QuantumScape on a manufacturing joint venture. Volkswagen has said it’s looking to produce car batteries with QuantumScape’s technology in 2025. For QuantumScape, ramping up production will take time. If all goes as planned, it expects revenue to grow gradually from $39 million in 2025 to $275 million in 2026 to $3.2 billion in 2027. “We’d love it to be faster than that, but the reality is you can’t,” Singh said. “Where we are today is, we’ve got the materials, we’ve shown they work, and now we need a good team that knows what it’s doing scaling up production and building factories.” QuantumScape appears to be taking the lead in a crowded field. A number of startups are working to improve batteries as are the big automakers. Tesla said in September that planned modifications to its batteries will lower costs and increase range without requiring new technology. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously made big promises about batteries and then failed to achieve them. One of QuantumScape’s key innovations is to replace the liquid in today’s lithium-ion batteries with a strip of metal. That makes the batteries smaller and is supposed to make them safer, since the liquid in today’s batteries is combustible. In its demonstrations, QuantumScape said it was able to recharge a depleted battery to 80% full in just 15 minutes, about one-third the time required by today’s EV batteries. It also ran the battery at temperatures as low as –30 degrees Celsius. And the company frequently recharged the battery over time to show that it could power a car over hundreds of thousands of miles, just as good as today’s battery technology. QuantumScape went public last month by merging with a special purpose acquisition company called Kensington Capital Acquisition. That has drawn additional scrutiny, since other companies that have used the technique, like emission-free vehicle builder Nikola, later ran into problems. But QuantumScape appears to be on firmer ground since it has already been working with Volkswagen for several years and has filed copies of its signed agreements with the major manufacturer with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nikola did not have a signed deal with General Motors when it announced its partnership, and GM ultimately backed out of investing in the startup. Also, unlike some other hyped startups that later ran into trouble, outside experts have been able to assess QuantumScape’s new technology. More https://fortune.com/2020/12/08/quantumscape-battery-lithium-bill-gates/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosgenerate&stream=top In central banking as in diplomacy, style, conservative tailoring, and an easy association with the affluent count greatly and results far much less. John Kenneth Galbraith
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