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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Reactance, morality, and disgust: The relationship between affective dispositions and compliance with official health recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic.</strong> -
<div>
Emergency situations require individuals to make important changes in their behavior. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, official recommendations to avoid the spread of the virus include costly behaviors such as self-quarantining or drastically diminishing social contacts. Compliance (or lack thereof) with these recommendations is a controversial and divisive topic, and lay hypotheses abound regarding what underlies this divide. This paper investigates which psychological traits separate people who comply with official recommendations from those who don’t. In four pre-registered studies on both U.S. and French samples, we found that individuals’ self-reported compliance with official recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic was partly driven by individual differences in moral values, disgust sensitivity, and psychological reactance. We discuss the limitations of our studies and suggest possible applications in the context of health communication.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/5zrqx/" target="_blank">Reactance, morality, and disgust: The relationship between affective dispositions and compliance with official health recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic.</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Fatigue symptoms associated with COVID-19 in convalescent or recovered COVID-19 patients; a systematic review and meta-analysis</strong> -
<div>
Background The prevalence and prognosis of post-acute stage SARS-CoV-2 infection fatigue symptoms remain largely unknown. Aims We performed a systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of fatigue in post-recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Method Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, trial registries, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Google Scholar were searched for studies on fatigue in samples that recovered from PCR diagnosed COVID-19. Meta-analyses were conducted separately for each recruitment setting. Results We identified 39 studies with 8825 patients that recovered from COVID-19. Post-COVID-19 patients self-report of fatigue was higher compared to healthy controls (RR = 3.688, 95%CI [2.502, 5.436], p &lt; 0.001). Over 50% of patients discharged from inpatient care reported symptoms of fatigue during the first (ER = 0.517, 95%CI [0.278, 0.749]) and second month following recovery (ER = 0.527, 95%CI [0.337, 0.709]). 10% of the community patients reported fatigue in the first month post-recovery. Patient setting moderated the association between COVID-19 recovery and fatigue symptoms (R2 = 0.12, p &lt; 0.001). Female gender was associated with greater self-report of fatigue (OR =1.782, 95%CI [1.531, 2.870]). Patients recruited through social media had fatigue above 90% across multiple time points. Fatigue was highest in studies from Europe. Conclusion Fatigue is a symptom associated with functional challenges which could have economic and social impacts. Developing long-term planning for fatigue management amongst patients beyond acute stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection is essential to optimizing patient care and public health outcomes.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/c4w7p/" target="_blank">Fatigue symptoms associated with COVID-19 in convalescent or recovered COVID-19 patients; a systematic review and meta-analysis</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Precaution &amp; Safety Methods for Hospital Duty During covid-19 Pandemic Era for Healthcare Workers of Bihar, India: A protective &amp; Supportive Approach</strong> -
<div>
The current ongoing coronavirus pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2/covid-19/novel coronavirus is an acute infectious communicable disease spreading mainly via respiratory, eye, mouth and other possible routes from person to person as well as through contact with infected non living objects. Added to previous global burden of NCDs (non communicable diseases) &amp; other communicable diseases this new pandemic burden of covid-19 pandemic have put a stress on already overstressed health system of India particularly poor states like Bihar. The delivery of health services is of utmost importance and prime concern in India particularly poor states like Bihar due to high population load with limited resources, poor infrastructure and huge demand on healthcare system. The Healthcare workers (HCWs) are particularly vulnerable group hence this topic needs essential attention and protection. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had presented a challenge even for developed healthcare systems around the world. A sense of fear gripped the whole world due to pandemic and India is not an exception. The scarce healthcare resources including manpower, infrastructure, transportation (ambulance services) etc. have been largely deployed to tackle the situation of pandemic of Covid-19. This shift &amp; covid-19 pandemic has tremendous and detrimental effects on HCWs. The healthcare workers of India as well as Bihar are getting frequently infected leading to death of thousands of healthcare workers till date. Although there are several guidelines issued for precaution and safety at workplace by WHO (world Health Organization) &amp; several accredited organizations but a protective and supportive approach from local management and governance is need of the hour. It seems that there is failure of protective and preventive measures at workplace documented and evidenced by several deaths of healthcare workers. Consequently it is apparent from above scenario to ensure the health and safety of healthcare workers in order to control the outbreak and decrease panic and fear among healthcare workers. In this article I am sharing methods and various ways for protecting healthcare workers (HCWs) while having hospital duties as well as policy makers and management people can also find this article useful while making policies for protecting and safeguarding HCWs. This article aims to reduce incidence/prevalence as well as mortality and morbidity of HCWs in Bihar by suggesting important precautions, preventive measures and other facts to be adopted by healthcare workers at workplace as well as drawing attention of policy maker, important stakeholders and management people to provide protection to HCWs.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/ygaun/" target="_blank">Precaution &amp; Safety Methods for Hospital Duty During covid-19 Pandemic Era for Healthcare Workers of Bihar, India: A protective &amp; Supportive Approach</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Immunophenotyping and machine learning identify distinct immunotypes that predict COVID-19 clinical severity</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Quantitative or qualitative differences in immunity may drive and predict clinical severity in COVID-19. We therefore measured modules of serum pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral cytokines in combination with the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody response in COVID-19 patients admitted to tertiary care. Using machine learning and employing unsupervised hierarchical clustering, agnostic to severity, we identified three distinct immunotypes that were shown post-clustering to predict very different clinical courses such as clinical improvement or clinical deterioration. Immunotypes did not associate chronologically with disease duration but rather reflect variations in the nature and kinetics of individual patient9s immune response. Here we demonstrate that immunophenotyping can stratify patients to high and low risk clinical subtypes, with distinct cytokine and antibody profiles, that can predict severity progression and guide personalized therapy.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.07.21256531v1" target="_blank">Immunophenotyping and machine learning identify distinct immunotypes that predict COVID-19 clinical severity</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A Prenylated dsRNA Sensor Protects Against Severe COVID-19 and is Absent in Horseshoe Bats</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Cell autonomous antiviral defenses can inhibit the replication of viruses and reduce transmission and disease severity. To better understand the antiviral response to SARS-CoV-2, we used interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression screening to reveal that OAS1, through RNase L, potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2. We show that while some people can express a prenylated OAS1 variant, that is membrane-associated and blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection, other people express a cytosolic, nonprenylated OAS1 variant which does not detect SARS-CoV-2 (determined by the splice-acceptor SNP Rs10774671). Alleles encoding nonprenylated OAS1 predominate except in people of African descent. Importantly, in hospitalized patients, expression of prenylated OAS1 was associated with protection from severe COVID-19, suggesting this antiviral defense is a major component of a protective antiviral response. Remarkably, approximately 55 million years ago, retrotransposition ablated the OAS1 prenylation signal in horseshoe bats (the presumed source of SARS-CoV-2). Thus, SARS-CoV-2 never had to adapt to evade this defense. As prenylated OAS1 is widespread in animals, the billions of people that lack a prenylated OAS1 could make humans particularly vulnerable to the spillover of coronaviruses from horseshoe bats.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.05.21256681v1" target="_blank">A Prenylated dsRNA Sensor Protects Against Severe COVID-19 and is Absent in Horseshoe Bats</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections among adults in Georgia, USA, August-December 2020</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Reported COVID-19 cases underestimate the true number of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Data on all infections, including asymptomatic infection, are needed to guide state testing and prevention programs. To minimize biases in estimates from seroprevalence surveys and reported cases, we conducted a state-wide probability survey of Georgia households and estimated cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections adjusted for antibody waning. Methods: From August to December 2020, we mailed kits to self-collect specimens (nasal swabs and blood spots) to a random sample of Georgia addresses. One randomly-selected adult household member completed a survey and returned specimens for virus and antibody testing. We estimated cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections adjusted for waning antibodies, reported fraction, and infection fatality ratio (IFR). Differences in seropositivity among demographic, geographic and clinical subgroups were explored with weighted prevalence ratios (PR). Results: Among 1,370 Georgia adult participants, adjusted cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 was 16.1% (95% credible interval (CrI): 13.5-19.2%) as of November 16, 2020. The reported fraction was 26.6% and IFR was 0.78%. Non-Hispanic Black (PR: 2.03, CI 1.0, 4.1) and Hispanic adults (PR: 1.98, CI 0.74, 5.31) were more likely than non-Hispanic White adults to be seropositive. Seropositivity in metropolitan Atlanta9s Fulton and DeKalb counties was similar to seropositivity elsewhere in Georgia (7.8% vs. 8.8%). Conclusions: As of mid-November 2020, one in 6 adults in Georgia had been infected with SARS-CoV-2. The scope of the COVID-19 epidemic in Georgia is likely substantially underestimated by reported cases.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.06.21256407v1" target="_blank">Cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections among adults in Georgia, USA, August-December 2020</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Estimating the Burden of Influenza on Daily Activity at Population Scale Using Commercial Wearable Sensors</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The severity of viral infections can vary widely, from asymptomatic cases to complications leading to hospitalizations and death. Milder cases, despite being more prevalent, often go undocumented and their public health impact unaccounted for. We estimated the burden of influenza-like-illness (ILI) by leveraging the widespread use of commercial activity trackers. Analysing data from 15,382 US participants who reported ILI symptoms during the 2018–2019 flu season (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and who had high-density wearable sensor data at symptom onset, we estimated an overall nationwide reduction in mobility equivalent to 257 billion steps lost due to ILI symptoms. This finding reflects significant changes in routines, mobility, and employment and is equivalent to 15% of the active US population becoming completely immobilized for 1 day. Moreover, ~60% of this impact occurred among individuals who sought no medical care, who would otherwise be invisible to healthcare and public health reporting systems. We validated our measure against self-reported measures of disease severity. We believe this method has applications for public health, healthcare, and clinical research, from estimating costs of lost productivity at population scale, to measuring effectiveness of anti-ILI treatments, to monitoring recovery after acute viral syndromes, such as during long COVID.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.06.21255083v1" target="_blank">Estimating the Burden of Influenza on Daily Activity at Population Scale Using Commercial Wearable Sensors</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A multicentric, randomized, controlled phase III study of centhaquine (Lyfaquin®) as a resuscitative agent in hypovolemic shock patients</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
INTRODUCTION: Centhaquine (Lyfaquin®) showed significant safety and efficacy in preclinical and clinical phase I and II studies. METHODS: A prospective, multicentric, randomized phase III study was conducted in patients with hypovolemic shock having systolic blood pressure (SBP) of ≤90 mm Hg and blood lactate levels of ≥2 mmol/L. Patients were randomized in a 2:1 ratio, 71 patients to the centhaquine group and 34 patients to the control (saline) group. Every patient received standard of care (SOC) and was followed for 28 days. The study drug (normal saline or centhaquine (0.01 mg/kg)) was administered in 100 mL of normal saline infusion over 1 hour. The primary objectives were to determine changes (mean through 48 hours) in SBP, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), blood lactate levels, and base deficit. The secondary objectives included the amount of fluids, blood products, vasopressors administered in the first 48 hours, duration of hospital stay, time in ICU, time on the ventilator support, change in patient9s Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) scores, and the proportion of patients with 28-day all-cause mortality. RESULTS: The demographics of patients and baseline vitals in both groups were comparable. Trauma was the cause of hypovolemic shock in 29.41% of control and 47.06% of centhaquine, gastroenteritis in 44.12% of control, and 29.41% of centhaquine patients. An equal amount of fluids and blood products were administered in both groups during the first 48 hours of resuscitation. A lesser amount of vasopressors was needed in the first 48 hours of resuscitation in the centhaquine group. An increase in SBP from the baseline was consistently higher in the centhaquine group than in the control. A significant increase in pulse pressure in the centhaquine group than the control group suggests improved stroke volume due to centhaquine. The shock index was significantly lower in the centhaquine group than control from 1 hour (p=0.0320) till 4 hours (p=0.0494) of resuscitation. Resuscitation with centhaquine had a significantly greater number of patients with improved blood lactate and the base deficit than the control group. ARDS and MODS improved with centhaquine, and an 8.8% absolute reduction in 28-day all-cause mortality was observed in the centhaquine group. CONCLUSION: Centhaquine is a highly efficacious resuscitative agent for treating hypovolemic shock. The efficacy of centhaquine in distributive shock due to sepsis and COVID-19 is being explored. The study protocol (PMZ-2010/CT-3.1/2018) was approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and Institutional Ethics Committee of all the 14 Institutions.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.30.20068114v4" target="_blank">A multicentric, randomized, controlled phase III study of centhaquine (Lyfaquin®) as a resuscitative agent in hypovolemic shock patients</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urban wastewater samples to monitor the COVID-19 epidemic in Lombardy, Italy (March - June 2020)</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Wastewater-based viral surveillance is a promising approach to monitor the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in the general population. The aim of this study was to develop an analytical method to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urban wastewater, to be implemented in the framework of a surveillance network in the Lombardy region (Northern Italy). This area was the first hotspot of COVID-19 in Europe. Composite 24h samples were collected weekly in eight cities from end-March to mid-June 2020 (first peak of the epidemic). The method developed and optimized, involved virus concentration, using PEG centrifugation, and one-step real-time RT-PCR for analysis. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was identified in 65 (61%) out of 107 samples, and the viral concentrations (up to 2.1 E +05 copies/L) were highest in March-April. By mid-June, wastewater samples tested negative in all the cities. Viral loads were used for inter- city comparison and Brembate, Ranica and Lodi had the highest. The pattern of decrease of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater was closely comparable to the decline of active COVID-19 cases in the population, reflecting the effect of lock-down. Wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 can integrate ongoing virological surveillance of COVID-19, providing information from both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, and monitoring the effect of health interventions.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.05.21256677v1" target="_blank">SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urban wastewater samples to monitor the COVID-19 epidemic in Lombardy, Italy (March - June 2020)</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Relative role of border restrictions, case finding and contact tracing in controlling SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of undetected transmission</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background Several countries have controlled the spread of COVID-19 through varying combinations of border restrictions, case finding, contact tracing and careful calibration on the resumption of domestic activities. However, evaluating the effectiveness of these measures based on observed cases alone is challenging as it does not reflect the transmission dynamics of missed infections. Methods Combining data on notified local COVID-19 cases with known and unknown sources of infections (i.e. linked and unlinked cases) in Singapore in 2020 with a transmission model, we reconstructed the incidence of missed infections and estimated the relative effectiveness of different types of outbreak control. We also examined implications for estimation of key real-time metrics – the reproduction number and ratio of unlinked to linked cases, using observed data only as compared to accounting for missed infections. Findings Prior to the partial lockdown in Singapore, initiated in April 2020, we estimated 89% (95%CI 75-99%) of the infections caused by notified cases were contact traced, but only 12.5% (95%CI 2-69%) of the infections caused by missed infectors were identified. We estimated that the reproduction number was 1.23 (95%CI 0.98-1.54) after accounting for missed infections but was 0.90 (95%CI 0.79-1.1) based on notified cases alone. At the height of the outbreak, the ratio of missed to notified infections was 34.1 (95%CI 26.0-46.6) but the ratio of unlinked to linked infections was 0.81 (95%CI 0.59-1.36). Our results suggest that when case finding and contact tracing identifies at least 50% and 20% of the infections caused by missed and notified cases respectively, the reproduction number could be reduced by more than 14%, rising to 20% when contact tracing is 80% effective. Interpretation Depending on the relative effectiveness of border restrictions, case finding and contact tracing, unobserved outbreak dynamics can vary greatly. Commonly used metrics to evaluate outbreak control – typically based on notified data – could therefore misrepresent the true underlying outbreak. Funding Ministry of Health, Singapore.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.05.21256675v1" target="_blank">Relative role of border restrictions, case finding and contact tracing in controlling SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of undetected transmission</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A prospective diagnostic study to measure the accuracy of detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Of Concern (VOC) utilising a novel RT-PCR GENotyping algorithm in an In silico Evaluation (VOC-GENIE)</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have been associated with higher rate of transmission, and evasion of immunisation and antibody therapeutics. Variant sequencing is widely utilized in the UK. However, only 0.5% (~650k) of the 133 million cumulative positive cases worldwide were sequenced (in GISAID) on 08 April 2021 with 97% from Europe and North America and only ~0.25% (~320k) were variant sequences. This may be due to the lack of availability, high cost, infrastructure and expert staff required for sequencing. Public health decisions based on a non-randomised sample of 0.5% of the population may be insufficiently powered, and subject to sampling bias and systematic error. In addition, sequencing is rarely available in situ in a clinically relevant timeframe and thus, is not currently compatible with diagnosis and treatment patient care pathways. Therefore, we investigated an alternative approach using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotyping to detect the key single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with increased transmission and immune evasion in SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods We investigated the utility of SARS-CoV-2 SNP detection with a panel of PCR-genotyping assays in a large data set of 640,482 SARS-CoV-2 high quality, full length sequences using a prospective in silico trial design and explored the potential impact of rapid in situ variant testing on the COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment patient pathway. Results Five SNPs were selected by screening the published literature for a reported association with increased transmission and / or immune evasion. 344881 sequences contained one or more of the five SNPs. This algorithm of SNPs was found to be able to identify the four variants of concern (VOCs) and sequences containing the E484K and L452R escape mutations. Interpretation The in silico analysis suggest that the key mutations and variants of SARS-CoV-2 may be reliably detected using a focused algorithm of biologically relevant SNPs. This highlights the potential for rapid in situ PCR genotyping to compliment or replace sequencing or to be utilized instead of sequences in settings where sequencing is not feasible, accessible or affordable. Rapid detection of variants with in situ PCR genotyping may facilitate a more effective COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment patient pathway.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.05.21256396v1" target="_blank">A prospective diagnostic study to measure the accuracy of detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Of Concern (VOC) utilising a novel RT-PCR GENotyping algorithm in an In silico Evaluation (VOC-GENIE)</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Is Sarcopenia a prognostic factor for COVID-19? Protocol for systematic review &amp; meta-analysis</strong> -
<div>
The outcomes and prognosis of COVID-19 are being explored. Specifically, we shall be looking into the effect of sarcopenia on the outcomes of COVID-19 to conclude its prognostic significance.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/xgsbt/" target="_blank">Is Sarcopenia a prognostic factor for COVID-19? Protocol for systematic review &amp; meta-analysis</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>COVID-19: Affect recognition through voice analysis during the winter lockdown in Scotland</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented restrictions in people9s lifestyle which have affected their psychological wellbeing. In this context, this paper investigates the use of social signal processing techniques for remote assessment of emotions. It presents a machine learning method for affect recognition applied to recordings taken during the COVID-19 winter lockdown in Scotland (UK). This method is exclusively based on acoustic features extracted from voice recordings collected through home and mobile devices (i.e. phones, tablets), thus providing insight into the feasibility of monitoring people9s psychological wellbeing remotely, automatically and at scale. The proposed model is able to predict affect with a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.4230 (using Random Forest) and 0.3354 (using Decision Trees) for arousal and valence respectively. Clinical relevance: In 2018/2019, 12% and 14% of Scottish adults reported depression and anxiety symptoms. Remote emotion recognition through home devices would support the detection of these difficulties, which are often underdiagnosed and, if untreated, may lead to temporal or chronic disability.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.05.21256668v1" target="_blank">COVID-19: Affect recognition through voice analysis during the winter lockdown in Scotland</a>
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<li><strong>What incentives can spur Covid-19 vaccination uptake?</strong> -
<div>
Survey evidence suggests that vaccination hesitancy is too high in many countries to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of three strategies to increase vaccine uptake, namely, providing freedoms, financial remuneration, and vaccination at local doctors. We use a factorial survey experiment administered to 20,500 online respondents in Germany. Our results suggest that all three strategies can increase vaccination uptake on the order of 5 percentage points (PP) among the undecided. The combined effects could be as high as 13 PP for this group. The returns from different strategies vary across age groups, however, with older cohorts more responsive to local access and younger cohorts most responsive to enhanced freedoms for vaccinated citizens.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/ax6pw/" target="_blank">What incentives can spur Covid-19 vaccination uptake?</a>
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<li><strong>Case Report of Coroless Tea in The Treatment of Persistent High Fever After Covid-19 Vaccination</strong> -
<div>
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. So is the Covid-19 medicine. Persistent high fever after the Covid-19 vaccination is one symptom. After taking Coroless tea, the patient’s body temperature returned to normal in two or three days. Timely temperature reduction is very helpful in eliminating the anxiety of the patients and their families. Coroless tea, as food, is one choice of treatment for fever after Covid-19 vaccination.
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/q6atg/" target="_blank">Case Report of Coroless Tea in The Treatment of Persistent High Fever After Covid-19 Vaccination</a>
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</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Phase 3 Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo Controlled, Multi-regional Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of GT0918 for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Male Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: GT0918 tablets or placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Suzhou Kintor Pharmaceutical Inc,<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for Prevention of COVID-19</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Covid19;   COVID-19 Prevention<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ);   Other: Standard care;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CHO Cell) for COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: low-dose Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CHO cell);   Biological: high-dose Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CHO cell);   Biological: placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   National Vaccine and Serum Institute, China;   Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd;   Beijing Zhong Sheng Heng Yi Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.;   Zhengzhou University<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>tDCS for Post COVID-19 Fatigue</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post Covid-19 Patients<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Thorsten Rudroff<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety and Efficacy of Niclosamide in Patients With COVID-19 With Gastrointestinal Infection</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Niclosamide;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   AzurRx BioPharma, Inc.<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Immunobridging and Immunization Schedules Study of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: 3-doses schedule 1 of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated;   Biological: 3-doses schedule 2 of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated;   Biological: 3-doses schedule 3 of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated;   Biological: 2 doses of vaccine<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Phase 2 Study of APX-115 in Hospitalized Patients With Confirmed Mild to Moderate COVID-19.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: APX-115;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Aptabio Therapeutics, Inc.;   Covance<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Leveraging CHWs to Improve COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation Among CJIs Accessing a Corrections-focused CBO</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Onsite Point-of-care<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Montefiore Medical Center;   The Fortune Society;   University of Bristol<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Convalescent Plasma as Adjunct Therapy for COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Convalescent plasma treatment<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia;   Indonesian Red Cross;   Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Protecting Our Community: COVID-19 Testing</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   SARS-CoV-2;   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Diagnostic Test: Home-based SARS-CoV-2 test kit<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Montana State University;   National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS);   University of Washington;   Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center;   Salish Kootenai College<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Selenium as a Potential Treatment for Moderately-ill, Severely-ill, and Critically-ill COVID-19 Patients.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Selenium (as Selenious Acid);   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   CHRISTUS Health;   Pharco Pharmaceuticals<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Estradiol and Progesterone in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Placebo injection and placebo pill;   Drug: Estradiol Cypionate 5 MG/ML;   Drug: Progesterone 200 MG Oral Capsule<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Tulane University<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 Vaccination Take-Up</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Covid19;   Vaccination<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Financial incentives;   Behavioral: Convenient scheduling link;   Behavioral: Race concordant;   Behavioral: Gender concordant<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   University of Southern California;   Contra Costa Health Services;   J-PAL North America, State and Local Innovation Initiative;   National Bureau of Economic Research Roybal Center;   National Institute on Aging (NIA)<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety, Tolerability and PK of Ensovibep (MP0420 - a New Candidate With Potential for Treatment of COVID-19)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Ensovibep;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Molecular Partners AG<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>#SafeHandsSafeHearts: An eHealth Intervention for COVID-19 Prevention and Support</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: eHealth for Covid-19 prevention and support<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   University of Toronto<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Current Overviews on COVID-19 Management Strategies</strong> - The coronavirus pandemic has hit the world lately and caused acute respiratory syndrome in humans. The causative agent of the disease was soon brought to focus by scientists as SARS-CoV-2 and later called a novel coronavirus by the general public. Due to the severity and rapid spread of the disease, WHO classifies the COVID-19 pandemic as the 6th public health emergency even after taking efforts like worldwide quarantine and restrictions. Since only symptomatic treatment is available, the best…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inhibition effects of eight anti-coronavirus drugs on glycosides metabolism and glycosidases in human gut microflora</strong> - The effects of eight oral anti-coronavirus drugs (lopinavir, ritonavir, chloroquine, darunavir, ribavirin, arbidol, favipiravir, oseltamivir) on the metabolism of four specific glycosides (polydatin, geniposide, quercitrin, glycyrrhizin) and on the activities of three major glycosidases (β-glucosidase, α-rhamnosidase, β-glucuronidase) from gut microflora were explored in vitro and determined by LC-MS/MS. The metabolism of polydatin, geniposide, quercitrin and glycyrrhizin was significantly…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Salvianolic acid B and its magnesium salt inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection of Vero-E6 cells by blocking spike protein-mediated membrane fusion</strong> - OBJECTIVE: The investigate the inhibitory effects of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) monomer salvianolic acid B (Sal-B) and its magnesium salt Salvia Miltiorrhiza Polyphenolate Injection (ZDDY) against SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro and explore the molecular mechanism.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 is a novel target of the gamma-secretase complex</strong> - Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a key regulator of the renin-angiotensin system, but also the functional receptor of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Based on structural similarity with other γ-secretase (γS) targets, we hypothesized that ACE2 may be affected by γS proteolytic activity. We found that after ectodomain shedding, ACE2 is targeted for intramembrane proteolysis by γS, releasing a soluble ACE2 C-terminal fragment. Consistently, chemical or…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 spike protein stabilized in the closed state induces potent neutralizing responses</strong> - The majority of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in use or advanced development are based on the viral spike protein (S) as their immunogen. S is present on virions as pre-fusion trimers in which the receptor binding domain (RBD) is stochastically open or closed. Neutralizing antibodies have been described against both open and closed conformations. The long-term success of vaccination strategies depends upon inducing antibodies that provide long-lasting broad immunity against evolving SARS-CoV-2 strains….</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ILRUN downregulates ACE2 expression and blocks infection of human cells by SARS-CoV-2</strong> - The human protein-coding gene ILRUN (inflammation and lipid regulator with UBA-like and NBR1-like domains, previously C6orf106) was identified as a proviral factor for Hendra virus infection and recently characterised to function an inhibitor of type-I interferon expression. Here, we have utilised RNA-seq to define cellular pathways regulated by ILRUN in the context of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection of Caco-2 cells. We find that inhibition of ILRUN…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Targeting the conserved stem loop 2 motif in the SARS-CoV-2 genome</strong> - RNA structural elements occur in numerous single stranded (+)-sense RNA viruses. The stem-loop 2 motif (s2m) is one such element with an unusually high degree of sequence conservation, being found in the 3’ UTR in the genomes of many astroviruses, some picornaviruses and noroviruses, and a variety of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. The evolutionary conservation and its occurrence in all viral subgenomic transcripts implicates a key role of s2m in the viral infection cycle. Our…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>beta-D-N 4-hydroxycytidine (NHC) Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Through Lethal Mutagenesis But Is Also Mutagenic To Mammalian Cells</strong> - Mutagenic ribonucleosides can act as broad-based antiviral agents. They are metabolized to the active ribonucleoside triphosphate form and concentrate in the genomes of RNA viruses during viral replication. β-D-N 4-hydroxycytidine (NHC, the initial metabolite of molnupiravir) is more than 100-fold more active than ribavirin or favipiravir against SARS-CoV-2, with antiviral activity correlated to the level of mutagenesis in virion RNA. However, NHC also displays host mutational activity in an…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Identification of phytocompounds from Houttuynia cordata Thunb. as potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 replication proteins through GC-MS/LC-MS characterization, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a massive viral disease outbreak of international concerns. The present study is mainly intended to identify the bioactive phytocompounds from traditional antiviral herb Houttuynia cordata Thunb. as potential inhibitors for three main replication proteins of SARS-CoV-2, namely Main protease (Mpro), Papain-Like protease (PLpro) and ADP ribose phosphatase (ADRP) which control the replication process. A…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Current understanding on molecular drug targets and emerging treatment strategy for novel coronavirus-19</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped positive-sense RNA virus, contain crown-like spikes on its surface, exceptional of large RNA genome, and a special replication machinery. Common symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 include cough, common cold, fever, sore throat, and a variety of severe acute respiratory disease (SARD) such as pneumonia. SARS-CoV-2 infects epithelial cells, T-cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells and also influences the production and implantation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines….</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Covid-19 Clinical Course and Blood Groups: Turkish Population-Based Study</strong> - CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that ABO and Rh blood groups do not have any impact on the rate of hospital admission, hospital and ICU stay, MV support, and CFR.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Contribution of Biophysics and Structural Biology to Current Advances in COVID-19</strong> - Critical to viral infection are the multiple interactions between viral proteins and host-cell counterparts. The first such interaction is the recognition of viral envelope proteins by surface receptors that normally fulfil other physiological roles, a hijacking mechanism perfected over the course of evolution. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has successfully adopted this strategy using its spike…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Role of epithelial-endothelial cell interaction in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluates the role of endothelial cells in the development of clinical disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, and the importance of endothelial cell-epithelial cell interaction in the pathogenesis of human COVID-19 diseases.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Fiction, Hope or Hype? An Updated Review</strong> - In December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) that began in China had infected so far more than 109,217,366 million individuals worldwide and accounted for more than 2,413,912 fatalities. With the dawn of this novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), there was a requirement to select potential therapies that might effectively kill the virus, accelerate the recovery, or decrease the case fatality rate. Besides the currently available antiviral medications for human immunodeficiency…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Network pharmacology approach to decipher signaling pathways associated with target proteins of NSAIDs against COVID-19</strong> - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) showed promising clinical efficacy toward COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) patients as potent painkillers and anti-inflammatory agents. However, the prospective anti-COVID-19 mechanisms of NSAIDs are not evidently exposed. Therefore, we intended to decipher the most influential NSAIDs candidate(s) and its novel mechanism(s) against COVID-19 by network pharmacology. FDA (U.S. Food &amp; Drug Administration) approved NSAIDs (19 active drugs and one…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>IMPROVEMENTS RELATED TO PARTICLE, INCLUDING SARS-CoV-2, DETECTION AND METHODS THEREFOR</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU323295937">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A COMPREHENSIVE DISINFECTION SYSTEM DURING PANDEMIC FOR PERSONAL ITEMS AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) TO SAFEGUARD PEOPLE</strong> - The current Covid-19 pandemic has led to an enormous demand for gadgets / objects for personal protection. To prevent the spread of virus, it is important to disinfect commonly touched objects. One of the ways suggested is to use a personal UV-C disinfecting box that is “efficient and effective in deactivating the COVID-19 virus. The present model has implemented the use of a UV transparent material (fused silica quartz glass tubes) as the medium of support for the objects to be disinfected to increase the effectiveness of disinfection without compromising the load bearing capacity. Aluminum foil, a UV reflecting material, was used as the inner lining of the box for effective utilization of the UVC light emitted by the UVC lamps. Care has been taken to prevent leakage of UVC radiation out of the system. COVID-19 virus can be inactivated in 5 minutes by UVC irradiation in this disinfection box - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN322882412">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING SYSTEM FOR MENTAL HEALTH MONITORING OF PERSON DURING THE PANDEMIC OF COVID-19</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU323295498">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>USE OF IMINOSUGAR COMPOUND IN PREPARATION OF ANTI-SARS-COV-2 VIRUS DRUG</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU322897928">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Compositions and methods for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infection</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU321590214">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>用于检测新型冠状病毒的试纸和试剂盒</strong> - 本发明涉及生物技术和免疫检测技术领域，具体涉及一种用于检测新型冠状病毒的试纸和试剂盒。所述试纸或试剂盒含有抗体1和/或抗体2，所述抗体1的重、轻链可变区的氨基酸序列分别如SEQ ID NO:1‑2所示，所述抗体2的重、轻链可变区的氨基酸序列分别如SEQ ID NO:3‑4所示。本发明对于大批量的新型冠状病毒样本，包括新型冠状病毒突变（英国、南非）与非突变株的人血清、鼻咽拭子等样本的检测有普遍检测意义，避免突变株的漏检。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN322953478">link</a></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Fahrgastleitsystem und Verfahren zum Leiten von Fahrgästen</strong> -
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
</p><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Die Erfindung betrifft ein Fahrgastleitsystem zum Leiten von mit einem Fahrzeug (1) mit wenigstens zwei Türen (2.L, 2.R) transportieren Fahrgästen (3), mit wenigstens einem Sensor (4) zur Überwachung der Fahrgäste (3), wenigstens einem Anzeigemittel (5) zur Ausgabe von Leitinformationen, wenigstens einem Aktor zum Öffnen oder Verriegeln einer Tür (2.L, 2.R) und wenigstens einer Recheneinheit (7). Das erfindungsgemäße Fahrgastleitsystem ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Recheneinheit (7) dazu eingerichtet ist durch Auswertung vom wenigstens einen Sensor (4) erzeugter Sensordaten zu erkennen an welcher Tür (2.L, 2.R) des Fahrzeugs (1) Fahrgäste (3) ein- und/oder aussteigen möchten und wenigstens eine Tür (2.L, 2.R) für einen Ausstieg festzulegen und/oder wenigstens eine Tür (2.L, 2.R) für einen Einstieg festzulegen, sodass eine Anzahl an Begegnungen von sich durch das Fahrzeug (1) bewegender Fahrgäste (3) und/oder aus dem Fahrzeug (1) aussteigenden und/oder in das Fahrzeug (1) einsteigenden Fahrgästen (3) minimiert wird.</p></li>
</ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=DE323289145">link</a></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Vorrichtung zum Desinfizieren, der Körperpflege oder dergleichen</strong> -
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</p><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Vorrichtung zum Desinfizieren, der Körperpflege oder dergleichen mittels einer flüssigen oder cremigen Substanz (20), dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Vorrichtung mit einem elektrisch betriebenen Erinnerungs-Modul und einem Vorratsbehälter (10) für die Substanz (20) versehen ist, die Substanz (20) in dosierter Menge zur Ausgabeöffnung (9) gefördert wird und die Vorrichtung dazu geeignet ist, am Körper oder der Kleidung einer Person getragen zu werden.</p></li>
</ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=DE323289850">link</a></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Gebrauchter Schnellteststreifen als Probenmaterial für eine Nachtestung</strong> -
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</p><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">Die Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren zur laborbasierten Überprüfung und/oder weiteren Ausdifferenzierung einer im Schnelltestverfahren erhaltenen Diagnose einer Infektionskrankheit, wobei im Rahmen des Schnelltestverfahrens eine flüssige Patientenprobe auf ein Objekt aus einem porösen Material aufgetragen wird und wobei dieses Objekt nach Trocknung der flüssigen Patientenprobe an das diagnostische Labor übermittelt wird. Im Labor werden dann die eingetrockneten Probenreste aus dem porösen Material ausgelöst und analysiert.</p></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=DE323289151">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>针对新型冠状病毒核衣壳蛋白的抗体或其抗原结合片段及其应用</strong> - 本发明提供了一种针对新型冠状病毒核衣壳蛋白的抗体或其抗原结合片段及其应用，所述抗体选自mAb6抗体、mAb7抗体、mAb8抗体和mAb9抗体中的任意一种；且所述抗体由保藏号为CCTCC NO：C2020236、CCTCC NO：C2020237、CCTCC NO：C2020238或CCTCC NO：C2020239的杂交瘤细胞分泌。利用所述抗体能够检测环境样品和/或生物样品中新型冠状病毒或者其抗原的存在情况。此外，本发明还提供了利用所述抗体制备得到的新型冠状病毒检测试剂盒，能够在感染病毒早期就检测出核衣壳蛋白，为临床检测新型冠状病毒提供了快速、准确的手段。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN323191621">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inside India’s COVID-19 Surge</strong> - At a hospital in New Delhi, supplies and space are running out, but the patients keep coming. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/inside-indias-covid-19-surge">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden’s Great Economic Rebalancing</strong> - The President is looking to correct a capitalist economy that has gone askew, and reclaim a lost vision of shared prosperity. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/joe-bidens-great-economic-rebalancing">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Facebook and the Normalization of Deviance</strong> - The trouble with waiting to address problems long after you know that they exist. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/facebook-and-the-normalization-of-deviance">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Pennsylvania Lawmaker and the Resurgence of Christian Nationalism</strong> - How Doug Mastriano’s rise embodies the spread of a movement centered on the belief that God intended America to be a Christian nation. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/on-religion/a-pennsylvania-lawmaker-and-the-resurgence-of-christian-nationalism">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Don’t Panic Over One Weaker-Than-Expected Jobs Report</strong> - Many indicators point to the economy continuing to rebound strongly from the pandemic. So why did the pace of hiring fall in April? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/dont-panic-over-one-weaker-than-expected-jobs-report">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Biden finally raised the refugee cap. Now comes the hard part.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/40HEAxOimbZrM9uiyVf9TGQG_vs=/0x0:5333x4000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69262360/1230117241.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Asafu Alamaya, an 80-year-old blind woman who fled the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia, sits in her makeshift shelter at a refugee camp in Sudan on December 12, 2020. | Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The US might not come close to resettling 62,500 refugees in 2021.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zE5mpC">
After <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22391910/biden-refugee-cap-border">months of indecision</a> and blowback from within his own party, President Joe Biden has finally raised the cap on refugee admissions for 2021 to 62,500 — but he has made clear he doesn’t think the US will actually admit that many people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xzcRS3">
“The sad truth is that we will not achieve 62,500 admissions this year,” Biden said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/05/03/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-refugee-admissions/">statement</a> Monday. “We are working quickly to undo the damage of the last four years. It will take some time, but that work is already underway.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZLSFpL">
After former President Donald Trump spent years trying to tear down the refugee program — and global resettlement efforts nearly came to a halt amid the pandemic — rebuilding the US’s capacity to receive refugees won’t be easy. The US has admitted just <a href="https://www.wrapsnet.org/admissions-and-arrivals/">2,334 refugees</a> between October 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021, well short of even Trump’s previous cap of 15,000.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hO0gP8">
Tens of thousands more refugees are still stranded abroad, waiting for their chance to come to the US, including many who have already been interviewed by US authorities and are facing lengthy processing delays. But to be able to take them in, refugee resettlement agencies will have to reopen offices they were forced to close nationwide, hire and train new staff, and reforge relationships with local organizations, employers, and landlords to help refugees assimilate. The US government will have to review its vetting procedures to ensure refugees can be processed quickly, while also taking into account security concerns.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OYRW1T">
International infrastructure also needs to be scaled up. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has to increase its capacity to resume on-the-ground interviews of refugees whom the US will potentially resettle. That will allow more people to join the refugee pipeline — and set the US up for success if Biden raises the cap on admissions next year to 125,000, as promised.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DwZeF6">
“The target is an ambitious, aspirational target, but we should shoot towards the target,” Erol Kekic, senior vice president of Church World Service’s immigration and refugee program, said.
</p>
<h3 id="RQ6OFy">
Biden’s indecision has delayed resettlement efforts
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JEvqTL">
The scramble to reach the new refugee admissions cap is in part due to delays Biden created.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BaBOa5">
When he took office, Biden tempered his campaign promise to resettle 125,000 refugees, instead setting a goal to admit just 62,500 refugees this fiscal year in light of pandemic-related challenges and the Trump administration’s draconian immigration policies.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kOstgd">
But after evaluating the status of the refugee program, administration officials said in April that even the reduced goal looked unlikely to achieve. The White House consequently announced it would maintain the cap at 15,000, a record low set by the Trump administration. It was only after <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/4/17/22389136/biden-will-increase-refugee-cap-criticism-from-democrats">sharp blowback</a> from Democratic members of Congress and refugee advocacy groups that Biden changed course, announcing Monday he would <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/03/us/politics/biden-refugee-limit.html">raise the cap to 62,500</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8tubfc">
But over the course of the two months Biden delayed doing so, refugee resettlement agencies lost valuable time that could have been spent ramping up capacity. Now, the prospect of reaching the 62,500 cap by September 31, the end of the fiscal year, is even unlikelier.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bWrmfy">
“Resettling 62,500 refugees within this fiscal year is ambitious and, unfortunately, unrealistic,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, said. “But we knew that as we advocated for a higher [cap], because what the president sets as the refugee cap is both aspirational and inspirational for a domestic and international audience.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KOEzjW">
The delay has also prevented refugees who have already been vetted by the federal government from coming to the US. The State Department, anticipating Biden would raise the refugee cap, had scheduled US-bound flights for more than 700 refugees in advance. But their <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/us/refugees-biden.html">flights were canceled</a> after Biden failed to take action in time.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sDztL3">
“If we had two more months in this fiscal year, we would certainly be able to move more people,” Kekic said.
</p>
<h3 id="7Sq9x3">
Refugee agencies in the US are still rebuilding
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hFIPbJ">
Domestically, refugee agencies that were under siege for the past four years have been in the process of rebuilding ever since Biden won the presidency.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TQMLmU">
Under Trump, refugee agencies had their federal funding reduced, forcing them to scale back their infrastructure and staffing substantially to keep their resettlement programs afloat. More than 100 resettlement offices — nearly a third of the nationwide total — <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-0a649290b8a6628900598d4324c3d72b">closed</a>, and many government staff tasked with processing refugees abroad were laid off or reassigned.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qtEX5k">
“In some cases, these staff members were experts with decades of experience and institutional knowledge,” O’Mara Vignarajah said. “So, many of them didn’t have the luxury to wait around for resettlement to resume. Some of them were forced to pursue other professional opportunities.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L0Z7Mx">
During the pandemic, resettlement agencies also had to scale back the level of personal contact with refugees and raise private funds to provide them with laptops and smartphones — necessities in the era of social distancing, but not things that have historically been provided.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="s2OnQr">
Biden’s decision to set a higher refugee cap opens up resources for those agencies to ramp up their capacity again. Critically, that involves investing in local partnerships to help set up refugees for long-term success.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VtfcGD">
Resettlement agencies will have to find landlords willing to rent out affordable accommodations. In a competitive job market, they also need to rebuild relationships with employers willing to hire refugees. And they will have to recruit and train volunteers to help furnish apartments for newly arrived families and drive them to medical appointments, English classes, and job interviews.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ay1RCc">
All of that takes time. But most agencies are optimistic they can thrive again soon.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QILXpB">
“The severe cutbacks in public support and the damage to the public-private partnership was somewhat countered by a surge in community support for the refugee program, so that puts us in a good position to revive and rebuild the program,” Mark Hetfield, president and CEO of the refugee resettlement agency HIAS, said.
</p>
<h3 id="L1I1rG">
Refugee processing abroad needs to ramp up again
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j8pb2z">
Though refugee resettlement agencies in the US are confident they can rebuild quickly, international operations are a different story.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ifZqlk">
The pandemic appears to be turning a corner in the US, but many countries that currently host refugees are far away from achieving comparable levels of vaccination. That has made some of the on-the-ground work in host countries risky.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rBb2Ep">
Refugees have to undergo extensive, in-person processing and vetting. Typically, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) identifies a refugee abroad and refers them to a receiving country such as the US. A refugee support center, run by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) or a resettlement agency, helps the refugee prepare an application showing the basis of their claim with supporting identity documents, if available.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mZGQiQ">
That application is sent to DHS, which then dispatches an official out into the field to interview the applicant and determine whether they fit the legal criteria for what constitutes a refugee: that they face “well-founded fear of persecution” due to race, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, religion, or national origin.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O5gzYb">
If they advance, they undergo a medical evaluation and their application is shared with unspecified federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to screen for potential security threats. They can only get on a plane to the US if they pass.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U0cXjz">
“It’s a miracle anybody gets through it, frankly,” Hetfield said. “We used to say it takes 18 to 24 months, but that was under the Obama administration, and now it takes between 18 months and forever — or never.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BLbax5">
The pandemic further complicated this process. UNHCR has modified its practices to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including implementing social distancing protocols and allowing for remote work where possible, but its resettlement operations have continued.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EzoHMU">
“Our motto since the beginning of Covid has been to stay and deliver,” Chris Boian, a UNHCR spokesperson, said. “We have continued [to make referrals] throughout this pandemic, and now we’ll begin building up our staff again around the world to bring that back up to more robust levels.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UEM8ws">
But there has been a bottleneck at the stage where US officials are supposed to interview refugees. According to a source familiar with State Department internal data, some 78,000 refugees who have undergone initial screening are currently waiting for an interview.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9wCJa0">
That’s partly because the Trump administration shifted resources away from refugee processing, resulting in much fewer interviews. In 2017, there were <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/FY2020_Appropriations.pdf">352 officers</a> assigned to the refugee corps, but by 2020, the federal government <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/united_states_citizenship_and_immigration_services.pdf">budgeted for only 235</a>. Consequently, interviews <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/FY2020_Appropriations.pdf">dropped sharply</a>, from 125,000 in 2016 to just 44,000 three years later.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R0Xk5r">
The pandemic has also made international travel difficult for officials who are required by regulation to interview refugees in person, even though other parts of the US immigration system, including deportations, have continued to function over <a href="https://www.theverge.com/21408606/ice-immigrant-detention-centers-video-chats-deportation-refugees-asylum">video chat</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N0jTu7">
The interview delays threaten the US’s ability not only to reach this year’s cap but also to add to the pipeline of refugees who might come in 2022. The Biden administration has indicated to agencies that it intends to hire more people to the refugee corps — and that officials tasked with field work are either in the process of being vaccinated or already vaccinated — but building up that workforce could take six months to a year, Kekic said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GTR2mm">
“Until we can send people to the field to do this adjudication, we can’t approve any more people,” he added. “Now is the time to build a pipeline for next year.”
</p>
<h3 id="sVYOPo">
The US refugee program needs an overhaul
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pQDQhz">
There are ways the Biden administration could speed up refugee processing domestically and help the resettlement program better reflect the US’s humanitarian priorities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Agydd4">
He could start by revamping vetting procedures, which appear to be delaying the applications of thousands of refugees. Some 36,000 refugees have had an interview but require more processing, including security checks, according to a source familiar with internal State Department data.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tUhvuD">
But it’s not clear exactly what is causing the holdup, because the vetting process is basically a black box.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZVb9Pl">
“It’s just an incredibly opaque process that takes forever, and as a result, the resettlement program has become a rescue program that moves at a glacial pace, and that’s really not acceptable,” Hetfield said. “The capacity to do emergency resettlement is extremely limited at best, and that’s something that needs to be looked at.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="biLSvC">
Biden has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/02/04/executive-order-on-rebuilding-and-enhancing-programs-to-resettle-refugees-and-planning-for-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-migration/">ordered</a> a review of those procedures in the interest of making screenings “more efficient, meaningful and fair” while also using “sound methods of fraud detection to ensure program integrity and protect national security.” There also has been some improvement in the number of security approvals refugee resettlement agencies have observed since Biden took office, but it’s still “just a drop in the ocean in terms of what’s needed to make this move much faster,” Kekic said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mWxmiq">
Another concern is whether Biden can make the refugee program more robust to changes in administrations. Some have advocated for adopting an annual refugee admissions floor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="45hAne">
“This would help insulate the program from the political winds of a future executive branch that would seek to use refugees as a political cudgel,” O’Mara Vignarajah said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="v1m8hh">
There are already two bills in Congress that would establish such a floor: one that would set it <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1088">at 95,000</a>, and another — with more than 50 cosponsors — that would set it at <a href="https://connolly.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4199#:~:text=This%20legislation%20will%20reverse%20the,leadership%20role%20in%20refugee%20resettlement.%E2%80%9D&amp;text=In%20addition%20to%20establishing%20a,in%20accordance%20with%20the%20law.">125,000</a>. It would represent a statement of the US’s enduring commitment to the world’s most vulnerable people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="so1JF3">
“You cannot overstate the importance and the symbolic power of the US decision to increase its admissions,” Boian said. “It really clearly sends the message that everybody needs to do more on this front, that all countries need to make more places available for resettlement of refugees. It’s called leading by example. This is a global human challenge — not a problem for any one country to confront on its own.”
</p></li>
<li><strong>The delay-ridden agony of shopping at West Elm</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A West Elm furniture showroom." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/h1LQdUUIvPEwNro_qyJjeT_Gk40=/0x0:3377x2533/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69262243/GettyImages_1189380040.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Customers of West Elm, a popular retailer, have been frustrated by shipping delays and a lack of communication. | Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
We asked shoppers about pandemic furniture delays. One name kept coming up.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JDyGye">
In January, I received an email from a frustrated furniture shopper.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0oeLSw">
“Months ago, my new wife and I ordered a bed frame and headboard for our new top-of-the-line Tempurpedic mattress,” J.B. Harris, a shopper and reader in Florida, lamented. Though they received their mattress within a reasonable time frame, the bed frame and headboard were missing in action. “It’s been an existential nightmare, as confounding as Samuel Beckett’s <em>Waiting for Godot</em>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Te0Qt8">
When I reconnected with Harris in April, he had finally received his shipment after many months of waiting. “West Elm has the worst supply chain issues of any retailer I have ever experienced,” he told me. “My advice to West Elm shoppers: If you cannot buy an item from a showroom floor, expect to wait weeks if not months to receive it.” He and his wife slept on a mattress on the floor for the duration of their ordeal.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="8U4jpi">
<q>“It’s been an existential nightmare, as confounding as Samuel Beckett’s <em>Waiting for Godot</em>” </q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7RJmRU">
Three years after I wrote my original <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/12/17963892/west-elm-customer-service-couch-late-shipping">West Elm story</a>, in which I revealed the company was enraging countless young shoppers by seemingly refusing to deliver anything in a timely manner, the situation does not seem to be much better. The pandemic has worsened this issue, not only for West Elm but for a legion of furniture retailers. The issue is complex, fueled by a sudden and unexpected influx of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/5/11/21250834/home-decorating-peel-and-stick-wallpaper-diy-coronavirus-quarantine">home goods orders</a> as people were confined to their homes with nothing to do but sit for hours on uncomfortable sofas and stare at blank walls in desperate need of adornment. <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21509105/back-order-furniture-heat-lamps-appliances-supply-chain">Supply chains</a> have stalled as factories enforce social distancing and struggle with sick workers. <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2021/4/2/22364278/suez-canal-ship-effects-ever-given-supply-chain">Shipping companies and ports</a> grapple with similar obstacles, and prices of pallets and shipping containers are through the roof.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="41DCdI">
These problems have left shoppers frustrated and, in some cases, bereft. While facing the uncertainty and fear of a pandemic alongside other significant life transitions and even traumas, many people I spoke to merely wanted the comfort of a fresh sofa, a new mattress, or a much-needed refrigerator. But supply chain issues and poor communication from retailers only compounded shoppers’ stress as they were now forced to agonize over a ninth-month delay of a necessary order that cost them thousands of dollars.
</p>
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And no retailer was worse at this than West Elm.
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“West Elm should really go under, to be honest, because it’s a really shitty business,” says Ali, whose last name is being withheld to protect his privacy because he has a public-facing job. He bought a new home for himself and his family last fall, and spent more than $10,000 on several West Elm sectionals, a dining room table, and a bed for his daughter. He wants to welcome people into his new home, but because it’s been half-empty, he hasn’t felt comfortable showing it to friends and family. “I spent the last five months, six months thinking about my furniture,” on top of worrying about his busy job, his kid, and everything else going on, he says. “The customer is not happy.” He knows at least three other people who’ve similarly struggled with their West Elm orders, including one who received a couch “with holes in it.”
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<q>“The customer is not happy”</q>
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The industry-wide slowdown began following the institution of pandemic lockdowns in March 2020, as retailers <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/01/realestate/pandemic-home-furnishings.html">curbed orders</a>, worried that consumers would stop shopping altogether. But consumers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/home-decor-sales-are-booming-target-homegoods-amid-the-pandemic-2020-8">did not</a> stop shopping — at least not for home decor. What was once for many people little more than a launching pad for the world outside their front doors soon became <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/01/10246107/the-return-of-the-homemaker-pandemic-quarantine">their <em>only</em> world</a>, and the faults in our homes, which we were once able to more or less ignore, became painful to look at.
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“People now have more savings because they travel less, shop less for clothes, and eat less outside [the home], so they have been spending more on their house’s furniture or are remodeling their houses,” says Robert Aboolian, a professor of operations management at California State University San Marcos. But reduced manufacturing, and the complex nature of making furniture, has created a backlog of orders. “The more components, the more the chances of missed components,” as each individual part of a large, complicated piece of furniture faces its own manufacturing issues and delays.
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Supply chains <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-expect-more-suez-like-supply-chain-disruptions-and-shortages-at-your-local-grocery-store-158266">aren’t designed</a> to be flexible and resilient; they’re designed to be cost-efficient. This means that when there’s a huge and sudden change in people’s shopping habits, retailers and suppliers can’t react quickly and appropriately. Couches and other furniture take many months of planning before they even appear on a retailer’s website, says Santiago Gallino, an assistant professor of operations, information, and decisions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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“Say you place an order for a couch today. What’s going to happen is that you are basically going to buy a couch that the company has already ordered and has sitting in a warehouse waiting for you to buy — but that order was placed by the company six, seven, eight, 10 months in advance,” he says, noting that any orders a retailer would ordinarily place in the spring would be in preparation for holiday shoppers. “If you have a mismatch of these two, then when you get to Christmastime and you are short, now you need to wait another eight months to get the couches to your distribution center. This is not something you’re going to be able to solve in the short run.”
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This may seem like a frivolous concern, but the effects of poorly communicated delays can be genuinely debilitating. Ashley, whose last name is being withheld to protect her privacy after a traumatic event she experienced recently, placed her West Elm order for a sofa in a custom color and a bed in a color that was, supposedly, in stock and ready to ship. The traumatic event had led to a breakup, and Ashley and her dog were forced to move into a new home that needed new furniture.
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“I work full time — 10-plus-hour days — in a medical practice, and was coming home to sleep on a mattress on the floor,” she says. “It was honestly a devastating experience for me. I would bundle up old comforters, pillows, and a heating pad and lie on my floor to watch TV. … I couldn’t make my house a home for six-plus months. I couldn’t get settled.” Ashley connected with other people in her new building and via Instagram who commiserated with her, as many of them had also had lackluster West Elm shopping experiences.
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Across the web, people come together to complain about their nightmarish West Elm encounters. “Why is West Elm the worst?” a Reddit user <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/InteriorDesign/comments/aeb49t/why_is_west_elm_the_worst/">wrote</a> on r/interiordesign, which received a deluge of responses complaining about the brand. On the website PissedConsumer.com — obviously a place where people gather to lament their shopping ordeals — <a href="https://west-elm.pissedconsumer.com/review.html">West Elm</a> has hundreds more reviews than other similar brands, like <a href="https://restoration-hardware.pissedconsumer.com/review.html">Restoration Hardware</a>, <a href="https://crate-and-barrel.pissedconsumer.com/review.html">Crate &amp; Barrel</a>, and <a href="https://cb2.pissedconsumer.com/review.html">CB2</a>. There’s even a Twitter account, <a href="https://twitter.com/westelmscam"><span class="citation" data-cites="westelmscam">@westelmscam</span></a>, dedicated to retweeting angry West Elm customers, an honor not bestowed upon other furniture companies of the same size and popularity.
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It’s easy enough to understand what’s going on with companies other than West Elm: They didn’t anticipate a pandemic, or that consumers would respond by spending billions on home decor. But West Elm is more of a mystery. For my <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/12/17963892/west-elm-customer-service-couch-late-shipping">original 2018 story</a> on West Elm, a customer support employee told me that the company’s poor customer experience “is something that they are aware of and want to improve.” If the recent deluge of complaints I received from angry West Elm customers is any indication, it doesn’t look as if West Elm or its parent company, Williams-Sonoma, was able to figure it out.
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(A note: When I sent out a call for sources, I asked for people who had experienced furniture shipping delays in the past year. I didn’t specify West Elm. Still, almost every source who came to me complained about that company and not others.)
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West Elm did not respond to a request for comment in 2018 and did not respond to my most recent request for comment, either.
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<q>It wasn’t until after 22 emails and “countless” phone calls that Dana received a refund</q>
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Part of what makes the West Elm shopping experience so much worse isn’t just that its products are delayed, but that the company withholds communication from customers about when they’ll receive it. The company “held the order hostage until I continually escalated it to a manager via email,” says Dana J., a San Francisco-based West Elm shopper who placed an order for a new chair in August, after moving into a new apartment with her girlfriend (her full last name is being withheld to protect her privacy because she works in public relations). The company would repeatedly make new promises — it was rush-ordering the item, the item was ready to ship, it would ship by a specific date — but she canceled the order, and it wasn’t until after 22 emails and “countless” phone calls that Dana received a refund.
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She bought an AllModern chair instead, which she says does the job fine. “West Elm appeared to be aspirational — investing in a semi-expensive piece that I’d have with my partner for a long time. But clearly, it’s just a scam,” she says. “In the future, I’d like to buy from smaller boutiques if I’m spending a lot of money.”
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Ian Leslie is the chief marketing officer at the furniture company Industry West. The company, like most, experienced manufacturing delays, holdups, additional expenses at ports, and other issues that slowed down its ability to get products to customers as quickly as it used to. But, he says, the company was honest with customers about these delays, which helped keep their frustration to a minimum. “As much as you’re able to be proactive with the customer, as opposed to them coming to you to find out the bad news, the better off you’ll be as a brand,” he says.
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“We have data to show that uncertainty about receipt is much worse than knowing when it’s going to come. So companies that add uncertainty on top of the delay are absolutely doing the wrong thing,” says Gal Zauberman, a professor of marketing at Yale School of Management. Uncertain customers are unhappy customers, who are not only less likely to shop with the offending brand in the future but also more likely to tell family and friends about their negative experiences. “I think they are being highly myopic, even when they’re not interested in repeat sale,” she says of companies that don’t aim for transparency.
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Leslie says he anticipates the manufacturing and shipping delays will continue through the end of the year. “I don’t think we’ve hit the bottom side of this yet,” he says.
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<q>“I don’t think I don’t think we’ve hit the bottom side of this yet”</q>
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Most of the people I talked to say they don’t plan to shop at West Elm again, and some are reconsidering shopping online for furniture at all for the foreseeable future. Ashley told me she plans to look elsewhere or buy off the West Elm outlet floor, a move that Denise Gianna, an interior designer in Beacon, New York, recommends. “If somebody needs to furnish a room, I would say, take a weekend or a couple of days and go to stores that have floor samples, that have clearance centers,” she says. “The higher-end the furniture and decor, the easier or the quicker it is to get it. It’s the things that are more affordable that are harder to find at this point.” Better to buy something you’ve seen with your own eyes and drive it home yourself.
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Furniture shopping is emotionally taxing. It’s a significant financial undertaking and a yearslong commitment for most of us, imbuing the purchase with excitement, sure, but also with a boatload of stress (no shipping pun intended). Add a recent move, additional trauma, and a pandemic, and suddenly a home decor purchase is a lot more meaningful and sensitive than it might be ordinarily.
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I learned my lesson reporting on other people’s painful online furniture shopping experiences, and instead follow a legion of local vintage sellers on Instagram hawking gorgeous old furniture for a fraction of the price of mainstream retailers. My new couch is a beautiful leather Chesterfield I bought for $1,000 from a vintage furniture seller in Brooklyn, who drove it to my house the next day — minimal wait required.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/lemonsand"><em>Angela Lashbrook</em></a><em> is a writer whose work has appeared in OneZero, Refinery29, the Atlantic, Vice, Vox, and the Outline, among other outlets.</em>
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<li><strong>The Supreme Court made the GOP’s new voting restrictions possible</strong> -
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NpHknwODV5MztGRm4_jdnRL6I9Y=/136x0:2856x2040/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69256456/696327604.0.jpg"/>
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Justice Neil Gorsuch, left, talks with Chief Justice John Roberts on the steps of the Supreme Court following Gorsuch’s official investiture at the Supreme Court in 2017. | Win McNamee/Getty Images
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Voting rights mean little if the Court refuses to enforce them.
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On Thursday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation that <a href="https://legiscan.com/FL/text/S0090/2021">restricts absentee voting</a>, discourages voters from registering through voter registration campaigns, and potentially prohibits volunteers from giving food and water to voters waiting in line to cast their ballot.
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Many provisions of this new Florida law mirror similar provisions in a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22352112/georgia-voting-sb-202-explained">Georgia voter suppression bill</a> that became law last March. The Georgia law also takes aim at absentee voting, among other things, but its most troubling provision allows the state’s Republican-controlled legislature to effectively take over county election boards — boards that have the power to <a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-bill-would-shift-power-over-elections-to-gop-appointees/VPNVO2W4TBBTFKGA7Z2GZIEQEE/">disqualify voters and to close polling places</a>.
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Meanwhile, Republicans in Texas are pushing legislation that would <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/4/19/22374521/texas-voting-laws-sb7-hb6">redistribute polling precincts in urban areas</a> in ways that would make it harder for many voters to cast a ballot, and that would require local election officials to potentially purge thousands of voters from their rolls. In Arizona, Republicans have proposed an array of new hurdles that voters would have to clear to cast a ballot — all while<strong> </strong>conducting a <a href="https://www.vox.com/22417310/arizona-audit-ballots-cyber-ninjas-uv-lights-qanon-conspiracy-theory-vote-suppression-fraud">haphazard “audit” of the 2020 election</a> that appears designed to justify such laws.
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All of this is possible because the Supreme Court has spent the past decade and a half dismantling safeguards against these kinds of laws. Not that long ago, these attacks on democracy would have run headlong into a skeptical judiciary. Now they are likely to be upheld.
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Almost immediately after DeSantis signed Florida’s new voter suppression law, a coalition of voting rights organizations and voters represented by superstar Democratic lawyer Marc Elias filed a <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2021/05/Florida-Filed-Complaint.pdf">lawsuit challenging the new law</a>. Several <a href="https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/03/30/here-are-all-the-lawsuits-challenging-georgias-new-voting-law">similar lawsuits challenge the Georgia law</a>. But these suits face an uphill struggle, largely due to Supreme Court decisions <a href="https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/51/lets-think-about-court-packing-2/">dismantling various statutes and legal doctrines protecting the right to vote</a>.
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A little over a decade ago, federal statutes and well-established constitutional doctrines provided a robust shield against state laws that serve little purpose other than to restrict the right to vote. But the Supreme Court started poking holes in this shield not long after President George W. Bush appointed Chief Justice John Roberts, a <a href="https://www.vox.com/21211880/supreme-court-chief-justice-john-roberts-voting-rights-act-election-2020">longtime crusader against strong voting rights laws</a>, and Justice Samuel Alito, the Court’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/7/21/21328863/supreme-court-trump-vacancy-voting-rights-rnc2020-epa-police">most reliable Republican partisan</a>.
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And the Court only <a href="https://www.vox.com/22286213/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-arizona-brnovich-democratic-national-committee-republican-party">grew more hostile to voting rights</a> after President Donald Trump added three conservative Republicans to its bench.
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States like Florida and Georgia are making in harder to vote, in other words, because they think the courts will let them get away with it. Due to some crucial decisions by the Roberts Court, they’re probably right.
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Not that long ago, the Supreme Court would have struck down laws that target trumped-up allegations of voter fraud
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Though the right to vote is the essential building block of any democracy, not all laws that make it more difficult to vote are unconstitutional. As the Supreme Court recognized in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/415/724"><em>Storer v. Brown</em></a> (1974), “as a practical matter, there must be a substantial regulation of elections if they are to be fair and honest and if some sort of order, rather than chaos, is to accompany the democratic processes.”
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States may legitimately require voters to cast their ballots at a particular location, and it may require these voters to do so by a particular time and date. They may impose reasonable restrictions on who may qualify as a candidate whose name appears on the ballot. And states may require voters to use a standardized ballot rather than, say, simply writing a bunch of names on a blank sheet of paper and dropping it off at a polling place.
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Yet while many election rules are permissible even if they prevent some small cohort of voters from casting a ballot, the Supreme Court as recently as 13 years ago forbade states from enacting laws that serve no purpose other than to restrict the franchise. As the Court held in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/460/780"><em>Anderson v. Celebrezze</em></a> (1983), when confronted with a law that makes it harder to vote, federal courts must weigh “the character and magnitude of the asserted injury” to the right to vote against “the precise interests put forward by the State as justifications for the burden imposed by its rule.”
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Laws that imposed minimal burdens on the right to vote, while serving legitimate state interests, were typically upheld. But laws that burdened the right to vote without achieving any other real purpose would be struck down under the <em>Anderson</em> framework.
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<em>Anderson</em> is technically still good law. But the Supreme Court watered down <em>Anderson</em>’s balancing test so severely in <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-21.ZO.html"><em>Crawford v. Marion County Election Board</em></a> (2008) that it’s unclear whether <em>Anderson</em> still provides any meaningful safeguard against laws enacted primarily to disenfranchise voters.
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<em>Crawford</em> was an early challenge to what was, at the time, a cutting-edge method of restricting the franchise: strict voter ID laws. Proponents of such laws, which require voters to show a photo ID before they can cast a ballot, typically claim that they are necessary to prevent anyone from impersonating a voter at the polls. But this kind of voter fraud is <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/4/15/21222084/kentucky-voter-id-coronavirus-pandemic">so rare that it barely exists</a>.
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A study by Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt, who led much of the Justice Department’s voting rights work in the Obama administration, uncovered only <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/8/6/9107927/voter-id-election-fraud">35 credible allegations of in-person voter fraud</a> among the 834 million ballots cast in the 2000-2014 elections. A Wisconsin study found seven cases of any kind of fraud among the 3 million votes cast in the 2004 election — and <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/breaking-texas-voter-id-law-struck-down-by-an-extraordinarily-conservative-appeals-court-48bc0293f55b/">none</a> were the kind that could be prevented by voter ID. In 2014, Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, a Republican, announced the results of a two-year investigation into election misconduct within his state. He found <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/iowas-republican-secretary-of-state-just-proved-that-voter-id-laws-are-unnecessary-cdb0729ff3b4/">zero cases</a> of voter impersonation at the polls.
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The primary opinion in <em>Crawford</em> was only able to identify one case of in-person voter fraud at the polls <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-21.ZO.html">in the preceding 140 years</a>.
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So, under <em>Anderson</em>’s framework, the Indiana voter ID law at issue in <em>Crawford</em> should have been struck down. A state’s power to regulate elections is at its nadir when it targets an imaginary or virtually nonexistent problem.
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Yet the Court allowed Indiana’s voter ID law to go into effect in <em>Crawford</em>.
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The Court’s conservatives were unanimous in favor of this result, but it’s worth noting that the vote in <em>Crawford </em>was 6-3, with the five conservative justices splitting between two separate opinions. The primary opinion in <em>Crawford</em> was authored by Justice John Paul Stevens, a moderate Gerald Ford appointee who frequently voted with the Court’s liberal bloc.
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Stevens later described <em>Crawford</em> as “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/stevens-says-supreme-court-decision-on-voter-id-was-correct-but-maybe-not-right/2016/05/15/9683c51c-193f-11e6-9e16-2e5a123aac62_story.html?utm_term=.4c92ef515545">a fairly unfortunate decision</a>.” And, shortly after Stevens’s death in 2019, election law scholar Rick Hasen <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/07/john-paul-stevens-supreme-court-conservative-votes.html">speculated</a> that Stevens’s opinion in <em>Crawford</em> may have been a “tactical move that saved the country from a much worse decision” — Stevens’s opinion was joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Anthony Kennedy, who might have joined a <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-21.ZC.html">more radical opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia</a> if Stevens hadn’t voted for a conservative outcome.
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Regardless of why the justices voted the way they did in <em>Crawford</em>, however, the decision was still a disaster for voting rights. It established that states may enact laws restricting the franchise, even if the only justification for the law is an imaginary or greatly exaggerated problem.
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The Court dismantled key protections against racist election laws
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Beyond the balancing test recognized by cases like <em>Anderson</em>, federal law is also supposed to provide very robust safeguards against racial discrimination in elections.
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The most potent provision of the federal Voting Rights Act was Section 5 of the law, which required that states and local governments with a history of racist voting practices <a href="https://www.vox.com/22286213/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-arizona-brnovich-democratic-national-committee-republican-party">“preclear” any new voting rules</a> — either with the Justice Department or with a federal court in Washington, DC — before those new rules could take effect. The idea was to stop racist election rules from ever having a chance to disenfranchise anyone.
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Section 5 also provided very broad protection against racial voter discrimination in the jurisdictions where it applied. Under Section 5, covered states and local governments were required to seek preclearance for any new “voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting.” And preclearance would be denied if the new election rule had either the “purpose” or the “effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race or color.”
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Before the Supreme Court effectively eliminated this preclearance regime in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4053797526279899410&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr"><em>Shelby County v. Holder</em></a> (2013), <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/jurisdictions-previously-covered-section-5">nine states were subject to preclearance</a> on a statewide basis. That included Arizona, Georgia, and Texas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3Njz0c">
Before <em>Shelby County</em>, in other words, Texas would not have been allowed to implement a law that shuts down voting precincts in primarily Black and brown neighborhoods. Similarly, Georgia’s entire voter suppression law would be subject to preclearance, as would any new action taken under that law — such as a decision by state-level Republicans to take over local election boards in Atlanta, or to use their control of local election administration to shut down polling locations in Black communities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jUBEQ7">
The premise of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4053797526279899410&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=6&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholarr"><em>Shelby</em> <em>County</em></a> was that it was unfair to single out the particular jurisdictions that were previously subject to preclearance because those jurisdictions no longer engaged in the kind of “‘pervasive,’ ‘flagrant,’ ‘widespread,’ and ‘rampant’ discrimination” that characterized the Jim Crow era. As Roberts wrote for the Court in <em>Shelby County</em>, “there is no denying … that the conditions that originally justified [preclearance] no longer characterize voting in the covered jurisdictions.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mNum8P">
Perhaps. But, as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg famously wrote in dissent, the fully operational Voting Rights Act was one of the primary reasons Jim Crow voter suppression waned in the latter part of the 20th century. “Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes,” Ginsburg clapped back at Roberts, “is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="K5fKvy">
Ginsburg’s warning now seems prescient, as many of the same states that were once subject to preclearance are now racing to enact laws disenfranchising voters.
</p>
<h3 id="IVFIS3">
It’s going to get worse
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6BdPsR">
Decisions like <em>Crawford</em> and <em>Shelby County</em> were handed down when the relatively moderate conservative Justice Kennedy held the balance of power on the Supreme Court, when Justice Ginsburg was still alive, and when Amy Coney Barrett was still an obscure law professor at Notre Dame. Now that Kennedy and Ginsburg are no longer around, the Court’s new majority is likely to make significant new incursions on the right to vote.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gX0IZE">
The Supreme Court heard a case in March, for example, that could potentially <a href="https://www.vox.com/22286213/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-arizona-brnovich-democratic-national-committee-republican-party">dismantle what remains of the Voting Rights Act</a>. Although several of the justices seemed <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/3/2/22309326/supreme-court-voting-rights-act-brnovich-democratic-national-committee-carvin-brett-kavanuagh">disinclined at oral argument</a> to eliminate all of the nation’s safeguards against racist election laws in one fell swoop, this case is still likely to weaken the Voting Rights Act even further, opening the door to more voter suppression laws.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ty3g7e">
The conservative justices, meanwhile, are pushing a radical doctrine that would give state legislatures an <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/10/26/21535503/supreme-court-wisconsin-democratic-national-committee-neil-gorsuch-brett-kavanaugh-bush-v-gore">unprecedented new power to enact new election laws</a> — even if those laws are vetoed by the governor or struck down by the state’s courts. As Justice Neil Gorsuch described this doctrine, “the Constitution provides that state legislatures — not federal judges, not state judges, not state governors, not other state officials — bear primary responsibility for setting election rules.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w3h6ka">
It’s unclear whether the Court will implement this doctrine or how far it will go in doing so. Of the six conservative justices, only four currently endorse Gorsuch’s approach. Roberts has <a href="https://utexas.app.box.com/s/pd70m6vmah3xf3h7je69pgmnunwuscbm">backed it in the past</a>, but he <a href="https://utexas.app.box.com/s/pd70m6vmah3xf3h7je69pgmnunwuscbm">stepped away from that view</a> in an opinion last October. This means that the decision likely comes down to the recently confirmed Justice Barrett, who has not been on the Court long enough to reveal whether she agrees with Gorsuch.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zalf5P">
If taken to its logical extreme, Gorsuch’s proposed rule could <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/11/3/21546419/supreme-court-2020-election-question-pennslyvania-minnesota-texas-north-carolina">skew elections even further toward the Republican Party</a>. It could potentially allow gerrymandered state legislatures in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to draw congressional maps that will lock Democrats out of power — and then to enact these maps into law even if the states’ Democratic governors attempt to veto the maps. Gorsuch’s approach might also prohibit state supreme courts from enforcing state constitutional provisions that protect voting rights or prohibit gerrymandering.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GcYZJ0">
The Supreme Court, in other words, is signaling that it is not inclined to protect voting rights — and that it may even be inclined to further dismantle existing rules that protect our democracy. Republican state lawmakers are as capable of reading these signals as anyone else. And so it should come as no surprise that we are seeing the kinds of voter suppression bills that we are now seeing in places like Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Arizona.
</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Former Asian Games gold medallist footballer Fortunato Franco dies aged 84</strong> - One of India’s finest mid-fielders, Franco was a part of Indian football’s golden era between 1960-64.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pakistan seals second Test and 2-0 series sweep in Zimbabwe</strong> - It took only five overs on Day 4 for Shaheen Shah Afridi to end it by having Luke Jongwe caught behind by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan for 37.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Football, COVID and a political controversy: Why BJP spokesperson’s post irked Kerala’s Man United fans</strong> - A recent post by Bharatiya Janata Party’s State spokesperson Sandeep G. Varier seems to have displeased a section of Manchester United fans on Facebook.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Varun Chakravarthy, Sandeep Warrier back home after completing mandatory isolation</strong> - Tamil Nadu’s Varun Chakravarthy was officially the first player in this edition of the IPL, who contracted the infection after going for some medical scans</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Delhi Police issues LoC against Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar</strong> - Kumar along with other accused have been named in the FIR of murder, abduction and criminal conspiracy at Model Town police station in North West Delhi, said police</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Low pressure area likely over Arabian Sea around May 14</strong> - Rainfall is expected to continue in Kerala in the days ahead</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>3 chargesheeted for duping foreign nationals</strong> - Money-laundering probe based on FIR registered by Goa police</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury does not want ISF as an ally in future</strong> - He asserted his party never went to form an alliance with the ISF and it was the Left, which chose to tie up with the party.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Bodies of suspected COVID victims spotted in Ganga</strong> - Villagers in Bihar point to high cost of cremation, forcing the poor to discard remains in the river</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Govt says all steps on for supply of Remdesivir, Tocilizumab</strong> - There’s a surge in demand for COVID-19 drugs Remdesivir and Tocilizumab</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>French soldiers warn of civil war in new letter</strong> - Members of the military accuse the French government of granting concessions to Islamism.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Russian top doctor who treated Navalny emerges from forest</strong> - The ex-hospital chief whose team treated Putin critic Alexei Navalny went missing, but is safe now.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lampedusa: More than 1,000 migrants arrive on Italian island</strong> - The arrivals on Lampedusa in the space of a few hours coincided with the improving weather.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hvaldimir: Seeking sanctuary for whale dubbed a Russian spy</strong> - A campaign to protect a mysterious beluga whale near Norway is gathering pace - but will it work?</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Italy Mafia: Murdered judge Rosario Livatino beatified</strong> - Rosario Livatino, who was gunned down by the mafia in 1990, is a step closer to sainthood.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Android Automotive OS review: Under the hood with Google’s car OS</strong> - AAOS nails the car platform fundamentals, but it needs more apps and features. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1751715">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>New book Press Reset investigates the high human cost of game development</strong> - Beloved game-industry journo aims his lens at the little people making big video games. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1763446">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Why Amy Klobuchar just wrote 600 pages on antitrust</strong> - “Monopolies tend to have a lot of control, not just over consumers, but also over politics.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1763506">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Review: The role-playing game’s afoot in charming dark comedy Murder Bury Win</strong> - It’s not an instant classic like <em>Clue</em>, but it’s fun, very solid indie fare. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1759895">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Rivian’s electric truck features include air compressor and AC outlets</strong> - It has storage compartments galore, plus an extending truck bed. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1763611">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>In Jerusalem, a female journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Wailing Wall to pray, twice a day, everyday, for a long, long time. So she went to check it out.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She went to the Wailing Wall and there he was!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, she approached him for an interview.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Sir, how long have you been coming to the Wall and praying?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“For about 60 years.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“60 years! That’s amazing! What do you pray for?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I pray for peace. I pray for all the hatred to stop and I pray for all our children to grow up in safety and friendship.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Like I’m talking to a wall!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/timetofeedthemonster"> /u/timetofeedthemonster </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8nw2s/in_jerusalem_a_female_journalist_heard_about_a/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8nw2s/in_jerusalem_a_female_journalist_heard_about_a/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>At a party meeting, a Communist party officer is drilling a local worker.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He asks him: “Comrade, if you had two houses, would you give one to the Communist Party?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The worker responds “Yes, definitely, comrade, I would give one of my houses to the party!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Then he asks “Comrade, if you had two cars, would you give one to the party?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Again, the worker says, “Yes, I would give one of my cars to the party!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Finally, the officer asks, “If you had two shirts, would you give one to the party?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Nyet!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The officer asks “But why? Why won’t you give one of your shirts to the party?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The worker says: “Because I HAVE two shirts!”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/any-mystic"> /u/any-mystic </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8myee/at_a_party_meeting_a_communist_party_officer_is/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8myee/at_a_party_meeting_a_communist_party_officer_is/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>An old woman took her husband to the doctor. The doctor checked the husband’s pulse, then told the woman, “I’m sorry, your husband is dead.”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The woman was shocked. “I don’t believe it. Are you sure? I want to be absolutely sure, are there any other tests you can do?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doctor responded, “I’m quite sure, but if you’d like we do have some alternative tests that we can perform.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“YES! I have to be absolutely certain.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doctor shrugged, sat down on a stool and yelled out the door, “send in Mrs. Fluffkins!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
In walked a black house cat. The cat jumped onto the examination table, walking carelessly on the unresponsive body of the woman’s husband, the cat swatted at the man’s face a few times, then jumped off the table, meowed twice and walked out of the room.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Just as I thought,” said the doctor. “Dead. Send in Walter!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
In walked a Labrador retriever, the dog walked over to the woman’s husband, smelled his hand which was dangling from the table. The dog turned to the doctor, his big expressive eyes raised up to meet the doctor’s gaze, then the dog shook his head and walked out of the room.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Just as I thought,” said the doctor. “Dead. Send in Collin!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Suddenly a towering Aussie in safari gear burst into the room. A pair of binoculars hung from a strap around his neck. He pulled them up to his eyes, looked at the husband for a second, then turned to the old woman and yelled, “OY CUNT YA HUSBANDS FUCKIN’ DEAD” and walked out of the room.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Thank you Collin,” said the doctor, making a note on his clipboard, then yelled down the hall “Ma’am can you come in here?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A elderly woman walked slowly into the room, peered through her thick glasses at the body of the husband on the exam table, shook her head, then sat down at a typewriter in the corner, clacked away at the keys for a few seconds. Ding. She pulled a card out of the typewriter, and handed it to the doctor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doctor looked at the card, “Dead. Thank you ma’am, that’ll be all.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The doctor suddenly hopped up from his stool. He picked the stool up by the legs and swung it over his head, crashing the seat down on the body of the husband. The husband’s lifeless body flailed under the impact, then settled back to rest on the table. The doctor set the stool down, then jotted something on his clipboard.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I’m sorry to inform you that your husband is definitely dead.” He handed her a piece of paper detailing the test results. “Take this to the front desk and they’ll check you out.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The old woman took the slip of paper to the front desk.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The receptionist looked it over, and giving the old woman a sad look said, “I’m sorry for your loss. That will be $32,000.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“32 THOUSAND DOLLARS?!?!? That can’t possibly be right, I’ve never paid that much to see the doctor.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The receptionist looked over the paper again, “Well it’s $100 copay for the doctors visit, but then it shows you also requested a cat scan, a lab report, a Collin-oscopy, a ma’am-ogram, and a stool analysis.”
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Genius_Mate"> /u/Genius_Mate </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8dv8i/an_old_woman_took_her_husband_to_the_doctor_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8dv8i/an_old_woman_took_her_husband_to_the_doctor_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Did you hear about the streaker that ran up to three nuns?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The first one had a stroke.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The second one had a stroke.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
And the third one didn’t touch him at all.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/NovaCanuck"> /u/NovaCanuck </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8xdak/did_you_hear_about_the_streaker_that_ran_up_to/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8xdak/did_you_hear_about_the_streaker_that_ran_up_to/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Rags To Riches Success Story</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A real touching success story!
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Every morning, the CEO of a large bank in Manhattan walks to the corner for a shoe shine. He sits in an armchair, examines the Wall Street Journal and the shoe shiner buffs his shoes to a mirror shine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
One morning the shoe shiner asks the CEO: “What do you think about the situation in the stock market?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The man answered arrogantly, “Why are you so interested in that topic?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The shoe guy replies, “I have millions in your bank,” he says, “and I’m considering investing some of the money in the capital market.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“What’s your name?” asked the executive.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
John H. Smith was the reply.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The CEO arrives at the bank and asked the Manager of the Customer Department: Do we have a client named John H. Smith? “Certainly,” answers the Customer Service Manager, “he is a high net worth customer with 12.6 million dollars in his account.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The executive comes out, approaches the shoe shiner, and says, “Mr. Smith, I would like to invite you next Monday to be the guest of honor at our board meeting and tell us the story of your life. I am sure we could learn something from your life’s experience.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
At the board meeting, the CEO introduces him to the board members.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
We all know Mr. Smith, from the corner shoe shine stand, but Mr. Smith is also an esteemed customer. I invited him here to tell us the story of his life. I am sure we can learn from him.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Mr. Smith began his story.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
"I came to this country fifty years ago as a young immigrant from Europe with an unpronounceable name. I got off the ship without a penny. The first thing I did was change my name to Smith. I was hungry and exhausted. I started wandering around looking for a job but to no avail. Fortunately, I found a coin on the sidewalk. I bought an apple. I had two options, eat the apple and quench my hunger or start a business. I sold the apple for 25 cents and bought two apples with the money. I also sold them and continued in business. When I started accumulating a few dollars, I was able to buy a set of used brushes and shoe polish and started polishing shoes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I didn’t spend a penny on entertainment or clothing, I just bought bread and some cheese to survive. I saved penny by penny and after a while, I bought a new set of shoe brushes and polishes in different shades and expanded my clientele. I lived like a monk and saved penny by penny.
</p>
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After a while, I was able to buy an armchair so my clients could sit comfortably while I shined their shoes, and that brought me more clients. I did not spend a penny on the joys of life. I kept saving every cent.
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A few years ago, when the previous shoe shiner on the corner decided to retire, I had already saved enough money to buy his shoeshine location at this great place.
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Finally, 6 months ago, my sister, who was a prostitute in Chicago, passed away and left me 12.6 million dollars."
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/acid012"> /u/acid012 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8u1sd/rags_to_riches_success_story/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/n8u1sd/rags_to_riches_success_story/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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