Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses One Million Worldwide
More than a million people have died from coronavirus according to a count from John Hopkins University. The database for the coronavirus death count comes from the WHO, the U.S. and European CDCs, China’s national health authority, and other sources.
Many health officials say that the death toll is likely significantly higher. It’s thought that countries such as Syria and Iran have significantly underreported death rates. That being said, there are also several cases of countries marking deaths as COVID deaths in any case where a patient tests positive for COVID-19 at the time of death, even if it is not the leading cause of death.
“When you count anything, you can’t count it perfectly but I can assure you that the current numbers are likely an underestimate of the true toll of COVID.”
It’s extremely difficult to get an accurate worldwide death count. The U.S holds more than one-fifth of all deaths, more than any other country in the world, followed by Brazil and India, respectively. As of now, the virus shows no signs of slowing. Many countries that were thought to have cases under control are now having second waves. India is currently recording the most amount of new cases a day.
Health officials think it is likely that the death count may reach two million before a vaccine is readily available.
If you’re worried about coronavirus, the best thing you can do is focus on maintaining a healthy immune system through a healthy gut microbiome. Check out this article to learn how to heal the gut.
Elon Musk Says He Will Not be Taking the Coronavirus Vaccine
In a recent appearance on the New York Times podcast “Sway” with Kara Swisher, Elon Musk reported that neither he nor his children would be getting a coronavirus vaccine when it’s readily available. “I’m not at risk, and neither are my kids,” Musk said on Monday. Musk also called the national lockdown a “no-win situation” that has “diminished my faith in humanity”.
This statement from Musk comes after months of criticism on how the U.S has handled the virus and the lockdown. He has previously referred to the coronavirus as “dumb” and called widespread lockdowns “unethical” and referred to them as “de facto house arrest”.
Alternatively, he has proposed that we try the targeted lockdown approach, putting anyone at risk on lockdown. Swisher said people could potentially die in response to Musk’s suggestion. “Everybody dies,” said Musk.
Bill Gates has recently claimed that Elon Musk does not know much about vaccines and suggested that he should stay out areas that he isn’t involved in. Musk later responded by saying “Hey, knucklehead, we actually make the vaccine machines for CureVac, that company you’re invested in.” Tesla manufactures equipment for CureVac, the German biopharmaceutical firm.
Regardless of Musk’s knowledge of vaccines, he seems like a pretty intelligent guy, certainly capable of making the decision as to rather he and his own children should be vaccinated.
You can listen to Musk’s conversation with Kara Swisher here.
A Review of the New Netflix Documentary, “Kiss The Ground”
Kiss The Ground is a new Netflix documentary narrated by Woody Harrelson. The documentary is all about the importance of soil, and more specifically, how we can take care of the soil so the soil will take care of us. The documentary talks about the U.S.’s long history of destroying the soil and what we can do to fix it.
After Wood Harrelson starts the narration, the film opens on Ray Archuleta, a certified soil scientist. Ray travels around the country and teaches farmers the importance of no-till farming practices. He talks about the importance of the soil, and more specifically, the importance of carbon-rich soil. Ray sets the scene for the film to talk about the importance of regenerative agriculture and the importance of giving back to the soil, as well as how to spread the message.
The documentary also touches on the importance of eating food to feed your gut and the importance of getting the good microbes from the soil into your gut. And of course, you really can’t talk about the damage done to the soil without mentioning pesticides and GMOs. It’s a vicious cycle, says Harrelson. “The more tilling that’s done the weaker the soil gets, and the more compelled farmers feel to use chemical sprays”.
Field corn, our most common crop in the U.S., is genetically modified and sprayed with glyphosate. Glyphosate is known to cause cancer and is so overused it’s found its way into our drinking water. Three pounds of toxic chemicals are sprayed per person onto or food, each year.
“A big reason these chemicals make us sick is because just as toxic chemicals kill the microbes in the soil, they kill the microbes in our bodies.”
As is pointed out in the documentary, our topsoil in its current condition has about 60 harvests left, and if that doesn’t terrify you, then you’re not paying enough attention. After going through the history of the damage we’ve done, the documentary establishes an important message: It’s not too late. They dive into regenerative practices that feed the earth, sustainable farming, the importance of cover crops, the importance of composting, and so much more.
From the damage done by the Dust Bowl to the German Scientist who originally invented pesticides, to the importance of the bacteria in our soil, I’d say the documentary does a pretty good job of covering the history of soil degradation and informing viewers as to why it’s so important that we fix this problem.
Even you’re pretty well versed with our current environmental crisis, this documentary is still worth a watch. The documentary covers a lot of ground (no pun intended). The way the film covers the importance of taking care of the Earth with how it relates to taking care of our own bodies is something that is not often seen in more mainstream content. I couldn’t even begin to cover all the important points made in the documentary in one review. The film reminded us of how important it is that we keep working to achieve a better, cleaner Earth.
Kiss The Ground is available on Netflix. If the film or even this article has inspired you to learn more about what you can to do help, from a health perspective, we recommend eating as clean as possible. By focusing on gut health, and eating an organic, diverse diet, you can do more than just improve your own health, you can improve the health of the Earth.
Don’t Expect a Return to Normalcy Until Late 2021, Says Healthcare Official
On Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci told congress that even with a vaccine we should not expect a “return to normalcy” until mid-late 2021. Fauci reported that an FDA approved coronavirus vaccine would take awhile due to “rigorous clinical testing required” for what they deem safe and effective vaccines.
President Trump maintains that there should be a safe vaccine by the end of October, with enough vaccines available for everyone by April. Concerns have been raised about the safety of a vaccine created under the Trump administration, while others are concerned that politics will influence the vaccine approval process.
There is “growing optimism” that scientists will find one or more safe and effective vaccines by the end of the year or early 2021 and the U.S. could have enough vaccine doses by April.
Despite concerns over Trump’s timeline, Fauci shared a similar timeline, anticipating that the U.S. should have 700 million vaccines ready by April. Fauci expects 50 million vaccines to be ready by November. It’s expected that high-risk people, such as the elderly and health care workers will be vaccinated first, with an estimated six to nine months to vaccinate the entire population. Four companies: Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson, are currently in stage three trial testing. All have been backed by the Trump administration’s Covid-19 vaccine program.
Iceland has a population of 354,134 people across 40,000 square miles, making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. Unlike the U.S, Iceland was on top of the coronavirus situation before it became too big of an issue.
Before the end of February, Iceland implemented a contact tracing team, which shortly got the notice that the first case of Covid-19 had been confirmed. The tracing team considered anyone who spent more than 15 minutes near the man infected with the first case, to be possibly infected. Within 24 hours they had come up with a list of 56 people who were “potentially infected”, and contacted them with orders to quarantine for 14 days.
The tracing team, too, kept growing, until it had fifty-two members. They worked in shifts out of conference rooms in a Reykjavík hotel that had closed for lack of tourists. To find people who had been exposed, team members scanned airplane manifests and security-camera footage. They tried to pinpoint who was sitting next to whom on buses and in lecture halls.
Unfortunately, three cases followed the first, six more cases after that, and by mid-march, there were 60, 70, up to 100 new cases a day. Relative to the population, cases were rising at a higher rate than even here in the U.S. That being said, Iceland also tested at a higher rate per capita than other country in the world. By May 17th, 15.5% of the population had been tested. By mid-may, the tracing team was nearly out of potentially infected people to contact, and only two new cases had been reported in the previous week.
Coronavirus tests in Iceland also testing the DNA sequence of the virus from everyone who tested positive. The virus picks up random mutations as it is passed from person to person, thus allowing researchers to track the diseases spread. Researchers found, despite most of Europe focusing on Italy, the virus had come in from many different nations, Britain, the U.S, both West, and East cost, Austria, and back and forth between countries.
If you’re worried about the coronavirus, the best thing you can do for yourself and those around you is to prioritize gut health through a healthy diet. Read this article to learn more about how to heal the gut.
ICE Detention Center Allegedly Sterilizing Women Without Consent
A nurse by the name of Dawn Wooten has sounded the alarm against an ICE detention camp in Georgia that has allegedly performed hysterectomies without consent. The allegations were made earlier last week with claims that several women have had their uteruses removed without consent.
In many cases, women who undergo treatment are told conflicting things. This was the case for one woman who was given multiple explanations as to what procedure she would be undergoing, ranging from having small amounts of tissues scraped away, to having her womb removed entirely. Women were not provided with proper translators, and the doctors did not speak Spanish.
Dr. Ada Rivera, the medical director of the ICE Health Services Corps, which oversees health care in the agency’s detention system, said that the reports would be fully and independently investigated, but that the agency “vehemently disputes the implication that detainees are used for experimental medical procedures.”
Detainees have come forward and pointed to Doctor Mahendra Amin, with claims that he treated patients roughly. Dr. Amin and his lawyer have both denied the allegations against them. The Department of Homeland Security is currently investigating the allegations. The Trump administration rolled back detention center standards after taking office, despite the already substandard conditions that ICE centers are known for.
New Study Links Parkinson’s to Abundance of Opportunistic Pathogens in the Gut
Parkinson’s disease is a nervous system disorder that affects movement. As early as 2000, research has shown that Parkinson’s disease originates in the gut. Many studies have proposed that pathogens from the gut travel to the brain via the nervous system.
One animal study last year, for example, produced the best evidence to date of this gut-brain connection, demonstrating how misfolded proteins can travel to the brain through the vagus nerve. Another from earlier this year showed how some species of gut bacteria could inhibit the accumulation of these proteins, while another highlighted how altered neurons that regulate the digestive system may play a role in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease.
A new study done in 2017 by neurologists from the University of Alabama has shown that opportunistic pathogens take advantage of the body’s weakened defenses, driving infection, in Parkinson’s disease. Researchers used advanced DNA sequencing and computational tools to analyze data from previous studies as well as new independent data. Researchers looked at 520 cases of Parkinson’s and 300 controls within the study.
The best treatment and prevention for Parkinson’s Disease is having a healthy gut. To learn more about gut health and how to heal the gut, check out this article.