Drug companies offer perks to get staff back to work

Drug companies offer perks to get staff back to work Increased export as well as domestic demand for drugs such as hydroxychloroquine and chronic therapy medications has led to their manufacturers keeping their production lines running. The biggest challenges for them are over logistics and getting employees to work. https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the new coronavirus

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the new coronavirus
Reuters: Health
More than 3.21 million people have reportedly been infected by the novel coronavirus globally, and 227,864 have died, according to a Reuters tally as of 1400 GMT on Thursday.


China reports 12 new coronavirus cases versus four a day earlier

China reports 12 new coronavirus cases versus four a day earlier
Reuters: Health
China reported 12 new coronavirus cases for April 30, up from four a day earlier, data from the country's health authority showed on Friday.


India adds 1,832 cases, 74 more to toll

India adds 1,832 cases, 74 more to toll New Covid-19 cases in India spiked again on Thursday, crossing 1,800 for the second time in the week and falling just eight short of Tuesday’s peak of 1,840, while the day’s death toll stayed above 70 for the second straight day. https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Mexico reports 1,425 new coronavirus cases, 127 deaths

Mexico reports 1,425 new coronavirus cases, 127 deaths
Reuters: Health
Mexican health officials on Thursday reported 1,425 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 127 new deaths in the country, bringing the total to 19,224 cases and 1,859 deaths.


Britain could miss COVID-19 testing target, says minister

Britain could miss COVID-19 testing target, says minister
Reuters: Health
Britain could miss its target of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April, Justice Minister Robert Buckland said on Thursday.


Pandemic Guilt and What to Do with It: Move from Guilt to Gratitude then Pay it Forward

I am a psychotherapist. In the last month, I’ve heard a lot about guilty feelings like:

I feel guilty I’m not on the front lines.

I feel guilty I have a nice place to live during quarantine. 

I feel guilty others have died and lost loved ones and I have not.

I feel guilty for not helping out enough.

I feel guilty about the people working in grocery stores.

I feel guilty I have toilet paper, Purell, and wipes.

I feel guilty my mom or dad or friend are alone and I have family with me.

I feel guilty I still have a job and others don’t.

I too can relate! Having good fortune when others don’t leads to feeling guilty and even ashamed. What do we do with this guilt? How do we understand it? Should we sooth our guilt? Or do we deserve the punishment of our guilt? Is there something transformational to do with our guilt?

What is guilt?

Guilt is a wired-in emotion evoked when we believe we have done something bad. On the Change Triangle (my favorite tool to understand and work with my emotions), guilt is an inhibitory emotion. As such, it blocks access to core emotions like sadness, fear, joy, and gratitude. For example, my friend insults me, my mid-brain automatically and without conscious control triggers anger. The guilt is triggered milliseconds after to block the anger because I was taught “it’s not nice to be angry at friends.”

The evolutionary purpose of guilt is to keep us positively connected to others. It’s an advantage for humans to work together, so it’s important that we have an emotion to override selfishness. Guilt pushes us to stay in the good graces of the people we need. The “bad feeling” that guilt evokes in our mind and body propels us to do the “right thing.” 

Accepting Our Limits

Knowing that nurses, doctors, and others risk infection to keep us safe evokes our sense of guilt. I also should be risking my life to help others. I want to be a good person, but I am scared to die. I don’t want to risk my life. Even if I were a doctor or frontline worker, I am not sure I’d want to risk the health of my family or myself. Owning how we really feel is hard. 

The process of accepting our limits is at first challenging, and then liberating. For me, my hardest and most painful work in therapy was processing the shame of not being perfectly giving at all times. I wanted to be the ultimate good person. I wanted to be a saint. But deep down we all know our shadow sides — our fearful side and our resentful side — with all the not-nice thoughts we have but never dare to share for fear of being unlovable. The process of accepting my limits and boundaries and learning to say No or I can’t helped me to accept all sides of myself, reduce my anxiety and anger, and paradoxically made me more truly loving. 

Sometimes guilt is helpful. Sometimes it is not.

When we have truly done a bad deed, one with intent to hurt, lie, cheat, injure or betray, we should feel guilty. We have done something wrong for which we need to be accountable. Then we need to make amends. Many times, however, our guilt is unwarranted. We have not done anything wrong except care for ourselves. In this case, guilt serves to obscure a deeper conflict or pain, such as: 

  • Guilt for setting a limit or boundary, when others get angry or sad in response.
  • Guilt for not wanting to take a risk that others are willing take.
  • Guilt for being alive when someone we love has died.
  • Guilt for taking care of our own needs when others resent us for it.
  • Guilt for preserving our mental and physical health, when that choice affects others negatively.
  • Guilt for being lucky, having more than others, being born to privilege, and having more funds, assets, and food than others.

The Move from Guilt to Gratitude

What’s another way to deal with our good luck and good fortune? Shift from guilt to gratitude. The shift from guilt to gratitude is an easy one. They are right next door to each other. My friend calls them “kissing cousins.”

Here’s how you do it: think about what you have (i.e. enough room in your house for everyone to have privacy) or what you don’t have to do (i.e. work in a hospital) that makes you feel guilty. Now, feel grateful about it. 

For example, I feel so guilty that I have a secluded house in Connecticut so I don’t have to be trapped in a New York City apartment. That guilt is a heavy sinking feeling that makes me jittery and unstable-feeling. Now, I shift into gratitude. I say out loud, “I am so grateful I have a secluded house in which to quarantine myself. I am so lucky.” I don’t shift into “I don’t deserve it” or “I do deserve it,” because every one of us deserves safety and contentment. That is not the issue. The issue is gratitude feels better and is more useful than guilt.

The Usefulness of Gratitude

Now that you have moved from guilt to gratitude, it’s time to take action. How do we pay our gratitude forward? We take positive action. Saying thank you is a good beginning. We can write a thank you note to a hospital, to our doctor, to anyone we see helping in a way we cannot. We can bring food to elders in our community still adhering to social distancing rules. We can share masks, gloves, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. We can send a gift of appreciation, volunteer our time in a way that feels right for us, or donate to a cause that moves us. With a little thought, we will find a way to move from guilt to gratitude and then pay it forward in whatever way we can.

During the pandemic, we have been asked to stay home, take care of each other, and not make things worse. That counts as an action of paying it forward. Staying home prevents others from getting sick and eases the burden on our hospital system. You can feel good about that.

If you feel guilty that other people are suffering and you are one of the lucky ones, shift from guilt to gratitude. Say to yourself, I feel so grateful for my luck. Then feel that gratitude deep inside. Let it help you breathe a sigh of relief and an impulse to do something that channels your gratitude into a good deed. Sitting around feeling guilty doesn’t help anyone, but gratitude can. 

AstraZeneca to produce Oxford University's potential COVID-19 vaccine

AstraZeneca to produce Oxford University's potential COVID-19 vaccine
Reuters: Health
AstraZeneca will make and distribute the coronavirus vaccine being developed by the Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group under an agreement with the University of Oxford, the British drugmaker said on Thursday.


Telangana: Test those undergoing surgery but not emergency cases, says doctors

Telangana: Test those undergoing surgery but not emergency cases, says doctors “While in emergency cases, there is no scope for testing given the limited time available. Therefore, all possible precautions should be taken. But in case of planned surgeries these tests should be done to save lives,” said Dr P Raghu Ram, president, Association of Surgeons of India. https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Factbox: Latest on the spread of the coronavirus around the world

Factbox: Latest on the spread of the coronavirus around the world
Reuters: Health
More than 3.19 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 226,880 have died, according to a Reuters tally as of 0200 GMT on Thursday.


Fauci says leak concerns fueled his White House revelation of Gilead drug results

Fauci says leak concerns fueled his White House revelation of Gilead drug results
Reuters: Health
Concerns over leaks compelled the top U.S. infectious disease official to reveal data on Gilead Sciences Inc’s experimental drug remdesivir, the first in a scientifically rigorous clincial trial to show benefit in treating COVID-19.


India's Glenmark to conduct trials for potential COVID-19 drug, shares jump

India's Glenmark to conduct trials for potential COVID-19 drug, shares jump
Reuters: Health
Shares of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd rose almost 9% on Thursday after the Indian drugmaker got an approval to conduct clinical trials with antiviral drug favipiravir, seen as a potential treatment for COVID-19.


U.S. cracks down on ethanol-based hand sanitizer, hitting supply as demand soars

U.S. cracks down on ethanol-based hand sanitizer, hitting supply as demand soars
Reuters: Health
The Trump administration has tightened restrictions on the use of ethanol in hand sanitizer, forcing suppliers of the corn-based alcohol to halt their sales at a time of soaring demand, according to sources and documents seen by Reuters.


Pubs sessions, date nights to return as Australia's outback territory ends virus restrictions

Pubs sessions, date nights to return as Australia's outback territory ends virus restrictions
Reuters: Health
Australia's remote Northern Territory will lift all social distancing restrictions by June as it has recorded no cases of coronavirus for three weeks -- the first state or territory in Australia to detail how it plans to restart its local economy.


Thailand reports seven new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

Thailand reports seven new coronavirus cases, no new deaths
Reuters: Health
Thailand on Thursday reported seven new coronavirus cases but no new deaths, taking its tally to 2,954 cases while fatalities remained at 54 since the outbreak began in January.


No mask? Ahmedabad civic body plans to fine violators up to Rs 50,000

No mask? Ahmedabad civic body plans to fine violators up to Rs 50,000 Besides these fines, which will come into force from May 1, licences of the erring entities will also be suspended for three months. https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

South Korea: no new domestic coronavirus cases, no transmission from election

South Korea: no new domestic coronavirus cases, no transmission from election
Reuters: Health
South Korea on Thursday reported no new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time since February, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.


Bodies found in unrefrigerated trucks in New York during COVID-19 pandemic

Bodies found in unrefrigerated trucks in New York during COVID-19 pandemic
Reuters: Health
The city of New York delivered a freezer truck to a funeral home on Wednesday after it was found to be storing dead bodies in unrefrigerated U-Haul vehicles, a Reuters eyewitness said.