HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

July 8,  2020 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• New coronavirus form more contagious, similar in severity, study shows (Nation)
• Warning of serious brain disorders in people with mild coronavirus symptoms  (Guardian)
• At Least 5 States Set Single-Day Coronavirus Case Records (New York Times)
• Suspected case of Bubonic Plague in China’s inner Mongolia (CNN)
• Minimizing the effects of wildfire smoke due to COVID-19 (USFA)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• The U.S. government is 'looking at' banning TikTok due to national security concerns (USA Today)
• Siberian arctic up to 10 degrees warmer in June (BBC)
• Hundreds of elephants found dead in Botswana (BBC)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

New coronavirus form more contagious, similar in severity, study shows (Nation)

…A study on the COVID-19 coronavirus, published in the Cell journal, reveals that the virus has developed a new form - a more infectious and apparently fitter mutation that has received the name G614…Erica Ollmann Saphire of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology and the Coronavirus Immunotherapy Consortium, who participated in the research, told CNN that the new mutation is "the dominant form infecting people", having almost completely replaced its old form in Europe and then moved from there to the United States.

Warning of serious brain disorders in people with mild coronavirus symptoms  (Guardian)

UK neurologists publish details of mildly affected or recovering Covid-19 patients with serious or potentially fatal brain conditions

At Least 5 States Set Single-Day Coronavirus Case Records (New York Times)

Tulsa’s top health official said the Trump rally last month may have contributed to a local surge in cases. A study in England provided more evidence of crucial risk factors for Covid-19 deaths.

Suspected case of Bubonic Plague in China’s inner Mongolia (CNN)

Authorities in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia are on high alert after a suspected case of bubonic plague, the disease that caused the Black Death pandemic, was reported Sunday.

Minimizing the effects of wildfire smoke due to COVID-19 (USFA)

Wildfire smoke occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic can increase susceptibility to the virus and other infections by causing irritation to the respiratory system, resulting in altered immune function.

SCIENCE AND TECH

The U.S. government is 'looking at' banning TikTok due to national security concerns (USA Today)

The government is considering banning TikTok in the U.S. due to concerns surrounding Chinese surveillance, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview on Monday…. The latest news comes just weeks after TikTok users made a concerted effort to disrupt President Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. People using the app urged followers to register for tickets to Trump’s campaign rally and not show up.

Siberian arctic up to 10 degrees warmer in June (BBC)

… Scientists say the heat has helped fan wildfires in the region, resulting in the unprecedented estimated release of 59m tonnes of carbon dioxide. Hot summer weather is not uncommon in the Arctic Circle, but recent months have seen abnormally high temperatures. The Arctic is believed to be warming twice as fast as the global average.

Hundreds of elephants found dead in Botswana (BBC)

Dr Niall McCann said colleagues in the southern African country had spotted more than 350 elephant carcasses in the Okavango Delta since the start of May. No one knows why the animals are dying, with lab results on samples still weeks away, according to the government. Botswana is home to a third of Africa's declining elephant population.