Here's what you need to know about the
coronavirus right now:
Post-pandemic workspace makeover
As lockdowns are gradually lifted and people anticipate
returning to offices, many wonder what the post-pandemic
workspace will look like.
Occupational experts say one-way corridors, buffer zones
marked out by coloured carpet or tape around desks, and clear
plastic screens to guard against colleagues' coughs and sneezes
may become the norm.
The changes could be hard to adapt to, and could have a
negative impact on employee well-being, said organizational
psychologist Brad Bell.
Remdesivir pricing
Beximco Pharmaceuticals, one of Bangladesh's largest
drugmakers, will start this month to make the experimental
antiviral drug remdesivir, which has shown promise in fighting
the virus.
In a first cost indication, the company plans to price each
vial between $59 and $71, Beximco's Chief Operating Officer
Rabbur Reza told Reuters, adding that a patient might need
anywhere from five to 11 vials.
Gilead's remdesivir patent in theory means it has exclusive
rights to make it, but global trade rules allow nations defined
by the United Nations as least-developed countries, including
Bangladesh, to ignore such patents and make drugs more
affordable in those markets.
Bangladesh would then be allowed to export the drug to other
least-developed countries, though Reza stressed Bangladesh would
get first priority.
Pakistanis testing positive on repatriation
Many Pakistani citizens being repatriated from the United
Arab Emirates are testing positive for the virus on arriving
home, officials said on Tuesday.
The UAE government rejected the claim, saying everyone was
tested before departure, with those found infected not being
allowed to travel.
About 12% were testing positive on most flights, but on a
couple, the proportion rose to between 40% and 50%.
"The hypothesis is that a lot of the labourers live in
crowded dormitories and in those, essentially, it's easier to
infect each other," Moeed Yusuf, a prime ministerial special
assistant on national security, told Reuters.
Llama nanobodies
A llama called Winter could prove useful in the hunt for a
virus treatment, say US and Belgian scientists who have
identified a tiny particle that appears to block the
coronavirus.
The llama in Belgium is central to the studies of the
scientists, from the country's VIB-UGent center for medical
biotechnology and the University of Texas at Austin, who
published their research on Tuesday in the journal Cell.
Llamas and other members of the camel family are distinct in
creating standard antibodies and smaller antibodies called
nanobodies, with which scientists can more easily work.
The team aims to begin animal tests, with a view to allowing
trials with humans to begin by the end of the year. Saelens said
negotiations were under way with pharmaceutical companies.