COVID-19 New Corona: 2021-05-30

Saturday, June 5, 2021

646 Doctors Die Due To Raging Second Wave Of Covid, Delhi Registers Highest Fatalities

According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), 646 doctors succumbed due to Covid-19 in the second wave so far. With Delhi posting the highest deaths of doctors with 109 while Uttarakhand, Punjab and Kerala see the least number of deaths in doctors. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> A total of 646 doctors died in the second wave of COVID-19: Indian Medical Association <a href="https://t.co/RF5Yw355zw">pic.twitter.com/RF5Yw355zw</a> — ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1401107721118654469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2021</a></blockquote> Meanwhile, states like Bihar recorded 97 deaths, while Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra recorded 79, 43, and 23 fatalities respectively. Besides Kerala, Karnataka also has been on lesser doctor fatalities recorded nine deaths.  <a title="Maharashtra CM Uddhav’s Indirect Hit At BJP: 'Lust For Power Amid Covid Pandemic Will Lead To Anarchy’" href="https://ift.tt/3wXDJqw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Also Read | Maharashtra CM Uddhav’s Indirect Hit At BJP: 'Lust For Power Amid Covid Pandemic Will Lead To Anarchy’</a> According to the IMA's data, 748 doctors died due to COVID-19 during the first wave that hit the country last year. States like Kerala have been on the lesser side of the doctor fatalities as the state gave the highest priority for healthcare in the recent budget.  Meanwhile, India's daily caseload is on a declining trend as on Saturday, there have been 11,835 lesser cases recorded than the previous day. India's active caseload further declined to 15,55,248 and the recoveries continue to outnumber the daily new cases for 23 straight days. Also, the average positivity rate has further dip to 5.78 per cent.      

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Madhya Pradesh Govt Sends Hostel Eviction Notice To Junior Doctors After 3,000 Medics Resigned To Support Stir

Bhopal: The stir between around 3,000 junior doctors and the Madhya Pradesh government entered its sixth day on Saturday as the medics refused to end the agitation despite the High Court terming the strike illegal. The matter has escalated as the state government sent eviction notices to the doctors who recently resigned on Saturday to vacate their hostels. ALSO READ | <a style="color: #e03e2d;" title="" href="https://ift.tt/2RpgUNc" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-toggle="tooltip" data-html="true" data-original-title="Story ID: 1462101" aria-describedby="tooltip834543">India's Covid Cases On 2-Month Low; Records 1.14 Lakh New Infections, 2677 Fatalities</a> "Our peaceful protest will continue. They have asked us to vacate the government hostel in Bhopal, and also pay bond fees (which runs into several lakh rupees". When they can serve us eviction notices, why not release a written order increasing our stipend," Madhya Pradesh Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) secretary Ankita Tripathi told news agency PTI. She informed that JUDA functionaries attempted to resolve the issue by seeking an appointment with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. While the JUDA secretary says that they were not as of now planning on approaching the Supreme Court to challenge the MP HC order, others said that was being seen as an option. MP Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said that the state government had given a stipend hike of 17 percent, however, the doctors were adamant it should be 24 percent. "The High Court has termed their strike illegal and asked them to return to work within 24 hours. We are ready to hold talks to settle the issue. We have accepted most of their demands," he told PTI. Junior doctors in six medical colleges across Madhya Pradesh have been protesting for a stipend hike as well as free Covid-19 treatment for them and their family. Matters escalated when the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday directed the striking junior doctors in the state to resume their duties within 24 hours. Following this, the protesting medicos remained defiant and nearly 3,000 of them resigned from their posts and announced they will challenge the ruling.  

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India's Covid Cases On 2-Month Low; Records 1.14 Lakh New Infections, 2677 Fatalities

Covid in India: India reports 1,14,460 new COVID 19 cases, 1,89,232 discharges, and 2677 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Health Ministry. Total cases: 2,88,09,339 Total discharges: 2,69,84,781 Death toll: 3,46,759 Active cases: 14,77,799 Total vaccination: 23,13,22,417 The Indian Council of Medical Research said that as many as 36,47,46,522 samples have been tested in the country up to June 5 including 20,36,311 samples tested yesterday. <a href="https://ift.tt/3pr1dlt style="color: #e03e2d;">Also Read|Malta Firm Responds To Haryana's Global Tender, Offers 60 Million Doses Of Sputnik V</a> India crossed a major landmark on Saturday with more than 23 Cr Vaccine Doses administered. [tw]https://twitter.com/MoHFW_INDIA/status/1401199785214844934[/tw] Maharashtra on Saturday reported as many as 13,659 new COVID-19 cases and with that, the active number of cases in the state stands at 1,88,072, as per the state health bulletin. Maharashtra also witnessed 300 deaths in the same time span. The case fatality rate is at 1.71%. Karnataka on Friday registered 13,800 new coronavirus cases and 365 deaths, data released by the state health department said today. The total active Covid cases in the state now stand at 2,68,275, while the positivity rate and the death rate were reported at 9.69 per cent and 2.64 per cent, respectively. As many as 25,346 patients were discharged on Friday. State's capital Bengaluru remained the worst-hit district with 2,686 cases and 206 deaths. The city currently has 1,24,807 active cases and over 14,000 people have lost their lives due to the highly contagious virus. Tamil Nadu has seen a significant decrease in its caseload in the past few weeks. From reporting almost 36,000 cases per day previously, the number came down to 22,651 cases on June 3. However, districts like Coimbatore, Chennai, Trichy, Erode, Tirupur, and Salem are still recording more than 1,000 cases per day. <div class="FirstEle"> Delhi reported a decline in daily coronavirus cases on Saturday. The national capital witnessed 414 fresh cases of coronavirus in comparison to 523 cases reported yesterday, as per the daily health bulletin. </div> <div class="paywall"> With today's dip in cases, the test positivity rate (TPR) has dropped to 0.53%. Yesterday, the capital had a Covid positivity rate at 0.68%. Delhi's TPR remained below 1% for the sixth straight day on Saturday </div>

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Malta Firm Responds To Haryana's Global Tender, Offers 60 Million Doses Of Sputnik V

Chandigarh: The country is battling an acute shortage of vaccines in most states and central government has been taking steps to manufacture the jab in India itself which will reduce the economic stress and the state will be able to run the inoculation drive smoothly. However, manufacturing the vaccines within the country might take time, therefore states have been placing global tenders to obtain more vaccines to keep the people safe. While it has been a difficult task for the state governments to get a nod from companies for global vaccine supply, the Haryana government has informed that it has received an “expression of interest” from a pharmaceutical company with its headquarters in Malta to provide up to 60 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine. The move comes a day after the deadline for Haryana’s global tender for procuring 1 crore Covid-19 vaccine jabs for the state expired on Friday.  “Although the offer has come after the due date of tender is over but still, it is being carefully examined to see if it meets the criteria of the tender document and to ensure the optimal vaccine availability for the state,” said Rajeev Arora, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Haryana. “Haryana had floated a global tender through Haryana Medical Services Corporation (HMSCL) on May 26 which closed on June 4. Although no bid was received in the tender but an international pharma company with its headquarters in Malta namely Pharma Regulatory Services Limited has given an expression of Interest to HMSCL to provide up to 60 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine,” the Haryana government said. Sputnik V is the third vaccine approved by India’s drug controller for emergency used in India in April. Besides Sputnik V, India has given approval of Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech Covaxin vaccines for use. Sputnik V has been given permission for emergency use in more than 65 countries. However, it is yet to be approved by the European Union or United States’ health authorities.

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As mask mandates are lifted some states are grappling with longstanding mask bans that were aimed at the Ku Klux Klan

Before COVID-19, 18 states had anti-mask laws, most of which were adopted in response to the KKK.
Several states repealed or waived their bans at the start of the pandemic.
As mask mandates expire, some states are weighing how to address the longstanding laws.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

As coronavirus mask mandates are lifting, some states are weighing how to address longstanding mask bans, many of which were passed in response to the Ku Klux Klan, The New York Times reported.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a dozen states had laws banning masks that concealed the wearer's identity, many enacted primarily as a way to deter the KKK, a white supremacist hate group. Now that nixing mask mandates will reinstate those laws, some states are trying to figure out how to allow people to continue wearing masks if they want to for health reasons.

At least 18 states had anti-mask laws that dated prior to the pandemic as of November 2020, according to the California Law Review.

Georgia waived its anti-mask law at the beginning of the pandemic to allow for masks in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the Associated Press reported.

New York, which had the oldest anti-mask law dating back to 1845, repealed their law in May 2020.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's Office said in April 2020 that the state's 71-year-old anti-mask law would not be applied to those covering their nose and mouth due to the pandemic, AL.com reported.

However, states that paused or waived enforcement of masks bans for the pandemic are still working for ways to ensure they can't be enforced as the public health crisis wanes.

In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam is looking at ways to make sure the state's mask ban from 1950, which included an exemption for a public health emergency, doesn't prevent people from wearing masks, The Times reported. Virginia's state-of-emergency declaration expires at the end of June, at which time the mask ban will be reinstated.

Rob Kahn, a law professor at St. Thomas University in Minneapolis, told The Times it may be difficult for states to repeal the mandates now that mask-wearing has become so politicized.

"I definitely think there will continue to be a difference of opinion, a divergence over masks," Mr. Kahn said. "But hopefully the conflicts that come up will be resolved peacefully."

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Maharashtra CM Uddhav’s Indirect Hit At BJP: 'Lust For Power Amid Covid Pandemic Will Lead To Anarchy’

Mumbai: In an indirect hit at former saffron ally BJP, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said acting with "lust for power" during the Covid-19 pandemic will lead to "anarchy". Saving lives was the most important thing now, he asserted. ALSO READ | <a style="color: #e03e2d;" title="" href="https://ift.tt/2TLuJGL" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-toggle="tooltip" data-html="true" data-original-title="Story ID: 1462082">Bengal: FIR Against BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari & Brother Soumendu For Stealing Relief Material</a> Participating in a virtual interaction, CM Uddhav Thackeray said "If people who voted for me do not survive the Covid-19 pandemic, what is the use of power". Without naming the opposition party, he added that "acting with lust for power amid Covid-19 will lead to anarchy". Speaking at the session, he revealed that becoming the chief minister was never his goal, and his promise to his father, Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, of making a Sena worker chief minister "is yet to be fulfilled". "I was never politically inclined. I came into politics to help my father. A pandemic after 100 years happens during my tenure as CM. I have never shied away from responsibility. I am doing what I can to the best of my ability," he said. When asked if Shive Sena's alliance with the BJP, that ended on a bitter note after the 2019 Assembly election, could be revived again, CM Uddhav Thackeray said that there was a trust deficit in their relations after the death of BJP leaders Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde. "The BJP is now Delhi-centric. In an alliance, there has to be openness to air differences and resolve them. My new allies (NCP and Congress) treat me with respect. The MVA is an alliance where we had differences, so we are more open now," he added. He went on to state that the alliance with the BJP saw its "golden period" when the two parties were in opposition with the saffron ideology holding them together and there was mutual trust and respect. Responding to another question, he said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi does call him often. These remarks come at a time when coronavirus cases in Maharashtra are gradually going down and the state has come up with a 5-level unlock plan to open up economic activities based on positivity rate and hospitalisation. (With Agency Inputs)

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Bengal: FIR Against BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari & Brother Soumendu For Stealing Relief Material

Kolkata: FIR has been registered against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and his brother Soumendu Adhhikari for allegedly stealing relief material from the Kanthi Municipality office, according to news agency ANI. <div class="paywall"> The case was registered after Ratnadip Manna, a member of Kanthi Municipal Administrative Board, made a complaint at Kanthi Police Station on 1st June against Suvendu and his brother Soumendu Adhikari, former Municipal Chief of Kanthi Municipality. [tw]https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1401263650979999744[/tw] "On 29 May 2021 at 12:30 pm as per direction of Suvendu Adhikari and his brother and former Municipal Chief Soumendu Adhikari of Kanthi Municipality, Government tripal whose estimated value is around lakhs of rupees, was taken away from municipality office godown by forcefully and illegally opening locks," he said in the complaint submitted at Kanthi Police Station. TMC turncoat Adhikari contested against Mamata in Nandigram and won by a very thin margin. On Saturday night, Kolkata police arrested West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s close aide - Rakhal Bera was arrested for allegedly duping people with fake promises. Bera, considered a close associate of Adhikari was arrested by Manicktala police station based on a complaint of one Sujit Dey. According to Kolkata Police, Bera was part of a criminal conspiracy with Chanchal Nandi and a few others and allegedly organised a fake job racket sometime between July and September 2019. The complainant Sujit Dey had approached the duo seeking a job. “The duo reportedly promised Dey with a job in Irrigation and Waterways Ministry. The accused 'collected huge amounts of money' from the public on the pretext of offering them a job in Group D (field staff) of the West Bengal irrigation and waterways department, says the complaint. (with ANI inputs) </div>

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Gov. Brian Kemp gets booed during speech at Georgia state GOP convention

Gov. Brian Kemp was booed at the Georgia state Republican convention on Saturday.
Many of the party faithful resent Kemp's refusal to challenge the Georgia election results in 2020.
Former President Trump continues to animate the GOP base with his debunked election claims.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

GOP Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia on Saturday elicited boos and jeers at the state party's annual convention, reflecting the lingering resentment that many Republicans feel toward his certification of President Joe Biden's electoral win over former President Donald Trump in the state last year.

As Kemp aimed for unity, many of his supporters tried to cheer for the governor, who is up for reelection next year and faces a spirited GOP challenge from former state Rep. Vernon Jones, a prominent Black surrogate for Trump.

During his speech, Kemp touted his support of anti-abortion legislation and the restrictive voting law that he signed into law in March, while also discussing his reopening of the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

But it was difficult to hear Kemp during parts of his speech, as the video taken by reporter Maya T. Prabhu of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution clearly shows.

-Maya T. Prabhu (@MayaTPrabhu) June 5, 2021

For months, Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger were excoriated by Trump for not caving to his pressure campaign to overturn the November election results.

The Republican divide become even more pronounced after Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeated then-GOP Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in the January runoff elections, respectively, which handed control of the US Senate to Democrats.

The governor, eager to focus on his own campaign and to dish out catnip to conservatives, laced into Democrats and what he called the "fake news media."

"We must be strong and courageous," Kemp told the raucous crowd. "They've got Hollywood. They've got billionaires in New York and California... That is why we have to be united as well and move forward together."

Unlike several Republicans who spoke, Kemp declined to state that the 2020 election was inaccurate or "stolen," according to the Associated Press.

The governor was able to overcome a resolution condemning his handling of the election process last year.

Raffensperger wasn't as lucky. Republican delegates at the convention voted Saturday to censure him for his administration of the 2020 election, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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US officials may have avoided the coronavirus lab-leak theory to avoid associations with controversial gain-of-function research

wuhan institute of virology — Guards stand outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology on February 3, 2021.
Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty

Scientists haven't ruled out the possibility that the coronavirus leaked from a lab.
US agencies have given grants to a nonprofit that funds laboratories that alter coronaviruses.
So US officials may have dismissed the lab leak theory to avoid association with this research.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

Is the best way to protect people from a dangerous virus to create one in a lab? That's the central question in the debate over gain-of-function research, a branch of virology that alters viruses in a controlled environment to make them more transmissible or infectious.

Proponents of this type of research say the work enables them to predict deadly pathogens that might emerge in real life and start work on vaccines or treatments ahead. But opponents think the experiments are simply too risky. A lab without proper safety protocol could accidentally release a more transmissible virus into the human population.

Competing theories about the coronavirus' origin have recently thrust this gain-of-function debate into the spotlight, since a prominent lab, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, was conducting that kind of research on coronaviruses. What's more, the US has funded grants that supported that lab - which might have given State Department officials an incentive not to thoroughly investigate the possibility of a lab leak, according to a recent Vanity Fair investigation.

Vanity Fair reported that at a December 2020 meeting, US State Department officials were "explicitly told by colleagues not to explore the Wuhan Institute of Virology's gain-of-function research, because it would bring unwelcome attention to US government funding of it."

For years, the US government gave grants to a nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance, which in turn funded gain-of-function research - including studies at the Wuhan institute.

In a January internal memo obtained by Vanity Fair, Thomas DiNanno, former acting assistant secretary of the State Department's Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, wrote that his colleagues had warned leaders within his bureau "not to pursue an investigation into the origin of COVID-19" because it would "open a can of worms."

Of course, the possibility that US officials may have wanted to distance themselves from any association with gain-of-function work doesn't necessarily make the lab-leak theory more credible. The leading theory is still that the virus spilled over to people from animals. That's because around 75% of all new infectious diseases come to us from animals, and the coronavirus' genetic code is very similar to that of other coronaviruses found in bats.

Still, a growing chorus of political and public-health leaders are calling for more thorough investigations into the coronavirus' origin, including the possibility that it leaked from a lab.

How the lab-leak theory reentered the conversation

WHO investigation Wuhan — Experts from the joint WHO-China team that investigated the coronavirus' origin attend a press conference in Wuhan on February 9, 2021.
Zhang Chang/China News Service via Getty Image

The lab leak theory gained traction again at the end of March, after World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that "all hypotheses remain on the table" as to the virus' origin - even after a WHO report concluded that a lab leak was unlikely. In a May letter, a group of biologists wrote that the lab-leak theory should be taken seriously "until we have sufficient data."

Proponents of this possibility usually point to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), since scientists were studying coronaviruses there before the pandemic.

But at the start of the pandemic, scientists quickly shut down the notion that the WIV could be to blame. A February 2020 statement published by 27 scientists in the journal The Lancet said the scientific community had overwhelmingly concluded that the virus originated in wildlife.

"We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin," the statement read.

However, the organizer of that statement was the president of EcoHealth Alliance, Peter Daszak.

Wuhan lab — A laboratory on the campus of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, pictured on May 27, 2020.
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images

In May 2014, EcoHealth received a roughly $3.7 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of which went toward gain-of-function experiments. By 2018, EcoHealth was receiving up to $15 million per year in grant money from federal agencies, according to Vanity Fair.

In one instance, EcoHealth Alliance helped fund research that created a new infectious pathogen using the molecular structure of the SARS virus. The aim of the study, according to the researchers, was to warn of the potential risk of a SARS-related virus re-emerging from bats.

One of the paper's authors was a prominent WIV virologist, Shi Zhengli. NIAID and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are cited as financial supporters of the research.

The Trump administration canceled EcoHealth's $3.7 million grant in April 2020. Then the NIH reinstated the grant in July but temporarily suspended its research activities.

Both NIAID director Anthony Fauci and NIH Director Francis Collins have said that US agencies never funded gain-of-function research at the WIV.

"I fully agree that you should investigate where the virus came from," Fauci told Senator Rand Paul at a Senate hearing last month. "But again, we have not funded gain-of-function research on this virus in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. No matter how many times you say it, it didn't happen."

He added, though, that it would have been "irresponsible" if the US hadn't investigated bat viruses that may have caused the SARS outbreak.

"Are you really saying that we are implicated because we gave a multibillion-dollar institution $120,000 a year for bat surveillance?" Fauci told the Financial Times on Friday.

The US has funded gain-of-function research before

Fauci Biden — Anthony Fauci listens as President Joe Biden speaks at the National Institutes of Health.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The US currently decides whether to fund gain-of-function experiments on a case-by-case basis. A multidisciplinary board at the Department of Health and Human Services evaluates the research to determine whether the benefits outweigh the risks.

The Trump administration implemented that policy in 2017. Before that, the Obama administration had put a moratorium on new funding for gain-of-function experiments that could make influenza, MERS, or SARS viruses more transmissible - or more likely to cause disease - through respiratory droplets in mammals. But that rule, created in October 2014, still made exceptions for research that was "urgently necessary to protect the public health or national security."

An NIH official told Vanity Fair that the government's approach to gain-of-function is complicated, though.

"If you ban gain-of-function research, you ban all of virology," the official said, adding, "Ever since the moratorium, everyone's gone wink-wink and just done gain-of-function research anyway."

Aylin Woodward contributed reporting.

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Fauci says China should share the medical records of Wuhan lab staff who were ill in fall 2019: 'What did they get sick with?'

Three staff members at a lab in Wuhan fell ill with coronavirus-like symptoms in fall 2019.
The WHO said the staff tested negative for COVID-19 antibodies, but Fauci wants China to share the medical records.
Fauci said it's still most likely that the virus jumped from animals, rather than leaked from a lab.
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A year and a half ago, before the world had ever heard of the new coronavirus, three staff at a Wuhan lab got sick enough that they went to a hospital.

They worked for the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) - a high-level biosafety lab where researchers had been studying coronaviruses before the pandemic. A US intelligence report described in a The Wall Street Journal story last month said the staff members' symptoms were "consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illness." The three workers were hospitalized more than a month before Chinese officials identified the first COVID-19 cases in Wuhan.

Although an intelligence official said the report lacked sufficient corroboration, it has helped foster renewed interest in the theory that the coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan lab.

Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said this week that he wants China to publicly share the WIV workers' medical records. Although investigators from the World Health Organization knew about the lab workers' illnesses, their report concluded the coronavirus was not the cause.

Fauci, however, said the full, detailed records are needed.

"I would like to see the medical records of the three people who are reported to have got sick in 2019," Fauci told the Financial Times on Friday. "Did they really get sick, and if so, what did they get sick with?"

'We need better access to information'

The report from the WHO investigation said that all blood samples collected from WIV staff tested negative for coronavirus antibodies. It added that the lab had not reported any "COVID-19 compatible respiratory illness" among its workers prior to December 2019.

Leading WIV virologist Shi Zhengli has also said that none of her staff were ever infected with the new coronavirus, or any other coronaviruses, while working at the lab.

But Marion Koopmans, a virologist on the WHO's investigation team, told NBC News that Chinese researchers informed her group that the WIV workers were tested for coronavirus antibodies in March and April of 2020. That's about six months after the three staff were hospitalized. Some research has suggested coronavirus antibodies decline measurably at the six-month mark.

According to WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Koopmans' team also faced difficulties overall in accessing raw COVID-19 infection data and patient blood samples from in and around Wuhan during their investigation. For the most part, a collaborating group of Chinese scientists and experts provided WHO investigators with access to the information the team used to make their conclusions.

In their report, the team recommended testing blood samples collected in Wuhan between September and December 2019 for coronavirus antibodies. This indicates that few, if any, of those samples were made available to the WHO experts.

"We need better access to all the information," Fauci said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Thursday.

Experts need to find out whether those WIV workers actually got sick in the first place, Fauci added, and if so, "what was the nature of their illness."

WHO wuhan — Members of the World Health Organization's team investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic attend a press conference in Wuhan on February 9, 2021.
Kyodo News/Getty

Even if it turns out that the lab workers did indeed get COVID-19, it's not necessarily an indication that the virus leaked from their institute, Fauci told the Financial Times.

Growing evidence suggests that COVID-19 was spreading for weeks, if not months, before the first cases were reported in December 2019. In March, Fauci said it's likely that the coronavirus was spreading "below the radar" in China for a while in late 2019, so it's possible the staff members got infected outside the lab.

An 'overwhelming likelihood' that virus jumped naturally from an animal

After their investigation, the WHO team determined that the coronavirus "most likely" jumped from bats to people via an intermediary animal at a wildlife farm in southeastern China. This kind of spillover has been the leading theory throughout the pandemic, primarily because 75% of new infectious diseases come to us from animals.

"I have always felt that the overwhelming likelihood - given the experience we have had with SARS, MERS, Ebola, HIV, bird flu, the swine flu pandemic of 2009 - was that the virus jumped species," Fauci told the Financial Times.

Plus, the coronavirus' genetic code is very similar to that of other coronaviruses found circulating in bats. Bats are common virus reservoirs; in the last 46 years, at least four epidemics have been traced back to bats.

"It happens all the time," Fauci said on "Morning Joe." "That's the reason we feel that it's the most likely, but since we haven't proven that, you got to keep an open mind."

wuhan huanan market — A cyclist rides in front of the closed Huanan seafood market in Wuhan on February 9, 2021.
Getty

Scientists have yet to find the intermediary species - or the bat population - that passed the coronavirus to people. The WHO team examined 80,000 animals from 31 provinces across China and didn't find a single case of the coronavirus.

"You need to keep looking for that link," Fauci said.

The WHO's lack of a smoking gun, however, could be because China shut down the particular wildlife farms in question in February 2020. The investigators weren't given access to samples from animals that had lived at these farms.

The WHO also wasn't able to analyze samples from any animals sold at the Hunan seafood market in Wuhan - where officials reported the first cluster of coronavirus cases. The market was quickly shuttered and cleaned after the outbreak - a move Fauci called "an epidemiological mistake."

"They may have wiped out evidence for the jumping of species," he added.

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Heart inflammation investigated as possible rare COVID-19 vaccine side effect in teens and young people

Teenager received COVID-19 vaccine — A nurse gives a 13-year-old a shot of the vaccine at a vaccination clinic at Health First Medical Centre. On May 12, 2021, the CDC approved the use of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine in 12 through 15-year-old adolescents.
Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A new study has raised the possibility of a heart condition being a very rare side effect of the Pfizer shot.
Seven US teen boys experienced chest pain within a few days of having their second COVID-19 vaccine.
Eligible teens are still being encouraged to be vaccinated, the CDC said.
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A new study, published on Friday, has sparked concerns that a heart condition could be a very rare side effect for teens and young adults receiving the second dose of COVID-19 vaccines.

Health authorities are investigating whether reports of heart inflammation in seven US teen boys across several states can be linked to the administration of a Pfizer shot, the Associated Press reported.

The study, published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, shows that the seven boys - aged between 14 and 19 - experienced chest pain within a few days of having their second coronavirus vaccine.

Heart imaging tests showed a type of inflammation of the heart muscle called myocarditis.

None of the teenagers were critically ill and all were sent home from the hospital after two to six days, Dr. Preeti Jaggi, who co-authored the report, told AP. It is currently believed that the inflammation was temporary, Jaggi said.

This study follows news from Israel that suggested there is a "probable link" between receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine and the appearance of myocarditis, Israel's health ministry said on Tuesday.

Out of more than 5 million people who got the vaccine, 275 people reported heart muscle inflammation, mainly young men, the health ministry said.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month recommended investigating the possibility of a link between myocarditis and mRNA vaccines, which include those from Pfizer and Moderna, Insider's Sarah Al-Arshani reported

The rate of reported myocarditis cases after COVID-19 vaccinations, however, was not different from the baseline rate, which means there may not be a link between vaccination and the condition, Al-Arshani wrote.

Eligible teens are still being encouraged to be vaccinated due to a rising number of hospitalizations among young people, the CDC said.

The CDC has allowed the use of the Pfizer vaccine for people 12 years old and up.

In the UK, the nation's medicines regulator has approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds.

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Three Vaccines Likely To Be Available Soon For Children Between 12-18 Age Group

New Delhi: The US began administering Covid vaccines to adolescents, the UK on Friday approved Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 15 after a "rigorous review". The Pfizer vaccine is already approved for use in people aged 16 and over. India currently anticipates a third wave which some experts say will affect children the most. It is expected that the third wave could be as severe as the second and last for an average duration of 98 days, according to an SBI report. The report also went on to warn regarding children saying that they could be the next vulnerable group, and vaccination should be the key priority.  ALSO READ: <a style="color: #f80707;" href="https://ift.tt/3cgpipy Unlock 2: CM Kejriwal Lifts Lockdown Curbs From June 7, Know What's Open & Closed</a> “With around 150-170 million children in the 12-18 age bracket, India should go for an advanced procurement strategy like that adopted by developed nations to inoculate this age group," the report said. During a press conference, when asked if the Pfizer vaccine, when available in India, will be considered for children between the age of 12 and 15 years as the UK has approved it for this category, NITI Aayog's Dr. VK Paul said India is readying its own vaccines for children. "Child cohort is not a small cohort. My rough guess is that if it is between 12 to 18 years, this itself is about 13 to 14 crore population and for which we will need about 25-26 crore doses. We cannot have some people getting and others not getting. So we will have to take this into account when we strategize and make a decision based on how many doses of which vaccines are available," he was quoted as saying by PTI. He further said that not only Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, but Zydus Cadila's vaccine is already being tested on children. "So when Zydus comes for licensure, hopefully in the next two weeks, maybe we have enough data to take a view whether the vaccine can be given to children," he said. These pathways of decision-making and analysis are being actively considered and examined, he added.

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Workers are 'rage quitting' their jobs as a tightening labor market forces employers to take note of unfavorable conditions and low pay

Cursor hovering over a "RAGE QUIT" option in a dropdown menu representing mass job quitting during the COVID-19 pandemic — Are we seeing the rise of rage-quitting at work?
Samantha Lee/Insider

The waning days of the pandemic have prompted plenty of work-related reflection.
The result is a pent-up feeling that's prompting some to walk off jobs in frustration.
But is the advent of "rage quitting" really a positive thing for employees? Experts aren't sure.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

Kendra wasn't usually one to get mad, especially not on the job. She'd joined Dollar General in 2019, as a longtime homemaker hoping for a change of pace. She loved chatting with the regulars who filed into her small-town location. She was meticulous about all the little tasks that went into keeping the store clean, organized, and running smoothly. Kendra had even worked her way up to the role of key-holder, the store employee responsible for opening and closing.

But then came the pandemic, and Kendra began to watch the stress start to "roll downhill." The headwaters of the strain seemed to be visits, announcements, or corrections from regional and district management. The negativity seemed to submerge Kendra's store manager, who became overwhelmed and less communicative toward her team. Soon, Kendra herself would find herself drowning in an increasingly fraught work environment.

"By the time you get down to that lowly stay-at-home mom that just wanted a part-time job - who is earning less than a hundred dollars a week because she's making $7.25 an hour and only working 10 hours a week - it's not worth it," Kendra told Insider.

She says she's not the "type of person" who acts out of anger. Yet, in the springtime of 2021, Kendra rage-quit her job.

Kendra isn't the Dollar General worker's real name. After verifying her employment records, Insider is protecting Kendra's identity because she is concerned about getting her ex-boss in trouble with management. She said her manager is a "good person" who is simply under pressure.

On her last shift, Kendra says she could tell her store manager was displeased with something. During the pandemic, Kendra said she felt like she was constantly dealing with passive-aggressive and snide remarks, instead of clear direction.

"It's like, if I've done something wrong, just tell me, you don't have to be mean about it," Kendra said. "Just tell me."

The manager declined to share what the problem was, and the conversation got heated. So Kendra walked out, and never went back.

The phenomenon of rage-quitting is as old as work itself. Some people prefer to end things with a bang, not a whimper. So things like bridge-burning, walking off sans a two weeks' notice, or even making a scene are nothing new when leaving a workplace. But the American workforce seems to be primed for rage-quitting at the moment - especially hourly workers in low-wage occupations like retail, which make up a giant portion of the workforce. In fact, hourly workers made up 58.1% of the US workforce in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Recently, multiple Dollar General employees at a store in Maine walked off the job after posting notes decrying the company's work culture and pay. Similar incidents have occurred at Chipotle, Hardee's, and Wendy's around the country. Meanwhile, employers are complaining of a tight labor market, in some cases accusing unemployment benefits of luring potential workers away.

But there's also evidence that many hourly wage-earners are simply fed up with their jobs. A study from the human resources assessment platform Traitify found that one in four respondents were at least "somewhat" less happy with their job than they were a year ago.

Gigs in industries like retail have long been denounced over low pay and high stress. But will the boiled-over rage of workers fresh off a life-altering pandemic - and any resulting labor shortage - finally prompt a major shift in working conditions?

'So done with that job'

The pandemic itself had an outsized influence on worker's decision-making. In some cases, workers who spoke with Insider cited the coronavirus as a primary reason for their unhappiness on the job, and their ultimate departure.

That was the reasoning behind Crista's choice to depart from their job at PetSmart. Crista is also a member of the labor rights group United for Respect.

"I was really concerned about bringing COVID home from my place of work," they told Insider.

Those fears grew as they watched managers and coworkers continuously flout mask requirements within the stores, even as COVID-19 deaths spiked. Crista says they found the work environment "callous."

"It's definitely hard to report stuff to the boss when the boss is breaking the rules, too," they said.

Crista lives with their mother, who is 62. Their decision to quit was informed less by "rage" than by a deep dread over potentially infecting their loved one. Still, it amounted to a hasty departure. Crista can even pinpoint "the exact moment" they realized they needed to leave.

"My coworker was talking about how masks are so inconvenient to wear," they said. "And she said, 'If any of y'all get COVID from me, then sorry, not sorry.' So she literally was like, 'Yeah, I don't care if you get sick, I just don't want to wear my mask.'"

After thinking it over at home, they decided the "amount of pay" wasn't worth the "lack of safety." They called into work to put in their two weeks notice.

"The team lead said, 'Just write it down on a piece of paper and don't say anything about why,'" they said.

"I found it very strange and concerning that they would rather not hear why someone found a company to be a bad fit, especially during a global pandemic," Crista said.

Crista says they went in to hand-deliver the note, but couldn't find a manager. They left after situating the letter on a doorknob, and never received another call from PetSmart.

"PetSmart should know that there's a huge disconnect between the corporate policies that have been put in place versus what their management and their staff actually do at their stores," they said. "And that there needs to be some oversight and enforcement."

In a statement sent to Insider, a PetSmart spokesperson said that the company remains committed to measures like "enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols, face covering requirements for associates and customers, daily health screening for associates, and many other steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19."

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our teams and pet parents, and since the beginning of the pandemic, we have continuously directed our stores to adapt business practices to meet or exceed all applicable health and safety guidance, as well as other best practices for retail store operations," the spokesperson said. "Additionally, we have significantly invested in personal protective equipment, including cloth face coverings, KN-95 masks and gloves for associates, cleaning supplies, physical barriers in our stores, and other items to protect our associates and customers."

Insider also spoke with Helena, a former employee at a fast-fashion retailer. Insider verified her work history and is using a pseudonym to protect her identity over concerns about retaliation.

Helena says she had a number of relatives died from COVID-19, and she was often stressed about her boss taking the side of maskless shoppers over her own team.

"I was like, you know what, this company and the employees here just don't care about anything other than the bottom line," she said.

But things came to a head after Helena took a moment to check her phone at work, looking for updates on a relative who had just had a stroke.

"My manager went on the walkie-talkie for everyone to hear, saying, 'Do me a favor and put your phone in your locker," Helena said. "This was right after the mass shooting where the employees couldn't even call home because they were made to put their phones in their lockers."

During the April FedEx hub shooting in Indianapolis, workers trapped inside the facility were unable to call or text loved ones because of the shipping giant's policy against cellphones at work.

The next day, the manager sent a long text out to the store workers about staying off their phones while on the job.

"This company furloughed us at the beginning of the pandemic," Helena said, thinking to herself: "Why are you working so hard for them? They pay you $10 an hour and you have to do way more work. They don't care about you."

Helena had always given two weeks' notice before leaving a job, so she penned a resignation letter and went to work her next shift. At closing, she found herself getting yelled at by her manager once more, as she tried to deliver her two weeks' notice.

"I was just so done with that job," she said.

She decided to just not show up the following day.

"When they texted me to ask me where I was, I told them I was revoking my two weeks' notice," she told Insider. "It felt so good to know that I would never have to work there again."

Gypsy Noonan, another United for Respect member, thought about quitting Walmart many times. She was often assigned as the sole cashier in the store, a task which she found incredibly stressful. Noonan says that work-related stress ended up causing her seizures. But she ultimately managed to hold off until she was offered a new opportunity. She gave her two weeks' notice, but then found herself assigned to work the cash registers alone, once more.

She requested backup from her team lead, and from other coworkers. Everyone refused.

"At this point, it's like a light bulb went off and I was like, I'm not doing this. I don't have to do this. I refuse to let myself be abused by the system. And I walked out the next day"

'Just trying to survive'

Some experts say that the spate of rage-quitting could signal a sea change for hourly workers. Quincy Valencia, the vice president of product innovation at hiring platform Hourly by AMS.

She began her career in big box retail management where she said "you enjoyed your workers, and the best ones you wanted to keep, but if someone quit, it was not a big deal. There were 10 people waiting to take that job."

Now, Valencia said that attitude "boggles" her mind.

"A bad experience with the cashier is going to ensure that a customer doesn't come back," she said. "Nobody cares who your financial analyst is. And yet these industries have always taken more time and more care in trying to hire the right people into those [corporate] roles, than in hiring the people who are upfront."

She said that there's a "twisted mentality" around hiring hourly workers, in particular. Namely, jobs like working as a cook at a fast-food joint or a clerk in a grocery store are seen as a "rite of passage" for high schoolers, a frequently touted myth.

"Even now, the debate is going on about how these workers shouldn't make $15 an hour, because these should be for high school students," she said. "I would counter that this is sort of off-topic. So what, you can abuse them because they're not raising a family?"

Valencia said that this attitude "cannot" continue to pervade the talent acquisition community.

"This category of worker - particularly in retail - has driven our economy over the past, especially here through this pandemic," she said. "And now there's a big mismatch right now between job availability and applicants for those jobs."

But still, that doesn't mean that going through with rage-quitting will empower workers on an individual basis. Laurie Ruettimann, a human resources expert with a focus on fixing work, told Insider that she's concerned about the long-term implications for rage-quitters forced to find a new job on the fly.

"Why would you give up your known crappy job for an unknown, potentially crappy job?" she told Insider. "There is this tendency - especially when we've been sheltering in place for so long - like, 'I've just got to get the hell out of here.' But that instinct to just flee is always the wrong instinct."

Ruettimann said that employees considering rage-quitting on the spot should try to give themselves "permission to take this process slowly" and to focus on gathering information on truly promising new opportunities before resorting to drastic measures.

For her part, Kendra, the former Dollar General worker, says that she doesn't feel good about quitting out of anger. For now, she is enjoying spending more time with her husband, who she rarely used to see because of all the night shifts she worked. She also feels that there was no reason for her to continue subjecting herself to a high-stress environment for so little pay.

"I feel bad about it," she said. "But in this country, everyone's making money except for the ones actually doing the work."

Kendra tries to avoid driving by her old Dollar General. The sight of the distinctive black-and-yellow sign makes her sad, thinking about all the workers "just trying to survive."

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Canadian Companies Donate ₹354 Cr For India’s Fight Against Covid Second Wave

New Delhi: Canadian corporations with a presence in India have contributed nearly 59 million Canadian dollars (354 crores) in supplies to aid in the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that is sweeping through the country. The Canada-India Business Council, or C-IBC, said in a statement issued on Friday said that their members “have made generous financial contributions and provided supplies in excess of $58,822,150 Canadian dollars (approximately ₹354 crores). We are grateful for the continuous support, ongoing initiatives and generosity of our members in helping the people of India”. <a href="https://ift.tt/34Nmf44 style="color: #e03e2d;">Also Read: </a><a href="https://ift.tt/34Nmf44 style="color: #e03e2d;">IT Rules: Govt Sends Final Notice To Twitter, Warns Of Consequences Over Non-Compliance | Know All About It</a> The statement also mentioned that though in the last few weeks, infection rates were “starting to decline across many states as vaccination rates are increasing rapidly”, there were still “many areas” that are “experiencing devastating caseload and are still in crisis mode”. In light of these circumstances, C-IBC “is continuing to support relief efforts in supporting the people of India”. According to C-IBC president Victor Thomas, it is very encouraging that Canadian companies operating in the “India-Canada economic corridor stepped up and have been very supportive.” Funds were mainly donated through the Canadian Red Cross, while some businesses sent medical supplies that were urgently required during the crisis. While major Canadian pension funds, which have heavily invested in India's infrastructure sector, were unable to contribute directly due to their charters, they implemented matching grants programmes based on employee contributions. Thomas stated that the cumulative contribution was "not insignificant," and Canadian businesses wanted to send the message that "we're there and we're supportive" in the context of doing their part to help India during a critical period. According to C-IBC the donations have “helped set up temporary Covid-19 hospitals, supply hospital beds, medical oxygen, lifesaving medicine, provide personal protective equipment (PPE), emergency care for migrants, and implement infection control activities in communities across India”.

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No-lockdown Sweden broke with most of the world and didn't require face masks. Those who wear them say they're treated with suspicion and abuse.

Sweden coronavirus — Commuters at a train station in Stockholm, Sweden. The country has no mask mandate.
Jonas Gratzer/Getty Images

Sweden, which has taken a unique approach to the pandemic, doesn't have a mask mandate.
Those who wear face masks tell Insider they are scared or face abuse in public.
One person said: "I have had people cough on me or mimic coughing on more occasions than I can count."
See more stories on Insider's business page.

Andreia Rodrigues left Sweden because of its COVID-19 response.

Rodrigues, who had been living in Sweden for more than four years, decided to return to her native Portugal in March, saying she felt unsafe living in a country where the government had no rules about mask wearing, and where she faced abuse when she did wear one.

"I couldn't take it in Sweden anymore," she told Insider.

She said her fiancé feared for her safety when she went outside in a mask.

"I have had people laugh and point at me, people screaming, 'You should lock yourself at home if you are so scared of corona,' people coughing in my direction and then laughing and saying: 'Corona! Corona!'"

Sweden's health ministry doesn't recommend mask wearing as a preventative measure against the coronavirus.

The strategy contrasts with most other countries, where mask wearing in indoor settings often remained a rule even as governments were recording low case numbers.

Governments and scientists in places like the UK have said masks will likely be the last rule to change in their countries as they reopen.

And while Sweden's government tweaked its recommendations in January to ask that people wear masks in very specific circumstances, most of the country still doesn't do it, leaving those who do feeling ostracized and unsafe.

Sweden has long pursued a different strategy

Sweden has taken a unique approach to the pandemic. As other nations implemented lockdowns, Sweden had few rules, focusing instead on social distancing.

Its death toll rose much higher than the countries beside it, despite having similar population demographics.

However, that death toll has stayed lower than many other European countries that were overwhelmed by the virus.

Experts pointed to unique aspects of Swedish life as reasons for this, including the high volume of people that live alone and population's high trust in the government, which suggests people are likely to follow recommendations even without their becoming formal rules.

Still, the country's leaders say there were mistakes: In December, Sweden's prime minister said some errors were made, and the king called the coronavirus strategy "a failure."

Anders Tegnell, Sweden's chief epidemiologist, also said last June that, with hindsight, more measures were needed.

Some residents now say they fear Sweden is making similar mistakes with its mask strategy.

'They would glare at me ... yell at me, cough at me'

Jennifer Luetz, who is originally from Germany, lives in Norrköping, near Stockholm. She told Insider people "stared at me like I was an alien" when she started wearing a mask last February.

Luetz said she is in an at-risk group, and is afraid to stop wearing a one.

She said she "got used to the staring."

But she said "what was horrid, though, was the catcalls and the nasty comments, people laughing at you openly in the stores." She also said she received xenophobic comments for wearing a mask.

Others, who said they wore masks to feel safer, described similar reactions.

One woman, who asked not to be named as she said it could put her husband's job at risk, told Insider she got funny looks when she started wearing a mask in March 2020. Her identity is known to Insider.

"As months passed, people became more aggressive. They would glare at me in anger, yell at me, cough at me. It was ridiculous and made me very angry," she said.

Keith Begg, who lives in a Stockholm suburb and campaigns for stricter coronavirus rules, said he has faced "ongoing" abuse for wearing a mask since April 2020.

He said it's less rare now, but there were many incidents: "Once I had my mask ripped off by a bunch of teenagers who ran away. I have had people cough on me or mimic coughing on more occasions than I can count," he said.

"You still become a little bit conscious of wearing a mask in Sweden because it is still not normalized."

Another woman in Stockholm, who asked not to be named as she feared repercussions from work, said she gets accusing looks from people when wearing a mask, and her children were made fun of in school for wearing them.

Masks are barely recommended

Sweden's public health agency emphasizes many of the steps other countries do: Social distancing, working from home, washing your hands, getting vaccinated.

But masks are a notable absence.

The "how to protect yourself" section on the agency's website does not mention face coverings. Nor does its list of recommendations for reducing the spread.

In January, ten months after a pandemic was declared, the agency added a recommendation - not a rule - that adults wear face masks on public transport.

And it's only for rush hours: between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. and 6 p.m, and only when they can't distance themselves from other people.

Most countries battling the virus have required masks indoors, and some European countries, like Belgium and France, have mandated wearing them outdoors.

Israel, which has the highest proportion of its population fully vaccinated, only has one restriction still in place: masks in closed public spaces.

The World Health Organization also recommends that fully vaccinated people continue to wear masks.

State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency of Sweden on May 20, 2021.
CLAUDIO BRESCIANI/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

But here's how Sweden has justified its alternative approach: Both Tegnell, the state epidemiologist, and Johan Carlson, head of the public health agency, have said that mask wearing could lead to people ignoring other recommendations like social distancing.

Swedes don't often have to wear masks

Insider also spoke to people in Sweden who say they only wear masks in line with government guidance.

Mazdak Dorosti, who works in banking in Stockholm, said he has worn a mask twice: at an Apple store and the dentist. He said staff gave him a mask both times.

"I see people wearing masks in the metro and shopping malls, but the majority of people don't wear a mask," he said.

He said the government's not recommending masks meant "wearing a mask sent two conflicting messages, either the person was sick or the person was little paranoid." He suggested that it means people who wanted to wear masks didn't.

Katarina Eckerberg said she and her family "wear masks in public places such as supermarkets, public transport, shopping centers, but not otherwise."

"It is not obligatory but recommended and maybe half do, half don't," she said.

Cathy Xiao Chen, who helps lead a coworking space in Uppsala, told Insider: "I wear a mask while taking public transport. Some people do, many people don't."

"People continue to invade each other's personal space and ignore social-distancing recommendations," he said.

'I feel like I am on another planet'

Sweden's new mask recommendations appear to have had different effects around the country, but mask-wearers still aren't at ease.

Dorosti, who lives in Stockholm, said: "People felt more comfortable in wearing a mask, without getting the judgmental looks."

Meanwhile Begg, who lives in the city's suburbs, said: "From my observations, I would say between 15 to 20% wear them on public transport." He said he thinks less than 5% of people wear masks in the supermarket.

"The lack of awareness in Stockholm is quite astounding and would be quite difficult to comprehend for many Europeans where the mask has become an essential accessory," he said.

Luetz said that the lack of masks means that "sometimes I feel like I am on another planet."

Rodrigues, who left Sweden in March, said she "started seeing a very slight increase in the amount of people wearing masks" before she moved.

But she said going back to Portugal has proven just how different Sweden was.

"I think back at the time I spent there, being surrounded by hundreds of maskless people at the supermarket for example, and it feels unreal, like a previous life."

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