Mikey Devlin on how Aberdeen have been using technology to look after mental and physical health
Defender Mikey Devlin revealed Aberdeen have been utilising technology to stay mentally and physically fit during the coronavirus lockdown. During the lockdown players are following a home fitness programme devised by Pittodrie’s head of sport science and fitness, Graham Kirk. Scotland international Devlin insists mental health is equally important in challenging times during isolation. Many footballers live alone and PFA Scotland reiterated support advice after an upturn in the number of players getting in touch about mental health issues. Devlin, vice-president of PFA Scotland, said: “The PFA have been quite pro-active in what has been going on and the mental health side is something we are not neglecting.
Source:Express
March 31, 2020 10:41 UTC
Coronavirus: Scotland stops cancer screening during lockdown
Mammograms offered to women aged 50 to 70 to check for breast cancer are among the tests that have been suspendedCancer screening tests have been suspended in Scotland as the NHS tackles the coronavirus outbreak. Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, said that the Scottish government had taken the “very difficult decision” to suspend all population programmes. Checks for older people to find bowel cancer, breast cancer and potentially deadly aneurysms will all be suspended, as will smear tests and checks for eye problems caused by diabetes. “As you can imagine, this is not a decision we have taken lightly,” Ms Sturgeon said. “However, it is important in order to maximise the ability of the NHS to cope over the coming weeks.”Catherine Calderwood, the chief medical officer, explained that screening had to be halted for several reasons.
Source:The Times
March 31, 2020 08:03 UTC
Tuesday briefing: Covid-19 danger jumps from middle age
The first comprehensive study of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China has revealed in stark detail the increase in risk for coronavirus patients once they reach middle age. The number of deaths related to coronavirus in the US has passed 3,000, according to Johns Hopkins University figures. Meanwhile today marks a week of no new cases reported in Wuhan city, China, where the outbreak first emerged. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US is almost double those in China. Asian shares surged after a rally in US stocks mostly spurred by health care companies’ announcements of developments that could aid in the coronavirus outbreak.
Source:The Guardian
March 31, 2020 05:34 UTC
More than 400 coronavirus cases – 10% of Australia’s total – are from Ruby Princess cruise ship
Exclusive: At least 440 passengers from the liner have fallen ill since being allowed to disembark without checks in SydneyMore than 400 coronavirus cases – 10% of Australia’s total – are from Ruby Princess cruise shipThere are more than 400 confirmed cases of coronavirus across Australia from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, according to state health departments. In a move the NSW health minister later admitted was a mistake, 2,700 passengers were allowed to disembark without checks from NSW Health on 19 March, with many boarding flights interstate. There are now more cases of Covid-19 from the Ruby Princess outside NSW than within the state. This means Ruby Princess passengers account for a tenth of all national cases of coronavirus (4,512 as of Tuesday afternoon), and a quarter of all cases in South Australia – the single biggest cluster of cases in that state. On 27 March, NSW Health said it would stop “providing any more national or interstate figures, just our NSW figures”, despite the rise in interstate cases.
Source:The Guardian
March 31, 2020 05:08 UTC
Postcards from the pandemic: losing a business and a life purpose
‘If I’m not here, I’m a mess’: Kristy Busuttil runs a taekwondo studio in Melbourne. Kristy Busuttil is a strong person. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kristy Busuttil at home with her three children: Owen, eight, Scarlet, four, and Logan, 18 months. Trying to keep some normality for him is really important, because otherwise he will have meltdowns.”Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kristy Busuttil with her father Gary Johnson. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kristy Busuttil hopes she can hang on financially for six months and reopen her studio.
Source:The Guardian
March 31, 2020 00:10 UTC
Old war films, family, not going out — what I love about the lockdown
The family is together under one roof, just the way I want it — none of this nonsense about the children going to university or college, still less travelling abroad for extended periods without their mum and dad. Also I get to spend a lot of time in my study, a man cave in all but name, instead of slogging into the office. Plus my wife can’t pressure me into attending or hosting social events. And yet I’m still able to venture out into the park for a moderate stroll when absolutely forced to. OK, so my daily step count took an early hit, but I’ve since remedied that by walking in circles
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:28 UTC
Global shortage of coronavirus testing kits threatens expansion plan
NHS staff were being tested for the coronavirus in Chessington yesterdayA shortage of key chemicals is hampering Britain’s efforts to expand testing for Covid-19 and forcing officials to work on finding alternative components. Testing for the virus involves amplifying sections of DNA on a device known as a PCR machine, and requires chemicals known as reagents to kickstart the process. Reagent shortages have emerged as a key constraint on increasing the rate of testing and the government is looking at whether other chemicals can be used. Some NHS hospitals are resorting to “home brew” reagents to speed up testing with bosses elsewhere saying that they are struggling to get hold of vital chemicals. Swabs to take samples are also a problem, with the government having previously appealed to private laboratories to hand over any stock
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC
Only a matter of time before refugees in Greek camps fall ill with coronavirus, says Irish doctor
Dr Claire Dunne worked in Lesbos for ten months with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), arriving back on March 12. She worked mainly on mental health issues, with many of the refugees survivors of torture and sexual violence. She also worked on paediatric appointments with some of the refugees. The camps were set up to deal with an influx of refugees from across the Middle East and Africa. In all, 41,635 asylum seekers are staying in overcrowded reception centres across the five islands.
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC
Plastic waste from Pepsi and Coke ‘harms world’s poor’
Coca-Cola has the greatest impact, with 200,000 tonnes of plastic burnt or dumped each year, the report saidHalf a million tonnes of plastic produced by Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever is annually dumped or burnt on open fires in six developing countries, according to a report. The food and drink companies have ambitious plans to reduce plastic waste in the UK but in some countries disposal of their products damages health and carries a huge carbon footprint, according to the charity Tearfund, which highlights global poverty.
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC
Blackout survival guide: how to survive without sport
Caribbean classicBeyond a Boundary, by C.L.R. James (by John Westerby)There are times when this famous discussion of cricket’s role in West Indian society becomes more than a book about sport, written as it was by a Trinidadian historian and political activist. But that is because, as C.L.R. James argues with passion, the game has been shaped by the society that surrounds it and, once a sport gains popular appeal, it can in turn become a huge influence on culture and politics, as cricket was in the West Indies in the years before independence. The struggle to establish Frank Worrell as West Indies’ first black captain and the journey embarked upon by Learie Constantine, who left the Caribbean for the mill towns of Lancashire,
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC
Flights from coronavirus hotspots continue to arrive in UK
Figures from Nats, the air traffic control service, show that 602 flights landed at or departed from UK airports on SundayDozens of flights a day are still landing in the UK from coronavirus hotspots such as New York despite a collapse in the aviation industry. An analysis shows that the overall number of flights in and out of British airports has plummeted by 85 per cent because of travel restrictions. Figures from Nats, the air traffic control service, show that 602 flights landed at or departed from UK airports on Sunday. Another 356 aircraft flew through UK airspace without landing. However, flights from New York and New Jersey continued to arrive yesterday.
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC
Boris Johnson urged to ignore calls for Brexit delay
Boris Johnson has been warned by Brexiteers not to revisit “old battles” and give way to demands to extend the UK’s transition period in the light of the coronavirus pandemic. Yesterday the European People’s Party, the largest group in the European parliament, said that the UK would face an economic “double whammy” if the prime minister ends Britain’s membership of the EU single market and customs union on December 31. Lisa Nandy, the Labour leadership candidate, is among those calling on Mr Johnson to reconsider his refusal to consider another year’s extension. However, Mark Francois, Tory chairman of the Eurosceptic European Research Group, said: “With the focus quite rightly on fighting Covid-19 the last thing we need now is a distraction of reopening old battles
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC
Chinese seek bigger share of world’s missile market
China has sold weapons to at least 98 countries in the past five yearsChina has sold a batch of its advanced portable anti-tank missiles to an undisclosed country for the first time. Analysts expect the HJ-12 missiles to help China to gain a bigger share in the global arms market because its advanced capabilities rival those of its western and Russian counterparts. “The smooth execution of the project is significant to the company in establishing its market hold and further expanding its share,” said China North Industries Group Corporation, or Norinco, a state-owned defence contractor. The transaction went through despite the coronavirus outbreak and Norinco said the buyer was in urgent need. Pakistan has been a big buyer of Chinese-made arms, although Beijing has in recent years added clients from southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC
Time to furlough? How employers can get it right
From The Grapes of Wrath to Death of a Salesman, the story of the individual struggling for survival amid economic catastrophe has provided some of literature’s most searing tragedies. That explains the emotional resonance of the unprecedented steps taken by the government to guarantee the wages of the British workforce during the current crisis: preventing mass unemployment, securing livelihoods and giving the country its best chance of bouncing back when this is over. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be backdated to March 1, in place for an initial three months and open to all UK employers that had a PAYE scheme in place on February 28. The eligible employee must also have been on the payroll by this date. Furlough must be taken
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC
Macfarlane bosses in pay cut after dividend is suspended
The directors of Macfarlane Group are to take 25 per cent pay cuts from April to September and the packaging and distribution specialist is to preserve cash by suspending its dividend. The company said yesterday that it had suffered a marked slowing of activity in the automotive and aerospace sectors, as well as parts of the retail industry, as a result of Covid-19. Macfarlane supplies packaging, labels and specialist protective coverings, with its customers ranging from Thermo Fisher and Peak Scientific, the specialist companies, to Selfridges and Dunelm, the retailers. Formed in 1949 and listed in London in 1973, it retains its headquarters in Glasgow and employs 925 people, with the majority of those in Britain, although it has operations in Ireland and Sweden.
Source:The Times
March 30, 2020 23:26 UTC