Current Events in July 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 3,850,134 (3,774,769)

Total U.S. deaths: 141,118 (140,563)

Total global cases: 14,763,911 (14,538,115)

Total global deaths: 611, 322 (606,922)

Quest Diagnostics expects a testing crunch in the fall

Quest Diagnostics, the largest medical laboratory in the U.S., has reportedly warned that it will not be able to keep up with demands for coronavirus (COVID-19) testing that are likely to surge this fall.

The company says the increasing demand for COVID-19 test results will coincide with the annual flu season when it will be called upon to provide millions of tests for influenza.

James Davis, executive vice-president of general diagnostics at Quest Diagnostics, told the Financial Times that “other solutions need to be found” to detect positive patients in addition to the nasal swab tests currently in use.

Timely help from Congress appears doubtful

A top Republican member of the House says it’s not likely that Congress will approve another coronavirus aid package for consumers and businesses before lawmakers go on vacation in August. 

House Minority Leader Keven McCarthy (R-Calif.) told CNBC that he doesn’t see it getting done before the end of July. Democrats and Republicans are at odds over jobless benefits, direct payments to individuals, liability protections for businesses, rent and mortgage assistance, and funding to reopen schools in the fall. 

President Trump has added his own conditions, insisting that any aid bill suspend or reduce the payroll tax and reduce or eliminate funding for testing.

Volunteers agree to test vaccines

A controversial plan to attempt to infect healthy people with the coronavirus to test an experimental vaccine is gaining some acceptance. Advocates say it’s the only way to find out quickly whether a vaccine candidate is effective.

One such advocacy group -- 1 Day Sooner -- has signed up 30,000 volunteers in 140 countries who are willing to be exposed to the virus after taking a vaccine. 

The group is urging the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to undertake immediate preparations for “human challenge trials” in young, healthy people, who are less likely to suffer severe disease from COVID-19. 

Operation Quack Hack tries to weed out bogus cures

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has once again stepped in to protect consumers from coronavirus-related fraud, and it appears to be producing results. The agency launched Operation Quack Hack in March after it started receiving complaints.

“Building upon our previous experience with illegal online pharmacies, a team of consumer safety officers, special agents, and intelligence analysts triage incoming complaints about fraudulent and unproven medical products,” the agency said in a press release.

As of last month, the FDA had identified more than 700 fraudulent and unproven medical products related to COVID-19 after reviewing thousands of websites, social media posts, and online marketplace listings.

Toy companies are thriving during the pandemic

Supermarkets, online retailers, and pizza delivery companies have seen a surge in business during the pandemic. You can add toy companies to that list.

The NPD Group reports that toy companies have enjoyed four straight months of rising sales as parents buy toys to keep their children occupied at home. March sales rose 19 percent and doubled that in May as warmer weather resulted in the purchase of more outdoor toys.

“We would never see this kind of unprecedented growth, I’ve never seen it in my life,” Juli Lennett, an NPD Group toy industry analyst, told CNBC “Normally, we are up or down 3 percent or 4 percent, so this is certainly very unusual.”

Around the nation

• North Carolina: Gov. Roy Cooper’s March 12 order preventing utility companies from disconnecting service for unpaid bills expires at the end of the month. Consumer advocates warn that thousands of state residents could lose water and electricity in August.

• Michigan: The University of Michigan has announced its protocol for the fall semester. Students attending classes must wear masks while on campus but will have the choice between classroom sessions or online courses.

• Washington: One of the first U.S. locales for the coronavirus, Washington, has seen its cases spike again, along with many other states. Spokane Health Officer Dr. Bob Lutz warns that continued large gatherings without social distancing are putting the state at risk of another economic shutdown.

Have you seen many ads for back to school sales yet? By this time in July, retailers are usually competing hard for parents’ and students’ dollars.

But this year, with the coronavirus (COVID-19) flaring up in wide areas of the country, uncertainty prevails. Even in areas where the decision about the school year has been made, many districts have announced only limited classroom attendance.

As a result, there’s growing evidence that consumers aren’t shopping for back to school items like they have in the past. New data from Numerator, a market research data company, shows that back to school advertising is down 50 percent over this time in 2019.

By this time last year, Staples, Target, and JC Penny had already started advertising their back to school products. So far this year, Numerator researchers say Walmart is the only "big promoter" retailer running back to school ads this early in the season. 

Advertising now could be risky because the Numerator research shows an overwhelming majority of households -- 77 percent -- have said they expect their back to school shopping experience will be different this year. One in three households have indicated that they plan to do minimal shopping and do not plan to take their children to stores for the normal school supply selection. 

Strong preference for online shopping

When they do shop, 41 percent of households indicate they will likely purchase supplies online, avoiding brick and mortar locations. 

"The lack of clarity on back to school is both understandable and frustrating,” said Eric Belcher, CEO at Numerator. “Two-thirds of consumers report they still don't know if their kids will be in live or virtual classrooms.  As consumers wait to see what back to school looks like, brands and retailers are waiting too." 

The Numerator research is consistent with a report earlier this month from Deloitte, which predicted that consumers would spend less, or at best about the same, on back to school supplies this year.

Where spending does increase, the analysts at Deloitte expect it to be for technology to facilitate online courses. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is clamping down on a company selling a kind of fruity disposable e-cigarette product called Puff Bar e-cigarettes, which are popular among teenagers.

In warning letters to the manufacturer of Puff Bar vapes and nine other companies, the FDA said Puff Bar e-cigarettes -- which come in “youth-appealing” flavors like mango, pink lemonade, and strawberry -- must be pulled from the market within 15 business days. 

The FDA said the companies never received permission to sell the products in the United States. 

"We are concerned about the popularity of these products among youth and want to make clear to all tobacco product manufacturers and retailers that, even during the ongoing pandemic, the FDA is keeping a close watch on the marketplace and will hold companies accountable," FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a statement. 

Similar to Juul products

The agency added that it’s continuing to take action against companies selling unauthorized e-cigarette products, even in the midst of the pandemic. 

“These warning letters are the result of ongoing internet monitoring for violations of tobacco laws and regulations,” said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. 

The FDA’s action closes a loophole it left earlier this year when it cracked down on flavored e-cigarettes. Disposable vaping products like Puff Bar are similar to Juul products, but Puff Bar vaping products somehow evaded the FDA’s ban. 

The agency warned the companies that received letters that failure to correct violations could result in further action, such as civil money penalties, seizure, or injunction.

Democrats and Republicans disagree

DoorDash announced Tuesday that it’s beginning a nationwide campaign to motivate consumers to support independent restaurants that are feeling the financial pinch of COVID-19.

The food delivery app's new "Without Restaurants" effort is designed to remind foodies of how restaurants have always been there to help people celebrate everything from birthday bashes to post-game celebrations, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.

To kick off the new venture, DoorDash will reportedly roll out a social media challenge called #GotMyStartChallenge. The throwdown will be between various celebrities who, in turn, will ask followers to share their experience of how restaurants helped sculpt their careers both before and after they got famous. 

First up in the challenge will be comedian George Lopez, actor Mike Colter -- who plays Luke Cage in the Marvel movie series -- and actress Ming-Na Wen, best known as Fa Mulan in the animated films Mulan and Mulan II.

The promotion couldn’t come at a better time

Restaurants have taken a beating since mid-March when COVID-19 came on the scene and stores were forced to close. It’s now estimated that 75 percent of independent eating establishments will never reopen -- mostly because of wary customers. 

The larger chains had enough of a cushion to weather more of a hit, but independent eateries have been left sweating out the situation and looking for help anywhere they can find it, mostly from governments and customers. The National Restaurant Association says that, all told, the total shortfall in restaurant and foodservice sales reached a staggering $145 billion during the pandemic’s first four months.

The converse of that shift is that many diners are getting carry-out or delivery, and DoorDash has been the recipient of a sizable portion of that uptick in traffic.

“To help maintain that growth, DoorDash needs a healthy restaurant industry that includes independent operators to provide more menu choices for consumers,” says Mobile Market’s Robert Williams. “Its ‘Without Restaurants’ campaign can help to raise awareness for the plight of restaurants, while also supporting its rapidly growing delivery business." 

Recent studies have explored the relationship between consumers’ diets and the environment, yielding both positive and negative results. 

However, a new study is calling these diets into question. Based on an international analysis of dietary guidelines, researchers say many recommendations that are made with consumers’ health in mind come at the expense of environmental goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global health goals to prevent disease and early death. The team recommends that these guidelines are reworked to better accommodate efforts to boost the environment and increase consumers’ lifespans. 

“This analysis suggests that national guidelines could be both healthier and more sustainable,” the researchers wrote. “Providing clear advice on limiting in most contexts the consumption of animal source foods, in particular beef and dairy, was found to have the greatest potential for increasing the environmental sustainability of dietary guidelines…” 

Finding the right diet

The researchers analyzed several different dietary guidelines, including the World Health Organization and EAT-Lancet’s recommendations, to determine what types of foods are being recommended from a health standpoint. They then compared those measures with goals addressed in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Action Agenda on Non-Communicable Diseases. 

Looking at the data in this way, the researchers determined how dietary guidelines fared in terms of reducing diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and also what impact such food choices had on the environment. Ultimately, the researchers learned that the majority of these dietary guidelines place a greater burden on the environment. However, many were successful in terms of keeping consumers healthy and preventing disease. 

The researchers found that nearly 90 percent of the guidelines directly negated environmental efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while less than 35 percent of the dietary guidelines proved to be a detriment to preventing disease. 

Creating better guidelines

When it comes to specific food choices, the researchers’ findings suggest that consumers should go more plant-based with their diets and lower their intake of red meats and processed foods. These recommendations are in line with recent studies that have found both food groups can increase health risks for consumers.  

Other recent studies have struggled to come to a conclusive decision about plant-based diets, as there have been both benefits and risks associated with these types of meal plans. 

The researchers’ main goal moving forward is to rework global and national guidelines so there are benefits for all areas -- disease prevention, environmental improvements, and overall health. However, they note that much work is still needed to be done to see such advancements, especially on a global scale. \

“We still have some way to go before diets can become healthier and more sustainable worldwide,” the researchers wrote. 

Amazon is expanding trials of its delivery robot, Scout, to additional states. The delivery robot started operating in a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Washington in early 2019 and later started delivering packages at a larger test site in Irvine, California. 

The company announced Tuesday that it has now launched a “small number of Amazon Scout devices” in Atlanta, Georgia and Franklin, Tennessee. The delivery robots will operate Monday through Friday, during daylight hours only. 

Amazon said customers in the test areas will order “just as they normally would,” but their packages could be delivered by Amazon Scout. All Scout devices will be accompanied by a human minder called an Amazon Scout Ambassador, at least “initially,” says Amazon.

Meeting increased demand

The e-commerce giant said it’s been working hard on ensuring that the cooler-sized autonomous devices can safely navigate around a number of objects. 

“Amazon Scout delivery devices are built to be inherently safe. They’re the size of a small cooler and move at a walking pace. Each delivery device can navigate around pets, pedestrians, and other objects (including surfboards!) in its path,” the company said in a press release.

Amazon added that its trials of Scout have continued during the pandemic. The robots are intended to help bolster the company’s mission of meeting increased customer demand during the health crisis and beyond. 

“Amazon has been providing an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic and working hard to get customers the products they need so they can continue to stay safe. Amazon Scout is quietly playing its part in this effort, too.” 

With the summer in full swing and temperatures rising, staying safe and healthy -- especially when outside in the heat -- is of the utmost importance for consumers. 

However, a new study conducted by researchers from Arizona State University found that summertime hikers aren’t staying as hydrated as they should be. Their work emphasized the importance of hydration on heat-ridden hikes, as doing so can reduce the risk of heat-related illness and improve performance on hikes. 

“The current guidelines for hikers in general are very broad and geared more toward safety than quantifying the adequate amount of fluid they need,” said researcher Floris Wardenaar. “The guidelines also do not take into account fitness levels or the importance of incremental exposure to the heat, which can be affected by acclimatization to specific environments and weather conditions.” 

The heat affects the hike

To understand the effect hydration has on a summertime hike, the researchers had 12 participants in their 20s take part in an experiment. The group completed two hikes -- one on a day where the temperature was under 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the other on a day where the temperature was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Both before and after their hikes, the researchers assessed the participants’ vitals, including their heart rate, hydration status, resting metabolism, and temperature; the team also recorded the fluids that the hikers consumed during the hike. However, when it came to packing for these excursions, the participants were left to their own devices and packed as they thought best. 

The researchers learned that the heat had a serious impact on the participants’ hikes. Overall, participants’ performance on the hotter day was 11 percent worse than it was on the milder day. The participants were also much slower when the weather was hotter. The hike took 20 minutes longer on the day when the temperature was over 100 degrees.

Performance and risk of illness

Not only was performance affected, but the researchers also found that many of the participants weren’t well-equipped with hydration sources -- regardless of the climate. Dehydration can affect performance on the trails and make this type of exertion all the more difficult to get through. 

The researchers explained that one of the biggest concerns of being on the trails with limited water is heat-related illness. The longer consumers are exposed to extreme levels of heat -- especially without proper hydration -- the greater the risk of developing such a condition. 

“Heat slows you down,” said Wardenaar. “This means that what you normally can hike in 75 minutes under moderate conditions may take up to 95 minutes in the heat. That is something that people should take into account, especially when their hike will substantially exceed the 90-minute cutoff.” 

Another day, another move by an airline trying to regain consumer trust in the middle of the pandemic.

Out of Chicago comes news from United Airlines that it is maximizing the air flow volume during boarding and deplaning in its mainline aircraft to try and mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The airline says the process is scheduled to start July 27 and will be on top of its current deployment of HEPA filters, air conditioning, and pressurization systems that already recirculate the air every 2-3 minutes.

Cleaner air than you’d get anywhere else

United says the enhanced process will remove 99.97 percent of “viruses and bacteria” and make the air quality “significantly cleaner than what people typically experience in restaurants, grocery stores, schools or even some hospitals.”

"We know the environment on an aircraft is safe and because the air flow is designed to minimize the transmission of disease, the earlier we maximize air flow over our HEPA filtration system, the better for our crew and our customers," said Scott Kirby, United's chief executive officer. 

United has gone to great lengths to check every single health and safety box it can to try and make travelers comfortable and confident their trip will be coronavirus-free. The airline has a lot riding on those efforts, especially after it misread the tea leaves and announced it was returning to the air at triple its schedule, only to see the pandemic reverse course.

The airline partnered with Clorox and the Cleveland Clinic to improve cleaning procedures. It’s also requiring passengers to complete a pre-boarding checklist, wear a face covering, and board back-to-front and deplane five rows at a time. The airline says it’s also “taking steps” to reduce the overall number of people on board and separate customers “wherever possible.” That last promise comes on the heels of bad press over leaked photos of packed flights.

Protecting travelers

Kirby isn’t giving up on his hopes that the airline will be able to provide a safe experience for its customers.

"The quality of the air, combined with a strict mask policy and regularly disinfected surfaces, are the building blocks towards preventing the spread of COVID-19 on an airplane,” he said.

“We expect that air travel is not likely to get back to normal until we're closer to a widely administered vaccine – so we're in this for the long haul. And I am going to keep encouraging our team to explore and implement new ideas, new technologies, new policies and new procedures that better protect our customers and employees."

Discount grocery chain ALDI is defying the coronavirus (COVID-19) retail trend by announcing that it plans to open 70 new stores, mostly in the western U.S., by the end of the year.

While other retailers have fallen by the wayside, closing stores after the pandemic delivered a hammer blow to the economy, ALDI recently opened its 2,000th U.S. store and is taking aim at its larger rivals.

Among the 70 new stores, ALDI plans to enter the Phoenix metro market for the first time, opening four stores. It will also support further Gulf Coast store expansion with a new distribution center in Loxley, Alabama.

"Each new store is an opportunity to serve another community, which is an honor and responsibility we do not take lightly," said Jason Hart, CEO, ALDI U.S. "As we continue to expand, we promise to do everything in our power to offer the lowest prices, every day, without exception. In fact, as food costs are rising across the country, we're lowering prices on hundreds of items to meet our customers' increased need for savings."

ALDI stores have smaller footprints than typical supermarkets and stock the shelves with mostly  house brands. Where a competitor might offer four or five different brands of pasta sauce, ALDI offers one.

Highly rated by ConsumerAffairs readers, the limited selection doesn’t appear to matter that much. In a recent ConsumerAffairs post, Jonathan, of King of Prussia, Pa., says ALDI has long been his go-to grocery store.

“I always try to go there first because while they have a more limited selection, the prices and quality of what they do have are great,” Jonathan wrote.

Growth plan

As its popularity has grown, the company has invested more than $5 billion in a multi-year, nationwide growth plan that includes updating existing stores and opening hundreds of new ones. ALDI says it has also increased its fresh food selection by 40 percent, focusing on new types of produce, meat, and organic selections.

In May, well into the pandemic, ALDI expanded its e-commerce offerings with the accelerated rollout of its curbside grocery pickup service to nearly 600 stores by the end of July. Currently, grocery delivery is available in more than 10,000 ZIP codes.

Though fairly new to the U.S. market, the German grocery chain has large ambitions. It previously announced expansion plans that would make it the third-largest grocer in the U.S., behind Kroger and Walmart.

Polaris Industries of Medina, Minn., is recalling about 57,000 model year 2015-2020 AXYS Trail Performance and Crossover snowmobiles sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The fuel hose can be improperly secured, posing a fire hazard.

The firm has received 13 reports of improperly secured fuel hoses. No fires or injuries have been reported.

This recall involves all Model Year 2015-2020 600cc and 800cc AXYS Trail Performance and Crossover snowmobiles with the following model names:

The model year and VIN are stamped on the right side of the tunnel. Polaris and the model name are printed on both sides of the hood and on the side panels of the vehicles.

The snowmobiles, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at Polaris dealers nationwide from December 2013, through April 2020, for between $7,400 and $15,100.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled snowmobiles and contact a Polaris dealer to schedule a free inspection and, if needed, a free repair. Polaris is notifying dealers and contacting registered owners directly.

Consumers may contact Polaris at (800) 765-2747 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday or online at www.polaris.com and click on “Product Safety Announcements” at the bottom of the page for more information.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 3,774,769 (3,712,604)

Total U.S. deaths: 140,563 (140,120)

Total global cases: 14,538,115 (14,317,239)

Total global deaths: 606,922 (602,865)

Is it one coronavirus or six?

From the very beginning, people who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus have reported wildly different symptoms. Now, British researchers say that may be because there are six different types of the virus.

A team of researchers at King’s College London found that the six types of the virus were associated with different levels of severity of infection, and with the likelihood of a patient needing help with breathing -- such as oxygen or ventilator treatment -- if they are hospitalized.

Types one through three were associated with fairly mild symptoms. A patient could be expected to recover fairly quickly from these variants, with symptoms no more severe than a cold or a case of the flu.

Types four through six were the most severe, with patients often needing hospital care. If borne out by further research, this could explain why some young COVID-19 patients require hospital care and, in some cases, die.

Vaccine produced at Oxford shows early promise

A coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca reportedly produced a strong immune response in a large, early-stage human trial. The preliminary results were published today in the British medical journal The Lancet.

The vaccine is made up of genetic material from the coronavirus and a modified adenovirus. There were more than 1,000 participants in the test.

One researcher, Dr. Adrian Hill of Oxford’s Jenner Institute, told CNBC that the strong immune response means the vaccine is more likely to provide protection against the virus, but he cautioned that more testing is required.

Protein treatment hailed as ‘breakthrough’

In the absence of an approved vaccine, treatments that can keep people out of intensive care units (ICUs) has become critically important. A British biotech firm claims it has achieved “breakthrough” results to this end by using a certain protein. 

Patients with the coronavirus inhaled the protein using a nebuliser in an effort to stimulate an immune response. Synairgen reports that the initial results of a clinical trial using the treatment reduced the odds of a patient in a hospital developing a severe form of the disease and requiring ventilation by 79 percent.

The company further reports that patients were two to three times more likely to recover to the point where everyday activities were not affected by the virus.

A greater threat to young people

If young people have shown a rather cavalier attitude toward the coronavirus, it’s probably because they’ve been told they face less of a risk. It’s true that older adults are at greater risk from the virus, but a new study suggests that young people may be more vulnerable than they think.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Benioff Children's Hospitals studied approximately 8,400 men and women ages 18 to 25 and concluded that overall "medical vulnerability" was 33 percent for males and 30 percent for females. That means one in three young adults with the disease could end up in the hospital.

FDA reauthorizes Quest Diagnostics test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reissued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Quest Diagnostics to authorize its Quest SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR test for use with pooled samples containing up to four individual swab specimens.

“This EUA for sample pooling is an important step forward in getting more COVID-19 tests to more Americans more quickly while preserving testing supplies,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn 

Hahn said sample pooling becomes more important as infection rates decline and more people begin to be tested.

Around the nation

• New York: New York City entered Phase 4 of its reopening today, the last region of the state to do so. Low-risk outdoor venues like zoos are reopening but with strict capacity limits. Sports teams will also be allowed to return to the field but without fans in the stands. 

• Arizona: Teachers groups are asking Gov. Doug Ducey to not reopen schools as scheduled. They’re asking that kids be kept out of the classroom until at least October. As of now, the state plans to reopen schools next month.

• Louisiana: A state program offering rent assistance to citizens financially impacted by COVID-19 was suspended after only four days. Officials say they were overwhelmed by 40,000 applications. The program was designed to help 10,000 residents.

In a briefing on Monday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo warned that overcrowding at bars and restaurants in the New York City area is “a threat” to the state’s reopening. 

"We have to protect the progress that we have made,” Cuomo said. “You see the numbers. The goal is now to stay there.”

The Democratic governor added that the state “will have to roll back the bar and restaurant opening if the congregations continue” and if local governments and police departments don’t enforce mask and social distancing policies. 

Cuomo said his office received reports of large groups of maskless people drinking in open spaces and violating the state’s open container law. 

“Bars and restaurants are the problem, and it doesn’t need to be because it’s not just the bars and the restaurants,” he said.

Gatherings could delay reopenings

Cuomo said most of the reports his office received involved younger people, who tend to believe they are less likely to catch the virus. 

"Don't be stupid," he said. "What they're doing is stupid and reckless for themselves and for other people. Young people, as a general rule, believe they're superheroes. I understand I was a young person once. First of all, that's not a fact, there are facts and then there are wrong pieces of information. You can get sick in your 20s. You can die in your 20s, people have."

He added that “unless you live in a hermetically sealed bubble,” young people can contract the virus and give it someone else. “You will go home and you will transfer to someone else who will transfer it to someone else, and you could kill someone,” he said. 

With regard to next steps in the state’s reopening, Cuomo reiterated that local governments and police play a crucial role in enforcing health and safety policies. 

“I've said repeatedly that the local governments are in charge of compliance and if young people are going to come out and do something stupid local governments have to enforce the law," he said. "That's how it works in life, and the police department has to enforce the law, and they are not doing it. And that is their job and they have to do it."

Cuomo’s warning came the same day that New York City was cleared to enter Phase IV of its reopening plan. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that the “troubling overcrowding” seen recently “won’t be tolerated.” 

"We don't want to shut down restaurants. We don't want to shut down bars. But if we have to shut down a few of them, it's a hell of a lot better than the coronavirus surging in this city,” he said.

Recent studies have highlighted how kids around the globe aren’t getting nearly enough physical activity on a daily basis, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified concerns around children’s activity habits. 

Now, researchers from the American Heart Association (AHA) have found that more than half of all kids in the U.S. struggle to meet cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) guidelines. The researchers explained that CRF measures how well the body delivers oxygen to the muscles during exercise, and it can have an impact on both physical and mental health beyond childhood. 

“CRF is a single measure that shows how strong the heart, lungs, and blood circulation are in children,” said researcher Dr. Geetha Raghuveer. “Whereas measuring body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels tell us about each of these individual risk factors, measuring CRF provides a comprehensive assessment of a child’s overall health.” 

Incorporating more physical activity

Having a regular physical activity routine is one of the primary ways that kids can get better cardiorespiratory fitness, though recent studies have consistently found that the majority of kids struggle with physical activity. 

According to their findings, the researchers learned that overall activity levels for kids have plummeted in recent years, whereas time spent in front of screens has been on the uptick. 

However, despite these trends, they also explained that it’s possible for kids to change their habits and adopt more movement into their daily routines. Getting kids to be engaged in an exercise routine that adults would follow can be tricky, but it also isn’t entirely necessary. Playing sports is a great way for little ones to get periods of exercise without overdoing it or getting distracted. 

“Cardiorespiratory fitness is crucial for good heart and overall health both in childhood and as children become adults,” said Dr. Raghuveer. “We’ve got to get kids moving and engaged in regular physical activity, such as in any sports they enjoy. The best activity is the activity a child or teen likes and that is sustained for a longer period. The habits they learn when they’re young will directly benefit their health as they become adults.” 

Increasing testing 

Measuring kids’ CRF is the first step in gauging their health; however, the researchers explained that doctors typically aren’t testing kids’ CRF unless they already have a medical condition that could put them at risk. They did find that many schools conduct tests for CRF in gym class, requiring students to participate in a running exercise that is designed to assess their fitness level. 

While parents receive the results of these assessments, the researchers suggest that medical professionals should get them as well. This would ensure that kids’ health is examined from all angles and interventions can be added as needed. 

“Every child would benefit from CRF testing as part of a yearly physical and doing so may identify children who would benefit from lifestyle interventions that can improve health,” said Dr. Raghuveer. “In the meantime, requiring physical activity for every grade level through high school would be a step in the right direction.” 

Researchers at Tencent Security Xuanwu Lab have discovered a vulnerability in many popular fast chargers. The Chinese technology firm warns that hackers have found a way to remotely manipulate the charging process of smartphones -- not to steal data, but “to achieve destruction of the physical world through digital means.” 

The hack, dubbed “BadPower,” can destroy a user’s smartphone or even potentially set it on fire. The research team said the attack involves corrupting the firmware in a charging device in such a way that prevents it from agreeing on a set voltage. This creates the potential to overload a device with more voltage than it can handle.

Tencent says “all products with BadPower problems can be attacked by special hardware, and a considerable number of them can also be attacked by ordinary terminals such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops that support the fast charging protocol.”

Tencent identified 234 rapid chargers on the market and tested 35 of them. Of those 35 charging devices, at least 18 “had BadPower problems,” said Tencent, which released a video demonstrating how the manipulation could be carried out in its report.

The team said the vulnerability could be fixed if affected manufacturers released the appropriate firmware. Tencent has reported the issue to the China National Vulnerability Database (CNVD) and said it will discuss mitigation techniques with manufacturers. Tencent’s suggestions to fix the problem include hardening firmware to prevent unauthorized modifications and adding overload protection to charged devices.

While the vulnerability exists, the researchers advised users not to plug basic 5v devices into fast chargers with a USB to USB-C cable and to be wary of loaning your phone charger or power bank to others.

Many countries are banning certain pesticides due to health risks associated with the products. Now, a new study is looking to reinforce those decisions by exploring how the use of such pesticides can be harmful to consumers’ health. 

According to researchers from the University of California - Berkeley, pesticides are not only an environmental burden but have also been linked to increase the spread of schistosomiasis -- a deadly condition commonly known as snail fever that can lead to severe kidney damage. 

“Environmental pollutants can increase our exposure and susceptibility to infectious diseases,” said researcher Justin Remais. “From dioxins decreasing resistance to influenza virus, to air pollutants increasing COVID-19 mortality, to arsenic impacting lower respiratory tract and enteric infections -- research has shown that reducing pollution is an important way to protect populations from infectious diseases.”  

The dangers of contaminated water

To understand the dangers that pesticides pose to consumers’ health, the researchers analyzed nearly 150 experiments that closely examined how consumers’ risk of contracting schistosomiasis is affected by the use of pesticides. 

It quickly became apparent to the researchers that even minimal exposure to these chemicals could increase the likelihood of infection. The researchers explained that the infection thrives in contaminated water; once consumers come into contact with these water supplies, the infection quickly spreads. 

“We know that dam construction and irrigation expansion increase schistosomiasis transmission in low-income settings by disrupting freshwater ecosystems,” said researcher Christopher Hoover. “We were shocked by the strength of evidence we found also linking agrochemical pollution to the amplification of schistosomiasis transmission.” 

Though widespread use of pesticides isn’t necessary for widespread infection, the researchers point out that these chemicals affect the natural ecosystem of the water. For example, the snails that carry the infection are typically eaten by other animals in the water; however, the chemicals can make such waters uninhabitable for other creatures, which creates the perfect ecosystem for the infectious snail population to thrive. 

In an effort to protect consumers from a potentially deadly infection, the researchers hope that these findings inspire lawmakers to do their part and restrict access to these pesticides, as the risks far outweigh the benefits. 

“We need to develop policies that protect public health by limiting the amplification of schistosomiasis transmission by agrochemical pollution,” said Hoover. “If we can devise ways to maintain the agricultural benefit of these chemicals, while limiting their overuse in schistosomiasis-endemic areas, we could prevent additional harm to public health within communities that already experience a high and unacceptable burden of disease.”