COVID-19 weekly news round-up: testing news; WFC chiropractic statement, more

Fauci says needed U.S. level of testing a month or more away

U.S. Coronavirus Task Force member and doctor Anthony Fauci on Tuesday said he hoped anyone who needed a coronavirus test should be able to get one by the end of May or early June.

“Hopefully we should see that as we get toward the end of May, the beginning of June,” Fauci said when asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper, “When will everybody who needs to get a test be able to get one?”

“That’s what I’m being told by the people who are responsible for the testing,” said Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, referring to his colleagues on the White House task force dealing with the pandemic, speaking to The Hill.

Other experts quoted by USA Today have said the states are playing “Russian roulette” by opening back up in the midst of the pandemic when proper testing is not in place.

World Federation of Chiropractic issues statement of solidarity with World Health Organization

“At a time of significant threats to global public health, the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) stands in solidarity with the World Health Organization (WHO) in its role of promoting health for all and in protecting population health in all nations,” the organization released in a statement.

Airborne coronavirus detected in Wuhan hospitals

Adding to growing evidence that the novel coronavirus can spread through air, scientists have identified genetic markers of the virus in airborne droplets, many with diameters smaller than one-ten-thousandth of an inch, according to the New York Times.

That had been previously demonstrated in laboratory experiments, but now Chinese scientists studying real-world conditions report that they captured tiny droplets containing the genetic markers of the virus from the air in two hospitals in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak started.

“Those are going to stay in the air floating around for at least two hours,” said Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech who was not involved with the Nature paper. “It strongly suggests that there is potential for airborne transmission.”

Logan University releases HIPAA-compliant chiropractic telehealth tool

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Logan University has launched Doxy, a HIPAA-compliant telehealth tool that allows chiropractic clinicians to meet with patients via video conferencing, “and is the first chiropractic university to do so” say university officials.

Logan clinicians can use Doxy with any patient in Missouri. Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., patients can log onto Logan’s Health Center homepage and ask questions to an on-duty clinician (wait times may vary based on patient call volume). During the video conference, a clinician can upload documents and send videos to a patient, or invite another clinician into the video conference for consultation.

Lab prepares for mass clinical trials as COVID-19 vaccine proves effective in monkeys

In the worldwide race for a vaccine to stop the coronavirus, the laboratory sprinting fastest is at Oxford University.

Most other teams have had to start with small clinical trials of a few hundred participants to demonstrate safety. But scientists at the university’s Jenner Institute had a head start on a vaccine, having proved in previous trials that similar inoculations — including one last year against an earlier coronavirus — were harmless to humans.

For the latest COVID-9 info for doctors of chiropractic, including upcoming webinars, updates, resources and articles from Chiropractic Economics, go to chiroeco.com/coronavirus-covid-19.