HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - Hong Kong researchers have found evidence that pet hamsters can spread Covid-19 to people, and linked the animals to human infections in the city.
The study, published on Saturday (Jan 29) in The Lancet as a preprint and not yet peer-reviewed, provided the first documented evidence of hamster-to-human transmission of the Delta variant.
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the city's government found two independent cases of such transmission, after testing viral swabs and blood samples from animals collected from local pet shops.
The hamsters in question were infected around Nov 21, before they were imported to Hong Kong, suggesting pet animal trade may be a pathway that facilitates Covid-19 to spread across borders, according to the study.
"This study reveals that pet hamsters can acquire Sars-CoV-2 infection in real-life settings and can transmit the virus back to humans," the researchers said in the study.
"The Sars-CoV-2 circulating in hamsters can allow sustainable virus transmission in humans."
It advised members of the public earlier this month to surrender hamsters purchased on or after Dec 22 for "humane dispatch", after some pet store workers and customers tested positive for the virus, and some of the animals imported from the Netherlands at the store tested preliminary positive.
China demands labelling of foreign actors in bid to push non-Chinese off screen South China Morning Post
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Since the pandemic started, we have embraced online shopping (and food deliveries), reviewed our relationships, lived more mindfully, led a more sustainable lifestyle, and overhauled our eating habits. Suffice it to say that no one has emerged the same after nearly two years of living in the pandemic.
Health has been topmost on the minds of most people. At the same time, the issue of sustainability has also been getting more airtime than before. So when I discovered Vitable, an Australian supplements company that prides itself on sustainable practices, I thought I had hit the jackpot. Isn't it great that Mother Earth does not take a beating in my bid to stay in tiptop health?
If you are considering a more sustainable approach towards your supplements intake, read on to learn more about my subscription journey with Vitable and see if this is for you.
What's Vitable?
In a nutshell, Vitable is a health supplements company built on sustainable practices, offering a “personalised yet accessible approach to nutrition, coupled with honest advice”.
This quiz takes stock of your lifestyle needs and your unique health goals to formulate the list of supplements bringing you closer to your health objectives. After that, you get a personalised vitamin recommendation with a detailed explanation of what each ingredient can do for you.
Step 3: Confirm the proposed list of supplements, key in your details, make payment, and your health package is on its way! It typically takes around a week for your package to arrive.
The customised Vitable package comes with a booklet in a compostable box. PHOTO: Cadence Loh
Here’s what I like about Vitable:
1.Transparency
The brand prides itself on its transparency, from its formulas and ingredients to the science that goes behind it. Looking for vitamins, minerals, probiotics, herbs or speciality supplements, Vitable’s product library will tell you all about each ingredient’s functions and how you can build your personalised pack. According to their website, all claims are supported by scientific studies. In addition, their products are touted as free of nasties such as GMOs, artificial additives and preservatives.
2. Handy and convenient
One of the biggest pluses for me is that my monthly Vitable supplies come in 30 individually-packed sachets. I ordered four different supplements, and all four tablets are packed in one lightweight, plastic-free sachet. So convenient! Depending on my activity each day, all I need is one sachet to go into my bag, and I take off for the day. I can be out for breakfast, gym or even overseas and not miss a single dosage. Goodbye, heavy and bulky bottles. On my recent 23-day overseas trip, I did not have to go through the trouble of counting the exact number of pills needed for the duration of my trip. Imagine how tedious it is to pack four to six different supplements. You do the Maths! Not only did I save time, but my precious luggage weight limit can also make way for other essentials.
3. Personalised home-compostable sachets
The Vitable sachets are imprinted with my name. PHOTO: Cadence Loh
I no longer have to deal with the niggling worry about the harm towards the environment each time I throw out a plastic supplement bottle. Each Vitable sachet is 100 per cent home-compostable, while their pouches are made of plant-based cellulose produced from sustainably-harvested Eucalyptus trees. And, they come with my name on them. Wonderful if you have other family members who are on their Vitable journey as well.
4.Cost savings
Who doesn’t like to save more? As a direct-to-consumer (hello, no middlemen mark-ups!), Vitable takes away the unnecessary costs and pass those savings to the consumer. Each sachet costs less than AU$1 a day! In each of my sachet, I had four different types of supplements. How's that for affordability?
5.Staying on track
Whether you are old-school and prefer hard copies or embrace the convenience of paperless technology, Vitable utilises a double-pronged approach to ensure you stay on top of your vitamin routine. Your package comes with a little booklet indicating your vitamin choices, what they can do for your health, as well as a simple 30-day tracker (on the back of the same hard copy booklet) for you to put a tick on every day you take your vitamins.
The Vitable app helps you track your health progress as well as earn points. PHOTO: Cadence Loh
Otherwise, the Vitable app is a fantastic tracker for keeping tabs on your daily supplement consumption. Best of all, there’s an Energy and Sleep tracker to monitor your health progress, as well as an alarm function to give you that daily health nudge. On top of that, you get expert advice on your supplements journey. For example, did you know that vitamins are best taken with food and a large glass of water? This is because some vitamins may bring on woozy effects when taken on an empty stomach.
What's more, the app allows you to earn rewards and get discounts on your monthly orders!
6. Guiding light
Upon signing up, I received prompts via emails and the app dishing out helpful tips to stay on my supplement course. One great suggestion was to stack healthy habits by attaching new routines to daily tasks. It can be as simple as taking my personalised supplements with breakfast or ensuring I take my supplements at a fixed time. I felt as if a pharmacist was providing some guiding light.
7.Free consultation
Unlike the usual over-the-counter supplement brands, Vitable has clinical nutritionists on hand to answer any health and wellness queries for free to make the most out of your vitamins. They are just an email away at hello@vitable.com.au, or better still, contact their nutritionist via the app and get on a 15-minute call. How cool is that?
8.No lock-ins, cancel anytime
Our lifestyle, diet and goals evolve over time, and Vitable is on-board with this. Simply reach out to their nutritionists or retake the quiz to change up the monthly supplement subscription. Should you, by any chance, miss some days and have a surplus, Vitable recommends that you do not overdose but reach out to them to delay the next subscription. It's as simple as a few clicks on the app.
The cons:
As a first-time subscriber, I wasn’t aware that the subscription was automated from my first purchase (you’ll need to key in your credit card details). And since I was away on a long overseas vacation, the automated subscription kicked in, and my second month's subscription was on its way – while I was still overseas!
To be fair, they did send out an email to indicate that they are preparing the subsequent month's supply. Given normal circumstances, I should have time to amend my subscription. However, since I was vacationing, emails took a back seat and I missed the email alert. I was horrified that the package was on its way and would be waiting at my doorstep weeks before I arrived home. Thankfully, my package remained safe and sound at my doorstep upon returning.
Vitable dispenser. PHOTO: Cadence Loh
So word of caution, time your subscription, especially if you are planning on heading overseas. Apart from this minor mishap, I have no further complaints about my experience with Vitable. I love how easy it is to navigate the website and app. And how the 30-day supply comes in a nifty space-saving, eco-friendly packaging with a dispenser. I will probably try out the personal consultation with the nutritionist.
There's never been a better time to kick start a healthy habit. Why not do so with Vitable?
Use promotional code “NEWYEAR50” to enjoy 50% off your first customised vitamin plan. Valid from now till 13 February.
Get your customised Vitable pack — free shipping with orders over S$59.
The content on this page is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should always seek advice from a qualified healthcare provider on queries regarding a medical condition. Any action taken by you in reliance on or in connection with this content is solely at your own risk.
WASHINGTON: US biotech company Moderna announced on Wednesday (Jan 26) that it has begun clinical trials of a booster dose of vaccine designed specifically to combat the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The trials will involve a total of 600 adults - half of whom have already received two doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago, and half of whom have received two doses plus the previously authorised booster dose.
The booster specifically targeting Omicron will therefore be evaluated as both a third and a fourth dose.
The company also reported results on the efficacy against Omicron of the booster that has already been authorised.
It said that six months after the booster injection, the levels of neutralising antibodies against Omicron were reduced by six times from the peak observed 29 days after the injection - but remained detectable in all participants.
These data were obtained by studying the blood of 20 people who received the 50 microgram booster, half the amount of the first two injections.
"We are reassured by the antibody persistence against Omicron at six months after the currently authorised" booster, Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel said in the statement.
"Nonetheless, given the long-term threat demonstrated by Omicron's immune escape, we are advancing our Omicron-specific variant vaccine booster candidate and we are pleased to begin this part of our Phase 2 study," Bancel continued.
Moderna's statement came the day after rivals Pfizer and BioNTech said they had begun enrollment for a clinical trial for an Omicron-specific vaccine.
Both vaccines are based on messenger RNA technology, which makes it relatively easy to update them to keep up with mutations specific to new variants.
Several countries, including the United States, have begun to see a decline in cases associated with the infection wave caused by Omicron, the most transmissible variant detected so far, but the number of infections worldwide continues to rise.
BEIJING: Beijing reported 14 local confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (Jan 26), the highest daily count in its current outbreak, less than two weeks before the Winter Olympics are due to commence in the Chinese capital and in neighbouring Hebei province.
The number of domestically spread infections with confirmed symptoms in Beijing reported for Tuesday comprised more than half of the 24 such cases nationwide, data from the National Health Commission showed.
Beijing has detected a total of 55 local cases with symptoms since Jan 15, with both the Omicron and Delta variants.
The number is significantly lower than cases elsewhere in the world but the city has put tens of thousands of people under targeted lockdowns and tested a few million residents to block transmission.
Beijing's moves are in line with a national guideline to curb virus flare-ups as soon as possible, which takes on extra urgency as China has vowed to safely host the Winter Olympics Games and prevent major outbreaks during the Lunar New Year travel season.
Aside from Beijing, the provinces of Heilongjiang, Hebei, Liaoning, Henan and Guangdong as well as the region of Xinjiang all reported sporadic local cases with confirmed symptoms for Tuesday, NHC data showed.
In the Horgos city of Xinjiang, two asymptomatic infected people, detected on Sunday, were found to have contracted the Omicron variant, state television said late on Tuesday. The two had not left the city in two weeks and the source of the virus remained unclear.
There were no new deaths on Tuesday, leaving China's overall death toll from the pandemic at 4,636.
As of Jan 25, mainland China had reported a total of 105,749 cases with confirmed symptoms, including both local ones and those arriving from abroad.
SHANGHAI: China's ambitious low-carbon goals should not come at the expense of energy and food security or the "normal life" of ordinary people, President Xi Jinping said, signalling a more cautious approach to climate change as the economy slows.
China, the world's biggest source of climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions, has been under pressure to "enhance ambition" and take more drastic action to tackle global warming.
But amid mounting economic challenges, China is worried about the risk to jobs and growth, especially as it prepares to hold a key Communist Party conclave that is expected to extend Xi's rule.
Xi told senior Communist Party leaders in a speech published late on Monday (Jan 24) that China needed to "overcome the notion of rapid success" and proceed gradually.
"Reducing emissions is not about reducing productivity, and it is not about not emitting at all," Xi was quoted by state news agency Xinhua as saying.
"We must stick to the overall planning and ensure energy security, industrial supply chain security and food security at the same time as cutting carbon emissions," he said.
The constantly changing system has left some like Mimi Rios Ysulat, who worked in the city as a helper for a decade, stuck overseas without a job.
She went back to the Philippines early last year after her husband died of cancer in March.
Ysulat was due to return to Hong Kong the following month, but the city enacted a flight ban and then her entry visa expired in June.
She pleaded with her employers to renew it, but a new visa didn’t arrive until mid-October, by which point her bosses had terminated her contract.
It was the second time she’d been caught by restrictions, after being blocked from returning in early 2020 before eventually making her way to Hong Kong via Singapore.
To return again, she’ll need to use an employment agency.
“I can’t find work here and I have to take care of three kids,” she said from Quezon City.
“But if I apply to go to Hong Kong again, I’d have to pay almost HK$10,000 to the agency. Where can I find the money?”
It’s a substantial sum when the minimum wage for foreign domestic helpersis roughly a quarter of the Hong Kong median salary of HK$18,400.
The lack of income reverberates through families that rely on money sent back home, total remittances to the Philippines are about US$30 billion a year, according to the government, and account for roughly 8 per cent of its gross domestic product.
It’s also a hit to the typically thriving industry in Hong Kong that matches workers with bosses, with one agency saying the business had dropped to just half of the normal levels.
Karishma Sakhrani, a 41-year-old interior designer seeking someone to take care of her teenage children, says everyone she’s spoken to recently has requested a monthly salary of at least HK$6,000.
She’s been surprised that some have a list of requirements, including not sharing a room with others, and said she’s troubled by stories of workers ending their contracts early to take better-paid jobs in other households.
“I can’t judge people for wanting more money, but I think there should be a system,” she said.
“Even if you’re in a company, you have to work a few years before a raise. You can’t just demand higher pay in the middle of the contract.”
Domestic workers say they’re being singled out for doing what’s accepted in other professions.
“Everybody else in Hong Kong can freely switch jobs, why not us?” said Eni Lestari, a helper, advocate and chair of the International Migrants Alliance.
“The Hong Kong government is promoting modern-day slavery.”
The Immigration Department declined to comment beyond referencing a Jan 19 response from Secretary for SecurityChris Tang that the department has been “proactively” combatting job-hopping, workers deliberately underperforming so they’re fired.
It refers suspicious cases to a special team that considers factors such as the conduct of foreign domestic helpers, records from workers and their former employers and the reasons behind the premature termination of a contract, he said.
In Hong Kong, both helpers and bosses can end a contract early.
Authorities rejected 2,833 visa applications last year due to job-hopping, meaning workers can’t legally enter or work in the city, up from 319 in 2020.
Even as the growing labourcrunch offers a potential rebalancing of power, fear of being labelled a job hopper and having a visa revoked, or of getting stuck outside Hong Kong when fulfilling a requirement to exit and re-enter between contracts, is one of the biggest barriers to seeking out higher salaries.
“They stay because they have no better alternative,” said Lestari.
