Facing COVID Without Panic

Facing COVID Without Panic
Author: Daniel Halperin
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 78
Release: 2020-08-04
Genre:
ISBN:
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This concise book explains in understandable terms how scientists, as they struggle to understand Covid-19, have begun to identify the main ways the coronavirus is spread and the primary factors associated with severe illness and death. This emerging evidence can help us determine the best ways to reduce risk as well as anxiety and fear. By examining 12 common myths and 12 lesser known facts about Covid-19, the author explores: ● How this respiratory coronavirus is mainly spread through close and prolonged contact, and why fleeting encounters are extremely unlikely to cause infection ● How most infections occur within clusters of people in indoor situations with poor air circulation: households, workplaces, nursing homes, prisons, mass transit, etc. ● The very low risk of infection while being outdoors and from surfaces ● Why a child is more likely to die from walking to school than from Covid-19, and the surprisingly low risk of children infecting others ● Why "facial distancing" is more helpful than "social distancing" ● The value and limitations of other prevention measures including masks, gloves, thermometer guns, hand sanitizers, vaccines, and "herd immunity" approaches ● Why having asthma does not increase risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19 (and may even lower risk) ● Is it safe to work out again at the gym? ● What's about "airborne" transmission: do we need to do anything differently? ● The not necessarily very high risk to the elderly, absent serious health conditions ● The need to focus on levels of Covid-19 deaths vs cases, even when surges inevitably occur ● The confusion regarding "asymptomatic" and "pre-symptomatic" infected persons ● The impact of shelter-in-place measures and other responses to the coronavirus, and ● What can be learned from past pandemics: Daniel Halperin, Ph.D. is Adjunct Full Professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill. He has conducted epidemiological and anthropological research for over forty years in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and other regions, and previously taught at Harvard School of Public Health, the University of California at Berkeley, and the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. He served over five years as Senior HIV Prevention Advisor at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Halperin co-authored a New York Times "Editor's Choice" book on the AIDS pandemic and has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles on infectious diseases in leading scientific journals, as well as a number of opinion pieces in the Washington Post, New York Times, Financial Times, and elsewhere.

The Price of Panic

The Price of Panic
Author: Jay W. Richards
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2020-10-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1684511429
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WHAT JUST HAPPENED? The human cost of the emergency response to COVID-19 has far outweighed the benefits. That’s the sobering verdict of a trio of scholars—a biologist, a statistician, and a philosopher— in this comprehensive assessment of the worst panic-induced disaster in history. As the media fanned the flames of panic, government officials and a new elite of scientific experts ignored the established protocols for mitigating a dangerous disease. Instead, they shut down the world economy, closed every school, confined citizens to their homes, and threatened to enforce a regime of extreme social distancing indefinitely. And the American public—amazingly enough—complied without protest. Modestly but relentlessly focused on what we know and don’t know about the coronavirus, Douglas Axe, William M. Briggs, and Jay W. Richards demonstrate in this eye-opening study what real experts can contribute when a pandemic strikes. In the early spring of 2020, the panic of government officials, the hysteria of the media, and the hubris of suddenly powerful scientists produced a worldwide calamity. The Price of Panic is the essential book for understanding what happened and how to avoid repeating our deadly mistakes.

COVID-19/Mental Health Crises

COVID-19/Mental Health Crises
Author: Ronald R. Parks, MPH, MD
Publisher: ParksPress
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2021-03-25
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1736552503
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IN HIS TIMELY BOOK, RONALD R. PARKS, MPH, MD, EXAMINES THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 OR OTHER FORMS OF CRISIS, LOSS, OR TRAGEDY ON INDIVIDUAL MENTAL HEALTH. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many have experienced extreme personal loss and are suffering responses, not unlike those faced by survivors of natural disasters. Dr. Parks’ health interests began as a child growing up in rural Maryland. After developing a high fever and stiff neck, he was diagnosed with polio and rushed to City Hospital for Children. The experience changed his life forever. This book focuses on a holistic approach to mental health during times of significant crises and challenges. Topics covered include grief and loss, anxiety, depression, addictions, pandemic fear; how to recognize early signs of mental health difficulties and their origins; coping and finding the help you need; and ways of regaining health, balance, stability, and longevity. The book has an upbeat style that’ll energize your mind and refresh your ability to carry on through troubling times. In his timely book, Ronald R. Parks, MPH, MD examines the impact of COVID-19 or other forms of crisis, loss, or tragedy on individual mental health. From his perspective as a Board-certified psychiatrist, a holistic healthcare consultant, and a caring, concerned teacher, He offers helpful insights and suggestions designed to empower those with ongoing emotional challenges and those who want to maintain optimum mental and physical health. Blending research, historical events, and his own life experience, Dr. Parks has created an easy-to-understand, practical guide to help readers not only to survive but to thrive during troubling times. The essential step is to identify early signs of emotional and psychological dysfunction or impending break-down. The book’s educative and guidance content stresses the value of holistic awareness and actions for both insight and inspiration. Readers will gain a clearer perspective of mental health issues that happen with the demands and unexpected changes or challenges that can occur to anyone. Many key elements play into our overall mental health and sense of wellbeing. Utilizing a multi-faceted approach, this book imparts valuable wisdom while covering essential topics related to mental health challenges, holistic medicine, psychology, spiritual awakening, meditation, and other tried and true self-help techniques. Important preventative and intervention tips are succinctly presented for your help. Most people are not just facing the Pandemic—many have experienced the personal loss of loved ones, worsening or the start of emotional or mental health challenges, addictions, trauma, and loss of purpose and meaning. Navigating so much hardship weighs heavily on our psyche, but this book reminds us that we can persevere and awaken to a deeper understanding of ourselves, others, and the spirit of life. This book covers a diversity of topics related to mental and emotional health, surviving times of crisis as the current COVID pandemic, finding holistic ways of coping, surviving during times of exceptional challenges or catastrophic situations, and reducing disease risk during tough times. There’s no shame in getting help when you need support.

Tinderbox

Tinderbox
Author: Craig Timberg
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 539
Release: 2012-03-01
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1101560614
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In this groundbreaking narrative, longtime Washington Post reporter Craig Timberg and award-winning AIDS researcher Daniel Halperin tell the surprising story of how Western colonial powers unwittingly sparked the AIDS epidemic and then fanned its rise. Drawing on remarkable new science, Tinderbox overturns the conventional wisdom on the origins of this deadly pandemic and the best ways to fight it today. Recent genetic studies have traced the birth of HIV to the forbidding equatorial forests of Cameroon, where chimpanzees carried the virus for millennia without causing a major outbreak in humans. During the Scramble for Africa, colonial companies blazed new routes through the jungle in search of rubber and other riches, sending African porters into remote regions rarely traveled before. It was here that humans first contracted the strain of HIV that would eventually cause 99 percent of AIDS deaths around the world. Western powers were key actors in turning a localized outbreak into a sprawling epidemic as bustling new trade routes, modern colonial cities, and the rise of prostitution sped the virus across Africa. Christian missionaries campaigned to suppress polygamy, but left in its place fractured sexual cultures that proved uncommonly vulnerable to HIV. Equally devastating was the gradual loss of the African ritual of male circumcision, which recent studies have shown offers significant protection against infection. Timberg and Halperin argue that the same Western hubris that marked the colonial era has hamstrung the effort to fight HIV. From the United Nations AIDS program to the Bush administration's historic relief campaign, global health officials have favored well-meaning Western approaches--abstinence campaigns, condom promotion, HIV testing--that have proven ineffective in slowing the epidemic in Africa. Meanwhile they have overlooked homegrown African initiatives aimed squarely at the behaviors spreading the virus. In a riveting narrative that stretches from colonial Leopoldville to 1980s San Francisco to South Africa today, Tinderbox reveals how human hands unleashed this epidemic and can now overcome it, if only we learn the lessons of the past.

The Panic Virus

The Panic Virus
Author: Seth Mnookin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2012-01-03
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1439158657
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A searing account of how vaccine opponents have used the media to spread their message of panic, despite no scientific evidence to support them.

True Enough

True Enough
Author: Farhad Manjoo
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2011-02-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1118039017
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Why has punditry lately overtaken news? Why do lies seem to linger so long in the cultural subconscious even after they’ve been thoroughly discredited? And why, when more people than ever before are documenting the truth with laptops and digital cameras, does fact-free spin and propaganda seem to work so well? True Enough explores leading controversies of national politics, foreign affairs, science, and business, explaining how Americans have begun to organize themselves into echo chambers that harbor diametrically different facts—not merely opinions—from those of the larger culture.

An Economic Theory of Greed, Love, Groups, and Networks

An Economic Theory of Greed, Love, Groups, and Networks
Author: Paul Frijters
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 451
Release: 2013-03-07
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1107355168
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Why are people loyal? How do groups form and how do they create incentives for their members to abide by group norms? Until now, economics has only been able to partially answer these questions. In this groundbreaking work, Paul Frijters presents a new unified theory of human behaviour. To do so, he incorporates comprehensive yet tractable definitions of love and power, and the dynamics of groups and networks, into the traditional mainstream economic view. The result is an enhanced view of human societies that nevertheless retains the pursuit of self-interest at its core. This book provides a digestible but comprehensive theory of our socioeconomic system, which condenses its immense complexity into simplified representations. The result both illuminates humanity's history and suggests ways forward for policies today, in areas as diverse as poverty reduction and tax compliance.

You've Got This!

You've Got This!
Author: Margie Warrell
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2020-02-25
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0730368467
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A masterclass to build self-trust, beat self-doubt and make your boldest aspirations a reality. Does fear hold you back? We all have moments when we succumb to doubt and let our fears call the shots. Each time they do, we limit our lives. It’s why learning to trust in ourselves is crucial to rising above our biggest challenges and enjoying true happiness and success — in our careers, relationships, leadership and life. Written with heart and humour but grounded in research, You’ve Got This! is a handbook for unleashing our untapped potential and passion, creativity and courage, to thrive in today’s uncertain world. Filled with compelling stories and hard-won wisdom, author Margie Warrell draws on her background in business, coaching and doctoral studies as well as her challenges raising four children while living and working around the world. Applying the practical advice and twelve powerful principles in this book will help you: Defy negative self-talk and take the bold actions you’ve been putting off Become your greatest cheerleader, not your loudest critic Embrace vulnerability and trust your intuition Combat stress and thrive amid uncertainty Amplify your power as a leader and ‘change maker’ Hailed as a “high five to the human spirit”, You’ve Got This! is a must-read for everyone, from seasoned leaders, to those embarking on their adult lives, and anyone in between who just needs encouragement to rise to their take that leap. When we trust ourselves to handle anything, it liberates us for everything.

Rage

Rage
Author: Bob Woodward
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2020-09-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1982131764
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Rage is an unprecedented and intimate tour de force of new reporting on the Trump presidency facing a global pandemic, economic disaster and racial unrest. Woodward, the #1 international bestselling author of Fear: Trump in the White House, has uncovered the precise moment the president was warned that the Covid-19 epidemic would be the biggest national security threat to his presidency. In dramatic detail, Woodward takes readers into the Oval Office as Trump’s head pops up when he is told in January 2020 that the pandemic could reach the scale of the 1918 Spanish Flu that killed 675,000 Americans. In 17 on-the-record interviews with Woodward over seven volatile months—an utterly vivid window into Trump’s mind—the president provides a self-portrait that is part denial and part combative interchange mixed with surprising moments of doubt as he glimpses the perils in the presidency and what he calls the “dynamite behind every door.” At key decision points, Rage shows how Trump’s responses to the crises of 2020 were rooted in the instincts, habits and style he developed during his first three years as president. Revisiting the earliest days of the Trump presidency, Rage reveals how Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats struggled to keep the country safe as the president dismantled any semblance of collegial national security decision making. Rage draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand witnesses as well as participants’ notes, emails, diaries, calendars and confidential documents. Woodward obtained 25 never-seen personal letters exchanged between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who describes the bond between the two leaders as out of a “fantasy film.” Trump insists to Woodward he will triumph over Covid-19 and the economic calamity. “Don’t worry about it, Bob. Okay?” Trump told the author in July. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get to do another book. You’ll find I was right.”

Unmasked

Unmasked
Author: Ian Miller
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2022-02-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 163758377X
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Masks have been a ubiquitous and oft-politicized aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Years of painstakingly organized pre-pandemic planning documents led public health experts to initially discourage the use of masks, or even insinuate that they could lead to increased rates of spread. Yet seemingly in a matter of days in spring 2020, leading infectious disease scientists and organizations reversed their previous positions and recommended masking as the key tool to slow the spread of COVID and dramatically reduce infections. Unmasked tells the story of how effective or ineffective masks and mask mandate policies were in impacting the trajectory of the pandemic throughout the world. Author Ian Miller covers the earliest days of the pandemic, from experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci contradicting their previous statements and recommending masks as the most important policy intervention against the spread of COVID, to the months afterward as many locations around the globe mandated masks in nearly all public settings. With easy-to-understand charts and visual aids, along with detailed, clear explanations of the dramatic shift in policy and expectations, Unmasked makes the data-driven case that masks might not have achieved the goals that Fauci and other public health experts created.