A major hospital near the Portuguese capital will implement a two-week closure of multiple children’s wards after a doctor there tested positive for the Covid-19 Omicron variant, with dozens now in quarantine amid a new outbreak.
The Garcia de Orta hospital in Almada, located some 12 kilometers (7 miles) south of Lisbon, said it would temporarily shut down its pediatric emergency and outpatient departments on Tuesday night, citing a single Omicron infection among staff, according to a statement obtained by Reuters. The wards will remain closed for 14 days.
The hospital noted that 28 people believed to have interacted with the infected doctor are now in isolation, while another 69 people across Portugal are currently in quarantine after coming into contact with other suspected Omicron carriers, bringing the total to 97, according to local media reports.
The Garcia de Orta doctor who tested positive on Tuesday also serves on the medical staff of a top division football club, Belenenses SAD. In addition to the doctor, 12 other Omicron cases have been detected among the team as of Monday, health authorities said. At least one athlete on the team recently returned from South Africa, where some of the first Omicron infections were detected earlier this month.
The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the new “variant of concern” last week, with its chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan noting that Omicron was seen to have a large number of mutations in its spike protein, the mechanism by which the coronavirus hijacks host cells and causes infection. However, while Omicron has already triggered alarm around the world, prompting travel bans and other restrictions in a growing number of countries, it remains unclear if the new strain is more infectious or deadly than others seen before it. The WHO has suggested it could take several weeks before much insight is gleaned into the variant, as researchers race to determine whether it is resistant to existing Covid-19 vaccines or therapies.
CANBERRA, Australia, Nov 30 (IPS) – The famed Rosewood forests of the Greater Mekong region in Southeast Asia produce dark, richly grained timbers zealously sought after worldwide by manufacturers of luxury furniture, flooring and musical instruments, among other products. But their high value has also made them a major commodity in transnational organized crime.Read the full story, “Fighting Loss of the Greater Mekongs Prized Rosewood Forestsâ€, on globalissues.org →find more fun & mates at SoShow now !
CANBERRA, Australia, Nov 30 (IPS) – The famed Rosewood forests of the Greater Mekong region in Southeast Asia produce dark, richly grained timbers zealously sought after worldwide by manufacturers of luxury furniture, flooring and musical instruments, among other products. But their high value has also made them a major commodity in transnational organized crime.
SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 (IPS) – Carbon offset markets allow the rich to emit as financial intermediaries profit. By fostering the fiction that others can be paid to cut greenhouse gases (GHGs) instead, it undermines efforts to do so.Read the full story, “Profiting from the Carbon Offset Distractionâ€, on globalissues.org →find more fun & mates at SoShow now !
Preliminary data about omicron suggests the variant became widespread across southern Africa in a very short period of time. Scientists say its many mutations may play a role in its transmissibility.
Brands like LVMH, Prada, H&M, Zara, Adidas, and Nike have connections to tanneries and other companies involved in the production of leather and leather goods that contribute to Amazon deforestation, a report has found.
In a study published on Monday by Stand.earth, a supply-chain research firm, dozens of household brands were accused of contributing to the deforestation of the world’s most important rainforest, the Amazon.
The researchers note that the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is largely driven by the cattle industry, which in turn relies on demand for beef and leather. “Brazilian leather is used by tanneries and manufacturers around the world to make countless branded consumer-facing products including footwear and high-end fashion products,” the study claims.
In a “supply chain visualizer,” Stand.earth shows how dozens of high-end and high-street brands work with processors, many of which are Chinese, that in turn use products from tanneries which themselves use Brazilian hides.
The researchers, who analyzed nearly 500,000 rows of customs data, found that brands including Adidas, Nike, New Balance, Teva, UGG, and Fendi all had connections to Brazilian cattle.
More than 50 brands had multiple connections in their supply chains to links to the largest Brazilian leather exporter, JBS.
The firm is known to be involved in the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, but recently committed to achieve zero deforestation across its own supply chain by 2035.
“With a third of companies surveyed having some kind of policy in place, [you’d expect] that would have an impact on deforestation,” Greg Higgs, one of the researchers involved in the report, told The Guardian. “The rate of deforestation is increasing, so the policies have no material effect,” he added.
The research group claims that deforestation related to cattle ranching in the Amazon accounts for almost 2% of global CO2 emissions annually.
Brazil, under the leadership of President Jair Bolsonaro, has been heavily criticized for failing to act on the continued deforestation of the rainforest.
