New population of blue whales discovered in the western Indian ocean
An international team of researchers has discovered what it believes to be a new population of blue whales in the western Indian Ocean.
Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever lived on our planet, and they are found around the globe in all oceans. All blue whales sing very low-pitched and recognizable songs, and conveniently for researchers, every population has its own unique song. In a recently published paper in the journal Endangered Species Research, the researchers describe a new blue whale song that is heard from the Arabian Sea coast of Oman across to the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean and as far south as Madagascar in the southwest Indian Ocean.
Coastal ecosystems bright spots
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Sydney’s Swelling Covid Outbreak Risks Scuppering Christmas Bloomberg 21/12/2020
(Bloomberg)
Sydney’s 5 million residents are being urged to curb activities over the next few days to avoid fanning a coronavirus outbreak that’s closed state borders and threatens to scupper Christmas festivities.
A new health order from Monday limits gatherings in homes and entertainment venues across metropolitan Sydney for at least three days, while New South Wales state health officials work to trace the source and contain a growing cluster involving 83 people.
“We’re on a precipice,” said Marylouise McLaws, professor of epidemiology, hospital infection and infectious diseases control at the University of New South Wales. A seven-day, Sydney-wide “stay at home” order may be necessary to arrest the spread of the virus, and it would be prudent for residents to curtail holiday festivities if not cancel them altogether, she said.
Effective vaccine strategies for New South Wales Australia under different vaccine supply
By modeling the effect of different vaccination scenarios, researchers say rapid mass immunization will terminate the disease, or immunizing 66% of the population with a 90% efficacy vaccine will achieve herd immunity.
The approval of some vaccines recently against COVID-19, the pandemic disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), marks a turning point in the fight against the disease. The different vaccines have reported efficacies ranging from over 90% for mRNA vaccines to about 62% for the ChAdOx1 two-dose version.
Several more in different phases of the clinical trial will possibly be approved for use in 2021. However, there will likely be a shortage of vaccines in the early stages, and there will need to be a strategy to effectively utilize vaccines in the initial phase and plans for expanded vaccination later on.
Azura Ophthalmics Announces Primary Endpoints Met in Topline Results from Phase 2 Trial of the Company’s Investigational Treatment for Contact Lens Discomfort
Significant improvement in multiple measures of Meibomian gland secretion and associated improvements in contact lens wear time
TEL AVIV, Israel & MELBOURNE, Australia (BUSINESS WIRE) Azura Ophthalmics Ltd., a clinical-stage company developing innovative therapies for Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and related eye diseases, today announced topline results from a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the company’s investigational therapy for the treatment of contact lens discomfort (CLD). The ECLIPTIC study examining Azura’s lead asset, AZR-MD-001, met its primary endpoints by showing statistically significant improvements in multiple measures of Meibomian gland secretion and patients’ ability to wear contact lenses as desired. Full data from the study will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming scientific meeting
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