The coronavirus pandemic has thrown millions of Americans into financial distress, but new <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2020/08/the-disproportionate-effects-of-covid-19-on-households-with-children.html" target="_blank">research</a> from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that the economic impact has been especially pronounced for households with children. 



KEY FACTS



Households with children under 18 living at home are more likely to have lost jobs and income: household heads lost their jobs in 12.9% of households with children compared to 9.2% of households without them, the study found.&nbsp;



They’re also more likely to have missed rent or debt payments: 19.5% of households with children said they skipped a rent, mortgage, auto loan, credit card, or student loan payment compared to 12.5% of households without.



Families with kids are also more likely to rely on external support like unemployment benefits, food stamps and food banks, and financial support from family and friends.



This reliance is even higher among single-parent, non-white households and households in low-income neighborhoods, the researchers found.&nbsp;



All this, of course, is only compounded by the added burdens of virtual schooling and closed childcare facilities that working parents and caretakers must contend with.



BIG NUMBER



39%. That’s the portion of households with children that reported income losses, compared to 30.8% of households without.&nbsp;



CRUCIAL QUOTE 



“Our results reveal high reliance by [households with children], and especially those headed by a single parent, on food and financial support from social networks as well as government assistance in the form of SNAP and unemployment benefits since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the researchers wrote. “While a greater reliance on assistance undoubtedly predates the pandemic, the high rates of job and income loss experienced by households with children has clearly heightened the importance of such support.”



KEY BACKGROUND



Several key benefits of the CARES Act have expired—most notably supplemental unemployment benefits and eviction protections for certain renters—but the Trump administration and top Democratic lawmakers have been unable to come to an agreement on what the next round of federal stimulus legislation should look like. The $3 trillion Heroes Act, passed by the Democrat-led House in May, included additional support for federal unemployment and nutrition assistance, along with another round of direct stimulus payments and hazard pay for essential workers. The Republican-led Senate never took up the bill, though it did release its own plan—the Heals Act—last month. When Democratic lawmakers and White House policymakers were unable to reach a compromise last week, President Trump took&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/08/08/600-weekly-unemployment-check-cut-to-400-under-trump-executive-orders-and-more/">executive action over the weekend</a>&nbsp;with respect to enhanced unemployment benefits, student loans, eviction protections and a payroll tax deferment. Those actions alone, however, aren’t likely to be as effective in propping up the economy as would legislation from Congress.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/08/12/second-stimulus-negotiations-appear-to-be-at-a-standstill-heres-what-could-happen-next/">Second Stimulus Negotiations Appear To Be At A Standstill, Here&#8217;s What Could Happen Next</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/06/05/heres-what-the-racial-wealth-gap-in-america-looks-like-today/">Here’s What The Racial Wealth Gap In America Looks Like Today</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/08/11/heres-why-that-400-unemployment-check-from-trumps-executive-order-may-not-happen/">Here’s Why That $400 Unemployment Check From Trump’s Executive Order May Not Happen</a> (Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2020/08/13/unemployment-claims-clock-in-under-1-million-for-first-time-since-coronavirus-crisis-began/">Unemployment Claims Clock In Under 1 Million For First Time Since Coronavirus Crisis Began</a> (Forbes)



-Sarah Hansen, Forbes Staff

Re-opening Continues Across Densely Populated New York And New Jersey Areas

The Coronavirus Recession Has Been Worse For Families With Kids, N.Y. Fed Finds

One morning, when I was 14 years old, I woke up with&nbsp;excruciating&nbsp;stomach pain—the worst I’d ever had. My mom took me to urgent care, and the doctors there concluded that I had gastritis, or essentially a “bad stomach ache.”



But I&nbsp;knew&nbsp;they were wrong. I knew it was more than just a bad stomach ache. I kept pushing my parents until they finally took me to the hospital. After doing a variety of exams, the doctors said something along the lines of, “We really can’t find what’s wrong, but you seem to be in a lot of pain.” They gave me two options: wait four hours until the next available CAT scan, or let them do exploratory surgery and see what they find.



I decided to do the exploratory surgery. It ended up being a major, major surgery—over six hours long—and they found a tear in my intestine. They had to remove about 10 feet of my intestine, and it turns out that if I had waited for the CAT scan, I actually would have died. So, I like to say that that was the first time I learned how to trust my gut (in this case, my&nbsp;literal&nbsp;gut).



I think about this experience all the time, but I found myself reflecting on it even more as I was reading my friend Dr. Alyson McGregor’s new book, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Matters-Male-Centric-Medicine-Endangers/dp/073824676X" target="_blank">Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health and What We Can Do About It</a>. I don’t know how much of my near-death experience was linked to my being female, but I do know that when it comes to our medical system, women have consistently experienced poorer outcomes in every area of health than men.



McGregor writes: “One of the biggest and most flawed assumptions in medicine is this: if it makes sense in a male body, it must make sense in a female one.”



Our methods for evaluating, diagnosing, and treating disease for both men and women are based on previous research performed on male bodies. But women are physiologically different from men on every level—and these differences can have major impacts on everything in medicine, from how drugs are prescribed, to how routine tests are performed, to how pain is assessed and treated, to how systemic disease is diagnosed.



Here’s an example. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women, but women have statistically poorer outcomes and higher mortality. Why? Because women’s symptoms are simply different from men’s. While men might experience left arm pain and chest heaviness (“typical” heart disease symptoms), women often present with only mild pain and discomfort, possibly combined with fatigue, shortness of breath, and a strong feeling that “something isn’t right.” Since women’s symptoms are not the symptoms that doctors typically associate with heart disease, their heart disease is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.world-heart-federation.org/news/new-study-women-likely-die-heart-attack-due-unequal-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">50 percent</a>&nbsp;more likely to be initially misdiagnosed.



There are hundreds more examples like this one. It’s clear that there is work to do when it comes to unconscious biases in medicine—but, as women, how can we best advocate for our health and ensure that our concerns are heard and taken seriously?



1. Be prepared.



Your doctor may have gone through years of medical school, but that doesn’t mean they’re all-knowing. Research your conditions, your prescriptions, and how your prescriptions interact with each other. This way, you can have an informed conversation with your physician if something is wrong. Also, keep an up-to-date list of your prescriptions and allergies with you at all times so that any provider who cares for you will have all of the information they need.



2. Ask questions.



Even after you do your research, you may still have questions. Don’t be afraid to ask them—especially gender-specific ones. For example, “Has this medication been tested in women? If, so are there different dosing guidelines?” Or, “Will this prescription/test/procedure affect my birth control/pregnancy/breastfeeding?” It’s important to make sure you’re not only being treated for the correct conditions, but also that you’re being treated properly as a&nbsp;woman&nbsp;with those conditions.



3. Trust yourself.



Just like 14-year-old me trusted her (literal) gut! No one’s voice should take precedence over yours when it comes to your body and your health care. As women, we tend to be more attuned to our own bodies than men. We are more likely to notice symptoms when they first appear, and we usually seek treatment more frequently and earlier than men. If you feel like you’re being misdiagnosed or undertreated, keep pushing until you get answers—your life may depend on it.



4. Make your voice heard.



It’s important to advocate for yourself on an individual level, but you may be inspired to do even more. Financially, you can donate to research and advocacy foundations, or even specific research projects within your local universities and hospitals. Other effective advocacy ideas that don’t cost anything are to join a medical research trial, join a support group, or harness the power of social media to share your story. Any of this could be what makes it possible for others to get the treatment they need.



&#8211; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carriekerpen/people/carriekerpen/">Carrie Kerpen</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/forbeswomen">, ForbesWomen</a>

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4 Ways Women Can Better Advocate For Their Own Health

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="720" height="405" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHO.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-46685" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHO.jpg 720w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHO-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHO-600x338.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /><figcaption>Flags fly at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo Eric Bridiers/ <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/us-mission/14195612051" target="_blank">U.S. Mission Geneva</a>/ <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-ND</a></figcaption></figure>



The World Health Organization (WHO) has been under attack- efforts being made to defund it, ridicule it, undermine it. The world is fighting a major pandemic which rivals the flu of 1918, which killed over 50 million people.



The Coronavirus pandemic may well be a precursor of what is to come in the future. This for sure is not the last pandemic the world will grapple with, <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/opinion/2020/05/13/without-universal-health-coverage-we-are-sitting-ducks-when-the-next-pandemic-strikes/">so let’s brace for impact</a>, as the velocity and virulence of the next contagion may be far more fierce and destructive than COVID-19.



A recent remark that “WHO has been bought by China” is painful to hear. Coming from a senior leader of a country which is the beating heart of the UN’s multilateral system, and has been at the vanguard of improving lives and livelihoods of populations all over the world, is puzzling.



Words matter, and by promoting a number of incorrect and insinuating statements, such language may damage the overall pandemic response and undermine an organization that is doing its best – under the extraordinary circumstances – to save lives across the globe.&nbsp;



I live in Kenya, and on a day to day basis I see the WHO working with countries across the continent to strengthen health systems and tackle health crises. These African countries, like many others especially in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, rely on WHO for guidance, expertise and often for human resources, particularly around disease responses like Ebola, Marburg, Zika or the plague.&nbsp;



I myself have been a beneficiary of the organization’s work, having been immunized as a child through one of the WHO immunization programs, and <a href="http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/09/qa-we-need-a-decisive-win-against-polio/">surviving polio</a> thanks to these efforts. Small pox would not have been eradicated without WHO. Billions more have benefited from WHO’s work, and humanity as a whole stands to gain from a well-funded, highly operational institution not only during this pandemic, but for years to come to prevent the next pandemic and build robust health systems.



Currently, there have been more than 15 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 600,000 deaths around the world. But this tiny microbe has impacted far more than just the global health system. It has pressure tested our political, economic, social and cultural institutions, attacking not only our bodies but the very threads of humanity that hold us together. What’s clear already is that the virus mercilessly exploits any chinks in national unity or global solidarity, making it an enemy far more formidable the modern world has seen in recent history.&nbsp;



At a pivotal time for tackling the pandemic, the global response needs solidarity, not politicization. The attacks against WHO threatens to derail global efforts to bring this pandemic under control.



Over the course of the next few months, governments will determine not only how they tackle COVID-19, but they will set a precedent that will guide the world for tackling future global threats.&nbsp;No country can overcome this pandemic on its own, no matter how advanced its economic systems are or how mighty its military is.



This pandemic is threatening lives, livelihoods, social and economic systems that have taken decades to build. It is an enemy that is threatening to reverse the gains the world has made in healthcare, education, poverty reduction, eradicating hunger and strengthening political unity.



For the sake of humanity, we must stand united against it, and this means supporting institutions that are playing a key role in the pandemic response.



From the climate crisis to inequality, antimicrobial resistance to the threat of a meteor hit, global challenges need global solutions, and these solutions cannot be developed if we focus on demonizing institutions rather than addressing the real issues at hand.



In terms of COVID-19, we have seen examples from around the world that clearly show that no matter how bad the outbreak, leaders can get a grip on the virus. By working with a whole of government and whole of society approach, the virus can be brought under control. Countries that have done this successfully, including New Zealand and Vietnam, which stand out as exemplars of how to tackle the pandemic, have shown us that a singular focus on preventing transmission and keeping their populations safe – not engaging in politics, blame games and blatant denial of science – is what is needed to ultimately flatten the curve.



WHO continues to provide valuable leadership in navigating the pandemic, helping the world deal with this crisis by distributing much-needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and diagnostics, providing technical guidance for health workers, leading efforts to find a vaccine and disseminating&nbsp;information that is playing a critical role in keeping people safe. Reducing support for WHO at this time is therefore tantamount to saying that we are all on our own. But we are not.



At the conclusion of the 73rd World Health Assembly on 19 May 2020, the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “COVID-19 has robbed us of people we love. It’s robbed us of lives and livelihoods; it’s shaken the foundations of our world; it threatens to tear at the fabric of international cooperation. But it’s also reminded us that for all our differences, we are one human race, and we are stronger together.”



Let’s take a moment to look at the value WHO brings to the world. It may not be a perfect institution, but it is providing global leadership at a time when it is needed most.



What WHO has achieved in 72 years is remarkable, and undeniable. To accelerate the science, find solutions to the COVID-19 challenges and build global solidarity; now more than ever, the world needs WHO.



Siddharth Chatterjee, is the United Nations resident coordinator to Kenya. He has served with the UN and the Red Cross Movement in various parts of the world affected by conflicts and humanitarian crisis. He is also a decorated Special Forces veteran and a Princeton University alumnus. Follow him on Twitter&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">@sidchat1</a>



The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.​​​​​

Attacking WHO is Unhelpful-Let’s Focus on Defeating The Virus

South Africa is very much in the early phase of the pandemic, says expert.



South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) announced on Tuesday during a virtual press conference that it will begin the continent’s first clinical trial for a Covid-19 vaccine. Leading the South African Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA-Trial is Shabir Madhi, Professor of Vaccinology at Wits University and Director of the South Africa Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA).



“This is a landmark moment for South Africa and Africa at this stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we enter winter in South Africa and pressure increases on public hospitals, now more than ever, we need a vaccine to prevent infection by Covid-19,” said Madhi at the launch.



“We began screening participants for the South African Oxford 1 Covid-19 vaccine trial last week and the first participants will be vaccinated this week,” he added.



Speaking to FORBES AFRICA, Martin Veller, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits, believes South Africa is very much in the early phase of the pandemic.



“We will be seeing a lot more cases. And that is already reflected in the significant increase of the numbers that we’ve seen in the country.”



South Africa’s total number of cases has surpassed 100,000 with the death toll reaching 1,991.



The South African Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA-Trial will start tomorrow, June 24.



“2,000 people will be entered into the trial. It’s important to note that the trial is largely going to be a placebo-controlled trial. One needs to see firstly what the safety of the vaccine is but much more importantly whether it’s effective,” says Veller.



He further stated that the participants will be followed for a whole year and the results will be analysed intermittently.



The institution is also collaborating with other institutions on the vaccine trial.



“Because of the expertise that Professor Madhi, his colleagues at Oxford University very early on contacted him to take part in the development and the trials of this vaccine,” says Veller.



Wits will also be collaborating with the Jenner Institute at Oxford University on the trial.

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2,000 Participants To Be Entered Into South Africa’s First Covid-19 Vaccine Trial

If governments don’t focus on strong privacy protections in their COVID-19 contact tracking tools, it could exacerbate domestic abuse and endanger survivors, according to a warning from women’s support charities.



They’ve urged the U.K. government to include domestic abuse and violence against women and girls (VAWG) experts in the development of such initiatives.



Though the U.K. doesn’t yet have a widely available track and trace app, the charities &#8211; including Women’s Aid and Refuge &#8211; are already anxious enough about the current tracing program, where infected people are called up and asked to register themselves online as someone who has contracted COVID-19. They’re then asked to share details on people with whom they’ve been in contact so they too can be informed.



In a joint whitepaper, the nonprofits said they were anxious about contact tracing staff inadvertently leaking contact details of survivors to perpetrators. They also raised fears the program could be turned into a “tool for abuse.” 



“For example, perpetrators may make fraudulent claims that they have been in contact with survivors in order for them to be asked to self-isolate unnecessarily, and in these circumstances survivors will have no means to identify the perpetrator as the original source,” they warned. “Perpetrators or associates may also pose as contact tracing staff and make contact with victims [or] survivors requesting they self-isolate or requesting personal information.”



The paper also claims abusers are already using the coronavirus pandemic for “coercive control,” in some cases deliberately breathing, spitting and coughing in survivors’ faces. As <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/05/09/online-child-abuse-complaints-surpass-4-million-in-april-this-is-how-cops-are-coping-despite-covid-19/">Forbes previously reported</a>, the sharing of child abuse material has also spiked during global COVID-19 lockdowns.



As for apps, the report warned they required location services to be switched on. “While the NHS app itself doesn’t collect location data, if a perpetrator has installed spyware onto a survivor’s phone or is able to hack into it, then turning on location services will expose their location.”



Problems with Palantir?



The charities also raised concerns about a number of companies who’d partnered with the U.K. on the contact tracing initiatives. They said Serco, which is handling recruiting for contact tracing staff, “has a significant track record of failings and human rights violations, including running a controversial women’s immigration detention centre where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/serco-given-yarl-s-wood-immigration-contract-despite-vast-failings-9880772.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">staff have been accused of sexual misconduct</a>&nbsp;and involvement in unlawful evictions of asylum seekers.” Serco also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/may/20/serco-accidentally-shares-contact-tracers-email-addresses-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recently had to apologize for leaking email addresses</a>&nbsp;of contact tracer staff.



Serco denies that it has any kind of significant track record of failing and human rights violations and that the evictions to which the charities are referring were in Scotland and were ruled legal. It also said that in seven years there had been no substantiated complaints about any sexual wrongdoing at the Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre, where reports had revealed allegations.



“We are proud to be supporting the government’s test and trace programme with our Tier 3 contact centre team working from pre-approved Public Health England scripts. This is important work and we would like to thank all our teams who have stepped forward. In just four week we mobilised many thousands of people, which is a huge achievement, and we are focussed on ensuring that all our people are able to support the government’s programme going forwards,” a Serco spokesperson said.



Palantir, the $20 billion big data crunching business, also raised an eyebrow. The company, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/03/31/palantir-the-20-billion-peter-thiel-backed-big-data-giant-is-providing-a-coronavirus-monitoring-tool-to-the-cdc/">secured millions of dollars in contracts to help health agencies manage the outbreak</a>, has come in for criticism for assisting U.S. immigration authorities on finding and ejecting illegal aliens.



Palantir hadn’t responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">UK’s delayed COVID-19 app</h2>



The charities’ warning comes as the U.K. announced its contact tracing app would be shifting to the Apple and Google models, which promise stronger privacy protections than the app being tested by the government. The main difference is in where user information goes. In the government’s app, anonymized phone IDs of both the infected person and the people they’ve been near are sent to a centralized server, which determines who to warn about possible COVID-19 infection. In the Apple and Google model, only the phone ID of the infected person is sent to a centralized database. The phone then downloads the database and decides where to send alerts. The latter means the government has access to far less data on people’s phones, pleasing some critics but aggravating the government.



Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday that Apple&#8217;s restrictions on third-party apps&#8217; use of Bluetooth may’ve been one reason the government’s own app wasn’t as successful as hoped. Bluetooth is being used to determine whether an infected person has been in close proximity with another person’s phone.



Earlier this week, Amnesty International cybersecurity researcher Claudio Guarnieri&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/06/16/covid-19-tracking-apps-a-privacy-trash-fire-as-norway-nixes-its-own/">warned</a>&nbsp;that global rollouts of contact tracing apps were a privacy “trash fire.” After analyzing 11 apps, he found many contained privacy shortcomings. So concerned was Norway that it suspended its tool.



Even with lockdowns easing, those who’re infected are still being advised to isolate. However,  the NHS guidance <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/information-and-resources/coronavirus/domestic-violenceabuse-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/" target="_blank">says</a> that “the household isolation instruction as a result of Coronavirus (COVID-19) does not apply if you need to leave your home to escape domestic abuse.” That message may not have been amplified as much as it should’ve been.



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/">Thomas Brewster</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/cybersecurity">Cybersecurity</a>

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Warning: COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps Could Be Turned Into Tools For Domestic Abuse

Zola Brunner, the founder of BeyondLupus, says lupus patients have been directly affected by Covid-19 because there is a shortage of the drugs they require.



In April 2018, South African media entrepreneur Zola Brunner was only a month away from celebrating her 25th birthday when she received a life-changing phone call. Around noon, her rheumatologist informed her that her test results had returned positive for lupus. The nightmare she had dreaded all along, quickly turned into an earth-shattering reality.



“I was perplexed because it was not a straight diagnosis, I was told my symptoms also resembled that of lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system,” she says.



Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease causing inflammation and pain in any part of the body. The body’s immune system, which usually fights infections, attacks healthy tissue instead. Commonly affected are the joints, skin and internal organs such as the kidneys and heart.



While anyone can develop the disease, certain people are at a higher risk. This includes women between the ages of 15 to 44, as well as people from certain racial groups and ethnic backgrounds.



“A month later [after the diagnosis], I was sitting in hospital, and had no job,” Brunner says. All the trips to hospital meant she had to resign from a job she loved, as the producer of eNCA’s BackChat, a youth current affairs TV show.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="693" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2-e1592210720671-1024x693.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-46042" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2-e1592210720671-1024x693.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2-e1592210720671-300x203.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2-e1592210720671-600x406.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2-e1592210720671-768x520.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2-e1592210720671.jpg 1116w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Zola Brunner working from her hospital room. Photo supplied.</figcaption></figure>



She then made a decision to turn her pain into purpose.



In July that year, she started BeyondLupus, an advocacy page that has attracted a following of over 5,000 people around the world.



“I started it for two reasons. Firstly, I did not know anyone personally that had lupus and I wanted to relate to others. And secondly, I am a story-teller at heart and wanted to use this platform to give other lupus warriors the freedom to share and read each other&#8217;s experiences,” says Brunner.



Covid-19 impact on lupus patients



As Covid-19 turns the world on its head, those with low immunity need to be extra-vigilant as they are more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus.



For patients with autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, the pandemic has also brought with it another major problem: the reduced availability of the drugs used to treat them.



In March, US president Donald Trump was embroiled in controversy when he tweeted that “hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine… hopefully, they will both be put in use immediately”.



Dr Joyce Ziki, a specialist rheumatologist in Johannesburg, says that plasmoquine/chloroquine, used for the treatment of lupus, is one of the drugs “that has been thought to prevent and or cure Covid-19 in conjunction with other drugs”.



“Plasmoquine/chloroquine was being used for prevention and treatment of patients with Covid-19 and hence it became unavailable in pharmacies in South Africa. Many patients with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis could not get the drug. The situation was worse in late March until May. Supplies are beginning to improve now,” she says, further adding that information regarding its efficacy in the management of patients with Covid-19 is currently controversial and inconclusive as studies are ongoing.



“Many members of the BeyondLupus community have come to me to tell me that they have been directly affected because there is a shortage of supply for [the drugs] and they are upset,” Brunner says.



As a result, BeyondLupus published a petition to put forward in collaboration with the Lupus Foundation of South Africa concerning the stockpiling of the drugs to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).



Brunner says SAHPRA responded saying they would keep aside the plasmoquine/chloroquine medicine specifically for lupus patients.



“If you want to ensure that your medication supply is on track, you can message them or email them and they will make sure that they store it,” offers Brunner.



In a web statement, Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, CEO of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), urged pharmacies to effectively manage the access to chloroquine containing products and limit any possible stockpile as “it could have important negative public health consequences”. Semete-Makokotlela further stated that the benefits as well as the potential risks of the use of chloroquine as a treatment in patients with coronavirus, are still being investigated.

How Lupus Patients Are Being Impacted By Covid-19

TOPLINE&nbsp;Many employers should adopt a “hybrid” model of office work, with some employees in the office and others working remotely. Clearly communicate phased reopening plans with employees, especially new office protocols, such as testing and wearing masks.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed19b7a8be1be0006b4cbbe/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="public-health-experts"/></figure>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Consider a staggered return. “Offices may consider starting slow by opening with fewer people at first,” says Dr. Mark Kortepeter, an epidemiology professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and author of Inside the Hot Zone. He also suggests shifting work schedules and “having liberal stay at home policies if people are ill.”</li><li>Antibody testing can be a helpful tool but not a panacea, Kortepeter says. The accuracy of the tests can vary, especially because there is a lag time between being infected with the virus and developing antibodies. We also don&#8217;t fully understand whether having antibodies translates to protection from infection and for how long. </li><li>Build areas of protection. The virus mostly spreads via large respiratory droplets, so using plexiglass or other types of barriers can block some of the direct spread of these droplets.</li><li>Minimize face-to-face contact by instituting virtual meetings. For in-person meetings, make sure there is enough room to socially distance. </li><li>Establish employee protocols around personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed19b61b37b8e000605bc84/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="Fc"/></figure>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Adopt a “hybrid” approach to reopening. “Some jobs are better performed remotely and some are better performed in the office,” says Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management. “Employers are going through that process literally by job category.”</li><li>There are varied ways to reopen, says Taylor. The society’s most recent survey of employers found 39 percent were planning to implement a phased reopening strategy, with critical teams returning first, while 19 percent plan to implement an alternating schedule strategy, with most employees returning on alternating days or weeks.&nbsp;</li><li>Establish a policy around personal protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, because lax or conflicting guidelines will cause confusion. “We are now watching very closely what happens when you get people back into the workplace, particularly where businesses don&#8217;t mandate the wearing of a mask,” says Taylor. “You have a new area of dispute that&#8217;s going to need to be resolved by employers.”</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed19b347f63de00066e0b22/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="AFGw"/></figure>



Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/zuck/videos/live-from-our-internal-weekly-company-townhall-sharing-an-update-on-our-approach/10111936118050541/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;sweeping changes to its remote work policies, such as allowing employees to request the option of permanently working from home and “aggressively” increasing the hiring of remote employees to diversify its workforce. “For the last 10 or 11 weeks, we&#8217;ve had 95 percent or more of our population working remotely and what we’ve found is that we’re still able to get a lot of work done,” says Lori Goler, Facebook’s Vice President of People. The new emphasis on remote hiring will allow Facebook to expand its talent pool geographically. “It really creates a lot of opportunity across the United States. So now you don&#8217;t have to live in one of the locations [where we have offices] which means that people don&#8217;t have to get up and leave their communities,” Goler says.&nbsp;



When the social media giant starts to reopen offices as permitted by state and local officials, they expect to operate at no more than 25 percent capacity in the near-term while proper safety measures are put in place.&nbsp; “We decided that we would take a more conservative approach, both in terms of leaving the offices and in terms of returning to the offices,” Goler says.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed19b0c5e2c7400068b09b6/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="red-flags"/></figure>



Be alert for working conditions (or fellow employees) that are not complying with safety guidelines. Offices are full of high-touch surfaces—door handles, light switches, appliances—so check what the new cleaning and disinfection protocols are in your office. Stay away from crowded conference rooms or other commons areas where people are unable to socially distance.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed199438be1be0006b4cba4/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="QWD"/></figure>



While working remotely is a big change for many people, it also allows for much greater geographic diversity in hiring and access to a whole new pipeline of talented recruits. Plus, many companies will likely take a hybrid approach of having some people work remotely and others in a physical office. “Every company will have to do what’s right for their company and situation but what we found is that it’s actually worked out really well for us,” says Goler of Facebook. “And we’re pretty excited and optimistic about the future.” 



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maneetahuja/">Maneet Ahuja</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs">Entrepreneurs</a>

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How To Return To The Office

FORBES AFRICA&#8217;s photojournalist on what it feels to be diagnosed with the coronavirus. He says he’s lucky to be well enough to see through the stigma and document his experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



On June 5, at 12.44PM, I received a text message on my phone that I had tested positive to the novel coronavirus.



I had been writing about the virus and its effect on small business since the lockdown started in South Africa, but never once thought I would become my own subject this soon.



On the warm Friday afternoon, I had been writing a story on how entrepreneurs are battling the economic downturn when the message came with the words ‘Mr Motlabana Monnakgotla, kindly note…’ and figured it might be yet another promotional message on a new product or policy.



Originally, my symptoms had started with a flu the previous week, and it was definitely more potent than any flu I have endured all my life. I was weak, my forehead had a rash, my temperature was up and down, and I had never sneezed so much in my life.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="768" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200608_163307-768x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45914" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200608_163307-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200608_163307-scaled-300x400.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200608_163307-scaled-600x800.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200608_163307-225x300.jpg 225w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200608_163307-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200608_163307-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200608_163307-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /><figcaption>Self-portrait, in isolation at home in Soweto</figcaption></figure>



I did what I would normally do when sick; I got myself medicines from a local chemist and took rest but I was always tired.



It was not until I received a call from my editor and she heard my deep nasal voice, and insisted that I immediately get myself tested for Covid-19 that I thought I may have contracted the virus. I had been in denial until then.



I was saddened that within the 5km radius where I live in Soweto, Johannesburg’s sprawling urban township, clinics had no test-kits or equipment and it had been the case for a while. After a few days of search, I eventually found a clinic that did Covid-19 tests, not far from Baragwanath Hospital. The results were out the very next day.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&#8220;I have witnessed criticism and judgement and learned that there is surely a stigma around the virus, just like HIV/Aids.&#8221;</blockquote>



Between Friday and now, I have gone through a wave of emotions and experiences. I have witnessed criticism and judgement and learned that there is surely a stigma around the virus, just like HIV/Aids. I had communicated my condition to close friends and family on WhatsApp groups hoping this would make them more aware of the gravity of the disease because someone so close was now infected.



But there were those who twisted the knife in the wound further by reiterating that I am “carrying the virus” and saying I would die of it. The stigma around the virus is real.



On the bright side, I have also made some new friends since opening up about my condition. In the past 72 hours, I have received enough messages of faith and love.



As I write this in my room in isolation, with new eyes, I look at everything around me that I had taken for-granted, such as the framed pictures of beaming family members on the walls in the living room. Life is short, but it’s great to be alive.

T 610

My First 72 Hours As Covid-19 Positive

TOPLINE The coronavirus pandemic may undo the way we tie the knot for years to come, giving rise to micro-weddings, “minimonies” and postponements. All event organizers should monitor state and local guidelines and guests should stay 6 feet apart. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed19b7a8be1be0006b4cbbe/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="public-health-experts"/></figure>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Consult state and local guidelines on attendee limits for indoor and outdoor social gatherings.</li><li>Organizers should “continually assess” the situation, including the total number of guests, the level of virus transmission in the local area and the layout of the venue, when deciding whether the event should be postponed, canceled, or the guest list significantly reduced, according to the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/mass-gatherings-ready-for-covid-19.html" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. </li><li>The bigger the gathering, the higher the risk. “For a wedding or a funeral, unfortunately, those are going to be high-risk events right now and probably until we have a safe and effective vaccine, or at least until we get the transmission of this virus under much better control,&#8221; says Crystal Watson, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.</li><li>Stay at least 6 feet away from other guests, as social distancing is key in any group setting. </li><li>Place hand sanitizer on every table. </li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed19b61b37b8e000605bc84/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="Fc"/></figure>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Postpone the big celebration in favor of a “minimony”—a mini ceremony with an officiant and one or two witnesses present.&nbsp;</li><li>Consider a micro-wedding of no more than 20 guests. These budget-friendly options can still include the special touches typically associated with bigger affairs.</li><li>“A micro-wedding offers couples the opportunity to have all the best of a traditional wedding without the stress and cost associated with hosting a big fat wedding. You can still have a beautiful venue, flowers, cake, the bridal gown and snazzy suit, gorgeous decor and a tasty dinner if those are the elements that say ‘wedding’ to you — but just with a smaller group of people,” says Kelly Story, wedding coordinator and owner of Storybrook Events, which has offered micro-weddings at a farm in Jonesborough, Tennessee since 2018.</li><li>Interview vendors in advance about their safety protocols and add necessary safety requirements to your vendor contract.&nbsp;</li><li>Don’t skimp on a photographer. Those who are unable to attend will be thrilled to see your day captured in amazing photographs.&nbsp;</li><li>Accent floral arrangement centerpieces with mini hand sanitizers by adding custom labels for them from a company such as StickerGiant or Vistaprint.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Skip the buffet, use disposable dinnerware and bottled or pre-poured beverages. Buffets tend to create long lines and crowds, which increases potential for virus transmission.</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed19b347f63de00066e0b22/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="AFGw"/></figure>



Elopements never go out of style. “Many couples are opting for A Little White Chapel’s famous drive-thru wedding tunnel, because they needn’t even leave their car to get hitched,” says Charolette Richards, the self-described “Wedding Queen of the West” and owner of the iconic Las Vegas drive-thru tunnel of love. “Many arrive on horseback or motorcycles, incorporating the couple’s favorite pastimes. It’s also outdoors which allows for more space between guests.” Richards has officiated thousands of weddings over the past 50 years.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed19b0c5e2c7400068b09b6/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="red-flags"/></figure>



When choosing a venue, make sure there is enough space for guests to socially distance, says Adette Contreras, cofounder of Tinsel Experiential Design. If it does not have the layout to accommodate six feet of separation between people, find another space (or trim the guest list further). 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed199438be1be0006b4cba4/960x0.jpg?fit=scale" alt="QWD"/></figure>



Contreras highlights another advantage of hosting an intimate event: “Smaller gatherings can be more intimate and provide opportunities for meaningful conversations with family and friends.”



“Don’t let the pandemic steal your joy!” says Story. “You never know, your Covid-era wedding may be more perfect and magical than you ever dreamed. Keeping your wedding small may turn out to be exactly what you wanted after all.”



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaklich/">Tanya Klich</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/lifestyle">Lifestyle</a>

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How To Gather With Friends And Family At Weddings And Events

Last weekend, close to 1,000 residents flocked to two middle schools in predominantly black Houston communities, waiting patiently in their cars to receive free COVID-19 testing.&nbsp;



Unlike many other cities nationwide, Houston has had free testing available to the public but “some people, definitely minorities because we are overlooked, just aren’t aware or aren’t taking it seriously,” Tina Knowles-Lawson, a Houston native herself, tells&nbsp;Forbes.



That lack of awareness in the community inspired Knowles-Lawson to create the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.beyonce.com/article/beygood-houston-covid19-mobile-testing/" target="_blank">#IDIDMYPART</a> campaign. Launched in partnership with daughter Beyoncé and her BeyGOOD initiative, the campaign encourages black and brown residents—the demographic <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tmc.edu/news/2020/05/coronavirus-connection-a-texas-medical-center-continuing-update/" target="_blank">that’s dying at a faster rate</a> than any other in the state—to seek free COVID-19 testing. The campaign ran two testing locations on May 8 and 9, 2020, with plans to recruit celebrities in other cities to continue the initiative in the weeks and months to come.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="540" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45264" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0.jpg 960w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-600x338.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/960x0-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>A #IDIDMYPART testing site. BEYGOOD/#IDIDMYPART</figcaption></figure>



“It&#8217;s associated with Beyoncé, in some way, so it’s a cool thing, you know?” says Knowles-Lawson. “And it’s working, because people are still going to testing sites.”



The testing locations kept that cool factor in mind. As volunteer medical professionals from the United Memorial Medical Center administered tests (the hospital is following up with each individual attendee), DJs spun the latest hits from Beyoncé and other artists. And on their way out, attendees were given vouchers to two of Houston’s most popular restaurants: Frenchy’s and Burns Original BBQ. “You didn’t have to get in your head about the test; it wasn’t so sterile,” says Knowles-Lawson. “It was almost like a celebration of getting tested. We wanted to take away the stigma.”



Knowles-Lawson also wanted to stress health and wellness more holistically, so other products including vitamins, grooming supplies, toilet paper, gloves and masks were also handed out, thanks in part to the campaign’s partners including Procter &amp; Gamble, Matthew 25 Ministries, supermarket chain H-E-B and TWC Logistics Trucking. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="523" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45262" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood.jpg 960w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood-300x163.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood-600x327.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood-768x418.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>Cars lined up at an #IDIDMYPART testing site. COURTESY OF BEYGOOD/#IDIDMYPART</figcaption></figure>



“People are getting upset when they see people with no mask on, but a lot of people just don&#8217;t have them,” says Knowles-Lawson.



That the campaign took place on Mother’s Day weekend was just a coincidence, but was still a fitting time for the mother-daughter collaboration to launch. Knowles-Lawson, who grew up impoverished in Galveston, Texas, has always sought to instill the give-back mentality in her daughters, Beyoncé and Solange. “It was five kids at home, and my sister had eight children, and they were always at our house—our little two-bedroom house,” recounts Knowles-Lawson, with a laugh. “But my mom could stretch a piece of steak. She just shared all the time. I never forgot that.” Once they were old enough, Beyoncé and Solange were continuing the family’s acts of service, spending their Sundays feeding Texas’ homeless community after church.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="539" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood-3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-45263" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood-3.jpg 960w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood-3-300x168.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood-3-600x337.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/beygood-3-768x431.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>A sign at the #IDIDMYPART testing site. BEYGOOD/#IDIDMYPART</figcaption></figure>



Beyoncé’s also teamed up with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2020/04/25/beyonce-and-twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-announce-6-million-covid-19-relief-to-support-mental-health/#6cd97cd26469">to donate $6 million</a>&nbsp;in support of mental health and wellness organizations in Houston, New York, New Orleans and Detroit.



And the #IDIDMYPART campaign isn’t limited to Houston. It’s challenging other celebrities to continue the initiative in other cities nationwide. Several have already answered the call. Tyler Perry has vowed to implement the initiative in Atlanta, Octavia Spencer aims to set up sites across Mississippi, and Cookie and Magic Johnson will lead the charge in Detroit.



“Nothing would make me happier than to see people use their platforms to get this information out,” says Knowles-Lawson. “People are getting testing who wouldn’t otherwise. We can keep the momentum going.”



&#8211; <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannegarrett/">Brianne Garrett</a>, Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/forbeswomen">ForbesWomen</a>

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Beyoncé And Tina Knowles-Lawson Are Accelerating Coronavirus Testing In Underserved Communities—And Challenging Other Celebrities To Do The Same

Following&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabeltogoh/2020/04/24/dettol-and-lysol-maker-warns-against-drinking-and-injecting-disinfectant-after-trump-suggestion/">a dangerous suggestion by Donald Trump that household disinfectants could be ingested</a>&nbsp;or injected to kill the coronavirus, Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of Lysol, immediately issued guidance on the matter.



“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion, or any other route),” the company said in a statement. “As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines.”



To be clear: Lysol is not medicine, and nor has it ever been safe to consume as if it were one. But what Lysol’s clarification in 2020 neglects to mention is that from the 1920s to the 1950s, the brand was telling a decidedly different story—that Lysol was a trusted “feminine hygiene” product, which, among other things, was a euphemism for contraception.



“She was a jewel of a wife&#8230; with just one flaw,” <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lysols-vintage-ads-subtly-pushed-women-to-use-its-disinfectant-as-birth-control-218734/" target="_blank">reads one</a> ad from era. “She was guilty of the ‘ONE NEGLECT’ that mars many marriages. ‘LYSOL’ helps avoid this.” Admonishes <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/one-of-the-biggest-deceptions-in-advertising-history" target="_blank">another</a>, this one with a “firsthand” account from a resuscitated union: “Our romance is so special again—now that I know about proper feminine hygiene care! Since I had that talk with the doctor, I use Lysol always for douching.”



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4-470x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-44673" width="382" height="833" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4-470x1024.jpg 470w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4-300x654.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4-600x1308.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4-138x300.jpg 138w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4-768x1674.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4-705x1536.jpg 705w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4-939x2048.jpg 939w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/960x0-4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 382px) 100vw, 382px" /><figcaption>One of Lysol&#8217;s 1930&#8217;s-era ads marketing itself as a &#8220;feminine hygiene product. FLICKR </figcaption></figure></div>



That women’s private anatomy is inherently “unclean” is a misogynistic idea that is biblical in origin. But shaming women into pleasing their husbands isn’t the entire goal of these ads, either. As the author Andrea Tone notes in her 2002 book, “Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America,” douching was touted as an effective form of birth control (albeit more akin to the post-coital Plan B pill than the prophylactic daily pill) in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. And thanks to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Comstock-Act" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Comstock Act of 1873</a>, which classified contraception as “obscene and illicit,” douching products could not be advertised as birth control. And so “feminine hygiene” became a euphemism, as did words like “germicide” (which has the handy feature of rhyming with the word it’s replacing).



The implication of this dangerous marketing campaign? A wash of Lysol a day keeps the babies away. Except, not only did it fail to do this (a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/03/when-women-used-lysol-birth-control/" target="_blank">1933 study</a> of 507 women found that half who used douching as their contraception became pregnant anyway), but it was deadly. “By 1911, doctors had recorded 193 Lysol poisonings, including 21 suicides, 1 homicide and five deaths from uterine irrigation,” Tone writes in her book. A <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Citation/1956/09000/Lysol_Induced_Criminal_Abortion.18.aspx" target="_blank">1956 study</a> that examined “Lysol-Induced Criminal Abortion” had similar results, finding “phenol poisoning” as a contributing cause of death to one of the patients in the study. Phenol was then, and still is now, an ingredient in Lysol.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/0x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-44674" width="220" height="555" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/0x800.jpg 317w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/0x800-300x757.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/0x800-119x300.jpg 119w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px" /><figcaption>&#8220;Every modern woman should know facts about feminine hygiene,&#8221; says this 1930&#8217;s-era Lysol ad.  ALAMY PHOTO AGENCY</figcaption></figure></div>



Lysol, which at the time was manufactured by the firm Lehn &amp; Fink, changed its formula in the early 1950s to eliminate cresol, one of its harsher ingredients that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lysol-original-use-women_n_5aa6d689e4b03c9edfae9848" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">could cause</a>&nbsp;burning, inflammation and death.&nbsp;By the 1960s, Lysol advertising shifted to focus on its utility as a bathroom disinfectant; meanwhile, birth control became legal for married couples in 1965 and unmarried people in 1972. Lysol’s use as a contraceptive would slowly fade, as would its reputation as such.



Lysol’s current maker,&nbsp;Reckitt Benckiser, did not immediately respond to a&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;request for comment about Lysol’s days as an internal feminine hygiene product. Then again, even the president walked back his bizarre disinfectant recommendation during a task force meeting on&nbsp;Friday in the Oval Office. Trump claimed he was “asking a questions sarcastically to reporters just to see what would happen.”



But his message had already been heard loud and clear. As <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1253697753479331840" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton tweeted</a> shortly before the president cleaned up his Lysol mess: “Please don’t poison yourself because Donald Trump thinks it would be a good idea.”



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/">Maggie McGrath, </a>Forbes Staff, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/forbeswomen">ForbesWomen</a>

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Lysol Shouldn’t Be Ingested To Combat Coronavirus, But It Was Once Advertised As Birth Control

South Africa&#8217;s President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation to speak on the government&#8217;s economic and social response to the global health emergency. Ramaphosa says the Coronavirus pandemic requires a response that is equal to the scale of disruption.



Ramaphosa says the impact of the coronavirus requires an extraordinary budget of around R500 billion (over $26 billion), 10% of the country&#8217;s GDP, to direct resources towards fighting the pandemic. 



The president revealed that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has made an important contribution to the economy by cutting the repo rate by 200 basis points, in effect unlocking at least R80 billion in the real economy. 



South Africa&#8217;s government declared the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic a national disaster. The country imposed a 21 days lockdown which was later extended until the end of April.



Here&#8217;s what social media users had to say&#8230;



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Did he say R500 Billion for business support?so vele there was money for free education neh <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cyrilramaphosa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cyrilramaphosa</a> <a href="https://t.co/LSi5Kko9T3">pic.twitter.com/LSi5Kko9T3</a>&mdash; SpaceKings CEO (@Lil_Andi_jr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lil_Andi_jr/status/1252670192825630723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2020</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Here is the president&#8217;s full address:



My Fellow South Africans, It is 25 days since South Africa began a nation-wide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus. It has demanded of you great fortitude and endurance. It has caused you much suffering and required much sacrifice. Once again, I salute you and I thank you. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted your lives and damaged our economy. Its severity will continue to take a heavy toll in the weeks and months to come. The pandemic has resulted in the sudden loss of income for businesses and individuals alike, deepening poverty and increasing hunger. The urgent and dramatic measures we have taken to delay the spread of the virus have been absolutely necessary. They have given us the space to better respond to the inevitable rise in infections and to thereby save tens of thousands of lives. While the nation-wide lockdown is having a devastating effect on our economy, it is nothing compared to the catastrophic human, social and economic cost if the coronavirus could spread among our people unchecked. Medical scientists and our doctors inform us that we are still in the early stages of this pandemic. Without proven therapeutic medicines or a vaccine, we can expect this to continue as a problem for the foreseeable future. Our foremost priority now is to intensify the health interventions needed to contain and delay the spread of the disease and to save lives. To date, the coronavirus has taken the lives of at least 58 people in our country. This is a loss that we all mourn, for we know the pain and the anguish of their loved ones. 2 From the more than 126,000 tests conducted, 3,465 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been identified. More than 2 million people have been screened in communities across the country and, of these, over 15,000 have been referred for testing. Alongside this unprecedented public health effort are the measures we are taking to protect livelihoods, to stave off hunger and destitution and to set our economy on a path of recovery. This evening, I wish to address you on our economic and social response to this global health emergency. The pandemic requires an economic response that is equal to the scale of the disruption it is causing. Our economic response can be divided into three phases. The first phase began in mid-March when we declared the coronavirus pandemic as a national disaster. This included a broad range of measures to mitigate the worst effects of the pandemic on businesses, on communities and on individuals. The measures included tax relief, the release of disaster relief funds, emergency procurement, wage support through the UIF and funding to small businesses. We are now embarking on the second phase of our economic response to stabilise the economy, address the extreme decline in supply and demand and protect jobs. As part of this phase, we are announcing this evening a massive social relief and economic support package of R500 billion, which amounts to around 10% of GDP. The third phase is the economic strategy we will implement to drive the recovery of our economy as the country emerges from this pandemic. Central to the economic recovery strategy will be the measures we will embark upon to stimulate demand and supply through interventions such as a substantial infrastructure build programme, the speedy implementation of economic reforms, the transformation of our economy and embarking on all other steps that will ignite inclusive economic growth. We will outline this in coming days. Over the past few days, we have been in consultations with various stakeholders. We have met with business, labour and the community constituency in NEDLAC. We have met with Premiers, MECs and Metro Mayors and with the members of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. Following these meetings, Cabinet considered various proposals and finalised the social relief and economic support package that stands at the centre of the second phase of our economic response. This involves: 3 Firstly, an extraordinary health budget to respond to coronavirus, Secondly, the relief of hunger and social distress, Thirdly, support for companies and workers, Fourthly, the phased re-opening of the economy. The impact of the coronavirus requires an extraordinary coronavirus budget – of around R500 billion – to direct resources towards fighting the pandemic. This will include the reprioritisation of around R130 billion within the current budget. The rest of the funds will be raised from both local sources, such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund, and from global partners and international finance institutions. To date, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, BRICS New Development Bank and the African Development Bank have been approached and are working with the National Treasury on various funding transactions. Some of these institutions have created financing packages that are aimed at assisting countries that are having to address the coronavirus crisis like us. This funding will be used, in the first instance, to fund the health response to coronavirus. An amount of R20 billion will be directed to addressing our efforts to address the pandemic. If we are to successfully manage the anticipated surge in cases and ensure that everyone who needs treatment receives it, we must provide for additional expenditure on personal protective equipment for health workers, community screening, an increase in testing capacity, additional beds in field hospitals, ventilators, medicine and staffing. The nation-wide lockdown has had a negative impact on the revenue of municipalities at a time when the demands on them are increasing. Additional funding of R20 billion will therefore be made available to municipalities for the provision of emergency water supply, increased sanitisation of public transport and facilities, and providing food and shelter for the homeless. Details will be announced in the adjustment budget tabled by the Minister of Finance. Another significant area that requires massive additional expenditure is the relief of hunger and social distress in our communities across the country. While we have put in place measures to protect the wages of workers in the formal economy and have extended support to small, medium and micro-sized businesses, millions of South Africans in the informal economy and those without employment are struggling to survive. Poverty and food insecurity have deepened dramatically in the course of just a few weeks. To reach the most vulnerable families in the country, we have decided on a temporary 6- month Coronavirus grant. We will direct R50 billion towards relieving the plight of those who are most desperately affected by the coronavirus. 4 This means that child support grant beneficiaries will receive an extra R300 in May and from June to October they will receive an additional R500 each month. All other grant beneficiaries will receive an extra R250 per month for the next six months. In addition, a special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 a month for the next 6 months will be paid to individuals who are currently unemployed and do not receive any other form of social grant or UIF payment. The Department of Social Development will issue the requirements needed to access and apply for this funding. We have recognised that the food distribution capacity of government is not adequate to meet the huge need that has arisen since the start of the epidemic. The South African Social Security Agency – SASSA – will within days implement a technology-based solution to roll out food assistance at scale through vouchers and cash transfers to ensure that help reaches those who need it faster and more efficiently. In addition, to fill the immediate need, the Department of Social Development has partnered with the Solidarity Fund, NGOs and community-based organisations to distribute 250,000 food parcels across the country over the next two weeks. We are deeply disturbed by reports of unscrupulous people abusing the distribution of food and other assistance for corrupt ends. We will not hesitate to ensure that those involved in such activities face the full might of the law. While there are several interventions that already exist within government to deal with the extremely high unemployment such as the Expanded Public Works Programme and the community works programme, these are not enough. The coronavirus crisis will lead to many people losing their jobs. An additional R100 billion will be set aside for protection of jobs and to create jobs. Since the declaration of a state of national disaster over a month ago, government has put in place a range of measures to support workers’ wages and assist companies in distress. By the end of today, the UIF’s special COVID-19 benefit has paid out R1.6-billion, assisting over 37,000 companies and 600,00 workers. R40 billion has been set aside for income support payments for workers whose employers are not able to pay their wages. We continue to provide assistance – in the form of loans, grants and debt restructuring – to SMMEs, spaza shop owners and other informal businesses. The value of this assistance to date is over R100 million. An additional amount of R2 billion will be made available to assist SMEs and spaza shop owners and other small businesses. 5 The IDC facility to support companies to procure or manufacture personal protective equipment has been utilised in the past few weeks, with finance of R162 million approved to date. Other forms of support have been extended to artists, athletes and technical personnel, as well as to waste pickers and public works participants in the environment sector. While these measures are providing obvious relief to many companies and workers, it is clear that there is a far greater need across the entire economy. We will therefore be introducing a R200 billion loan guarantee scheme in partnership with the major banks, the National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank. This will assist enterprises with operational costs, such as salaries, rent and the payment of suppliers. In the initial phase, companies with a turnover of less than R300 million a year will be eligible. It is expected that the scheme will support over 700,000 firms and more than 3 million employees through this difficult period. A number of the banks are ready to roll out the product before the end of the month. Government is also working on additional support measures for vulnerable and affected sectors like the taxi industry. In addition to existing tax relief measures, we will also be introducing a 4-month holiday for companies’ skills development levy contributions, fast-tracking VAT refunds and a 3-month delay for filing and first payment of carbon tax. To assist a greater number of businesses, the previous turnover threshold for tax deferrals is being increased to R100 million a year, and the proportion of PAYE payment that can be deferred will be increased to 35 percent. Businesses with a turnover of more than R100 million a year can apply directly to SARS on a case-by-case basis for deferrals of their tax payments. No penalties for late payments will be applicable if they can show they have been materially negatively impacted in this period. Taxpayers who donate to the Solidarity Fund will be able to claim up to an additional 10 percent as a deduction from their taxable income. In total these tax measures should provide at least R70 billion in cash flow relief or direct payments to businesses and individuals. The Minister of Finance will provide further details on the above and other tax-related announcements. In the implementation of all these measures, we are determined to ensure that women, youth and persons with disability received particular attention and support. The South African Reserve Bank has also made an important contribution to support the real economy. 6 In line with its Constitutional mandate, it has cut the repo rate by 200 basis point, in effect unlocking at least R80 billion in the real economy, and taking other steps to provide additional liquidity to the financial system. Several commercial banks and insurance companies have also assisted the economic relief effort by, among other things, delaying or reducing instalment payments, providing debt relief, and waiving bank fees for grant beneficiaries. The fourth area on which Cabinet has resolved is the phased re-opening of the economy. We will follow a risk-adjusted approach to the return of economic activity, balancing the continued need to limit the spread of the coronavirus with the need to get people back to work. As I have said previously, if we end the lockdown too soon or too abruptly, we risk a massive and uncontrollable resurgence of the disease. We will therefore follow a phased approach, guided by the best available scientific evidence, to gradually lift the restrictions on economic activity. As we do so, we remain firm in our resolve to contain the transmission of the virus. We will therefore need to act with agility and flexibility in the weeks and months ahead, and respond to the situation as it develops. On Thursday, I will address the nation on the measures that will be taken beyond the nationwide lockdown to re-open the economy. This crisis will not last forever, and the day will come when these measures are no longer needed. Until then, however, we must ensure that all of our people receive adequate support. The scale of this emergency relief programme is historic. It demonstrates that we will not spare any effort, or any expense, in our determination to support our people and protect them from harm. We will – and we must – do whatever it takes to recover from this human, social and economic crisis. Our country and the world we live in will never be the same. We are resolved not merely to return our economy to where it was before the coronavirus, but to forge a new economy in a new global reality. Our economic strategy going forward will require a new social compact among all role players – business, labour, community and government – to restructure the economy and achieve inclusive growth. Building on the cooperation that is being forged among all social partners during this crisis, we will accelerate the structural reforms required to reduce the cost of doing business, to promote localisation and industrialisation, to overhaul state owned enterprises and to strengthen the informal sector. 7 We will forge a compact for radical economic transformation that ensures that advances the economic position of women, youth and persons with disabilities, and that makes our cities, towns, villages and rural areas vibrant centres of economic activity. Our new economy must be founded on fairness, empowerment, justice and equality. It must use every resource, every capability and every innovation we have in the service of the people of this country. Our new economy must open new horizons and offer new opportunities. Over the past month, South Africans have opened their hearts each other. Even at this moment when such great sacrifice is demanded of us, we look to a better future with optimism. Even as we find ourselves at a moment of great peril, even as great sacrifices are demanded, even as we dare not allow our vigilance to waver, we look ahead to a better future. I have faith in the strength and resilience of ordinary South Africans, who have proven time and time again – throughout our history – that they can rise to the challenge. We shall recover. We shall overcome. We shall prosper. May God bless South Africa and protect her people. I thank you.

Rama

#Coronavirus: South Africa Announces R500 Billion Economic Stimulus Package, 10% of GDP

By Paul Polman, Siddharth Chatterjee and Myriam Sidibe



The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that now is “a defining moment for modern society.  History will judge the efficacy of the response not by the actions of any single set of government actors taken in isolation, but by the degree to which the response is coordinated globally across all sectors for the benefit of our human family.”



Governments, the private sector and development institutions need to come together in innovative ways not just to flatten the curve of infection and mitigate the economic disruption, but also to prepare for the new normal of the post-Covid world in Africa and the rest of the world. &nbsp;Greater partnership between the public and private sectors is going to be critical. The fight to flatten the coronavirus curve is an acid test for stakeholder capitalism and especially for multilateralism.



As Covid-19 continues to spread sickness and death, Africa has so far escaped the worst effects. The continent’s lagging healthcare infrastructure, however, makes it highly vulnerable if the virus reaches the high-velocity community transmission we have seen in Italy, Spain and New York.&nbsp; Not only are health systems delicate, but crucial medical supplies are far from sufficient, and social protection as a whole is weak.



With the health crisis also becoming an economic and soon a social crisis, the continent is under siege.&nbsp; Many companies are struggling through the economic slowdown, with tourism and smaller enterprises the most challenged. With bankruptcy and job losses looming, many families are already reducing spending and consumption.&nbsp; In the absence of significant fiscal stimulus – which few African countries can afford anyway – some projections are cutting the continent’s GDP growth in 2020 by as much as eight percentage points.



No one knows for sure what is ahead, with scenarios changing daily as new information comes through. Many firms are focused on business continuity, employee safety and simply survival and lack the luxury of assisting external stakeholders. But it’s time for an all-hands-on-deck response, both to flatten the curve of infections and keep businesses resilient, and to be ready to restart as physical distancing ends.&nbsp; More than ever before, the private sector needs to deploy its full capabilities to innovate and bring positive, sustainable change – to help secure strong markets in the future.



There are several areas where private sector support is essential. Current priorities include unified communication platforms to enable populations to practise the needed preventative behaviors (washing hands, wearing masks, and practising physical distancing), as well as managing stocks of essential materials, test kits, ventilators and oxygen and PPE. Support would also include protecting the most vulnerable people from the economic effects of the pandemic, especially where curfews are enforced.



This is also a unique opportunity to challenge sceptics, in both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors, with a new blueprint of collaboration. The World Health Organization has issued guidelines on engaging the private sector as part of a whole-of-society response to the pandemic and has signed an iconic partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce. The African Union and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have also launched a public-private partnership known as the Africa Covid-19 Response Fund, which raises resources to prevent transmission and support sustainable medical responses.



In Kenya the national government has led the charge in fighting Covid-19 by rapidly scaling up a large array of public health interventions and putting into force social interaction rules. To complement the government’s preparedness and response efforts for the next six months, the UN, together with humanitarian non-governmental organizations launched a flash appeal seeking over $267 million to respond to the critical needs of 10 million of the country’s most vulnerable people.&nbsp;



So far, the pandemic has not been the finest hour for international cooperation. But the role of the UN and the private sector have never been more critical as an enabler of multisectoral partnerships for deliveries, and also to keep the focus on the most vulnerable that these partnerships need to reach. &nbsp;



In Kenya, and under the leadership of the government, the UN has built a model to catalyze public-private action: the SDG Partnership Platform. It is a tested instrument for engagement that has brought together a variety of private players in previous initiatives to co-create and rapidly deploy, with government, large-scale shared-value solutions to address the challenges our societies and the planet are facing. It is through such a mechanism, for example, that the UN mobilized the private sector to carry out a maternal mortality reduction campaign in Kenya’s northeastern counties, one that was recognized as a global best practice.



Kenya’s<a href="https://www.covid19businessresponse.ke/"> National Business Compact on Coronavirus</a>, a gathering of companies aimed at accelerating local action and supporting governmental efforts against the pandemic, got successfully off the ground with the help of the UN SDG Partnership Platform, and champions from private sector and civil society. &nbsp;



The Kenyan model of cooperation could take shape all over Africa. Such models allow governments to foster an ecosystem of purposeful partnerships; to amplify private-sector philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and policy advocacy for national mitigation; and to accelerate shared-value partnerships. It also allows the UN to play its role as a neutral broker, and steer a much-needed balance between lethargic action on one hand and misdirected reactions on the other.&nbsp;



This may well be the blueprint needed to fight the next global pandemic, whose speed and fury could surpass what we are witnessing now.



– <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulPolman">Paul Polman</a> is co-founder of IMAGINE, Chair of the International Chambers of Commerce and former CEO of Unilever; <a href="https://twitter.com/sidchat1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Siddharth Chatterjee</a> is the UN Resident Coordinator of Kenya and <a href="https://twitter.com/Myriam_Sidibe">Myriam Sidibe</a> is a Senior Fellow at Mossavar Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School.

Myriam Sidibe, Siddharth Chatterjee, and Paul Polman join Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, in Nairobi, Kenya at an event; Photo supplied

Op-Ed: How Multilateralism Through Public-Private Partnerships Is Key To Flatten The Curve

#Coronavirus: South Africa Extends Lockdown By Two Weeks

Arnon Rosan manufactures giant Lego-like building blocks, which can be converted into furniture or walls for offices, classrooms, and military training operations. They’ve been used to build a life-sized ice castle in New York City’s Bryant Park and a 17-foot-tall menorah in Washington, D.C. But now his company, EverBlock Systems, is sending truckloads of plastic blocks and interlocking wall units from New York to Louisiana to build a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients.



“We don&#8217;t wish for disaster, certainly,” Rosan says of the virus sweeping the country. “But we&#8217;re happy to be able to respond with something that we know people need and solves the problem quickly and efficiently.”&nbsp;



State and federal governments and health systems across the United States are scrambling to find space to treat patients as coronavirus cases have quickly overwhelmed emergency rooms and ICUs. Convention centers and arenas from Los Angeles to Philadelphia are being transformed into temporary hospitals, as are outdoor spaces, such as New York City’s Central Park.Today In:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/healthcare">Healthcare</a>



The one thing all these places have in common? “They have enough room to set up safe and appropriate working environments for the medical staff &#8230; and the equipment and supplies that are needed,” says Dr. Irwin Redlener, Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University.&nbsp;



For his part, Rosan is busy working to fulfill an order to build 2,000 patients pods and 130 nurses stations for the field hospital under construction inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.



Louisiana-based Dynamic Construction Group, the primary contractor on the hospital project, tapped EverBlock on March 26 to provide its products. At that point, Rosan had a head start: there were nearly a thousand wall panels and 60,000 blocks in his company’s warehouse ready to load onto the 53-foot trucks that would take them down to New Orleans. But he’ll need to provide a lot more. Rosan estimates the total project will require close to 6,000 panels and 150,000 blocks. In addition to 13 full-time employees, he’s recently hired 9 temporary workers to help scale up production at the company’s manufacturing facility and warehouse in the Bronx.&nbsp;



“We&#8217;re being asked to deliver a year&#8217;s worth of product in one month,” says Rosan. Though his usual orders have dried up, he’s already expecting EverBlock’s revenues to more than double from an expected $7.5 million to more than $20 million by the end of this year. The convention center contract alone will likely come in well above $10 million, he says.&nbsp;



This isn’t Rosan’s first time supplying material for disaster relief projects. His previous company Signature Systems Group, which he founded in 1999, manufactured temporary floor and roadway systems that could gain access to remote sites, such as oil rigs. Rosan says he supplied modular floors for tents used by the National Guard following Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Sandy. He also worked on the flooring for a tent project for the World Food Programme in Haiti after the earthquake.&nbsp;



In 2013, he sold Signature Systems Group to a private equity firmand was looking for something new to keep busy. He declined to disclose the deal price, but said at the time of the sale, the company had around $90 million in revenue. His current company began as a side project — the idea for developing the company’s giant blocks came from his kids. But when customers began to realize their potential, the company took off.&nbsp;



“People seem to just engage and resonate with this concept of ‘Wow this oversized building block. I can build anything,” he recalls.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="669" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Everblock-again.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-43978" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Everblock-again.jpg 960w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Everblock-again-300x209.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Everblock-again-600x418.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Everblock-again-768x535.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>Inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.  EVERBLOCK SYSTEMS</figcaption></figure>



EverBlock is delivering the walls and blocks that make up the tented structures in which patients will sleep. Each pod is an individual chamber that will have its own ventilation duct to ensure that patients with different viral loads are kept separate. Dynamic Construction is working on the ventilation, electrical and all of the other construction components needed to make the temporary hospital function.&nbsp;



“These beds will be for patients who are not fragile. They don’t need to be on a ventilator, they don’t need an ICU bed, but they still need to be hospitalized,” Louisiana’s Democratic Governor Jim Bel Edwards said earlier this week at a press conference outside the convention center. While the original plan had been to care for 1,000 patients at the facility, Edwards had to quickly double that number a few days later in response to the surge in patients. The goal now is to have 1,000 beds set up by early next week and the full 2,000 beds by April 20.&nbsp;



“My philosophy is when these things happen, you have to react in real time,” Rosan says. “That&#8217;s something that we&#8217;re just really good at — that quick rallying of resources to make it happen.”



&#8211;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiejennings/">Katie Jennings</a>, Forbes Staff, Healthcare

Tag: Health

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