What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 28 September

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 28 September: Top stories: India reports more than 6 million cases; Europe further tightens restrictions; China targets frozen food imports to stop the virus spreading.

Germans Disappointed By Coronavirus Tracking App: Lots of Work But Little Utility

Germans Disappointed By Coronavirus Tracking App: Lots of Work But Little Utility: Officials touted it as an important weapon in the fight against the pandemic, but there have been numerous glitches and shortcomings with Germany's corona app. Some argue it does more harm than good.

The Military's Secret to Fighting COVID-19

The Military's Secret to Fighting COVID-19: Discounting reserve units, the National Guard, and civilian contractors, the U.S. military has approximately 1.3 million active duty members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Marines. Of that lofty number, only one active member of the United States armed forces has died of COVID-19.

The six other deaths were among the reservists and the Guard, all military personnel who spend most of their times as civilians. Of those who died, only one man, an Army reservist, was under the age of 40. You’ll find that report at the Military Times.

This same article reports that the Pentagon found 38,500 cases of coronavirus among military personnel.

Allow me to repeat myself: our active military forces of 1.3 million people count one death from the coronavirus.

What might we gather from that mind-boggling statistic?

Masks are neither effective nor safe

Masks are neither effective nor safe: A review of the peer-reviewed medical literature examines impacts on human health, both immunological, as well as physiological. The purpose of this paper is to examine data regarding the effectiveness of facemasks, as well as safety data. The reason that both are examined in one paper is that for the general public as a whole, as well as for every individual, a risk-benefit analysis is necessary to guide decisions on if and when to wear a mask.

COVID-vaccine results are on the way — and scientists’ concerns are growing

COVID-vaccine results are on the way — and scientists’ concerns are growing: Researchers warn that vaccines could stumble on safety trials, be fast-tracked because of politics or fail to meet the public’s expectations.

The truth about Sweden's voluntary lockdown

The truth about Sweden's voluntary lockdown: Sweden didn’t ‘refuse’ to lockdown. Nor does it have a herd immunity strategy, although it was recognised that some level of immunity in the population could be a side effect of its approach. The false premise of that rumour is that Sweden stayed open in order to allow the virus to spread, thus promoting herd immunity. In reality, Swedish law does not allow for many types of lockdown measures. Even something as simple as closing a beach is tricky because, in general, beach access is covered by the Right of Public Access which, in turn, is enshrined in the Swedish constitution. The limitations of Swedish law partly explain why the parliament passed temporary amendments to the Communicable Diseases Act in the spring, which would have allowed for the closure of shops and other commercial spaces (this provision expired at the end of June without being used).

So Sweden did not refuse to lockdown; rather it was not really an option. The Public Health Agency also believed that voluntary measures would work as well as compulsory ones and that people could be trusted to act responsibly. However, Swedes are not inherently more responsible than other people. But by repeatedly and consistently telling us that we were responsible and could be trusted to use our judgement, the government and authorities performed an extremely effective Jedi-mind trick: we were told that we were responsible, so most of us were responsible.

Digital Tools for COVID-19 Contact Tracing: Identifying and Mitigating the Equity, Privacy, and Civil Liberties Concerns

Digital Tools for COVID-19 Contact Tracing: Identifying and Mitigating the Equity, Privacy, and Civil Liberties Concerns: This paper outlines the equity, privacy, and civil liberties risks posed by digital tools as well as safeguards that policymakers can adopt to mitigate these concerns. Further, the paper recommends that policymakers take affirmative steps to address vulnerable populations that are unlikely to be reached by digital apps, partner with developers and community organizations, promote public education campaigns when deploying digital tools, take steps to close the digital divide, and pass comprehensive privacy legislation with effective enforcement mechanisms.