| Local News | | Foreign News | january-february , 2021 | The Health
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Using data science to fight the pandemic
How , and where , is Covid-19 spreading ? Who is most at risk of serious complications ? When will it be safe to go back to work ? How fast can we put an end to the pandemic ? The longer the pandemic lasts , the more questions like these seem to stack up . In the urgent search for some answers , healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson has undertaken an enormous data science effort that ’ s helping guide everything from the company ’ s research into a potential vaccine to its return to workplace policies for more than 130,000 employees around the world .
“ This is an unprecedented pandemic , and there are so many unknowns — the virus is moving quite fast , and it ’ s seemingly unpredictable ,” says Najat Khan , Chief Data Science Officer and Global Head of R & D Strategy and Operations , Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson . “ But it ’ s not actually unpredictable . By combining several types of data into an advanced analytical model using new techniques , we are driving insights and leading the way to a deeper understanding of this disease in order to help shape our clinical
Premier global nutrition company , Herbalife Nutrition , has released findings from the 2020 Diet Decisions Survey , which revealed that Asia-Pacific consumers are eating better and exercising more , with 58 per cent believing that they will emerge healthier in the new normal .
The survey , which polled 8,000 consumers in eight Asia-Pacific markets , including Australia , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Philippines , South Korea , Taiwan and Vietnam , also shed light into the motivations behind the consumers ’ recent dietary and lifestyle changes , with the aim of inspiring more people to adopt better nutrition and lifestyle habits to improve their overall well-being now and into the future .
“ There is always room to improve your lifestyle , especially when those changes can lead to lasting results in your personal well-being ,” said Stephen Conchie , Senior Vice President and Managing Director , Asia Pacific , Herbalife Nutrition .
“ From the survey , we observed that more individuals are eating fruit , vegetables and other plant-based foods , and consuming less meat . In fact , more consumers want to eat nutrient-dense , plant-based proteins but do not know where to start . This reveals a need for wider public nutrition education to help consumers make better decisions in their daily diets .”
“ We can create a conducive environment for consumers through easy-to-follow meal plans , readily- development program .”
Indeed , the enormity of the pandemic has inspired researchers worldwide to work with extraordinary speed and unprecedented cooperation . At Janssen , developing and testing an investigational vaccine candidate against the virus is one such critical effort — and to have the best chance at success , as well as reach the most at-risk populations and geographic areas , the clinical study design must be informed by a rigorous , agile view of critical pandemic data that can change by the day , even the hour .
“ The urgency of this disease means we cannot rely on only traditional methods to understand how the disease works and how it will spread — we must utilize all data and advanced tools at our disposal , both within Johnson & Johnson and broadly across universities and other companies ,” says Jennings Xu , Director of Data Science for Portfolio Management and Lead for Covid-19 Janssen R & D Data Science . “ A variety of data sources , a variety of techniques and a variety of crossfunctional perspectives are helping propel our vaccine program forward .
New normal will bring healthier Asia-Pacific consumers
available health and wellness coaching and convenient meal alternatives . This way , Herbalife Nutrition can enable more people to have access to healthier meal options and accurate nutrition information , forming healthier , active lifestyle habits in the longer term ,” added Stephen .
According to the survey findings , 39 per cent of respondents have made a major change to their diet in 2020 , with the highest number to have done so in Indonesia , Vietnam , and Philippines .
UVD Robots and Blue Ocean Robotics , the manufacturer of autonomous disinfecting robots equipped with UV-C light , said it was selected by the European Commission directorate- Generale for Communications Networks , Content and Technology ( EU Commission ) to supply 200 of its autonomous disinfecting robots to European Union hospitals fighting the Coronavirus
UVD Robots ’ tender ranked first in the EU Commission ’ s review of disinfecting
As a data scientist , it is an incredible honour to be able to contribute toward the fight against Covid-19 in this way .”
With data science experts like Khan and Xu as guides , the company is taking a deep dive look at how data science is helping teams across the company leverage data to reduce complexity and uncertainty , drive answers and inform potential solutions during this historic and unprecedented pandemic .
“ Our employees are leading the way to build better medicines , potential vaccines and products for patients and consumers — and many are scientists and supply chain colleagues on the front line ,” Khan says .
“ It ’ s a privilege to be part of a healthcare company that is ensuring both science and data science are central to accelerating the development of a potential Covid-19 vaccine candidate for those in need around the world . And it ’ s absolutely vital that we keep everyone safe .”
Among the top motivators for changing their diet includes concern with their own health ( 77 per cent ), weight loss ( 39 per cent ), more cost-effective ( 31 per cent ), and being more environmentally friendly ( 24 per cent ).
Diving deeper into the dietary changes , 49 per cent of consumers who have made changes to their diet started eating more fruits and vegetables , 46 per cent ate less meat , while 39 per cent chose to eat more plant-based foods .
When it comes to the impact of the dietary changes , a large majority of consumers – 83 per cent - have noticed a positive difference in their health . In addition , 68 per cent believed that their dietary changes in 2020 have lasted longer compared to a different time .
As a result , 82 per cent plan to keep the dietary changes for the foreseeable future .
robots evaluating technical excellence and maturity of technology , quality of approach in deployment , response time in technical support and maintenance , and overall value . UVD Robots are now being deployed in the first 10 + EU countries with more to follow .
In a Press statement , President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen said : “ With EU funds , the European Commission is buying 200 disinfection robots , which will be delivered to hospitals across Europe to help disinfect
Briefs
Cyberattack targets data on Covid-19
The European Medicines Agency ( EMA ) said that its investigation into a cyberattack had showed the data breach was limited to one IT application .
Data related to Covid-19 medicines and vaccines was the target of a cyberattack earlier this month , and the hackers accessed documents belonging to third parties , the regulator said .
The EMA said it had contacted the companies concerned but did not name them . US drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech had said that documents related to development of their Covid-19 vaccine had been “ unlawfully accessed ” in the cyberattack , which was disclosed by the EMA .
Russia rolls out Sputnik V vaccine
UVD Robots to deploy 200 robots across Europe
Russia has begun distributing its Covid-19 vaccine , the Sputnik V , in the country as they look to stop the spread of the disease . The vaccine has not been officially approved but some cases have shown it to have a 92 per cent success rate . Russian deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova has recognised that there are some limitations to what people can do after they have been vaccinated .
“ Those vaccinated must avoid public places and reduce the consumption of medicine and alcohol , which could inhibit the immune system , within the first 42 days of the first of two doses ,” Golikova said .
Workers in health and education were the first to receive the Sputnik V vaccine when its roll-out began in Russia . Meanwhile , Russia has recorded a total of 2.88 million cases and 51,274 deaths of Covid-19 cases as of Dec 24 , 2020 .
Science of better sleep
MasterClass , the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world ’ s best across a wide range of subjects , announced a class on the science of better sleep , led by sleep expert Matthew Walker .
As a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California , Berkeley , and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science , Walker pulls from more than 20 years of research to share the science behind sleep and its impact on physical , mental , and emotional health .
“ Sleep has never come harder for folks around the world ,” said David Rogier , founder and CEO of MasterClass . In his MasterClass , Matthew deconstructs how sleep impacts almost everything we do and how to find more of it . There has never been a more important time for this class .”
patient rooms . We do all we can to support hospitals and patients in these difficult times . And more will follow .”
“ We are thrilled that our UVD Robots were selected by the EU Commission , which we believe to be the largest order of service robots of its kind ,” said Per Juul Nielsen , CEO of UVD Robots . “ We were the first robot in this category and have set the global standard for autonomous UVC disinfection . An order of this size further validates the effectiveness of UVD Robots .”