French Prime Minister Jean Castex speaks during a press conference to present the government's recovery plan for economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, Sept 3, 2020 in Paris. (LUDOVIC MARIN / POOL VIA AP)
PARIS / OTTAWA / VIENNA / RIO DE JANEIRO / LONDON / MEXICO CITY / LIMA / TBILISI / BERLIN / ROME / ATHENS / BRUSSELS / MOSCOW / NAIROBI - France aims to spend 100 billion euros to pull its economy out of one of Europe’s worst slumps, under a fast-moving recovery plan that revives President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-business reforms with a greener tinge.
The US$118 billion stimulus equates to 4 percent of gross domestic product, meaning France is ploughing proportionally more public cash into its coronavirus-ravaged economy than any other big European country, an official said ahead of a formal launch later on Thursday.
The two-year package is focused on supporting growth for companies, which Prime Minister Jean Castex said would receive funds on a use-it-or-lose-it basis.
It earmarks 35 billion euros to make the economy more competitive and 30 billion to promote greener energy policies.
The rest will go on supporting jobs, training and broader social initiatives with the aim of creating at least 160,000 jobs next year.
“Economically and socially it is infinitely better to temporarily worsen the pubic finances to invest, re-arm the economy and move forward than to sink into austerity and let unemployment and human drama explode,” Castex told journalists.
France is on course for one of Europe’s worst recessions and its deepest since World War Two, with an 11 percent drop in GDP forecast for 2020 as a whole following a 13.8 percent second quarter contraction that coincided with a coronavirus lockdown.
The country's infection tally stood at 331,060 as of Thursday.
A Sanofi logo sits on the company's headquarters in Paris, France, on Feb 6, 2020. (MARLENE AWAAD / BLOOMBERG)
Sanofi
Sanofi administered the first patients with its experimental COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, bringing it a step closer to the late-stage clinical trials it aims to kick start before year-end.
The Paris-based drugmaker launched human studies at 11 sites across the US. The phase 1/2 trial — which compresses the early and middle stages of clinical tests — will assess 440 healthy patients in two age groups: 18 to 49, and over 50. Sanofi, which is developing the vaccine in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline Plc, aims to have results by December, at which point it hopes to accelerate into late-stage studies.
Sanofi launched human studies at 11 sites across the US. It aims to have results by December and then accelerate into late-stage trials
Though Sanofi and Glaxo are just now starting their latest trial, the vaccine front-runners may deliver interim data from their late-stage studies as early as this month.
ALSO READ: WHO chief: No nation can ride out the pandemic until vaccine
The vaccine candidate relies on technology Sanofi uses to make influenza shots and Glaxo’s adjuvants, which enhance the body’s immune response. Sanofi also has a messenger RNA vaccine in development. John Shiver, senior vice-president of global vaccine research and development, said both candidates reported “compelling” data in pre-clinical studies.
Sanofi is targeting the enrollment of 140 people over age 50 to identify a vaccine formulation that’s best suited for them, he said. The Sanofi-Glaxo vaccine will likely require a two-dose regimen.
Shiver said Sanofi will be focused on recruiting “tremendous diversity” in the 30,000-person phase 3 trial it aims to start in December. It will take place in multiple countries, and particularly where COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Sanofi is currently consulting with epidemiologists on how to best design the trial.
If successful with a regulatory approval in the first half of 2021, the companies plan to make one billion doses next year.
Global toll
The global COVID-19 death toll on Wednesday surpassed 860,000 while COVID-19 cases worldwide topped 25.8 million, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
Africa CDC
All countries should join hands in a global effort to procure and distribute potential vaccines against the coronavirus across the globe, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Thursday.
"We are in this together. No country will be safe if any other country in the world still has cases of COVID," John Nkengasong, the head of the Addis Ababa-based continental body, said during an online news conference.
Nkengasong's remarks came after the United States said on Tuesday it would not join a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the WHO, called COVAX.
Nkengasong's remarks also came as the Africa CDC reported Wednesday that the number of recoveries recorded across the African continent has topped 1 million.
The Africa CDC said 1,260,000 confirmed cases had been reported across the continent as of Wednesday, while the death toll has climbed to 30,065.
Some 1,001,581 Africans who were infected had recovered so far, according to the Africa CDC.
Students wearing masks go through the regular morning checks on their arrival at the Melpark Primary School in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sept 3, 2020. During the inspection, teachers will check forms, and students will have their hands are sanitized and temperatures taken before the start of the school day in a bid to preventi the spread of the coronavirus. (DENIS FARRELL / AP)
Baltic travel bubble
Free travel inside the territory of the three Baltic states, or the so-called Baltic bubble, is about to end this week as COVID-19 cases are mounting in Latvia's neighbor countries Lithuania and Estonia, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said Wednesday.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the COVID-19 incidence in Lithuania has already exceeded 16 cases per 100,000 population over the past 14 days, and the infection rate in Estonia might cross that mark in a matter of days.
According to the COVID-19 rules in Latvia, all travelers who arrive in the country from nations where the cumulative 14-day COVID-19 incidence exceeds 16 cases per 100,000 population are required to self-isolate for 14 days.
The application of that rule to arrivals from Lithuania and Estonia would mean an end of the Baltic travel bubble. Lithuania and Estonia have asked Latvia for a temporary exemption in a bid to save the travel bubble, but Karins said that Latvia will not ease the self-isolation requirement, citing the need to protect public health.
Latvia has so far reported 1,406 confirmed cases and 34 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Lithuania has registered 2,958 cases and 86 deaths, while Estonia has recorded 2,415 infections, with 64 deaths.
Argentina
Argentina's Ministry of Health has invested 42 billion pesos (about US$565 million) since March to bolster the healthcare system to better deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said Wednesday.
The investment made it possible to expand healthcare infrastructure and provide more than 4,000 ventilators, among other things, Arnaldo Medina, the secretary of Healthcare Quality, said at a press conference.
The number of intensive-care beds increased threefold from 3,929 to 12,450, he said.
Argentina detected its first case of COVID-19 on March 3, and has reported 439,172 infections and 9,118 deaths by Wednesday.
Austria
Austria on Thursday reported 403 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily spike since April 3.
With 3,466 active cases at present, the total number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has risen to 28,372 as of Thursday morning, according to the Health Ministry.
There are currently 161 people in hospital for coronavirus treatment, four more than Wednesday, while the number of patients in intensive care has fallen from 30 to 29, it said. A total of 735 people have died in connection with COVID-19.
More than half of the daily new cases were reported in the capital. One reason for this should be that tests are being carried out in Vienna twice as much as in the previous month and much more tightly than elsewhere, according to local media.
On Friday, the government will present the coronavirus "traffic light" system, which should clarify situations in each state and district across the Alpine republic.
As Health Minister Rudi Anschober explained on Tuesday, the risk analysis would not only focus on the number of infections, but also assess the number of tests, cluster management and situation of the health system.
"We want to put ourselves on a broad basis," said the minister.
Brazil
Brazil reported 46,934 new cases of the coronavirus and 1,184 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
Brazil has registered 3,997,865 cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 123,780, according to ministry data, in the world's worst coronavirus outbreak outside the United States.
Brazil's death toll appears to be easing for the first time since May, data shows, a sign the Latin American country could be descending from a long infection plateau that has seen it suffer the world's second-worst outbreak after the United States.
The level of average daily deaths dropped below 900 per day last week - the lowest in three and a half months and below the rate of both the United States and India, according to a Reuters tally.
Researchers at Imperial College London also calculate that the transmission rate in Brazil is now below 1, the level required for new infections to slow. However, the rate previously fell below 1 in August, only to rebound a week later, according to Imperial.
The government statistics are also volatile. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Brazil registered more than 1,100 deaths each day, and experts say it is too early to say the worst is over.
In this March 13, 2020 photo, high school students leave Beal Secondary School in London, Ontario on their last day of classes before a 3 week break imposed by the Ontario government to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. (GEOFF ROBINS / AFP)
Canada
Canadian children are trickling back into classrooms, but the return is off to a rocky start with dozens of students in one province already in isolation amid COVID-19 scares and teacher unions filing labor challenges.
Coronavirus cases have been reported in numerous schools in Quebec since classes resumed last week after the summer holiday, fanning fears across the country as most schools reopen for the first time since March.
Canada’s chief medical officer warned last Friday that cases in schools would be “inevitable,” but told parents the pandemic was “under manageable control” in the country.
“We have quite low levels of illness,” Dr Theresa Tam told reporters, adding: “I think it is absolutely normal to feel stressed. You’re talking about your kids.”
Skip kissing and consider wearing a mask when having sex to protect yourself from catching the coronavirus, Tam added on Wednesday, saying that going solo remains the lowest risk sexual option in a pandemic.
Dr Theresa Tam said in a statement there is little chance of catching COVID-19 from semen or vaginal fluid, but sexual activity with new partners does increase the risk of contracting the virus, particularly if there is close contact like kissing.
Canada has reported 129,425 cases of COVID-19 and 9,132 deaths, as of Sept 1. New daily cases are far below peak volumes, but there has been a recent uptick, driven by more infections in certain western Canadian provinces.
Colombia
Colombia's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that a total of 633,339 COVID-19 cases and 20,348 deaths had been reported in the country.
In the previous 24 hours, 9,270 new cases were confirmed, including 3,023 in Colombia's capital Bogota, while another 296 died from the disease.
Bogota's City Hall said some 800 restaurants were set to reopen on Thursday to offer exclusively open-air service amid social distancing measures.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic's daily number of new coronavirus cases rose to 650, the highest since the pandemic reached the country in March, Health Ministry data showed on Thursday.
With that number, the overall count of cases rose to 25,773 in the country of 10.7 million.
Health Minister Adam Vojtech started isolating at home on Wednesday after the chief public health officer, Jarmila Razova, tested positive for the coronavirus. The minister tested negative.
Razova has spearheaded the government's efforts to curb the virus since starting her job in March. She has been in close contact with Prime Minister Andrej Babis and other top government officials.
Ecuador
Ecuador registered 1,148 new cases of coronavirus infection in 24 hours, taking the tally to 115,457, the Ministry of Public Health said on Wednesday.
The official death toll stands at 6,619. There are another 3,743 deaths recorded in the past five months that are suspected of being COVID-19 related, but have not been verified.
The north-central province of Pichincha, where the capital Quito is located, is the current epicenter of the national outbreak, with 24,331 cases, including 21,957 in Quito.
Despite the high level of infections in Quito, interprovincial transport in the city resumed on Wednesday after being suspended since March 17.
Egypt
Egypt confirmed on Wednesday 165 new COVID-19 infections and another 21 deaths, raising the tally to 99,280 and the death toll to 5,461, said the health ministry.
Another 798 patients had recovered and were discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours, bringing the total recoveries to 74,626, according to the ministry.
A woman takes a COVID-19 test at a medical center in Rome, Italy, Sept 2, 2020. (CECILIA FABIANO / LAPRESSE VIA AP)
EU
Members of European Parliament (MEPs) on Wednesday called for a common approach in limiting the spread of COVID-19 across the European Union (EU), the European Parliament said in a press release.
The director of the ECDC agreed that harmonizing testing procedures and frequency is key to achieving better and more comparable data on infection levels in Europe
Highlighting the need to replace the tendency that many EU members designate other EU countries as red zones and then close borders, the MEPs also deplored the non-existence of common modality for counting infections or testing as each country follows the recommendations of its own experts.
The need for EU-level coordination was underlined when the Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety held a debate with Andrea Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), after she briefed them about the latest situation of the pandemic and the ECDC's work.
ALSO READ: EU offers 400m euros to WHO-led COVID-19 vaccine initiative
Ammon agreed that harmonizing testing procedures and frequency is key to achieving better and more comparable data on infection levels in Europe, as the current testing range from 173 to 6,000 per 100,000 inhabitants per week, which has a direct impact on the notification rate.
As head of the EU agency monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and issuing risk assessments, Ammon welcomed talks to expand the ECDC's mandate to issue recommendations, "which currently is only the competence of member states," according to the press release.
She noted that the upsurge of COVID-19 cases at EU level reached 46 infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week in the last five weeks.
Finland
Finland’s infection rates were stable last month and the epidemic remains subdued, health authorities said.
The incidence of new cases in the two-week period of Aug 17–30 was 5.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. That compares with 6.0 per 100,000 in the preceding two weeks, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said in a statement.
Finland has had a total of under 8,200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 335 related casualties to date.
Georgia
Georgia confirmed 20 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing its total to 1,568.
Seven of the 20 new cases were imported, the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) said.
As of Thursday, 1,279 of the 1,568 patients have recovered, while 19 others have died, the center said.
Georgia reported the first confirmed case on Feb. 26.
Germany
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,311 to 246,166, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Thursday.
The reported death toll rose by eight to 9,321, the tally showed.
The RKI on Wednesday added the Canary Islands to its list of risk regions, citing a high rate of new coronavirus infections in the Spanish autonomous region.
The RKI said the whole of Spain, mainland and islands, was a risk region. The institute's update is usually followed by a travel warning to the designated regions by the Foreign Ministry.
Greece
Greece will require visitors from Russia to show a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country between Sept 7 and Sept 21, its civil aviation authority said on Wednesday.
Under a new advisory, Russian citizens will need to have the test up to 72 hours before their arrival.
Greece also said that only up to 500 people from Russia would be allowed to land at the airports of Athens, Thessaloniki and Heraklion per week during the period in question.
Health authorities reported 233 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours on Wednesday, raising the tally to 10,757. Another two people died, raising the death toll to 273.
Italy
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently in isolation at home, the staff of the 83-year-old media tycoon said on Wednesday.
Alberto Zangrillo, Berlusconi's personal physician at Milan's San Raffaele hospital, told AdnKronos news agency the former premier had no symptoms but had decided to test for COVID-19 because of his recent stay in Sardinia.
Berlusconi recently returned home from a holiday in Sardinia, which saw a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in August as tourists from all over the country descended on the Mediterranean island.
Italy, which has suffered one of Europe's worst outbreaks of COVID-19 with over 270,000 confirmed cases and some 35,500 deaths, has managed to contain the contagion since a peak in fatalities and infections in March and April.
However, the country recorded a steady increase in new cases in August, with experts blaming gatherings of people associated with holidays and nightlife.
Earlier on Wednesday, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said that the first shots of AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine could be on the market by the end of 2020.
Malta
Malta announced on Wednesday strict guidelines for the upcoming new school year, which is set to start at the end of September with fewer children in classrooms.
Desks would need to be 1.5 meters apart, and students will have their temperature taken upon entry into schools, health and education authorities said.
Children under three will not be required to wear masks. Primary school students will be required to wear masks only in common areas, where there is a chance of mixing with other children. In secondary schools, students will be expected to wear masks all the time.
Malta has so far reported 1,931 confirmed cases and 13 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Mexico
Mexico's health ministry on Wednesday reported 4,921 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 575 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 610,957 cases and 65,816 deaths.
The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
Morocco
Morocco registered 1,672 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking its tally to 65,453, the health ministry said.
The death toll rose by 32 to 1,216 while the number of recoveries increased by 1,435 to 50,357, , said Mouad Mrabet, coordinator of the Moroccan Center for Public Health Operations at the ministry, at a press briefing.
Netherlands
Dutch health authorities on Wednesday reported 734 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the largest one-day total since mid-August.
The Netherlands Institute for Health (RIVM) reported the numbers in a daily update. On Tuesday the RIVM's weekly summary had shown new cases approximately flat at around 500 per day over the previous two weeks.
As evidence grows that a century-old tuberculosis vaccine can protect against respiratory infections, the Netherlands will begin testing it on thousands of frail elderly people who are at elevated risk in the coronavirus pandemic.
Two new studies point to promising results for the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin shot, or BCG, against COVID-19, though research evaluating the vaccine’s direct potential against the new virus is months away from publishing results.
Colorful houses stand in a row on Svalbard archipelago on Aug 25, 2020 in Longyearbyen, Norway. (MAJA HITIJ / GETTY IMAGES / BLOOMBERG)
Norway
Norway has decided to ban sea cruises to Svalbard in order to limit the Arctic archipelago’s exposure to potential COVID-19 contagion.
The new restrictions will last until Nov 1 initially, and make an exception for day cruises starting and ending on Svalbard with vessels carrying a maximum of 30 people, the government said on its website on Thursday.
The ban further tightens restrictions on cruise activity in Norwegian waters following a coronavirus outbreak on a vessel operated by Hurtigruten Group AS this summer.
Peru
Peru will restart passenger air transport internationally on Oct 1 after it was suspended in March due to the coronavirus outbreak, Transport and Communications Minister Carlos Estremadoyro said on Wednesday.
Estremadoyro said his team had made proposals to airlines around biosecurity protocol and would look to resume flights to countries with open borders such as the United States, Mexico and Spain.
The government also on Wednesday approved the transfer of 500 million soles (US$141.5 million) into a guarantee fund for small companies working in the tourism sector.
Peru has the second-highest number of infections in South America after Brazil, rising to 652,037 on Tuesday and 28,944 deaths.
Russia
Russia reported 4,995 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing its national tally to 1,009,995, the fourth largest in the world.
Russia's coronavirus taskforce said 114 people had died over the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 17,528.
Russia has resumed international flights with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives, a government order published on Thursday showed.
The government said it had authorized three flights a week to Cairo, as well as two flights a week to Dubai and to the Maldives's Velana International Airport.
South Africa
South Africa has launched a new mobile application to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent a possible second wave of the virus, the Department of Health said Wednesday.
COVID Alert South Africa is a cutting-edge mobile application that uses the Exposure Notification system created by Apple and Google in line with global best practice. It uses Bluetooth technology to notify users if they have been in contact with coronavirus, including strangers in retail stores, in public transport or in any public space.
President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the launch of the app, saying it is "a significant milestone in our country's fight against coronavirus, and will play an important role in preventing a second wave of infections."
As of Wednesday, South Africa has recorded more than 630,000 COVID-19 cases, with 14,389 deaths, according to the department.
Teachers and auxiliary staff queue to take a COVID-19 test in Madrid, Spain, Sept 2, 2020. (PAUL WHITE / AP)
Spain
Spanish COVID-19 cases detected in the past 24 hours jumped on Wednesday to 3,663, from 2,731 reported on Tuesday, the country’s Health Ministry said.
Madrid, with 1,362, and the Basque Country with 524, were the two regions with the most new cases. Wednesday’s total is close to the four-month-high total of 3,829 total reported on Aug. 28.
Infections have increased since mid-July, fueled by social gatherings and by teenagers and young adults failing to respect hygiene and distancing rules.
Tunisia
Tunisia recorded 233 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, its highest daily increase in new coronavirus cases since the outbreak began on March 2, the Ministry of Health said.
The fresh infections took the tally to 4,196, the ministry said in a statement.
Total recoveries stood at 1,628 while the death toll reached 81, according to the statement.
UK
The weekly number of positive COVID-19 cases in England in late August was the highest since the end of May, the latest data from the test and trace scheme showed on Thursday.
NHS Test and Trace said 6,732 new people tested positive for COVID-19 in England between 20 August and 26 August - an increase of 6 percent in positive cases compared to the previous week.
Last week’s figures had shown the first decline in weekly COVID-19 cases since July.
There was an increase in the number of positive cases reached under the system, up to 81.4 percent from 75.2 percent, in the latest weekly figures, but a fall in the proportion of their contacts that were reached, down to 69.4 percent from 77.1 percent.
The test and trace scheme is seen as key to locating outbreaks quickly as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks to restore life in most of the country to normality while using local lockdowns to reduce transmission in COVID-19 hotspots.
Britain has also increased its capacity for testing since May.
Britain on Thursday said it was investing in trials of a 20 minute COVID-19 test, with a view to rolling out widespread, systematic testing to pick up outbreaks early, amid criticism over backlogs in its current testing system.
Asked on BBC television when it would be available for everyone, Health Minister Matt Hancock said: "Over the coming weeks and months ahead. We're starting the roll out today."
The UK's health ministry said it would put 500 million pounds (US$666 million) into trials of rapid COVID-19 tests and into population-testing for the disease
Earlier on Thursday, the health ministry said it would put 500 million pounds (US$666 million) into trials of rapid COVID-19 tests and into population-testing for the disease. The funding will be used to expand existing trials of saliva tests and a rapid 20-minute test in southern England.
A new, community trial in Salford, northwest England, will assess also the benefit of population-testing, under which people are regularly tested regardless of whether they have symptoms, so that any cases can be picked up before they have spread widely.
ALSO READ: Johnson retreats again, leaving UK virus plan in disarray
The UK recorded 1,508 daily confirmed cases of COVID-19, pushing the official tally to 338,676, according to government data published on Wednesday.
Ten people died within 28 days of testing positive for the disease, bringing the total death toll under that measure to 41,514, according to the data.
Faculty members from Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane administer COVID-19 tests to students at a mobile testing site on campus in Pullman, Washington, Sept 2, 2020. (GEOFF CRIMMINS / THE MOSCOW-PULLMAN DAILY NEWS VIA AP)
US
The United States will not join global efforts with the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop, manufacture and equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines, the Trump administration said Tuesday.
More than 170 countries are in talks to participate in COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility, a global initiative working with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries with access to safe and effective vaccines. Seventy-six wealthy nations are now committed to joining COVAX, the project’s co-lead told Reuters on Wednesday.
The US CDC has told states to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine to be ready by Nov 1 and asked them to remove obstacles that would prevent distribution sites from opening
However, White House spokesman Judd Deere said on Tuesday that the US will not participate because of the involvement of WHO, and "will not be constrained by multilateral organizations".
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has told states to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine to be ready by Nov 1 and asked them to remove obstacles that would prevent distribution sites from opening.
READ MORE: US orders up to 600m doses of Pfizer, BioNTech vaccine
The New York Times had earlier reported that the CDC had contacted officials in all 50 states and five large cities with the planning information.
The country’s top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Wednesday said on MSNBC that based on the patient enrollment rate in COVID-19 vaccine trials underway, there could be enough clinical data to know by November or December that one of the vaccines is safe and effective.
Documents by the CDC put online by the New York Times on Wednesday showed the CDC is preparing for one or two vaccines for COVID-19 to be available in limited quantities as soon as late October. The vaccines would be made available free of cost first to high-risk groups including healthcare workers, national security personnel, and nursing home residents and staff, the agency said in the documents.
The US has reported more than 6.1 million COVID-19 cases and over 185,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
