The business of the state came to an abrupt halt Friday, as the Idaho Legislature recessed for at least two weeks in response to several lawmakers testing positive for COVID-19.

COVID - 19 Shuts Down Idaho Legislature

We talk with Geoff Wells, medical specialist and founder of the Covid Doctors' Network, about the latest outbreak of the Indian covid variant and the stage 4 lockdown ordered by the Victorian Labour Government. We discuss how to convince the community of the urgent need for mass vaccinations, effective contact tracing, safe quarantining, the dire economic fallout and why lockdowns just keep happening in Victoria.

Statewide Lockdown Threatens Victoria's Fragile Recovery

Live-to-air interviews: Nasty mucormycosis fungal infections wreak havoc in India; Victoria's 4th hard lockdown extended; limits of quarantine hotels; QR codes finally unified; highly contagious Indian (Delta) variant; Melbourne's 350+ exposure sites; comparing States performance against outbreaks.

Lockdown Radio - Indian 'Black Fungus' And Lockdown Extended In Victoria

Lockdown Radio - Indian 'Black Fungus' And 4th Lockdown Extended In Victoria

We could be entering a new and dangerous phase of the pandemic, with delta and other super contagious variants threatening populations around the world. Piers discusses what can be done to stem the tide: high tech and low tech options and the limits to what lockdowns can achieve.

The War Has Changed

Live-to-air radio interview with Piers Cunningham and Brendon Telfer. While Europe enjoys summer holidays, Australia's biggest cities are under wraps, with lockdowns extended as case numbers rise sharply in Sydney and remain stubbornly high for greater Melbourne. We discuss the limits of what lockdowns can achieve, vaccine certificates and how Oxford researchers are questioning the very notion of herd immunity.

Lockdown Radio - Covid Numbers Heading The Wrong Way In Sydney And Melbourne

Dr Richard Denniss scrutinises the Prime Minister's "safe plan" for opening up Australia in a COVID world, and debunks the political spin from government. Does the Doherty Institute's modelling support the plan? What does the modelling even say (in plain English)? And what are its underlying assumptions? Will lockdowns really be a thing of the past? Richard Denniss is the chief economist at The Australia Institute. Broadcast on 7 September 2021.

Triple R

Interview with Richard Denniss, the Doherty Modelling explained & Morrison's "safe plan" to open up

Health officials said Tuesday the Panhandle region’s coronavirus positivity rate is nearly double the state’s, and they pointed to the area being home to many who oppose vaccinations as the reason why.

North Idaho Remains COVID Hot Spot

Fracking in the NT and contact tracing are two different things.

4PR – Voice of the People · Covid – Not some casual observation on the NT

There are many issues of concern in the NT. Lack of suitable housing, kids being stolen by DOCs and more. But the Centre is not like the eastern seaboard … despite consistent attempts at colonisation by successive governments over many years, that process is not complete because people still have language, they have close clan connections and they still live on their homelands.

The Howard government’s intervention was a failure, it did not solve the housing problem or the stolen kids.

The aboriginal grandmother who took us over country showed us where government programs had been successful in the past. She says that her grand kids get a far better education than she did. Despite this our friend speaks four languages and is learning a fifth, French! This grandmother used to manage an $11M budget on country but under the intervention she has not been allowed to manage her own money and has been issued a Basics card.

Resistance to the mining industry is strong in the NT … not long after our visit Dianne Stokes and her grand daughter Kylie Sambo won a Federal Court case against dumping of uranium waste at Mukaty Station near Tennant Creek

In the 1980s Jacqui Katona and Yvonne Margarula stopped uranium mining on their (Mirrar) people’s land at Jabiluka in the NT.

What I am saying is the fascists are not in control in the Northern Territory … not yet anyway.

Song
Kylie Sambo - Mukaty

Don't waste the Territory

We speak with epidemiologist Dr. Theresa Chapple about how seemingly everyone became convinced that you can't catch covid outdoors, common misconceptions about the pandemic driven by an overwhelming focus on individual risk assessment, and lessons from her work in the field during the first two years of covid.

Follow Dr. Chapple @Theresa_Chapple

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episode transcript: www.deathpanel.net/transcripts/outdoor-transmission-theresa-chapple

Death Panel

Death Panel Episode 348 Outdoor Transmission w/ Dr. Theresa Chapple (06/09/22)

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Outdoor Transmission w/ Dr. Theresa Chapple (06/09/22)

View the full recording with Dr. Park's slide presentation on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/440529103

How have European economies differed in policy response to South Korea’s Smart Management System (SMS) for massive tracking of COVID-19? Dr. Park’s research examined the institutional variance of digital contact tracing apps to combat COVID-19 across four different democratic systems, with a case analysis of digitally driven South Korea and the three major economies of Europe – Germany, France and the UK post-Brexit. A comparative analysis of decision making toward digital contact tracing apps to combat COVID-19 was presented in order to gauge a) institutional preparedness for digitalization, b) thresholds for personal data protection and c) policy preferences on foreign influence in the digital domain. By highlighting the variations of policy responses on digital contact tracing by major European economies, this research provided an insight into the projected difficulties in global regulation of AI, such as the proposed Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) at the OECD in June 2020. The research also shed some light upon Europe’s positioning on 5G roll-outs and digital taxation in the age of AI amid the decoupling of the U.S. and China, and explored avenues for cooperation between South Korea and the EU as they enter the second decade of strategic partnership.

Dr. Pacheco Pardo discussed the Europe-Korea/East Asia trade and economic relations dimensions, as well as the strategic partnership cooperation dimension, building from Dr. Park’s presentation.

Panelists:
Dr. June Park, Political Economist and Next Generation Researcher, National Research Foundation of Korea(EWCW Asia Studies Visiting Fellow, 2015)
Dr. Park's Asia Pacific Bulletin: https://www.eastwestcenter.org/publications/tracking-covid-19-in-the-age-ai-and-tech-wars

Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo
KF-VUB Korea Chair, Institute for European Studies, Free University of Brussels-VUB, & Reader (Associate Professor) in International Relations, King's College London

Moderator:
Dr. Satu P. Limaye, Vice President, East-West Center & Director, East-West Center in Washington

Recorded:
Friday, July 17, 2020

EastWestCenter.org/Washington
@EWCinWashington

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Comparing South Korea’s COVID-19 Tracking with Europe

KMR 907b

COVID-19 has changed the world in dramatic ways. Contact tracing emerged as an approach to fight the pandemic’s spread and save lives. The idea is to notify people who have been in close contact with another person who tests positive for the virus. This should allow the contacted individuals to self-quarantine and take measures not to spread the virus before experiencing symptoms or otherwise learning that they are infected.

Australia, a country of about 25 million, has an App called CovidSafe, developed and owned by the federal government. By October 1, 2020, it has been downloaded by about 27% of Australians. The government target is 40%. Sign-up is voluntary. To register, a person provides name, mobile number, postcode and age range. The App must be open on a user’s smartphone with Bluetooth enabled. It does not use GPS location technology. Persons in close proximity for at least 15 minutes will be identified as App contacts and eligible for future notices in case one person learns of a positive Covid test – and if the individual consents to notifying others about this.

Results are mixed. In this podcast, Kelly Dickson, a principal lawyer of the Australian law firm of Macpherson Kelley(www.mk.com.au), explains the CovidSafe App and discusses how data privacy and healthcare intertwine.

How does CovidSafe work? The app recognizes other registered users’ devices and uploads data to cloud-based central storage controlled by the federal government. Notices go to persons who had close contact when another person posts a positive test. The data is shared with others for 21 days from each contact on a rolling basis, though the Health Ministry may keep the data longer for public health purposes. Encryption and cybersecurity aim to protect the sensitive data and to convince Australians that their personal data is highly secure and shared only for the purpose of public health.

Great idea - but how’s it working? Critics say it’s not working as it was conceived. Limited participation and consent result in an undercount of those infected and so limit the impact of the effort. Having smartphone apps live constantly has resulted in a report of loss of functionality and battery drain. When phones lock, the App does not function as intended. There have been inevitable bugs and fixes for the App, which was rushed into a prompt launch.

States and territories have their own tracing methodologies (some in traditional hard copy format), with varying work and other restrictions in force. While workplaces are required to have a CovidSafe plan in place, this requires significant human intervention and is prone to haphazard error. Different states report varying degrees of take-up, support and efficacy.

Will sensitive healthcare information be misused? While a targeted federal statute covers the security of App collected and shared data, users control whether positive test information will be shared. If a person tests positive, that person may consent – or not – to share the data – and without consent, the system will not accomplish its purpose of notifying others.

There’s a CovidSafe Data Store where information is held in the cloud, leaving the possibility of hackers’ accessing both data in flight to and from the cloud and within the Store.

September 2020 polling showed a skeptical public, with 57% concerned about security and only 41% confident the government would protect the privacy of data collected. This is despite strong support from the Prime Minister and a lack of overly divisive public sentiment akin to the USA’s mask/no-mask divide. Some critics are concerned that Amazon holds the data or that it is otherwise retained or accessed outside of Australia.

If you have ideas for more interviews or stories, please email info@thedataprivacydetective.com.

Data Privacy Detective Podcast

Episode 54 - Contact Tracing Apps and Australia

Kara Suvada, CAS/BS ’17, a public health graduate student at Emory University and a fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, knows from experience, having worked from May until August as a contact tracer for the Georgia Department of Public Health. 

Suvada virtually joined the 30 Minutes On… podcast in October to fill us in on her summer on the phone. Not only did her experience reveal peoples’ fears amid a pandemic with no end in sight, but it also reminded Suvada, one call at a time, about the importance of appreciating context and focusing on equity as a public health practitioner.

30 Minutes On... Contact Tracing (with Kara Suvada, CAS/BS '17)

Roy L Hales / Cortes Currents - This past week was the deadliest British Columbia has seen since the pandemic began. Dr Bonnie Henry reported 24 new deaths yesterday, which brings the total number of fatalities since last Friday to 105. The number of active cases in the province is close to 10,000.

However there is also good news. 

British Columbia's first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were given to front line health care workers on Tuesday. A small shipment, possibly consisting of two trays of vaccine, will arrive on Vancouver Island next week. 

The number of active COVID cases is falling on Vancouver Island. 

There were 19 active cases reported in North Vancouver Island yesterday. Only two weeks ago, there were 41. 

Thanks to prompt action by the Klahoose First Nation’s emergency operation team, there are no known active cases on Cortes Island. But Island Health does not report the whereabouts of individual cases. So the public does not know when the virus actually reached Cortes and, to paraphrase Dr Charmaine Enns, Medical Health Officer for North Vancouver Island, it is best to assume it is still among us.

In the podcast, Dr Enns describes contact tracing and close encounters  

photo credit: Syringes with bottle with COVID 19 vaccine on white background by Marco Verch, Professional Photographer, via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Cortes Currents

This past week: COVID in North Vancouver Island

Contact tracing is seen as essential to protecting students, faculty and staff from COVID-19 outbreaks as colleges and universities remain vigilant in keeping their campuses open.

Stephen Savas, vice president for Splunk’s government and education business in the western United States, says higher education leaders can use data to their advantage for contact tracing using technologies they likely have in place on campus.

He shares ways to harness data to support for contact tracing efforts on campus in a new podcast. Sponsored by Splunk.

Editor’s Note: Splunk advises that, “Any use of Splunk Interaction Analytics is likely to implicate certain state, local and federal privacy and/or data laws. Please consult any necessary professionals to ensure that your implementation is fully compliant with all applicable laws and regulations. Further, effective implementation of the tool is dependent upon significant participation by data sources and the consents provided by individuals.”

Guest: Stephen Savas, Vice President, Government and Education Business, Splunk

Host: Wyatt Kash, SVP, Content Strategy, Scoop News Group

Look for more coverage of “IT Modernization in Higher Education” on www.edscoop.com/listen

Using Interaction Analytics to address public safety on campus

Covid-19: GES to increase surveillance in schools against cases, contact tracing

Professor Mary-Louise McLaws is an epidemiologist at UNSW, and a member of the WHO’s Advisory Panel for Infection, Prevention and Control Preparedness and Response to COVID-19. Mary-Louise returns for an in-depth look at best practice contact tracing methods and what should be improved  in Australia, as well as the evidence for the airborne spread of COVID-19 via aerosol particles. Mary-Louise shares what appropriate ventilation systems should be in place in schools and workplaces in order to reduce airborne transmission and how to do this. She also discusses 'Long-COVID' - the now widely known fact that COVID-19 causes medium and potentially long-term chronic illness and disability in approximately 1 in 5 people, including in previously healthy adults. Broadcast on 8 December 2020.

Interview with Mary-Louise McLaws on the airborne spread of COVID-19, contact tracing, & Long COVID

«Herzlich willkommen beim Contact Tracing des Kantons Zürich. Momentan sind alle Ansprechpartner besetzt. Die Wartezeit bdauert in der Regel zwischen 4 und 10 Minuten. Vielen Dank für Ihr Verständnis und Ihre Geduld. Bitte bleiben Sie am Apparat.» So lautet es, wenn Anrufende die Contact Tracing-Hotline anrufen. Und dann ertönt der neue und eigens für die "Warteschlaufe" komponierte Song von Andrew Bond …

Andrews Song für Contact Tracing-Hotline des Kantons Zürich

Law Society President Rebecca Sandford speaks to ABC Radio Adelaide's David Bevan about SA's QR code check-in system and the protection of users' privacy

QR code check-ins during COVID-19

Cortes Currents is a news platform that asks what's current in Cortes and the Discovery Islands. Web articles & radio podcasts: Cortes Island, Quadra Island, Discovery Islands, Campbell River: news, lifestyle, local politics, affordable housing, economy, food security, health, ferries, tourism, history,  culture, environmental issues, sustainable forestry, oyster farming, the arts, First Nations, energy, climate change, overshoot

Broadcast every Tuesday at 11am AEDT on Radio Port Phillip 98.7 or 98.3 FM. It’s your weekly dose of science and technology.

Including features on cool gadgets, website reviews, the latest science and IT news, not to mention astronomy and space exploration.

http://beyondinfinity.com.au/

Special thanks to John Young, Paul Wattie, Steve Meyers, Brendon Telfer and the team at RPPfm.

4PR - Voice of the People is a podcast about class, culture and country.
We believe that change can come only through revolution and participation by working class people.  Conditions in time and place must be understood and acted upon.  Workers of all countries unite! 
[Podcasting since 2011}

Andrew Bond zählt heute mit über 700‘000 verkauften Tonträgern zu den erfolgreichsten Kinderliedermachern und Musikern der Schweiz. Auch wenn ihn vielleicht der eine oder andere Erwachsene nicht oder noch nicht kennt: die Kinder kennen und singen seine Lieder dafür in- und auswendig.

Aus den meisten Familienstuben, Kindergärten und Schulzimmern der Deutschschweiz sind seine einfühlsam getexteten und melodiösen Kompositionen heute nicht mehr wegzudenken. Entsprechend haben sich einige seiner CDs wie «Zimetschtern han i gern», «Suneschtraal tanz emaal», «Schternefeischter» oder auch «Mitsing*Wienacht» zu wahren Klassikern entwickelt.

Andrew Bond gibt über 100 Konzerte pro Jahr in der Schweiz, in den meisten Fällen vor ausverkauftem Haus. Besonders auffällig an seinen Konzerten sind die Kinder in den ersten Reihen direkt vor der Bühne, die mit grossen und strahlenden Augen die Lieder nicht selten Wort für Wort mitsingen.

Enhances US engagement and dialogue with the Indo-Pacific region through East-West Center programs and the Asia Matters for America initiative.

Data privacy is the footprint of our existence. It is our persona beyond ourselves, with traces of us scattered from birth certificates, Social Security numbers, shopping patterns, credit card histories, photographs, mugshots and health records. In a digital world, where memory is converted to 0’s and 1’s, then instantly transformed into a reproduction even in 3D, personal data is an urgent personal and collective subject. Those who wish to live anonymous lives must take extraordinary measures to succeed in that improbable quest, while those who hope for friendship or fame through the spread of their personal data must learn how to prevent theft of their identity and bank account. 

If you have ideas for interviews or stories, please email info@thedataprivacydetective.com.

The internet in its blooming evolution makes personal data big business – for government, the private sector and denizens of the dark alike. The Data Privacy Detective explores how governments balance the interests of personal privacy with competing needs for public security, public health and other communal goods. It scans the globe for champions, villains, protectors and invaders of personal privacy and for the tools and technology used by individuals, business and government in the great competition between personal privacy and societal good order.

We’ll discuss how to guard our privacy by safeguarding the personal data we want to protect. We’ll aim to limit the access others can gain to your sensitive personal data while enjoying the convenience and power of smartphones, Facebook, Google, EBay, PayPal and thousands of devices and sites. We’ll explore how sinister forces seek to penetrate defenses to access data you don’t want them to have. We’ll discover how companies providing us services and devices collect, use and try to exploit or safeguard our personal data.

And we’ll keep up to date on how governments regulate personal data, including how they themselves create, use and disclose it in an effort to advance public goals in ways that vary dramatically from country to country. For the public good and personal privacy can be at odds. On one hand, governments try to deter terrorist incidents, theft, fraud and other criminal activity by accessing personal data, by collecting and analyzing health data to prevent and control disease and in other ways most people readily accept. On the other hand, many governments view personal privacy as a fundamental human right, with government as guardian of each citizen’s right to privacy. How authorities regulate data privacy is an ongoing balance of public and individual interests. We’ll report statutes, regulations, international agreements and court decisions that determine the balance in favor of one or more of the competing interests. And we’ll explore innovative efforts to transcend government control through blockchain and other technology.

In audio posts of 5 to 10 minutes each, you’ll get tips on how to protect your privacy, updates on government efforts to protect or invade personal data, and news of technological developments that shape the speed-of-bit world in which our personal data resides.

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"THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT."

Long-form conversations about politics and current events, international affairs, history, art, books, and the natural world – presented by Amy Mullins, Tuesdays 9am-noon on Triple R 102.7FM.

EdScoop features the latest news and conversations among the top leaders driving technology and digital learning in K-12 and higher education. We uniquely attract influential IT policy and decision makers at the federal, state and local education levels.

Politics, culture, and public policy from the left. Stay alive another week.

w/ Beatrice Adler-Bolton, Artie Vierkant, and Phil Rocco. 

https://www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

30 Minutes On... is a podcast from American University magazine, published with each issue. We dive deep into interesting subjects and stories by speaking with experts who are members of the AU community. Visit our website at american.edu/magazine/

The Bonner County Daily Bee is a daily newspaper serving Bonner and Boundary counties in Idaho. We are the number one source of news in the community.

New tracks tagged #contact tracing