CDC guidance of evaluating and testing for Coronavirus

Official health update of what to do to Medical officers distributed by CDC - centres of Disease control and prevention 

Recognising the systems

1. fever/ short of breath - and sending them for testing - 
2. Someone who has been in close contact with a positively identified carrier

How to test for SARS-CoV-2. 

• collect and test upper respiratory tract specimens (nasopharyngeal AND oropharyngeal swabs).  
• test lower respiratory tract specimens, if available. 
• For patients who develop a productive cough, sputum should be collected and tested for SARS-CoV-2. The induction of sputum is not recommended. 
• For patients for whom it is clinically indicated (e.g., those receiving invasive mechanical ventilation), a lower respiratory tract aspirate or bronchoalveolar lavage sample should be collected and tested as a lower respiratory tract specimen. 
• Specimens should be collected as soon as possible once a PUI is identified, regardless of the time of symptom onset. 

How to handle specimens 

See Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens from Patients Under Investigation (PUIs) for COVID-19 (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/lab/guidelines-clinical-specimens.html) and Biosafety FAQs for handling and processing specimens from suspected cases and PUIs (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/biosafety-faqs.html).

https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020/han00428.asp

Explanation by World Health Organisation of what Coronavirus is and show it can be spread

Best Marketing Strategy Ever - Apple - think different

Unless  people buy into your values and core values .....which should not change ..... no matter how good your product is - you will be behind those that have clarity!!

Thi is Steve Jobs launch of his core value of “thinking different” 

Deep Learning and the Alpha Node - will you be the next victim of AI

No matter how experienced or qualified you are - your job will be effected by big data and the “AI machine”

Take the example of a recruiter in the IT industry 

Can your decisions and years of experience  be transformed into the "Decision Matrix” or the "alpha node"?

Thr “alpha node”  will make all the decisions and functioning in the organization on your behalf providing the requisite competitive advantage and that too with greater efficiency - based on big data and the deep neural networking learning  that will be calculated through the relevant algorithms of quantum computing. 

So let's find the ideal Post for an organisation 

The alpha node 

• will learn the skills, traits, and the intellectual map for the role.
• pool candidates that come from a certain sample space not leveraging the true pool of candidates. 
• would get access to candidates' digital profile mapping all the critical skills, along with the knowledge required. The bias of Harvard, MIT would end, as the cognitive construction that only those institutes produce top graduates invoking a bias. (Flawed?)
• The "alpha hire" would be bias-free and won't require degree and experience rather skill and that is what required by 2025 to survive for corporations.
• the vision would triumph in alpha hire rather than experience, the critical point is what can you do for an organization and how?? 
• The written or AI-based oral interviews can gauge the candidate's logical understanding, focusing on routine points of what have the candidate had done in the past; 
• post-selection may still be at your disposal? From bonuses to your efficiency - nope -  everything will be in under alpha node

The matrix is powerful and all situational based decision could be carried out by it. 

Maybe the HR data scientists will also be hired  by "alpha node" to keep innovating the model. 

So the competitive advantage of an organisation and simultaneously cost-cutting will make Corporation go for the "alpha node hire"

How can the “alpha node” respect diversity and vision before it's too late?

Is there a place for human gut feel and intuition? 

What do you think 

Innovation vs Process

We have been talking of how corporates need to innovate.... innovation comes from people who think differently - the misfits.....

Is there a place for misfits in an enterprise ?

I mean look at the stats - there are many creative “geniuses “ running around The Valley and Incubators around the world -  the reality is that 9 out of 10 start ups end bellyup...

It’s difficult to create a structure or organisation around these humans and innovators - it’s actually counterintuitive to the way they operate or want to operate.

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.  — Steve Jobs, 1997”

No matter how brilliant your product or service or innovation is - without a process to capture their genius it is just chaos.  

A culture of team and encouraging misfits, genius and brilliant jerks ….. Is their a place for both ? 

If so how do you do this ?

Also see “celebrating the misfits vs Atlassian ideal - is there place for both”

https://australianinnovation.blogspot.com/2019/08/so-do-you-celebrate-misfits-or-focus-on.html

Israel-linked solar firm to light up 87,000 homes and businesses in Burundi

Set on contracts for 10 renewable energy projects in Africa this year, Gigawatt Global follows up Rwanda mission with new 28-acre solar field in one of the world’s poorest nations

Read more

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-linked-solar-firm-to-light-up-87000-homes-and-businesses-in-burundi/

Entrepreneurs Programme - if you turnover between 1.5m and 10m - you could be eligible

Grants available 

1. Up to $40k for consultants to help you grow your business 

2. Using PhD or uni grads on specific projects - $50k per student and government matches payment (can have 2 )

3 a commercialisation grant $for$ - $100k - $3m - this is a long process - but we’ll worth it - if you get it.

Here is a great video of how the grant works....

Finland’s homelessness is in decline

Finnish homelessness is on decline as the country applies the “Housing First” concept. 

Those affected by homelessness receive a small apartment and counselling – without any preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected thus make their way back into a stable life. 

And: All this is cheaper than accepting homelessness.

In 2008 Helsinki had tent villages and huts standing between trees in its parks.  The Homeless couldn’t find jobs – without a housing address. And without any job, they couldn’t find a flat. It was a vicious circle. Furthermore, they had problems applying for social benefits. All in all, homeless people found themselves trapped.

In 2008 the Finnish Government started introducing “Housing First”  and has set a vision 

Nobody should have to live on the streets – every citizen should have a residence.

 How it’s done

Housing and counselling - and no preconditions 

The NGO -  “Y-Foundation” provides  housing for people in need. They take care of the construction themselves, buy flats on the private housing market and renovate existing flats. 

The apartments have one to two rooms. In addition to that,  emergency shelters have been converted into apartments in order to offer long-term tenancies. 

Homeless people turn into tenants with a tenancy agreement. They also have to pay rent and operating costs. Social workers, who have offices in the residential buildings, help with financial issues such as applications for social benefits.

Y-Foundation receives discounted loans from the state to buy housing. Additionally, social workers caring for the homeless and future tenants are paid by the state. 

The Finnish lottery supports the NGO when it buys apartments on the private housing market. The Y-Foundation also receives regular loans from banks. The NGO later uses the rental income to repay the loans.

“Housing First” help Homeless people get a flat – without any preconditions. Social workers help them with applications for social benefits and are available for counselling in general. In such a new, secure situation, it is easier for those affected to find a job and take care of their physical and mental health.

The result is impressive: 4 out of 5 homeless people will be able to keep their flat for a long time with “Housing First” and lead a more stable life.

In the last 10 years, the “Housing First” programme provided 4,600 homes in Finland. In 2017 there were still about 1,900 people living on the streets – but there were enough places for them in emergency shelters so that they at least didn’t have to sleep outside anymore.

Providing people with apartments is cheaper than leaving them on the street

Creating housing for people costs money. In the past 10 years, 270 million euros were spent on the construction, purchase and renovation of housing as part of the “Housing First” programme. 

However, CEO of housing first, Juha Kaakinen points out, this is far less than the cost of homelessness itself. Because when people are in emergency situations, emergencies are more frequent: Assaults, injuries, breakdowns. The police, health care and justice systems are more often called upon to step in – and this also costs money.

In comparison, “Housing First” is cheaper than accepting homelessness: Now, the state spends 15,000 euros less per year per homeless person than before.

No miracle cure – but a high success rate

With 4 out of 5 people keeping their flats, “Housing First” is effective in the long run. In 20 percent of the cases, people move out because they prefer to stay with friends or relatives – or because they don’t manage to pay the rent. But even in this case they are not dropped. They can apply again for an apartment and are supported again if they wish.

Of course, there is no guarantee for success. Especially homeless women are more difficult to reach: They conceal their emergency situation more often: They live on the streets less frequently and rather stay with friends or acquaintances.

In case of new replublication, please cite Kontrast.at/Kathrin Glösel as the Source/Author. The rights to the content remain with the original publisher.