Month: November 2021

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Over 600,000 Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive in Laos

Today, a donation of more than 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in the Lao PDR through the COVAX Facility – a partnership co-lead by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization (WHO), with UNICEF as key delivery partner – making this the sixth shipment of vaccines provided by COVAX to the Lao PDR following a recent donation in early November.

The new allotment of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines consists of a direct contribution of 132,000 doses from the COVAX Facility and separate dose sharing donations of the same vaccine from Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands through the COVAX Facility.

Dose sharing is a rapid way of closing the immediate supply gap. The Lao PDR has been provided 100,800 doses by Finland, 199,200 doses from Sweden as well as 199,200 doses from the Netherlands.

“The Government of the Lao PDR welcomes this new shipment of vaccines from the COVAX Facility and would like to thank the Governments of Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands for their highly valuable contribution of doses, which will support the Lao PDR in its ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign, especially now that we have set a new target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the total population by the end of 2021,” said Minister of Health Bounfeng Phoummalaysith.

These vaccines will be primarily used to vaccinate those who are at risk of severe COVID-19 but have not received all recommended doses yet. The priority groups include frontline workers including healthcare workers, elderly aged 60 years and above, people with underlying health conditions, pregnant people, and essential workers including school teachers and staff across the country in line with the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan.

“I am honored and proud to see the contribution of European countries including Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Lao PDR. This gesture of solidarity from Team Europe as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism will help Laos at this critical time because no one is safe until everyone is safe. To make sure the COVID-19 reaches everyone, especially the most vulnerable, the EU is working tirelessly to bring more vaccines to Laos in the coming weeks,” stated European Union Ambassador to the Lao PDR Ina Marciulionyte.

Lao PDR has been making steady progress in vaccinating the population against COVID-19, with over 3.7 million people (about 51 per cent of the population) having already received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination and over 3 million (about 42 per cent of the population) having received all recommended doses as of 21 November.

“These COVID-19 vaccines are proven safe and effective in preventing severe disease and death. As local cases increase in the country, the vaccines will contribute towards mitigating community transmission of the virus in the Lao PDR when implemented with public health and social measures. These are also vital to end the pandemic and accelerate global recovery,” said WHO Representative to Lao PDR Jun Gao.

“It is great to see more COVID-19 vaccines arrive in the Lao PDR and the current progress that we are making in vaccinating the population. UNICEF is delighted to have played a part in this endeavour and COVAX’s global mission towards ensuring vaccine equity,” stated UNICEF Representative to the Lao PDR Pia Rebello Britto.

Gavi board members represented in the Lao PDR include Australia, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and CEPI, working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, civil society organizations, manufacturers, and others. COVAX is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.

Source: Lao News Agency

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Speeding, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol Common Among Drivers in Vientiane, Road Safety Survey Finds

Almost three-quarters of drivers in Vientiane routinely break speed limits and nearly a third of evening motorists have been drinking alcohol, new research on the country’s growing road crash problem shows.

Motorcycle helmet use is limited, while risk-taking behavior among drivers is prevalent, according to surveys conducted by the Department of Transport and the Traffic Police Department, with technical and financial support from the World Bank.

The research, which is supplemented by testimonies from road accident survivors, comes amid rising accidents and fatalities. The work is expected to help implementation of the government’s Road Safety Action Plan, which has recently been drafted and is now being reviewed.

“Road safety is a major public health issue, just like the eradication of dengue or malaria,” said Alex Kremer, World Bank Country Manager for Lao PDR. “The hard data on driver behavior and accidents unfortunately confirm the tragic personal experiences of thousands of Lao people, and obviously it will take leadership, commitment, time, and sustained effort to make our roads safe.”

Over a thousand people are killed on the roads in Laos each year, with many more suffering physical injuries and trauma after crashes. The number and severity of crashes has been increasing: total annual crashes rose by 35% between 2010 and 2020, while the number of fatalities increased by 67%. Road accidents and deaths have continued to increase in recent months despite many provinces being under lockdown due to COVID-19, according to the Traffic Police Department.

The accounts of crash survivors collected by the Department of Transport and a World Bank team are testimony to the severe impact of accidents on personal health and family finances. Survivors express a desire for greater focus on road safety, and enforcement of traffic rules such as control of speeding, drunk-driving, and helmet use.

Roadside surveys found that 73% of vehicles at selected intersections in Vientiane were travelling over the speed limit, with younger drivers most likely to be speeding. Approximately one in three drivers tested positive for alcohol, and most of these were more than double the legal alcohol driving limit. Over a six-hour survey period, almost 600 motorbike riders and 500 car drivers were over the alcohol limit. By comparison, only 1,564 drunk-driving offenses were registered by the traffic police nationwide in 2020.

The surveys further documented that only 64% of motorcycle riders were wearing helmets, with females more likely than men to be wearing one. Alarmingly, only 10% of child passengers wore helmets. The surveys also found a significant decline in helmet use over the course of each day, with fewer motorcyclists properly equipped in the evening. In addition, turning without indicating was common, as was running through red traffic lights, especially at night.

The research, carried out with funding support from UK Aid through the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility, forms part of the Bank’s commitment to helping Laos improve road safety. Other initiatives supported by the Bank are road safety campaigns for students and communities living along project roads, support for the police on road-safety law enforcement, capacity building on road safety audits, road safety infrastructure assessments, and development of an online database to record crashes nationwide.

Improving road safety is critical to the World Bank’s twin goals of eradicating extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity. Globally, low- and middle-income countries suffer 90% of road crash deaths and up to 50 million injuries annually. These deaths and injuries frequently lead to economic hardship, and in many cases poverty. Crash deaths and injuries drain human capital and limit economic growth. In Laos, road crashes are the number one cause of death for 5-14-year-olds, the number two cause of death for 15-49-year-olds, and the number one cause of disability for the entire population.

Through the National Road Safety Strategy 2030, the Government of the Lao PDR is expressing a commitment to address road safety issues, and its vision is to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on the roads. A 2030 target of a 50% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries has been set.

Source: Lao News Agency

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New Twitter CEO Steps From Behind the Scenes to High Profile

Newly named Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has emerged from behind the scenes to take over one of Silicon Valley’s highest-profile and politically volatile jobs.

But his prior lack of name recognition, coupled with a solid technical background, appears to be what some big company backers were looking for to lead Twitter out of its current morass.

A 37-year-old immigrant from India, Agrawal comes from outside the ranks of celebrity CEOs, which include the man he’s replacing, Jack Dorsey, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg or SpaceX and Tesla’s Elon Musk. Those brand-name company founders and leaders have often been in the news — and on Twitter — for exploits beyond the day-to-day running of their companies.

Having served as Twitter’s chief technology officer for the past four years, Agrawal’s appointment was seen by Wall Street as a choice of someone who will focus on ushering Twitter into what’s widely seen as the internet’s next era — the metaverse.

Agrawal is a “‘safe’ pick who should be looked upon as favorably by investors,” wrote CFRA Research analyst Angelo Zino, who noted that Twitter shareholder Elliott Management Corp. had pressured Dorsey to step down.

Elliott released a statement Monday saying Agrawal and new board chairman Bret Taylor were the “right leaders for Twitter at this pivotal moment for the company.” Taylor is president and chief operating officer of the business software company Salesforce.

Agrawal joins a growing cadre of Indian American CEOs of large tech companies, including Sundar Pichai of Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and IBM’s Arvind Krishna.

He joined San Francisco-based Twitter in 2011, when it had just 1,000 employees, and has been its chief technical officer since 2017. At the end of last year, the company had a workforce of 5,500.

Agrawal previously worked at Microsoft, Yahoo and AT&T in research roles. At Twitter, he’s worked on machine learning, revenue and consumer engineering and helping with audience growth. He studied at Stanford and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

While Twitter has high-profile users like politicians and celebrities and is a favorite of journalists, its user base lags far behind old rivals like Facebook and YouTube and newer ones like TikTok. It has just over 200 million daily active users, a common industry metric.

As CEO, Agrawal will have to step beyond the technical details and deal with the social and political issues Twitter and social media are struggling with. Those include misinformation, abuse and effects on mental health.

Agrawal got a fast introduction to life as CEO of a high-profile company that’s one of the central platforms for political speech online. Conservatives quickly unearthed a tweet he sent in 2010 that read “If they are not gonna make a distinction between muslims and extremists, then why should I distinguish between white people and racists.”

As some Twitter users pointed out, the 11-year-old tweet was quoting a segment on “The Daily Show,” which was referencing the firing of Juan Williams, who made a comment about being nervous about Muslims on an airplane.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a message for comment on the tweet.

Source: Voice of America

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Biden Meets with CEOs on Supply Chain Issues

U.S. President Joe Biden met at the White House Monday with chief executives of major retailers to learn about supply chain challenges during the busy holiday season.

“The business leaders we gathered here today represent a broad swath of American shopping: brick and mortar and online stores, national and local grocery chains, our nation’s largest retailer, and makers and sellers of toys, electronics and health supplies,” the president said.

“I want to hear from each of you about what you’re seeing this holiday season,” he told the business leaders.

The Biden administration has been struggling to fix supply chain problems, including backlogged ports and a shortage of truck drivers to haul goods across the country. The supply chain issues, fuel prices that rose markedly earlier this year and other factors have contributed to rising U.S. inflation.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said, “While we’re all concerned about the supply chain, we have more inventory than we did a year ago, and we have the inventory that we need to be able to support the business.”

He told the meeting virtually, “We are seeing progress. The port and transit delays are improving.” Walmart has seen a 26% increase in shipping containers getting through U.S. ports in the past month, according to McMillon.

Food Lion President Meg Ham told the meeting the company’s supply chain “is strong and robust, and we have ample product inside of our stores for customers to choose from during this holiday.”

The White House said other participants at Monday’s meeting, both in person and virtual, included the CEOs of Best Buy, Samsung North America, Qurate Retail Group, Todos Supermarket, Etsy, Mattel, CVS Health and Kroger.

Source: Voice of America

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UN: Pandemic to Cost Global Tourism $2.0 Trillion in 2021

The coronavirus pandemic will cost the global tourism sector $2.0 trillion in lost revenue in 2021, the U.N.’s tourism body said Monday, calling the sector’s recovery “fragile” and “slow.”

The forecast from the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization comes as Europe is grappling with a surge in infections and as a new heavily mutated COVID-19 variant, dubbed Omicron, spreads across the globe.

International tourist arrivals will this year remain 70-75% below the 1.5 billion arrivals recorded in 2019 before the pandemic hit, a similar decline as in 2020, according to the body.

The global tourism sector already lost $2.0 trillion (1.78 trillion euros) in revenues last year due to the pandemic, according to the UNWTO, making it one of sectors hit hardest by the health crisis.

While the U.N. body charged with promoting tourism does not have an estimate for how the sector will perform next year, its medium-term outlook is not encouraging.

“Despite the recent improvements, uneven vaccination rates around the world and new Covid-19 strains” such as the Delta variant and Omicron “could impact the already slow and fragile recovery,” it said in a statement.

The introduction of fresh virus restrictions and lockdowns in several nations in recent weeks shows how “it’s a very unpredictable situation,” UNWTO head Zurab Pololikashvili told AFP.

“It’s a historical crisis in the tourism industry but again tourism has the power to recover quite fast,” he added ahead of the start of the WTO’s annual general assembly in Madrid on Tuesday.

“I really hope that 2022 will be much better than 2021.”

While international tourism has taken a hit from the outbreak of disease in the past, the coronavirus is unprecedented in its geographical spread.

In addition to virus-related travel restrictions, the sector is also grappling with the economic strain caused by the pandemic, the spike in oils prices and the disruption of supply chains, the UNWTO said.

Pololikashvili urged nations to harmonize their virus protocols and restrictions because tourists “are confused and they don’t know how to travel.”

International tourist arrivals “rebounded” during the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere thanks to increased travel confidence, rapid vaccination and the easing of entry restrictions in many nations, the UNWTO said.

“Despite the improvement in the third quarter, the pace of recovery remains uneven across world regions due to varying degrees of mobility restrictions, vaccination rates and traveller confidence,” it added.

Arrivals in some islands in the Caribbean and South Asia, and well as some destinations in southern Europe, came close to, or sometimes exceeded pre-pandemic levels in the third quarter.

Other countries, however, hardly saw any tourists at all, particularly in Asia and the Pacific, where arrivals were down 95% compared to 2019 as many destinations remained closed to non-essential travel.

A total of 46 destinations — 21% of all destinations worldwide — currently have their borders completely closed to tourists, according to the UNWTO.

A further 55 have their borders partially closed to foreign visitors, while just four nations have lifted all virus-related restrictions — Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Mexico.

The future of the travel sector will be in focus at the WTO annual general assembly, which will run until Friday.

The event — which brings together representatives from 159 members states of the U.N. body — was original scheduled to be held in Marrakesh.

But Morocco in late October decided not to host the event due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in many countries.

Before the pandemic, the tourism sector accounted for about 10% of the world’s gross domestic product and jobs.

Source: Voice of America

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Philips spotlights new and enhanced vendor-neutral radiology workflow solutions and scalable smart connected imaging systems at RSNA 2021

November 28, 2021

  • Robust portfolio of modality and PACS vendor-neutral radiology workflow solutions supports radiologists, technologists and administrators with integrated, automated AI-driven informatics to streamline workflows
  • Smart connected systems improve access to data and support advanced analytics and reporting for all aspects of the radiology service, from patient management and acquisition to interpretation and referral management
  • New enterprise scalable solutions across CT, MR, ultrasound, X-ray, informatics and image-guided therapy increase diagnostic confidence and efficiency in precision diagnosis and treatment

Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Chicago, USA – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, will showcase how the company’s portfolio of vendor-neutral radiology workflow solutions and enterprise-scalable smart connected imaging systems is helping to increase diagnostic confidence and efficiency during the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting (November 28 – December 2, Chicago, USA). The company’s new and enhanced solutions feature an integrated approach across the imaging enterprise focused on critical areas to help meet the challenges facing radiology today.

Radiologists are often required to manage complex, disconnected workflows which negatively impact patient care and outcomes, staff experience, and cost. It is estimated that 20-50% of all radiological exams are of low value [1], while COVID-19 continues to compound the challenges facing radiologists, with 45% of radiology technologists and imaging directors reporting moderate or severe levels of job stress [2]. By taking a systems view of imaging and  radiology, Philips is helping to meet these challenges with a portfolio of end-to-end radiology solutions, allowing clinicians to confidently offer early and definitive precision diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment while managing complex operational challenges.

New smart connected imaging systems reinforce Philips’ leadership in sustainability
In 2018, Philips became the first health technology company to have its CO2 emission targets assessed and approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). In the most recent Future Health Index 2021 report commissioned by Philips, 58% of healthcare leaders expect sustainability to be a top priority in three years’ time. At RSNA 2021, Philips will demonstrate its continued leadership in introducing innovative technologies designed to make the world healthier and more sustainable.

Philips Radiology Workflow solutions and smart connected systems unveiled at RSNA  
Philips will reveal its new MR 5300, which recently received 510(k) clearance from the FDA. The new system simplifies and automates complex clinical and operational tasks with helium-free for life MR operations, driving consistent quality and sustainability for outpatient imaging centers and MR departments. MR 5300 brings advanced capabilities in a workhorse system scalable to the enterprise. Additional new AI-enhanced systems and solutions being introduced across MR include the new MR 7700 system [3], designed to deliver Philips’ highest quality diffusion imaging and advanced neuroscience sequences; Philips SmartSpeed [4], powered by the industry leading Compressed SENSE speed engine and award-winning AI technology [5], delivering fast, high-quality imaging for every patient; and MR Workspace with AI assistance, the intuitive new radiology workflow solution designed to empower technologists to enhance productivity and predictability.

Philips will also spotlight its enterprise-scalable systems in CT and ultrasound with the next generation of its CT 5100 – Incisive system, featuring the launch of CT Smart Workflow [6] and the latest release of Philips ultrasound systems EPIQ Elite and Affiniti, to allow comprehensive management and tracking of early-stage liver disease. In addition, Philips will showcase its recently released award-winning Spectral CT 7500, the latest intelligent system from Philips to deliver high quality spectral images for every patient on every scan, 100% of the time, to help improve disease characterization and reduce rescans and follow-ups – all at the same dose levels as conventional scans.

Expanding its leadership portfolio in image-guided therapy, Philips will preview the world’s first spectral detector angio-CT solution combining the company’s unique Spectral CT 7500 system and its Image-Guided Therapy System – Azurion with FlexArm in a single interventional suite solution. It aims to give interventionalists immediate table-side access to these two key imaging modalities so they can perform procedures requiring both CT and angio guidance in one room.

“It’s very exciting to be back at RSNA, both in person and through our robust virtual experience, presenting our newest advanced technology focused on patient-centric, sustainable and precise radiology solutions,” said Kees Wesdorp, Chief Business Leader of Precision Diagnosis at Philips. “Last year at RSNA 2020, we launched our Radiology Workflow solutions that connect and streamline radiology operations across the enterprise. This year, we are pleased to showcase the momentum our customers are experiencing with those solutions, and to build on that success with our newest patient-centric, AI-enabled radiology systems and solutions designed to enhance clinical confidence and staff efficiency and strengthen our leadership position in radiology.”

Year-over-year growth and momentum for Philips Radiology Workflow solutions
Philips’ vendor-neutral Radiology Workflow solutions help reduce variability and staff workload, increase productivity and enhance the patient experience. Over the past year, Philips has seen rapid adoption and successful performance for Radiology Operations Command Center, a critical component of its Radiology Workflow solutions. The vendor-neutral, multi-modality telepresence solution seamlessly connects imaging experts at a command center with technologists at scan locations across their organization, to centrally monitor every MR and CT scanner within a network from a single location. These capabilities are further extended to Philips ultrasound with Collaboration Live.  Earlier this year, Philips announced a partnership with Alliance Medical to roll out a pilot implementation of Philips’ command center across multiple locations in the UK. With an estimated shortage of 6,000 radiologists, radiographers, and advanced practitioners throughout the UK, Philips is supporting radiology departments to deal with the patient backlog and growing demand – and a radiology workforce under severe pressure – to help improve the quality and delivery of services in both the short and long term.

Illuminating the path to precision care at RSNA
Philips will demonstrate its ongoing leadership in patient management and engagement with solutions that are fully integrated into its suite of smart connected imaging systems. Featured solutions include Philips Patient Navigation Manager and the new Philips Pediatric Coaching solution, using gamification and ‘buddy system’ techniques to prepare children and their parents ahead of and during their MRI procedure to significantly enhance the patient experience.

Philips’ intuitive, AI-driven smart workflow solutions are designed to empower radiology technologists at the point of image acquisition for more confident, efficient, patient-centered care. In addition to the new AI-enhanced innovations across MR, CT, and image-guided therapy, ​AI-enabled smart workflows debuting at RSNA also include Philips Radiology Smart Assistant, designed to help radiographers improve chest X-ray acquisition accuracy with constant quality analysis and feedback.

Supporting radiologists with integrated, AI-driven enterprise scalable platforms for smart reading and reporting, Philips Clinical Workflow Management solution brings together worklist management (Workflow Orchestrator), advanced visualization (IntelliSpace Portal), clinical collaboration tools, and Interactive Multimedia Reporting into one streamlined workspace. To enable administrators with tools and data insights for continuous performance improvement, Philips Enterprise Performance Analytics – PerformanceBridge – operational informatics platform is delivering results for health systems, reducing scan times while increasing volume and streamlining operations.

More information on Philips’ newest portfolio of Radiology Workflow solutions and smart connected imaging systems featured at RSNA is available in this Philips RSNA 2021 press backgrounder.

Philips’ participation in RSNA symposiums and webinars  
Philips will be hosting two symposia with Philips executives and thought leaders during RSNA. A virtual symposium on ‘Aligning enterprise workflows: Redesigning radiology around the patient’ will take place on November 29 at 7:00am CST. An in-person corporate symposium on ‘Enabling the digital future for the patient, the radiologist and the healthcare system’ will take place on November 30 at 9:30am CST. For more information on these sessions (including how attendees can participate in the live Q&A portion with presenters), educational on-demand webinars, and details related to the company’s presence at the event, visit www.philips.com/rsna.

[1] Kjelle E, Andersen ER, Soril LJJ, van Bodegom-Vos L, Hofmann BM. Interventions to reduce low-value imaging – a systematic review of interventions and outcomes. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Sep 18;21(1):983. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-07004-z. PMID: 34537051; PMCID: PMC8449221.
[2] Research report: Radiology staff in focus: An impact and satisfaction survey of radiology technologists and imaging directors, Philips, 2019.
[3] Pending 510(k). Not available for sale in the USA.
[4] Pending 510(k). Not available for sale in the USA.
[5] Adaptive-CS-Net: FastMRI with Adaptive Intelligence. 33rd Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS). Vancouver, Canada. Dec. 2019.
[6] Pending 510(k). Not available for sale in the USA.

For further information, please contact:

Kathy O’Reilly
Philips Global Press Office
Tel: + 1 978-221-8919
E-mail: kathy.oreilly@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

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