More local guests also are checking into The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis for a relaxing escape, says the hotels general manager, Amanda Joiner, who adds that weekend occupancy is up and many people are splurging on extras, such as the hotels bed and breakfast package for two, featuring complimentary valet parking and the relaxing comforts of room service.

Staycationers also can treat themselves to their choice of luxurious accommodations, which include standard deluxe rooms with sweeping views of Clayton and the St. Louis skyline featuring the Gateway Arch, 11 miles east. Or double the fun with an executive suite, boasting a lovely living area with French doors, a separate bedroom, and a full bath and a half-bath, Joiner says, where kids can have their own TV area, as well as enjoy time as a family, playing games.

photo courtesy ofThe Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis

The stunning Ritz-Carlton Suite, complete with a built-in fireplace, five balconies and a separate living area, makes for another great getaway for three days, Joiner says. It even has a convection oven where you can bake cookies, and we recently had a mother and daughter do that. People are using the pandemic to make special moments for their families.

Guests also are indulging in room service, Joiner adds. Everyone loves room service right now, she says. Its a way to treat yourself and stay safe in a luxury environment. And for guests looking to venture just outside their room, they can access the recently redesigned, members-only Cigar Club to enjoy a great glass of red wine and a cigar, and take in some fall football, Joiner says, although this experience is delayed with the most recent St. Louis County restrictions.

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Planning a Luxurious Staycation in the St. Louis Metro Area - Ladue News

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- INOVIO (NASDAQ:INO), a biotechnology company focused on bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat and protect people from infectious diseases and cancer, today announced the execution of an agreement with Kaneka Eurogentec S.A., an affiliate of Kaneka Corporation, for Eurogentec to manufacture INOVIO's COVID-19 vaccine candidate INO-4800 at their industry-leading GMP plasmid production scales. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Kaneka Eurogentec joins existing partners Thermo Fisher Scientific, Richter-Helm BioLogics and Ology Biosciences in INOVIO's global manufacturing consortium. Each contract development and manufacturing organization that has been selected to join the consortium is compliant with commercial GMP standards and capable of supporting INOVIO's future large-scale global manufacturing needs across its portfolioof DNA medicines and vaccines.

INOVIO's President & CEO, Dr. J. Joseph Kim, said, "Our partnership with Kaneka Eurogentec, one of the world's largest and most experienced plasmid manufacturers, provides additional scale to our growing global manufacturing coalition. Kaneka Eurogentec will be a crucial member of INOVIO's global manufacturing consortium, supporting our plans to produce, manufacture and scale our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, INO-4800."

Dr. Lieven Janssens, Kaneka Eurogentec's President and CEO, said, "We are excited to join INOVIO's growing global manufacturing consortium and look forward to supporting the manufacturing needs of DNA medicines and vaccines across INOVIO's platform. We are pleased that our large-scale manufacturing technologies are well-recognized by INOVIO, a leading player in the DNA plasmid field."

INOVIO's Senior Vice President of Biological Manufacturing and Clinical Supply Management, Robert J. Juba Jr., said, "Kaneka Eurogentec brings a wealth of DNA plasmid manufacturing expertise and innovation to INOVIO's global consortium to manufacture INO-4800. We look forward to working with them to utilize their state-of-the-art, large-scale manufacturing capabilities towards our goal of producing hundreds of millions of doses of INO-4800 for worldwide distribution."

INOVIO recognizes the importance of having a robust coalition to support its broader development platform for DNA medicines as well as its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, INO-4800. As a result, the company continues to build the coalition to ensure timely, cost-effective and scalable production of DNA medicines and vaccines. INOVIO's third-party manufacturers will produce the patent-protected formulation for INO-4800, developed to enhance stability of the vaccine with a favorable tolerability profile. Importantly, INO-4800 has shown an excellent thermo-stability profile. INOVIO's other platform DNA vaccine candidates have also demonstrated a shelf life of greater than 5 years when refrigerated and stability for more than 30 days at 37 degrees Celsius, and more than one year at room temperature. INOVIO's candidates also do not need to be frozen during transport or storage, a vital factor when implementing immunizations on a global scale. INO-4800 is administered via INOVIO's proprietary CELLECTRA smart delivery device, which delivers the vaccine locally into the patient's skin, a process that takes only a few seconds.

INOVIO is conducting a Phase 2 segment of its planned Phase 2/3 clinical trial for INO-4800, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The planned Phase 2/3 clinical trial, called INNOVATE (INovio INO-4800 Vaccine Trial for Efficacy), is a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled safety and efficacy trial of INO-4800 to be conducted in adults in the U.S. The INNOVATE trial will be funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) in coordination with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD (HA)) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

The DoD has agreed to provide funding for both the Phase 2 and Phase 3 segments of the INNOVATE clinical trial, in addition to the $71 million of funding previously announced in June for the large-scale manufacture of the company's proprietary smart device CELLECTRA 3PSP and the procurement of CELLECTRA 2000 devices.

About the INO-4800 "INNOVATE" Phase 2/3 Clinical Trial

The lead Principal Investigator for the INNOVATE trial is Dr. Pablo Tebas, Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The Phase 2 segment of the trial is designed to evaluate safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of INO-4800 in a 2-dose regimen (1.0 mg or 2.0 mg), in a three-to-one randomization to receive either INO-4800 or placebo for each dose, to confirm the more appropriate dose(s) for each of three age groups (18-50 years, 51-64 years and 65 years and older) for the subsequent Phase 3 efficacy evaluation. The company intends to work diligently to ensure diversity in enrollment, targeting specific populations that are working or residing in environments with high infection rates and/or areas where there is greater risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, for whom exposure may be relatively prolonged or for whom personal protective equipment (PPE) may be inconsistently used, especially in confined settings.

In the Phase 3 segment of the trial, INOVIO intends to enroll healthy men and non-pregnant women 18 years and older, to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed dose(s) based on the data from the Phase 2 evaluation.Participants will be enrolled in a one-to-one randomization to receive either INO-4800 or a placebo. The Phase 3 segment will be case-driven with the final number of enrollees to be determined by the incidence of COVID-19 during the Phase 3 segment. The primary endpoint of the Phase 3 segment will be virologically-confirmed COVID-19 disease.

About INOVIO's Global Coalition Advancing INO-4800

INOVIO has assembled a global coalition of collaborators, partners and funders to rapidly advance the development of INO-4800. R&D collaborators to date include the Wistar Institute, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas, Fudan University and Laval University. INOVIO has partnered with Advaccine and the International Vaccine Institute to conduct clinical trials of INO-4800 in China and South Korea, respectively. INOVIO is also assessing nonclinical efficacy of INO-4800 in several animal challenge models with Public Health England (PHE) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia. INOVIO is working with a team of contract manufacturers including Kaneka Eurogentec, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Richter-Helm BioLogics, and Ology Bioservices to manufacture INO-4800 on a commercial scale and is seeking additional external funding and partnerships to further scale up manufacturing capacities to satisfy the urgent global demand for safe and effective vaccines. To date, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Defense have contributed significant funding to the advancement and manufacturing of INO-4800.

About INO-4800

INO-4800 is INOVIO's DNA vaccine candidate intended to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. INOVIO has extensive experience working with coronaviruses and was the first company to initiate a Phase 2a trial for INO-4700, a vaccine for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), another coronavirus related to SARS-CoV-2.

INO-4800 is the only nucleic-acid based vaccine that is stable at room temperature for more than a year and does not need to be frozen in transport of storage, which are important factors when implementing mass immunizations.

About INOVIO's DNA Medicines Platform

INOVIO has 15 DNA medicine clinical programs currently in development focused on HPV-associated diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases, including coronaviruses associated with MERS and COVID-19 diseases being developed under grants from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the U.S. Department of Defense. DNA medicines are composed of optimized DNA plasmids, which are small circles of double-stranded DNA that are synthesized or reorganized by a computer sequencing technology and designed to produce a specific immune response in the body.

INOVIO's DNA medicines deliver optimized plasmids directly into cells intramuscularly or intradermally using INOVIO's proprietary hand-held smart device called CELLECTRA. The CELLECTRA device uses a brief electrical pulse to reversibly open small pores in the cell to allow the plasmids to enter, overcoming a key limitation of other DNA and other nucleic acid approaches, such as mRNA. Once inside the cell, the DNA plasmids enable the cell to produce the targeted antigen. The antigen is processed naturally in the cell and triggers the desired T cell and antibody-mediated immune responses. Administration with the CELLECTRA device ensures that the DNA medicine is efficiently delivered directly into the body's cells, where it can go to work to drive an immune response. INOVIO's DNA medicines do not interfere with or change in any way an individual's own DNA. The advantages of INOVIO's DNA medicine platform are how fast DNA medicines can be designed and manufactured; the stability of the products, which do not require freezing in storage and transport; and the robust immune response, safety profile, and tolerability that have been observed in clinical trials.

With more than 2,000 patients receiving INOVIO investigational DNA medicines in more than 7,000 applications across a range of clinical trials, INOVIO has a strong track record of rapidly generating DNA medicine candidates with potential to meet urgent global health needs.

About Kaneka Eurogentec

Eurogentec was founded in 1985 as a spin-off of the University of Lige (Belgium). Kaneka Eurogentec contributes to improving health and fighting diseases by supplying products and services to scientists involved in life science research, molecular diagnostics, and therapeutic developments. The Lige-based company is recognized as one of the major suppliers in the field of genomics and proteomics as well as a trusted US FDA inspected Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for the bio-production of pharmaceuticals vaccines and medicines. Kaneka Eurogentec is a leading company in large scale production of GMP DNA Plasmid for DNA vaccines and starting materials for vector-based gene medicines. In parallel, Kaneka Eurogentec offers CDMO services for GMP mRNA, the active molecule of RNA vaccines and RNA based gene therapy. In 2010, Eurogentec, renamed Kaneka Eurogentec in April 2017, became part of Kaneka Corporation, a large Japanese chemical company focusing on technology and innovation. For more information, visit https://www.eurogentec.com/

About INOVIO

INOVIO is a biotechnology company focused on rapidly bringing to market precisely designed DNA medicines to treat and protect people from infectious diseases, cancer, and diseases associated with HPV. INOVIO is the first and only company to have clinically demonstrated that a DNA medicine can be delivered directly into cells in the body via a proprietary smart device to produce a robust and tolerable immune response. Specifically, INOVIO's lead candidate VGX-3100, currently in Phase 3 trials for precancerous cervical dysplasia, destroyed and cleared high-risk HPV 16 and 18 in a Phase 2b clinical trial. High-risk HPV is responsible for 70% of cervical cancer, 91% of anal cancer, and 69% of vulvar cancer. Also in development are programs targeting HPV-related cancers and a rare HPV-related disease, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP); non-HPV-related cancers glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and prostate cancer; as well as externally funded infectious disease DNA vaccine development programs in Zika, Lassa fever, Ebola, HIV, and coronaviruses associated with MERS and COVID-19 diseases. Partners and collaborators include Advaccine, ApolloBio Corporation, AstraZeneca, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)/Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND)/Department of Defense (DOD), HIV Vaccines Trial Network, International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Kaneka Eurogentec, Medical CBRN Defense Consortium (MCDC), National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Ology Bioservices, the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Plumbline Life Sciences, Regeneron, Richter-Helm BioLogics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, University of Pennsylvania, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and The Wistar Institute. INOVIO also is a proud recipient of 2020 Women on Boards "W" designation recognizing companies with more than 20% women on their board of directors. For more information, visit http://www.inovio.com.

CONTACTS:

Media: Jeff Richardson, 267-440-4211, [emailprotected] Investors: Ben Matone, 484-362-0076, [emailprotected]

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to our business, including our plans to develop and manufacture DNA medicines, our expectations regarding our research and development programs, including the planned initiation and conduct of the Phase 2/3 clinical trial of INO-4800, and our ability to successfully manufacture and produce large quantities of our product candidates if they receive regulatory approval. Actual events or results may differ from the expectations set forth herein as a result of a number of factors, including uncertainties inherent in preclinical studies, clinical trials, product development programs and commercialization activities and outcomes, our ability to secure sufficient manufacturing capacity to mass produce our product candidates, the availability of funding to support continuing research and studies in an effort to prove safety and efficacy of electroporation technology as a delivery mechanism or develop viable DNA medicines, our ability to support our pipeline of DNA medicine products, the ability of our collaborators to attain development and commercial milestones for products we license and product sales that will enable us to receive future payments and royalties, the adequacy of our capital resources, the availability or potential availability of alternative therapies or treatments for the conditions targeted by us or our collaborators, including alternatives that may be more efficacious or cost effective than any therapy or treatment that we and our collaborators hope to develop, issues involving product liability, issues involving patents and whether they or licenses to them will provide us with meaningful protection from others using the covered technologies, whether such proprietary rights are enforceable or defensible or infringe or allegedly infringe on rights of others or can withstand claims of invalidity and whether we can finance or devote other significant resources that may be necessary to prosecute, protect or defend them, the level of corporate expenditures, assessments of our technology by potential corporate or other partners or collaborators, capital market conditions, the impact of government healthcare proposals and other factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 and other filings we make from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There can be no assurance that any product candidate in our pipeline will be successfully developed, manufactured or commercialized, that final results of clinical trials will be supportive of regulatory approvals required to market products, or that any of the forward-looking information provided herein will be proven accurate. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise these statements, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE INOVIO Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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INOVIO Expands Global Manufacturing Consortium For Its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate INO-4800 With Addition of Kaneka Eurogentec SA - PRNewswire

Its been a busy start to the offseason for the Portland Timbers. Weve already seen two trades with Marco Farfan being sent to LAFC and Julio Cascante going to Austin FC and another acquisition made official with the addition of Nicolas Claudio Bravo to the roster. Along with that, general manager and president of soccer, Gavin Wilkinson, noted that the club will not take up the options for Andres Flores or Chris Duvall. Its a fast start to the offseason to say the least.

But the influx of moves isnt particularly surprising. Both Wilkinson and head coach Giovanni Savarese said that moves would be made at Thursdays end of the season press conference. The biggest key for them was making sure that throughout all these decisions they were ensuring the best possible future for all players involved.

Were no longer moving players just for the benefit of the club, Wilkinson said. I think this has been a challenging year with COVID, and for many players wand their families and we went about it a different way to actually talk about their careers, talk about the next steps within their careers and see what they want.

There are still plenty of moves Portland needs to make. One of the points of emphasis for the club this offseason is shoring up the defense, specifically in the wide areas. Theyre also looking to add a young central defender to come through the system for Portland as well.

Defense rightfully so should be Portlands main area of focus this offseason. Portland put together a stellar offense despite numerous injuries to designated players and star wingers, but oftentimes the work put in by the attacking players was nullified by mistakes on the defensive end, especially late in games. No team in MLS gave up more goals in the final 15 minutes of a match than Portland (15), and it was even the thing that ended their season prematurely.

Were reinforcing the defense, Savarese said. And we can build on other positions to make sure that we continue to get better and make sure that we can be a little more competitive.

Along with acquiring new players, Portland is hoping to keep old ones in place. Wilkinson mentioned that theyll be looking at extending Larrys Mabiala, noting theyre still trying to figure out a solution that works for both sides. Most notably, however, Wilkinson made it clear that theyre interested in acquiring Felipe Mora permanently from Pumas UNAM.

Mora joined the Timbers on a one-year loan and was solid in 2020. In 19 appearances (12 starts), he had 7 goals and 2 assists. Jaroslaw Niezgoda is not expected to return to play until around mid-season, so having Mora available along with Jeremy Ebobisse who often plays on the wing would be extremely helpful.

[Mora] is a key piece to the team for the club and a well-liked player in the locker room, Wilkinson said. Theres multiple reasons why he would be a benefit to the locker room next year.

Thursdays press conference wasnt just a time for thinking about the future. There was also some time for the two leaders of the club to reflect on the past season, and Savarese noted for himself that he felt content with the team he had despite not going as far in the playoffs as he may have liked.

It was a great pleasure to work with every player that we had and will have in the future, Savarese said. I wouldnt want to battle this season with anybody different than what we had on the roster; and I feel that everybody really fought hard with great mentality and the ideas were very clear for everyone that it didnt matter who was out, somebody will come in and field that position.

Its a pretty positive outlook on a season that didnt end the way they hoped. But that doesnt mean they didnt fight through adversity to accomplish some great things. The MLS is Back Tournament is an impressive feat that no one will probably ever replicate. They had no positive tests throughout the entirety of the 2020. And no matter what happened injuries, wildfires, the pandemic, etc. they still managed to put together a solid season.

But as great as those things are, it doesnt change the fact that they had MLS Cup expectations for themselves and came up well short. Savarese noted that anything short of an MLS Cup victory leaves you wanting more, and he wants to get that next season.

Yes, we can say so many good things and positive things the way we played ... but for us the most important thins is to make it always to the MLS Cup, Savarese said. And I think thats the biggest disappointment of this year because we believe in this group tremendously to make it all the way to the cup.

If they hit on their offseason signings like they hope they will, then its possible. This was a solid club that played most of the regular season without arguably their best player in Sebastian Blanco, and as of right now hes set to return at the beginning of the year. Returning Blanco to an offensively potent lineup will be huge for the Timbers.

But for now, well just have to wait and see how this team turns out. In what was a horrifically strange year for everyone, Portland had things they could be proud of. They still have work to do if they want to make the MLS Final again and be the one hoisting the trophy at the end. So for now, well just spend December staring at Twitter waiting to see the team come together.

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Portland Timbers focused on shoring up defense this offseason - Stumptown Footy

The Columbus Dispatch

Julie, a pleasant young woman with no medical problems ordaily medications,came to the Emergency Department complaining of insomnia.She looked anxious when I entered the room and was wearing a face mask and latex gloves.

Julie told me that she couldnt sleep and felt miserable from being so tired. She had trouble concentrating while doing her work but would just tossand turn at nights.

More fromDr. Kube: Protect yourself and others, get a flu shot

She said there were times before big tests in high school that she would have trouble falling asleep, but nothing to this extent. Her symptoms had been going on for several months buthad gotten worse the past few weeks to the point that Julie felt like she couldn'ttake it anymore.

As we talked more, Julie saidthat she felt like her life was turned upside down when the COVID-19 pandemic began in the spring. She had been stressed with her finances, work and wasthe fear of becoming sick. She also feltisolated at home and missed seeing her friends and family.

During the early week of the state shutdown, Julie wassent home from her office to work from home. Daily Zoom meetings with her boss and other coworkers had become her daily routine.

It's a story I heardover and over with many patients since the start of the pandemic.

Juliebecame tearful and saidshe was feeling stressed out about everything, which was not typicalfor her. She was initially afraid she would become seriouslyill or even die if she were to get COVID-19, but those thoughts had subsided with time. Much of her sleeping problems were driven by anxiety, she said, and she could not calm herself down enough to rest and sleep.

Stressis your bodys normal response to a threatening situation. It gives you the ability avoid danger or meet a deadline. Anxiety is a reaction to the stress. Anxiety is a normal emotion that can be healthy.However, when a person regularly feels high levels of anxiety or stress it can become harmful to their health. Anxiety becomes a disorder when feelings of anxiety, worry or fear are strong enough to interfere with a persons daily activities.

Juliesaid she had to give up many of the things that gave her life joy because of the limitation imposed by the pandemic. Shedid kickboxingat her gym, but had to stopwhen it closed down for many weeks. She had been cooking for herself and was making healthy food choices but became so stressed about going to the grocery store that she started ordering fast fooddelivered to her home. She had gained a lot of weight and felt terrible about that, she said.

More: The coronavirus created a 'slow-rolling mental health crisis.' Here's what to do about it.

Julie and I talked aboutstrategies to prevent her anxiety from becoming so overwhelming that it interferedwith her life. We discussed the importance of eating healthy, well-balanced meals, avoiding excessive alcohol and drugs, and engaging in regular exercise. Exercise boosts endorphins that improve mood, decreases stress and can distract from the things that are causing worry. Being physically tired can also make it easier to fall asleep.

In addition to physical health, it isimportant to focus on emotional health. It's helpful to remain calm during stressful timesso you can think clearly and make good decisions. It's good to takebreaks from news stories and social media posts about the pandemic and other stressful events.Meditation and relaxation techniques can also behelpful to allow your mind to rest and reset.

More: Experts worry that winter months will be tough for people with mental health issues

Stress and anxiety management is more important now than ever before as wefaceone of the most significant events in our recent history. It is important to still do the things you like to do, even if it requires making modifications such aswearing a mask or practicing social distancing.You can and should connect with others in safe ways.You should talk with people you trust about how you are feeling because they're likely having the same worries and concerns.

With vaccines on the horizon, there's hope that the pandemic will slow down and our lives will eventually return to a more normal state, but this isn't all going away quickly. In addition to doing the thingsneeded to slow down the spread of the virus, we need to focus on our health and well-being. .

Julie was able to go home with a plan to relieve stress, which would improve her anxiety and sleep.She said she would work on her diet, exercise daily and connect with friends and family. She felt relieved to know that she wasnt the only one experiencing significant stress and anxiety during this unprecedented time.

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Dr. Kube: There are ways to manage stress, anxiety from pandemic - The Columbus Dispatch

The state on Thursday announced that it is now tracking hospital capacity by region, and if any regions available intensive care unit beds fall below 15% of total capacity, it will be subject to a more drastic stay-at-home order.

For the Southern California region, which includes Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange County and a dozen other nearby counties, it seems a matter of when, not if, that time comes.

The capacity in intensive care units across our region is already down to 20.6%, the state said Thursday.

Adding to the pressure, hospitalizations are rising quickly in Los Angeles County, by far the most populous part of the region. The county reported Thursday that 2,572 people with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized, with 23% of these people in the ICU.

Long Beach, in a statement Thursday night, said the region could reach the 15% threshold as early as today, Friday.

Even if that happens, there would still be a little bit of breathing room before the strict new restrictions take effect. The stay-at-home order isnt officially in place until 12:59 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Plus, the state said it would give regions 24 hours to comply with the order.

That means the absolute soonest it could be implemented would be at 12:59 p.m. Sunday. Once in effect, the order would last at least three weeks.

If the order is triggered, all counties in Southern California would have to shutter dine-in service at restaurants, which has been a point of contention for local restaurants since LA County and Long Beach ordered theirs to close on Nov. 25.

Owners argued patrons could simply drive a short distance across the county line to eat. The states stay-at-home order takes that decision out of local authorities hands. Counties and cities with their own health departments will be allowed to enact stricter rules than the state, but they wouldnt be allowed to loosen them.

Discouraging people from simply migrating to nearby areas appears to be the impetus behind the states order. The Southern California region is massive, spanning from San Luis Obispo in the north to San Diego and east to the Nevada border. The list of covered counties includes: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura.

In addition to limiting eateries to takeout only, all gatherings would be banned except for outdoor worship services or protests. And many businesses would have to close or further limit capacity.

All operations would have to cease at:

Critical infrastructure operations may continue, and retail stores and shopping centers could stay open indoors at 20% capacity, but they would have to meter entrances and monitor shoppers to make sure nobody is eating or drinking in stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems, the state said.

Hotels may remain open for critical infrastructure support, as could offices where remote work isnt possible.

Professional sports could continue without live audiences, as could production of films and other entertainment.

Child care and schools serving K-12 students would not be affected by the order. Those open for classroom instruction could remain open.

Outdoor recreational facilities would be allowed to stay openbut without any eating, drinking, alcohol sales or overnight camping.

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Whens the soonest Californias stay-at-home order could start? And what would be closed? - Long Beach Post

Last season was cut short due to COVID-19. What have the past 9 months been like?

Weve really been flexible with all that we have been doing because were all navigating new waters. We implemented a Crystal Clean task force in March comprised of employees from across the resort who meet with industry peers, experts and state and local health officials to compile, craft and implement best practice safety protocols for the entire resort. We safely hosted guests from all over Michigan and parts of the Midwest throughout the summer, so, in many ways, we have been working toward reopening for winter when we closed back in March.

How are you feeling about the 2020/2021 season in 3 words?

Outside never closes.

Is there anything new this season youre excited about? (Equipment, dining options, instructors, etc.)

Weve got a lot of things were excited about. We continue to invest in the facility by adding RFID gates to our chairlifts, which will get guests on the slopes quicker and more efficiently. It also allows touchless, cashier-less lift transactions to keep staff and guests safe. We also have installed a new, wider snowmaking pipe that will move more water to our snow guns, helping us create better snow faster. (Heres our winter operations run down.)

Fresh air will be important this winter. So the resort has engineered several clean air solutions inside its public buildings including improving filtering in its air handling units; installing portable, HEPA air purifiers in some areas; opening ventilation dampers to bring in about 20% fresh air; as well as installing air scrubbers that are a spinoff of NASA technology.

How do air scrubbers work? When air passes through a UV light-activated titanium dioxide membrane filter, it causes water vapor in the air to turn into negatively charged hydrogen peroxide ions which can then be directed into room air supply ducts. Because of their electric charge, these ions attach to and can destroy most common bacteria and virus particles in the air and on surfaces. Hydrogen peroxide is generally recognized as a safe antimicrobial agent by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Each room also typically has four to six air changes in an hour, which helps to keep the air clean.

Find out whats new at Boyne Mountain, Mt. Holiday, Caberfae Peaks, Shanty Creek, The Homestead and Nubs Nob: New at Northern Michigan Ski Resorts + COVID-19 Safety

Have Northern Michigan ski resorts been working together to make this season a success, or even with resorts nationwide?

Both. Our team has been working with other ski resorts from across the country and right here in Michigan, as well as industry and health agencies the National Ski Areas Association, Michigan Snowsports Industries Association and Benzie-Leelanau Health Department on best practices to safely open for winter. NSAA is a national industry and has convened many of us to ensure best safety practices are deployed across the country so all ski areas will have similar policies in place for winter.

Skiing/snowboarding is outdoors and can be socially distanced. Its the aprs-ski activities at cafes and bars that could pose a problem. How are you addressing that?

As we approach ski season amid a pandemic, some things at Crystal Mountain, like everywhere else, will look a little different. So weve had to reimagine a few things. Social distancing on a wide-open mountain is certainly doable, but the prospect of kicking back in a crowded ski lodge with a drink and big group of friends is just not possible. Aprs ski during COVID-19 will be subdued and likely very limited. We have reduced capacity in our restaurants and our Vista Lounge, which is our main bar for post-ski cocktails. And have moved the indoors outside where fresh air is abundant. Guests will need to social distance and wear masks when they cant be six feet apart from othersand will need to take their post-ski activities back to their accommodations or reserve a table at Vista Lounge way in advance.

We have basically moved a lot of our operations outsideseating, dining. And are opening up our Crystal Center for additional seating.

Has there been a silver lining, cool idea, lessonsomething positive that can be taken from this incredibly difficult time?

There has been a new and renewed interest in outdoor recreation. So we have been incredibly lucky that summer brought us a tremendous amount of guests who were interested in hiking, biking, running and golfing outdoors. And we expect that wave to continue into winter.

Secondly, incredible ideas, imagination and innovation come out of troubling times. We have had an incredible opportunity to reimagine the way we do business, which is rare, and that has made us stronger as a team.

The new RFID gates, which create touchless, cashier-less sales opportunities, will allow us to collect real-time data so we can better manage flow of our guests on the lifts, helping us become more efficient with how we operate. The addition of the air scrubbers, the barriers at our registers and between tables at our restaurantsthat we built!and other engineered solutions have shown us how incredibly talented our team is.

Weve also built some strong relationships with our peers across the industry, but also with our health officials at the Benzie-Leelanau Health Department. We could not do this without their advice, their guidance and their steadfast commitment to safety.

Is there anything else you want to share with our readers?

We have 1,500 acres of wide-open space for alpine and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, fat tire biking, hiking and ice skating We have a lot of fresh air and room to breathe. Outdoor recreation has numerous benefits for physical and mental health and wellness. Its a community of skiers and riders who look out for each other, and we couldnt be more excited to safely and smartly get back to winter.

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New This Winter at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville - MyNorth.com

As health care organizations grapple with responding to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and adapting their operations to continue to fulfill other aspects of their care mission, they must also begin to define and prepare for the future of care amid economic, regulatory, and social uncertainties. What might the post-Covid-19 landscape look like? How can health systems address a range of possible challenges? What are the opportunities to revolutionize care?

Care providers must understand the ramifications for their digital health function and agenda and how information technology can address the challenges and opportunities of their new normal. To develop this understanding, we conducted a roundtable discussion with chief information officers from leading health systems at the Scottsdale Institute, a not-for-profit organization that supports its member health systems in achieving clinical integration and transformation through information technology.

The participants agreed that the new normal digital health agenda will need to focus on three overarching areas: developing virtual care, coping with the financial impact of the pandemic, and embracing the lessons learned from managing the crisis.

The volume of telehealth visits increased dramatically as patients sought to safely obtain outpatient care. Many physicians saw their telehealth visit volume increase by a factor of 50 to 175. This increase occurred over a very short period often in days or at the most, weeks. Providers hastily constructed a temporary bridge, built with digital tools and operational workarounds that are not robust enough to sustain this level of use permanently. At the same time, patients have come to expect telehealth and many providers have become comfortable delivering care via the technology.

Because virtual care is now part of the new normal, health systems must construct a sturdy, permanent bridge that includes organizational, financial, and clinical structures and processes. The health system will need to integrate telehealth technology with the electronic health record, define clinical protocols for appropriate telehealth visits, obtain reimbursement for telehealth visits, and revamp hospital and physician practice processes to support telehealth (e.g., how should virtual waiting rooms work for telehealth visits?).

As health systems implement a permanent approach to telehealth, they should recognize that telehealth is a component of two broader digital health strategies: ensuring that care is delivered in the right setting and creating a great patient experience through a digital front door.

Delivering care in the right setting. Driven by the movement to value-based care (paying on the basis of outcomes as opposed to the volume of services), health systems must ensure that patients are cared for in the most appropriate setting. For example, how do we redirect care from emergency room that rightfully belongs in a doctors office? Can we provide chronic care management through home health services, reducing visits to the physicians office?

Virtual care can help advance efforts to manage patient care across a continuum of settings. Remote monitoring can move much of chronic disease management to the home. Telehealth can enable access to specialist consultation for a patient at a nursing home without having to transport the patient to the academic health center.

Creating a great patient experience. The pandemic has increased consumer reliance on digital technologies for many of their daily activities. People work from home glued to Zoom. Groceries arrive from Instacart and Amazon delivers household supplies. Consumers will expect that their digital health experiences will be equally effective and easy to use.

To meet these expectations, health systems will need to double down on their digital front door efforts, enabling patients to handle routine interactions such as scheduling an appointment, paying a bill, finding a doctor, renewing a medication, finding answers to health questions, and navigating the health system itself.

Many health systems nominally offer these capabilities now, through patient portals with often opaque user interfaces and erratic performance. They must improve.

Between March 1 and June 30, hospitals and health systems lost an estimated $202.6 billion as a result of forgone revenue and increased Covid-19-related costs. Patients are slowly returning to hospitals, but admissions are projected to be down 10.5% in 2020 compared with 2019.

In addition, states are grappling with Medicaid spending as tax revenues decline and Medicaid enrollment increases. The growth in the number of public payer enrollees will cause a hit to hospital revenues, which, before the pandemic, were already contending with care reimbursement that was less than their costs of care. More downward pressure is expected on Medicare rates as the federal government deals with decreased revenues and the interest payments from the trillions of dollars of Covid-19 related debt incurred from economic stimulus payments, unemployment insurance, and business loans.

To address their revenue challenges, many health systems will accelerate their movement to value-based care, and those that offer health plans will emphasize them. Health systems have been stung by the volatility of volume-based reimbursement and will attempt to move to capitation reimbursement models that enable more predictable revenue.

To support capitation, health systems will need to step up their investments in several digital health capabilities:

In addition to managing revenue in the new normal, health systems will increase their focus on reducing costs and constraining budgets.

To reduce expenses, health systems must thoroughly review opportunities to apply digital health tools to streamline clinical and administrative operations. They must also continue to improve the usability of the electronic health record to reduce clinicians frustrations and ensure that they enter information correctly. And they must enhance analytics capabilities to understand care costs and staff productivity.

During the pandemic, many health systems discovered shortcomings in their analytics capabilities. Data quality was uneven, analyses took too long, and predictive models were not sufficiently comprehensive. Managers and clinicians were often poorly trained in using the data. As they adjust to the new normal, health systems will seek to remedy these deficiencies.

At the same time, as part of reducing expenses, the digital health function itself will be under pressure to operate with fewer resources. This pressure will result in efforts to:

During the peaks of the pandemic, health systems dramatically increased the speed of their decision-making in order to contend with challenges such as shortages of personal protective equipment, the high utilization of intensive care unit beds, and protocols for safely treating patients and protecting staff.

The urgency of the crisis also led to rapid experimentation with new ways of managing clinical and operational processes. In the heat of the moment, health systems developed new ways to do telework, implemented the use of chatbots to respond to patient questions and concerns, and collaborated across organizations to coordinate care across a region.

These advances in decision-making speed and experimentation abilities should not be placed in a box once the pandemic subsides. Health systems should seek to cement these gains in organizational capabilities. Even without a crisis to drive them, health systems should review how best to quickly and efficiently identify and conduct experiments with new digital health technologies and how to make those decisions quickly while ensuring that they are thoughtful and politically supported.

Acceleration has been the pandemics most notable impact on health systems digital strategy. Prior to the pandemic, most health systems had initiatives to pursue telehealth, implement applications that support value-based care, increase integration across care settings, improve the patient experience through the implementation of a digital front door, and reduce the cost of delivering care. The timeframe for accomplishing these initiatives will now be significantly compressed; what might have taken 10 years to accomplish will now take three years. This pandemic-induced acceleration of the digital strategy has been observed across several industries.

Having earned its battlefield stripes on the front line during the Covid-19 surge, the digital health organization will become a more strategic partner to the health system C-suite. Health IT professionals had to scale telehealth and telework rapidly and provide the analytics necessary for health systems to manage the impact of the surge on clinical operations. Leadership will continue to need their support.

While this public health crisis has tragically cost us lives, livelihoods, and our sense of normalcy, we still have the power to shape what comes next. Covid-19 has forced health care leaders and clinicians to move faster, work smarter, and take a more focused approach to decision-making than ever before.

Digital health solutions and technology will play a crucial role in the difficult work of optimizing processes and systems for greater efficiency, financial viability, and enhanced outcomes. Through this unexpected disruption of the status quo, there is a tremendous opportunity to create a new normal that is a significant improvement over the old normal.

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What the Pandemic Means for Health Care's Digital Transformation - Harvard Business Review

CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (UAL) today announced that as part of its overall commitment to recruit and develop more diverse talent to better serve customers, its Board of Directors expects to add a second Black board member. The Board of Directors collectively agreed last December to further diversify the board, conduct a search and recruit an additional Black board member.

"As the first Latino to lead a major airline, I know from experience that acompany can only truly thrive if those at the top are as diverse as the customers, communities and employees they serve - starting with the boardroom," said Oscar Munoz, Executive Chairman"It's a matter of competitiveness as well as conscience. That's why I am proud we are continuing our long-standing efforts to further diversify our board leadership to help lead United into the future."

In addition to this commitment, United today also signed on to The Board Challenge, a movement among companies looking to accelerate change. United, like other Charter Pledge Partners, currently has a diverse board including one Black board member and is encouraging other corporations to do the same. The company and its Board of Directors believe that diverse leadership improves its ability to serve the millions of customers who choose to fly United across the globe.

"Change comes from the top, and by making this commitment, we will expand and diversify the leaders that are helping to guide United forward during some of the toughest challenges we have faced," said Scott Kirby, CEO. "As our search progresses, I am reminded of the wealth of untapped diverse talent that is out there and the ongoing responsibility that we, as corporate leaders, have to confront systemic racism head-on and actively recruit this talent at all levels of our organizations."

About UnitedUnited's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

SOURCE United Airlines

http://www.united.com

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United Airlines Holdings Extends Leading Commitment To Diversity In The Board Room - PRNewswire

AUSTIN Back when he was at Texas, media sessions with Devin Duvernay were always accompanied by knowing smirks. Thats because most times the Longhorns wideout spoke as if on a word count, just waiting to hit the limit so he could escape the web of cameras and recorders and get back to work.

Michigan graduate transfer Tarik Black probably isnt as taciturn as Duvernay, who last season led UT with 106 receptions for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns and is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens. But theres something similar in the DNA of two receivers, both more given to introspection and stoicism than bombast.

A quiet confidence; Tarik doesnt say a whole lot, Texas coach Tom Herman said. But he has assimilated well. The team has embraced him because of his work ethic and his contribution to the team and the offense in particular. Guy is very selfless. You know, he wants to be on all the special (teams) units, volunteering to do that.

Black might replace Duvernay as the Longhorns resident silent assassin, but Herman brought the former four-star recruit in to make up for the departure of senior Collin Johnson, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound transfer has been jostling with junior Brennan Eagles and could start at X-receiver in next Saturdays season opener against UTEP.

As you would expect with a grad transfer, he is very mature in the way that he handles his business in terms of his preparation, his attention to detail, Herman said. When it comes to watching the video, studying his playbook, as well as taking care of his body, you know, thats a guy you just really dont have to remind a whole lot to do any of those things because of his maturity level. So were thrilled to have him.

UT and new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich hope to have the veteran wideout on the field throughout this years altered 10-game regular season, never a given with Black.

There are the obvious and serious concerns about COVID-19 transmission, but Black has also been derailed by foot injuries ever since graduating from Cheshire Academy as the No. 1 player in Connecticut. He appeared in only 21 games over three seasons at Michigan, finishing his career there with 40 receptions for 507 yards and two touchdowns.

(Tariks) a guy that mentally has to get over the hump, Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis told the Detroit Free Press last year. He cant be concerned or worried about his past history as far as his injuries. Thats the thing Ive stressed with him Hey, dont worry about injuries, dont try to save yourself. Youve got to just try to apply yourself each and every day to be the best player that you can be.

But Black has looked smooth since Texas began practice early last month. No injury hiccups or setbacks, just a healthy and motivated senior looking for a bit of good fortune. One video UT posted on Twitter showed Black evading a couple defenders on a slant route, snagging quarterback Sam Ehlingers pass and evading corner Jalen Green with a lightning-quick head fake.

Given what Texas has seen so far, it seems Black is now playing free and loose, unencumbered by fear of injury. If he pans out stays healthy, emerges as a viable target split out wide and takes some pressure off the groups more unproven members Texas could boast one of the Big 12s deepest receiving corps.

Eagles showed promise last season, recording 32 receptions for 522 yards and six scores. Sophomores Jake Smith (25 receptions, 274 yards, six touchdowns in 2019) and Jordan Whittington look dynamic out of the slot, and both are prime targets for gadget plays. And others such as redshirt sophomore Joshua Moore, sophomore Marcus Washington and third-year wideout AlVonte Woodard will look to break out as senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger looks to identify his go-to wideouts.

But Black could become the critical X-factor, both on the field and off.

Is it a lot safer to have Duvernay or Collin in that room? Yeah, Herman said, and I think thats one of the big reasons we went out and signed Tarik Black as a grad transfer. Not that we are in dire straits in that room, but I do think its important.

Had we not signed Tarik there would have been literally no seniors in that room, no scholarship seniors. So just the experience alone that Tarik brings to that room I think will be very beneficial.

nmoyle@express-news.net

Twitter: @NRmoyle

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Transfer receiver Tarik Black a key addition for Texas - Houston Chronicle

A virtual classroom has launched to enable surgeons to come together and take part in interactive teaching sessions and lectures remotely, from anywhere in the world.

Teaching Space' has been created by FundamentalVR to improve the way surgeons are trained. It follows on from their virtual platform Fundamental Surgery, which lets an unlimited number of users practice, learn, and teach together inside an operating room.

The addition of Teaching Space means multiple people can meet in a virtual classroom setting complete with an interactive whiteboard, where they can conduct lessons, discuss a procedure before attempting it in the virtual operating room, or debrief after practicing a procedure.

Instructors and their trainees can interact, write notes on the whiteboard and share ideas, regardless of where they're located. They can also easily transition between Fundamental Surgery's virtual operating room and Teaching Space.

FundamentalVR say that it can also benefit medical device and pharmaceutical companies, by saving time and money on bringing surgeons and key opinion leaders into the virtual room for briefings, Q&A sessions and one-on-one training without the need to travel.

Peter Rainger, Chief Learning Officer at FundamentalVR, explained that the virtual classrooms are a solution to the disruption caused by the pandemic. "COVID-19 has presented significant challenges to surgical training and in many cases completely disrupted traditional training programs, which have relied upon face-to-face events" he said.

"Video conferencing facilities have come to meet the immediate communication needs of many. However, these 2D platforms do not fully replace the teaching and learning opportunities of being together in the same room talking about a patient case pre-operatively or live in an operating room looking at the patient anatomy and handling surgical tools.

"Our new Teaching Space, which provides a collaborative environment for surgical education in VR, allows residents and KOLs from across the globe to come together for teaching sessions, to review cases and share their knowledge and skills. In our new Teaching Space, I can simply pick up a pen and draw out concepts on a whiteboard and allow trainees to annotate and write comments, all in real-time, whilst talking as if we were in the same room.The possibilities for this new flexible teaching space in the future are endless."

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New virtual classroom lets surgeons learn together remotely | Technology & AI - Healthcare Global - Healthcare News, Magazine and Website