In this commentary we explore the potential for the devolved Scottish Government to achieve its stated aim of narrowing health - and broader societal (including economic) - inequalities within both the restrictions of limited devolved powers, and in the context of post-pandemic uncertainty. We do so by focussing on two questions first, where were we with regards to inequalities policy in Scotland before the pandemic? And second, what are the likely implications of the pandemic for inequalities, and inequalities policymaking, in the country?Schools in countries across the world are reopening as lockdown to slow progression of COVID-19 is eased. The UK government ordered school closures in England from March 20, 2020, later than the rest of Europe. A temporary and limited return for some year groups was trialled from June 2020. Teachers, school governors, the public and doctors have openly challenged the decision. The UK government has struggled to provide enough detailed information to convince the public, teachers and health practitioners, that effective systems for protection, including test, trace and isolate, are in place to prevent and manage outbreaks in schools. Risks of infection on reopening to children, staff and families must be weighed against the harms of closure to children's education and social development. The potential consequences, if the re-opening of schools is managed badly, is subsequent waves of COVID-19 infection leading to more deaths, further school closures and prolonged restrictions, losing any ground gained thus far. This article weighs the evidence for risks and benefits of reopening schools during the pandemic.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected over nineteen million people globally with over 700 000 fatalities as of 9 August 2020. To date, Africa has recorded the least amount of COVID-19 confirmed cases. As of 9 August 2020, Africa has 1, 037, 135 cases compared to 10, 615, 855 in Americas and 3, 061, 264 in Europe. In this piece, the authors unpack the low numbers of laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa - is it a case of limited testing capacity due to poor health systems or otherwise?
  Contact tracing is one of the key public health response actions to control the outbreak of a novel virus. This paper describes the preparation process, activation and operational experience for contact tracing of individuals in response to confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wales.
 
  A descriptive approach has been adopted and lessons learned from our initial public health response to COVID-19 will be used to develop a new operational model for contact tracing in Wales.
 
  As part of preparations for the response in Wales, Public Health Wales formed a Contact Tracing Cell (CTC) ready to be mobilised in the event of a confirmed case.
 
  Trial activation of the CTC during the preparation period helped to resolve some issues before 'real' activation. A highly flexible approach was needed due to the constant changes to the guidance that required rapid understanding, updates to pathways and clear communication to contact tracers.
 
  Our experience and recommendations may benefit future efforts to control the spread of the measures become feasible in localised outbreaks. This may include scaling-up the CTC to mobilise contact tracers to local teams and the potential use of digital technologies to support the next operational model of the CTC in Wales.COVID-19 is pandemic, and likely to become endemic, possibly returning with greater virulence. Outlining potential public health actions, including hygiene measures, social distancing and face masks, and realistic future advances, this paper focuses on the consequences of taking no public health action; the role of natural changes such as weather; the adverse public health consequences of lockdowns; testing for surveillance and research purposes; testing to identify cases and contacts, including the role of antibody tests; the public health value of treatments; mobilising people who have recovered; population (a synonym for herd) immunity through vaccination and through natural infection; involving the entire population; and the need for public debate.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/o-pentagalloylglucose.html  Until there is a vaccine, population immunity is going to occur only from infection. Allowing infection in those at very low risk while making it safer for them and wider society needs consideration but is currently taboo. About 40-50% population immunity is sufficient to suppress an infection with a reproduction number of about 1 or slightly more. Importantly, in children and young people COVID-19 is currently rarely fatal, roughly comparable with influenza. The balance between the damage caused by COVID-19 and that caused by lockdowns needs quantifying. Public debate, including on population immunity, informed by epidemiological data, is now urgent.Objects passed from one player to another have not been assessed for their ability to transmit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We found that the surface of sport balls, notably a football, tennis ball, golf ball, and cricket ball could not harbour inactivated virus when it was swabbed onto the surface, even for 30 s. However, when high concentrations of 5000 dC/mL and 10,000 dC/mL are directly pipetted onto the balls, it could be detected after for short time periods. Sports objects can only harbour inactivated SARS-CoV-2 under specific, directly transferred conditions, but wiping with a dry tissue or moist 'baby wipe' or dropping and rolling the balls removes all detectable viral traces. This has helpful implications to sporting events.The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is now a global crisis and the poorest in Bangladesh are the most vulnerable. With the whole country being subjected to lockdown measures, millions of poor people are unable to go to work and have lost their incomes, leaving them in profound poverty without access to food and basic health services. Furthermore, living in cramped conditions, lack of health awareness, basic hygiene practices, and failing to maintain social distance measures which are inherently present among the poor, put them at an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. As the pandemic threatens to expand its devastating grip on Bangladesh, the government and the aid organizations must take urgent and comprehensive initiatives to assist those most in need in this unprecedented health crisis.