Health
Zika cases expected to soar in Asia-Pacific, says World Health Org
We’re not out of the woods yet. Authorities have warned that Zika infections are expected to continue rising in the Asia-Pacific region.
Speaking on Monday in Manila, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Margaret Chan said there hasn’t been a “foolproof” approach to controlling the mosquito population, as shown by the decade-long struggle to contain the dengue virus.
The WHO is recommending governments in the region to step up efforts to monitor and report cases of Zika infections. While no deaths have yet been reported globally, complications for infected patients include microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
A 1-year-old with microcephaly.
Babies born to Zika-infected mothers have been found to have microcephaly, or a birth defect where the head is abnormally small and brains may not have developed properly. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system.
In Singapore, over 400 cases have been reported, while Thailand has reached a similar number. The latter has also confirmed two babies affected by microcephaly, the…
Health
APRIL International Care revamps MyHEALTH Hong Kong
APRIL International Care is unique in offering choice in how care is delivered, thus empowering clients to contain costs and ultimately keep premiums down.
Hong Kong, 17 February 2020 – APRIL International Care has announced significant improvements to its onshore MyHEALTH Hong Kong private international health insurance policy range. The changes will apply to all the policies APRIL International Care offers, including individual, family and small to medium enterprise cover, with enhancements having taken effect immediately.
(more…)Health
APRIL International Care opens up TeleHEALTH service to address Coronavirus worries
The TeleHEALTH service means policyholders do not have to leave their home or workplace to “see” a doctor, with a consultation happening directly over the phone
Hong Kong February 10, 2020 – APRIL International Care has opened up its TeleHEALTH service to all individual and group clients across its Asian region to provide support for clients during the current Coronavirus outbreak.
(more…)Business
Coronavirus Outbreak in China Forces White Collar Class to Work From Home
SHANGHAI—In a nation unaccustomed to widespread working from home, China’s coronavirus outbreak is forcing millions of white-collar workers to get used to business outside the office.
With millions of companies keeping staff away to curb contagion, demand is surging for chat apps that employees are adjusting to use from living rooms, kitchens and home offices.
“When we did our first video call on Monday, some people looked like they just got out of bed,” said Jingshu Chen, who runs virtual reality startup VeeR, which asked its staff to stay away from their Beijing office for the week.
“Then, when we did a video call on the second day, everyone looked ready to work.”
Provinces across China have ordered companies to shut or make staff work from home for at least another week after the Lunar New Year holiday. Many firms may extend that further.
The work-from-home policies have led to a surge in downloads for WeChat Enterprise, DingTalk, and Lark—three workplace chat apps operated by Tencent, Alibaba, and ByteDance respectively.
According to data from research firm App Annie, both DingTalk and Lark saw downloads across China’s app stores surge over 350 percent during Chinese New Year week compared to one week prior.
Downloads for WeChat Work surged by almost 70 percent in the same time.
Both DingTalk and WeChat Work suffered connectivity issues due to heavy usages, the companies confirmed in public statements addressing user complaints.
Couriers and Round-the-Clock
Companies are also relying more on China’s army of couriers, who are keeping many self-quarantined residents fed and supplied. VeeR’s Chen said large video files that her team once accessed on an office network are now delivered to employees’ homes via hard drives with couriers.
Some fear financial disruptions.
John Rood, who runs a digital marketing agency in Shenzhen, said the nationwide work-from-home experiment could cause late payments from clients due to banking system quirks.
“A lot of Chinese banks require you to use a USB drive to log into your account, for security measures,” he said.
“But…
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