A group of BGU scientists have developed a new methodology to trace the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the sewage and wastewater systems. They already determined that it is transferred through feces into the sewage in their first round of sampling. However, no one is sure yet if the virus remains contagious in sewage. Moreover, if their new methodology is added to the regular screening tests for sewage and wastewater, it could be used to determine the extent of the current outbreak and become an early warning system for future outbreaks.

After gradually rising for a month, the Israeli public’s anxiety levels plateaued four weeks into the coronavirus lockdown and then dropped as “habituation” set in, according to polling commissioned by a team of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev psychologists and public health experts. The team began polling a 1,000 person representative sample of Jewish Israelis when the coronavirus epidemic had broken out in other parts of the world but had not yet reached Israel, which gave them a baseline of the Israeli public’s general anxiety levels.

The new normal is wearing a face mask in public. However, wearing one presents an obstacle to communication with people with hearing disabilities who often read lips to communicate with hearing people. BGU School of Public Health doctoral student Carolina Tannenbaum-Baruchi has joined forces with Maayan Levin, mentor of high school robotics team “Roboactive #2096” from Dimona, to solve the problem. Their solution is the “Read My Lips” facemask which is transparent in front and does not fog up.