Worldwide Health Crisis Show Danger Dependence on China for Medical Supplies

Worldwide Health Crisis Show Danger Dependence on China for Medical Supplies
Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, The Most Famoust Place on Memorial Day
Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley Make Final Preparations for NASA's First Private Space Launch

Posted: 25 May 2020 09:10 AM PDT

WASHINGTON, LELEMUKU.COM - The spread of the coronavirus has placed severe pressure on the world's health care system. It also has shown worldwide dependence on China for medical supplies and drugs.

China holds an important position in the world market for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), the substances that make up the drugs people use. China also is a top producer of supplies such as thermometers, medical face coverings and other equipment.

The outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, in December worried industry experts. They knew that reduced production could lead to severe medical shortages around the world.

In the United States, President Donald Trump has called for the return of supply chains from outside the country. And American lawmakers appear to be willing to take some action.

Anna Ashton is senior director of government affairs with the US-China Business Council. She said, "We are seeing at least 10 bills that focus on ensuring the security of pharmaceutical supply chains."

A number of proposals would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies to find out where drugs come from. And Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas has introduced a new bill to ban the use of federal money to buy drugs manufactured in China.

However, drug companies have expressed concern about having to quickly move their supply chains back to the U.S. The industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America warned that such moves take time. Spokesperson Nicole Longo emailed VOA saying building a factory can take five to 10 years and "can cost as much as $2 billion."

William McLaury is a professor at Rutgers Business School. He also directed the supply chain of drug maker Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation for more than 30 years before joining the university. He said the U.S. would need to help companies with the costof returning to America. He noted that production in the country would have to be increased while waiting for government approval of new supplies.

Ashton said discussions are still ongoing and will take time. But, she said she believed, "…we will see some sort of legislation make its way through the process this year."

The United States is not the only country facing this problem. Many countries including Japan, France and Germany are in a similar situation. Those countries have lost the ability to make some medicines as the worldwide health crisis interferes with supply chains. Most of the drug ingredients are supplied by other countries.

The Japanese government has moved to ease the problem. On April 7, the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced $2 billion in aid to help Japanese companies move suppliers back to Japan. On May 12, the government said it had begun to work with more than 400 Japanese companies to increase production.

In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron has promised "full independence" in producing face masks by the end of the year. He said France needs to reach independence in other important medical supplies. The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi has promised to form a new Europe-based business to reduce dependence on Asian drug making. (VOA)

Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC, The Most Famoust Place on Memorial Day

Posted: 25 May 2020 09:07 AM PDT

WASHINGTON, LELEMUKU.COM - Memorial Day is a national holiday observed in the United States on the last Monday in May. It is the day when Americans honor the women and men who have served in the military.

The Memorial Day holiday was first observed in 1868. The holiday was called Decoration Day. The observance was at what was then known as the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is now known as Arlington National Cemetery. More than four million people visit the cemetery every year.

It is the most famous national burial place in the United States. It includes about 250 hectares of rolling hills, and trees that were planted hundreds of years ago. There are more than 8,000 trees of 300 species in the cemetery. Up and down the hills are lines of simple white headstones marking the graves. About 400 of the markers have gold letters on them. These are the burial places of those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor.

Among those buried at the cemetery are military and political leaders, cabinet officers and Supreme Court justices. Astronauts, explorers and athletes are also buried there. So are chaplains, nurses, slaves and even war correspondents.

Arlington is on the land that once belonged to George Washington Parke Custis, a step-grandson of George Washington. The cemetery holds the graves of soldiers who died in every war in American history. Some who fought and died in the Revolutionary War in the 1700s were moved there from a nearby cemetery.

The first military burial was on May 13, 1864 for Private William Christman, who died in the Civil War. On May 15, 1864, two unknown Union Soldiers were buried at Arlington. They were the first of almost 5,000 unknowns who are now buried at the cemetery. On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldier from World War I. It is now the site of the famed Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Nearly 4,000 former slaves are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. One of them is James Parks. He dug the first graves in the cemetery. And he is the only person buried there who was also born on the property.

Two American presidents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. William Howard Taft was president in the early 1900s. John F. Kennedy was president in the 1960s. More people have visited his grave than any other in the United States.

Other famous people buried at the cemetery include Joe Louis. He was an Army sergeant in World War II. He was a world champion boxer. Robert E. Peary discovered the North Pole. Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee founded the Army Nurse Corps. And the remains of the seven astronauts who died when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded are buried in Section 46.

Sixty-five foreigners are also buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Britain has the most, with 26. South Vietnam has 10, including nine unknown soldiers.

Not everyone who gave military service to the United States may be buried at the cemetery. Those who can be buried there include anyone who died while serving on active duty or who retired from military. Also eligible are those who received high military awards, including the Medal of Honor, those who were injured in combat and former prisoners of war. Some federal government officials and the spouse and children of those buried at Arlington may also be eligible. There is no cost for the burial or funeral service.

Cemetery officials are worried that they will soon run out of space. So they have added an area where the ashes of people who chose to be cremated rather than buried can be placed. There are tens of thousands of spaces in the building, which is called a columbarium. The cemetery is also expanding by almost 11 hectares. This will add almost 30,000 burial places.

Since 1948, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, soldiers from the 3rd US Infantry, The Old Guard, have placed small American flags in front of every headstone in the cemetery. This year, more than a thousand Old Guard soldiers placed more than 220,000 flags in front of each grave marker "to honor every individual buried at Arlington National Cemetery."

Some of the Old Guard soldiers placed flags in front of the graves of soldiers they knew, in Section 60. Some have called it "the saddest place in America." It is where some of the soldiers who died in America's latest wars -- in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are buried. (VOA)

Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley Make Final Preparations for NASA's First Private Space Launch

Posted: 25 May 2020 09:01 AM PDT

WASHINGTON, LELEMUKU.COM - Two American space agency astronauts are making final preparations for the first crewed space flight to launch from American soil since 2011.

Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley - both former NASA shuttle pilots – arrived at Florida's Kennedy Space Center last week. They had been training at their home base in Houston, Texas.

The astronauts are set to launch from Kennedy on a test mission to the International Space Station, or ISS, on Wednesday, May 27.

They will fly on a Crew Dragon spacecraft, carried by a Falcon 9 rocket. The American company SpaceX designed and built each. The flight will be the first by a private company to send astronauts into orbit.

The trip will also mark the first U.S.-based space launch since NASA ended its space shuttle program nine years ago. Since then, American astronauts have been flying to the ISS on Russian rockets launched from Kazakhstan.

Hurley was one of the four astronauts who took part in the final NASA shuttle flight in July 2011. Speaking to reporters in Florida, he said "it has been a long road" back. But he added that it was "humbling to be here to start out the next launch from the United States."

Behnken called it "an awesome time to be an astronaut, with a new spacecraft."

Kennedy Space Center's director, former shuttle commander Robert Cabana, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, welcomed the astronauts on their arrival. The NASA chief told the two he saw them as "a bright light for all of America right now."

The crowd in attendance was greatly reduced because of the coronavirus crisis. The astronauts did not wear nose and mouth covers but stayed socially distant. Cabana and Bridenstine wore face coverings.

Bridenstine spoke to the group. During these difficult times, he said, "this is a moment when we can all look and be inspired as to what the future holds."

The two astronauts do not know how long they will remain at the ISS, but the stay is expected to last at least a month. NASA has said the length of stay will be decided after their arrival and will be "based on the readiness" of the next crew launch.

Only one American is currently on the ISS, astronaut Chris Cassidy. NASA says the three U.S. astronauts will team up to test the Crew Dragon's systems and carry out research and maintenance operations.

Some of the tests will aim to confirm that the spacecraft will be able to carry out future missions while connected to the station for up to 210 days, NASA said.

The mission is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which partners with private American companies to develop U.S. spaceflight systems.

NASA selected SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to transport crews from the United States to the ISS. The space agency is paying the two companies a combined $6.8 billion to build competing rocket and capsule systems.

Boeing is also preparing to launch astronauts aboard its Starliner spacecraft to the ISS. But the company suffered a setback in December during an unmanned test flight to reach the space station.

After lifting off for the test flight, the Starliner experienced software issues that sent the spacecraft to the wrong orbit, causing officials to cancel its trip to the ISS. Boeing says it has been working on the software issues and plans to carry out another unpiloted test flight later this year.(VOA)