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Digital devices for home fitness may break down fitness barriers for some, but they also may exacerbate global inequalities in healthy and physical activities, according to a WHO webinar today. The fitness industry saw revenues drop 58% in the US during the pandemic, and UK gyms lost US$4.3 billion last year. Meanwhile, the market for global fitness apps grew 9.34% in 2020, according to market researcher Technavio.   “While doing exercise at home in your comfortable living room, you can build up that confidence, build up that experience,” Hugo Braam, the co-founder and CEO of Vituragym, a consumer health and fitness app, said on the webinar.  Steven Ward, chief transformation officer of the home-fitness brand Go Fit, said technology can democratize services to a broader range of society. But not everyone has access to the electronic devices needed for at-home fitness technology, Benjamin Uzokwe, a gym trainer from the UK, said on the webinar.  “I have access to a laptop or to a phone, but like a lot of children from underprivileged areas they don’t,” he said.  The fact that different media platforms among countries and regions means there is no one global fitness app, Jürgen Steinacker, professor for sports and rehabilitation medicine from University Hospital Ulm, said in the webinar. “We’re in that dilemma...digital provides such great solutions and at the same time, always is going to have that risk of excluding some people as well,” said Amanda Harding, who moderated the talk. “We need to act like a public health solution, rather than traditional fitness, in order to appeal to non-traditional fitness users to break down barriers and to become more inclusive,” Mr Ward said. The webinar is the first of a series of eight on health and fitness organized by the WHO.  

Both BioNTech and CoronaVac vaccines reduce the risk of infection from the British and South African variants, though the effectiveness is lower, the Hospital Authority said at a press conference today. The efficacy of BioNTech against the British variant is 89.5% while the one against the South African counterpart is 75%, according to Qatar research. CoronaVac, the Chinese-made vaccine also known as Sinovac, which is around 50% effective according to some tests in Brazil, is only 30% effective against the South African virus variant, said Dr Owen Tsang, the Medical Director of the Hospital Authority Infectious Disease Centre. “Sinovac is just so-so in dealing with the South African virus,”  he said, “but getting vaccinated would definitely be protective.” No data is currently available to show the effectiveness of the vaccines against the Indian variant, which has been discovered in more than 17 countries. “Since the variant is relatively new, many clinical manifestations are not clear,” said Dr Tsang. Dr Tsang also said that natural infection could prevent reinfection at 84%.  Symptoms after reinfection, such as feeling tired and breathing with difficulties, are much lighter compared to the first infection. “Those who have been infected only need one shot for further protection,” he said, “and I believe even one shot could protect most people from being infected.” Hong Kong had the first reinfection case in the world in August. The 33-year-old man was infected early in March and tested positive again after staying in Spain for a week. He recovered in five days.