Nearly a year since the local lockdown, the rest of the world is still battling the COVID-19 virus. This time, we’re using innovation and technology to make life a little easier. While other countries are busy containing the virus and keeping tabs on the new strain, Japan is making their testing a little bit more fun and accessible. Can you believe you can purchase actual gold-standard PCR testing kits from a random vending machine on the street? And that’s not the best thing to happen this week either. Check out the greatest news the first week of February has to offer:

Japan has vending machines with PCR test kits

Japan has just taken their vending machine game to a whole new level. SoraNews24 discovered one unique vending machine in Tokyo which dispenses Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test kits. It’s located in Tokyo’s Taito Ward near a Buddhist temple called Jomyoin. Each kit costs JPY 3,500 or roughly PHP 1,600 and comes with instructions for the 5-minute procedure. After collecting the saliva sample and filling out the details, the patient can drop the sealed package at any mailbox. Takenoko, the clinic that will be testing it, promises to give a result via an email address in 24 hours. How cool is that?

Vending machines like these aren’t only available in Japan. Wellness 4 Humanity installed sleek machines for RT-PCR saliva testing at Oakland International Airport, a huge convenience for travelers. The company is also looking to supply similar vending machines in other US airports.

Drive-thru COVID-19 saliva testing in SM Megamall and SM MOA

Xiaomi’s Air Charge Technology

Nike GO Flyease

Disability design for the win!

In 2012, Matthew Walzer, a teen with cerebral palsy, wrote to Nike asking for athletic shoes for disabled people. Nike invited him to collaborate in the design of the original adaptive Nike FlyEase shoe. https://t.co/0S3cAUhCCY

— Jaipreet Virdi (@jaivirdi) February 1, 2021

Nike’s latest shoe release is a win for everyone especially for the adaptive athletes and the disabled. The easy-on, easy-off GO Flyease lets wearers slip into the pair hands-free. Once worn, the bi-stable hinge makes the shoe secure enough for any kind of movement. To take them off, wearers need to only step on the GO Flyease’s heels.

It’s available in three designs: in white, Celestine Blue, and Volt, in black, Dynamic Turquoise, and Hyper Crimson, and in black, Anthracite, and Racer Blue. Where can you purchase it? Nike says “the Nike GO FlyEase is available initially via invite for select Nike Members, with broader consumer availability planned for later this year.” Log on to the Nike News website for updates and more info.

Etude House has a collab with Hershey’s Kisses

Pasig medical volunteers to get a salary raise

Maria Ressa voted for Nobel Peace Prize

“In today’s world, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists are the two foremost organizations for promoting media freedom and protecting journalists, ” said Norwegian labor leader and parliamentary representative Jonas Gahr Støre. “A Nobel Peace Prize for these organizations will be a recognition of the work they do, and it will recognize the thousands of journalists who report on conflicts.”

After briefly describing Ressa’s past experiences as a journalist, especially her critical coverage of the Duterte administration, Støre further said that “she is thus both a symbol and a representative of thousands of journalists around the world.”

Park Shin-Hye’s new drama is set for release this February

What’s the best news you’ve received all week?