This is a cool article (check out the photos) about the markings of social distancing in our cities.
Mass COVID testing covered by Politico: Wastewater-based epidemiology has been used to identify polio outbreaks. Now universities across the country like Arizona, Syracuse and Louisiana State University are using it to try to detect Covid.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on the analysis of an outbreak of COVID-19 in three day care centers in Salt Lake City, Utah. Twelve children from two of the centers are believed to have been infected in the centers, and three of those children were asymptomatic. Those twelve children went on to infect twelve people outside of the center, including parents and siblings, and one of the parents had to be hospitalized. Two of the asymptomatic children were confirmed to be transmitters.
Mapping global trends in vaccine confidence and investigating barriers to vaccine uptake: a large-scale retrospective temporal modeling study - Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
In the transparency is important department: AstraZeneca has reopened its UK-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine study after a pause to evaluate an unspecified serious adverse event that was not disclosed. And, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that they would expand their SARS-CoV-2 vaccine study from 30,000 volunteers to 44,000. However, they did not provide an explanation of the reason for the expansion.
The Department of Health and Human Services authorized state-licensed pharmacists and pharmacy interns to order and administer COVID-19 vaccinations to people over the age of 3 in order to enhance access to a vaccine once one is available. Pharmacists must satisfy requirements to be able to do so, including vaccination training, adhering to recordkeeping and reporting requirements, and administering Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized or licensed vaccines.
Nature: The Underdog Coronavirus Vaccines That the World Will Need If Front Runners Stumble
Undark: The Overlooked Logistics of Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution
NIH: Substance Use Disorders Linked to COVID-19 Susceptibility
Science: Why Obesity Worsens COVID-19
A team of researchers from Harvard Medical School and the City University of New York found that individuals who stayed home from work in April and May 2020 due to probable COVID-19 symptoms (but who did not receive a formal diagnosis) were more likely to be people of color, uninsured, less well-educated, and people with lower incomes — mirroring now well-documented racial, economic, and social inequities in diagnosed coronavirus cases and COVID-19-related deaths.
A commentary in Nature Reviews Immunology discussed the very complex concept of herd immunity in COVID-19 and drew several important conclusions. The authors’ most optimistic model suggests that herd immunity will not be reached until at least half of the population has been infected. Achieving herd immunity in the United States by disease alone would mean 500,000 to 2.1 million deaths. They make the point that vaccines are a far more advantageous method to achieve herd immunity, but the level of protection from vaccines won’t be known until there are clinical trial results.
STAT: Early Research from 23andMe Strengthens Link Between Blood Types and COVID-19 (Type-O blood types were less likely to experience COVID symptoms)
This is a great article about COVID-etiquette. It covers the obvious stuff about mask-wearing (but with some extra practical tips), and more. Check it out.
Wall Street Journal: Israel to Enter Lockdown Again as Second Coronavirus Wave Hits
The Italian hospital that was the center of the pandemic back in March has begun reaching out to their survivors to check on vital signs and how they have recovered-- about half say they haven't.
Washington Post: Maine wedding ‘superspreader’ event is now linked to seven deaths. None of those people attended.
