Upcoming Virtual Events
Fauci to speak at UVa Medical Center Hour virtual event open to all
Held by UVa’s School of Medicine, the weekly forums on medicine and society regularly feature speakers of note. The Medical Center Hour event is free and can be accessed via us02web.zoom.us/j/86828545236. The passcode is 439854 and advanced registration is required.
Featured Headlines
Children and COVID-19: State-Level Data Report – American Academy of Pediatrics
State-level reports are the best publicly available data on child COVID-19 cases in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association are collaborating to collect and share all publicly available data from states on child COVID-19 cases (definition of “child” case is based on varying age ranges reported across states; see report Appendix for details and links to all data sources). [Link to full report here]
Hospitals Can’t Go on Like This – The Atlantic
22 percent of American hospitals don’t have enough workers right now. The reports have come in from all across the country: Hospitals are filling up, especially in the Midwest, and they are running out of the staff they need to take care of patients.
Pfizer to start pilot delivery program for its COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states – Reuters
Pfizer Inc PFE.N has launched a pilot delivery program for its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in four U.S. states, as the U.S. drugmaker seeks to address distribution challenges facing its ultra-cold storage requirements. [Link to video]
Fauci on Moderna COVID-19 Vax: ‘Our Aspirations Have Been Met’ – MedPageToday
An independent NIH-appointed data safety and monitoring board found that interim data from the 30,000-person COVE study showed 95 cases of COVID-19 — 90 in the placebo group and five in the vaccine group — for a vaccine efficacy of 94.5% (P<0.001). This study was conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Pandemic tops 54 million cases, overwhelms health workers – CIDRAP
Surges in COVID-19 activity, primarily in Europe and the Americas, are pushing health workers and health systems to their breaking points, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned today, as he urged governments to do more to reduce the pressure.
Fauci: Vaccine Results Are ‘Important Advance,’ But Virus Precautions Are Still Vital – NPR
11 min audio at the link – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s foremost infectious disease expert, tells NPR that it’s “OK to celebrate” the good news about Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, but warned it’s not the time to back off on basic health measures.
65 virus cases among WHO Geneva staff – AP
The World Health Organization has recorded 65 cases of the coronavirus among staff based at its headquarters, including five people who worked on the premises and were in contact with one another, an internal email obtained by The Associated Press shows.
Better, smarter, local response systems are the only way to avoid further lockdowns
Covid-19 is surging back, threatening to overrun hospitals, cause long-term illness and more deaths. The disease will be with us for the foreseeable future. Unless it is contained, there will be more misery and the increased risk of serious social disruption.
Inside the Chaotic, Cutthroat Gray Market for N95 Masks – New York Times
As the country heads into a dangerous new phase of the pandemic, the government’s management of the P.P.E. crisis has left the private sector still straining to meet anticipated demand.
Statement regarding Scott Atlas – Stanford University
The university has been asked to comment on recent statements made by Dr. Scott Atlas, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution who is on leave of absence from that position.
Clinical Considerations
Chronic Liver Conditions Raise Risk of Death in COVID-19 Patients – MedPageToday
Patients with chronic liver disease were at increased risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes, and liver-specific risk factors included alcoholic liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and decompensated cirrhosis, a researcher said.
Researchers found that Black and Hispanic people made up 58% of all patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and 53% of those who died from the disease.
Official Reporting for November 17, 2020
World Health Organization
Confirmed Cases: 54 771 888
Deaths: 1 324 249
ECDC
Confirmed Cases: 55 154 651
Deaths: 1 319 792
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 55,554,249
Deaths: 1,336,892
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 11,136,253 (+151,855 New Cases)
Total deaths: 246,232 (+762 New Deaths)
Surveillance Headlines
UNITED STATES
South Dakota: South Dakota nurse says many patients deny the coronavirus exists — right up until death – Washington Post
Iowa: Iowa reports 1,392 virus hospitalizations as state shatters more records – Local News
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Bans Nearly All Indoor Gatherings For The Rest Of The Year – NPR
Washington State: 300-person wedding leads to at least 17 coronavirus cases – NBC
Louisiana: New Orleans Mayor Cancels Mardi Gras Parades In 2021 – NPR
Science and Tech
Diagnostics
HHS Pushes FDA to Speed Up EUAs for Some COVID-19 Tests – MedPageToday
The FDA needs to speed up its emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) for COVID-19
What Are the Most Popular COVID-19 Tests? – MedPageToday
The FDA has authorized nearly 230 diagnostic tests for COVID-19, but which ones are most commonly used? Through interviews with companies, lab directors and pathologists, MedPage Today has compiled a list of key players.
Vaccine
The man in charge of reviewing the applications for coronavirus vaccine candidates has a clear message for the American public: Trust the process.
Why Does Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Need To Be Kept Colder Than Antarctica? – NPR
4 min audio at the link – Two drugmakers, Pfizer and Moderna, have announced promising interim results for their vaccine candidates, raising hopes in the U.S. and abroad that the end of the pandemic may be in sight. But, if and when the vaccines are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, distributing them presents a daunting challenge.
Moderna CEO: Covid-19 Vaccine’s ‘Fantastic’ Results Mean It Could Be Ready Next Month – Forbes
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel slept for 3 hours on Sunday night. At 4:00am, he went for a run, and then a few hours later led an all-company meeting. The subject: preliminary data from Moderna’s phase 3 trial of a Covid-19 vaccine, which found that the vaccine was about 95% effective at preventing the illness. Bancel says that some people in America may start getting vaccinated as early as next month.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Teens in Covid Isolation: ‘I Felt Like I Was Suffocating’ – New York Times
Remote learning, lockdowns and pandemic uncertainty have increased anxiety and depression among adolescents, and heightened concerns about their mental health.
Published Research
An Outbreak of Covid-19 on an Aircraft Carrier – NEJM
Therapy for Early COVID-19A Critical Need – JAMA
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
None today