Featured Headlines
Putin Tells Russia To Begin Large-Scale Vaccination For Coronavirus – NPR
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered mass immunization against COVID-19 as Russia races to reverse a surge in coronavirus cases and be the first in the world to distribute its vaccine widely.
U.S. vaccine chief sets immunization timeline as hospitals prep for distribution – CNBC
Covid-19 hospitalizations are rising around the country, in some cases reaching dangerous capacity levels and squeezing hospital systems. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday the state would be implementing emergency hospital measures, including identifying retired doctors and nurses and mandating “load balancing” between hospitals in the same region.
CDC Shortens Its COVID-19 Quarantine Recommendations – NPR
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its guidelines for people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus. Now, instead of the standard 14-day quarantine it has been recommending, the CDC says that potential exposure warrants a quarantine of 10 or seven days, depending on one’s test results and symptoms.
Moderna Plans to Begin Testing Its Coronavirus Vaccine in Children – New York Times
The drugmaker Moderna said on Wednesday that it would soon begin testing its coronavirus vaccine in children ages 12 through 17. The study, listed Wednesday on the website clinicaltrials.gov, is to include 3,000 children, with half receiving two shots of vaccine four weeks apart, and half getting placebo shots of salt water.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn told Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ chief health and medical correspondent, that the agency has “all hands on deck” and is “working day and night, and on the weekends” to evaluate and clear multiple coronavirus vaccines for emergency use authorization before they are allowed to be distributed to the general public.
Basel, 2 December 2020 – Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced that its Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibody test has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The serology (blood) test can be used to measure the level of antibodies in people who have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The EUA in the United States follows the launch of the Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibody test for markets accepting the CE Mark announced on 18 September.
Two Global Efforts Try to Trace the Origin of the Covid Virus – Wired
Two efforts are happening in parallel. On November 5, the World Health Organization quietly published the rules of engagement for a long-planned and months-delayed mission that creates a multinational team of researchers who will pursue how the virus leaped species. Meanwhile, last week, a commission created by The Lancet and headed by the economist and policy expert Jeffrey Sachs announced the formation of its own international effort, a task force of 12 experts from nine countries who will undertake similar tasks.
A new model that used smartphone data to monitor infection spread found that limiting public venues to 20% of capacity would cut infections by 80%.
Clinical Considerations
Muscle Involvement in SARS-CoV-2 Infection – European Journal of Neurology
Contributing to the ongoing exploration of the extent of neurologic involvement with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the authors explored possible muscle involvement and report findings from 351 patients with COVID-19 and 258 with influenza. Almost 1 in 4 patients had elevated CK levels, which correlated somewhat with the severity of the disease. The authors found that the frequency of elevated CK levels was similar in COVID-19 and influenza, but CK levels were lower in COVID-19 compared with influenza in both mild and severe disease.
Researchers have identified host proteins and pathways in lung cells whose levels change upon infection by the SARS-CoV-2, providing insights into disease pathology and new therapeutic targets to block COVID-19.
Unraveling why children are more protected from SARS-CoV-2 infection – Science Advisory Board
One of the more puzzling aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the resistance of children to the negative effects of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A new study published December 1 in Archives of Disease in Childhood indicates that this resistance may be due to differences in the immune system, certain blood vessel characteristics, and microbiota composition in children.
Official Reporting for December 3, 2020
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update December 1, 2020
Confirmed Cases: 63 360 234
Deaths: 1 475 825
ECDC
Confirmed Cases: 63 821 835
Deaths: 1 482 541
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 63,758,885
Deaths: 1,478,045
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 13,626,022 (+178,395 New Cases)
Total deaths: 269,763 (+2,461 New Deaths)
Surveillance Headlines
UNITED STATES
Colorado: Nightmares and tears: Covid-19 takes a heavy toll on health care workers in Colorado – CNN
New Orleans, Louisiana: Swingers event becomes ‘superspreader’ after 41 test positive for coronavirus – Washington Post
EUROPE
Sweden: Top Epidemiologist Says Herd Immunity Is a Mystery – Bloomberg
ASIA
Japan: The New Virus Wave in Japan Is Older and More Serious, Data Show – Bloomberg
China: Inside China’s response to COVID – Nature
AUSTRALIA
Australian State Investigates First Covid Case in 25 Days – Bloomberg
Science and Tech
We’re just beginning to understand how our genes and COVID-19 mix – Popular Science
Among the most baffling pieces of the COVID-19 pandemic is how the disease presents: While some people who contract the illness are totally asymptomatic or become just a little sick, others become profoundly ill. Researchers haven’t yet been able to pinpoint exactly why some people experience severe bouts of COVID-19 while others come away mostly unscathed (at least as far as we can tell for now), but if doctors can find out why severe COVID occurs, they might be able to better treat it. And our genetics could hold some answers.
Therapeutics
CVS to Give Covid Patients Eli Lilly Therapy in Their Homes – Bloomberg
CVS Health Corp. will administer Eli Lilly & Co.’s Covid-19 treatment in patients’ homes and in long-term care facilities through a program with the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed, the pharmacy chain said.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Is the pandemic making people more generous — or more selfish? – Vox
We won’t fully know until 2020 is behind us because around 30 percent of total annual giving happens in December, with many people making their tax-deductible donations on the very last days of the year. But we’ve already got some telling data about how much people are giving.
Published Research
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) superspreader events – Journal of Infection
No evidence for increased transmissibility from recurrent mutations in SARS-CoV-2 – Nature
Event-specific interventions to minimize COVID-19 transmission – PNAS
The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein alters barrier function in 2D static and 3D microfluidic in-vitro models of the human blood–brain barrier – Neurobiology of Disease
COVID-19 in hospitalized patients in Spain: a cohort study in Madrid – International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
Vaccine Hesitancy
Coping in 2020
Pantyhose and Trash Bags: How Music Programs Are Surviving in the Pandemic – NYT
Concerned about spreading the virus through instruments or singing, student music groups are finding innovative ways to perform together.
Jazz Standard, One Of New York’s Top Clubs, Closes Due To Pandemic – NPR
The basement club first opened in 1997, but was re-opened in 2002 along with a sister barbecue restaurant upstairs, Blue Smoke Flatiron, as the city staggered back to its feet in the aftermath of Sept. 11. Both the club and the restaurant are owned by restaurateur Danny Meyer and his Union Square Hospitality Group.
Six-Word Sci-Fi: Stories – Wired
These are fun to read… and have nothing to do with COVID. Enjoy!