Tulane Outbreak Daily – January 27, 2021

Featured Headlines

Poland’s population rapidly shrinking under pandemic – ABC News

Statistics for 2020 show deaths spiked in Poland to a level unseen since World War II and births sharply declined, trends that are being attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic

Fewer stayed home, more wore masks as pandemic wore on – CIDRAP

Self-reported adherence to such coronavirus-curbing behaviors as physical distancing fell substantially—while mask wearing rose significantly—from spring to fall 2020, regardless of US Census region, according to a research letter published late last week in JAMA.

As variants spread, countries pursue new round of travel restrictions – Washington Post

Governments around the world — including those of the United States, Britain and New Zealand — are moving to impose stricter travel limitations in a bid to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants that experts warn are more contagious.

Mexico’s pandemic policy: No police. No curfews. No fines. No regrets. – Washington Post

As the coronavirus swept the globe early last year, Mexican officials made an unusual decision: They would not impose “coercive” measures to force citizens to obey pandemic restrictions.

Global Covid cases top 100 million as new strains emerge – NBC News

Global Covid-19 cases topped 100 million Tuesday as virus mutations continue to create new concerns, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

How Dangerous Are New COVID-19 Strains? – Council on Foreign Relations

One year after scientists first identified the new coronavirus, several variations of the virus that appear to be more infectious are causing global alarm. Though the new strains are not thought to be more deadly, their spread raises the possibility of overloading already strained health-care systems. Now, countries’ vaccine campaigns are up against the increasingly fast transmission of COVID-19.

Side-by-Side Comparisons of Important SARS-CoV-2 Variants – The Scientist

The range of SARS-CoV-2 variants has emerged across the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Most attention has been on fast-spreading variants recently identified in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil. Scientists suspect that the variants’ particular patterns of mutations have the potential to affect their transmissibility, virulence, and/or ability to evade parts of the immune system. The latter could make people with vaccine-induced or natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 vulnerable to becoming reinfected with novel variants, and these possible effects remain under investigation.

Germany considers stopping all air travel due to coronavirus mutations – DW

Interior Minister Seehofer said Germany is considering a stop to international air travel, citing a similar approach by Israel. He added border closures to regions where new mutations are prevalent are also being mulled.

Israel Secures COVID-19 Vaccine Doses By Agreeing To Share Medical Data On Israelis – NPR

Israel agreed to provide Pfizer with a trove of medical data about its citizens in return for COVID-19 vaccine supplies. Some privacy experts there are concerned.

The Pandemic Is Finally Softening. Will That Last? – The Atlantic

In the past week, a new picture has emerged in COVID-19 data: The pandemic seems to be receding from its high-water mark in the United States. The most dependable metric of COVID-19’s spread—the number of people currently in the hospital with the disease—is in its first sustained, week-over-week decline since September, according to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic. Hospitalizations fell in the past week in every state but Vermont.

Moderna Is Working On Booster Shot To Protect Against COVID-19 Variant – NPR

Moderna is developing a booster shot for its COVID-19 vaccine to ensure that it works against a variant from South Africa. The variant contains mutations that help the virus evade the immune system.

Vaccine Headlines

The Biden Administration Is Working To Buy 200 Million More COVID-19 Vaccine Doses – NPR

President Biden announced Tuesday that his administration is working to purchase an additional 200 million doses of the two COVID-19 vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use, with the goal, the White House says, of having enough vaccine supply for the entire adult U.S. population by the end of the summer.

Clinical Considerations

Full-Dose Clot Prophylaxis Improves Outcomes in Moderate COVID-19 – MedPageToday

Therapeutic anticoagulation for thromboembolic prophylaxis improved outcomes and possibly survival in a hospitalized but not critically ill COVID-19 population, according to topline results of three large platform trials released today.

Official Reporting for January 27, 2021

World Health Organization

Weekly Epi Update January 26, 2020

Confirmed Cases: 98 794 942

Deaths: 2 124 193

ECDC

Confirmed Cases: 94 582 873 (has not been updated since Friday)

Deaths: 2 036 713

Johns Hopkins

Confirmed Cases: 100,221,840
Deaths: 2,155,052

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Total cases: 25,152,433 (+133,913 New Cases)
Total deaths: 419,827 (+1,891 New Deaths)

Science and Tech

The body’s fight against COVID-19 explained using 3D-printed models – The Conversation

n this interview, Nathan Ahlgren, assistant professor of biology at Clark University, uses 3D-printed models to explain what proteins do in viruses, how they interact with human cells, how the vaccine delivers mRNA into the cell, and how antibodies protect us. This follows an earlier article in which he explained what proteins are and the wide range of functions they have in the body.

Therapeutics

Regeneron’s antibody cocktail effective in preventing Covid-19, company says – NBC

Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday its antibody cocktail was effective in preventing Covid-19 in people exposed to those infected with the new coronavirus, based on interim results from a late-stage study.

Psychological and Sociological Impact

They Lost Sons To Drug Overdoses: How The Pandemic May Be Fueling Deaths Of Despair – NPR

Karen Butcher’s son Matthew struggled for years with an addiction to opioids. She’s convinced the pandemic made it worse.

Published Research

None Today

Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories

In Tiny Kansas Town, Pandemic Skeptics Abound Amid False Information And Politics – NPR

People in Protection, like those in many rural communities, stand divided over how to slow the spread of the coronavirus and the safety of the vaccines being rolled out to protect them.

Coping in 2020 (and probably most of 2021)

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