Featured Headlines

U.S. response to coronavirus variants emphasizes masks and vaccines instead of lockdowns – Washington Post

The restrained approach differs from strict preemptive measures taking place in Europe, including lockdowns, classroom closures and requirements to wear medical-grade masks. It also illustrates the realities of the pandemic response in America, where there is little appetite for more limitations to curb viral spread.

The coronavirus is mutating. Will our vaccines keep up? – Washington Post/John Barry

Making vaccines is hard. Making vaccines that keep up with mutations is even harder. The race is now on to keep up with the mutating coronavirus. Mutations occur when the genetic code of an organism is not copied accurately during cell replication. This is true in humans and viruses, but viruses make orders of magnitude more copying mistakes than humans do. These mutations are random, and the vast majority have no impact on or damage the virus.

Hospitals In Japan Are Overwhelmed By COVID-19 Surge – NPR

Japan has extended its coronavirus state of emergency in 10 parts of the country. Some COVID-19 patients have died at home while waiting for hospital beds.

U.S. Hits Pandemic Milestone With More Vaccinated Than Cases – Bloomberg

As of Monday afternoon, 26.5 million Americans had received one or both doses of the current vaccines, according to data compiled by the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Since the first U.S. patient tested positive outside of Seattle a year ago, 26.3 million people in the country have tested positive for the disease, and 443,000 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

U.K. Covid Strain Gets Mutation That Raises Vaccine Concern – Bloomberg

Scientists have identified the mutation on 11 different sequences of the new strain, Public Health England said in an updated report Monday. The findings came from a data set of more than 200,000 sequences.

2 more cases of South African COVID-19 variant confirmed in Maryland – WBAL

Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that state health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed two additional cases of the South African variant in Maryland. The two individuals, who recently traveled abroad, live in Montgomery County. Contact tracing is underway and close contacts are isolating.

Coronavirus is in the air — there’s too much focus on surfaces – Nature

Catching the coronavirus from surfaces is rare. The World Health Organization and national public-health agencies need to clarify their advice. Catching the virus from surfaces — although plausible — seems to be rare

Fauci Says CDC May Recommend Wearing Two Masks to Fight Virus – Bloomberg

The CDC and Fauci discussed the matter Monday but the agency doesn’t yet have the data to make any formal recommendation, he said Tuesday during a Washington Post event. Still, “it makes common sense” to increase protection, Fauci said.

What’s Going On With All These Coronavirus Variants? An Illustrated Guide – NPR

OK. So what in the heck is going on with all these variants? Why is everyone so worried? And how do they work? To answer these questions, let’s go back in time to January 2020, when we were all blissfully going about our lives, eating in restaurants, cramming into elevators at work and dancing at house parties on the weekends.

Vaccine Headlines

Astra, Russia Shots Get Boost; Variant Spreading

AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid vaccine showed 82.4% effectiveness with a three-month gap between two shots, according to a new study that bolsters the U.K.’s controversial decision to adopt the extended dosing interval. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine provided strong protection in an interim analysis of an advanced clinical trial.

French Health Body Recommends AstraZeneca Shot up to Age 64 – Bloomberg

France is counting on the AstraZeneca shot to speed up its vaccination campaign, after criticism of a slow start there and across the European Union. The inoculation adds to the vaccines by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE and that of Moderna Inc already being administered in the country.

COVID-19 Vaccine: Will It Protect Against New Variants And Do You Need A 2nd Dose? – NPR

As the virus that causes COVID-19 continues its global attack, it has done what scientists predicted it would do — it has given rise to new, slightly different strains. How significant some of those strains will be to the pandemic is now under intense study. Meanwhile, demand for the currently available vaccines is outstripping the early supply, and some scientists have sparked controversy by suggesting holding off on booster shots until more people have had their initial shots. That’s something the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not endorse — but the agency has extended the timing on the second dose a bit.

New Zealand Approves First Covid-19 Vaccine, Awaits Delivery – Bloomberg

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern welcomed the decision by Medsafe on Wednesday, saying the nation can now begin preparations for the first stage of its coronavirus vaccination rollout. The approval is provisional on the drug companies keeping the authority updated with data from clinical trials and manufacturing processes.

China And Russia Want To Be Vaccine Leaders. How’s That Going? – NPR

China and Russia are vying for a role in ending the global coronavirus pandemic. Both countries have produced vaccines that they intend to sell to countries that can’t afford the ones being used in the United States.

Clinical Considerations

None today

Coping in 2020 (and probably most of 2021)

My social life for the past year… HI KIM!