Featured Headlines
Do ‘Lockdowns’ Work? – Med Page Today
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been thousands of specific policies instituted around the globe. At times, restrictions have been big and bold. Recently, the city of Perth, Australia, was placed in “lockdown” after a single case of SARS-CoV-2. Other restrictions have been focused: removing swings from playgrounds, capping the number of dining guests, or limiting the time for meals (90 minutes). One Toronto suburb closed outdoor ice-skating rinks, toboggan hills, and dog parks. The sheer variety of restrictions meant to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 raises an important question: which ones work? And how big are their effects?
Brace Yourself: Long-Haul Travel May Not Get Going Until 2023 – Bloomberg
As coronavirus vaccines started rolling out late last year, there was a palpable sense of excitement. People began browsing travel websites and airlines grew optimistic about flying again. Ryanair Holdings Plc even launched a “Jab & Go” campaign alongside images of 20-somethings on holiday, drinks in hand.
Indiana catches up with hundreds of Covid deaths that had gone uncounted – NYT
The official coronavirus death toll in Indiana suddenly shot up by 1,507 this week. Though it was a huge jump for a state that has lately been reporting fewer than 100 deaths a day, it conveyed little about where the pandemic is headed in the state — and a lot about how difficult it can be to track accurately.
As new, more-contagious coronavirus variants circulate, doctors say it’s important to improve the effectiveness of your mask practices—such as by “double masking” to wear two at once. Numerous studies have found that masks help protect the wearers as well as those around them from the virus that causes Covid-19.
Everything You Need to Know About the Coronavirus – Wired
It’s been over a year since the first known case of coronavirus surfaced in China, the threat of the virus overtook normal life stateside, and phrases like “social distancing” and “contact tracing” became lodged in our collective vocabulary. From unemployment statistics to drug trials, new information about this pandemic emerges constantly, and dozens of theories about the disease get advanced or disproven on any given day. As the pandemic enters its second year, questions loom large about everything from how we get vaccines into the arms of people who need them most to why new virus variants are emerging now. We’ve put together a guide to everything you need to know about this pandemic—be it how to keep your children entertained or how this outbreak is affecting the economy. We’ll be updating it regularly to help you keep track of all aspects of this rapidly evolving situation.
Coming Soon: The ‘Vaccine Passport’ – NYT
In the near future, travel may require digital documentation showing that passengers have been vaccinated or tested for the coronavirus. Answers to your questions.
UK to test mixed COVID-19 vaccine dosing strategy – CIDRAP
In the latest global COVID-19 developments, the United Kingdom today announced the launch of the first study to explore giving different COVID-19 vaccines in a two-dose regimen, and a new study added more evidence that the B117 variant is deadlier than the standard version of the virus.
Tanzanian President Cautions Against Coronavirus Vaccines – Bloomberg
Tanzanian President John Magufuli, the only African leader to claim there’s no Covid-19 in his country, publicly cautioned the Health Ministry against vaccines and said it shouldn’t rush into any experiments.
Vaccine Headlines
New Vaccine Puzzle: Who Should Get Which Shot? – NYT
Countries are grappling with uncertainties about vaccine supplies and how protective various shots will be, while racing to combat new variants and save lives.
Scientists Test a New Covid-19 Vaccine Question: Mixing Different Doses – Wall Street Journal
As the world keeps adding to its armory of effective vaccines against Covid-19, scientists are starting to ask a new question: What happens if you mix and match? Researchers are beginning human trials in which volunteers will receive an initial dose of one vaccine and a booster shot from another made by a different manufacturer. The goal is to see if such a strategy—known as heterologous prime-boost vaccination—could produce a more effective immune response against the virus that causes Covid-19 than using two shots of a single vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson applies for emergency authorization for a single-shot vaccine – NYT
Johnson & Johnson on Thursday submitted to the Food and Drug Administration an application for emergency authorization for its one-dose coronavirus vaccine, putting the company on track to potentially begin shipping it by early March.
Iran receives its first batch of foreign coronavirus vaccine – Washington Post
Iran on Thursday received its first batch of foreign-made coronavirus vaccines as the country struggles to stem the worst outbreak of the pandemic in the Middle East. The shipment consists of 500,000 doses of Russian-made Sputnik V vaccines which arrived at Tehran’s Imam Khomeieni International Airport from Moscow, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Clinical Considerations
Tocilizumab is a recombinant humanized anti-interleukin (IL)-6 receptor monoclonal antibody that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of certain rheumatologic disorders and cytokine release syndrome induced by chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy. Similar agents in this class include sarilumab, which is FDA-approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It is hypothesized that modulating the levels of pro-inflammatory IL-6 or its effects may improve the course of COVID-19. To date, no IL-6 inhibitor is FDA-approved or authorized for the treatment of COVID-19.
Pregnant during Pandemic: The Bump That No One Saw – Scientific American
This morning I caught my lonely reflection in my hallway mirror: my work-appropriate blouse fitted down to where the view of my computer’s Webcam ends, then heavily stretched over my rounded stomach—the bottom few inches of my belly protruding over baggy sweatpants below. I’m nine months pregnant, but the world hasn’t seen me.
Official Reporting for February 5, 2021
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update February 1, 2020
Confirmed Cases: 103 989 900
Deaths: 2 260 259
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 104,838,939
Deaths: 2,281,731
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 26,398,337 (+121,212 New Cases)
Total deaths: 449,020 (+3,756 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
Medical Drone Startup to Begin Covid Vaccine Delivery in April – Bloomberg
Zipline Inc., a drone delivery service that specializes in medical supplies, announced Thursday that it plans to begin transporting COVID-19 vaccines in April. The South San Francisco-based startup said in a release that it is partnering with “a leading manufacturer of COVID-19 vaccines” in all of the markets where its drones currently operate. Zipline has been delivering medicine and supplies to rural clinics in Rwanda and Ghana since 2016 and, last year, began delivering personal protective equipment to hospitals and clinics in North Carolina. It plans to add operations in Nigeria later this year.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
How ‘Work From Home’ Became ‘Work From Anywhere’ – Bloomberg
The way the pandemic reshapes where and how we work could be one of the most visible legacies from the health crisis. In the U.S., lockdowns sent many wealthy knowledge workers fleeing to suburbs, second-tier cities, and “Zoom towns” in scenic areas near ski slopes or national parks. While most people will eventually return to an office, things might look different than before. It all has the potential to profoundly impact office culture, labor markets, city finances and the American landscape.
Published Research
Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in healthy adults aged 60 years and older: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1/2 clinical trial – Lancet
Necessity of 2 Doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines – JAMA
SARS-CoV-2 infects and replicates in cells of the human endocrine and exocrine pancreas – Nature
Imaging of SARS-CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cells by helium ion microscopy – Journal of Nanotechnology
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
None Today
Coping in 2020 (and probably most of 2021)
