Featured Headlines
The Delta Whiplash Is Here – The Atlantic
This week marked a turning point: Delta caught the country off guard and forced us to revisit our mitigation strategies. Plus: Here’s what to read and watch as July turns into August.
U.S. sees 100,000 new Covid cases in single day – NBC News
The U.S. has surpassed last summer’s average for new cases as the delta variant fills ICUs. This comes as the White House confirmed 70 percent of adults are at least partially vaccinated.
74% of Cases in Cape Cod Cluster Were Among the Vaxxed – MedPageToday
More detail about outbreak in vaccinated people that led to the change in masking, test guidance. Breakthrough infections were responsible for three-quarters of COVID-19 cases in an outbreak during large public gatherings on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and nearly all sequenced cases were the Delta variant, researchers found. [Related CDC Report]
Florida’s coronavirus wave is its worst yet. – New York Times
As the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus rips through the unvaccinated population in the U.S., Florida is seeing its highest number of cases and hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic.
Japan limits hospitalisation of COVID-19 patients to most serious as cases surge – Reuters
Japan will shift policy to focus on hospitalising patients who are seriously ill with the COVID-19 and those at risk of becoming so, officials said, to avoid strain on the medical system as cases surge in Olympics host city Tokyo and elsewhere.
Indonesia is a new COVID-19 epicenter. The peak has yet to come. – National Geographic
In Jakarta’s Pulo Gebang Main Bus Station just a few days ago, thousands of people waited in snarled lines to claim one of the 10,000 COVID-19 shots being offered in the country’s latest emergency vaccination push.
Virus Flares in Wuhan as Delta Challenges China’s Defenses – Bloomberg
China is confronting its broadest Covid-19 outbreak since coronavirus first emerged there in late 2019, with the delta variant spreading to places that had been virus-free for months, including the original epicenter of Wuhan.
Chinese authorities said Tuesday they will administer Covid-19 tests to all 12 million residents in Wuhan, where the first cases of Covid-19 were first reported, after the first local cases of infection by the highly contagious delta variant were reported in the city.
Delta spreads ‘like wildfire’ as doctors study whether it makes patients sicker – Reuters
With a new wave of COVID-19 infections fueled by the Delta variant striking countries worldwide, disease experts are scrambling to learn whether the latest version of coronavirus is making people – mainly the unvaccinated – sicker than before.
Breakthrough COVID-19 Infections Are Rare, But Delta Poses Risks To Vaccinated People – NPR
Breakthrough COVID-19 infections are still quite rare, but scientists are now learning more about the risks posed by the delta variant to people who are vaccinated.
‘X’ Marks the Spot: Officials Map a Route Out of the Pandemic – New York Times
Governments and organizations around the world are using geospatial data and digital mapping tools to guide their vaccination campaigns.
In Sydney’s sprint against a delta outbreak, outcome rests on the young – Washington Post
Australia’s race to vaccinate is finally ramping up, but Michal Aleksandroff isn’t sure he wants to participate. The bricklayer lives in the epicenter of Sydney’s growing coronavirus outbreak and, at age 34, is exactly the type of person officials are frantically trying to inoculate. In the past week, they have increased vaccination sites and slashed age restrictions to try to get ahead of the rampaging delta variant.
Vaccine Headlines
Germany plans to offer vaccine booster shots starting in September. – New York Times
As concerns grow over a rise in coronavirus cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, Germany announced Monday it will offer vaccine booster shots to older people and people with underlying health conditions starting in September.
The overlooked superpower of mRNA vaccines – Science
Individuals facing the threat of COVID-19 may care most about a vaccine’s ability to forestall grave disease that could lead to a hospital bed or worse. And a number of vaccines perform that vital task well, including those from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, which are based on genetically engineered cold viruses, as well as the not-yet-authorized protein vaccine from Novavax. But for public health experts trying to halt a global pandemic, shutting down even the mildest infections is also crucial, especially as the highly infectious Delta variant surges in scores of countries. By that measure, according to a brace of new studies, the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from the Pfizer-BioNTech collaboration and Moderna stand out.
Among people infected by the Delta variant of the coronavirus, fully vaccinated people with “breakthrough” infections may be just as likely as unvaccinated people to spread the virus to others, new research suggests. The higher the amount of coronavirus in the nose and throat, the more likely the patient will infect others. In one Wisconsin county, after Delta became predominant, researchers analyzed viral loads on nose-and-throat swab samples obtained when patients were first diagnosed.
Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine – NEJM
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the resulting coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have afflicted tens of millions of people in a worldwide pandemic. Safe and effective vaccines are needed urgently.
Clinical Considerations
New warnings for unvaccinated pregnant women – NBC News Video
NBC News’ Kristen Dahlgren reports on experts’ new warnings for pregnant women as high numbers of unvaccinated pregnant women are being hospitalized due to Covid.
The road to addressing Long Covid – Science
The risk of COVID-19 has been largely communicated only in terms of deaths and hospital capacity, with recovery and survival conflated with each other. Around one in three people with symptomatic COVID-19 still experience symptoms 12 weeks after onset (1). Long Covid can be experienced by all age groups and not only those with acute severe disease. The debilitating symptoms are wide-ranging, multisystemic, and predominantly fluctuating or relapsing. There is still much to understand about Long Covid, but what is not well understood should not be ignored.
COVID-19 an Independent Driver for Heart Attack and Stroke – MedScape
The risk for acute MI and ischemic stroke increased by roughly eightfold and sixfold, respectively, in the first week following onset of COVID-19 when day 0 (exposure day) was included in the analysis. Even when day 0 was excluded (reducing the risk for bias), the risk for acute MI and stroke was increased by roughly threefold.
Official Reporting for August 3, 2021
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update July 27, 2021 (latest release)
Confirmed Cases: 198,234,951
Deaths: 4,227,359
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 199,099,061
Deaths: 4,239,882
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 34,972,532 (+15,896 New Cases)
Total deaths: 611,051 (+67 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
‘X’ Marks the Spot: Officials Map a Route Out of the Pandemic – New York Times
Governments and organizations around the world are using geospatial data and digital mapping tools to guide their vaccination campaigns.
You’re going to be asked to prove your vaccination status. Here’s how to do it. – Washington Post
Your smartphone can help you safely carry your coronavirus vaccination record, from a simple photo snap to a secure app. Just don’t call it a ‘vaccine passport.’
FDA authorizes Covid antibody treatment as preventive after exposure – NBC News
The unvaccinated or people with weak immune systems at high risk of severe disease can receive an injection if exposed to an infected person.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
How did our dreams change when COVID-19 lockdowns ended? – MedNewsToday
Whether it’s a feeling of being trapped, overall frustration, anxiety, or living in an alternate reality, the coronavirus pandemic has awakened interesting and uncomfortable feelings in many. The recurring cycle of curfews, lockdowns, and reopenings have also become added burdens on mental health.
Pandemic upheaval offers a huge natural experiment – Nature
The disruption that the coronavirus has caused to daily life has created unique research opportunities for scientists.
Published Research
The coronavirus is rife in common US deer – Nature
Retracted COVID Paper Lives on in New Citations – MedPageToday
Risk of acute myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke following COVID-19 in Sweden: a self-controlled case series and matched cohort study – Lancet
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
The Anti-vaccine Con Job Is Becoming Untenable – The Atlantic
Why targets of deliberate deception often hesitate to admit they’ve been deceived.
Join Me in the Fight Against COVID-19 Misinformation – MedPageToday
Another COVID outbreak appears to be upon us. As America celebrated significant milestones with vaccination efforts, many people were still spurred by misinformation and lack of evidence and education.
Vaccine Hesitancy
U.S. Doctors Lose Patience as They Confront Vaccine Hesitancy – Bloomberg
A year ago, U.S. health professionals felt helpless. The coronavirus had been identified but was poorly understood. Thousands were dying daily and the tools available — ventilators, experimental therapies, testing kits — were limited and often ineffective. The president was dismissive of masks and social distancing.
Who Are the Unvaccinated in America? There’s No One Answer. – NYT
One segment of people who have avoided shots is vehemently opposed to the idea. But there is a second group, surveys suggest, that is still deciding.
- Nearly 80% of vaccinated Americans pin the rise in Covid-19 cases and the spread of new variants in the U.S. on the unvaccinated, according to the poll conducted July 30 – August 2 among 999 U.S. adults.
Vaccinated people also consider Donald Trump (36%), conservative media (33%), foreign travelers in the U.S. (30%) and Americans traveling abroad (25%) to be key contributors to the rise in cases, the poll found. - There is less consensus among unvaccinated people on who to blame and fewer than 10% of people in this group thought unvaccinated people were responsible for rising cases.
A significant number of people who hadn’t been vaccinated blamed foreign travelers in the U.S. (27%), the mainstream media (27%) and Americans traveling internationally (23%). - Far fewer unvaccinated people in this group blamed Donald Trump (11%) and the conservative media (7.5%) than their vaccinated counterparts, while they placed greater blame on President Joe Biden (21%), the CDC (19%) and national public health officials (18%).
Coping with COVID
antivax FB post of the day…
Not COVID Related…
