Covid Deaths Top 5 Million Even as Vaccines Slash Fatality Rate – Bloomberg

More than 5 million people worldwide have died from Covid-19 less than two years after the novel pathogen was first documented, despite the arrival of vaccines that have slashed fatality rates across the globe.

Covid cases are dropping in the U.S. Is the delta wave over? – NBC News

Even though it looks like the peak of the initial delta wave has been reached, there is an inherent unpredictability to the pandemic that is humbling.

Russia goes into Covid lockdown as new cases surge – NBC News

Russia is set to reimpose strict Covid-19 lockdown measures as the country records its highest daily cases since the pandemic began. NBC News’ Matt Bodner is in Moscow where businesses are being forced to shut and residents told to stay home for at least 10 days.

How does a pandemic start winding down? You are looking at it. – Washington Post

The pandemic isn’t over. But new cases nationally have dropped below 75,000 a day, less than half the number in August. The United States will soon reopen land borders to vaccinated visitors and lift several international travel restrictions. More than 2 million people boarded flights last Sunday, not too far from pre-pandemic travel levels.

What are ‘escape variants,’ and how are vaccine producers preparing for them? – MedNewsToday

COVID-19 vaccine companies are developing new inoculations in preparation for variants that may arise. Vaccine manufacturers hope to streamline processes for faster production and approval. Experts say that the current vaccines offer significant protection against the Delta variant.

Latvia Plans to Reimpose Lockdown After Covid Spike – Bloomberg

Latvia plans to impose a 4-week lock down to slow the spread of coronavirus after a surge in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said, according to the Leta newswire.

Europe and Southeast Asia report a surge in cases – NPR

As of Oct. 26, the European region experienced an 18% surge in new COVID-19 cases. Southeast Asia, a region experiencing a similar rise in new COVID cases, also reported a 13% increase in new COVID-19 deaths.

Sweden’s Pandemic Experiment – The Atlantic

On a gloomy afternoon in March, 2020, Angelica Jularbo, a nurse, was in her office at a high school in Stockholm, when one of her students came in complaining of a headache. Jularbo, a mother of four, projects the mixture of sternness and warmth that one expects from a nurse. In the previous month, covid-19 had begun sweeping across Europe, but Swedish schools remained open. As Jularbo bent to take the student’s temperature, the student coughed and then said, “Oh, maybe I should tell you, my partner has been diagnosed with corona.” Jularbo ordered the student to go home immediately. “Don’t go back to class to get your bag,” she said. “We’ll have someone bring it to you.”

India’s COVID Spike and Plummet. What Have We Learned? – MedPageToday

The severity of India’s second COVID-19 wave took the world by surprise. Cases skyrocketed, at one point accounting for roughly half of the total infections reported globally. Then, almost as quickly, the numbers plunged.

Vaccine Headlines

Moderna Says FDA Needs More Time to Assess Vaccine for Teens – Bloomberg

Moderna Inc. said it was notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require additional time to assess the company’s emergency request to approve its Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 17 as regulators examine the risk of a rare heart inflammation.

The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus – Wired

A “universal” shot would protect against every branch of Covid’s viral family tree—even future ones. But getting there won’t be easy. ON OCTOBER 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave most of the US population permission to get a Covid vaccine booster—a shot in such high demand that 10 million people somehow obtained it in advance of that approval in an effort to feel a little safer. Two days after that, the government of the United Kingdom made things feel a little less safe: It announced the emergence of Delta-plus, a new variant that already accounts for 6 percent of cases in that country, and is even more infectious than the highly transmissible Delta.

The FDA is probing whether the Moderna vaccine can cause a rare side effect in teens – NPR

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will need more time to decide whether to approve Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children ages 12 to 17, the company announced Sunday. The extended timeline is so the FDA can look into reports of a rare side effect — myocarditis, or the inflammation of the heart muscle — in those who’ve gotten the shot. Moderna said the FDA informed the company of the delay on Friday.

What you need to know about COVID boosters – NPR

Millions of Americans can now opt for an extra shot of protection against COVID-19, regardless of which vaccine they initially received. The criteria for a booster shot can include your age, job, where you live and your underlying health. In most cases, you have to wait until six months after your first two shots. What’s more, a booster shot doesn’t have to match the first vaccine you had.

Women Remain Most at Risk of Brain Vein Clots After J&J Vaccine – MedPageToday

Incidence of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) remained a rare occurrence after the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 adenovirus vector vaccine began being administered, researchers said.

Why the trial data supports covid-19 vaccines for children – MIT Tech Review

With vaccines for 5-to-11-year-olds likely to be approved, data suggests that safe rollout could affect the overall course of the pandemic in the US.

Clinical Considerations

Long Covid: What to Know About Lingering Symptoms of a Covid-19 Infection – Wall Street Journal

Some people who have had Covid-19 are still experiencing lingering symptoms weeks, months or as much as a year after infection, even if the illness was a mild case. Scientists, physicians and patients have dubbed the condition long Covid.

Antidepressant Fluvoxamine Significantly Reduces Covid-19 Hospitalization – WSJ

A widely available antidepressant holds promise as a treatment for Covid-19, according to a new study.

Covid-19 patients who received fluvoxamine were significantly less likely to require hospitalization than those who didn’t, in the largest clinical trial evaluating the antidepressant’s effect on Covid-19 to date.

Mild COVID Not Linked to Long-Term Cardiac Damage – MedPageToday

Cardiac parameters suggestive of myocarditis were no more common at 6 months after mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 than among people who never had the infection, a prospective case-control study found.

Official Reporting for November 2, 2021