The U.S. has reached 900,000 deaths from COVID-19 – NPR
The U.S. has hit more than 900,000 deaths from COVID-19 — yet another once-unimaginable new toll. And the number of people dying every day is still rising.
What the Omicron wave is revealing about human immunity – Nature
Immunologists have raced to work out how to protect against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2. Their research has yielded a wealth of insights and a few surprises.
Brief incubation, high viral shedding: COVID-19 human challenge trial results – MedPageToday
Imperial College London (ICL) has announced the results of the first COVID-19 human challenge trial. A human challenge trial is a carefully controlled study in which researchers deliberately infect participants with a pathogen Trusted Source to study the effects of that infection.
Britain’s pandemic modellers say future large waves of COVID possible – Reuters
There is a realistic possibility of large waves of COVID-19 infection in the future in Britain and such waves might even be considered likely, epidemiologists who model the COVID-19 pandemic to inform government advice have said.
How Denmark Decided COVID Isn’t a Critical Threat to Society – The Atlantic
The country became the first in the EU to lift all COVID restrictions despite leading the world in per capita infections. On February 1, Denmark became the first country in the European Union to lift all pandemic restrictions. Indoor mask mandates? Gone. Vaccine passports at bars, restaurants, and stadiums? See ya. Mandatory isolation for infected individuals? Farvel.
The 1918 flu didn’t end in 1918. Here’s what its third year can teach us. – Washington Post
In New York City in 1920 — nearly two years into a deadly influenza pandemic that would claim at least 50 million lives worldwide — the new year began on a bright note. Within a few weeks, however, those optimistic headlines began to change. Before the end of the month, New York City would experience a surge in influenza cases. Chicago and other urban centers reported the same.
The future of the pandemic is looking clearer as we learn more about infection – NPR
During the early days of the pandemic, scientists and doctors were concerned that being infected with SARS-CoV-2 might not trigger a strong immune response in many people – thus an infection might not provide long-term protection.
Australia Reopens to International Visitors After Two Years – Bloomberg
Australia will allow international travelers to enter the country once again, ending around two years of some of the world’s toughest border controls that were introduced to stem the spread of Covid-19.
Chinese City of 3.6 Million Locked Down as Virus Spreads – Bloomberg
A city in southwestern China was locked down on Monday after mass testing identified nearly 100 people with Covid-19, extending the country’s protracted battle to bring its virus infections back to zero.
Hong Kong Curbs Private Gatherings With Tightest Covid Rules Yet – Bloomberg
Hong Kong will limit gatherings in private homes for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, in an attempt to keep residents from socializing as it fights an outbreak that risks dashing its strategy of keeping out the virus long term.
Hamsters sparked a COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong – Nature
Pet hamsters probably carried the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 into Hong Kong. Plus, how the Olympics manages to be carbon neutral and how Omicron affects kids differently.
A subvariant that scientists believe is even more contagious than the most common form of Omicron is spreading rapidly in parts of Asia and Europe and is now dominant in Denmark, where nearly all Covid restrictions were lifted last week.
Vaccine Headlines
Will Covid-19 Vaccine Nasal Sprays Be the Pandemic Game-Changer We Need? – Rolling Stone
Promising results from a study at Yale University are still undergoing peer-review — but offer hope for managing Covid-19 in the future. The best Covid-19 vaccines are really, really effective. Better than many flu vaccines. Better than some hepatitis-B vaccines. Better than the measles vaccines, in many cases.
Study suggests Omicron-specific booster may not provide more protection – STAT
The work, by scientists at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’s Vaccine Research Center, shows that animals boosted with the original vaccine had similar levels of protection against disease in the lungs as did primates that received an updated booster based on the Omicron strain. The work was done with Moderna’s licensed vaccine and a booster shot based on the Omicron variant.
Clinical Considerations
NIH-funded study suggests COVID-19 increases risk of pregnancy complications – NIH
Pregnant women with COVID-19 appear to be at greater risk for common pregnancy complications — in addition to health risks from the virus — than pregnant women without COVID-19, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The study, which included nearly 2,400 pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2, found that those with moderate to severe infection were more likely to have a cesarean delivery, to deliver preterm, to die around the time of birth, or to experience serious illness from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, postpartum hemorrhage, or from infection other than SARS-CoV-2. They were also more likely to lose the pregnancy or to have an infant die during the newborn period. Mild or asymptomatic infection was not associated with increased pregnancy risks.
New conditions common 1 to 5 months after positive COVID test – CIDRAP
A cohort study of Americans tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection shows that new-onset shortness of breath, heart rhythm abnormalities, and type 2 diabetes were more common 31 to 150 days after testing positive for COVID-19 than among those with negative results.
High risk of death or readmission after COVID-19 hospitalization – MedNewsToday
A new study finds that being released from the hospital after receiving treatment for COVID-19 does not guarantee survival. “This won’t be entirely due to lasting effects of the virus — we know that COVID-19 picks on more vulnerable people in the first place, plus there are generic adverse consequences of being seriously ill and hospitalized. Hence, the risks were more similar when we compared [them with those for] hospitalized flu patients.”
U.K. Expert Group Attempts to Define ‘Long COVID’ in Kids – MedPageToday
A standardized research definition of so-called “long COVID” in children was reached by a panel of clinicians, researchers, and patients to complement the existing World Health Organization (WHO) definition of long COVID for adults.
COVID Smell Loss and Long COVID Linked to Inflammation – Scientific American
An impaired sense of smell affects from about 30 to 75 percent of people infected with the novel coronavirus, according to a recent estimate, suggesting that millions of people worldwide have suffered this condition at some point in the past two years. Called anosmia, the olfactory system dysfunction is typically temporary, but it can take months or longer for a full recovery, making it difficult to enjoy meals and to detect odors such as spoiled food, smoke and others that can signal danger.
The life-altering cost of long Covid: ‘It’s a full-time job to get better’ – CNBC
After contracting Covid-19 in December 2020, Anne, a 61-year-old nurse in Boston, still doesn’t feel like her old self. She tires easily and has to meticulously record everything she has to do each day so she doesn’t forget. She’s more irritable than she used to be, and has trouble focusing for extended periods of time.
Official Reporting for February 8, 2022
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update Feb 8 (latest release)
New Cases: 2,235,694
Confirmed Cases: 394,381,395
Deaths: 5,735,179
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 398,153,499
Deaths: 5,753,698
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 76,415,622 (+73,625 New Cases)
Total deaths: 899,756 (+322 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
Researchers have identified a powerful combination of antivirals to treat COVID-19. Combining the drug brequniar with remdesivir or molnupiravir — both approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use — inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 virus in human respiratory cells and in mice, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The findings, published this week in Nature, suggest that these drugs are more potent when used in combination than individually.
New York Deer Infected With Omicron, Study Finds-NYT
White-tailed deer on Staten Island have become the first wild animals with documented Omicron infections. The coronavirus has now been found in deer in 15 states.
Why remdesivir, a highly effective COVID treatment, is a last resort for providers – NPR
In late December, as the omicron variant surged, the roster of early COVID-19 treatments was looking slim. Newly authorized pills for COVID-19 were in short supply. Several monoclonal antibody drugs didn’t seem to work.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Paying bills or buying masks: Simple living with COVID is hitting some Americans hard – NPR
7 min audio at the link – As the human toll of the coronavirus continues to mount, so does the cost that comes with living during a pandemic. Cloth and disposable surgical masks have become staples of pandemic life as many stores, restaurants and businesses require staff and customers to wear them. And many school districts around the country still have mask mandates in place.
Evidence That Pandemic Worsened Kids’ Mental Health Piles Up – MedPageToday
Starting in July 2020, rates of visits to mental health services were consistently 6% to 15% above expected levels — based on prior years — and were sustained as of February 2021 (adjusted relative rate [aRR] 1.15, 95% CI 1.13-1.17), reported Natasha Ruth Saunders, MD, MSc, of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and colleagues.
Published Research
Overall and cause-specific hospitalisation and death after COVID-19 hospitalisation in England: A cohort study using linked primary care, secondary care, and death registration data in the OpenSAFELY platform – PLoS Medicine
Long COVID symptoms in SARS-CoV-2-positive adolescents and matched controls (LongCOVIDKidsDK): a national, cross-sectional study – the Lancet
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
Coping with COVID
Scientists name newly discovered flatworm after covid-19
