Upcoming Virtual Event
Washington Post Live: Albert Bourla Pfizer Chair and CEO – Washington Post
Pfizer chair and CEO Albert Bourla led the company through the critical development, testing and distribution of its COVID-19 vaccine. His new book, “Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible,” tells the story of the fast and furious race for a workable vaccine and recounts his journey from Greek immigrant to becoming one of the world’s top scientists. Bourla joins Washington Post opinions writer Jonathan Capehart in this Washington Post Live subscriber exclusive on Thursday, March 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The first 200 Post subscribers to register for the program will be eligible to receive a free copy of “Moonshot: Inside Pfizer’s Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible.” If you are among the first 200 Post subscribers to register, you will receive an email by Thursday, March 17, 2022, with instructions on how to receive your free book. Please note that only those who are eligible to receive a free book will be notified
Featured Headlines
The next variant: three key questions about what’s after Omicron – Nature
After the Omicron variant brought a fresh wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections and anxiety at the start of 2022, some nations are starting to record a decline in case numbers. But after two years of oscillating between pandemic surges and retreats, even people in these countries cannot help but wonder when the next blow will come — and what form it will take.
Covid Deaths Among Hong Kong’s Young Children Alarm Parents – Bloomberg
Three children under the age of five have died in Hong Kong’s spiraling Covid outbreak, a disproportionately large number that has local parents anxious, though pediatricians say it could just be a grim coincidence.
How Omicron overtook Delta in three charts – Nature
Analysis reveals how much faster Omicron spreads and evades the immune system compared with the previous variant. People infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 are almost 50% more likely to infect those they live with than are individuals infected with the Delta variant, a detailed analysis from England shows1.
COVID Patients Fared Better at Dedicated Hospitals for It – MedPageToday
Hospitals dedicated to treating only COVID-19 patients appeared to yield better outcomes for them than other, mixed-use hospitals, a study showed. At the two M Health Fairview hospitals converted to treat COVID-19 starting in March and November 2020, overall mortality with COVID-19 was higher than in the health system’s other nine Minnesota hospitals (11.6% vs 8.0%, P<0.001).
Restaurants Learned the Wrong Pandemic Lessons – The Atlantic
Are we stuck with QR codes forever? If you want a sign that Americans are done with the pandemic, you could rummage around for a poll.
Blood Type, Other Blood Proteins Implicated in COVID Severity – MedPageToday
Eleven blood markers, including the ABO protein that determines blood group, were implicated in severe COVID outcomes in a genomic analysis of clinical data. After examining more than 3,000 blood proteins against those found in hospitalized and severe COVID cases, six proteins had a causal link with increased risk of hospitalization and five proteins were linked to COVID-related need for respiratory support, death, or both, with odds ratios ranging from 1.12 to 1.35.
Bodies are piling up at Hong Kong’s hospitals so quickly that they are sitting unattended in the hallways as the mortuaries fill up. Grocery stores are stripped of food. Rumors of a citywide lockdown have sent residents into a panic and prompted a new wave of departures.
Omicron Is 40% Deadlier Than Seasonal Flu, Study Finds – Bloomberg
The omicron strain of Covid-19 is at least 40% more lethal than seasonal flu, according Japanese scientists, underscoring the potential danger of lifting pandemic curbs too quickly and underestimating the virus’s ongoing health risks.
Vietnam Mulls Shift to Covid Endemic Path Even as Virus Surges – Bloomberg
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the health ministry to begin the process of moving the country to the course of living with Covid-19 and treating it as endemic even as cases surge.
A Cat in Pennsylvania Caught The Delta Variant. But It’s Not All Bad News – Science News
SARS-CoV-2 is not picky about its host. Since the virus first started spreading among humans, it has jumped from our species to pets, livestock, and even wild animals.
People with COVID-19 may have different variants in different parts of the body, according to two studies published in Nature Communications (1,2). The authors say this could make complete clearance of the virus much more difficult to achieve.
U.S. to share some coronavirus technologies with World Health Organization – Washington Post
Plan would allow other countries to replicate U.S. scientific breakthroughs, intended to boost supplies to fight pandemic. The Biden administration will share U.S. government-devised coronavirus technologies with the World Health Organization, a policy shift intended to allow other countries to replicate some American scientific breakthroughs and better fight the pandemic abroad, federal officials said Thursday.
As Cases Skyrocket, New Zealand Finally Faces Its Covid Reckoning – NYT
New Zealanders are anxious as they learn to live with the pandemic-related risk that has been a fact of life elsewhere for two years. New Zealand — For much of the past two years, Covid-19 was a phantom presence in New Zealand, a plague experienced mostly through news reports from faraway lands.
Vaccine Headlines
Against omicron, vaccine protection was much weaker, CDC data shows – Washington Post
Although coronavirus shots still provided protection during the omicron wave, the shield of coverage they offered was weaker than during other surges, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline to seek authorization for vaccine – Washington Post
Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline announced Wednesday they will seek authorization for their delayed coronavirus vaccine, which achieved 100 percent efficacy against severe infection and hospitalization in a Phase 3 clinical trial.
The Future of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination – NEJM
We agree with the statement by Monto in his Perspective article (Nov. 11 issue)1 that immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is waning. However, we think it is not yet clear whether antigenic variation is the main reason why antibodies may lose neutralization potency. This theory is frequently emphasized in the literature, primarily on the basis of convincing data showing that emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants have spike-protein mutations that preclude recognition by certain monoclonal antibodies.
Clinical Considerations
An analysis of data from nearly 154 000 US veterans with SARS-CoV-2 infection provides a grim preliminary answer to the question: What are COVID-19’s long-term cardiovascular outcomes? The study, published in Nature Medicine by researchers at the Veterans Affairs (VA) St Louis Health Care System, found that in the year after recovering from the illness’s acute phase, patients had increased risks of an array of cardiovascular problems, including abnormal heart rhythms, heart muscle inflammation, blood clots, strokes, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. What’s more, the heightened risks were evident even among those who weren’t hospitalized with acute COVID-19.
Official Reporting for March 4, 2022
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update March 1, 2022 (latest release)
New Cases: 1,559,956
Confirmed Cases: 438,968,263
Deaths: 5,969,439
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 442,781,469
Deaths: 5,985,524
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 78,977,146 (+54,879 New Cases)
Total deaths: 952,223 (+1,722 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
Merck’s Covid Antiviral Gets WHO Backing for High-Risk Patients – Bloomberg
Merck & Co.’s Covid-19 antiviral pill was endorsed by a World Health Organization panel for patients in the early stages of disease who face high risk of hospitalization.
Antibody escape and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineage A.27 – Nature
In spring 2021, an increasing number of infections was observed caused by the hitherto rarely described SARS-CoV-2 variant A.27 in south-west Germany. From December 2020 to June 2021 this lineage has been detected in 31 countries.
SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Regulates Virus And Cell Genes – Forbes
Covid-19 patients have reported a vast array of symptoms, including issues related to the heart, kidneys, liver, brain, and a number of other areas. Neurological problems following SARS-CoV-2 infection, ranging from the inability to concentrate to overwhelming fatigue, have been especially concerning. Exactly how this happens, however, remains somewhat of a mystery. By and large, these kinds of symptoms were considered a result of direct viral infection of host cells. Yet increasingly we’re realizing that indirect mechanisms may play a larger role than initially assumed— whether through secondary effects from viral proteins or through the release of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Lots of people became real estate agents during the pandemic – NYT
From burned-out health care workers to parents looking for flexible careers during remote schooling to laid-off sales executives taking their skills to cash in on a booming market, real estate has drawn an abundance of workers while nearly every other industry has struggled with hiring.
Published Research
Secondary infection in COVID-19 critically ill patients: a retrospective single-center evaluation – BMF
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
Local Doctors Address COVID-19 Misinformation – San Diego News
A panel of doctors participated in a virtual event Thursday that addressed COVID-19 misinformation brought up by members of the public at the March 1 County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Coping with COVID
