Duration of Culturable SARS-CoV-2 in Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19 – NEJM
The duration of transmissibility of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and the associated level of contagion have been uncertain. We cultured severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in serial respiratory samples obtained from hospitalized patients with Covid-19 to assess the duration of shedding of viable virus.
As vaccine distribution is picking up with nearly 70 million doses administered worldwide, data regarding large-scale vaccination is becoming available. Last week, Israel released preliminary data on the effects of vaccination for infection. Early indications suggest that after vaccination, as many as 70% of people can still be infected by SARS-CoV-2 after the initial dose of the Pfizer vaccine. More data is needed to confirm the effects on transmissibility among the vaccinated.
Tracking SARS-CoV-2 infection in India with serology – The Lancet
The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe caught most countries off guard, in terms of their ability to detect, track, and contain the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. India, with 462 million of its 1·3 billion people living in densely populated urban settlements with high contact rates, was at risk of catastrophic spread of the virus.1
Decades of underinvestment in public health, with inadequate diagnostic capacity and programmatic agility, made the implementation of test, trace, and treat strategies at scale challenging. The country’s leadership had little choice but to enforce a harsh nationwide lockdown to give themselves time to strengthen capacity. Although the lockdown did result in delaying an exponential increase in infections, when the restrictions on activity and movement were reduced, cases of COVID-19 in hospitals increased, even as testing intensified; first in metropolitan cities and then in smaller cities and towns.2
Global COVID-19 cases surpass 100 million as nations tackle vaccine shortages – Reuters
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 100 million on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as countries around the world struggle with new virus variants and vaccine shortfalls.
China Deploys Anal Swab Tests To Detect High-Risk Covid-19 Cases – Forbes
As Chinese authorities struggle to contain rising Covid-19 infections ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations, Beijing has introduced anal swabs asa new type of coronavirus test that could detect the virus more accurately.
Scientists highlight low risk of COVID-19 spread in schools – CIDRAP
Only 3.7% of COVID-19 cases at 17 in-person K-12 schools in Wood County, Wisconsin, were tied to in-school transmission, and incidence was 37% lower than that in the surround community, according to a study published yesterday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Vaccine Headlines
This is how America gets its vaccines – MIT Tech Review
The Biden administration has inherited a web of tech systems and policies that it must navigate to meet its goal of administering 100 million doses in the first 100 days.
News from U.S. manufacturer Moderna that its COVID-19 vaccine is still “expected to be protective” against a virus variant first detected in South Africa came as a relief to scientists and the public. But the 25 January announcement included a caveat: Antibodies triggered by the vaccine appear to be a little less potent against the new variant, named B.1.351, than the one the vaccine was developed for. So researchers were perhaps even more relieved to hear the company will start development of booster shots tailored to B.1.351 and other variants.
India Has Plenty of Coronavirus Vaccines But Few Takers – Bloomberg
Most of the world is struggling to secure enough vaccines to inoculate their populations. India has the opposite problem: Plenty of shots, but a shortage of people willing to take them.
Clinical Considerations
Full-Dose Clot Prophylaxis Improves Outcomes in Moderate COVID-19 – MedPageToday
Therapeutic anticoagulation for thromboembolic prophylaxis improved outcomes and possibly survival in a hospitalized but not critically ill COVID-19 population, according to topline results of three large platform trials released today.
Official Reporting for January 28, 2021
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update January 26, 2020
Confirmed Cases: 99 864 391
Deaths: 2 149 700
ECDC
Confirmed Cases: 94 582 873 (has not been updated since Friday)
Deaths: 2 036 713
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 100,739,720
Deaths: 2,170,237
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 25,301,166 (+148,733 New Cases)
Total deaths: 423,519 (+3,692 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
New 23andMe Tool Assesses Risk of Covid-19 Becoming Severe – Bloomberg
DNA-testing company 23andMe Inc. has launched a new tool that aims to predict an infected person’s risk of developing a severe case of Covid-19, expanding the company’s bid to deliver actionable insight on health.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Published Research
None Today
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
How anti-vax memes replicate through satire and irony – The Conversation
For most of us, memes are the harmless fodder of an “extremely online” internet culture, floating benignly between different social media platforms — and, on the whole, making us laugh. But in the shadier corners of the internet, like on the forum 4chan, memes can quickly mutate from jokes into more ambiguous, shocking and potentially harmful viral content.
Coping in 2020 (and probably most of 2021)
