Featured Headlines

Some long-haul covid-19 patients say their symptoms are subsiding after getting vaccines – Washington Post
Arianna Eisenberg endured long-haul covid-19 for eight months, a recurring nightmare of soaking sweats, crushing fatigue, insomnia, brain fog and muscle pain. But Eisenberg’s tale has a happy ending that neither she nor current medical science can explain. Thirty-six hours after her second shot of coronavirus vaccine last month, her symptoms were gone, and they haven’t returned.

How a mutated coronavirus evades immune system defenses – Harvard Gazette

The vast majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 clear the virus, but those with compromised immunity — such as individuals receiving immune-suppressive drugs for autoimmune diseases — can become chronically infected. As a result, their weakened immune defenses continue to attack the virus without being able to eradicate it fully.

Spread of a Variant SARS-CoV-2 in Long-Term Care Facilities in England – NEJM

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and hospital admissions for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) increased rapidly in the South East region of England in November and December 2020, despite lockdown measures.1,2 More than half of these infections were associated with a distinct phylogenetic cluster that is estimated to be 40 to 70% more transmissible than previous variants and is driving the growth of infections across England.3 Given the excess deaths seen in long-term care facilities during the pandemic, preventing further spread of this variant, known as B.1.1.7, to long-term care facilities is a public health priority.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in the US Adult Asymptomatic Population as of September 30, 2020 – JAMA

Because severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may be asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic, counts of officially reported cases may substantially underestimate the overall burden of infection in the United States.1 Viral serologic testing may provide a more accurate estimate of cumulative disease prevalence. This cross-sectional study assesses the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in a nationwide, self-reported well population.

Cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Animals in the United States – USDA APHIS

Papua New Guinea sounds the alarm on surging coronavirus cases – New York Times

5 lessons COVID-19 has taught us for the next pandemic – Mercury News

The pandemic that launched the nation’s first and most ambitious experiment to slow the spread of COVID-19 — stay-home orders for 7.6 million Bay Area residents — is easing. It’s left behind shattered lives, economic upset and widened racial inequities, but also valuable lessons which could strengthen our future response to outbreaks of deadly contagion.

Where are we most likely to catch COVID-19? – Popular Science

One in four Americans had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of March 10. After a year of living through the COVID-19 pandemic (and now that the end may finally be in sight) those who have already received their shots can start to cautiously expand their social bubbles. But for the many Americans who aren’t sure how many weeks or months it may take to get their own shots, it’s more crucial than ever to exercise care lest they risk infection during the home stretch—and help new coronavirus variants gain a foothold in the process.

France Finds Covid-19 Variant That Evades Gold-Standard Tests – Bloomberg

A new Covid-19 variant is spreading in the French region of Brittany, where several patients developed tell-tale symptoms but tested negative for the virus.

What Closing Schools Has Done to Kid‪s‬ – Bloomberg Prognosis

This month marks the one-year anniversary in the U.S. of nationwide school closures. The public health measure was designed to help stem the spread of Covid-19. But in doing so, it’s had a profound effect on children. That’s in contrast to the disease itself, which rarely makes young people seriously ill. Jason Gale talked to experts about kids and Covid, and why keeping children out of the classroom may leave a lasting legacy.

Vaccine Headlines

Moderna Is Testing Its Covid-19 Vaccine on Young Children – Wall Street Journal

Moderna Inc. has begun studying its Covid-19 vaccine in children aged 6 months to 11 years in the U.S. and Canada, the latest effort to widen the mass-vaccination campaign beyond adults.

Europe Weighs Caution on AstraZeneca Vaccine Against Covid-19 Threat – Wall Street Journal

Health authorities and scientists threw their weight behind AstraZeneca PLC’s Covid-19 vaccine, but beleaguered European governments that have suspended its use defended their caution.

China’s latest vaccine is made from hamster ovary cells – New York Times

China has approved its fifth Covid-19 vaccine, and it’s made from the ovary cells of hamsters. The vaccine was developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co. and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It was developed by a team led by George Gao, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Zoo Vaccinates Apes To Protect Both Animals And Humans From COVID-19 – NPR

3 minute listen at the link – When it’s time to be vaccinated, the apes at the San Diego Zoo and its associated safari park sit still and allow veterinarians to inject their arms through a barrier. “It’s pretty amazing,” said San Diego Zoo Safari Park director Lisa Peterson. “Our great apes are trained to participate in their own care.”

These 6 states are leading US vaccination rates – Popular Science

We are now more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, which officially began on March 11, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared the viral outbreak a global event. It’s also been well over a year since the WHO announced on January 5, 2020 that there was a mysterious virus emerging in Wuhan, China. Since then, more than half a million Americans have died from the virus. Although we understand far more about SARS-CoV-2 now, there’s still a lot left for us to figure out.

A Vaccine Success Story Unfolds in an Unlikely Corner of U.S. – Bloomberg

The one-shot J&J vaccine gives West Virginia another weapon in its boots-on-the-ground campaign against Covid. Doctor Sherri Young was so excited to get her first shipment of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine that she loaded a cooler full of 60 doses and hopped in a colleague’s navy pickup at 9 p.m., taking off into the Charleston, West Virginia, night in search of people to inoculate.

Germany Joins Growing List of Countries to Suspend Astra Vaccine – Bloomberg

Germany suspended use of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine amid a growing health scare that’s creating yet another delay for the European Union’s inoculation campaign.

Clinical Considerations

Death in the prime of life: Covid-19 proves especially lethal to younger Latinos – Washington Post

Her lungs aching with each breath, Blanca Quintero, a 53-year-old cancer survivor, sought care for the coronavirus from physicians almost two hours away in Mexicali, Mexico, because her calls to doctors here went unanswered.