Featured Headlines
Children Produce Weaker Coronavirus Antibodies, Study Finds – NYT
The research suggests that children clear the infection much faster than adults and may help explain why many don’t become seriously ill. [Related study in Nature]
US surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 cases in single day – CIDRAP
While the nation anxiously awaits the final results of the 2020 presidential election, the coronavirus pandemic in the United States is setting new records as COVID-19 cases rise rapidly across the country.
US breaks daily record of new coronavirus infections, topping 108,000 cases – CNN
For the second straight day, the United States has surpassed 100,000 new coronavirus infections, again breaking the record of cases reported in a single day. It’s a reality that seemed far away a few weeks ago, when health experts predicted the nation would eventually reach those levels of infection. Now those same experts are concerned at just how soon it happened.
Denmark plans to cull its mink population after coronavirus mutation spreads to humans – Reuters
Denmark will cull its mink population of up to 17 million after a mutation of the coronavirus found in the animals spread to humans, the prime minister said on Wednesday. (Thanks Linda!)
Air pollution linked to greater risk of dying from covid-19 in the US – New Scientist
Living in a part of the United States with dirty air has been linked to a significantly greater risk of dying from covid-19, raising the prospect of air pollution data being used to forecast which areas may need the most help treating people with the illness.
First COVID-19 Vaccine Doses To Go To Health Workers, Say CDC Advisers – NPR
Health care workers will almost certainly get the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. when one is approved, according to Dr. José Romero, head of the committee that develops evidence-based immunization guidelines for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Election judge worked despite COVID-19 diagnosis, then died – ABC News
A suburban St. Louis election official who worked at a polling place on Election Day despite a positive test for the coronavirus has now died, raising concerns for the nearly 2,000 people who voted there
How well do aerosols transmit SARS-CoV-2? – Physics Today
New dynamic modeling shows that short-lived, micrometer-sized aerosols are not a particularly efficient infection vector.
Speeding COVID-19 Drug Discovery with Quantum Dots – NIH Director’s Blog
These round, multi-colored orbs in the illustration above may resemble SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. But they’re actually lab-made nanocrystals called quantum dots. They have been specially engineered to look and, in some ways, act like the coronavirus while helping to solve a real challenge for many labs that would like to study SARS-CoV-2.
Bloomberg Prognosis Podcast: Your Questions About the Coming Winter – Bloomberg
The holidays will not be business as usual this year. Instead of just figuring out what to cook for Thanksgiving dinner, we have to consider things like who we can invite to dinner safely, or whether we should even be hosting a meal at all. Reporter Kristen V. Brown finds expert answers to your questions around social distancing etiquette and the Holiday season.
Clinical Considerations
Covid-19 may make people’s tinnitus worse – NBC
While stress is known to worsen tinnitus symptoms, there’s some evidence that the virus itself may also play a role.
One of the more surprising symptoms of COVID-19 has been the blood clots that many patients, including younger ones, have experienced with the infection. The clots have in some cases led to dangerous blockages in the lungs, caused strokes and even death, even in people without a history of circulatory conditions. [Related research from Science]
Clots, Strokes And Rashes. Is COVID-19 A Disease Of The Blood Vessels? – NPR
4 Min Audio at the link – Whether it’s strange rashes on the toes or blood clots in the brain, the widespread ravages of COVID-19 have increasingly led researchers to focus on how the novel coronavirus sabotages the body’s blood vessels.
Official Reporting for November 5, 2020
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update October 30, 2020 (Last Updated)
Confirmed Cases: 47,930,397
Deaths: 1,221,781
ECDC
Confirmed Cases: 48 171 563
Deaths: 1 226 241
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 48,590,825
Deaths: 1,231,616
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 9,463,782
Total deaths: 233,129
Surveillance Headlines
UNITED STATES
U.S. Sets Coronavirus Record With Daily New Cases Pushing Past 100,000 – NPR
EUROPE
UK: England locks back down, Italy puts regions on red alert as Covid-19 deaths spike 43% in Europe – CNN
Sweden: Registers record 4,034 new COVID-19 cases, deaths rise above 6,000 – Reuters
Science and Tech
Scientists at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with Justus-Liebig University, Germany, have uncovered how the genome of SARS-CoV-2 — the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — uses genome origami to infect and replicate successfully inside host cells. This could inform the development of effective drugs that target specific parts of the virus genome, in the fight against COVID-19.
A recent study by Estonian researchers at University of Tartu explains how coronavirus is activated before attacking the cell and what could help to impede that. The study published in Scientific Reports, takes us a step closer to understanding why the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been so rapid and aggressive. The studied virus activation mechanism is also one potential target for developing drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.
Diagnostics
Vaccine
Pfizer goes solo on U.S. shot distribution, opting out of government channels – Fierce Biotech
Pfizer had already made it quite clear that it doesn’t need the U.S. government to help distribute its COVID-19 vaccine, should it be authorized by the FDA. Now it’s putting an exclamation point on that declaration.
Antiviral
Psychological and Sociological Impact
How Have You Collaborated From a Distance During the Pandemic? – NYT
Have you found new ways to work with others over the internet? What have you accomplished? What do you miss, if anything, about working together in person?
Forget Long Weekends: During the Pandemic It’s All About Short Weeks – NYT
Trips that might have been two or three nights last year now feel too brief — not worth all the hoops, not quite enough time away.
Published Research
Aprotinin Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication – MDPI Cells
Distinct antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in children and adults across the COVID-19 clinical spectrum – Nature
Free fatty acid binding pocket in the locked structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein – Science
Prolonged infectious SARS-CoV-2 shedding from an asymptomatic immunocompromised cancer patient. – Cell
Prothrombotic autoantibodies in serum from patients hospitalized with COVID-19 – Science
SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Spain – The Lancet
Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 in Iceland – American College of Cardiology
SARS-CoV-2 infection: the environmental endurance of the virus can be influenced by the increase of temperature – Clinical Microbiology
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection in Hematologic Patients: Experience at the Hospital Attending More Patients in Spain – ASH Publications
Pre-Print Studies
None Today
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
Birds Sang a New Song During the Pandemic – Eos
White-crowned sparrows in the San Francisco Bay Area sang differently during California’s COVID-19-induced shutdown, recordings have revealed.
Stuck On A Tiny COVID-Free Island In Italy? It’s Bliss – Forbes
As Italy grapples with a localised lockdown to counter the second COVID wave, some people are just luckier than others to live in awesome spots. Who wouldn’t like to be trapped on an idyllic isle where it’s warm throughout the year?