Featured Headlines
Belief in Conspiracy Theories Is a Barrier to Controlling Spread of COVID-19 – Univ of Pennsylvania
Belief in conspiracy theories about the coronavirus pandemic is not only persistent but also is associated with reluctance to accept a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available and to engage in behaviors such as mask-wearing that can prevent its spread, according to researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
From plandemic to breadcrumbs: conspiracy-theory slang – The Economist
There’s nothing new about looking for answers. At a time when religion is on the retreat in many countries, people often look to alternative theories of life and the universe, particularly in periods of uncertainty. As coronavirus has spread, so have conspiracy theories: protesters gather to denounce masks, vaccines and 5g networks; social-media feeds teem with histrionic videos about murky cabals and worst of all, it has reached your family WhatsApp group. But if you’re going to argue with a conspiracy theorist, you’d better speak their language. If someone tells you to “follow the breadcrumbs”, resist the urge. When you hear someone disparaging “sheeple”, stand proudly as a member of the flock. After all, it’s much harder to refute lies if you’re ignorant too.
How to Fight Back Against Coronavirus Vaccine Phobia – Bloomberg
Make inoculations easy to get. Tell the stories of Covid-19 victims. Recruit celebrity validators to woo the skeptics. The world is soon likely to confront a serious new challenge to the fight against Covid-19: vaccine hesitancy.
Fauci warns COVID-19 vaccine won’t end social distancing, public health measures – Today.com
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Americans on Thursday that even if a COVID-19 vaccine is proven to be effective, that will not mean an immediate end to the public health measures in place to keep the virus at bay.
How Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Varies Across Hospital Settings – Health Management.org
New research from the UK has detected SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion among asymptomatic healthcare workers. Moreover, researchers were able to identify variation in the occupational risk of exposure to the pathogen – which causes COVID-19 – between hospital departments.
Covid Death Toll Nears 1 Million, But Real Number May Be Double – Bloomberg
Actual fatalities from the worst pandemic in a century may be closer to 1.8 million — a toll that could grow to as high as 3 million by the end of the year, according to Alan Lopez, a laureate professor and director of the University of Melbourne’s global burden of disease group. The coronavirus’s rapid spread and ability to transmit in people who show no signs of the disease have enabled it to outrun measures to accurately quantify cases through widespread diagnostic testing.
Both the United Kingdom and France counted record-breaking new daily coronavirus infections Thursday, and while officials partly credit an increased testing capacity, the numbers point toward a possible second coronavirus wave sweeping across Europe.
What the 1918 flu pandemic can teach us about coronavirus – CNN
At this point in the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 32 million infected and more than 980,000 dead worldwide, describing this time as “unprecedented” may sound like nails on a chalkboard.
Why Can’t The CDC Make Up Its Mind About Airborne Transmission? – NPR
Aerosol researchers such as Linsey Marr, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech, who have been pushing for health agencies to officially recognize the potential importance of aerosol spread — cheered over the weekend.
How Countries Around The World Are Coping With New Surge In Coronavirus Cases – NPR
14 min audio at the link – India is poised to overtake the U.S. as the country with the most COVID-19 cases. This week the Taj Mahal reopened to tourists for the first time in more than six months. NPR correspondent Lauren Frayer reports on how that’s not an indication that the pandemic there has subsided.
Clinical Considerations
How Do Children Fight Off the Coronavirus? – New York Times
The secret may lie in an “innate” immune response that targets unrecognized invaders, scientists say.
Coronavirus suppresses lung cells’ ability to call in the help of the immune system and instead activates an inflammatory pathway, which is what leads to potentially fatal outcomes, Boston University researchers have found.
Official Reporting for September 25, 2020
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update SEP 21, 2020
Cumulative Cases: 32,110,656
Cumulative Deaths: 980,031
ECDC
Confirmed Cases: 32,289,042
Deaths: 985,748
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 32,397,479
Deaths: 979,701
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total deaths: 202,329
Surveillance Headlines
UNITED STATES
Virginia: Virginia’s governor and his wife test positive for the virus – New York Times
EUROPE
Spain: Rising Virus Cases in Europe Spark Political Clash in Spain – Bloomberg
Europe: Fights Second Wave of Covid-19 Without Full-Blown Lockdowns – Wall Street Journal
MIDDLE EAST
Israel: Prohibits citizens from traveling abroad in some instances as cases surge – NYT
AFRICA
Africa has held off the worst of the coronavirus. Researchers are working to figure out how – NBC
LATIN AMERICA
Argentina: Death rate soars as the virus spreads in provinces far from the capital. – NYT
ASIA
China: China Finds First Asymptomatic Cases in 35 Days at Qingdao Port – Bloomberg
India: India Is Expected To Surpass The U.S. In Reported Coronavirus Cases – NPR
Science and Tech
Vaccine
Novavax starts late-stage Covid-19 vaccine trial in UK – CNBC
The trial is expected to enroll and test the vaccine in up to 10,000 participants aged between 18 and 84 years over the next four to six weeks. Data from the trial will support regulatory submissions for license in the UK, EU and other countries, the company said.
Fauci: ‘Hang In There’ Just A Bit Longer For A Vaccine – Forbes
Fauci said in an interview with the editor of JAMA Friday afternoon that he remains “cautiously optimistic” that vaccines in their final stage of development will work effectively against the Covid-19 virus and he believes Americans will begin to be vaccinated in November and December. And whether one of the vaccines in final-stage trials is safe and effective could be known even earlier, perhaps next month, Fauci said.
Published Research
Risk of COVID-19-related death among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma prescribed inhaled corticosteroids: an observational cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform – The Lancet
Distinct conformational states of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein – Science Magazine
Efforts to protect human cells against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have focused on the trimeric spike (S) protein. Several structures have shown a stabilized ectodomain of the spike in its prefusion conformation. Cai et al. now provide insight into the structural changes in the S protein that result in the fusion of the viral and host cell membranes. They purified full-length S protein and determined cryo–electron microscopy structures of both the prefusion and postfusion conformations. These structures add to our understanding of S protein function and could inform vaccine design.
Coping in Quarantine
Just in time for the weekend! The Corona Virus Coloring Book
Pre-Order your Dr. Fauci Bobblehead Here
Did I order one? Yes. Why? Why not? I met Dr. Fauci at an influenza vaccine conference in the H1N1 era. I wish there were bobble heads of all of the public health and health care rock stars of the world. Thank you rock stars, stay safe and keep going.