Tulane Outbreak Daily – September 23, 2020

Featured Headlines

Does Virus Dose or Load Predict How Sick You Get With COVID-19? – MedPageToday

Initial exposure, strength of virus infection both seen as contributors to illness severity. Cruise ship passengers who embarked from the coast of Argentina in mid-March were unaware that they were living in a COVID-19 hotspot for more than a week after the ship departed.

New podcast focuses on COVID immunity – Tulane

Tulane has launched a new podcast, On Good Authority, featuring cutting-edge insights from leading experts on global topics. “Is COVID-19 Immunity Possible?” is the first episode and features virologist Robert Garry and immunologist James McLachlan from the School of Medicine.

How We Survive the Winter – The Atlantic

It is now widely accepted among experts that the United States is primed for a surge in cases at a uniquely perilous moment in our national history. “As we approach the fall and winter months, it is important that we get the baseline level of daily infections much lower than they are right now,” Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told me by email. For the past few weeks, the country has been averaging about 40,000 new infections a day. Fauci said that “we must, over the next few weeks, get that baseline of infections down to 10,000 per day, or even much less if we want to maintain control of this outbreak.”

Studies explore asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, racial inequities – CIDRAP

Today, PLOS Medicine published two large COVID-19 studies, one a meta-analysis of 79 international studies showing that most infected patients eventually have symptoms, and the other a study of 5.8 million US Department of Veterans Affairs patients revealing that blacks and Hispanics were more likely to be infected—but not to die within 30 days—than whites. [Related PLoS Study] [Another PLoS Study]

Ultraviolet-C light kills coronavirus on N95 masks, making them safe to reuse – Detroit Free Press

Ultraviolet-C light kills coronavirus on N95 respirator masks, effectively decontaminating them so they can safely be reused, dermatology researchers at Henry Ford Health System and the University of Michigan announced Tuesday. [Related study]

New research adds to growing evidence for asymptomatic spread of Covid-19 – NBC News

Two studies published Tuesday shed light on the so-called silent spread of Covid-19. One study, published in the journal Thorax, reports that asymptomatic people can carry as much virus in their noses and throats as people showing symptoms of the illness. The second study, a review published in Plos Medicine, found that while the majority of infected individuals do develop symptoms, they may test positive before those symptoms begin.

Rising coronavirus case numbers in many states spur warning of autumn surge – Washington Post

Progress in slowing the march of the novel coronavirus has stalled in much of the United States, and the pathogen is spreading at dangerous rates in many states as autumn arrives and colder weather — traditionally congenial to viruses — begins to settle across the nation, public health data shows.

Honoring U.S. Healthcare Workers Who Died From Coronavirus – MedPageToday

While all life lost during the coronavirus pandemic is invaluable, MedPage Today is highlighting the names of U.S. healthcare workers who have died while working on the front lines.

Clinical Considerations

None Today

Official Reporting for September 23, 2020

World Health Organization

Weekly Epi Update SEP 21, 2020

Cumulative Cases: 31,425,029

Cumulative Deaths: 967,164

ECDC

Confirmed Cases: 31,658,573

Deaths: 971,869

Johns Hopkins

Confirmed Cases: 31,746,219

Deaths: 973,519

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Total cases: 6,874,982
Total deaths: 200,275

Surveillance Headlines

UNITED STATES

U.S.: Covid-19 will make Halloween more frightful — and less delightful — for millions of U.S. kids – CNBC

Wisconsin: Wisconsin declares public health emergency due to COVID-19 spread on campuses – ABC News

EUROPE

Europe’s Economic Revival Put on Hold by Virus Resurgence – Bloomberg

Scotland: Restricts People From Visiting Other People’s Homes – Bloomberg

Russia: Cases rise in Russia – Moscow Times

Spain: Covid-19 incidence exceeds 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 16 areas of Madrid with no new restrictions – El Pais

Latin America

Brazil: A city in Brazil where covid-19 ran amok may be a ‘sentinel’ for the rest of the world – MIT Tech Review

Science and Tech

Vaccine

How and when will we know that a COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective? – The Conversation

With COVID-19 vaccines currently in the final phase of study, you’ve probably been wondering how the FDA will decide if a vaccine is safe and effective. Based on the status of the Phase 3 trials currently underway, it is unlikely that the results of these trials will be available before November. But it is likely that not just one but several of the competing COVID-19 vaccines will be shown to be safe and effective by the end of 2020.

Johnson & Johnson enters late-stage trial testing its coronavirus vaccine – CNBC

Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday it has begun its phase three trial testing its potential coronavirus vaccine. J&J is the fourth drugmaker backed by the Trump administration’s Covid-19 vaccine program Operation Warp Speed to enter late-stage testing. The others are Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

Therapeutics

Fujifilm to Seek Approval for Covid Drug After Trial Results – Bloomberg

Fujifilm Holdings Corp. said it would seek regulatory approval in Japan to market an antiviral drug as a treatment for Covid-19, after a trial showed that it helped patients with mild cases test negative for coronavirus faster.

Psychological and Sociological Impact

Harvard’s Undergraduate Enrollment Drops 20% From Last Year – Bloomberg

Harvard University’s undergraduate enrollment fell almost 20% from last year as the Covid-19 pandemic spurred some students to stay away. The Ivy League school has 5,382 undergrads at Harvard College for the fall semester, compared with 6,716 as of Oct. 15, 2019, spokeswoman Rachael Dane said Tuesday. The freshman class is about 14% smaller, as more than 200 accepted students notified Harvard that they intend to postpone their attendance to the next academic year.

Published Research

A persistently replicating SARS-CoV-2 variant derived from an asymptomatic individual – Journal of Translational Medicine

Occurrence and transmission potential of asymptomatic and presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections: A living systematic review and meta-analysis – PLoS

Patterns of COVID-19 testing and mortality by race and ethnicity among United States veterans: A nationwide cohort study – PLoS

The Effect of Ultraviolet C Radiation Against Different N95 Respirators Inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 – International Journal of Infectious Diseases