Featured Headlines
Fauci: Expect Uptick in Covid Cases Over Coming Weeks – Bloomberg Video
Cases are spiking in New York City and Washington, D.C. – NYT
While much of the United States has reported a plateau in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, New York City and Washington, D.C., have been battling a swift rise in cases in the last two weeks as the virus has again upended Broadway and the halls of the federal government.
What to do if you test positive for COVID at this point in the pandemic – NPR
COVID-19 has been around long enough that we are not even counting the waves anymore, but the virus and the tools we have to fight it keep evolving. And the guidance seems to change just enough with each surge that it can leave even the most diligent among us feeling lost.
UK has detected a new Covid variant. Here’s what we know so far about omicron XE – NBC News
The XE variant, as it is known, has so far been detected in 637 patients nationwide, according to the latest statistics from the U.K. Health Security Agency, which said there is currently not enough evidence to draw conclusions on its transmissibility or severity.
Cases are spiking in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Shanghai widens COVID testing as other Chinese cities impose curbs – Reuters
Shanghai on Friday announced a record 21,000 new cases and a third consecutive day of COVID testing as a lockdown of its 26 million people showed no sign of easing and other Chinese cities tightened curbs – even in places with no recent infections.
New wave of Covid cases hits U.S. officials, rattles Washington – NBC News
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, second in line to the presidency, became the latest top official this week to test positive, following two key Cabinet officials and members of Congress.
U.S. life expectancy continued to drop in 2021, new analysis shows – Washington Post
Life expectancy in the United States, which declined dramatically in 2020 as the coronavirus slammed into the country, continued to go down in 2021, according to a new analysis that shows the United States faring worse during the pandemic than 19 other wealthy countries — and failing to see a life expectancy rebound despite the arrival of effective vaccines.
Vaccine Headlines
A second booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine provides additional short-term protection against Omicron infections and severe illness among older adults, according to a large new study from Israel.
As deadline looms, FDA advisers debate coronavirus boosters for fall – Washington Post
Expert advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday began sketching the outlines of a long-term strategy for deploying vaccine booster shots against the coronavirus amid uncertainty about future variants and a rapidly closing window to prepare for a potential fall vaccination campaign.
COVID vaccine plus infection can lead to months of immunity – Nature
Findings from Brazil, Sweden and the United Kingdom show that before the advent of Omicron, vaccination benefited even those who had had a bout of COVID-19.
Lawmakers in Germany are weighing compulsory COVID shots for people over 60 – NPR
German lawmakers are debating Thursday whether to require all people aged 60 and over in the country to be vaccinated against the coronavirus — a compromise solution the government hopes will receive a parliamentary majority.
Clinical Considerations
COVID-19 Tied to High Risk of Thrombotic Events-MedPageToday
Swedish study finds 33-fold increased incidence of pulmonary embolism in month after diagnosis. COVID-19 was associated with a greater risk for a host of thrombotic events in the months following a patient’s infection, a large study in Sweden found.
Fluvoxamine may reduce the odds of COVID-19 patient hospitalization – CIDRAP
A new systematic review and meta-analysis of three randomized clinical trials with 2,196 patients suggests that early use of the antidepressant fluvoxamine reduces the risk of all-cause hospitalization in symptomatic adult outpatients.
Official Reporting for April 8, 2022
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update April 5, 2022 (latest release)
New Cases: 1,157,995
Confirmed Cases: 493,392,853
Deaths: 6,165,833
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 496,435,366
Deaths: 6,171,428
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 80,111,065 (+26,595 New Cases)
Total deaths: 981,197 (+496 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
The F.D.A. suspends use of a Glaxo antibody drug in the U.S. as an Omicron subvariant spreads – NYT
Federal regulators said they were suspending use of a monoclonal antibody drug known as sotrovimab to treat high-risk Covid-19 patients in the United States because it was unlikely to be effective against the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.
Do home coronavirus tests expire? – NYT
Although home coronavirus tests in the U.S. are marked with expiration dates, the actual expiration for a box of tests can be a moving target. So, before throwing away a home test because you think it may have expired, do a little homework first.
Why hasn’t my daughter caught COVID? 2 factors likely protect her — and maybe you too – NPR
The first time my daughter, Rosy, was exposed to SARS-CoV-2, I panicked. It was November 2020, before vaccines were available. Someone in Rosy’s class had tested positive and been contagious in the classroom for two days. So we all quarantined at home and braced ourselves for a horrible few weeks of sickness.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
New Laws Let Visitors See Loved Ones in Health Care Facilities, Even in an Outbreak – KHN
Jean White’s mother has dementia and moved into a memory care facility near Tampa, Florida, just as coronavirus lockdowns began in spring 2020. For months, the family wasn’t allowed to go inside to visit.
Published Research
Fluvoxamine for Outpatient Management of COVID-19 to Prevent Hospitalization – JAMA
Protection by a Fourth Dose of BNT162b2 against Omicron in Israel – NEJM
Symptom prevalence, duration, and risk of hospital admission in individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 during periods of omicron and delta variant dominance: a prospective observational study from the ZOE COVID Study – The Lancet
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
Impact of correcting misinformation on social disruption – PLoS
Coping with COVID
