Featured Headlines
COVID-19 study links strict social distancing to much lower chance of infection – Science Daily
Using public transportation, visiting a place of worship, or otherwise traveling from the home is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of testing positive with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, while practicing strict social distancing is associated with a markedly lower likelihood.
What Is the Risk of Catching the Coronavirus on a Plane? – Kaiser Health
Whatever Happened To … The Instant Hospitals Built For COVID-19 Patients In Wuhan? – NPR
In February, China pulled off an impressive construction feat that caught the world’s attention: Amid surging cases of COVID-19, China built two hospitals in the pandemic’s epicenter, Wuhan, in under two weeks to isolate and treat COVID-19 patients. Consisting largely of prefabricated rooms and components, the two-story structures were dubbed “instant hospitals.” NPR reported on the facilities just as the first one opened. But now the virus is under control in Wuhan, and life has more or less returned to normal. So, what happened to these “instant hospitals?”
Some Hospitals Fail To Separate COVID-19 Patients, Putting Others At Risk – NPR
Nurses at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, Calif., were on edge as early as March, when patients with COVID-19 began to show up in areas of the hospital that were not set aside to care for them.
Was the novel coronavirus on the loose in Los Angeles way back in December, before the World Health Organization was even aware of an unusual cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China?
Why AstraZeneca pausing its COVID-19 vaccine trial may be good news – ABC
AstraZeneca has temporarily put the brakes on its late-stage, global COVID-19 vaccine trial after a participant came down with what experts call an “adverse event.”
As global pharmaceutical companies race to complete their Covid-19 vaccine trials, the logistics that will be required to deliver them to all corners of the world are coming into focus — and it will be a mission like no other.
Europe Tries to Beat Virus Flareups With Patchwork of Strategies – Bloomberg
An unpredictable hodge podge of restrictions may be almost as bad as lockdowns. Tucked in a side street of Paris’s bustling Boulevard du Montparnasse, a tidy bistro is struggling without executives talking business at lunch and tourists sampling the Japanese-inspired French delicacies in the evening.
AstraZeneca Must Explain Spinal Ailment to Resume Vaccine Trial – Bloomberg
A day after pausing its Covid-19 vaccine trials due to a possible serious neurological problem in one patient, AstraZeneca Plc faced numerous questions about what exactly caused the issue and whether it could be related to the vaccine.
Silent spreaders and long haulers. Aerosols and protocols. 10 things science has learned about COVID-19 in less than a year – Chicago Tribune
It’s been only nine months since the world learned of a new coronavirus that would trigger a pandemic declaration in March and ultimately disrupt billions of lives.
Clinical Considerations
Researchers Warn of Post-COVID-19 Kidney Disease Epidemic Linked to SARS-CoV-2 – Hospimedica
A new study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has revealed that nephrologists will need to prepare for a significant uptick in patients with chronic kidney disease linked to exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
COVID 19 infection had newly emerged with predominant respiratory complications. Other extrapulmonary features had been recently described. Here, we describe a COVID 19 patient presenting with multiorgan involvement mimicking systemic lupus erythematosus. He was successfully treated with glucocorticoids and Tociluzimab.
Hormonal treatments for prostate cancer may prevent or limit COVID-19 symptoms – Harvard Health
Men have roughly twice the risk of developing severe disease and dying from COVID-19 than women. Scientists say this is in part because women mount stronger immune reactions to the disease’s microbial cause: the infamous coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2.
Official Reporting for September 10, 2020
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update SEP 7, 2020 (Last Updated)
Cumulative Cases: 27,738,179
Cumulative Deaths: 899,916
ECDC
Confirmed Cases: 27,891,275
Deaths: 903,991
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 27,981,242
Deaths: 905,851
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total deaths: 190,262
Science and Tech
Therapeutics
Researchers test antibody drug as treatment for COVID-19 – Stanford Medicine
Stanford Medicine has joined a multisite clinical trial testing antibodies designed to block the coronavirus from infecting human cells and shorten the course of the illness.
Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans (HSPGs) are cell surface receptors that are involved in the cellular uptake of pathological amyloid proteins and viruses, including the novel coronavirus; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Heparin and heparan sulfate antagonize the binding of these pathogens to HSPGs and stop their cellular internalization, but the anticoagulant effect of these agents has been limiting their use in the treatment of viral infections. Heparin-binding peptides (HBPs) are suitable non-anticoagulant agents that are capable to antagonize binding of heparin-binding pathogens to HSPGs. Here, we review and discuss the use of HBPs as viral uptake inhibitors and will address their benefits and limitations to treat viral infections. Furthermore, we will discuss a variant of these peptides that is in the clinic and can be considered as a novel therapy in Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection.
Vaccine
China Vaccine Frontrunner Says Shots Are Safe Amid Astra Setback – Bloomberg
China National Biotec Group Co. said none of the recipients of its two coronavirus shots has reported an obvious adverse reaction or infection, as the Chinese vaccine front-runner presses ahead with testing after AstraZeneca Plc suspended its trial.
Social and Psychological Impact
How to Rebuild Trust After COVID-19 — and Prepare for What’s Next – MedPage Today
There is no question healthcare workers have been nothing short of heroic during the COVID-19 pandemic. And there’s also no question that hospitals across the U.S. are reeling. Whether it’s from patient surges related to coronavirus cases or an inability to perform normal operations and procedures, healthcare organizations are facing furloughs, pay freezes, and other crises on an unprecedented scale.
Covid-19 etiquette: A comprehensive guide – Washington Post
The novel coronavirus is wreaking havoc on practically every aspect of society: work, science, health care, travel, parenting, education, even the ways we give birth and the ways we die and mourn. So, of course it’s rewriting the rules of etiquette faster than we can keep up. Below we’ve collected advice for handling some of the most common quandaries involving manners that have sprung up during the pandemic, including some scenarios encountered by readers.
How to Attend a Wedding (or Not) During a Pandemic – Bloomberg
As ceremonies forge ahead this fall, being an informed guest is crucial to reducing risk and keeping everyone happy.
Published Research
Rapid real-time tracking of non-pharmaceutical interventions and their association with SARS-CoV-2 positivity: The COVID-19 Pandemic Pulse Study. Clinical Infectious Diseases
Estimating Population SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rates Across the U.S. – NEJM