Tulane Outbreak Daily – July 22, 2020

Featured Headlines

How Deadly Is COVID-19? – MedPageToday

Most studies put the rate between 0.5% and 1%, which translates to about 10 people dying out of every 1,000 who are infected, the Journal reports. That’s in line with an estimate of “around 1% or less” offered earlier this week by Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a talk to cancer researchers.

COVID-Positive Doc: ‘I Didn’t Wear a Mask and I Regret It’ – Med Page Today

Outdoor gathering leads to COVID spread among family members. They spent the majority of the time outside, and not everyone was together at once, so they were mostly able to keep a safe distance. But they didn’t wear masks.

Australia Sets Record for Virus Cases With Victoria Surge – Bloomberg

Australia has suffered its worst day of coronavirus infections, with Victoria state recording 484 new cases and warning numbers could rise further, as the second wave threatens to derail the nation’s economic recovery. Neighboring New South Wales state also recorded 16 new cases, and Queensland 1, helping push the national tally past 500 and breaking the previous record of 469 cases set on March 28 during the height of the first outbreak.

COVID-19 Vaccines May Require Two Doses, House Members Told – MedPageToday

Several COVID-19 vaccines currently under development may require more than one dose in order to be effective, pharmaceutical company executives told a House subcommittee on Tuesday.

Johns Hopkins report calls for national strategy for performing SARS-CoV-2 antibody studies – Homeland Preparedness News

The lack of a cohesive national plan for dealing with COVID-19 was once more brought to the fore last week with the release of a report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, which laid out a series of recommendations surrounding antibody studies.

COVID-19 temperature checks might do more harm than good – Popular Science

Fevers aren’t a reliable filter for keeping COVID spreaders out of crowded spaces. Scientists say that this practice isn’t rooted in science—and might actually help COVID-19 keep spreading. The practice of temp checks began with SARS, but SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has key differences that make temperature checks almost useless this time around. For one, current data suggests that fewer than half of people who have COVID-19 ever develop a fever. Even those people who will eventually exhibit symptoms are often contagious before their temperature spikes.

Anthony S. Fauci Talks COVID-19, Impact on Cancer, and More – ONCNursing

Dr. Fauci gave the keynote presentation of the AACR Virtual Meeting on COVID-19 and Cancer. “Obviously, this is not just a human infection, since bats and other intermediate hosts are important reservoirs of this virus,” said Fauci. “Prior to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), 4 coronaviruses were responsible for approximately 15% to 30% of the recurring common colds that we all get usually during the winter season. The issue of the possibility of a coronavirus being a pandemic came upon us in 2002 with SARS, and then again in 2012, with MERS.”

Dr. Robert R. Redfield Statement on SARS-CoV-2 infections – CDC

Misleading media reports have suggested there are 24 times more SARS-CoV-2 infections than reported cases. As CDC has been saying, our retrospective estimate is that there were 10 times more cases than reported from the period where we’ve been examining antibody data: March through May.

Clinical Considerations

COVID-19 Could Spur Stroke Lytic Shift to Tenecteplase – MedPageToday

The COVID-19 pandemic could hasten the switch to tenecteplase (TNKase) from other thrombolytic therapies for stroke treatment, thanks to its workflow advantages and the need to conserve alteplase (Activase) because of its growing use in COVID-19 patients, some specialists argued.

Autopsies reveal surprising cardiac changes in COVID-19 patients – Science Daily

A series of autopsies conducted by LSU Health New Orleans pathologists shows the damage to the hearts of COVID-19 patients is not the expected typical inflammation of the heart muscle associated with myocarditis, but rather a unique pattern of cell death in scattered individual heart muscle cells. They report the findings of a detailed study of hearts from 22 deaths confirmed due to COVID-19 in a Research Letter published in Circulation. [Related Study]

Official Reporting for July 22, 2020

World Health Organization

SITREP #184

Confirmed Cases: 14,765,256

Deaths: 612,054

ECDC

Confirmed Cases: 14,890,516

Deaths: 616,317

Johns Hopkins

Confirmed Cases: 15,023,398

Deaths: 618,061

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Total cases: 3,882,167
Total deaths: 141,677

Surveillance Headlines

UNITED STATES

Los Angeles, California: How Much Did Protests Contribute To LA’s COVID-19 Surge? The Data Is Still Sparse – CapRadio

Florida: Coronavirus a ‘Category 5 emergency’ for Florida’s older population – NBC News

Science and Tech

Vaccine

Pfizer Gets $1.95 Billion to Produce Coronavirus Vaccine by Year’s End – NYT

If the vaccine proves to be safe and effective in clinical trials, the companies say they could manufacture the first 100 million doses by December Under the arrangement, the federal government would obtain the first 100 million doses for $1.95 billion, or about $20 a dose, with the rights to acquire up to 500 million more. Americans would receive the vaccine for free. Before it could be distributed, it would need emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

Diagnostics

Rapid, Cheap, Less Accurate Coronavirus Testing Has A Place, Scientists Say – NPR

Anybody who has waited for hours in line for a coronavirus test, or who has had to wait a week or more for results, knows there has to be a better way. In fact, the next generation of tests will focus on speed.

 

Social and Psychological Impact

Nearly A Third Of Americans Believe Covid-19 Death Toll Conspiracy Theory – Forbes

Even as cases of Covid-19 and hospitalizations surge across the U.S.—and public trust in what President Donald Trump says about the virus falls—a growing number of Americans are buying into a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggests the official death count from the coronavirus is inflated, an Axios/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found.

Published Research

Potent neutralizing antibodies directed to multiple epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 spike – Nature

Chloroquine does not inhibit infection of human lung cells with SARS-CoV-2 – Nature

Unexpected Features of Cardiac Pathology in COVID-19 Infection – AHA Journals

Pre-Pub (not yet peer reviewed, should not be regarded as conclusive)

 

Coping in Quarantine

A Hamilton style TikTok tribute to Dr. FauciTikTok download needed to watch

Indulgent Relaxation in Extreme Terrain Is the Post-Pandemic Plan – Bloomberg

Dreaming of wine and adventure on New Zealand’s South Island. Yes I am.