Featured Headlines
More Kids Will Wind Up in Hospital With Covid, Says Fauci – Bloomberg Video
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, says more children will be hospitalized with the Covid-19 delta variant. He spoke during a White House briefing
Israel’s Recent Surge Confirms We Need A Multimodal Strategy To Fight Covid-19 – Forbes
With a surge of Covid-19 infections at the highest levels since February, Israel is now contemplating further lockdowns and the possibility of extending booster vaccine shots to those over 50 years old. This comes after administering booster shots to about 2,000 immunocompromised people weeks ago before extending the shots to all those over 60 on August 1. Cases are occurring in both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, yet with one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, Israel’s experience confirms that no single modality will control Covid-19 alone, as the virus continues to evolve and mutate. We need a multi-modal strategy to contain Covid-19.
Mississippi’s Hospital System Could Collapse Within 10 Days Under COVID’s Strain – NPR
Coronavirus news is coming fast and furious as the delta variant fuels another surge in cases across the United States. Arkansas set a record for hospitalizations, while officials in one Florida county are urging residents to “consider other options” before calling 911. Health officials in Mississippi said the state’s hospital system could collapse in five to 10 days if the current trajectory continues.
How the Pandemic Now Ends – The Atlantic
Cases of COVID-19 are rising fast. Vaccine uptake has plateaued. The pandemic will be over one day—but the way there is different now.
Japan Confronts Lockdown Taboo With Virus at ‘Disaster Level’ – Bloomberg
As Japan struggles with its worst-yet wave of coronavirus cases, calls for the kind of mandatory lockdown seen in other parts of the world have emerged in a country that has so far shunned such harsh measures.
The federal government is sending hundreds of ventilators and other equipment to Florida — a response to the record number of coronavirus hospitalizations in a state that has become the epicenter of the U.S. pandemic.
Florida county asks residents to use 911 sparingly as COVID hospitalizations surge – CBS News
Officials in one Florida county are calling on residents to use emergency hotlines in moderation as a surge in COVID-19 cases overflow local hospitals and inundate ambulance services. Mark Schollmeyer, the Brevard County fire chief, explained how the surge is creating issues for first responders.
27 people test positive for coronavirus on Carnival cruise ship – Washington Post
A Carnival Cruise Line ship that left from Galveston, Tex., has 27 coronavirus-positive people on board, according to the Belize Tourism Board. The outbreak is among the highest number of publicly reported cases on a ship sailing from the United States since cruises restarted this summer.
Record numbers of children have been hospitalized with Covid-19 over the past month in 13 states—predominantly in the South—an analysis of federal data shows, as skyrocketing cases fueled by the hyper-infectious delta variant raise concerns about the start of the school year.
Younger, Sicker, Quicker: The Changing Face of the U.S. Pandemic – Bloomberg
Doctors and nurses in Missouri, where the delta virus variant has been causing Covid-19 cases to soar, are seeing patients who are younger and seem to be worsening faster than ever before.
Iran’s Health System ‘Beyond Disastrous’ from Covid Surge – NYT
The Delta variant of the coronavirus has overwhelmed the country, which has been reeling from the pandemic since it began, presenting a stark test for its new hard-line president.
Fauci Says COVID-19 Booster Shots Are Needed For Those Who Are Immunocompromised – NPR
Speaking to NPR’s Morning Edition on Thursday, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that for those with compromised immune systems, the need is “so imminent to make sure that we get them boosted so that they would be in a protected zone.”
Why Not Just Tell Everyone to Wear Masks? – NYT
The C.D.C.’s advice about masking up again was not easy to parse. Some experts think simpler would have been better.
Vaccine Headlines
FDA Authorizes Third COVID-19 Dose For People With Weakened Immunity – NPR
The Food and Drug Administration is authorizing an additional dose of a COVID-19 vaccine for certain people with weakened immune systems caused either by disease, medical treatments or organ transplants.
Why Is It Taking So Long to Get Vaccines for Kids? – The Atlantic
A few things still need to happen before the shots can be authorized for Americans younger than 12. The timing of the latest COVID-19 surge isn’t great for children. Millions have already started the school year, the rest will do so in the coming weeks, and COVID-19 vaccines aren’t yet available for the 50 million Americans who haven’t reached their 12th birthday.
Berlin Throws Vaccine Raves to Help Revive Dormant Club Scene – Bloomberg
DJs play for people getting Covid shots as the techno capital seeks to restart its nightlife. Outside a concert hall in Berlin this week, techno beats throbbed as young people lined up to get in. But what looked like a revival of the city’s club scene was really part of Germany’s increasingly desperate push to control the coronavirus pandemic.
Clotting From Covid Shots Is Rare But Can Be ‘Devastating’ – Bloomberg
Researchers say they’re making progress in understanding a clotting disorder linked to Covid-19 vaccines that they describe as very rare but potentially “devastating.”
Millions of coronavirus vaccine doses around the world face expiration – Washington Press
For months, a refrigerator at a government facility in the Dutch university town of Leiden has housed 90 or so small white boxes that contain thousands of dollars worth of AstraZeneca vaccine doses. But most of them are emblazoned with six small numbers that will soon render them worthless: 08.2021.
Thousands In Germany Thought They Had Their Vaccine. It May Have Been Saline Instead – NPR
A nurse in northern Germany is suspected of having duped thousands of people into receiving a shot of saline rather than a COVID-19 vaccine.Authorities say that a Red Cross nurse working at a vaccination site in Friesland is believed to have given out the fake shot to residents during March and April, Reuters reported. Around 8,600 people could have received the saline solution instead of the vaccine, Sven Ambrosy, a district administrator of Friesland, said on Facebook.
Clinical Considerations
Are COVID Symptoms Different With Delta? – MedPageToday
Questions about whether COVID symptoms are different with Delta compared with earlier variants have been raised again, after a Louisiana public health official recently said patients are presenting with more mild symptoms.
Official Reporting for August 12, 2021
World Health Organization
Weekly Epi Update August 10, 2021 (latest release)
New Cases: 659,772
Confirmed Cases: 204,644,849
Deaths: 4,323,139
Johns Hopkins
Confirmed Cases: 205,611,601
Deaths: 4,338,592
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Total cases: 36,268,057 (+131,917 New Cases)
Total deaths: 617,096 (+622 New Deaths)
Science and Tech
Why scientists are talking about viral load and the delta variant – NBC News
What sets delta apart, experts say, is how much virus is produced by those who are infected — a measure known as viral load.
Psychological and Sociological Impact
Schizophrenia Yields Higher Risk for Severe COVID-19 – MedPageToday
People with schizophrenia are at increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality, but have significantly lower vaccination rates than the general population, an Israeli longitudinal cohort study found. The study is the first of its kind to measure COVID-19 outcomes for those with schizophrenia, before and after vaccination.
7 Ways Covid Has Changed Our World – WSJ
A handful of events in the last century rewrote the rules of business, finance and economics, whether the people living through them knew it or not. The upending of the world order following World War I. The U.S.’s exit from the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates in 1971. The rise of a new, more pragmatic leader in China during the late 1970s. The global financial crisis triggered by the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers.
Published Research
Fine aerosols emitted during talking and singing may play a crucial role in COVID-19 transmission: Singapore study – Science Daily
Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories
The Vaccine Scientist Spreading Vaccine Misinformation – The Atlantic
Robert Malone claims to have invented mRNA technology. Why is he trying so hard to undermine its use?
Doc Using Old Baylor Affiliation While Dishing COVID Vax Falsehoods – MedPageToday
Baylor Scott & White Health sued former employee and cardiologist Peter McCullough, MD, last week, alleging that he illegitimately affiliated himself with its facilities when promoting controversial views about COVID-19. Nearly 6 months after McCullough’s employment had ended, he continued to use his former professional titles — such as “vice chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center” — in media interviews in which he spread his opinions about the pandemic, the lawsuit alleged.
Coping with COVID
