General Interest
Perspective | COVID-19: The rise and rise of Delta.
22 Jun, 2021 | 10:10h | UTCCOVID-19: The rise and rise of Delta – Sciblogs
Increased transmissibility and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern – “Estimated transmissibility increases of alpha 29% (95% CI: 24–33), beta 25% (95% CI: 20–30), gamma 38% (95% CI: 29–48) & delta 97% (95% CI: 76–117)”.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:55h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
NEW publication in Eurosurveillance
Increased transmissibility & global spread of #SARSCoV2 VOC & VOI
Estimated transmissibility increases of alpha 29% (95% CI: 24–33), beta 25% (95% CI: 20–30), gamma 38% (95% CI: 29–48) & delta 97% (95% CI: 76–117)
⬇️https://t.co/pmyfQMM78y pic.twitter.com/Xz3cOImRvc
— Maria Van Kerkhove (@mvankerkhove) June 17, 2021
National surveillance in England showed low risk of reinfection with Covid-19 – “There were 15,893 possible reinfections with SARS-CoV-2 identified up to 30 May 2021 in England throughout the pandemic, out of nearly 4 million people with confirmed infections. This is equivalent to around 0.4% cases becoming reinfected”.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:56h | UTCNew national surveillance of possible COVID-19 reinfection, published by PHE – Public Health England
Related: Had COVID? You’ll probably make antibodies for a lifetime – Nature AND COVID-19 reinfection rate less than 1 percent for those with severe illness, study finds. AND Study shows low risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection 1 year after primary infection.
WHO says delta is becoming the dominant Covid variant globally.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:54h | UTCWHO says delta is becoming the dominant Covid variant globally – CNBC
Perspective | A beautiful idea: how COVAX has fallen short.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:52h | UTCA beautiful idea: how COVAX has fallen short – The Lancet
Commentaries on Twitter
#COVAX was meant to supply #COVID19 vaccines for all based on solidarity and equity. Instead, it relies on rich countries' willingness to share their doses—Ann Danaiya Usher tracks the ambitions and shortcomings of COVAX: https://t.co/FbAZ1D8M4j #VaccinEquity pic.twitter.com/q880pzeU1s
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) June 19, 2021
#Vaccine doses given/100 inhabitants…🤔Rich countries praising solidarity by contributing to #COVAX while making sure that there is barely any #COVID19 vaccine left to be purchased through covax.
Check also @newhumanitarian: https://t.co/K1zzM6O3on pic.twitter.com/IpH0mDJqwC
— Tim Buder (@Tim_Buder) February 10, 2021
“COVAX has delivered over 72m doses to 125 countries. But that is far less than 172m it should have delivered by now. Of the 2.1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses administered worldwide so far, COVAX has been responsible for less than 4%"#PeoplesVaccinehttps://t.co/TZKc8YPAdJ
— Steve Jackson 💙 (@SteJck) June 20, 2021
Study: Sperm parameters not changed before and after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:50h | UTCSperm Parameters Before and After COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination – JAMA
Concerned about the latest AstraZeneca news? These 3 graphics help you make sense of the risk – “Two people in Australia have died from thrombosis with thrombocytopenia after 3.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine delivered”.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:48h | UTC
Perspective | Sewage sleuths helped an Arizona town beat back Covid-19. For wastewater epidemiology, that’s just the start.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:43h | UTCRelated: The myriad ways sewage surveillance is helping fight COVID around the world – Nature AND Testing sewage can give school districts, campuses and businesses a heads-up on the spread of COVID-19 – The Conversation AND It’s time to begin a national wastewater testing program for Covid-19 – STAT AND Coronavirus: Testing sewage an ‘easy win’ – BBC
Perspective | Human waste could be the next big weapon in controlling COVID-19.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:42h | UTCHuman Waste Could Be The Next Big Weapon in Controlling COVID-19 – TIME
Related: The myriad ways sewage surveillance is helping fight COVID around the world – Nature AND Testing sewage can give school districts, campuses and businesses a heads-up on the spread of COVID-19 – The Conversation AND It’s time to begin a national wastewater testing program for Covid-19 – STAT AND Coronavirus: Testing sewage an ‘easy win’ – BBC
Africa’s COVID-19 surge is expected to worsen, warns WHO.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:44h | UTCAfrica’s COVID-19 Surge is Expected to Worsen, Warns WHO – Health Policy Watch
One in 100 deaths is by suicide – WHO guidance to help the world reach the target of reducing suicide rate by 1/3 by 2030.
21 Jun, 2021 | 08:39h | UTCOne in 100 deaths is by suicide – World Health Organization
Report: Suicide worldwide in 2019: Global Health Estimates – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
DYK: 1 in 100 deaths is by suicide.
Every year, more people die as a result of suicide than HIV, malaria or breast cancer – or war and homicide. https://t.co/PAD5Bd1dfS pic.twitter.com/TGq5BdNMNd
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 17, 2021
Opinion | Causation or confounding: why controls are critical for characterizing long COVID – “Many of the self-reported symptoms, such as intermittent headaches or tiredness, are nonspecific and prevalent in the general population”.
18 Jun, 2021 | 08:29h | UTCCausation or confounding: why controls are critical for characterizing long COVID – Nature
Dr. Fauci says the risks from the Delta variant underscore the importance of vaccines.
18 Jun, 2021 | 08:31h | UTCDr. Fauci Says The Risks From The Delta Variant Underscore The Importance Of Vaccines – NPR
COVID-19 reinfection rate less than 1 percent for those with severe illness, study finds.
18 Jun, 2021 | 08:27h | UTCOriginal study: Re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 in Patients Undergoing Serial Laboratory Testing – Clinical Infectious Diseases
WHO: Caesarean section rates continue to rise, amid growing inequalities in access.
18 Jun, 2021 | 08:23h | UTCOriginal study: Trends and projections of caesarean section rates: global and regional estimates – BMJ Global Health
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Caesarean section use continues to rise 📈 globally, now accounting for more than 1 in 5 of all childbirths.
C-section can put women and babies at unnecessary risk of short- and long-term health problems if performed when there is not medical need
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 17, 2021
CDC now calls coronavirus Delta variant a ‘variant of concern’.
17 Jun, 2021 | 09:53h | UTCCDC now calls coronavirus Delta variant a ‘variant of concern’ – CNN
Guidance: SARS-CoV-2 Variant Classifications and Definitions – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commentary on Twitter
BREAKING—CDC now officially declares #DeltaVariant a “variant of concern”—because much more transmissible (50% faster than #B117, 2x than original strain), more severe (2.5x hospitalization risk than B117, 4x original) & 1 dose vaccine evasive.🧵 #COVID19https://t.co/jZCgfzFLla pic.twitter.com/SszvXuysze
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) June 15, 2021
Almost 25% of COVID-19 patients develop long-lasting symptoms, according to a new report.
16 Jun, 2021 | 08:31h | UTCAlmost 25% of COVID-19 Patients Develop Long-Lasting Symptoms, According to a New Report – TIME
Original report: A Detailed Study of Patients with Long-Haul COVID – FAIR Health
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
📍1 in 4–almost a quarter of people infected develop at least one lingering health problem after 30 days with #COVID19. The most common included pain, breathing trouble, high cholesterol, malaise and/or fatigue and high blood pressure. 🧵 https://t.co/G4uPtnq86A
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) June 15, 2021
The authorship rows that sour scientific collaborations.
17 Jun, 2021 | 09:34h | UTCThe authorship rows that sour scientific collaborations – Nature
A long-term perspective on immunity to COVID – “Clinical studies now indicate that immunity will be long-lasting”.
16 Jun, 2021 | 08:26h | UTCA long-term perspective on immunity to COVID – Nature
WHO official: Delta variant ‘poised to take hold’ in Europe.
15 Jun, 2021 | 09:06h | UTCWHO official: Delta variant ‘poised to take hold’ in Europe – The Hill
[Preprint] 2 doses of Covid vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca) highly effective against hospitalization from Delta variant.
15 Jun, 2021 | 09:09h | UTCNews Release: Vaccines highly effective against hospitalisation from Delta variant – Public Health England
Preprint: Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against hospital admission with the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant
Commentary on Twitter
NEWS — Our new analysis shows for the first time that two doses of the #COVID19 #vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the #Delta (B.1.61.2) #variant.
Read more: https://t.co/6z67CW85Zw pic.twitter.com/oyRFghHpXw
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) June 14, 2021
(Press release – not published yet) Novavax COVID-19 vaccine demonstrates 90% overall efficacy and 100% protection against moderate and severe disease.
15 Jun, 2021 | 09:12h | UTCCommentaries: U.S. clinical trial results show Novavax vaccine is safe and prevents COVID-19 – NIH News Releases AND Novavax Covid-19 vaccine highly effective in late-stage trial, long-awaited results show – STAT AND Powerful new COVID-19 vaccine shows 90% efficacy, could boost world’s supply – Science AND Novavax COVID vaccine 90% effective in phase 3 trial – CIDRAP AND What the Novavax vaccine means for the global fight against Covid-19 – Vox
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Good news—Novavax protein-subunit vaccine phase 3 trial shown to to be 90.4% effective overall, 100% against moderate to severe disease. This is different type from mRNA and from AZ/J&J adenovirus vaccines, and different from inactivated types. #COVID19 https://t.co/ajoGhaOUu9
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) June 14, 2021
SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in Scotland: demographics, risk of hospital admission, and vaccine effectiveness – “Risk of COVID-19 hospital admission was approximately doubled in those with the Delta VOC when compared to the Alpha VOC”.
15 Jun, 2021 | 09:10h | UTCCommentaries: Delta may raise hospitalisation but vaccine still protects – UK Research and Innovation AND Expert reaction to Lancet research letter analysing data from Scotland on the Delta variant, looking at demographics, risk of hospital admission and vaccine effectiveness – Science Media Centre
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Just published @TheLancet
The #DeltaVariant experience in Scotlandhttps://t.co/IfjDJnCAMC
1. #VaccinesWork ("AZ appeared less effective than Pfizer")
2. Younger, unvaccinated got the delta infections
3. Doubling of hospital admissions compared with alpha (B.1.1.7) variant pic.twitter.com/cP8clu57Rd— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) June 14, 2021
Delta variant producing more severe illness, doctors in China say.
15 Jun, 2021 | 09:02h | UTCIn China’s latest outbreak, doctors say the infected get sicker, faster. – The New York Times (a few articles per month are free)
Delta variant causes more than 90% of new Covid cases in UK.
15 Jun, 2021 | 09:04h | UTCDelta variant causes more than 90% of new Covid cases in UK – The Guardian
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
⚠️90-96% of all #COVID19 in 🇬🇧 caused by #DeltaVariant.🧵
📍32% of all Delta cases visiting the hospital emergency room are at least 1 dose vaccinated
📍33% who are then hospitalized vaccinated
📍45% of all deaths got at least 1 shot—➡️ 29% got 2 shots.https://t.co/RViq5NiioQ pic.twitter.com/v2OYV2GM09
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) June 14, 2021