General Interest
Perspective | We may never achieve long-term global herd immunity for COVID. But if we’re all vaccinated, we’ll be safe from the worst
5 May, 2021 | 08:33h | UTCSee also: Reaching ‘Herd Immunity’ Is Unlikely in the U.S., Experts Now Believe – The New York Times (free registration required) AND We May Never Get to Herd Immunity – Think Global Health
USPSTF Draft Statement: Insufficient evidence to recommend multivitamin supplements for the prevention of CVD or cancer. The statement also recommends against the use of beta-carotene (increases risk of CVD mortality and lung cancer) or vitamin E (clear evidence of no benefit)
5 May, 2021 | 08:30h | UTCDraft Evidence Review: Vitamin, Mineral, and Multivitamin Supplementation to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer
COVID studies note online learning stress, fewer cases in schools with protocols
4 May, 2021 | 08:47h | UTCCOVID studies note online learning stress, fewer cases in schools with protocols – CIDRAP
Study 1: COVID-19 Infections Among Students and Staff in New York City Public Schools – Pediatrics
Study 2: Household COVID-19 risk and in-person schooling – Science
Study 3: Caregiver Perceptions of Children’s Psychological Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic – JAMA Network Open AND Editorial: It Is Time to End the Debate Over School Reopening
Novel coronavirus really is seasonal, study suggests
4 May, 2021 | 08:46h | UTCNovel coronavirus really is seasonal, study suggests – LiveScience
Original study: Climate and the spread of COVID-19 – Scientific Reports
[Preprint] Frequency of neurological manifestations in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 350 studies – up to one-third of COVID-19 patients analyzed in this review, 89% of whom were hospitalized, experienced at least one neurological manifestation
4 May, 2021 | 08:44h | UTCCommentary: Study finds one-third of COVID-19 patients experience neurological symptoms – News Medical
Report: The Epidemics that Didn’t Happen – The lessons that can be learned from epidemics that were contained
3 May, 2021 | 05:41h | UTCThe Epidemics that Didn’t Happen – Prevent Epidemics
Commentaries: ‘The next big one must be prevented’: The lessons the world can learn from epidemics that were contained – STAT AND Former CDC director: We can prevent the next pandemic – CNN AND Learning from the “Near Misses” – Global Health NOW
Analysis: Why is India having a covid-19 surge?
3 May, 2021 | 05:39h | UTCWhy is India having a covid-19 surge? – The BMJ
See also: India Is Counting Thousands Of Daily COVID Deaths. How Many Is It Missing? – NPR AND Opinion: India’s covid-19 crisis is a dire warning for all countries – The Washington Post AND India’s nightmare: Record high cases, vaccine shortages, hospital fires. – The New York Times AND India coronavirus: New record deaths as virus engulfs India – BBC
Highly Recommended (video): The Culture Of Medicine Kills Doctors And Patients (w/Dr. Robert Pearl)
3 May, 2021 | 05:32h | UTCThe Culture Of Medicine Kills Doctors And Patients (w/Dr. Robert Pearl) – ZDoggMD
Study: Despite clinical practice guidelines recommending cervical cancer screening every 3 years or cotesting with HPV and cytologic testing every 5 years, many women get tested much more often
3 May, 2021 | 05:19h | UTC
FDA says it will ban all menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:29h | UTCFDA says it will ban all menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars – STAT
See also: FDA Moves To Ban Cigarettes And Flavored Cigars – NPR
Study with 6.9 million people in England shows severe Covid-19 in young people can mostly be explained by obesity – At a BMI of more than 23 kg/m2, there was a linear increase in risk of severe COVID-19
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:22h | UTCCommentaries: Severe COVID in young people can mostly be explained by obesity – new study – The Conversation AND Obesity studies highlight severe COVID outcomes, even in young adults – CIDRAP AND Expert reaction to study looking at a potential link between body weight and risk of severe COVID-19, especially for younger adults – Science Media Centre
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
NEW—Study of health records of nearly 7 million people in England found that the risk of worse outcomes from #COVID19 starts rising in people with a BMI above 23kg/m2—considered to be in the healthy range.
Read in @TheLancetEndo: https://t.co/5ibn3yb1xO 1/2 pic.twitter.com/4MwnGq95Sz
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) April 29, 2021
Debate: Should masks be worn outdoors?
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:21h | UTCShould masks be worn outdoors? – The BMJ
Commentaries: Experts debate on wearing masks outdoors – News Medical AND Do masks need to be worn outdoors? – Advanced Science News
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Who do so many of us go off about outdoor masking?
Because if governments can show its people that it's taking #COVID19 seriously by focusing on outdoor masking while ignoring the living and working conditions driving so many infections, we'll get nowhere.#endpandemictheatre
— Stefan Baral (@sdbaral) April 29, 2021
Opinion | The world could be doing much more to help India: Countries can’t go it alone in tackling Covid-19
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:16h | UTCThe world could be doing much more to help India – Vox
See also: WHO provides update on India’s surging epidemic second wave and variant B.1.617 – Science Speaks: Global ID News AND People Are Talking About A ‘Double Mutant’ Variant In India. What Does That Mean? – NPR AND WHO says India COVID crisis could ‘happen anywhere’ – MedicalXpress AND India’s COVID-19 Crisis Is Spiraling Out of Control. It Didn’t Have to Be This Way – TIME
‘Unprecedented achievement’: who received the first billion COVID vaccinations?
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:14h | UTC‘Unprecedented achievement’: who received the first billion COVID vaccinations? – Nature
Opinion | SARS-CoV-2 elimination, not mitigation, creates best outcomes for health, the economy, and civil liberties
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:12h | UTC
Counterpoint: Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Fantasy commentary letter in Lancet (not a peer reviewed study)!
It's an unreasonable proposition for most countries like the UK to achieve elimination + constraints of reality negates claimed economic and liberty benefits if attempted…
— Devan Sinha (@DevanSinha) April 29, 2021
COVID-19 ‘brain fog’ inspires search for causes and treatments
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:13h | UTCCOVID-19 ‘brain fog’ inspires search for causes and treatments – Science (a few articles per month are free)
Opinion | A global pandemic treaty should aim for deep prevention
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:11h | UTCA global pandemic treaty should aim for deep prevention – The Lancet
India’s surge leads to further global COVID rise as role of variants probed
29 Apr, 2021 | 08:41h | UTCIndia’s surge leads to further global COVID rise as role of variants probed – CIDRAP
See also: India Blames a Virus Variant as Its Covid-19 Crisis Deepens – The New York Times (free registration required) AND Why the COVID-19 Variants Spreading in India Are a Global Concern – TIME
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Variant? “The current 🇮🇳 wave of #COVID19 has a different clinical behavior. It’s affecting young adults. It’s affecting families. It’s a new thing altogether. Two-month-old babies are getting infected.” Also many reports of reinfections/breakthroughs.🧵https://t.co/qve23lduGb pic.twitter.com/FFIBaFsh0J
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) April 28, 2021
Brazilian regulatory authorities decide not to approve the Gamaleya vaccine
29 Apr, 2021 | 08:38h | UTCBrazil Rejects the Gamaleya Vaccine – Science Translational Medicine
See also: Russia’s Sputnik V developers reject Brazil’s criticisms – Reuters
CDC Study: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines reduce Covid-19 hospitalization risk by 64% after the first dose and 94% after the second dose among adults aged ≥65 years
29 Apr, 2021 | 08:42h | UTCCommentaries: Pfizer/Moderna Vaccine Protection: 64% at First Dose, 94% at Second – HealthDay AND Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reduce Covid-19 hospitalization risk by 94% among older adults, CDC study says – CNN
Commentary on Twitter
New @CDCMMWR has good news: mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) reduced the risk of #COVID19-related hospitalization by 94% among fully vaccinated people 65+. CDC recommends getting a COVID-19 vaccine to prevent severe COVID-19 illness: https://t.co/W4SFuV6wQp. pic.twitter.com/Jf4ph2rl4s
— CDC (@CDCgov) April 28, 2021
Ethics Commission Position Statement: Admission criteria and management of critical care patients in a pandemic context – “Age cannot be used as the sole criterion for admission nor denial of access to ICU settings”
29 Apr, 2021 | 08:36h | UTC
China May Become World’s Biggest Vaccine Supplier As India Defaults On Global Deliveries
29 Apr, 2021 | 08:39h | UTC
CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can go outside without masks – but masks still needed in crowds
28 Apr, 2021 | 08:44h | UTCCDC Guidance: Choosing Safer Activities – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commentaries: CDC: If You’re Vaccinated, You Don’t Need To Mask Outdoors (Unless You’re In A Crowd) – NPR AND CDC: Fully vaccinated Americans can go maskless outdoors – CIDRAP
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
If you are fully vaccinated against #COVID19, you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, get a vaccine as soon as you can. See full details: https://t.co/s5kXwg65fB pic.twitter.com/fvhehUiiCi
— CDC (@CDCgov) April 27, 2021
Socioeconomic status determines COVID-19 incidence and related mortality in Santiago, Chile
28 Apr, 2021 | 08:41h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
An analysis of #COVID19 incidence and mortality in Santiago, Chile, highlights major consequences of healthcare disparities in a highly segregated city, showing that these inequalities disproportionately affected younger people @OxfordStats @HarvardChanSPH https://t.co/8f2Q2PdqBj pic.twitter.com/Ip1cikxvi7
— Science Magazine (@ScienceMagazine) April 27, 2021
Covid-19 in India: Cases, deaths and oxygen supply
28 Apr, 2021 | 08:40h | UTCCovid-19 in India: Cases, deaths and oxygen supply – BBC
See also: In Covid’s grip, India gasps for air: ‘If there is an apocalypse, this has to be one’ – STAT