Covid-19
Tracking Coronavirus Vaccinations Around the World.
3 Jun, 2021 | 11:01h | UTCTracking Coronavirus Vaccinations Around the World – The New York Times
What We Know About the Dangerous COVID B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant – “the Delta variant may soon become the most dominant COVID strain in the world and lead to rapid outbreaks in countries without high vaccination rates”.
3 Jun, 2021 | 11:05h | UTCWhat We Know About the Dangerous COVID B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant – Intelligencer
Commentary on Twitter
Good summary of what's presently known about the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant @NYMag. Important to emphasize 2-dose vaccination effectiveness is high.https://t.co/8cKvR5eBMM w/ @jburnmurdoch @zeynep @macroliter by @chasdanner
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) June 1, 2021
A pandemic upside: The flu virus became less diverse, simplifying the task of making flu shots.
3 Jun, 2021 | 10:57h | UTC
Brazilian town experiment shows mass vaccination can wipe out COVID-19.
3 Jun, 2021 | 10:59h | UTCBrazilian town experiment shows mass vaccination can wipe out COVID-19 – Science (a few articles per month are free)
WHO: New US$50 billion health, trade and finance roadmap to end the pandemic and secure a global recovery.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:44h | UTCCommentary: Global Leaders Call for $50-billion Investment to End COVID-19, boost economies – Health Policy Watch
Israel reports link between rare cases of heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccination in young men.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:37h | UTCIsrael reports link between rare cases of heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccination in young men – Science (a few articles per month are free)
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/rfsquared/status/1399803644288061442
WHO validates Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use and issues interim policy recommendations.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:42h | UTCCommentary: WHO grants emergency approval to 2nd Chinese COVID vaccine – MedicalXpress
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
WHO today validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac #COVID19 vaccine for emergency use, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies & communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing.
More ⬇️ https://t.co/Uy0xmGlAIT— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 1, 2021
After COVID-19 successes, researchers push to develop mRNA vaccines for other infectious diseases and cancer.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:34h | UTC
Review: SARS-CoV-2 variants, spike mutations and immune escape.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:33h | UTCSARS-CoV-2 variants, spike mutations and immune escape – Nature Reviews Microbiology
Commentary on Twitter
A new, exceptional review of the #SARSCoV2 major variants, zooming in on the culprit mutations, Δ epitopes/antigens.
It concludes there is a "high probability of future mutation-mediated escape from host immunity"https://t.co/D4mFot8Ot5@NatureRevMicro @_wharvey @robertson_lab pic.twitter.com/JgzAhpsviq— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) June 1, 2021
Covid pandemic over in Britain, say experts.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:31h | UTCCovid pandemic over in Britain, say experts – The Telegraph
Related: In rich countries, vaccines are making Covid-19 a manageable health issue – The Guardian AND Covid: Zero daily deaths announced in UK for first time – BBC AND Expert reaction to zero COVID-related deaths reported today – Science Media Centre
[Press release – not published yet] The city of Serrana in Brazil has seen a 95% drop in Covid-19 deaths after almost all adults were vaccinated with Chinese CoronaVac – The findings suggest the pandemic can be controlled after 75% of people are fully vaccinated.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:39h | UTCCommentaries: Study in Brazilian town shows 95% efficacy of Sinovac’s vaccine in reducing death by COVID-19 – Global Times AND Brazil Covid: Deaths plunge after town’s adults vaccinated – BBC AND Sinovac vaccine restores a Brazilian city to near normal – Associated Press
The ‘time has come’ for a global pandemic treaty, WHO’s Tedros says.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:21h | UTCThe ‘Time Has Come’ For A Global Pandemic Treaty, WHO’s Tedros Says – NPR
See also: Will a global preparedness treaty help or hinder pandemic preparedness? – BMJ Global Health
WHO renames COVID-19 variants with the Greek alphabet (i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc), making them simple, easy to say and remember. The naming system aims to prevent calling COVID-19 variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing & discriminatory.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:26h | UTCTracking SARS-CoV-2 variants – World Health Organization
Commentaries: The name game for coronavirus variants just got a little easier – STAT AND Covid: WHO renames UK and other variants with Greek letters – BBC
Study shows low risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection 1 year after primary infection.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:23h | UTCEditorial: Protection Because of Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Commentary on Twitter
Lombardy, Italy was one of the worst-hit places in the world in the 1st wave of the pandemic. Now, a year later, how many had reinfections?
0.3%
And 13-15 X infections for those who did not have covidhttps://t.co/ewpMRcPIMB @JAMAInternalMed pic.twitter.com/I7z2L04Evp— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 28, 2021
Where could the next coronavirus jump to humans? New research offers clues.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:18h | UTCWhere could the next coronavirus jump to humans? New research offers clues. – Vox
COVID has caused ‘mass trauma,’ worsening mental health globally.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:14h | UTCCOVID Has Caused ‘Mass Trauma,’ Worsening Mental Health Globally – Health Policy Watch
Perspective | Can I get AstraZeneca now and Pfizer later? Why mixing and matching COVID vaccines could help solve many rollout problems.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:20h | UTC
Vaccines that can protect against many coronaviruses could prevent another pandemic.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:15h | UTCVaccines that can protect against many coronaviruses could prevent another pandemic – Science (a few articles per month are free)
How a superspreader festival seeded Covid across India.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:17h | UTCHow a superspreader festival seeded Covid across India – The Guardian
Opinion | 7 reasons why we should not need boosters for COVID-19.
31 May, 2021 | 08:21h | UTC7 Reasons Why We Should Not Need Boosters for COVID-19 – by Monica Ghandi, MD
No COVID-19 cases found after a well-controlled indoor concert.
31 May, 2021 | 08:24h | UTCNo COVID-19 cases found after well-controlled indoor concert – CIDRAP
Invited Commentary: Innovations in COVID-19 testing: the road from pandemic response to control – The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Report of the Barcelona music event out here. These are difficult studies to do – and you need to carefully review them.
Same-day SARS-CoV-2 antigen test screening in an indoor mass-gathering live music event: a randomised controlled trial https://t.co/KDMtsGD23v
— Jon Deeks FMedSci (@deeksj) May 28, 2021
Opinion | The Covid-19 lab leak theory is a tale of weaponized uncertainty.
31 May, 2021 | 08:19h | UTCThe Covid-19 Lab Leak Theory Is a Tale of Weaponized Uncertainty – Wired
See also: Divisive COVID ‘lab leak’ debate prompts dire warnings from researchers – Nature
New IDSA Guidelines on antigen testing for the diagnosis of COVID-19.
31 May, 2021 | 08:25h | UTC
What the science says about lifting mask mandates – “Wearing masks should probably be one of the last things we stop doing”.
31 May, 2021 | 08:17h | UTCWhat the science says about lifting mask mandates – Nature
Covid-19 vaccination prevents transmission from vaccinated to unvaccinated household members.
31 May, 2021 | 08:18h | UTCThe indirect effect of mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccination on unvaccinated household members – medRxiv
Commentary on Twitter
More on less transmission, yet another incentive:
"Our results suggest that mRNA-based vaccines do not only prevent #SARSCoV2 infections among vaccinated individuals but lead to a substantial reduction in infections among unvaccinated household members"https://t.co/sIqoOLiH3b pic.twitter.com/6rv2tojR2m— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 29, 2021