Superspreader Events Play Supersized Role in COVID-19 Disease Transmission
Mathematical analysis suggests that preventing large gatherings could significantly reduce Covid-19 infection rates. There have been many documented cases of Covid-19 “super-spreading” events, in which one person infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects many other people. But how much of a role do these events play in the overall spread of theContinue Reading
Texas hits 1 million coronavirus cases, nearly double New York state
Texas is the first U.S. state to hit 1 million coronavirus cases, nearly double that of New York. NBC reports Texas confirmed 1,000,589 cases of Covid-19 on Friday night, eclipsing California for the highest number of cases. Texas passed California, which has 968,000 cases as of Friday, last month; California is the mostContinue Reading
How Escalating COVID Cases Forced One State to Change Its Masking Strategy
In Montana’s conservative Flathead County, prosecutors and local leaders were turning a blind eye to businesses that flouted state mask and social distancing mandates, even as the area’s COVID infections climbed to their highest levels. Montana is one of the last states to face the possibility of requiring mask use.Continue Reading
Asymptomatic coronavirus patient shed virus for 70 days: case study
A 71-year-old cancer patient who tested positive for the novel coronavirus but never showed symptoms remained infectious for 70 days, according to a case study. It started when she went to the emergency room for low back and lower extremity pain and underwent surgery, which then landed her at aContinue Reading
Wash Your Hands to Stay Healthy During COVID-19
Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 and the flu. CDC’s Dr. Schuchat discusses the importance of keeping hands clean to stay healthy and key times to wash during the pandemic.
Targeted lockdowns are the new way to control the coronavirus
Precision shutdowns can slow emerging outbreaks while lessening the overall economic impact of the response. But they risk a backlash from those who are targeted, and may not be strong enough to keep a highly contagious virus under control. Several countries have used area-level lockdowns. In the U.S., New YorkContinue Reading
Remdesivir and interferon fall flat in WHO’s megastudy of COVID-19 treatments
One of the world’s biggest trials of COVID-19 therapies released its long-awaited interim results yesterday—and they’re a letdown. None of the four treatments in the Solidarity trial, which enrolled more than 11,000 patients in 400 hospitals around the globe, increased survival—not even the much-touted antiviral drug remdesivir. The results, announcedContinue Reading
Study: Anti-virus face shields allow almost all minute droplets to leak
Researchers have bad news for people who wear face shields to prevent novel coronavirus infections: The equipment is woefully inadequate in containing droplets that can spread the virus. According to the results released in August, the face shield allowed nearly 100 percent of aerosol particles, which measure 5 micrometers orContinue Reading
Healthy young people might not be able to get the coronavirus vaccine until 2022, WHO says
Healthy young people might not get the coronavirus vaccine until 2022 as public health officials focus on immunizing the elderly and other vulnerable groups first, top officials from the World Health Organization said Wednesday. Researchers have been warning that production constraints and hoarding could limit SARS-CoV-2 vaccine supplies. This warningContinue Reading
The hidden long-term cognitive effects of COVID-19
Harvard Health reports on new research that is suggesting that there may be long-term neurologic consequences in those who survive COVID infections, including more than seven million Americans and another 27 million people worldwide. Particularly troubling is increasing evidence that there may be mild — but very real — brainContinue Reading
