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COVID-19: WATCH
The Latest
Global Numbers
- 55,736,846 cases
- 1,340,900 deaths
- 35,889,616 recovered
—Center for Systems Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
Key Developments
The US FDA has greenlit the first at-home coronavirus test, the agency announced yesterday; the Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit delivers results within 30 minutes and is expected to cost $50 or less. NPR
Pfizer is poised to submit its COVID-19 vaccine candidate—which has now shown a 95% efficacy rate—to the FDA for emergency use authorization after concluding a final efficacy analysis in their Phase 3 clinical trial. Pfizer (news release)
A Zimbabwe boarding school has been “turned into a ‘quarantine center’ after 100 students and an unknown number of staff tested positive for the coronavirus; all student cases so far have been either asymptomatic or mild. The Chronicle
Lessons from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic—such as the need for sustained investment in public health and transparent government messaging—are being ignored in the face of COVID-19, warn public health experts including the head of the Immunization Action Coalition. The Washington Post
Related
North Dakota Hits Highest COVID-19 Mortality Rate In The World – HuffPost
Hospitals Can’t Go on Like This – The Atlantic
South Korea facing 'crisis', says PM, as Covid measures tightened – The Guardian
China’s Sinovac reports mixed findings in early coronavirus vaccine trials — The Washington Post
Africa: 18.3% of Covid-19 Deaths in Africa Linked to Diabetes — WHO via AllAfrica
States expand mask mandates and social restrictions as Covid-19 hospitalizations reach new high – CNN
Does Remdesivir Actually Work Against Covid-19? – The New York Times (commentary)
US vets with COVID-related kidney injury at 6.7 times risk of death – CIDRAP
Fauci suggests he should have been ‘much more vocal’ about Covid-19 testing early in pandemic – STAT
Contact tracing course developed by Johns Hopkins surpasses 1 million enrollees – The Hub
The Thanksgiving time bomb – Axios
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ebola
DRC Beats Ebola Again
The 11th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is officially over, the WHO declared today.
The 6-month outbreak in Equateur Province's rainforests and crowded cities included 119 confirmed cases and 55 deaths.
The logistical successes in delivering 40,000 Ebola vaccines offers lessons for distributing COVID-19 vaccines, notes WHO Africa chief Matshidiso Moeti.
Crucial to the effort was an innovative cold chain storage to keep vaccines at temperatures as low as -80 degrees C. Using ARKTEK freezers, vaccinators could protect supplies in the field for up to a week, allowing responders to vaccinate communities without electricity.
But the effort is nothing without the vaccinators themselves.
The Quote: “I’m satisfied to leave Mbandaka knowing that we defeated Ebola by breaking the transmission thanks to effective vaccination,” said vaccinator Lydia Muadi Bukasa.
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COVID-19: RESPOSNE
No Need to Go Nuclear?
Less disruptive and costly COVID-19 restrictions can work as well as more intrusive steps like lockdowns to slow the spread of SARS-CoV2, according to a new study ranking the effectiveness of government interventions around the world.
The researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and elsewhere posed “what-if” scenarios in different countries to guide modeling of future interventions.
Key takeaways:
Most effective: Curfews, lockdowns, restricting gatherings in shops and restaurants, mandatory work-from-home measures, and school closures. These "nuclear" options can be “highly effective,” but exact a significant toll on society, the economy, and human rights.
Still effective, less intrusive: Packages of less restrictive steps, such as land border restrictions, government support to vulnerable populations (such as food assistance) and strong risk-communication strategies.
Bonus and a Caveat: People may be more likely to cooperate with less stringent measures. However, the success of less-intrusive interventions depends heavily on country context.
Nature Human Behavior
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THE QUOTE
“The tobacco industry has a well-documented history of deception and of capitalizing on humanitarian crises, and it is using the pandemic to attempt to improve its deteriorating public image.”
—Adriana Blanco Marquizo, head of the secretariat for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, on the findings of the Global Tobacco Interference Index. AFP via Jakarta Post
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covid-19: vaccines
Why So Cold?
One of the biggest challenges of distributing a COVID-19 vaccine: cold storage—and one of the most promising vaccine candidates yet has particularly high maintenance requirements.
Pfizer’s vaccine must be kept “colder than winter in Antarctica”: -70 degrees C to be exact, compared to Moderna’s version, which can stay viable at just -20 degrees C.
Innovation: Pfizer’s custom “pizza box” packaging can safely store the vaccine for a few weeks without special freezers, using dry ice.
Possible: With further testing, Pfizer’s vaccine may prove able to survive in warmer temperatures—and that could be a huge help to distributing it to remote and low-resource areas.
NPR Shots
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Hold Your Horses!
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Image: Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times/Getty
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Coinciding with the Diwali, Nihang Sikh men showcase martial skills in a celebration marking Bandi Chhor Divas in Amritsar, India, November 15, 2020.
Every year, Bandi Chorr Divas—“Day of Liberation”—celebrates the release of the sixth Sikh guru—Guru Hargobind—from Gwalior fort in Madhya Pradesh, where Emperor Jahangir had held him for several months.
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OPPORTUNITY
Webcast Tomorrow!
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This Thursday, join the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for a webcast addressing how US leaders and individuals can reverse current troubling trends in the COVID-19 pandemic as the nation prepares for a presidential transition.
Featuring Bloomberg School faculty Josh Sharfstein, Amber D’Souza, Caitlin Rivers, and David Dowdy.
- Submit a question ahead of the event
- Registration not required
- A recording of the event will be made available on the Bloomberg School’s website and YouTube channel
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Twitter
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First ever vaccine listed under WHO emergency use – WHO Thanks for the tip, Karen Thomas!
Maternal Mortality and Maternity Care in the United States Compared to 10 Other Developed Countries – The Commonwealth Fund
AMA policy recognizes police brutality as product of structural racism – American Medical Association (news release)
When I Step Outside, I Step Into a Country of Men Who Stare – The New York Times (commentary)
UN-backed fund to address crisis in global sanitation and hygiene – UN News
How shifting from meat-heavy to plant-based diets can help allay the climate crisis – Vox
Britain to ban new petrol cars by 2030 on road to net zero emissions – Reuters
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