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COVID-19: WATCH
The Latest
Global Numbers
- 59,315,201 cases
- 1,399,073 deaths
- 38,003,850 recovered
—Center for Systems Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
Key Developments
The century-old tuberculosis vaccine—Bacillus Calmette-Guérin—was associated with reduced likelihood of contracting COVID-19 and possibly to less severe symptoms in a Journal of Clinical Investigation study, reports ContagionLive.
Indonesia has surpassed half a million coronavirus cases as the country struggles to contain the virus; limited testing and contact tracing, and a high test positivity rate suggest the true case count is much higher. Reuters
The higher risk of blood clots is another potentially lethal layer to COVID-19 infection; they led to a 74% increase in the risk of death in a new Lancet EClinical Medicine study. University of California, San Diego via ScienceDaily
Malaysia’s Top Glove—the world’s largest latex glove manufacturer—will shutter more than half of its factories after ~2,500 employees tested positive for SARS-CoV-2; concerns had been raised about working conditions and the plant’s reliance on low-paid migrant workers. BBC
Related
Utah hospitals have begun informal rationing of care, doctors say, as they cope with surge of COVID-19 patients – The Salt Lake Tribune
CDC urges overwhelmed contact tracers to prioritize efforts as cases soar – POLITICO
Swedish watchdog finds serious failures in COVID care at nursing homes – Reuters
Coronavirus: Retail workers 'scared' as cases surge – BBC
Spain’s mortuary workers endure the daily march of death – AP
South Dakota gripped by pandemic amid Kristi Noem's no-mask approach – The Guardian
Millions stick to Thanksgiving travel plans despite warnings – AP
Evaluating COVID Risk on Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Scientific American
Answers to Every Possible Pandemic-Thanksgiving Question – The Atlantic
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COVID-19: VACCINES
Readying for the Rollout
Vaccines are on the way, but distribution presents herculean ethical and logistical challenges.
Even when considering just health care workers at the front of the line—that’s 20 million people, requiring careful planning, The Harvard Gazette notes.
Moreover, immunity is not instantaneous, given the 5-6 week lag between doses.
“The day you get your vaccine is not the day you take off your mask,” says Rochelle Walensky, Massachusetts General Hospital’s infectious diseases chief.
Essential workers are being eyed as the next priority, ahead of people age 65+ and those with high-risk medical conditions, STAT reports, citing an advisory panel meeting yesterday.
Goal: Prioritize vaccines for people of color, who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and make up a large segment of essential workers.
But the Trust Gap: Just 14% of Black people trust that a vaccine will be safe, and 18% trust that it will protect them from the virus, according to a large poll released yesterday, The Washington Post reports. Among Latinos, it's 34% and 40%, respectively.
Related:
Another COVID-19 vaccine success? Candidate may prevent further coronavirus transmission, too – Science
Russia's Sputnik V vaccine to be cheaper than rivals, says fund head – Reuters
Why emergency COVID-vaccine approvals pose a dilemma for scientists – Nature
Only a generic, not-for-profit COVID-19 vaccine can protect the world's poorest – Thomson Reuters Foundation (commentary)
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zoonotic diseases
Coronavirus on Ice
By retesting frozen lab animals, research teams in Asia have found 2 coronaviruses closely linked to SARS-CoV-2—the virus’s first known relatives outside of China.
One was discovered in horseshoe bats stored in a lab freezer in Cambodia after being captured in 2010. The other was found in a little Japanese horseshoe bat captured in 2013; it shares 81% of its genome with SARS-CoV-2.
These notable discoveries confirm that viruses related to SARS-CoV-2 are fairly common in Rhinolophus bats, and they could offer clues as to how the deadly virus jumped from animals to people.
Nature
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sexually transmitted infections
When Sexual Health Is a Forbidden Phrase
Society’s squeamishness about older people’s sex lives is driving a rise in sexually transmitted infections among over-45s, according to a new survey spanning the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands, CNN reports.
While sexual behavior among older people has changed in recent decades, the risk of STIs was a back-burner issue for many.
Among the general population and socioeconomically disadvantaged people, more than half of respondents had never been tested for an STI.
Why?
- Many said they were monogamous or didn’t believe they weren’t at risk of getting pregnant.
- Stigma and shame were a major barrier to seeking services.
Meanwhile, California doctors are warning of a rare spike in cases of gonorrhea, a very treatable disease but one that can cause permanent complications if not addressed, San Francisco Chronicle reports.
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Twitter
Thanks for the tip, Nick Moran!
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Carbon dioxide levels keep rising despite industrial lockdown – Al Jazeera
Biden Picks John Kerry, Paris Accord Author, as Climate Czar – Bloomberg
We need national institute of climate change and health – International New York Times via Deccan Herald
Bigoted Patient Behaviors All Too Common for Residents of Color – MedPage Today
Task-sharing interventions for improving control of diabetes in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis – The Lancet Global Health
Variations in processes for guideline adaptation: a qualitative study of World Health Organization staff experiences in implementing guidelines – BMC Public Health
Can an Algorithm Prevent Suicide? – The New York Times
'Waste' Activist Digs Into The Sanitation Crisis Affecting The Rural Poor – NPR Shots
As a kid, his factory work paid for his dad’s cancer care. As an oncologist, his research offers more than survival – STAT
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