Unfortunately I now feel the need to do a weekly linkfest solely dedicated to the coronavirus pandemic. You can read last week’s edition here. Please be careful and stay safe.
Quote of the week
Fairchild, Healton and Galea, “Wearing masks does not eliminate the risk of spreading Covid-19. But it prevents individuals who are infected but feel well from becoming, in essence, walking weapons.” (STAT)
Chart of the week
A Covid-19 risk chart. (xkcd)
Vaccines
A look at various vaccine timelines. (Morningstar)
A lot can still derail a coronavirus getting approved any time soon. (Vox)
Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) is focusing on a modified adenovirus to produce a coronavirus vaccine. (NYTimes)
How nanobodies could be superior to antibodies to stop the coronavirus. (Wired)
To distribute a coronvirus vaccine around the world you need a lot of glass vials. (Washington Post)
We need to start educating people about a coronavirus vaccine now. (NYTimes)
Masks
Masks are uncomfortable. Get used to it says a surgeon. (Washington Post)
The UK is going to mandate the use of face coverings in enclosed spaces. (FT)
A resistance to masks isn’t new. A look at 1918 American ‘slackers.’ (The Conversation)
People didn’t want to wear masks in 1918 either. (Fast Company)
High tech masks would be a big improvement on cloth. (Fast Company)
How face mask use varies by demographics. (Gallup)
Treatments
Why mechanical ventilation has been downgraded as a treatment during the pandemic. (Fast Company)
Hospital systems are stocking up on drugs in anticipation of a second coronavirus wave in the Fall. (WSJ)
Impact
Excess deaths are down for the 18-under cohort in pandemic. (Marginal Revolution)
What happens to society if immunity to the coronavirus is limited? (Vox)
The pressures on the immune-compromised are increasing over time. (NYTimes)
Global
Where Sweden’s policies went wrong. (Slate)
Why has Thailand been spared the worst of the coronavirus? (NYTimes)
Barbados wants you to work remotely from their beaches. (Washington Post)
The pandemic has been a boon to the Italian mafia. (Vice)
Some epidemiologists are blaming school reopenings for the surge in coronavirus cases in Israel. (WSJ)
Data
Why death rates from Covid-19 haven’t meaningfully increased yet. (The Atlantic)
Black and hispanic Americans are dying at younger ages of Covid-19. (STAT)
Why the onset of Summer did little to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the US. (WSJ)
Herd immunity
Herd immunity means different things in different populations. (The Atlantic)
There is no single, simple measure of herd immunity. (Wired)
Why a call for herd immunity is ‘public health nihilism.’ (NYTimes)
Herd immunity relies on us getting and keeping coronavirus antibodies. (Vox)
Science
Science is working at a breakneck in pandemic, but with that come some costs. (Scientific American)
It’s estimated 40% of those infected with the coronavirus are asymptomatic. (Business Insider)
Why the droplets vs. aerosol debate matters. (FT)
Smoking increases the risks of severe Covid-19. (Science Daily)
Babies
How is the pandemic affecting birth rates around the world? (Washington Post)
Why are babies seemingly resilient to the coronavirus? (Scientific American)
Testing
Testing delays are making it impossible to do test-and-trace. (Washington Post)
How speech patterns could be used to suss out asymptomatic coronavirus carriers. (Big Think)
Why buildings need to be tested for coronavirus as well. (Axios)
Public health
How the US became the accidental Sweden. (STAT)
Some public health experts on what the US can still try to tame the spread of coronavirus. (STAT)
The US has systematically underinvested in public health and now it is costing us big time. (NYTimes)
Why economists are urging Americans to follow the advice of public health experts. (Washington Post)
Government
The CDC wasn’t built to be a political tool. (STAT)
Why has OSHA been sidelined during the pandemic? (Vox)
The World Health Organization was struggling even before the coronavirus. (FT)
Future
Another virus is coming in the future. What have learned this time around? (OZY)
What if another novel infection launches before the coronavirus is tamed? (The Atlantic)
Mixed media
McKinsey & Co. is making bank on the pandemic. (ProPublica)
The pandemic is filling us all with cognitive dissonance. (The Atlantic)
Custodians are on the frontlines of the pandemic. We are not giving them enough support. (NYTimes)
People who watched a pandemic-related movie felt more prepared this time around. (Klement on Investing)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
Coronavirus links: cooperative choices. (Abnormal Returns)
Acceptable risks in a world full of uncertainty. (Abnormal Returns)
Having no plan is just as bad as not following the plan you have. (Abnormal Returns)
