A linkfest dedicated to the coronavirus pandemic is now a weekly feature here on Abnormal Returns. You can read last week’s edition here. Please be careful and stay safe.
Quote of the Day
"The goal at this point should be to pursue testing strategies that are rapid, convenient, accessible, and inexpensive. That way a large proportion of the population can be tested."
(Jeffrey L. Schnipper and Paul E. Sax)
Long haulers
- Researachers are still wrapping their arms around the problem of Covid-19 'long haulers' who are still feeling the after-effects. (theatlantic.com)
- We are still coming to grips with the after-effects of Covid-19 cases. (nymag.com)
- The after-effects of Covid-19 are still unknown. (washingtonpost.com)
- Health care outfits are setting up clinics to treat patients experiencing lingering effects of Covid-19. (wsj.com)
Vaccines
- Nine reasons to be optimistic about a Covid-19 vaccine in 2021. (theconversation.com)
- The lack of transparency at Operation Warp Speed is not helping build trust in an eventual vaccine. (bloomberg.com)
- Vaccine supply chains use some bizarre ingredients. (marginalrevolution.com)
- Who you give the vaccine to first depends on its effectiveness. (medrxiv.org)
- On the ethics of "human challenge trials." (theconversation.com)
Immunity
- Why some people don't get sick: their immune system is primed to attack the novel coronavirus. (nytimes.com)
- In some parts of the world, herd immunity may be closer than you think. (nytimes.com)
- Why haven't the homeless seemingly not been more affected by Covid-19? (apnews.com)
Influenza
- Live, in-person sporting events increase the spread of good, old fashioned influenza as well. (privpapers.ssrn.com)
- Massachusetts will require most public school students six months or older to get the flu vaccine this year, the state’s department of health said in a statement. (cnbc.com)
- Public health officials are shouting from the rooftops for people to get their flu shots this year. (nytimes.com)
- The symptoms of influenza and Covid-19 overlap, which is a problem. (vox.com)
Masks
- Even imperfect masks reduce the amount of virus that spreads. (theconversation.com)
- What to do if nudges fail to get people to wear masks? (bloomberg.com)
Testing
- SalivaDirect is going to help increase testing in the US. (scientificamerican.com)
- How the NBA got involved in a study on using saliva tests. (espn.com)
- We can never scale PCR tests to help snuff out the pandemic. (theatlantic.com)
Spread
- Children may be a bigger vector for the spread than previously thought. (washingtonpost.com)
- New coronavirus cases have fallen in areas with mask mandates. (forbes.com)
- WHO warns that young people are now the primary spreaders of the virus. (washingtonpost.com)
- Viruses can spread on dust, fiber and other particles, not just droplets. (ucdavis.edu)
- Some clues that the coronvirus enters the body through the nose. (marketwatch.com)
Tracing apps
- Contact tracing apps need at least 75% usage to be effective. (ft.com)
- College campuses could jump start the use of coronavirus tracing apps. (politico.com)
Behavior
- Cracking down on parties isn't going to stop the pandemic. (theatlantic.com)
- At some point we will go from underrating the risk of Covid-19 to overrating it. (msn.com)
- Plague and protests go hand-in-hand, historically. (daily.jstor.org)
Data
- Seven months what do we know about Covid-19 and more importantly what don't we know? (statnews.com)
- A visualization of how much worse the US has done against the coronavirus versus New Zealand. (vox.com)
- A refreshed look at excess fatalities shows at least 50,000 additional Covid-19 related deaths. (econbrowser.com)
- Obesity is a risk factor for severe Covid-19. (nytimes.com)
- Researchers are puzzled by children that get severely ill from Covid-19. (wired.com)
Treatments
- The data on convalescent plasma is mixed, at best. (nytimes.com)
- Hydroxychloroquine does not prevent patients with lupus and RA from getting Covid-19. (sciencedaily.com)
- Trump acolytes are pumping another unproven Covid-19 cure. (axios.com)
Coronavirus
- Nine myths about the coronavirus that won't go away. (scientificamerican.com)
- How New Mexico did a good job containing the Covid outbreak. (politico.com)
- Public health officials are sending in 'strike teams' to assist nursing homes hit by the coronavirus. (nytimes.com)
- Everyone knew a pandemic was possible. Why weren't we ready? (wsj.com)
- The US now has a stockpile of ventilators. (washingtonpost.com)