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, get a flu shot and stay safe.
Quote of the Day
"We haven’t turned the corner, and it’s not magically going away. Beyond that, in the likely absence of any major pandemic-fighting push from Washington before late January, it’s going to be up to state and local policies and a lot of individual decisions like the ones people are currently making in Bismarck to determine the shape of the curve. So … wear a mask, people."
(Justin Fox)
Chart of the Day

The US is accelerating into the third wave of coronavirus cases.
Masks
- N95 masks are once again in short supply. (wsj.com)
- It's hard to ignore the data on mask mandates and infection rates. (vox.com)
- A failure to put in place mask mandates is making for worse options at present. (marginalrevolution.com)
- Face masks don't hinder breathing during exercise. (sciencedaily.com)
- A visualization of how masks work. (nytimes.com)
Vaccine distribution
- Why you should expect vaccine politics to heat up after November's election. (msn.com)
- How the CDC plans to keep tracking coronavirus vaccine recipients. (wsj.com)
- This flu season should be used a trial run for the eventual coronavirus vaccine. (scientificamerican.com)
- Why governments should incentivize people to get the coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. (sciencedaily.com)
- Vaccine tourism could become a thing. (marginalrevolution.com)
Vaccines
- Experts are impressed with Novavax's ($NVAX) vaccine but are concerned they can effectively manufacture it at scale. (sciencemag.org)
- The math of vaccine trials implies a longer wait. (finance.yahoo.com)
Immunity
- A new study indicates that T-cell immunity against Covid-19 is likely to be present within most adults six months after primary infection. (cnbc.com)
- Children produce weaker and fewer antibodies than adults which is indicative of them clearing the virus faster. (nytimes.com)
Long haulers
- There doesn't seem to be a correlation between the severity of Covid-19 and long haul syndrome. (wsj.com)
- How 'micro-hemorrhages' could be playing a role in long term Covid symptoms. (marginalrevolution.com)
Cardiovascular symptoms
- How Covid-19 stresses the vascular system. (npr.org)
- What athletes need to know about the potential for Covid-19 to damage the heart. (theconversation.com)
Treatment
- How the novel coronavirus hacks the immune system: it inhibits the interferon response but does nothing about the cytokines. (newyorker.com)
- Severe Covid-19 cases could be due to an interferon deficiency. (nature.com)
- More studies are underway to test Vitamin D's ability prevent and/or treat Covid-19. (wsj.com)
Business
- The need for better ventilation is a business opportunity. (finance.yahoo.com)
- Putting a number, $10 billion, on how big the coronavirus vaccine market will be on an annual basis. (ft.com)
Contact tracing
- The coronavirus is so endemic that it is nearly impossible to trace where people contracted the virus. (msn.com)
- Why contact tracing isn't working in the U.S. (slate.com)
- Is it still possible for the US to execute an effective contact tracing program? (arstechnica.com)
Global
- Australia has emerged as a pandemic success story. (washingtonpost.com)
- Why Peru has one of the highest per-capita Covid-19 fatality rates in the world. (wsj.com)
- What Canada is doing to keep schools open as case counts rise. (washingtonpost.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: losing badly. (abnormalreturns.com)
- On the challenge of holding two competing thoughts on the pandemic in your head a the same time. (abnormalreturns.com)