A coronavirus pandemic linkfest is unfortunately now a weekly feature here on Abnormal Returns. You can read last week’s edition here. Please be careful, get a flu shot and please stay safe.
Quote of the Day
"Covid-19 has forced us to rethink the way we work, how we shop, the role of government, how the economy works at a national and global level. Above all, it has shown us how fragile everything is."
(Larry Elliott)
Vaccine production
- Moderna ($MRNA) plans to make 600 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine in 2021. (bloomberg.com)
- Germany’s CureVac has teamed up with the Bayer to accelerate the development and production of its Covid-19 vaccine. (fortune.com)
- Contract manufacturers are struggling to hire enough staff. (wsj.com)
- Brazil is claiming an efficacy rate of 78% for the Sinovac vaccine. (nytimes.com)
- Researchers are scrambling to figure out if the current vaccines work against the new variants. (scientificamerican.com)
Dosing regimes
- The U.K. is taking a risk that stretching the period between the two shots won't have an adverse outcome. (statnews.com)
- The U.S. and U.K. are taking very different positions no single-shots. (newatlas.com)
- The 'first dose first' strategy makes intuitive sense but that's all we have. (ft.com)
- Half-doses of the Moderna ($MRNA) showed identical immune responses. (marginalrevolution.com)
- We should be studying different vaccine regimes. (statnews.com)
Vaccine administration
- The Biden administration is going to stop holding vaccines in reserve. (statnews.com)
- Second doses are already being administered. (npr.org)
- Hospitals and nursing homes were supposed to be the easy parts of the vaccine rollout. (theatlantic.com)
- Allergic reactions to the coronavirus vaccine remain relatively isolated. (statnews.com)
- Five things the U.S. can do to accelerate the vaccination process including 'Open up the 'mega-sites.' (npr.org)
- Thankfully, some are going to great lengths to make sure any vaccine gets wasted. (washingtonpost.com)
Vaccine priority
- We've made the vaccine process way more complicated than its needs to be. (washingtonpost.com)
- We are seeing the downside of micro-managing the vaccine rollout. (msn.com)
- Prison guards are making the case for getting vaccinated early. (wsj.com)
Long haulers
- On the relationship between the loss of taste/smell and mental health issues. (nytimes.com)
- Some evidence that the novel coronavirus cross the blood-brain barrier. (newsroom.uw.edu)
Spread
- We still don't know if the coronavirus vaccines also prevent the spread of the virus. (wsj.com)
- A study shows how one passenger infected at least four others on a long haul flight. (nytimes.com)
- Transit systems are testing ways to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. (wsj.com)
Treatment
- Convalescent plasma works if given early in the course of the disease. (nytimes.com)
- Anti-inflammatory drugs usually prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis improve survival rates for severe Covid cases. (washingtonpost.com)
- The variant is a big deal but more so for antibody treatments. (statnews.com)
- Doctors would like to know a patient's viral load. (nytimes.com)
Capacity
- Hospitals around the country are straining under the surge of cases. (wsj.com)
- Hospital capacity issues are going global, including Lebanon. (npr.org)
Data
- Four data points on the pandemic including the fact that 3.1 million Americans have lost a close family member. (theatlantic.com)
- Nursing homes account for some 40% of America's Covid deaths. (nytimes.com)
- The U.S. never invested in the testing and data needed to fight the pandemic. (theatlantic.com)
Policy
- The story behind the CDC's failure to quickly roll out a test for the novel coronavirus. (washingtonpost.com)
- The San Francisco bay area has done a better job in pandemic than other areas. (newyorker.com)
- OSHA has been pretty lax when it comes to Covid-related workplace complaints. (reuters.com)
- Why Georgia seeing a surge in cases. (vox.com)
Global
- Sweden's Covid policies now look like much of the rest of its neighbors. (ft.com)
- The countries that responded best to the pandemic on various criteria including 'Best at quarantining.' (wsj.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: a year of anguish. (abnormalreturns.com)
- There's only one way through the pandemic tunnel. (abnormalreturns.com)
- The 'Swiss cheese model' and the importance of avoiding single points of failure in pandemic and life. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Get used to the term 'digital health passport' as the coronavirus vaccine rolls out nationwide. (abnormalreturns.com)
- On the challenge of holding two competing thoughts on the pandemic in your head a the same time. (abnormalreturns.com)
