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
"I believe that the US will go to First Doses First. The only question is will we go to First Doses First soon, when it can still help, or will we be forced to do it later in an act of desperation and agony."
(Alex Tabarrok)
Chart of the Day
Protecting yourself against Covid requires a layered approach. (via @angie_rasmussen)
Variants
- What we know so far about the current vaccines the known variants. (statnews.com)
- All of the current vaccines are going to likely need a booster down the road. (theatlantic.com)
- Glaxo ($GSK) and CureVac ($CVAC) are going to work on vaccines aimed at new variants. (apnews.com)
- Researchers are trying to figure out how to update Covid vaccines over time. (wired.com)
Bottlenecks
- Scaling up vaccinations is a massive logistics problem. (wsj.com)
- It's not a simple task to scale the manufacture of mRNA vaccines. (marketwatch.com)
- Moderna ($MRNA) wants to increase the number of doses per vial. The FDA is dragging its feet. (marginalrevolution.com)
- Why it takes the FDA weeks to review a Covid vaccine EUA. (theverge.com)
- People who have had Covid-19 only need one dose to achieve immunity. (marginalrevolution.com)
- How to double the amount of vaccines tomorrow. (marginalrevolution.com)
Vaccines
- Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) has submitted its Covid vaccine application to the FDA. (statnews.com)
- The first data on Russia's Sputnik V vaccine shows high efficacy. (wsj.com)
- There is some preliminary evidence the Oxford-AstraZeneca ($AZN) vaccine helps reduce the transmission of the virus. (theguardian.com)
- Researchers are going to begin formally testing mixing and matching different vaccines. (wsj.com)
- Things change: why you can't simply compare Covid vaccine clinical trials. (nytimes.com)
- A comparison of the major Covid vaccines. (statnews.com)
Israel
- Lessons learned from Israel's vaccination program. (nytimes.com)
- Israel is now vaccinating the general public. (wsj.com)
Workers
- Amtrak is offering workers a bonus to get vaccinated. (washingtonpost.com)
- Other industries are slow to follow the lead of grocery companies to incentivize workers to get vaccinated. (washingtonpost.com)
- TSA agents have been uniquely at-risk of contracting Covid. (nytimes.com)
- Pharmacies are going to start receiving vaccine doses directly. (npr.org)
Vaccine hesistancy
- Don't let a fear of side effects prevent you from getting vaccinated. (theatlantic.com)
- A vaccine doesn't have to be perfect to be useful. (theverge.com)
- Why some people are taking a wait-and-see approach to the vaccine. (scientificamerican.com)
Mothers
- There is still no good data to guide pregnant women on getting vaccinated. (wsj.com)
- Mothers seem to pass their Covid antibodies onto their babies. (nytimes.com)
Masks
- Why you still need to wear a mask for now. (vox.com)
- CDC rules mandating face coverings on mass transit are now in effect. (npr.org)
- The U.S. needs to step up its mask game. (marketwatch.com)
- Five hacks to make your face mask(s) work better. (npr.org)
- Anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers are now working hand in hand. (wsj.com)
- Vaccine passports are coming: what you need to know. (nytimes.com)
Demographics
- Young adults and the middle aged are responsible for most of the spread of Covid. (axios.com)
- The universities that took the coronavirus seriously show what a consistent, concerted effort could achieve. (theatlantic.com)
- There's no herd immunity with kids getting vaccinated. (arstechnica.com)
Data
- Across most of the U.S. case counts are now falling. (axios.com)
- In January, an American was dying from Covid every 30 seconds. (washingtonpost.com)
- The world has tamed flu for now. (theatlantic.com)
The NFL
- NFL data show that the coronavirus spreads more easily than previously thought. (wsj.com)
- How the Seattle Seahawks went a whole season without a positive Covid test. (nytimes.com)
- The NFL has offered all 30 stadiums as mass vaccination sites. (cnbc.com)
Global
- Case counts are falling India stoking hopes that herd immunity is near. (ft.com)
- Why the West needs to do more to get vaccines to hard-hit countries. (cnbc.com)
- The battles around vaccine prioritization is happening around the world. (wsj.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: resistant variants. (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)
Mixed media
- The unchecked spread of the virus is the key factor in the hard decisions we now face. (axios.com)
- People who are fully vaccinated need a roadmap on acceptable behaviors. (washingtonpost.com)
- Researchers are still discovering after-effects in people who were asymptomatic with Covid-19. (wsj.com)
- Why are we still deep cleaning surfaces for Covid? (scientificamerican.com)