A coronavirus-focused linkfest is still a weekly feature here on Abnormal Returns. Please stay safe and find a vaccination site near you. You can read last week’s edition here.
Quote of the Day
"One of the big mistakes of the U.S. Covid response, among many, was at the beginning to not make it clear that this was going to be a long war."
(John Barry)
Vaccines
- It's easy to forget, but the vaccines are a modern miracle. (theatlantic.com)
- Moderna ($MRNA) research shows steady efficacy of its vaccine. (bloomberg.com)
- Some data showing the J&J ($JNJ) vaccine is effective against the Delta variant in preventing severe disease. (wsj.com)
- Novavax ($NVAX) is struggling to ramp up manufacturing of its vaccine. (nytimes.com)
- Moderna ($MRNA) is also in favor of a third dose to protect against the Delta variant. (biopharmadive.com)
Boosters
- Booster shots for the immunocompromised are expected to be approved soon. (washingtonpost.com)
- Some people are already trying, and succeeding, in getting booster shots. (statnews.com)
Delta
- The UK is going to tell us a lot about how Delta plays out. (theatlantic.com)
- The Delta wave is the worst one yet for Florida. (washingtonpost.com)
- Why Delta is so frustrating: we thought we were done. (theatlantic.com)
States
- Florida is now the epicenter of the Delta outbreak. (slate.com)
- RIsing case rates are causing a bounce in vaccinations. (washingtonpost.com)
- Even rising case counts, and deaths, are not going to convince some people to get vaccinated. A report from Springfield, Missouri. (newyorker.com)
Vaccine hesitancy
- Delta changes the equation for vaccines. (washingtonpost.com)
- Not all of the unvaccinated are by choice. (nytimes.com)
Travel
- The Delta variant is putting a dent in the travel industry's comeback. (wsj.com)
- International travel restrictions at present don't make much sense. (theatlantic.com)
Mandates
- The dam has broken on corporate vaccine mandates. (nytimes.com)
- California is implementing what it calls the "first in the nation" requirement that health care workers statewide be vaccinated against COVID-19. (npr.org)
- Nursing home chains are now beginning to mandate vaccinations for workers. (washingtonpost.com)
- New York City is going to require vaccinations for indoor activities like restaurant dining and entertainment. (npr.org)
- What the Indiana University case says about the legality of mandates. (arstechnica.com)
- Why only the vaccinated should be able to fly on a commercial flight. (theatlantic.com)
- Support for vaccine mandates is highly correlated with vaccination status. (fivethirtyeight.com)
Children
- The next big fight will be over vaccine mandates for children. (bloomberg.com)
- Some school districts are flouting state prohibitions on masking. (wsj.com)
- Long Covid is thankfully rare in children. (ft.com)
- The pandemic crushed kindergarten enrollment last year. (nytimes.com)
Treatment
- Why hope drives the search for a Covid 'cure.' (fivethirtyeight.com)
- Influenza vaccines may be protective against Covid. (sciencedaily.com)
- AI has been a bust when it comes to helping diagnose Covid-19. (technologyreview.com)
CDC
- Why the CDC is still struggling to provide the public with good recommendations. (nytimes.com)
- The CDC is making decisions with, at best, flawed data. (wsj.com)
Data
- Vaccination cuts the risk of catching Covid-19 again by more than half. (wsj.com)
- There are likely more Delta cases than those showing up in the official numbers. (bonddad.blogspot.com)
- Covid-19 lockdowns and the number of deaths in an area were the strongest influences on travel patterns during the pandemic. (newscientist.com)
- Why the EUA process was so impactful in the U.S. (marginalrevolution.com)
Podcasts
- Barry Ritholtz spoke with Dr. Charity Dean, former asst. director of the California Department of Public Health in 2020 who is a lead character in Michael Lewis’ book "The Premonition: A Pandemic Story." (ritholtz.com)
- Andy Slavitt talks Delta with epidemiologist Michael Osterholm. (podcasts.apple.com)
- Ezra Klein talks Delta with epidemiologist Dr. Céline Gounder. (podcasts.apple.com)
Misinformation
- The big social media platforms could cut down on misinformation but they choose not to. (ryanholiday.net)
- The media isn't doing us any favors by hyping up the risks to vaccinated individuals. (surowiecki.medium.com)
- Victims of a con don't like to be told they were duped. (theatlantic.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: hospitalizations and deaths. (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)
- On the challenge of holding two competing thoughts on the pandemic in your head a the same time. (abnormalreturns.com)
