A coronavirus-focused linkfest is a weekly feature here at 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 way to put the question of endemicity is: When do we start treating COVID like other respiratory illnesses?"
(Alexis C. Madrigal)
Boosters
- Pfizer ($PFE) is again asking for broad approval of boosts for all adults. (biopharmadive.com)
- More countries are authorizing boosters for all adults. (washingtonpost.com)
- France follows Israel in starting to make booster shots a requirement for vaccine passes for those over-65. (newscientist.com)
- California is effectively opening up boosters to any one over 18. (nytimes.com)
Vaccines
- The J&J ($JNJ) vaccine probably should have been a two-shot regime to start. (vox.com)
- Moderna ($MRNA) and the NIH are at-odds over vaccine patents. (washingtonpost.com)
- AstraZeneca ($AZN) will start making a profit on some sales of its COVID-19 vaccine. (fortune.com)
- A U.S. Court of Appeals has put a halt to OSHA's vaccine mandate, for now. (nytimes.com)
- How to best target different psychographic groups with vaccine messaging. (statnews.com)
- The reason why Covid vaccines are not getting to poor countries. (npr.org)
Children
- This school pioneered polio vaccinations, now it is embracing Covid vaccines. (washingtonpost.com)
- One million kids have already received their first shot in the U.S. (npr.org)
- Pediatricians are hustling to keep up with vaccine demand. (washingtonpost.com)
Antibodies
Antivirals
- The U.S. is buying more of Merck's ($MRK) molnupiravir antiviral pills. (biopharmadive.com)
- How the antivirals are going to change the course of the pandemic. (nature.com)
- A case of a Covid patient that showed viral mutation after having received Remdesivir. (fortune.com)
- Antiviral pills are not a substitute for vaccination. (bloomberg.com)
Data
- Vaccinated people are less likely to spread the virus but we don't know by how much. (theatlantic.com)
- In Texas, the unvaccinated are 40x more likely to die of Covid-19 than the vaccinated. (washingtonpost.com)
Masking
- The case for universal masking is weakening as time goes on. (nytimes.com)
- Ask vaccines roll out more school districts are dropping mask requirements. (wsj.com)
- The state of Texas is fighting tooth and nail against mask mandates. (washingtonpost.com)
Testing
- More at-home Covid tests are coming, but they aren't at your local CVS yet. (theatlantic.com)
- A device that detects SARS-CoV2 and other airborne pathogens? Yes, please. (fastcompany.com)
Research
- Studying long Covid may help researchers learn about other post-viral syndromes. (wapo.st)
- The Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating work on a universal influenza vaccine. (newscientist.com)
- Vaccination is the only intervention that unambiguously reduces future infection rates. (papers.ssrn.com)
Global
- Eastern and Western Europe are facing two very different pandemics. (bloomberg.com)
- Germany is facing its highest case counts of the pandemic. (voanews.com)
- Italy has one of the strong vaccine mandates in Europe. (washingtonpost.com)
- Case counts are once again on the decline in the UK. (ft.com)
- Singapore will no longer pay for Covid-19 treatment for the unvaccinated. (washingtonpost.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Coronavirus links: an uncontrolled experiment. (abnormalreturns.com)
- There's only one way through the pandemic tunnel. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Why we are eventually going to need digital health passes, i.e. vaccine passports. (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)
Mixed media
- Innumeracy is helping drive Covid-19 misinformation. (wapo.st)
- Nine months into the new administration and the CDC is still kind of a mess. (statnews.com)
- What public health experts are currently recommending you can do safely. (statnews.com)
- The sad story of two Covid-19 deaths that didn't have to happen. (washingtonpost.com)