A coronavirus-focused linkfest is a weekly feature here at Abnormal Returns. Please stay safe, get a booster at a vaccination site near you. You can read last week’s edition here.
Quote of the Day
"Having endured the emergence of two major strains even since the rollout of vaccines, a difficult thought is planted in my head: What if the pandemic never ends?"
(Ian Bogost)
J&J
- The CDC has downgraded the J&J ($JNJ) vaccine. (nbcnews.com)
- The J&J ($JNJ) situation shows the travails of drug development. (statnews.com)
- Merck ($MRK) is now making doses of the J&J ($JNJ) Covid vaccine outside the U.S. (wsj.com)
Vaccines
- How many Americans are out there with only one shot? (vox.com)
- Why intra-nasal vaccines may provide better protection. (newatlas.com)
- Moderna ($MRNA) has paused its patent fight with the NIH. (washingtonpost.com)
- It's still unclear whether we will need annual Covid boosters. (statnews.com)
- What we know about getting more people vaccinated. (slate.com)
- Vaccine mandates prompt a surge in vaccinations. (papers.ssrn.com)
Boosters
- The rush is on for booster shots. (ft.com)
- Only about 30 percent of eligible Americans have received a booster shot. (nytimes.com)
- Fully vaccinated now means boosted. (theatlantic.com)
Omicron
- Omicron is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. (newatlas.com)
- How severe are Omicron infections? (scientificamerican.com)
- The Pfizer ($PFE) vaccine still seems to be effective in preventing hospitalization from Omicron. (marketwatch.com)
- The Sinovac and Sputnik vaccines seem not to be very effective against Omicron. (bloomberg.com)
- What to do if you get an Omicron breakthrough infection? (theatlantic.com)
- Why is Omicron so contagious? (scientificamerican.com)
Testing
- America's testing system is once again under strain. (nytimes.com)
- Why the U.S. can't rapid test like they do in other countries. (theatlantic.com)
- The CDC has endorsed a test-to-stay policy for school-aged children. (wsj.com)
- How good are rapid tests at detecting Omicron? (newscientist.com)
Public health
- Governments should focus on good behavior and less on variants. (washingtonpost.com)
- Nothing about Omicron should change how we approach Covid. (theatlantic.com)
- A number of Supreme Court justices want to put religious rights above that of public health. (slate.com)
Work
- Workers should be boosted before returning to the office. (cnn.com)
- Omicron has blown up all of the return-to-the-office plans. (nytimes.com)
- Apple ($AAPL) is once again requiring face masks in all its stores. (wsj.com)
- Google ($GOOGL) has little patience for the unvaccinated. (cnbc.com)
- Kroger ($KR) is going to eliminate some benefits for unvaccinated workers. (wsj.com)
- NYC restaurants are closing due to rising case counts among workers. (ny.eater.com)
Health care
- It's hard to calculate the cost that Covid-19 has had on patients with other diseases. (wsj.com)
- Kentucky hospitals are full up with Covid patients putting others at-risk. (bloomberg.com)
- More states are seeing nursing shortages and stress. (npr.org)
Data
- More than 800,000 Americans have died from Covid-19. (econbrowser.com)
- Hospitalizations are now a better indicator of Covid-19 than case counts. (nytimes.com)
- A new, large study finds myocarditis is at least four times more likely to occur after a covid-19 infection than after a vaccination (newscientist.com)
- How states have done on four criteria including health and education. (politico.com)
- More South Florida police have been killed by Covid-19 than all other means combined. (orlandosentinel.com)
- How many more would have died without vaccines? (marginalrevolution.com)
MABs
- The monoclonal antibody treatment called Sotrovimab seems to work against Omicron. (washingtonpost.com)
- Officials are stockpiling sotrovimab doses form when Omicron is dominant. (news.yahoo.com)
Antivirals
- Pfizer says that its antiviral pill showed high effectiveness against severe disease. (statnews.com)
- The introduction of Pfizer's Paxlovid is a genuinely good thing, overshadowed by other news. (washingtonpost.com)
Podcasts
- Michael Lewis talks with Richard Hatchett, head of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, on the pandemic's next steps. (morningstar.com)
- Andy Slavitt talks with Trevor Bedford on what to expect from Omicron. (podcasts.apple.com)
Resignation
- People are largely reacting to Omicron with resignation. (nymag.com)
- Despite 8,000 deaths a week from Covid most Americans are living as if it is over. (theatlantic.com)
- Gen Z is done with the pandemic. (theatlantic.com)
