A coronavirus-focused linkfest is a weekly feature here at Abnormal Returns. Please stay safe, get a booster shotat a vaccination site near you. You can read last week’s edition here.
Quote of the Day
"The past two years have been tough, but the world has emerged from them with a formidable medical arsenal, as well as the knowledge that humanity has to live with COVID."
(Helen Lewis)
Vaccines
- Nearly all teens in the ICU are unvaccinated. (washingtonpost.com)
- Americans aren't getting their flu shots. (nytimes.com)
- Where are the variant-specific boosters? (marginalrevolution.com)
- It's not clear that we will need Omicron-specific vaccines. (nytimes.com)
Omicron
- Omicron may be milder, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to have a big societal impact. (theatlantic.com)
- It's still worth it to push off an Omicron infection a couple of months. (bloomberg.com)
Pregnancy
- According to a new study, unvaccinated pregnant people who get Covid-19 are at much higher risk for complications. (statnews.com)
- Pregnant, unvaccinated women are taking some big risks. (slate.com)
Children
- How a school principal is trying to manage through the pandemic. (slate.com)
- How has the pandemic has affected development of young children. (nature.com)
OSHA
- The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down OSHA's vaccine-or-test rule. (statnews.com)
- The U.S. Supreme Court takes precautions against Covid that its ruling denies companies. (washingtonpost.com)
Work
- More Americans aren't isolating because they have to go to work. (theatlantic.com)
- Covid was the leading cause of death for U.S. police officers in 2021. (nytimes.com)
- United Airlines ($UAL) has thousands of workers out with Covid, but zero of its vaccinated employees are currently hospitalized. (npr.org)
- Citigroup ($C) employees have responded to its vaccine mandate. (nytimes.com)
- It's not always easy to walk away from a job that is also a calling. (wsj.com)
- Why front line workers aren't tested more often. (statnews.com)
- Unvaccinated workers miss more work. (axios.com)
Care
- Nurses are being pressured to keep working. (businessinsider.com)
- Staff shortages are forcing hospitals to cut capacity. (wsj.com)
- How staff shortages ripple through a hospital. (statnews.com)
- A first hand story of how Omicron-filled ERs are putting other patients at-risk. (ritholtz.com)
- What it's like inside a hospital overwhelmed with Covid patients. (indystar.com)
- How to combat nursing burnout. (statnews.com)
- Nurses are worn out. (scientificamerican.com)
Data
- U.S. Covid cases are hitting record highs. (washingtonpost.com)
- Why distinguishing between Covid cases 'with or for' is a big distraction. (theatlantic.com)
- How the Covid vaccination divide has evolved over time. (ritholtz.com)
Masking
- The CDC wants you to wear better masks. (statnews.com)
- Health care workers should be wearing N95 masks at this point. (theatlantic.com)
- It's time to upgrade to N95 masks. (vox.com)
- People in surgical masks are perceived as more attractive. (theguardian.com)
- How often can you reuse a N95 mask? (washingtonpost.com)
Testing
- Some companies are being generous with Covid tests. (nytimes.com)
- Are throat swabs better at detecting Omicron? (wsj.com)
- First vaccines, now testing is the target of misinformation. (nytimes.com)
- How to get reimbursed for your at-home Covid tests. (npr.org)
- Next week you can order four free at-home Covid tests. (npr.org)
Research
- How some Covid-19 infections seem to generate an autoimmune response. (sciencedaily.com)
- How humidity, time and temperature affect the ability of the virus to infect. (bloomberg.com)
- How B and T cells work to keep us from getting sick. (vox.com)
Global
- Countries are scrambling to get Covid antiviral pills. (wapo.st)
- Omicron will put China's zero-Covid, and vaccines, to the test. (wsj.com)
- Cases seem to have peaked in the UK. (nytimes.com)
- Is Covax finally finding its footing? (vox.com)
States
- How Omicron is hitting well-vaccinated Puerto Rico. (vox.com)
- Texas hospitals are still living through a surge in cases. (vox.com)
Podcasts
- Andy Slavitt talks with Michael Mina, Chief Science Officer at eMed, about the ins and outs of testing. (podcasts.apple.com)
- Russ Roberts talks with Gregory Zuckerman about his book "A Shot to Save the World." (econtalk.org)
- Bakari Sellers talks with Dr. Anthony Fauci talk about Covid-19 misconceptions. (open.spotify.com)
Risks
- Dr. Aaron Carroll, "If you are sick, even with severe Covid, you want someone with a doctor’s viewpoint caring for you. America, however, is not a patient." (nytimes.com)
- A changing virus and inconsistent messaging has made for mass confusion. (washingtonpost.com)
- Spotify ($SPOT) has a policy against Covid misinformation, except when it comes to Joe Rogan. (vulture.com)
- We are collectively still pretty bad talking about pandemic risks. (theatlantic.com)
- Why it's best not to get Covid during peak infection. (jeremyconrad.com)
