A coronavirus-focused linkfest is still a weekly feature here at Abnormal Returns. Please stay safe, get a booster shot at a vaccination site near you. You can read last week’s edition here.
Quote of the Day
"Criticizing others for being enthusiastic about getting back to normal fails to save lives and keeps fueling backlash because it is tedious and alienating."
(Conor Friedersdorf)
Vaccines
- Pfizer ($PFE) and BioNTech ($BTNX) are seeking FDA approval for a second booster for those 65 and older. (washingtonpost.com)
- Moderna ($MRNA) is also seeking approval for a fourth shot. (biopharmadive.com)
- The vaccines, especially a third shot, were effective in preventing severe illness from Omicron. (washingtonpost.com)
- The case of the flu shot is not favorable for future coronavirus needs. (theatlantic.com)
- Moderna's ($MRNA) vaccine has been approved in Canada for 6-11 year olds. (reuters.com)
- What we know about the efficacy of vaccines in the 5-11 year old group. (emilyoster.substack.com)
- When should seniors get their second booster? (theatlantic.com)
BA.2
- BA.2 case counts are on the rise in Europe. (cnn.com)
- How worried should we be about BA.2? (statnews.com)
Ventilation
- Covid or not, most schools are not able to provide great ventilation. (npr.org)
- The administration is elevating 'healthy buildings' as a part of its Covid strategy. (statnews.com)
Public health
- We need to do more research on behavior to handle the next pandemic. (statnews.com)
- Public health officials have been harassed and threatened during the pandemic. (washingtonpost.com)
- The global death toll from Covid-19 is higher than official accounts. The only question is how much higher? (time.com)
Funding
- Congress is already balking at funding Covid programs. (washingtonpost.com)
- A failure to fund Covid response will lead to future failure. (theatlantic.com)
Jha
- Ashish Jha to replace Jeff Zients as White House Covid response coordinator. (statnews.com)
- Jha will have a tricky job trying to balance a return to normal with an eye on potential variants. (statnews.com)
Masking
- This CDC rule on masking is asinine. (politico.com)
- A study showing the efficacy of masking in schools to reduce Covid transmission. (cdc.gov)
Monitoring
- The opportunity to put in place a national wastewater monitoring system is getting washed away by state intransigence. (politico.com)
- We should be tracking immunity as well as variants. (theatlantic.com)
Treatment
- Covid drugs are sitting on the shelves unused. (npr.org)
- A clinical trial of ivermectin showed no benefit in reducing hospitalizations. (wsj.com)
Long Covid
- Research into long Covid could help us understand Lyme's disease, Alzheimer's, etc. (bloomberg.com)
- Long Covid bumps up against our desire for an answer. (nytimes.com)
- Severe Covid seems to increase the prevalence of mental health issues. (newatlas.com)
- Even mild Covid seems to be associated with an increase in cardiovascular risks. (scientificamerican.com)
- What it's like to have 'medium Covid.' (npr.org)
Hong Kong
- While things are better in the U.S., Hong Kong is struggling with Omicron. (nymag.com)
- Hong Kong's response to Omicron has been 'chaotic' at best. (nytimes.com)
- Why Hong Kong failed to vaccinate its population. (theatlantic.com)
Global
- South Korea is seeing a surge of cases, but few fatalities. (bloomberg.com)
- Big chunks of China are in lockdown. (washingtonpost.com)
- New Zealand has plans to fully reopen to visitors. (bloomberg.com)
Podcasts
- Dan Harris talks with David Leonhardt about the state of pandemic risk. (tenpercent.com)
- Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman round up recent Covid news including the effect of the war in Ukraine. (scientificamerican.com)
Mixed media
- The U.S. has been in this place before, let's hope things turn out differently this time. (cnn.com)
- How college town Davis, California kept Covid rates significantly lower than the surrounding region and state. (reasonstobecheerful.world)
- People, not science, decide when a pandemic is over. (scientificamerican.com)
