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
"Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that at this late date, there are still holdouts; that within an industry that demands rationality and probabilistic thinking, there are still people who make decisions that seem increasingly difficult to defend."
(Barry Ritholtz)
Vaccines
- Moderna ($MRNA) is asking the FDA to authorize the vaccine for the 6 and under crowd. (statnews.com)
- A third Sinovac shot seems to be effective against severe Omicron. (nytimes.com)
- Why vaccination makes sense even if you have already had Covid. (newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org)
Vaccine holdouts
- There are still vaccine holdouts in industries you wouldn't expect. (ritholtz.com)
- Most people still don't get the flu vaccine. (nytimes.com)
BA.2
- A new wave of BA.2 infections could put the unvaccinated at risk. (washingtonpost.com)
- The U.S. has stopped shipping Covid-19 treatment sotrovimab to places where the BA.2 coronavirus variant is now causing the majority of infections. (statnews.com)
- Andy Slavitt talks variants with epidemiologist Bill Hanage. (podcasts.apple.com)
Moving on
- The uptake of boosters in the U.S. is grinding to a halt. (washingtonpost.com)
- Even in staunchly blue states governments are winding down Covid measures like testing and vaccination sites. (axios.com)
- The U.S. could once again be short tests and treatments during a future Covid wave. (politico.com)
- Andy Slavitt talks Covid funding with Jeff Zients and Dr. Zeke Emanuel. (podcasts.apple.com)
Data
- Ever since the initial wave, Covid has been deadlier in red states than blue. (axios.com)
- Some evidence that alcohol-related disease spiked during pandemic. (jamanetwork.com)
- How broadband internet access was related to Covid deaths. (vox.com)
- The CDC is still struggling to upgrade its data collection. (politico.com)
Research
- How two coronaviruses can combine in the body creating new variants. (npr.org)
- A Canadian study shows that the regular use of rapid antigen tests is highly effective at ferreting out asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. (nature.com)
- Why have children been spared the worst effects of Covid? (cnbc.com)
Global
- Why China is concerned about the situation in Hong Kong. (marginalrevolution.com)
- Why did most of the countries in Africa avoid the worst of the pandemic? (nytimes.com)
Mixed media
- Why Covax failed in its mission to vaccinate the world. (washingtonpost.com)
- The stress of the pandemic is still exacting a toll on health care workers. (statnews.com)
- How the pandemic supercharged scientific communications. (scientificamerican.com)
- A review of Gregory Zuckerman's book "A Shot to Save the World: The Inside Story of the Life-or-Death Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine." (rationalwalk.com)