The COVID-19 History Project

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This Day in COVID: October 4, 2020

Details

To treat Covid-19, President Trump is taking remdesivir, dexamethasone and more

CNN

Long Covid: the evidence of lingering heart damage

Cardiologists are finding that heart problems can persist long after Covid-19

The Guardian

Allergies, Colds, Flu And COVID-19: How To Best Prep For Fall's 'Sick Season'

Coughs, sore throats and runny noses are common in fall and winter, and they rarely signal dire disease. But with COVID-19 a threat this year and flu an annual hazard, here's what you need to know.

NPR

Fact check: Trump could have been exposed to COVID-19 before Sept. 29 presidential debate

USA Today

Experts raise questions about severity of Trump's COVID-19

Reuters

A Texas family lost four members to Covid-19. Now they want to save others from heartbreak.

'Sharing our tragedy and creating awareness has made me feel a bit better, because at least we suffered, but it's not in vain,' said Ana Alonso, whose grandmother, father and two uncles died.

NBC

Trump feels very well, will remain hospitalized: White House official

Reuters

Sweden didn’t seek herd immunity to the coronavirus, top diplomat says

Country’s ambassador to the UK however concedes it didn’t do enough to protect the weak and elderly.

Politico

Thousands protest anti-coronavirus restrictions in Germany over weekend

Reuters

New York City to shut down 9 neighborhoods as coronavirus spikes

Politico

Ohio governor says Trump’s diagnosis serves as ‘cautionary tale’

Mike DeWine says he hopes people will realize that if Trump can get it, you can too.

Politico

Personal assistant to Trump tests positive for coronavirus

CNN

How using an air purifier in your home can and can’t prevent the spread of Covid-19

As the weather turns and people spend more time indoors, can using an indoor air purifier help reduce the transmission in your home? Here's what experts want you to know.

CNBC

Trump campaign adviser: Biden has 'too often used the mask as a prop'

Axios

UK's vaccine task force head says vaccinating all of UK 'not going to happen' - FT

Reuters

How to decide who gets a shot when there won't be enough COVID-19 vaccines for everyone at first

With more than 7 billion people in the world, and no guarantee the vaccines Canada has signed deals to purchase will be effective — expect tough choices on who will get a COVID-19 inoculation first.

CBC

Trump campaign adviser claims Biden’s mask is a ‘prop’ as President hospitalized with Covid-19

CNN

Sigh, Lana Del Rey Is Facing Backlash For Wearing A Mesh Mask At Her Book Signing

'Please wear a real mask.'

Buzzfeed

UK: Older people in care homes abandoned to die amid government failures during COVID-19 pandemic

Amnesty

Our Mission

The COVID-19 History Project is a curated archive of the events and policy decisions surrounding the emergence of COVID-19.

The pandemic era of 2020-2022 saw massive increases in restrictions on daily life—enforced by the government and by social stigma—accompanied social protests that roiled cities worldwide

In the United States alone, trillions of dollars were spent by the federal government to offset the forced closure of businesses and the devastation of normal life.

The impacts of these policy decisions are still being felt today.

Some would like us to forget the actions and people that played a significant role during the pandemic.

But we of the COVID-19 History Project don't want to forget. Through our work, we hope there will always be an archive to learn from and interpret this fascinating, disturbing, time in world history.

The Timeline

In order to learn from the mistakes of the past, and give COVID-19 decision makers the credit—both good and bad—they deserve, we have compiled a media timeline from every day of the pandemic.

We have endeavored to make the timeline comprehensive without being duplicative, following the major trends as they unfolded.

We provided analyses for each month highlighting major events, but encourage readers to make their own conclusions about these events as well.

This Day in COVID: October 4, 2021

Details

Smokers were never really protected from COVID, despite what early studies claimed

How the ‘smoker’s paradox’ went up in a puff of smoke.

The Conversation

Testing high-touch surfaces in grocery stores for COVID-19

The risk of COVID-19 exposure from high-touch surfaces within grocery stores is low if physical distancing guidelines and recommended cleaning protocols are followed.

The Conversation

Fauci says it's "too soon to tell" whether Americans should avoid gathering for Christmas

"We've just got to concentrating on continuing to get those numbers down and not try to jump ahead by weeks or months," he said.

CBS News

Coronavirus: New Zealand abandons 'zero-COVID' strategy – DW – 10/04/2021

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern said her aim was never to record zero cases but to stamp out the virus effectively. Australia's delta outbreak appears to be leveling out. Follow DW for all the latest on COVID.

COVID-19 vaccination gives hope to eradicate polio - Nature Medicine

Nature

Longitudinal urinary biomarkers of immunological activation in covid-19 patients without clinically apparent kidney disease versus acute and chronic failure - Scientific Reports

Nature

NCI study highlights pandemic’s disproportionate impact on Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Latino adults

Investigators analyzed national surveillance data to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on excess deaths by racial and ethnic group.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

Losing Your Hair Can Be Another Consequence of the Pandemic (Published 2020)

The New York Times

Extra Shots from J. & J. and Pfizer Give Immune Boost, Companies Report (Published 2021)

The New York Times

New York Hospitals Face Possible Mass Firings as Workers Spurn Vaccines (Published 2021)

The New York Times

New Zealand drops COVID-19 elimination strategy under pressure from Delta

Reuters

The Myth That Democracies Bungled the Pandemic

The argument that authoritarian governments outperform democracies in a crisis has found new life during the coronavirus pandemic. The data tell a different story.

The Atlantic

Persistent depressive symptoms during COVID-19: a national, population-representative, longitudinal study of U.S. adults

The Lancet

Effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine up to 6 months in a large integrated health system in the USA: a retrospective cohort study

The Lancet

Viral Loads Similar Between Vaccinated and Unvaccinated People

A new study from the University of California, Davis, Genome Center, UC San Francisco and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub shows no significant difference in viral load between vaccinated and unvaccinated people who tested positive for the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. It also found no significant difference between infected people with or without symptoms.

UC Davis

People struggling with long COVID are more common than we think, Oxford study confirms

The World Economic Forum

Fossil fuel demand shakes off pandemic in blow to climate fight

Reuters

5 ways the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the role of leaders

The World Economic Forum

Study confirms pandemic hit Black Americans, Native Americans and Latinos harder than Whites | CNN

CNN

One Hospital System Sued 2,500 Patients After Pandemic Hit (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Addressing hospitalisations with non-error-free data by generalised SEIR modelling of COVID-19 pandemic - Scientific Reports

Nature

Pandemic policing in ‘multicultural’ Australia

The state’s (mis)management of this pandemic has led us down a dangerous new path.

Al Jazeera

Why Are Americans Still—Still!—Wearing Cloth Masks?

It’s long past time for an upgrade.

The Atlantic