August 2, 2021

Senator Lindsey Graham tests positive for the coronavirus after being vaccinated, reporting mild symptoms and saying his case would be “far worse” unvaccinated. Two New York Yankees pitchers also test positive, and the breakthrough cases pile up as the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School reports new data showing vaccinated people can carry high viral loads of the virus. Reuters reports that Delta infections among the vaccinated are likely contagious, a finding that undercuts the earlier promise that the shots would halt transmission.

The White House marks the U.S. crossing 70 percent of adults with at least one dose, about a month past Joe Biden’s target, and Bay Area counties reinstate indoor mask mandates as cases climb. Officials increasingly frame the milestone as a floor rather than a ceiling, keeping the pressure on the unvaccinated even as the vaccinated keep testing positive.

Representative Andy Barr says the evidence points to a lab leak in Wuhan and calls for a ban on gain-of-function research, reviving questions about U.S. money and the work funded through Fauci’s institute. Separately, a survey finds coronavirus antibodies in a large share of wild American deer, a reminder of how widely the virus was circulating beyond human tracking.

Rep. Barr: COVID-19 Likely Leaked from Wuhan Virology Lab, Time to Ban Gain-of-Function Research

Congressman Andy Barr (.gov)

Sam Kendricks, U.S. Pole-Vaulter, Tested Positive for Covid and is Out of the Tokyo Games

The New York Times

EXPLAINER: Are Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates for Employees Legal?

U.S. News & World Report

Two travelers submitted fake vaccination cards before flying to Toronto. Each was fined nearly $16,000.

The Washington Post

Thinking impaired in COVID-19 survivors, study finds - UT Health San Antonio

In a sample of more than 400 older adults in Argentina who had recovered from COVID-19, more than 60% displayed some degree of cognitive impairment.

UT Health San Antonio

New Data on COVID-19 Transmission by Vaccinated Individuals | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

While new data show that vaccinated people can carry high viral loads of SARS-CoV-2, vaccines still prevent the worst outcomes from COVID-19.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Coronavirus: Was US money used to fund risky research in China?

What's the row about virus research in China between a prominent Republican and Dr Anthony Fauci?

BBC

Coronavirus: Former pilot cultivates new online plant business

BA pilot Nathan Raab switched to selling plants after being made redundant during the pandemic.

BBC

Delta variant: Which Asian countries are seeing rising cases?

Some Asian countries are now seeing rising coronavirus infections - is that down to the Delta variant?

BBC

COVID-19: Nigeria record 407 new cases of Coronavirus, Lagos carry top number of infection - BBC News Pidgin

According to informate wey Nigeria Center for Disease Control release Lagos get di highest number of infection wit one hundred and sixty.

BBC

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic - Nature Human Behaviour

This Registered Report presents evidence from 87 countries and regions showing that brief emotion-regulation interventions consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nature

U.S. reaches 70% Covid vaccine milestone for adults about a month behind Biden's goal

While the vaccine milestone is a significant achievement, it should be seen as a floor, rather than a ceiling, health experts say.

CNBC

Bay Area counties reinstate mask mandate, joining other cities and states as Covid-19 cases surge | CNN

CNN

Black women face a persistent pay gap, including in essential occupations during the pandemic

This year, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day arrives 10 days earlier than in 2020 (August 13). If this seems inconsistent with current realities, it is. That’s because the August 3, 2021, date is based on the comparison of median annual earnings for full-time, year-round workers reported in the 2020 Annual Social and Economic Supplement of…

Economic Policy Institute

Lindsey Graham Tests Positive For Coronavirus After Getting Vaccination

The GOP senator, who got the Pfizer vaccine, reported “mild” symptoms and said his infection would be "far worse" if he was unvaccinated.

Forbes

Wild U.S. deer found with coronavirus antibodies

A new study detected coronavirus antibodies in 40 percent of deer tested this year. Here’s why that matters.

National Geographic

Text-message nudges encourage COVID vaccination

Prompting people to get their vaccinations against COVID-19.

Nature

Flawed ivermectin preprint highlights challenges of COVID drug studies

The study’s withdrawal from a preprint platform deals a blow to the anti-parasite drug’s chances as a COVID treatment, researchers say.

Nature

The COVID vaccine makers tell all

A book from the Oxford–AstraZeneca team, and a documentary, go behind the scenes in the race to vaccinate the world.

Nature

A simple text has the power to increase COVID vaccinations

People who received a short ‘nudge’ by mobile phone were more likely to get a jab than were those who did not.

Nature

The coronavirus is rife in common US deer

Survey results show that many white-tailed deer, a familiar sight on US lawns and golf courses, have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.

Nature

The neutralizing antibody response post COVID-19 vaccination in patients with myeloma is highly dependent on the type of anti-myeloma treatment - Blood Cancer Journal

Nature

Time of day influences immune response to an inactivated vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 - Cell Research

Nature

The U.S. is wasting vaccine doses, even as cases rise and other countries suffer shortages. (Published 2021)

The New York Times

The Corporate Vaccine Gap (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Two Yankees Pitchers Test Positive for Coronavirus (Published 2021)

The New York Times

‘Wicked’ Hits the Road, Carrying the Hopes of Broadway Tours (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Where a Vast Global Vaccination Program Went Wrong (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Comparing COVID-19 risk factors in Brazil using machine learning: the importance of socioeconomic, demographic and structural factors - Scientific Reports

Nature

Critics Fear Amtrak Is Using Pandemic to Cut Service That Won’t Return (Published 2020)

The New York Times

A third of white-tailed deer tested in a survey were exposed to the coronavirus. (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Delta infections among vaccinated likely contagious, Lambda variant shows vaccine resistance in lab

Reuters

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Reuters

The incremental value of computed tomography of COVID-19 pneumonia in predicting ICU admission - Scientific Reports

Nature

Interpreting time-series COVID data: reasoning biases, risk perception, and support for public health measures - Scientific Reports

Nature

Once Common, COVID-19 Deaths in Long-Term Care Were Rare across Most States in June | KFF

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, residents and staff at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities accounted for a huge share of COVID deaths, but a new KFF analysis finds that they were relatively rare events across the country in June. The analysis finds that 13 states and the District of Columbia in June reported…More

KFF

COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Long-Term Care Facilities through June 2021 | KFF

This data note examines state-level data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in long-term care facilities through June prior to the recent rise in cases and deaths nationally linked to the spread of the Delta variant. It finds long-term care deaths down 96% from their peak in December as the nation's vaccination effort began.

KFF

August 2, 2021

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