August 13, 2021

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis expands access to monoclonal antibody treatment as the Delta surge fills the state’s hospitals, pushing an early-treatment option that had drawn far less official attention than vaccines. The same day, the CDC and FDA recommend a third vaccine dose for immunocompromised Americans, and Anthony Fauci tells reporters he cannot rule out indefinite booster shots, though he hopes one will suffice, a shift from earlier assurances that the two-dose course would hold.

Mandates keep expanding. Philadelphia orders health care workers along with college students and faculty to be vaccinated by October 15, and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett declines to block Indiana University’s requirement for its students. Politico, meanwhile, reports that the lab-leak theory of the virus’s origin has moved from fringe to mainstream, and the WHO urges support for new origins studies that China has so far resisted.

Has COVID taught us anything about pandemic preparedness?

Researchers warn that plans to prevent the next global outbreak don’t consider the failures that have fuelled our current predicament.

Nature

Excess of COVID-19 cases and deaths due to fine particulate matter exposure during the 2020 wildfires in the United States

Science | AAAS

Is my child regressing due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

If you’re noticing regression with your children, you’re not alone.

Unicef

COVID Cases Are Rising In ICE Facilities, Putting Detainees And The Public At Risk

"Many people had coronavirus," says asylum seeker Raudel, adding there's little social distancing or mask wearing, and sick and healthy people are mixed. ICE denies this but cases doubled since June.

NPR

Wildfire smoke linked to increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths

Researchers have found strong evidence of an association between exposure to fine particulate air pollution from 2020 wildfires in the U.S. and increased risk of COVID-19 cases and deaths in three western states, for up to four weeks after the exposure.

Harvard Gazette

U.S. chimp sanctuary is poised to give its primates a COVID-19 vaccine—will others follow its lead?

Science | AAAS

‘Recipe for a Massive Viral Outbreak’: Iran Emerges as a Worldwide Threat (Published 2020)

The New York Times

Back to School amidst the New Normal: Ongoing Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Children’s Health and Well-Being - Issue Brief - 9775 | KFF

As millions of children across the nation prepare to go back to school this fall, many will face challenges due to ongoing health, economic, and social consequences of the pandemic. Children may be uniquely impacted by the pandemic, having experienced this crisis during important periods of physical, social, and emotional development, and some have experienced…More

KFF

Florida Gov. DeSantis Expands Monoclonal Antibody Treatments Amid COVID-19 Spike

Monoclonal antibodies can be used to treat people with mild to moderate COVID-19, but the treatment doesn't work for those who've already developed more severe symptoms or are hospitalized.

NPR

Coronavirus case surges force school closures

Axios

Why the coronavirus lab leak theory won’t go away

The idea that the pandemic began in a laboratory has moved from fringe theory to mainstream.

www.politico.eu

Philly issues vaccine mandate for health care, higher-ed workers and students

Philadelphia will require all health care workers and faculty or students of colleges and universities to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15.

WHYY

In the West, a Connection Between Covid and Wildfires (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Don’t Be a Schmuck. Put on a Mask.

Generations of Americans made incredible sacrifices, and we’re going to throw fits about putting a mask over our mouth and nose?

The Atlantic

Masks in school: What are the rules in my state?

Following guidance from the CDC, some states are now requiring masks for students age 2 and up.

TODAY.com

Why Only 28 Percent of Young Black New Yorkers Are Vaccinated (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Who can ask about your vaccine status? Here's what you need to know about HIPAA

HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, protects people’s private health information from being shared by certain health care entities without patient consent. But this 1996 law is far more narrowly defined than most people realize.

PBS

UN health agency urges support for new COVID-19 origins studies

UN News

Considerations in boosting COVID vaccine immune responses.

WHO consultation on COVID-19 vaccines research – 13 August 2021 Report of consultation is available HEREIn continuation to the scientific discussions on COVID-19 vaccines research, WHO R&D Blueprint organized a consultation on the state of the art and best research methods to evaluate existing, modified and new COVID-19 vaccines.The objectives of this consultation was to review the available evidence on the efficacy and effectiveness of vaccines being deployed in terms of:Emerging variants effec...

World Health Organization (WHO)

Justice Barrett rejects Indiana University students' vaccine mandate appeal

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied a bid by Indiana University students to stop their school from requiring all students to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

ABC News

Exercise After the COVID-19 Vaccine: What to Know

Is it safe to exercise after the COVID vaccine? We've got the answer.

Healthline

‘I knew supply was coming’: how Canada’s push for Covid vaccines paid off

Anita Anand’s determination to get doses for Canadians means the country now has world’s highest global vaccination rate

The Guardian

How Full FDA Approval Could Spur Vaccination | KFF

In this Axios column, Drew Altman says full FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines can provide a big boost to vaccination efforts if treated as an opportunity for updated messaging from government officials at all levels and public health experts and new actions from employers.

KFF

Vaccines Are Like Sunscreen … No, Wait, Airbags … No, Wait …

Everyone is bad at describing the vaccines, including me.

The Atlantic

Safety and immunogenicity of a QazCovid-in® inactivated whole-virion vaccine against COVID-19 in healthy adults: A single-centre, randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1 and an open-label phase 2 clinical trials with a 6 months follow-up in Ka

The Lancet

Fauci is my dog

The Washington Post

Vaccine breakups: Is it fair to cut someone out of your life for not getting the shot?

Family members and friends disagree about the COVID-19 vaccine. If you want to cut someone out for their vaccine politics, here's what to know.

USA Today

Back to School amidst the New Normal: Ongoing Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Children’s Health and Well-Being | KFF

As millions of children across the nation prepare to go back to school this fall, many will face challenges due to ongoing health, economic, and social consequences of the pandemic. This brief examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the health and well-being of children, explores recent policy responses, and considers what the findings means for the back-to-school season amidst new challenges due to the recent increase in cases and deaths.

KFF

Fauci says he can't rule out indefinite COVID booster shots

Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Thursday that he can't rule out indefinite COVID-19 booster shots but that he hopes that, if booster shots are needed, just one will suffice.

Daily Mail

The Joys of Parks During a Pandemic (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Childhood cancer care in Africa hit hard by pandemic

Nearly 30,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa are believed to have died from cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

UN News

Census shows US more diverse than ever, but many people of color likely went uncounted because of COVID-19, Trump, experts say

The COVID-19 pandemic and Trump administration policies may have contributed to an undercount of communities of color, experts warn.

USA Today

Optimal national prioritization policies for hospital care during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic - Nature Computational Science

Countries are using hospital admission policies that prioritize patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic. The authors propose an alternative open-source framework to optimally schedule hospital care for all diseases and patients that can save life years overall.

Nature

August 13, 2021

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