September 22, 2021

Hosting a virtual global summit alongside the UN General Assembly, President Biden pledges to donate 500 million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine to poorer countries, doubling the American commitment, and Vice President Harris announces $250 million toward preparing for future pandemics. Amnesty International uses the moment to accuse the leading vaccine makers of fueling a human-rights crisis by refusing to waive patents and share technology while wealthy nations hoard supply.

Newsweek reports on the same leaked proposal circulating this week, describing a plan by the Wuhan lab to genetically enhance bat coronaviruses to study their risk to humans, keeping the origins question alive despite official reluctance to engage it. Fauci, for his part, urges Americans not to seek boosters until they are formally eligible, an awkward message while the White House promotes a booster campaign its own regulators have not fully endorsed.

Florida drops its requirement that students quarantine after COVID exposure, prompting a judge to dismiss a lawsuit over the state’s mask-mandate ban. The New York Times, meanwhile, reports on non-COVID patients whose surgeries and care have been delayed by crowded hospitals, a cost of the surge that receives far less attention than case counts.

Biden doubles US global donation of COVID-19 vaccine shots

AP News

Mask up, and make ’em tight

Rice University

‘We can end the pandemic’, UN chief says in new call for global vaccine plan

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday repeated his call for a global COVID-19 vaccination plan to boost production and reach millions over the coming months, in line with recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO).

UN News

Vaccines for all key to building back better after COVID-19: Kenyan President

Equitable global access to vaccines must be at the core of efforts to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

UN News

Pandemic ‘warning bell’ exposed inequalities, governance gaps, says Viet Nam President

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten lives and livelihoods globally, the President of Viet Nam told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that his nation is “vigorously” combating the virus, protecting its people, sustaining economic growth and leaving no one behind.

UN News

Evidence shows that, yes, masks prevent COVID-19 – and surgical masks are the way to go

Since the coronavirus first began spreading around the globe, people have debated how effective masks are at preventing COVID-19. A year and a half in, what does the evidence show?

The Conversation

A double dose of inequality: Pharma companies and the Covid-19 vaccines crisis - Amnesty International

The rapid development of effective Covid-19 vaccines in 2020 gave hope to the world in the darkest days of the deadly pandemic. However, the vaccine roll-out has been massively skewed towards wealthy nations. While rich states have hoarded vaccines, companies have also played a decisive role in restricting fair access to a life-saving health product. […]

Amnesty International

New report shows leading Covid-19 vaccine pharma companies fuelling unprecedented human rights crisis

As they refuse to waive intellectual property rights and share vaccine technology

Amnesty International

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera: COVID-19 solidarity offers hope for tackling climate change

The Chilean leader joined other political, business, and health leaders at the annual conference hosted by the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center alongside the United Nations General Assembly.

Atlantic Council

Covid: Immune therapy from llamas shows promise

An immune therapy derived from llama blood shows "exciting potential" in early coronavirus trials.

BBC

Coronavirus: Elective surgery hubs planned for winter

The hubs are to ensure planned operations can continue safely throughout the winter.

BBC

President Biden pledges 500m more vaccine doses to developing world

The US president promises an extra 500 million shots to the developing world, as he hosts a Covid summit.

BBC

What do we know about the effects of COVID-19 on girls’ return to school?

Christina Kwauk, Dana Schmidt, and Erin Ganju review the evidence so far about COVID-19's impact on girls' education.

Brookings

CNN reporter tracks down doctor spreading dangerous lies (2021) | CNN

CNN

Greece used AI to curb COVID: what other nations can learn

Governments are hungry to deploy big data in health emergencies. Scientists must help to lay the legal, ethical and logistical groundwork.

Nature

A machine-learning algorithm to target COVID testing of travellers

Automated system allocates COVID tests to people arriving in Greece.

Nature

How COVID-19 changed scientific mentoring

Many mentors have had to rethink their approach as the pandemic has made physical meetings impossible.

Nature

Efficient and targeted COVID-19 border testing via reinforcement learning - Nature

A study reports the design and performance of a reinforcement learning algorithm that enabled efficient and targeted SARS-CoV-2 testing of passengers travelling to Greece in the summer of 2020.

Nature

Wuhan Lab Wanted to Enhance Bat Viruses to Study Human Risk, Documents Show

Newsweek

Insights into population behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic from cell phone mobility data and manifold learning - Nature Computational Science

Combining human mobility data and nonlinear mathematical analysis techniques, this study offers insights into the interplay between human behavior, disease transmission and non-pharmaceutical interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nature

When a Child Is Hospitalized with COVID

The Delta variant created a relative surge in coronavirus cases among kids. But the over-all risk to children remains low.

The New Yorker

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Remains Defiant On COVID-19 And The Environment At The U.N.

So far, the president's trip to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly appears to be anything but a success for Brazil or the country's image after a series of blunders early this week.

NPR

Why Liquor Shortages Caused By The COVID-19 Pandemic Persist In Some States

Some producers can't source glass bottles, the cost to import liquor has gone up, and there is a shortage of truck drivers. Also, it just takes a long time to make some types of booze.

NPR

Birds Thrived Where Humans Feared To Tread During The Pandemic, Scientists Say

A new study shows that as people mostly remained indoors during lockdowns last year, many bird species found less noisy and polluted cities more inviting.

NPR

Florida Students Are No Longer Required To Quarantine After Being Exposed To COVID

New guidelines signed by the state's surgeon general modified the state's ban against school mask mandates, prompting a judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the old rule that had been filed.

NPR

Weddings Are Their Job. What Happens When Everyone Postpones? (Published 2020)

The New York Times

Another Health Minister in Brazil Exits Amid Chaotic Coronavirus Response (Published 2020)

The New York Times

Covid Overload: U.S. Hospitals Are Running Out of Beds for Patients (Published 2020)

The New York Times

How Much Herd Immunity Is Enough? (Published 2020)

The New York Times

China Returns to Its Strict Covid Limits to Fight a New Outbreak (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Airbnb Is Driving Hosts Elsewhere With Costly Pandemic Policies (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Glimpses of How Pandemic America Went Back to School (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Fauci urges Americans not to get booster shots until they are eligible. (Published 2021)

The New York Times

‘I Just Cry All the Time’: Non-Covid Patients Despair Over Delayed Care (Published 2021)

The New York Times

Dr. Fauci, Movie Star (Published 2021)

The New York Times

How coronavirus saved the European left

Social justice and a protective state are back in vogue, as austerity loses favor.

POLITICO.eu

Harris announces $250 million in global funding to fight future pandemics. (Published 2021)

The New York Times

The COVID-19 lockdown was for the birds—in a good way

Science | AAAS

Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19: a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990–2050

The Lancet

Americans are using alcohol to cope with pandemic stress: Nearly 1 in 5 report 'heavy drinking'

More than 18 months into the pandemic, about 17% of respondents reported "heavy drinking" in the past 30 days, a new survey finds.

USA Today

Opinion | There is no choice between vaccinating Americans and vaccinating the world. We must do both.

The Washington Post

Biden pledges to donate 500 million more doses of Pfizer vaccine to countries in need

The Washington Post

September 22, 2021

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