
Coronavirus Tidbits #234 February 26, 2023
Announcements:
First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I'm getting.
Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don't be shy about that.
New post:
A New Tool May Help Reduce The Burden Of Antibiotic Resistant Infections
News
Covid:
XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant now dominant in all US regions
In its new variant estimates today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant is now dominant in the northwestern region, making it the most frequently detected type in all US regions. In the Northeastern, the more transmissible XBB.1.5 makes up nearly all of the samples. -CIDRAP
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Thanks to saliva, infectious coronavirus particles linger twice as long in drier air
Experiments conducted during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic help explain why we tend to get sick when the air is dry.
the saliva emitted with them serves as a protective barrier around the virus, especially at low humidity levels.
it’s not the proteins in saliva that allow the virus to persist so well in drier air, but its sugary carbohydrates that stabilize them.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/980762#.Y_ljUFY1H5k.twitter
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Molnupiravir fails at preventing post-exposure infection
and
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The risk of COVID-19 hospitalization among previously infected adults
is 89% to 90% lower for at least 10 months than for their never-infected peers, according to a meta-analysis published late last week in The Lancet.
By 10 months, protection against reinfection had waned against the wild-type, Alpha, and Delta variants but was still 78.6%. In contrast, protection against Omicron reinfection fell to 36.1% over the same period. But protection against hospitalization or death remained high at 10 months for all variants, at 90.2% for the wild-type, Alpha, and Delta variants and 88.9% for Omicron.
The authors said the results suggest that the level and length of infection-conferred protection against reinfection, symptomatic illness, and severe disease is at least as good as that provided by two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines for the wild-type, Alpha, Delta, and Omicron BA.1 variants (the study took place before the emergence of the more transmissible Omicron XBB strain and its subvariants).
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/previous-covid-19-may-slash-severe-illness-reinfection-89
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Back to Office:
"another reason some of them want their employees to return to the office: tax breaks.
The theory goes like this: Companies negotiate tax write-offs on offices based on the assumption that the employees filling them will support nearby businesses and pay state and local taxes. New work-from-home norms mean those offices are much emptier now, jeopardizing those deals. “It's always about money,”...
Now that almost 80% of employees who can work remotely are doing so at least part of the time, some employers are at risk of losing out on these lucrative incentives.
Cities and states have been lenient for the past few years given the pandemic’s limitations and unpredictability. But now governments have to decide whether to start enforcing the terms of their agreements — or to rewrite them entirely for the new realities of remote work.
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Telehealh in Trouble:
Risk of #COVID19 related hospitalization in the COVID-Out randomized trial with #metformin vs blinded identical matched placebo.
— David Boulware, MD MPH (@boulware_dr) February 21, 2023
2.9% (19/663) placebo vs. 1.2% (8/660) metformin.
Also included in today's #CROI presentation. pic.twitter.com/CiuWdkeFpC
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Avian Flu:
@ct_bergstrom@fediscience.org: Feb 24
Today's news of a young girl's death from H5N1 in Cambodia is tragic and the news that 4 of 12 contacts are showing influenza-like symptoms is worrisome.
It's not time to panic yet by any means—we've seen similar events a number of times—but obviously we'll be watching closely.
Whatever happens, we need to be taking steps *now* to bolster rapid production capacity for cellular H5N1 vaccines such as Audenz.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/
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Monkeypox:
is a much more severe disease in those w HIV. “It’s like a different disease.” In the cases where people had few CD4 cells, mpox’s normally small skin lesions grew into large necrotizing patches and their infection sometimes spread to the lungs or caused severe secondary infections with bacteria....
(some) argue this disseminated form of mpox should be added to the list of AIDS-defining conditions, opportunistic secondary infections
Starting coinfected patients on antiretrovirals for their HIV infection could worsen their mpox...The Lancet report also revealed an important dilemma for physicians caring for these coinfected people. When those with untreated HIV were given antiretrovirals, one-quarter of them seemed to develop a condition in which the recovering immune system responds to the opportunistic infection—mpox in this case—with an overzealous inflammatory response. More than half the patients suspected to have this overreaction, known as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, died.
https://www.science.org/content/article/case-studies-expose-deadly-risk-mpox-people-untreated-hiv by Kai Kupferschmidt
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Polio:
The CDC's new travel alert expanded the number of countries impacted by polio or poliovirus detections to include countries such as Egypt, Isreal, and the United Kingdom.
Additionally, the CDC says before traveling to any at-risk destination, it recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine.
https://www.
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U.S. Unprepared for Dangers Posed by Zoonotic Diseases, New Analysis Concludes
- More zoonotic diseases originated in the United States than in any other country during the second half of the 20th century.
- In 2022, the U.S. processed more than 10 billion livestock, the largest number ever recorded and an increase of 204 million over 2021.
- The ongoing H5N1 avian influenza outbreak has left 58 million animals dead in backyard chicken coops and industrial farms in the U.S.
- Since 2011, the U.S. has recorded more swine-origin influenza infections than any other country. Most occurred at state and county fairs, which attract 150 million visitors each year and where an estimated 18% of swine have tested positive.
Moreover, they add, the current patchwork of siloed agencies and authorities is marked by a lack of coordination, leaving significant gaps and areas of underregulation.
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Diagnostics:
still an incredible, negligent last of testing.
Drugs and Vaccines:
When is remdesivir effective for COVID-19?
Remdesivir was one of the first medications approved for treatment of COVID-19. Clinical studies evaluated its effectiveness, but did not generate conclusive results. A new analysis of the study data shows that a specific group of patients benefits the most from the drug.
The meta-analysis showed that patients who did not receive oxygen therapy or only received conventional oxygen support experienced a significant survival benefit due to remdesivir. In this group, remdesivir lowered mortality during the four-week observation period by roughly 2%, leading to 20 fewer deaths per 1,000 patients.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-02-remdesivir-effective-covid-.html?
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New research reveals possible COVID vaccine blood clot connection
A new Australian study led by SAHMRI and Flinders University has uncovered fundamental differences in how the AstraZeneca and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines impact the immune system.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-02-reveals-covid-vaccine-blood-clot.html?
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New Antiviral for Hospitalized Adults with COVID-19 Launches NIH Study
NIH recently confirmed it had initiated a multi-site, late-stage clinical trial evaluating an investigational antiviral for the treatment of COVID-19.
The therapeutic, known as S-217622 or ensitrelvir fumaric acid, was discovered by Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, and Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
The antiviral reduced COVID-19 symptoms in people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, regardless of risk factors or vaccination status, according to results shared by Shionogi from a Phase 3 clinical trial conducted in 2022.
S-217622 is the first agent to be evaluated in a global, adaptive clinical research protocol known as Strategies and Treatments for Respiratory Infections & Viral Emergencies (STRIVE).
S-217622 suppresses the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus replication by inhibiting the function of a key virus protein known as 3CL protease.
In November 2022, the drug received emergency regulatory approval in Japan, where it is referred to by the brand name Xocova.
https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/new-antiviral-hospitalized-adults-covid-19-launches-nih-study
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Moderna's experimental #flu vaccine showed good results against flu A, but did not hurdle the non-inferiority bar against flu B. Must be at least as good as existing vaccines to get licensed.
Never take anything for granted when it comes to vax development. https://t.co/r92tn968va
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Bonkers #Republicanbill in Idaho would make #mRNA-based #vaccination a crime
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/02/bonkers-republican-bill-in-idaho-would-make-mrna-based-vaccination-a-crime/
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Devices and Masks:
Epidemiology/Infection control:
The CDC says they won't be able to calculate #COVID-19 community transmission after the federal and public health emergencies are over.
Source: https://github.com/tinalexander/notes/
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Massive surge in hospitalizations of babies and young kids due to COVID recorded in 2nd year of pandemic
"In the second year of the pandemic, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 skyrocketed more than 600 per cent among children aged 0-4 compared to the previous year, according to new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)."
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/massive-surg
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Long Covid and employment:
reduced the labor force by 1.6 million people (last August)
Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate.
Mask.
Vax.
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Politics:
Covid:
Jim Inhofe says he retired from the Senate due to #LongCovid and that five or six others have it.
https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-
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Navy Lifts COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Deployments
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Abortion/Reproductive care:
A Ban on the Abortion Drug Mifepristone Is Looming - good review
65 million women of reproductive age would lose access to the most effective form of existing medication abortion care.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/the-health-docket/103243
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‘A slippery slope’: A looming nationwide abortion pill ban could undermine the entire drug approval system
https://www.statnews.com/2023/02/23/abortion-pill-fda-mifepristone-lawsuit-texas/
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Antisemitism:
“It was reported that two members of the Walt Whitman High School debate team allegedly made comments about burning Jewish people — including fellow debate team members — at the stake.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/02/22/antisemitism-montgomery-county-schools/
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Child labor/Migrants:
Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.
Arriving in record numbers, they’re ending up in dangerous jobs that violate child labor laws — including in factories that make products for well-known brands like Cheetos and Fruit of the Loom.
In Los Angeles, children stitch “Made in America” tags into J. Crew shirts. They bake dinner rolls sold at Walmart and Target, process milk used in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and help debone chicken sold at Whole Foods. As recently as the fall, middle-schoolers made Fruit of the Loom socks in Alabama. In Michigan, children make auto parts used by Ford and General Motors.
The number of unaccompanied minors entering the United States climbed to a high of 130,000 last year — three times what it was five years earlier
These are not children who have stolen into the country undetected. The federal government knows they are in the United States, and the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for ensuring sponsors will support them and protect them from trafficking or exploitation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/25/us/unaccompanied-migrant-child-workers-exploitation.html
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Civil rights/Education:
Lauren Boebert is now co-sponsoring the bill to eliminate the Department of Education.
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Climate change:
How science communication is corrupted by business interests:
“It stated that the Science Museum and its trustees must take reasonable care to “not at any time” during the exhibition term “make any statement or issue any publicity or otherwise be involved in any conduct or matter that may reasonably be foreseen as discrediting or damaging the goodwill or reputation of the sponsor””
#SciCom #ClimateChange #FossilFuel
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/f
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Environment/Health: -- East Palestine rail disaster -- Greed
Medicare for all … of East Palestine?
an obscure provision of the Affordable Care Act that promises Medicare to Americans exposed to certain environmental health hazards. But legal experts tell STAT that it seems unlikely that the provision would apply here
statnews.com/2023/02/24/medicare-for-all-east-palestine/
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Norfolk Southern cut 9,600 jobs and boosted shareholder payouts by 4,500% in the years leading up to the Ohio train disaster.
Folks, this is what corporate greed looks like.
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RT @greenhousenyt
Employment among the largest freight railroads has fallen by 28% since 2021 while railroads have increased the length of trains
So now we have longer, heavier freight trains with fewer workers on hand to make sure they operate safely. What could go wrong?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/20
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Fascism/GOP:
Guns:
#GunLawsSaveLives https://t.co/DRbjMtj8YL
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) February 19, 2023
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HIV:
A new report from a team of medical, public health, and legal experts challenges a federal court decision ruling it unconstitutional to mandate employer-sponsored insurance coverage of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a highly effective biomedical measure for preventing HIV. 1/
https://law.yale.edu/yls-today/news/re
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Homeland security:
"Generations of increasingly diverse Americans now have livelihoods that hinge on an ever-expanding homeland security state. Communities of color are simultaneously victims, participants and practitioners of the violence practiced within and beyond our nation’s borders."
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Race:
Florida:
Ron DeSantis is requesting medical records of trans students
6 of 12 universities are confirmed to have complied with the request, regardless of HIPAA violations
If a liberal did anything similar, you’d head right wing media talking nonstop about their freedom being violated.
But for some reason, if you attack our at-risk communities or apply the word “woke” then fascism is a-ok.
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Georgia:
Idaho:
Idaho bill would criminalize giving #mRNA vaccines – the tech used in popular COVID vaccines
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/02/21/idaho-mrna-covid-19-vaccines/11316055002/
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Tennessee:
Tennessee Republicans just voted to make drag shows felonies
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Afghanistan:
Ukraine:
#Vaccination drive: buses roll into #Ukraine to boost vaccination
‘A fleet of 59 buses has arrived in Ukraine to provide mobile vaccination clinics which will vaccinate people displaced due to the war’
Children have missed out on routine vaccination and disease surveillance systems have collapsed. Ukraine recorded 57,000 cases of measles in 2019 and, prior to the attack, had vaccine uptake rates significantly lower than many of its neighbours.
https://www.vaccinestoday.eu/stories/vacci
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Leaked document reveals alleged Kremlin plan to take over Belarus by 2030
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Feel good du jour:
In 1995, 14 wolves were released in Yellowstone National Park. No one expected the miracle that the wolves would bring
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) February 19, 2023
[📹 Protect All Wildlife: https://t.co/rsjS56xnQ8]
[read more: https://t.co/p3YBOBXyyF]pic.twitter.com/DMlMDx40TY
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Oakland students find common thread in learning math through quilting
https://www.ktvu.com/news/oakland-students-find-common-thread-in-learning-math-through-quilting?
Comic relief:
“Do you know what you’re looking at? That is a list of the passengers on the Mayflower.”
— Henry Louis Gates Jr (@HenryLouisGates) February 22, 2023
Our researchers discovered #AngelaDavis’s ancestors traveled to the US on the Mayflower and here is her reaction. #FindingYourRoots pic.twitter.com/G2HhA9BSrT
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1629604591221329921?s=20
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1629410087356846086?s=20
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“What the heck Brian?!” pic.twitter.com/DE9nE6Zcwb
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) February 18, 2023
Perspective/Poem
Bits of beauty:

