WSJ: US round-up: https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-latest-news-08-10-2020-11597047286 . News on India, Russia, Japan, and France in last 3 paragraphs.
WSJ: We continue to screw up testing: https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-testing-still-not-making-the-grade-11597069076 .
Latest antibody testing efficacy news: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-we-know-covid-19-antibodies_l_5f2ac90ac5b64d7a55ed4445 . This generally confirms previous information, with some additional explanation of the lack of accuracy of many current antibody tests.
WSJ: The $300 federal/$100 state PUA benefit: https://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-government-sent-workers-nearly-250-billion-in-600-a-week-jobless-aid-11597091188. Extending the math in the article, at $8.3 billion per week, the states will need to come up with $2.77 billion per week and federal funding will run out in 5.3 weeks, for a total state burden of $14.7 billion ($44 billion/3). Unlike the feds, every state government must balance its budget every year – and revenues are way down due to the pandemic. Would a state lay off workers to balance its budget, and then spend more money on PUA benefits? At the least, it looks like the feds must extend loan guarantees to the states. We need the negotiators to sit down ASAP; what a mess.
Relief package negotiations: Blame game: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/10/coronavirus-relief-talks-congress-trump-393098 . WSJ: More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mnuchin-says-white-house-wont-accept-unreasonable-coronavirus-stimulus-deal-11597072444 . So now a state can get the $300 federal PUA without contributing the $100? Shifting sands on something this urgent is highly undesirable – that is why there is a legislative process.
Merck bets on one-shot vaccine: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/merck-bets-on-one-shot-vaccine.html .
Another vaccine tracker (headline is outdated): https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/coronavirus-tracker-hydroxychloroquine-fails-va-study-fda-approves-at-home-sample-collection .
WSJ: Doctor with long-term symptoms: https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-doctor-understands-her-long-term-covid-patientsshes-been-one-herself-11597073022 .
Kids, vaping and COVID-19: https://healthier.stanfordchildrens.org/en/vaping-covid-19/ .
14 face masks, ranked first to worst: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/face-masks-ranked.html . The Duke mask study: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/08/07/sciadv.abd3083 .
WSJ: Depression risks in young adults: https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-turmoil-raises-depression-risks-in-young-adults-11597066200 .
WSJ: Grocery supply charts: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-are-some-groceries-still-so-hard-to-find-during-covid-11597069761 .
WSJ: Disparate impact on minority communities: https://www.wsj.com/articles/doctors-community-groups-struggle-to-tackle-covid-19-racial-disparities-11597059288 . The CDC hospitalization rate table by race is interesting.
Kentucky in economic crisis: https://www.salon.com/2020/08/11/businesses-and-workers-furious-with-mcconnell-over-response-to-kentuckys-economic-crisis-report_partner/ .
WSJ: Religious rights in health care settings: https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-covid-19-policies-face-religious-rights-checks-by-trump-administration-11597065830 .
WSJ: School decisions in Dallas: https://www.wsj.com/articles/dallas-superintendent-school-reopening-students-covid-coronavirus-11597070423 .
Sturgis update: https://www.autoblog.com/2020/08/08/sturgis-coronavirus-covid-motorcycle-rally/ . So obviously a lot of this is outdoors, but a lot is not (meals, shopping, hotel occupancy). Given current case rates, it seems certain that there are currently infected individuals attending. Very rough math – 1 million cases in last 17 days/US population of 330 million = 0.303% time 250,000 = 758 infected, transmitting individuals arriving. The number of infections that leave depends on R0 during the 10-day event, but it seems likely the town residents (population 7,000) will be affected, since many sales transactions are indoors. The no-mask, no social distancing mentality is also not promising.
The long-term future of COVID-19: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/09/900490301/covid-19-may-never-go-away-with-or-without-a-vaccine . This is mostly babbling. The virus is embedded in the global population and is highly transmissible, so it will not go away, particularly with anti-vaxxers out there (for example, measles has not gone away despite the long-term availability of highly effective vaccines; also, coronavirus resides in many animal populations – smallpox was unique to humans). Of course it will lead to hospitalizations – it is not reasonable to expect the virus to weaken over time. We know the virus mutates, and the large current virus load in the population increases the likelihood of viable mutations (indeed, the mutation which strengthened the spike protein has increased infectiousness and led to this mutation becoming the dominant viral form). The future of masks is unclear, particularly since masking is apparently very effective in reducing seasonal influenza (there is no evidence that COVID-19 is or will become seasonal). We also need more information on natural immunity after infection, its duration, and its comparison to vaccine-produced immunity, particularly where multiple vaccines will be in use.
WSJ: Russia: “Sputnik V” vaccine registered: https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-registers-worlds-first-covid-19-vaccine-11597141899 . I’ve been jokingly calling it Sputnik 2; turns out its actual name is Sputnik V (which some are calling Sputnik 5, others V for Vaccine). A speculation piece: What if Sputnik V does not work well? Will this just create more skepticism of vaccines? We’ve already seen public opinion polls in the US and the UK indicating many people will not vaccinate at all, and many more will wait. And if it works, Russia will claim another Sputnik victory (it’s been over 60 years), but success may dampen anti-vaccine sentiment in the West. We better hope it works.
Americans downgrading climate change as a priority: https://fortune.com/2020/08/10/climate-change-global-warming-coronavirus/ . Sure, we can just move to another planet. We’d need to bioscape it, but hey, look how well we’ve done with this one.
What we don’t know about ecosystems: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/07/899489667/save-the-whales-save-the-tigers-save-the-tapeworms . Another complexity of bioscaping; we don’t understand it.
WSJ: EPA to rescind methane rules: https://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-to-rescind-methane-regulations-for-oil-and-gas-11597051802 . Methane is at least 30 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping gas: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/methane/ .
More bad climate news: https://www.wsj.com/articles/satellite-study-reveals-enormity-of-melting-ice-shelves-in-antarctica-11597071600 .
WSJ: Investors pour billions into biotech IPO’s: https://www.wsj.com/articles/during-covid-19-pandemic-biotech-ipos-already-surpass-record-11597051800 .
WSJ: Azar praises Taiwan on COVID-19, angers Beijing: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-health-chief-praises-taiwans-covid-19-success-irks-beijing-in-rare-visit-11597065692 . We seem to missing the big picture – see next story.
WSJ: China quickly tightens grip on Hong Kong: https://www.wsj.com/articles/jimmy-lais-arrest-signals-new-limits-for-hong-kong-dissent-11597097350 .
Big 10 to cancel football season: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/big-ten-to-cancel-2020-college-football-season-will-sec-acc-pac-12-and-big-12-be-next-2020-08-10 . More: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/11/big-ten-postpones-college-football-season-due-to-coronavirus-concerns.html . And now the Pac-12: https://sports.yahoo.com/source-pac-12-cancels-fall-football-season-will-attempt-to-play-in-spring-195430277.html .
Saving cows from predators: bum eyes: https://happymag.tv/drawing-eyes-on-the-butts-of-cows-is-highly-effective-in-scaring-away-lion-predators-study-finds/ . Something amusing to “end” with.