August 2020

(Timeline)

Here are selected news stories relative to the Covid-19 pandemic (and directly or indirectly the science behind it) for the month of August 2020, starting with the most recent news. (Let me know if you hit a paywall or if you find scientific misinformation.)

Click on dark blue words or terms to see their meaning in the glossary.

Return to the latest news on the timeline

Back to September 1, 2020

August 31, 2020

SciAm: COVID-19 Can Wreck Your Heart, Even if You Haven’t Had Any Symptoms

August 28, 2020

nature: The coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male — new data reveal the risks

STAT: My severe Covid-19: It felt like dying in solitary confinement

Science: Poop tests stop COVID-19 outbreak at University of Arizona

August 27, 2020

PopSci: What makes a patient asymptomatic to COVID-19?

August 26, 2020

nature: Coronavirus research updates: Sex differences in the COVID-19 immune response might drive men’s high risk
Updated May 5, 2021

August 25, 2020

Science: The coronavirus may shut down the immune system’s vital classrooms

SciAm: Why Do Some People Weather Coronavirus Infection Unscathed?

STAT: Four scenarios on how we might develop immunity to Covid-19

STAT: To improve our dismal Covid-19 performance, establish common ground between lockdown and open economy

SciAm: India Is in Denial about the COVID-19 Crisis

August 24, 2020

STAT: Is Covid-19 growing less lethal? The infection fatality rate says ‘no’

PopSci: Evidence for Convalescent Plasma Coronavirus Treatment Lags Behind Excitement

Science: Some people can get the pandemic virus twice, a study suggests. That is no reason to panic

NYT: Researchers reported the first confirmed case of coronavirus reinfection, suggesting that immunity in some people might last only a few months.

Science: New drool-based tests are replacing the dreaded coronavirus nasal swab

August 23, 2020

STAT: Is convalescent plasma safe and effective? We answer the major questions about the Covid-19 treatment

August 21, 2020

The Economist: How viruses shape the world (Requires free registration.)

STAT: Infections acquired in health facilities are a big problem. National reporting can help fix it

SciAm: ‘Instant Coffee’ COVID-19 Tests Could Be the Answer to Reopening the U.S.

Science: Pianissimo, please! Soft singing could reduce risk of spreading COVID-19

August 20, 2020

SciAm: Why Some People Get Terribly Sick from COVID-19

• One reason the elderly are vulnerable: With increased age:
  • “B cells, which make antibodies, and T cells, some of which directly kill infected cells and some of which alert the B cells, are no longer produced in large quantities in the bone marrow and thymus gland, respectively. Eventually, production nearly grinds to a halt.”
  • “Both the stem and arms of the Y-shaped antibody molecule become less flexible. This limits the body’s ability to modify them to match an unfamiliar invader.”
  • T cells “lose a lot of the variety of receptors that allow them to respond to diverse pathogens, and they may lack the vigor to rapidly multiply in response to infection”.
  • One has more underlying diseases involving low-grade inflammation.
• Men are more vulnerable because:
  • Estrogen hormones (in women) strengthen the immune system, but androgen hormones (in men) have the opposite effect. (This may be the result of evolution, where women pass molecules for immunity to their offspring.)
  • Men tend to develop compromising conditions (heart disease, hypertension, diabetes) earlier in life than women do.
  • There are more genes on the X chromosome involved with the immune system and their expression is greater.
  • (Perhaps) there are gender differences in “attitude and behavior” regarding protection and healthy habits.
• Genetic variation between individuals:
  • In genes involved in the expression of cytokines and ACE2.
  • (Perhaps) in genes determining blood type.
  • (Perhaps) a single-gene variation involving resistance to Covid-19, as in the story of “one discovered in 1996 called CCR5 delta 32, which confers resistance to HIV”.
• “High-risk conditions”:
  • Are “associated with chronic low-grade inflammation” that compromises the immune system.
    • In obesity, fat cells can produce more interleukin-6 and other substances causing inflammation.
  • Cause an upregulation (heightened expression) of ACE2.
• Societal effect on underprivileged populations:
  • Employment with more physical contacts and less possibility of working remotely.
  • Higher risk of infection through “high-density, lower-income neighborhoods” and with a higher proportion in prisons and homeless shelters.
  • A higher rate of high-risk underlying disease.
  • “Structural inequities” such as reduced access to healthiest food, green spaces, cleaner air.
  • Less access to medical care or Covid-19 test sites.
  • “Discrimination within the health care system”.
  • Physical effects of psychological stress from discrimination.
  • “Race doesn’t put you at higher risk. Racism puts you at higher risk” – Dr. Camara Phyllis Jones

SciAm: Schools Have No Good Options for Reopening during COVID-19

SciAm: COVID-19 Spit Tests Used by NBA Are Now Authorized by FDA

August 19, 2020

nature: Progress report on the coronavirus pandemic

nature: Evidence lags behind excitement over blood plasma as a coronavirus treatment

NYT: F.D.A.’s Emergency Approval of Blood Plasma Is Now on Hold

The Economist: Bill Gates predicts the end of the pandemic (VIDEO)

PopSci: How to make your own disinfecting wipes

August 18, 2020

nature: How schools can reopen safely during the pandemic

Science: COVID-19 hits U.S. mink farms after ripping through Europe

SciAm: Nine COVID-19 Myths That Just Won’t Go Away

August 17, 2020

STAT: Seven months later, what we know about Covid-19 — and the pressing questions that remain

nature: COVID-19 poses a riddle for the immune system

SciAm: Costa Rica Readies Horse Antibodies for Trials as an Inexpensive COVID-19 Therapy

Visual Capitalist: Global COVID-19 Containment: Confirmed Cases, Updated Daily

PopSci: Scientists are still unsure how frequently kids and teens pass COVID to others

August 15, 2020

STAT: FDA clears saliva test for Covid-19, opening door to wider testing

PopSci: The CDC clarifies that COVID-19 immunity and antibodies are still a mystery

August 14, 2020

STAT: Going viral: What Covid-19-related loss of smell reveals about how the mind works

• “At least half or more of patients worldwide with confirmed Covid-19 were diagnosed with full-blown anosmia“, the loss of smell.

Science: How will COVID-19 affect the coming flu season? Scientists struggle for clues

Science: What does the COVID-19 summer surge mean for your cats and dogs?

NatGeo: Surreal scenes inside Russia’s battle against the pandemic

August 13, 2020

STAT: Large study suggests convalescent plasma can help treat Covid-19, but experts have doubts

NYT: The True Coronavirus Toll in the U.S. Has Already Surpassed 200,000

JAMA: Comparison of Estimated Excess Deaths in New York City During the COVID-19 and 1918 Influenza Pandemics

PopSci: Social distancing saves lives. Here’s the proof.

STAT: Instead of lockdowns, teach people how to socialize safely in the time of coronavirus

Science: This physician has battled epidemics, quakes, and poverty in Haiti. Now, she’s taking on COVID-19

August 12, 2020

STAT: Long after the fire of a Covid-19 infection, mental and neurological effects can still smolder

Science: New Zealand suspects ‘some failure at the border’ after COVID-19 returns

August 11, 2020

nature: Antibody therapies could be a bridge to a coronavirus vaccine — but will the world benefit?

nature: Russia’s fast-track coronavirus vaccine draws outrage over safety

Science: Russia’s approval of a COVID-19 vaccine is less than meets the press release

STAT: Inspired by llamas’ unique antibodies, scientists create a potent anti-coronavirus molecule

nature: Track post-COVID sickness, not just cases and deaths

NatGeo: Measure the risk of airborne COVID-19 in your office, classroom, or bus ride

nature: The pandemic appears to have spared Africa so far. Scientists are struggling to explain why

August 10, 2020

STAT: Winter is coming: Why America’s window of opportunity to beat back Covid-19 is closing

• “I think if children were dying, this would be … a different situation, quite honestly.” – a Harvard expert.

NPR: Is Singing Together Safe In The Era Of Coronavirus? Not Really, Experts Say

BBC: Coronavirus: Keeping the virus at bay on S Korea’s beaches

August 9, 2020

FT: Sweden’s pandemic no longer stands out

August 7, 2020

SciAm: Thousands Volunteer for COVID-19 Vaccine Study

• Late-stage trials of two vaccine candidates began on July 27 to test for their effectiveness in reducing risk of Covid-19 infection. Earlier trials had demonstrated that they were safe and caused antibodies to develop in the body.
• 60,000 volunteers will each receive up to 2000 USD for completing a two-year trial.

nature: Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely

• Reducing biodiversity by such actions as deforestation increases the chance that the species that survive are hosts for diseases that can spread to humans.
• “We’ve been warning about this for decades,” says ecology author Kate Jones. “Nobody paid any attention.”

EuroNews: ‘Love is not tourism’: EU bids to reunite couples split by coronavirus restrictions

August 6, 2020

STAT: How a Zoom forum is changing the way ICU doctors treat desperately ill Covid-19 patients

• Currently there is only one last resort after ventilation fails for a Covid-19 patient. The procedure is called ECMO (for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). This operates as an artificial lung outside the body that supplies oxygen to and removes carbon dioxide from the blood. Blood is removed from a large vein (the femoral vein) in the groin and returns oxygenated blood to the body through the right jugular vein. When this procedure was first used for Covid-19 in China, the success rate was very low (around 20%). Gradually the success rate has been rising worldwide as doctors are learning from each other’s experience with the procedure in adjusting all possible parameters, and in particular through the Zoom teleconferencing application. One great challenge has been that blood thinners are needed to prevent Covid-19 forming blood clots throughout the body, particularly dangerous as it can cause strokes, but that blood when thin is likely to bleed where tubes are inserted into the body. The success rate for ECMO is now estimated at 55% to 60% and is likely to keep rising.

STAT: This California company has a better version of a simpler, faster Covid-19 test

• LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification), developed by a Japanese scientist, is works differently the commonly used PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests.
• LAMP does not require the expensive “thermocycler” used in PCR that repeatedly raises and lowers temperature.
• Results can be read simply by adding a substance that changes color based on acidity levels produced by the process.
• LAMP tests are generally less sensitive, so they are better suited for tests that try to detect most people who are infected rather than for diagnosing a particular individual.
• California company Color Genomics purifies and concentrates the RNA in samples before the LAMP test to compensate for the lower sensitivity.
• For the time being, only Color Genomics will use their technology. They are now able to run around 10,000 tests a day.

August 5, 2020

NYT: The Covid Drug Wars That Pitted Doctor vs. Doctor

• An article that gives examples of the kinds of tensions that arise between doctors when they disagree about the proper approach in treating a particular patient.

nature: How the pandemic might play out in 2021 and beyond

STAT: Yes, we need a vaccine to control Covid-19. But we need new treatments, too

• “In addition to saving lives and boosting hospital capacity, an effective treatment could also increase people’s willingness to return to more normal levels of economic activity.”
• “If an effective treatment could be found that prevents severe disease — or, even better, provides a cure — the urgent need to vaccinate millions of healthy people would diminish.”
• “More realistically, we will need to manage Covid-19, and possibly other novel viruses, for years to come. A vital tool will be effective treatments.”

STAT: Ventilation should be part of the conversation on school reopening. Why isn’t it?

SMC: Poverty and Covid-19 (in the UK)

August 4, 2020

Science: Why pregnant women face special risks from COVID-19

• “Fetal infections later in pregnancy appear to be rare, and experts are cautiously optimistic that the coronavirus won’t warp early fetal development.”
• But “pregnancy does appear to make women’s bodies more vulnerable to severe COVID-19” due to a “pregnant women’s uniquely adjusted immune systems” and because “the lungs and the cardiovascular system—are already stressed in pregnancy”.
• According to a Swedish study, pregnant women, and those just having given birth, are six times more likely to be admitted to an ICU.
• A pregnant woman’s “entire immune system is geared toward making sure not to create any antifetal immune response. The mother has to compromise her own immune defense in order to preserve the baby’s health.” – Yale immunologist Akiko Iwasaki
• “As the uterus grows there is less and less room for the lungs. That’s why pregnant women often feel short of breath.”
• Pregnant women require up to 50% more oxygen in order to also supply the fetus.
• A pregnant woman’s blood is more likely to clot “thought to be due to their need to quickly staunch bleeding after delivering a baby”.

NYT: Scientists Uncover Biological Signatures of the Worst Covid-19 Cases

Science: Designer antibodies could battle COVID-19 before vaccines arrive

SciAm: Nine Important Things We’ve Learned about the Coronavirus Pandemic So Far

1. “Outbreaks of COVID-19 can happen anywhere.”
2. “COVID-19 can sicken and kill anyone.”
3. “Contaminated surfaces are not the main danger.”
4. “It is in the air.”
5. “Many people are infectious without being sick.”
6. “Warm summer weather will not stop the virus.”
7. “Masks work.”
8. “Racism, not race, is a risk factor.”
9. “Misinformation kills.”

PopSci: COVID-19 raises the stakes for environmental activists in Colombia

USA Today: Take it from a physician treating COVID-19 patients, ‘Frontline Doctors’ video is dangerous (Opinion)

SciAm: Can a Cartoon Raccoon Keep Schoolkids Safe from COVID-19?

NYT: ‘Like a Horror Movie’: A Small Border Hospital Battles the Coronavirus

STAT: Children will pay long-term stress-related costs of Covid-19 unless we follow the science

Science: Once praised for taming the pandemic, Asian-Pacific nations worry about new onslaught

BBC: Coronavirus: Millions return to lockdown in Philippines

August 3, 2020

STAT: Measuring excess mortality gives a clearer picture of the pandemic’s true burden

STAT: Nearly half of low-income communities have no ICU beds in their area

nature: How scientists can stop fooling themselves over statistics

SciAm: COVID-19 News without Freaking Out

Science: Radical shift in COVID-19 testing strategy needed to reopen schools and businesses, researchers say

STAT: Nearly half of low-income communities have no ICU beds in their area

PopSci: Why you might need to sport a mask inside your own home

CSM: COVID-19 empties tourist traps in Europe: Crisis or opportunity?
Updated Aug. 07, 2020

August 1, 2020

SciAm: Animals Use Social Distancing to Avoid Disease (August issue)

SciAm: Too Many Black Americans Are Dying from COVID-19 (August issue)

Continue with the timeline for July 2020.

©2020 Dr. Michael Herrera