(Timeline)
Here are selected news stories relative to the Covid-19 pandemic (and directly or indirectly the science behind it) for the month of November 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 December 1, 2020
November 30, 2020
STAT: Moderna to submit Covid-19 vaccine to FDA as full results show 94% efficacy
Science: ‘Absolutely remarkable’: No one who got Moderna’s vaccine in trial developed severe COVID-19
MIT Technology Review: While mainland America struggles with covid apps, tiny Guam has made them work
November 29, 2020
Science: Federal system for tracking hospital beds and COVID-19 patients provides questionable data
STAT: How much did Thanksgiving contribute to Covid-19 spread? It’s wait and see for now
November 25, 2020
nature: How Iceland hammered COVID with science
STAT: What the biopharma industry is doing to build confidence in Covid-19 vaccines
Science: After dosing mix-up, latest COVID-19 vaccine success comes with big question mark
SciAm: Pandemic of Hunger
November 24, 2020
nature: The COVID vaccine challenges that lie ahead
SciAm: COVID Models Show How to Avoid Future Lockdowns
November 23, 2020
nature: Why emergency COVID-vaccine approvals pose a dilemma for scientists
nature: Why Oxford’s positive COVID vaccine results are puzzling scientists
- “Surprisingly, participants who received a lower amount of the vaccine in a first dose and then the full amount in the second dose were 90% less likely to develop COVID, compared with participants in the placebo arm.”
Science: Another COVID-19 vaccine success? Candidate may prevent further coronavirus transmission, too
- “AstraZeneca/University of Oxford vaccine uses a chimpanzee virus to deliver coronavirus gene and had better efficacy, 90%, when given as a half dose followed by a full dose.”
nature: Coronaviruses closely related to the pandemic virus discovered in Japan and Cambodia
nature: Can dogs smell COVID? Here’s what the science says
- “Around the world, canines are being trained to detect the whiff of COVID-19 infections. Dog trainers are claiming extraordinary results.”
STAT: ‘Essential workers’ likely to get earlier access to Covid-19 vaccine
STAT: AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is 70% effective on average, early data show
November 20, 2020
SciAm: Coronavirus News Roundup, November 14-November 20
STAT: As a new Covid-19 treatment arrives, hospitals scramble to solve logistical and ethical challenges
SciAm: Doing the Touchy Math on Who Should Get a COVID Vaccine First
nature: Post-lockdown SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid screening in nearly ten million residents of Wuhan, China
- Around 93% of Wuhan residents were tested for Covid-19 five to eight weeks after the end of the lockdown. Only 300 asymptomatic cases (cases that never ended up being symptomatic) were discovered. Contact tracing provided evidence that such individuals that never end up having symptoms may be less infectious than others who test positive. However, residents there must still wear masks.
November 19, 2020
STAT: Delirium could signal Covid-19 infection in older adults, study finds
STAT: WHO group recommends against using remdesivir to treat hospitalized Covid-19 patients
- The WHO’s Guideline Development Group bases this recommendation on:
- Lack of evidence of improving “patient-important outcomes”
(reducing mortality, ventilation…)- This does not imply “proof” of its ineffectiveness.
- Price, expense of delivering it intravenously, “potential harm”.
- Lack of evidence of improving “patient-important outcomes”
STAT: Self-interest nudged me to join Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine trial. Here’s how it’s going
SciAm: Evaluating COVID Risk on Planes, Trains and Automobiles
PopSci: A step-by-step guide to grocery shopping during a pandemic
November 18, 2020
SciAm: Mysteries of COVID Smell Loss Finally Yield Some Answers
nature: What the data say about asymptomatic COVID infections
- “People without symptoms can pass on the virus, but estimating their contribution to outbreaks is challenging.”
Science: Fever, aches from Pfizer, Moderna jabs aren’t dangerous but may be intense for some
Science: More people are getting COVID-19 twice, suggesting immunity wanes quickly in some
STAT: FDA allows first rapid coronavirus test that gives results at home
CNN: Covid-19 has killed 250,000 people in the US. That’s 10 times the deaths from car crashes in a year
- In the US, “Covid-19 has killed more people than strokes, suicides and car crashes typically do in a full year — combined”.
Science: As COVID-19 soars in many communities, schools attempt to find ways through the crisis
The Local ch: ‘Practically all full’: Swiss sound alarm as ICU units reach capacity
November 17, 2020
nature: What if tropical diseases had as much attention as COVID?
MPT: Here’s Why COVID-19 Mortality Has Dropped
STAT: Bill Gates worries about a ‘dysfunctional’ approach to Covid-19 vaccine distribution
November 16, 2020
CNN: Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective, according to company data
- Pfizer and Moderna have comparable results because they use the same mRNA technology.
BBC: Moderna: Covid vaccine shows nearly 95% protection
- 94.5% effectiveness is calculated from the fact that only five of the participants who received the actual vaccine contracted Covid-19 compared to 90 who received the placebo.
nature: COVID vaccine excitement builds as Moderna reports third positive result
STAT: Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine is strongly effective, early look at data show
Science: ‘Just beautiful’: Another COVID-19 vaccine, from newcomer Moderna, succeeds in large-scale trial
SciAm: COVID Vaccine Excitement Builds as Moderna Reports Positive Result
STAT: Hopeful Covid-19 vaccine data won’t help hospitals that are overstretched now, experts say
November 13, 2020
nature: COVID mink analysis shows mutations are not dangerous — yet
The Atlantic: ‘No One Is Listening to Us’
- News from the front lines at Rhode Island Hospital and in hospitals throughout the US.
SciAm: For COVID Drugs, Months of Frantic Development Lead to Few Outright Successes
SciAm: Pfizer’s Early Results Bode Well for a COVID Vaccine Approval This Year
nature: Simulating the pandemic: What COVID forecasters can learn from climate models
SciAm: Dating During the Pandemic: Can You Trust an ‘Antibody Positive’ Claim?
November 12, 2020
SciAm: An Emerging Tool for COVID Times: The Portable MRI
STAT: Pill used to treat OCD and anxiety may prevent Covid-19 from worsening, a preliminary study suggests
UBS: Value rotation has further to run
MOVED OR REMOVED
- UBS Chief Investment Office displays confidence that two vaccines, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will soon start being distributed.
SciAm: Divide and Conquer Could Be Good COVID Strategy
- “COVID might be fought efficiently with fewer shutdowns by restricting activities only in a particular area with a population up to 200,000 when its case rate rises above a chosen threshold.”
November 11, 2020
nature: Why do COVID death rates seem to be falling?
- “Hard-won experience, changing demographics and reduced strain on hospitals are all possibilities — but no one knows how long the change will last.”
STAT: Developmental disorders top the medical conditions that heighten the risk of dying from Covid-19
- Reasons why developmental disorders and intellectual disabilities may increase risk:
- They are often associated with multiple chronic conditions.
- Individuals are more likely to work in essential services and live in group homes.
Wired: The Strange and Twisted Tale of Hydroxychloroquine
nature: Where did COVID come from? WHO investigation begins but faces challenges
- “Tracing the virus’s path is important for preventing future viral spillovers, but scientists say the WHO team faces a daunting task.”
SciAm: The Real Danger Posed by Coronavirus-Infected Mink
STAT: A hidden success in the Covid-19 mess: the internet (Opinion)
nature: Russia announces positive COVID-vaccine results from controversial trial
- The announcement indicates 92% effectiveness in the “Sputnik V” phase 3 trial, but this figure is less reliable than for the Pfizer results, as it is based on only 20 participants contracting Covid-19 vs. 94 in the Pfizer trial. The Russian trial involves 40,000 participants and the Pfizer trial involves just under 44,000 participants.
Science: Russia’s claim of a successful COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t pass the ‘smell test,’ critics say
- Although the CDC has advised hospitals not to rush to buy expensive freezers that allow Pfizer’s vaccine to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, stating that other vaccines are expected to become available soon that do not require storage at such a low temperature, more than 10% of the hospitals in the US appear to have purchased them.
November 10, 2020
NM: Endothelial cells resistant to SARS-CoV-2 infection
STAT: The story of mRNA: How a once-dismissed idea became a leading technology in the Covid vaccine race
STAT: How to spot good Covid-19 vaccine trials results when you see them
STAT: STAT-Harris Poll: Most Americans won’t get a Covid-19 vaccine unless it cuts risk by half
Science: Can a nose-full of chicken antibodies ward off coronavirus infections?
- “A clinical trial has begun in Australia to find out whether nasal drops that contain chicken antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 can offer temporary protection.”
nature: How to stop restaurants from driving COVID infections
- “The study highlights how real-time big data on population mobility offers the potential to predict transmission dynamics at unprecedented levels of spatial granularity.” – British epidemiologist
SciAm: How to Minimize COVID Risk and Enjoy the Holidays
- Excellent advice for protection against Covid-19 that is relevant for travelers and family gatherings anywhere in the world.
November 9, 2020
PopSci: Pfizer claims its COVID-19 vaccine is 90 percent effective. Here’s what that actually means.
Posted or updated on November 19, 2020
- Phase 3 testing of Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine candidate, which began in July, involves 44,000 participants, half of which received the vaccine candidate and the other half of which received a placebo. A total of 94 participants have so far tested positive for Covid-19. An independent group of researchers, the only group that knows how the vaccine and placebos were divided up between the participants, determined that the candidate has been at least 90 percent effective since July. However, this has been a relatively short time period to be able to determine long-range effects, and the number of participants who contracted Covid-19 is still too small for conclusive results. Pfizer plans to wait until at least 164 participants have tested positive for Covid-19 before seeking FDA approval, but it plans to request emergency use authorization later in November.
SciAm: Coronavirus Vaccine Is 90 Percent Effective in Large Trial, Pfizer Says
- “No serious safety concerns have arisen thus far.”
- “The trial’s data have not yet been submitted for peer-review publication.”
- The article contains an excellent flow chart describing the development process.
- Experts had indicated earlier that vaccines might only end up being 60 or 70% effective.
- Pfizer is waiting until the third week of November to file for emergency use authorization in order to have observed all participants for safety issues for at least two full months since their second dose.
- “There is no information yet on whether the vaccine prevents severe cases, the type that can cause hospitalization and death.”
- There’s also no information yet as to whether or not this vaccine can prevent people from carrying and spreading the virus.
- Side effects, which include aches and fevers seem to be comparable to standard vaccines for adults.
- Only 50 million doses could be available worldwide by year’s end, and 1.3 billion in 2021.
- Vaccine must be stored at very low temperatures, making storage and shipments challenging.
Science: Champagne and questions greet first data showing that a COVID-19 vaccine works
- Nothing is known yet about “how long the immunity triggered by the vaccine will last, whether it can prevent severe COVID-19, and even whether it will slow transmission rates if it’s used widely in a population. It’s unclear how well it works in the elderly, who suffer the most from SARS-CoV-2.”
nature: What Pfizer’s landmark COVID vaccine results mean for the pandemic
nature: COVID vaccination logistics: five steps to take now
nature: Scientists criticize use of unproven covid drugs in India
Science: How a communist physics teacher flattened the COVID-19 curve in southern India
November 8, 2020
Tomas Pueyo: Coronavirus: The Swiss Cheese Strategy
SciAm: The Denialist Playbook
November 6, 2020
November 5, 2020
NPR: Clots, Strokes And Rashes. Is COVID-19 A Disease Of The Blood Vessels?
STAT: The hidden public health hazard of rapid Covid-19 tests
CSM: As coronavirus surges anew, Vermont may show US a path forward
November 4, 2020
STAT: New research points to potential link between pollution levels and Covid-19 death risk
November 3, 2020
SciAm: Can My Blood Really Help COVID Patients?
- “Currently, there are insufficient data from well-controlled, adequately powered, randomized clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19.” – NIH
Science: Will a small, long-shot U.S. company end up producing the best coronavirus vaccine?
- Last year Novavax, a vaccine company in Gaithersburg, Maryland, was expected to go out of business, but it is now one of the seven promising companies that has received funding from Operation Warp Speed.
November 2, 2020
Science: Europe is locking down a second time. But what is its long-term plan?
Continue with the timeline for October 2020.
©2020 Dr. Michael Herrera