(Timeline)
Here are selected news stories relative to the Covid-19 pandemic (and directly or indirectly the science behind it) for the month of December 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 January 1, 2021
December 31, 2020
December 30, 2020
BBC: China Covid-19: Nearly 500,000 in Wuhan may have had virus, says study
December 29, 2020
STAT: Frustration over vaccine rollout builds, as new variant reported in U.S. for first time
PopSci: Ending the pandemic means vaccinating the whole world—but the US is focusing on itself
PopSci: The ‘darkest days’ of COVID-19 are still to come
Science: A Kenyan health economist investigates the pandemic’s puzzling course in his country
December 28, 2020
SciAm: The Problem of ‘Long Haul’ COVID
Science: Novavax launches pivotal U.S. trial of dark horse COVID-19 vaccine after manufacturing delays
PopSci: Can you spread COVID-19 after vaccination? Here’s what we know.
December 24, 2020
SciAm: The U.K. Coronavirus Mutation Is Worrying but Not Terrifying
STAT: Charting the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, through STAT headlines
SciAm: What’s Your Risk of Catching COVID? These Tools Help You Find Out
December 23, 2020
Science: U.K. variant puts spotlight on immunocompromised patients’ role in the COVID-19 pandemic
STAT: Covid-19 vaccines are safe. But let’s be clear about what ‘safe’ means
CNN: Covid-19 is now on every continent as Antarctica records its first outbreak
December 22, 2020
STAT: What to expect when you’re injected: Vaccine side effects explained (VIDEO)
Science: Makers of successful COVID-19 vaccines wrestle with options for placebo recipients
STAT: Beware the danger of ‘vaccine euphoria’
December 21, 2020
STAT: The looming questions scientists need to answer about the new variant of the coronavirus
SciAm: Moderna COVID Vaccine Becomes Second to Get U.S. Authorization
Science: Suspicions grow that nanoparticles in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trigger rare allergic reactions
STAT: 3 lessons from Stanford’s Covid-19 vaccine algorithm debacle
nature: An estimation of undetected COVID cases in France
December 20, 2020
Science: Mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom sets off alarms, but its importance remains unclear
December 19, 2020
STAT: A side-by-side comparison of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines
Updated February 2, 2021
STAT: As the pandemic rages, demoralization deflates health care workers
December 18, 2020
Science: Neanderthal gene found in many people may open cells to coronavirus and increase COVID-19 severity
nature: Moderna COVID vaccine becomes second to get US authorization
STAT: Emergency use authorization of Covid-19 vaccines could hinder global access to them
- “While these moves could be welcomed by people living in the U.K. and U.S., the emergency authorizations will have serious consequences for lower-income countries, creating a ripple effect that could deny them access to Covid-19 vaccines for months to come.”
PopSci: Here’s where all the COVID-19 vaccine candidates currently stand
NPR: Chart: COVID-19 Is Now Leading Killer In 5 Latin American Nations
- These nations are Peru, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Panama.
December 17, 2020
SciAm: How to Expand Access to COVID Vaccines without Compromising the Science
STAT: Did the FDA understaff its review of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine?
PopSci: What you should know about allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine
December 16, 2020
FDA: FAQ: COVID-19 and Ivermectin Intended for Animals
MOVED OR REMOVED
BBC: Covid-19: Germany introduces new restrictions amid rise in cases
December 15, 2020
nature: How COVID-19 is changing the cold and flu season
Science: COVID-19 is 10 times deadlier for people with Down syndrome, raising calls for early vaccination
December 14, 2020
SciAm: These Drugs Might Prevent Severe COVID
- These are Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody combination, remdesivir, molnupiravir, fluvoxamine and mini binders (synthetic antibodies).
Shareable Science: Vaccine Q&A Part 1
nature: Why many countries failed at COVID contact-tracing — but some got it right
December 13, 2020
STAT: CDC says people with history of severe allergic reactions can get Covid-19 vaccine
December 12, 2020
Snopes: No, mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Do Not ‘Alter Your DNA’
December 11, 2020
nature: US authorization of first COVID vaccine marks new phase in safety monitoring
- “The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine. Regulators are gearing up to look for side effects.”
- “Researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, are designing a system to monitor residents of long-term care homes.”
STAT: Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine: the debate, details, and distribution (AUDIO)
NPR: FDA Adviser: Vaccine To Be OK’d In Days, But ‘Normal’ May Not Return Until Next Fall
Science: Development of unique Australian COVID-19 vaccine halted
- A structure taken from the HIV virus adds stability by being attached to the SARS-CoV-2 spike of the vaccine. Unfortunately, this structure was found to cause the immune system to produce HIV antibodies, which interfere with the proper functioning of HIV tests.
SciAm: What Science Has Learned about the Coronavirus One Year On
December 10, 2020
STAT: New cancer patients — especially Black people — are more susceptible to severe Covid-19 infections
nature: How kids’ immune systems can evade COVID
STAT: New data, dashboard provide information on Covid-19 hospital capacity
STAT: Engage ‘willing skeptics’ to help increase Covid-19 vaccination rates
December 9, 2020
Science: Great efficacy claimed for another COVID-19 vaccine, this one from China
Science: Mexico’s coronavirus czar faces criticism as COVID-19 surges
December 8, 2020
nature: COVID research updates: A coronavirus vaccine shows lasting benefit
Updated May 5, 2021
nature: Oxford COVID vaccine paper highlights lingering unknowns about results
AsapScience: What The COVID Vaccine Does To Your Body (the mRNA vaccine)
December 7, 2020
Science: ‘So many unknowns’: Local doctors—and pharmacies—will still decide who gets COVID-19 vaccines
Medical Dialogues: COVID-19: Antiviral drug Molnupiravir blocks virus transmission within 24 hours, claims Study
December 4, 2020
UC Berkeley: New CRISPR-based COVID-19 test uses smartphone cameras to spot virus RNA
CAS: Meet the mRNA vaccine rookies aiming to take down COVID-19
MOVED OR REMOVED
nature: COVID research updates: Smell tests could sniff out rising COVID case counts
Updated May 5, 2021
December 3, 2020
SciAm: Who Will Get COVID Vaccines First and Who Will Have to Wait?
nature: The UK has approved a COVID vaccine — here’s what scientists now want to know
Science: First-of-its-kind African trial tests common drugs to prevent severe COVID-19
NYT: Grim Day in U.S. as Covid-19 Deaths and Hospitalizations Set Records
December 2, 2020
nature: Could COVID delirium bring on dementia?
STAT: The Covid-19 vaccines are a marvel of science. Here’s how we can make the best use of them
December 1, 2020
STAT: How nanotechnology helps mRNA Covid-19 vaccines work
- Lipid nanoparticles (“fatty” envelopes) carry the RNA nanoparticle to human cells.
Continue with the timeline for November 2020.
©2020 Dr. Michael Herrera