This newsletter is tapering down. For 25 months I have been documenting the medical and scientific history of this extraordinary time. The country now acts as if it is over; what urgency the pandemic still commanded is leaching out. Herewith … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: Moderna announces preliminary results for their vaccine in children; the White House rolls out the one-stop information site covid.gov; FDA authorizes a fourth shot for older adults; and much more. Plus a frippery. Apologies to … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: A new, wildly divergent SARS-CoV-2 strain in deer; mental health sequelae in Covid-19 survivors; an update on locating a supply of Paxlovid; new CDC masking guidance; and more. Plus a Ukrainian frippery. Quote of the … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: Cryptic Covid lineages in NYC wastewater; a possible stall in Omicron’s nationwide decline; Novavax files for EUA and Moderna is approved; and authorized vaccines for the youngest kids, within a few weeks. Plus a frippery. … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: After-effects of a saline shot; a genetic correlate to the Covid-19 loss of smell & taste; international coordination for deciding on targeted boosters; and the administration’s program of free rapid tests. Plus a frippery. Quote … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: Compounds found in hemp slow viral growth in the lab; the durability of SARS-CoV-2 in air; the virus’s danger to unvaxed pregnant people; and striking down federal workplace mandates. Plus a pair of fripperies. Quote … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: Monitoring sewage for Covid early warning; therapeutics in short supply; a variant of little concern; antigen tests may miss early infectivity; Pfizer boost authorized for 12-15-year-olds; and more. Plus a frippery. Quote of the week … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: A new “vaccine for the world,” developed in Texas, is authorized in India; more evidence that Omicron is less severe; towards a broad-spectrum vaccine; the CDC’s controversial new guidelines; and more. Plus a frippery. Quote … Continue reading →
The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for Merck’s Molnupiravir, an oral antiviral to prevent mild or moderate Covid-19 from progressing to more serious disease, for those aged 18+ for whom other treatment options are not accessible / appropriate. … Continue reading →
The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir), an oral antiviral to prevent mild or moderate Covid-19 from progressing to more serious disease. Supplies will be severely limited for now. Paxlovid … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: Those who pay zero attention to the pandemic; the evolutionary weirdness of Omicron; the class-based roots of vaccine avoidance; boosters authorized for people aged 16-17; and Paxlovid’s continuing promise. Plus a frippery. Paxlovid holds up … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: Simulating an aerosolized virus particle with 1.3 billion atoms via a supercomputer; the first monoclonal antibody treatment authorized for young children; Omicron may be breaking through natural immunity; and molnupiravir’s tepid affirmation. Plus a frippery. … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: CureVac’s second-generation vaccine does as well as Pfizer / BioNTech’s in a pre-clinical trial; the brain may participate directly in immune memory; and approval for boosters for all US adults. Plus a frippery. Boosters for … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: the US government buys more of Merck’s molnupiravir; a possible shortage of syringes looms next year; how Covid-19 affects the heart; and a pause in the administration’s vaccine mandate for companies. Plus a frippery. Biden’s … Continue reading →
Items of recent pandemic news: Deer may provide a SARS-CoV-2 reservior; OSHA promulgates rules implementing the Biden administration’s workplace vaccine mandate; and a strong showing for Pfizer’s oral medication against SARS-CoV-2. Plus a frippery. Pfizer’s anti-Covid pill shows strong results … Continue reading →
