October 27, 2020

Coronavirus: Antibodies fall rapidly after COVID infection, dashing hopes of herd immunity – study (J. Harris: Read this! Understandable 5 min. read that dispels any current hope of Herd Immunity)

The Most Important Takeaways from the FDA’s Big Covid-19 Vaccine Meeting

Home tests could help in the fight against the coronavirus. So where are they?
(J. Harris: Readable article about testing)Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, the promise of a rapid and inexpensive at-home test for the virus remains unfulfilled as companies struggle to overcome final regulatory hurdles. The technology for such tests exists, and early versions are being used in nursing homes and schools. But companies racing to bring the tests to the wider U.S. market must make them more accurate and easier to use before they can meet federal guidelines that would allow sales directly to consumers. Although no single test will end the pandemic in the United States, experts say the ability for people to take a test at home and know within minutes whether they’re infected could be an important component in stanching the spread of the virus.

COVID-19 diagnostic testing
(J. Harris: Great, simple, readable testing summary.)
HOPKINS’ ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT TESTS

Can We Test Our Way Out of the COVID-19 Pandemic? (J. Harris: Complicated article about testing.)
ABSTRACT
Frequent, low-cost, universal testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with quarantine of those with a positive result has been suggested as a strategy to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States. Specifically, home or community use of tests that use paper strip detection devices, which may have reduced sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2, has been advocated. There are several potential challenges or problems with this strategy, including the limited availability of such tests, consequences of incorrect test results, difficulties with adherence to testing, and the questionable accuracy of such tests for detection of infectious people. Because of these, we think it is premature to strongly advocate for such a testing strategy, as the adverse consequences may outweigh any benefits. High-quality outcome data demonstrating the efficacy of this testing strategy are needed before widespread implementation.
MORE Johns Hopkins Selections:1.  At Capacity’: Covid-19 Patients Push U.S. Hospitals to Brink(New York Times) More than 41,000 people are currently hospitalized with the coronavirus in the United States, a 40 percent rise in the past month, and cooler weather that pushes more people indoors is threatening to expand the outbreak still more. At least 14 states saw more people hospitalized for the virus on a day in the past week than on any other day in the pandemic, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Seven more states are nearing their peaks.
A 7-hour flight has been linked to 59 coronavirus cases in Ireland, researchers say

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