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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="covid-19-sentry">Covid-19 Sentry</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-preprints">From Preprints</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-pubmed">From PubMed</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-patent-search">From Patent Search</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-preprints">From Preprints</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The 2020 Research on Problematic Information on the COVID19 Pandemic. A Systematic Literature Review</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major turning point in scholarly attention to information-related problems, including the infodemic and fake news. The paper presents a systematic and comprehensive literature review on multidisciplinary research into problematic information around COVID-19 published in 2020, with a view to identifying the main trends from a disciplinary, methodological, and substantive perspective. We collected 862 records in English from three leading scientific databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost) by searching, in the title and abstract, a set of keywords related to COVID-19 and information problems. After removing the duplicates and documents other than scientific papers published in scientific journals (such as magazine articles and letters), the three authors screened the records to retain the empirical articles which dealt more than just incidentally with the topic, ending up with 378 papers. The three coders analyzed the results and applied a number of pre-defined categories related to the disciplinary, methodological, and substantive characteristics of the papers. Analysis of frequencies and computational methods, including social network analysis and text mining, were used to analyze the data. The corpus of 378 papers published in 2020 on problematic COVID-19 information revealed considerable contributions from Medicine and Social Sciences and a disciplinarily and geographically interconnected field. Quantitative methods and especially surveys stand out as the most popular approaches, with a considerable number of more discursive papers offering expert views on pandemic-related informational problems. The main trends from a substantive perspective were conspiracy theories and their impact on norm compliance, and the attention to informational problems defined though the concept of infodemic.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/fn3cj/" target="_blank">The 2020 Research on Problematic Information on the COVID19 Pandemic. A Systematic Literature Review</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Promoting graduate student mental health during COVID-19: Acceptability, feasibility, and perceived utility of an online single-session intervention</strong> -
<div>
The COVID-19 outbreak has simultaneously increased the need for mental health services and decreased their availability. Brief online self-help interventions that can be completed in a single session could be especially helpful in improving access to care during the crisis. However, little is known about the uptake, acceptability, and perceived utility of these interventions outside of clinical trials in which participants are compensated. Here, we describe the development, deployment, acceptability ratings, and pre-post effects of a single-session intervention, the Common Elements Toolbox (COMET), adapted for the COVID-19 crisis to support graduate and professional students. Participants (n = 263), who were not compensated, were randomly assigned to two of three modules: behavioral activation, cognitive restructuring, and gratitude. Over one week, 263 individuals began and 189 individuals (72%) completed the intervention. Participants reported that the intervention modules were acceptable (93% endorsing), helpful (88%), engaging (86%), applicable to their lives (87%), and could help them manage COVID-related challenges (88%). Participants reported pre- to post-program improvements in secondary control (i.e., the belief that one can control their reactions to objective events; dav=0.36, dz=0.50, p&lt;0.001) and in the perceived negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis on their quality of life (dav=0.22, dz=0.25, p&lt;0.001). On average, differences in their perceived ability to handle lifestyle changes resulting from the pandemic were positive, but small and at the level of a nonsignificant trend (dav=0.13, dz=0.14, p=0.066). Our results highlight the acceptability and utility of an online intervention for supporting individuals through the COVID-19 crisis.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/x9ch8/" target="_blank">Promoting graduate student mental health during COVID-19: Acceptability, feasibility, and perceived utility of an online single-session intervention</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the state of Paraná, Southern Brazil, reveals the cocirculation of the VOC P.1, P.1-like-II lineage and a P.1 cluster harboring the S:E661D mutation</strong> -
<div>
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We report a genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating in Paraná, Southern Brazil, from March 2020 to April 2021. Our analysis, based on 333 genomes, revealed that the first variants detected in the state of Paraná in March 2020 were the B.1.1.33 and B.1.1.28 variants. The variants B.1.1.28 and B.1.1.33 were predominant throughout 2020 until the introduction of the variant P.2 in August 2020 and a variant of concern (VOC), P.1, in January 2021. Phylogenetic analyses of the SARS-CoV-2 genomes that were previously classified as the VOC P.1 lineage by PANGO showed that some genomes from February to April 2021 branched in a monophyletic clade and that these samples grouped together with genomes recently described with the lineage P.1-like-II. An extended phylogenetic analysis, including SARS-CoV-2 genomes from all over Brazil, showed that the P.1-like-II lineage appears at a high frequency in the southern region of the country. The P.1-like-II lineage genomes share some, but not all, defining mutations of the VOC P.1. For instance, it has the previously described ORF1a:D2980H and N:P383 L unique mutations and the newly detected ORF1a:P1213 L and ORF1b:K2340N mutations. Additionally, a new mutation (E661D) in the spike (S) protein has been identified in nearly 10% of the genomes classified as the VOC P.1 from Paraná in March and April 2021. We also report the identification of the S:W152C mutation in one genome from Paraná, classified as the N.10 variant. Finally, we analyzed the correlation between the lineage and the P.1 variant frequency, age group (patients younger or older than 60 years old) and the clinical data of 86 cases from the state of Paraná. This analysis does not support an association between the P.1 variant prevalence and COVID-19 severity or age strata. Our results provided a reliable picture of the evolution of the SARS- CoV-2 pandemic in the state of Paraná characterized by the dominance of the P.1 strain, as well as a high frequencies of the P.1-like-II lineage and the S:E661D mutations. Epidemiological and genomic surveillance efforts should be continued to unveil the biological relevance of the novel mutations detected in the VOC P.1 in Paraná.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.14.21260508v1" target="_blank">Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the state of Paraná, Southern Brazil, reveals the cocirculation of the VOC P.1, P.1-like-II lineage and a P.1 cluster harboring the S:E661D mutation</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Global research priorities for COVID-19 in maternal, reproductive and child health: results of an international survey</strong> -
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Background The World Health Organization′s ″Coordinated Global Research Roadmap: 2019 Novel Coronavirus″ outlined the need for research that focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and children. More than one year after the first reported case, significant knowledge gaps remain, highlighting the need for a coordinated approach. To address this need, the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Working Group (MNCH WG) of the COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition conducted an international survey to identify global research priorities for COVID-19 in maternal, reproductive and child health. Method This project was undertaken using a modified Delphi method. An electronic questionnaire was disseminated to clinicians and researchers in three different languages (English, French and Spanish) via MNCH WG affiliated networks. Respondents were asked to select the five most urgent research priorities among a list of 17 identified by the MNCH WG. Analysis of questionnaire data was undertaken to identify key similarities and differences among respondents according to questionnaire language, location and specialty. Following elimination of the seven lowest ranking priorities, the questionnaire was recirculated to the original pool of respondents. Thematic analysis of final questionnaire data was undertaken by the MNCH WG from which four priority research themes emerged. Results Questionnaire 1 was completed by 225 respondents from 29 countries. Questionnaire 2 was returned by 49 respondents. The four priority research themes were 1) access to healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2) the direct and 3) indirect effects of COVID-19 on pregnant and breastfeeding women and children and 4) the transmission of COVID-19 and protection from infection. Conclusion The results of these questionnaires indicated a high level of concordance among continents and specialties regarding priority research themes. This prioritized list of research uncertainties, developed to specifically highlight the most urgent clinical needs as perceived by healthcare professionals and researchers, could help funding organizations and researchers to answer the most pressing questions for clinicians and public health professionals during the pandemic. It is hoped that these identified priority research themes can help focus the discussion regarding the allocation of limited resources to enhance COVID-19 research in MNCH globally.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.13.21260207v1" target="_blank">Global research priorities for COVID-19 in maternal, reproductive and child health: results of an international survey</a>
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<li><strong>Child Suicide Rates During the COVID-19 pandemic in England</strong> -
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Background: There is concern about the impact of COVID-19, and the control measures to prevent the spread, on children9s mental health. The aim of this work was to identify if there had been a rise of childhood suicide during the COVID pandemic; using data from England9s National Child Mortality Database (NCMD). Method: Child suicide rates between April to December 2020 were compared with those in 2019 using negative binomial regression models, and characteristics compared. In a subset (1st January to 17th May 2020) further characteristics and possible contributing factors were obtained. Results: A total of 193 likely childhood deaths by suicide were reported. There was no evidence overall suicide deaths were higher in 2020 than 2019 (RR 1.09 (0.80-1.48), p=0.584) but weak evidence that the rate in the first lockdown period (April to May 2020) was higher than the corresponding period in 2019 (RR 1.56 (0.86-2.81), p=0.144). Characteristics of individuals were similar between periods. Restriction to education and other activities, disruption to care and support services, tensions at home and isolation appeared to be contributing factors. Limitations: As child suicides are fortunately rare, the analysis is based on small numbers of deaths with limited statistical power to detect anything but major increases in incidence. Conclusion: We found no consistent evidence that child suicide deaths increased during the COVID-19 pandemic although there was a concerning signal they may have increased during the first UK lockdown. A similar peak was not seen during the following months, or the second lockdown.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.13.21260366v1" target="_blank">Child Suicide Rates During the COVID-19 pandemic in England</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Contamination of personal protective equipment during COVID-19 autopsies</strong> -
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Confronted with an emerging infectious disease, the medical community faced relevant concerns regarding the performance of autopsies of COVID-19 deceased at the beginning of the pandemic. This attitude has changed, and autopsies are now recognized as indispensable tools for elucidating COVID-19; despite this, the true risk of infection for autopsy staff is still debated. To elucidate the rate of SARS-CoV-2 contamination in personal protective equipment (PPE), swabs were taken at nine locations of the PPE of one physician and an assistant each from 11 full autopsies performed at four different centers. Further samples were obtained for three minimally invasive autopsies (MIA) conducted at a fifth center. Lung/bronchus swabs of the deceased served as positive controls. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by RT-qPCR. In 9/11 full autopsies PPE samples were tested RNA positive with PCR, in total 21% of all PPE samples taken. The main contaminated parts of the PPE were the gloves (64% positive), the aprons (50% positive), and the upper sides of shoes (36% positive) while for example the fronts of safety goggles were only positive in 4.5% of the samples and all face masks were negative. In MIA, viral RNA was observed in one sample from a glove, but not in other swabs. Infectious virus isolation in cell culture was performed in RNA positive swabs from full autopsies. Of all RNA positive PPE samples, 21% of the glove samples were positive for infectious virus taken in 3/11 full autopsies. In conclusion, in &gt;80% of autopsies, PPE was contaminated with viral RNA. In &gt;25% of autopsies, PPE was found to be even contaminated with infectious virus, signifying a potential risk of infection among autopsy staff. Adequate PPE and hygiene measures, including appropriate waste deposition, are therefore mandatory to enable safe work environment.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.12.21260357v1" target="_blank">Contamination of personal protective equipment during COVID-19 autopsies</a>
</div></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Pre-existing antibodies targeting a dominant linear antibody epitope on SARS-CoV-2 S2 cross-reacted with commensal gut bacteria and shaped immune responses elicited by a candidate vaccine</strong> -
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Pre-existing SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive antibodies have been detected in both unexposed human and animals. However, the origins of these cross-reactive antibodies and their potential impacts on vaccine efficacy have not been completely clarified. In this study, we demonstrated that the S2 subunit was the predominant target of the pre-existing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein cross-reactive antibodies in both healthy human and naive SPF mice. Through linear epitope mapping, we identified a dominant antibody epitope on the connector domain of S2 (aa1145-aa1162), which could be recognized by antibodies pre-existed in unexposed human and mice. Six monoclonal antibodies against this linear epitope were isolated from naive SPF mice and were proved to cross-react with commensal gut bacteria collected from both human and mouse. Via immunizing mice with a candidate DNA vaccine encoding the full length of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, we further demonstrated that high levels of pre-existing S2 cross-reactive antibodies did not impair the immunogenicity of the DNA vaccine. On the contrary, mice with high levels of pre-existing antibodies mounted stronger S2 specific binding antibody responses compared to mice with low levels of pre-existing antibodies. In addition, S1 specific T cell and binding antibody responses also tended to be enhanced in mice with high levels of pre-existing antibodies.
</p>
</div></li>
</ul>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.13.21260404v1" target="_blank">Pre-existing antibodies targeting a dominant linear antibody epitope on SARS-CoV-2 S2 cross-reacted with commensal gut bacteria and shaped immune responses elicited by a candidate vaccine</a>
</div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Detection and whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 and B.1.351 variants of concern from Pakistan during the COVID-19 third wave</strong> -
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The viral lineages reflecting variants of concern have emerged worldwide and among them B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1351 (Beta) and B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants are the most significant ones and merit close monitoring. In Pakistan, very limited information is available on the circulation of these variants and only the alpha variant has been reported as the main circulating lineage. The objective of this study was to detect and explore the genomic diversity of B.1.351 and B.1.617.2 during the third wave in the indigenous population. During the current study, a total of 2274 samples were tested on real-time PCR for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 from May 14 to May 31, 2021, and among these, 17% were spike positive, whereas 83% of samples had the spike gene target failure (SGTF). From these spike positive samples, 22 samples were processed for whole-genome sequencing. Among VOCs, 45.5% (n=10) belonged to B.1.351 followed by B.1.617.2, 36% (n=8). The delta variant cases were reported mostly from Islamabad (n = 5; 63%) followed by Peshawar and Azad Kashmir (n = 1; 13% each). Beta variant cases originated from Islamabad (n=5; 56%), Peshawar (n=2; 22%), Azad Kashmir and Rawalpindi (n=1; 11% each). The mutation profile of delta variant isolates reported significant mutations, L452R, T478K, P681R, and D950N. The beta variant isolates reported characteristic mutations, D215G, K417N, E484K, N501Y, and A701V. Notably, a characteristic mutation, E484Q was also found in delta variant, B.1.617.2. Our current findings suggest detection of these VOCs from the local population and warrants large-scale genomic surveillance in the country. In addition, it provides timely information to the health authorities to take appropriate actions.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.14.21259909v1" target="_blank">Detection and whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 and B.1.351 variants of concern from Pakistan during the COVID-19 third wave</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Prospective, Randomized, Parallel-Group, Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of IMU-838, in Combination with Oseltamivir, in Adults with Coronavirus Disease 19 The IONIC Trial</strong> -
<div>
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Background: Globally there is a scarcity of effective treatments for SARS-CoV-2 infections (causing COVID 19). Repurposing existing medications may offer the best hope for treating COVID 19 patients to curb the pandemic. IMU-838 is a dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitor, which is an effective mechanism for antiviral effects against respiratory viruses. When used synergistically with Oseltamivir, therapeutic effects have been observed against influenza and SARS-CoV-2 in rodents.(13) The IONIC trial is a randomized control trial that will investigate whether time to clinical improvement in COVID 19 patients is improved following a 14 day course of IMU-838 + Oseltamivir versus Oseltamivir alone. Methods: IONIC trial is an open label study in which participants will be randomised 1:1 in two parallel arms; the intervention arm (IMU-838 + Oseltamivir) and control arm (Oseltamivir only). The primary outcome is time-to-clinical improvement; defined as the time from randomisation to: a 2-point improvement on WHO ordinal scale; discharge from hospital, or death (whichever occurs first). The study is sponsored by UHCW NHS Trust and funded by LifeArc. Discussion: The IONIC Protocol describes an overarching trial design to provide reliable evidence on the efficacy of IMU-838 (vidofludimus calcium) when delivered in combination with an antiviral therapy (Oseltamivir) [IONIC Intervention] for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection in adult patients receiving usual standard of care. Trial Registration: The trial was registered with EudraCT (2020-001805-21) on 09.04.2020 and ISRCTN on 23.09.2020 (ISRCTN53038326) and Clinicaltrials.gov on 17.08.2020 (NCT04516915) Strengths and Limitations: This study is the first to recruit participants in the trial exploring the effectiveness of IMU-838 in COVID-19. In addition, we believe it is the only trial exploring the effectiveness of IMU-838 in combination with Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19. However, to make the trial design flexible due to the on-going pandemic the trial is un- blinded.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.13.21258757v1" target="_blank">Prospective, Randomized, Parallel- Group, Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of IMU-838, in Combination with Oseltamivir, in Adults with Coronavirus Disease 19 The IONIC Trial</a>
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<li><strong>The temporal correlation between positive testing and death in Italy: from the first phase to the later evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> -
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After the global spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), research has concentrated its efforts on several aspects of the epidemiological burden of pandemic. In this frame, the presented study follows a previous analysis of the temporal link between cases and deaths during the first epidemic wave (Phase 1) in Italy (March-June 2020). We here analyze the COVID-19 epidemic in the time span from March 2020 to June 2021. The elaboration of the curves of cases and deaths allows identifying the temporal shift between the positive testing and the fatal event, which corresponds to one week from W2 to W33, two weeks from W34 to W41, and three weeks from W42 to W67. Based on this finding, we calculate the Weekly Lethality Rate (WLR). The WLR was grossly overestimated (~13.5%) in Phase 1, while a mean value of 2.6% was observed in most of Phase 2 (starting from October 2020), with a drop to 1.4% in the last investigated weeks. Overall, these findings offer an interesting insight into the magnitude and time evolution of the lethality burden attributable to COVID-19 during the entire pandemic period in Italy. In particular, the analysis highlighted the impact of the effectiveness of public health and social measures, of changes in disease management, and of preventive strategies over time.
</p>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.14.21260505v1" target="_blank">The temporal correlation between positive testing and death in Italy: from the first phase to the later evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
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<li><strong>SARS-Cov-2 Spike binding to ACE2 is stronger and longer ranged with glycans</strong> -
<div>
Highly detailed steered Molecular Dynamics simulations are performed on differently glycosylated receptor binding domains of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The binding strength and the binding range increases with glycosylation. The interaction energy rises very quickly with pulling the proteins apart and only slowly drops at larger distances. We see a catch slip type behavior where interactions during pulling break and are taken over by new interactions forming. The dominant interaction mode are hydrogen bonds but Lennard-Jones and electrostatic interactions are relevant as well.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.15.452507v1" target="_blank">SARS-Cov-2 Spike binding to ACE2 is stronger and longer ranged with glycans</a>
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<li><strong>Monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Moscow and the Moscow region using targeted high-throughput sequencing</strong> -
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Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the international community has been concerned about the emergence of mutations that alter the biological properties of the pathogen, for example, increasing its infectivity or virulence. In particular, since the end of 2020, several variants of concern have been identified around the world, including variants alpha (B.1.1.7, British), beta (B.1.351, South African), gamma (P.1, Brazilian) and delta (B.1.617.2, Indian). However, the existing mechanism for searching for important mutations and identifying strains may not be effective enough, since only a relatively small fraction of all identified pathogen samples can be examined for genetic changes by whole genome sequencing due to its high cost. In this study, we used the method of targeted high-throughput sequencing of the most significant regions of the gene encoding the S-glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, for which a primer panel was developed. Using this technique, we examined 579 random samples obtained from patients in Moscow and the Moscow region with coronavirus infection from February to June 2021. The study demonstrated the dynamics of the representation in the Moscow region of a number of SARS-CoV-2 strains and its most significant individual mutations in the period from February to June 2021. It was found that the strain B.1.617.2 began to spread rapidly in Moscow and the Moscow region in May, and in June it became dominant, partially displacing other varieties of the virus. The results obtained make it possible to accurately determine the belonging of the samples to the abovementioned and some other strains. The approach can be used to standardize the procedure for searching for new and existing epidemiologically significant mutations in certain regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, which allows studying a large number of samples in a short time and to get a more detailed picture of the epidemiological situation in the region.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.15.452488v1" target="_blank">Monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Moscow and the Moscow region using targeted high-throughput sequencing</a>
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<li><strong>Characterization of long-term patient-reported symptoms of COVID-19: an analysis of social media data</strong> -
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As the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) continues to affect people across the globe, there is limited understanding of the long term implications for infected patients. While some of these patients have documented follow-ups on clinical records, or participate in longitudinal surveys, these datasets are usually designed by clinicians, and not granular enough to understand the natural history or patient experiences of “long COVID”. In order to get a complete picture, there is a need to use patient generated data to track the long-term impact of COVID-19 on recovered patients in real time. There is a growing need to meticulously characterize these patients9 experiences, from infection to months post- infection, and with highly granular patient generated data rather than clinician narratives. In this work, we present a longitudinal characterization of post-COVID-19 symptoms using social media data from Twitter. Using a combination of machine learning, natural language processing techniques, and clinician reviews, we mined 296,154 tweets to characterize the post-acute infection course of the disease, creating detailed timelines of symptoms and conditions, and analyzing their symptomatology during a period of over 150 days.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.13.21260449v1" target="_blank">Characterization of long- term patient-reported symptoms of COVID-19: an analysis of social media data</a>
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<li><strong>Adding a reaction-restoration type transmission rate dynamic law to the basic SEIR COVID-19 model</strong> -
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The classical SEIR model, being an autonomous system of differential equations, has important limitations when representing a pandemic situation. Particularly, the geometric unimodal shape of the epidemic curve is not what is generally observed. This work introduces the βSEIR model, which adds to the classical SEIR model a differential law to model the variation in the transmission rate. It considers two opposite thrives generally found in a population: first, reaction to disease presence that may be linked to mitigation strategies, which tends to decrease transmission, and second, the urge to return to normal conditions that pulls to restore the initial value of the transmission rate. Our results open a wide spectrum of dynamic variabilities in the curve of new infected, which are justified by reaction and restoration thrives that affect disease transmission over time. Some of these dynamics have been observed in the existing COVID-19 disease data. In particular and to further exemplify the potential the model proposed in this article, we show its capability of capturing the evolution of the number of new confirmed cases of Chile and Italy for several months after epidemic onset, while incorporating a reaction to disease presence with decreasing adherence to mitigation strategies, as well as a seasonal effect on the restoration of the initial transmissibility conditions.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.13.21260408v1" target="_blank">Adding a reaction-restoration type transmission rate dynamic law to the basic SEIR COVID-19 model</a>
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<li><strong>Variation in COVID-19 excess mortality by age, sex, and province within Italy</strong> -
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Although previous evidence suggests that the infection fatality rate from COVID-19 varies by age and sex, and that transmission intensity varies geographically within countries, no study has yet explored the age-sex-space distribution of excess mortality associated with the COVID pandemic. By applying the principles of small-area estimation to existing models formulations for excess mortality, this study develops a method for assessing excess mortality across small populations and assesses the pattern of COVID excess mortality by province, year, week, age group, and sex in Italy from March through May 2020. We estimate that 53,200 excess deaths occurred across Italy during this time period, compared to just 35,500 deaths where COVID-19 was registered as the underlying cause of death. Out of the total excess mortality burden, 97% of excess deaths occurred among adults over age 60, and 68% of excess deaths were concentrated among adults over age 80. The burden of excess mortality was unevenly distributed across the country, with just three of Italy9s 107 provinces accounting for 32% of all excess mortality. This method for estimating excess mortality can be adapted to other countries where COVID-19 diagnostic capacity is still insufficient, and could be incorporated into public health rapid response systems.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.14.21260494v1" target="_blank">Variation in COVID-19 excess mortality by age, sex, and province within Italy</a>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID-19 Vaccinations With a Sweepstakes</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Philly Vax Sweepstakes<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
University of Pennsylvania;   Philadelphia Department of Public Health<br/><b>Active, not recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Covid-19 Virtual Recovery Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: Strength RMT;   Behavioral: Strength RMT and nasal breathing;   Behavioral: Endurance RMT;   Behavioral: Endurance RMT and nasal breathing;   Behavioral: Low dose RMT<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Mayo Clinic<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Study of PF-07321332/Ritonavir in Nonhospitalized High Risk Adult Participants With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: PF-07321332;   Drug: Ritonavir;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Pfizer<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Building Resiliency and Vital Equity (BRAVE) Project: Understanding Native Americans’ Perceptions/Beliefs About COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Study</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19 Virus Infection<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Protect Your Elders Campaign<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   North Carolina Central University;   Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina;   University of North Carolina at Pembroke<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Study to Evaluate MVC-COV1901 Vaccine Against COVID-19 in Adolescents</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: MVC-COV1901(S protein with adjuvant);   Biological: MVC-COV1901(Saline)<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Study on Sequential Immunization of Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine and Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (Ad5 Vector)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Ad5 vectored vaccine;   Biological: Inactive SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (Vero cell)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;   CanSino Biologics Inc.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Efficacy of Amantadine Treatment in COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Patients With Moderate or Severe COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Amantadine<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Noblewell;   Medical Research Agency (ABM);   Leszek Giec Upper-Silesian Medical Centre of the Silesian Medical University in Katowice<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Internet-based Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation for Longterm COVID-19 Syndrome</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Long COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Behavioral: Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Danderyd Hospital;   St Göran Hospital, Stockholm<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Enabling Family Physicians to Reduce Vaccine Hesitancy and Increase Covid-19 Vaccine Uptake</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   Covid19;   COVID-19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>:  <br/>
Behavioral: Tailored COVID-19 vaccine messages;   Other: Other health messages<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
Hopital Montfort;   Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC);   Eastern Ontario Health Unit<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Different Use of The Aerosol Box in COVID-19 Patients; Internal Jugular Vein Cannulation</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pneumonia<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Procedure: Internal jugular vein cannulation<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Research and Training Hospital<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Reconditioning Exercise for COVID-19 Patients Experiencing Residual sYmptoms</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Exercise Therapy<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Wake Forest University Health Sciences<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lipid Emulsion Infusion and COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: SMOFlipid;   Other: 0.9% saline<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Assiut University<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Short Term, High Dose Vitamin D Supplementation in Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Disease</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: cholecalciferol 6 lakh IU<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Immunogenicity and Safety of an Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine;   Biological: 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine;   Biological: Inactivated Hepatitis A Vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase 1 Intranasal Parainfluenza Virus Type 5-SARS CoV-2 S Vaccine in Healthy Adults</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: CVXGA1 low dose;   Biological: CVXGA1 high dose<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   CyanVac LLC<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Combination of mesenchymal stem cells and nicorandil: an emerging therapeutic challenge against COVID-19 infection- induced multiple organ dysfunction</strong> - The recent COronaVIrus Disease (COVID)-19 pandemic has placed an unprecedented burden on the drug development opportunity to prevent the onset of multi-organ failure.Emerging experimental reports have highlighted the beneficial effects of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) administration against COVID-19. MSCs and their derived exosomes may attenuate SARS-CoV-2-induced inflammatory response through managing the immune cell function and cytokine expression. Although these are promising results, the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Computational drug repurposing study of antiviral drugs against main protease, RNA polymerase, and spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 using molecular docking method</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, among the mentioned drugs, saquinavir and lopinavir showed the highest inhibitory potential for all three proteins compared to the other drugs. This study suggests that saquinavir and lopinavir could be included in the laboratory phase studies as a two-drug treatment for SARS-CoV-2 inhibition.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>N-acylethanolamine regulation of TLR3-induced hyperthermia and neuroinflammatory gene expression: A role for PPARα</strong> - Increasing evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is associated with increased risk of developing neurological or psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety or dementia. While the precise mechanism underlying this association is unknown, aberrant activation of toll-like receptor (TLR)3, a viral recognizing pattern recognition receptor, may play a key role. Synthetic cannabinoids and enhancing cannabinoid tone via inhibition of fatty acid amide…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Syrian hamster model causes inflammation as well as type I interferon dysregulation in both respiratory and non-respiratory tissues including the heart and kidney</strong> - COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection is a disease affecting several organ systems. A model that captures all clinical symptoms of COVID-19 as well as long- haulers disease is needed. We investigated the host responses associated with infection in several major organ systems including the respiratory tract, the heart, and the kidneys after SARS-CoV-2 infection in Syrian hamsters. We found significant increases in…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Is severe COVID-19 a cytokine storm syndrome: a hyperinflammatory debate</strong> - PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health crisis with considerable mortality and morbidity. A role for cytokine storm and therapeutic immunomodulation in a subgroup of patients with severe COVID-19 was proposed early in the pandemic. The concept of cytokine storm in COVID-19 has been criticised, given the lack of clear definition and relatively modest cytokinaemia (which may be necessary for viral clearance) compared with acute respiratory distress syndrome and bacterial…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 disrupts proximal elements in the JAK-STAT pathway</strong> - SARS-CoV-2 can infect multiple organs, including lung, intestine, kidney, heart, liver, and brain. The molecular details of how the virus navigates through diverse cellular environments and establishes replication are poorly defined. Here, we generated a panel of phenotypically diverse, SARS-CoV-2-infectable human cell lines representing different body organs and performed longitudinal survey of cellular proteins and pathways broadly affected by the virus. This revealed universal inhibition of…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Clinical evaluation of a multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in individual and pooled upper respiratory tract samples</strong> - The aim of this study was to identify and validate a sensitive, high-throughput, and cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 real-time RT-PCR assay to be used as a surveillance and diagnostic tool for SARS-CoV-2 in a university surveillance program. We conducted a side-by-side clinical evaluation of a newly developed SARS-CoV-2 multiplex assay (EZ-SARS-CoV-2 Real-Time RT-PCR) with the commercial TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit, which has an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA. The EZ- SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Chemical design principles of next-generation antiviral surface coatings</strong> - The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated efforts to develop high-performance antiviral surface coatings while highlighting the need to build a strong mechanistic understanding of the chemical design principles that underpin antiviral surface coatings. Herein, we critically summarize the latest efforts to develop antiviral surface coatings that exhibit virus-inactivating functions through disrupting lipid envelopes or protein capsids. Particular attention is…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Covalent Antiviral Agents</strong> - Nowadays, many viral infections have emerged and are taking a huge toll on human lives globally. Meanwhile, viral resistance to current drugs has drastically increased. Hence, there is a pressing need to design potent broad-spectrum antiviral agents to treat a variety of viral infections and overcome viral resistance. Covalent inhibitors have the potential to achieve both goals owing to their biochemical efficiency, prolonged duration of action, and the capability to inhibit shallow,…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Potent SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Cap Methyltransferase Inhibitors by Bioisosteric Replacement of Methionine in SAM Cosubstrate</strong> - Viral mRNA cap methyltransferases (MTases) are emerging targets for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral agents. In this work, we designed potential SARS-CoV-2 MTase Nsp14 and Nsp16 inhibitors by using bioisosteric substitution of the sulfonium and amino acid substructures of the cosubstrate S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), which serves as the methyl donor in the enzymatic reaction. The synthetically accessible target structures were prioritized using molecular docking. Testing of the…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A high-throughput cell- and virus-free assay shows reduced neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants by COVID-19 convalescent plasma</strong> - The detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibodies in the serum of an individual indicates prior infection or vaccination. However, it provides limited insight into the protective nature of this immune response. Neutralizing antibodies recognizing the viral spike protein are more revealing, yet their measurement traditionally requires virus- and cell-based systems that are costly, time-consuming, inflexible, and potentially biohazardous. Here, we…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Drug repurposing against SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain using ensemble-based virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused worldwide pandemic and is responsible for millions of worldwide deaths due to -a respiratory disease known as COVID-19. In the search for a cure of COVID-19, drug repurposing is a fast and cost-effective approach to identify anti-COVID-19 drugs from existing drugs. The receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been a main target for drug designs to block spike protein binding to ACE2 proteins. In this…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Reconfiguration and dedifferentiation of functional networks during cognitive control across the adult lifespan</strong> - Healthy aging is accompanied by reduced cognitive control and widespread alterations in the underlying brain networks; but the extent to which large-scale functional networks in older age show reduced specificity across different domains of cognitive control is unclear. Here we use cov-STATIS (a multi-table multivariate technique) to examine similarity of functional connectivity during different domains of cognitive control-inhibition, initiation, shifting, and working memory-across the adult…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A possible interaction between favipiravir and methotrexate: Drug-induced hepatotoxicity in a patient with osteosarcoma</strong> - INTRODUCTION: Favipiravir is an antiviral agent that is recently used for SARS-CoV2 infection. The drug-drug interactions of favipiravir especially with chemotherapeutic agents in a patient with malignancy are not well known.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Autoimmune- and complement-mediated hematologic condition recrudescence following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination</strong> - A variety of autoimmune disorders have been reported after viral illnesses and specific vaccinations. Cases of de novo immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) have been reported after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, although its effect on preexisting ITP has not been well characterized. In addition, although COVID-19 has been associated with complement dysregulation, the effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on preexisting complementopathies is poorly understood. We sought to better understand SARS-CoV-2…</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-patent-search">From Patent Search</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Advanced Machine Learning System combating COVID-19 virus Detection, Spread, Prevention and Medical Assistance.</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU329799475">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Differential detection kit for common SARS-CoV-2 variants in COVID-19 patients</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU328840861">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 anti-viral therapeutic</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU327160071">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>一种基于联邦学习的多用户协同训练人流统计方法及系统</strong> - 本发明提供一种基于联邦学习的多用户协同训练人流统计方法，旨在利用联邦学习框架搭建一个新颖的人群计数模型，达到让多用户多设备同时训练的目的。各个客户端利用图像数据集对图像分类网络进行本地训练以获取本地模型；在各经过至少一次本地训练后，中心服务器从客户端获取本地模型的权值及附加层参数并进行聚合处理；中心服务器利用聚合处理后的权值及附加层参数更新全局模型，并将聚合处理后的权值参数及附加层参数返回给各个客户端；各个客户端利用中心服务器返回的权值以及ground truth值进行贝叶斯估计，计算loss值，并利用返回的权值参数及附加层参数更新本地模型；重复执行直至所有客户端的loss值均收敛，则完成人流统计全局模型和本地模型的训练。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN329978461">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A POLYHERBAL ALCOHOL FREE FORMULATION FOR ORAL CAVITY</strong> - The present invention generally relates to a herbal composition. Specifically, the present invention relates to a polyherbal alcohol free composition comprising of Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, Ocimum sanctum leaf extract, Elettaria cardamomum fruit extract, Mentha spicata (Spearmint) oil and Tween 80 and method of preparation thereof. The polyherbal alcohol free composition of the present invention possesses excellent antimicrobial properties and useful for oral cavity. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN325690740">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因及其应用</strong> - 本发明属于生物技术领域，具体涉及新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因及其应用。本发明的新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因，其核苷酸序列如SEQIDNO.1或SEQIDNO.6所示。本发明通过优化野生型新型冠状病毒南非B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因序列，并结合筛选确定了相对最佳序列，优化后序列产生的克隆表达效率比野生型新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD序列表达效率大幅提高，从而，本发明的新型冠状病毒B.1.351南非突变株RBD的基因可以用于制备新型冠状病毒疫苗。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN328990628">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体的试剂盒及其应用</strong> - 本发明涉及生物技术领域，具体而言，提供了一种检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体的试剂盒及其应用。本发明提供的检测新型冠状病毒中和抗体试剂盒，具体包括（a）或（b）两种方案：（a）示踪物标记的RBD三聚体抗原，包被在固体支持物上的ACE2，以及，含有0.2‑10mg/mL十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱的工作液；（b）示踪物标记的ACE2，包被在固体支持物上的RBD三聚体抗原，以及，含有0.2‑10mg/mL十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱的工作液；其中，RBD三聚体抗原利用二硫键将刺突蛋白的RBD与S2亚基完全交联得到。十二烷基二甲基甜菜碱会显著提高RBD三聚体抗原与新冠中和性抗体结合速度，提升阳性样本平均发光强度，缩短检测时间。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN328990376">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>一种检测SARS-CoV-2的引物组合物及其应用</strong> - 本发明涉及一种检测SARS‑CoV‑2的引物组合物及其应用。所述引物组合物包括SEQ ID NO:1~SEQ ID NO:12所示的核酸序列。本发明利用所述引物组合物进行逆转录巢式PCR，并结合Sanger测序，能够快速、准确地获取SARS‑CoV‑2基因信息，从而能够实现快速检测SARS‑CoV‑2以及判断SARS‑CoV‑2突变株，且具备良好的准确性、灵敏度、特异性以及重复性。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN328990422">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>基于多重荧光定量PCR技术的新冠病毒突变序列检测技术及其应用</strong> - 本发明提供一种基于多重荧光定量PCR技术的新冠病毒突变类型检测技术及其应用。本发明主要基于荧光定量PCR技术针对目前S基因重要突变类型，如序列位置23403，序列变化A&gt;G、序列位置23063，序列变化A&gt;T、序列位置22812‑22813，序列变化AG&gt;GA、序列位置23012，序列变化G&gt;A进行单管或多管多重检测。其试剂盒可以很好的鉴别目前流行的D614G、N501Y、K417N、E484K重要突变株且特异性好，对新冠病毒的突变监测具有十分积极的意义。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN329978220">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>基于荧光定量PCR技术的新冠病毒新型核酸突变检测技术及其应用</strong> - 本发明提供一种基于荧光定量PCR技术的新冠病毒新型核酸突变检测技术及其应用。本发明主要基于荧光定量PCR技术针对目前S基因新突变‑双重变异（E484Q和L452R突变）进行检测。本发明提供的试剂盒可以很好的鉴别E484Q和L452R突变，对新冠病毒的新突变快速监测具有十分积极的意义。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN329978219">link</a></p></li>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Biden Antitrust Revolution</strong> - A new executive order calls for the federal government to work proactively to end monopolies that undermine economic fairness and American democracy. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-biden-antitrust-revolution">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Britney Spears’s Conservatorship Nightmare</strong> - How the pop star’s father and a team of lawyers seized control of her life—and have held on to it for thirteen years. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/american-chronicles/britney-spears-conservatorship-nightmare">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Who Owns Mike Disfarmer’s Photographs?</strong> - Strangers made his small-town portraits famous in the art world. Decades later, his heirs want control of the estate. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/us-journal/who-owns-mike-disfarmers-photographs">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Treating the Unvaccinated</strong> - In Utah, and across the U.S., doctors are facing a wave of preventable COVID deaths—and trying to convince the hesitant that “it doesn’t have to be this way.” - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/treating-the-unvaccinated">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>“You’re Gonna Have a Fucking War”: Mark Milley’s Fight to Stop Trump from Striking Iran</strong> - Inside the extraordinary final-days conflict between the former President and his chairman of the Joint Chiefs. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-bidens-washington/youre-gonna-have-a-fucking-war-mark-milleys-%20fight-to-stop-trump-from-striking-iran">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The surgeon general wants Facebook to do more to stop Covid-19 lies</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general, speaks during a news conference and holds up a piece of
paper that says, “confronting health misinformation.”" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/CVwuZ3xt4DPrZKoIny0VolvnFUg=/200x0:3401x2401/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69588776/GettyImages_1233995701.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Dr. Vivek Murthy, United States Surgeon General, is taking a stand against health misinformation. | Samuel Corum/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Dr. Vivek Murthy considers social media misinformation to be a deadly public health threat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PrEKra">
United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says that misinformation — much of it on tech platforms — is a public health threat that has cost people’s lives and prolonged the Covid pandemic.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YvDJeo">
As Murthy said in a Thursday press conference, health advisories are usually about things people physically consume: food, drinks, cigarettes. But the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/health-
misinformation/index.html">first advisory</a> of his tenure in the Biden administration (he was also the surgeon general <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/12/15/7397475/surgeon-general-vivek-murthy">under President Obama</a>) is about what we consume with our eyes and ears: misinformation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I2fh1B">
The advisory comes with a set of guidelines on how to “build a healthy information environment,” with recommendations for everyone from social media users up to the platforms themselves (also: health workers, researchers, and the media). Murthy also went on some of those very platforms to spread the message, including <a href="https://twitter.com/Surgeon_General/status/1415628833970085889">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/USSurgeonGeneral/posts/2138391522967968">Facebook</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oCLXYA">
“Today, we live in a world where misinformation poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health,” Murthy said in a press conference, adding that “modern technology companies” have allowed misinformation and disinformation to spread across their platforms “with little accountability.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E9xSFO">
The advisory isn’t a set of orders that must be followed by these companies, but the increased scrutiny and attention does put pressure on them to more aggressively combat the falsehoods spreading on their platforms.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YjBcIw">
This health advisory comes as Covid vaccination rates in the United States are dropping, while cases are <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22576904/us-
new-covid-cases-rising-again-delta-variant">picking back up</a>, and the fast-spreading delta variant <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22576904/us-new-covid-cases-rising-again-delta-variant">takes hold</a>. The vast majority of Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths have been for people who aren’t vaccinated, despite the widespread availability of vaccines in the US. And with <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22330018/covid-vaccine-
hesitancy-misinformation-carnegie-mellon-facebook-survey">some people</a> choosing not to get vaccinated because they believe misinformation about the vaccines, the Biden administration has <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/14/politics/white-house-covid-disinformation-fight/index.html">reportedly decided</a> it’s time to fight back.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C0FxOU">
Coronavirus misinformation <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/11/trumps-lies-about-coronavirus/608647/">isn’t just</a> <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/162971/fox-news-vaccine-hesitancy-tucker-carlson-ingraham">contained</a> to social media. But social media gives it a stage and reach that offline platforms don’t have, and this has been a <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/3/8/17085928/fake-news-study-mit-science">concern</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/10/5/16410912/illusory-truth-fake-news-las-vegas-google-facebook">for years</a>. Mis- or disinformation has <a href="https://www.vox.com/new-money/2016/11/16/13659840/facebook-fake-news-
chart">potentially influenced</a> the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, increased <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/21534345/polarization-election-social-media-filter-bubble">political polarization</a>, contributed to the <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/21499485/qanon-facebook-twitter-bans-republican-politics">rise of the QAnon conspiracy theory</a>, played a role in the <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-
perfect/2019/2/7/18214351/facebook-myanmar-rohingya-muslims">ethnic cleansing</a> of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, and, now, helped to prolong the pandemic.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zUdvZF">
As researcher Carl T. Bergstrom, co-author of “<a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/27/e2025764118">Stewardship of global collective behavior</a>,” a paper that calls for more research into social media’s impact on society, <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2021/6/26/22550981/carl-bergstrom-joe-bak-coleman-biologists-ecologists-social-media-
risk-humanity-research-academics">told Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary</a>, “social media in particular — as well as a broader range of internet technologies, including algorithmically driven search and click-based advertising — have changed the way that people get information and form opinions about the world. And they seem to have done so in a manner that makes people particularly vulnerable to the spread of misinformation and disinformation.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="D7cFym">
For their part, social media platforms <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/21527013/covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-safety-social-media-
misinformation">have made</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/1/31/21115589/coronavirus-wuhan-china-myths-
hoaxes-facebook-social-media-tiktok-twitter-wechat">attempts</a> to stop the spread of false information, including removing posts and videos and banning accounts that spread it, as well as appending fact-checks or links to trusted information on posts and videos that might be misleading. As it became more likely that there would soon be a Covid vaccine at the end of 2020, various platforms <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/21527013/covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-
safety-social-media-misinformation">were proactive</a> in preparing for the vaccine misinformation that would (and did) inevitably follow. This came after years of these companies doing <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22319681/vaccine-
misinformation-facebook-instagram-spreading">very little</a> to stop the spread of misinformation about other vaccines, and despite many warnings from experts about the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6657116/">potential harm to public health</a> done by hosting anti- vaccine content and communities.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MQnFfA">
“We agree with the Surgeon General – tackling health misinformation takes a whole-of-society approach,” a Twitter spokesperson told Recode in a statement. “We’ll continue to take enforcement action on content that violates our <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/medical-
misinformation-policy">COVID-19 misleading information policy</a> and improve and expand our efforts to elevate credible, reliable health information — now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and as we collectively navigate the public health challenges to come.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tLWy6C">
YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez told Recode that the platform “removes content in accordance with our <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9891785">COVID-19 misinformation policies</a>, which we keep current based on guidance from local health authorities. We also demote borderline videos and prominently surface authoritative content for COVID-19-related search results, recommendations, and context panels.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FkW9Pw">
But many believe their efforts are too little, too late, and still <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22240408/facebook-youtube-twitter-qanon-misinformation-inauguration">don’t go far enough</a> — including, it seems, the surgeon general.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Iwj6H5">
“We expect more from our technology companies,” Murthy said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CLHVHJ">
Let’s see if we get it — and if, at this point, it will help.
</p></li>
<li><strong>Keep an eye on breakthrough Covid-19 cases. But don’t freak out.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A city run vaccination site stands in a Brooklyn neighborhood which is witnessing a rise in
COVID-19 cases on July 13, 2021 in New York City." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/rphid6KboJgDVGGWL8Y41oN0H5c=/678x0:6225x4160/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69587352/GettyImages_1328660748.0.jpeg"/>
<figcaption>
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported cases of people falling ill with Covid-19 after getting vaccinated. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Some vaccinated people have gotten Covid-19. That’s expected. Let’s explain.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EjzNFK">
The recent headlines have been alarming: “<a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/coronavirus/2-of-covid-deaths-in-illinois-this-year-have-been-fully-vaccinated-
residents/2554538/">2% of COVID Deaths in Illinois This Year Have Been Fully Vaccinated Residents</a>.” “<a href="https://www.ktsm.com/news/el-paso-records-over-200-covid-19-vaccine-breakthrough-cases/">El Paso records over 200 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases</a>.” “<a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/13/nation/state-says-number-
covid-cases-vaccinated-people-is-incredibly-low/">79 fully vaccinated Massachusetts residents have died</a>.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g3UI1l">
At a time when <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22576904/us-new-covid-cases-rising-again-
delta-variant">Covid-19 cases are rising again</a> in the US and the more dangerous <a href="https://www.vox.com/22547537/delta-coronavirus-variant-covid-19-vaccines-masks-lockdown">delta variant</a> of the virus behind the disease is gaining ground, seeing that vaccines are not a perfect shield can be disheartening. With vaccination rates slowing, reports of people becoming infected after their immunizations could feed vaccine hesitancy, which in turn can <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/how-vaccine-hesitancy-is-driving-breakthrough-
infections-in-nursing-homes">fuel more breakthrough cases</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wqhXIh">
But despite these emerging reports of breakthrough infections, the fact remains that vaccines are the most effective tool for containing Covid-19, and they have proven to be excellent at preventing people from getting severely ill or dying of the disease. Even as new, more slippery variants of the coronavirus have emerged, most of the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness/work.html">vaccines have held their ground</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="a4dL8w">
As such, being unvaccinated is the most dangerous position to be in during the pandemic. “Preliminary data from a collection of states over the last six months suggests 99.5 percent of deaths from Covid-19 in these states have occurred in unvaccinated people,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a July briefing.
</p>
<aside id="aAJ9x7">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="knGBNy">
At the same time, it’s clear that vaccines are not impregnable. As more people have become immunized against Covid-19, the number of breakthrough infections — cases of people getting infected after getting their shots — has gone up. That’s not a surprise.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3AwsH4">
“Vaccine breakthrough cases are expected,” according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html">CDC</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mR5UYm">
That’s because no vaccine is 100 percent effective at blocking an infection in all circumstances. And while Covid-19 cases declined rapidly from their peak as vaccinations increased, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the disease is still wreaking havoc. There are still people vulnerable to infection among those who are vaccinated, which is a recipe for occasional breakthrough infections.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Oe4N18">
The tiny fraction of breakthrough cases that have arisen show how amazingly effective Covid-19 vaccines have been at defanging and declawing a devastating disease. But they also show that when vaccination rates are low, Covid-19 is a greater threat now than it has ever been. That poses a challenge for vaccinated people who want to resume their normal lives but also take steps to curb the spread of the disease.
</p>
<h3 id="sDHVUL">
Wait, how could some fully vaccinated people still catch Covid-19?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vZWzvr">
It’s important to first clarify what a breakthrough infection actually means.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fvkgnD">
The CDC definition of a breakthrough infection is a laboratory-confirmed infection more than 14 days after the final dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, as it can take a while for the full protection of a vaccine to spool up. This definition includes everything from infections that produce no symptoms at all to cases that result in death. “People often think about ‘infection’ and ‘disease’ as being the same thing, and that is not the case,” said <a href="https://bbarkerdrew.com/">Brianne Barker</a>, a virologist at Drew University.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pMFayv">
It’s only when a virus starts causing symptoms that an infected person is said to have disease, so not all SARS-CoV-2 infections cause Covid-19. But as we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, people can carry and transmit the virus without falling ill themselves, creating a major route for the spread of Covid-19. That’s why tracking breakthrough cases is so important.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0JOJbj">
“Breakthrough infections are not unique to COVID-19, but we are indeed noticing and talking more about breakthrough infections because we are testing people frequently [for Covid-19 rather than other diseases], even those fully vaccinated, and therefore finding and tracking these cases more closely,” said <a href="https://pathobiology.cahnr.uconn.edu/paulo-h-verardi/">Paulo Verardi</a>, a virologist at the University of Connecticut, in an email.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iCUSMH">
The Covid-19 vaccines that have been distributed in the US — Johnson &amp; Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer/BioNTech — were all evaluated based on how well they prevented disease, not infection. Even with a vaccine like Moderna’s, which demonstrated close to 95 percent efficacy against disease in clinical trials, a fraction of recipients still fell ill after getting their shots.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="psjibZ">
The bulk of evidence does show that Covid-19 <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22291959/covid-
vaccines-transmission-protect-spread-virus-moderna-pfizer">vaccines slow transmission</a> alongside reducing deaths and hospitalizations, but they don’t halt the spread completely.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uAvmoI">
Taken together, these factors mean that even in the most ideal scenario with everyone vaccinated against Covid-19, there will still be a segment of people who can contract, spread, and succumb to the virus. But the more people who get vaccinated, the harder it is for the virus to find a vulnerable host. Even people with incomplete protection are effectively shielded. This is the idea behind herd immunity. So a key tactic to reduce infections among those who are vaccinated is more vaccination.
</p>
<h3 id="eYHwGj">
Are some people more at risk for breakthrough infections?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oyNDUT">
There are indeed people who face a greater risk of getting a breakthrough infection.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jXTuE7">
For example, people who have received organ transplants may be on immunosuppressant drugs that can interfere with how well a vaccine can protect against a disease. Others may have genetic factors that make it harder for them to mount an immune response to the virus even post- vaccination. In some cases, a breakthrough infection is just bad luck.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Fehd7J">
And many of the same risk factors for severe illness from Covid-19 still apply when people are vaccinated. A study of <a href="https://www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.com/article/S1198-743X(21)00367-0/fulltext">152 breakthrough infections causing hospitalizations</a> in Israel found that just 6 percent had no underlying health conditions. The rest had conditions ranging from high blood pressure to diabetes to cancer.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PlGzIu">
A <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.24.21257738v2.full.pdf">preprint study</a> that has not yet been peer-reviewed looked at 2,394 breakthrough infections in the United Kingdom and found that older adults, particularly those living in impoverished areas, were at greater risk of getting infected after their injections. Scientists have long established that the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/3/12/21173783/coronavirus-death-age-covid-19-elderly-
seniors">immune system declines with age</a>. The authors did observe that infections among those who are vaccinated were far milder than in unvaccinated people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6KJhsQ">
There are around <a href="https://www.prb.org/resources/fact-sheet-aging-in-the-united-states/">52 million Americans</a> over the age of 65. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/health/coronavirus-midlife-conditions.html">Sixty percent of all Americans</a> have at least one chronic condition, and 40 percent have more than one. That means a large swath of the population may have diminished protection from a vaccine. But vaccines still drastically reduce the risk of disease and hospitalization from Covid-19, even among people in high-risk groups.
</p>
<h3 id="R2Izy9">
How likely is it for a fully vaccinated person to get infected?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qqJA7q">
As of July 6, the CDC reported 5,186 cases of breakthrough Covid-19 cases that led to deaths or hospitalizations among 157 million fully vaccinated people in the US. That’s about a 0.003 percent breakthrough rate for severe disease, although the CDC acknowledged that this is likely an undercount, since the numbers are drawn from voluntary reports and patchy surveillance. Of the 5,186 severe illnesses, 4,909 were hospitalizations and 988 led to death. So breakthrough infections are rare, even among people who are more vulnerable.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HZl1UH">
Compare that with the state of the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/year-ends-with-
record-breaking-month-in-u-s-for-covid-19-11609452047">pandemic in December</a> before vaccines were widespread: 6.3 million new infections, 123,000 hospitalizations, and more than <a href="https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-
perspective/2020/12/us-sees-record-number-covid-19-deaths-december">65,000 deaths from Covid-19</a> were recorded that month. Even with less than half the US population currently vaccinated, Covid-19 vaccines have helped cause a huge drop in cases.
</p>
<h3 id="p1cEEZ">
What happens when a vaccinated person gets a breakthrough infection?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AGVZq2">
Vaccines work by giving the immune system a target to practice against so that when a pathogen does strike, the immune system can hold it off without causing an illness.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AvEnfP">
With most Covid-19 vaccines, the target is the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is the part of the virus that actually attaches to human cells to begin the infection process, so coaching the immune system to identify it and block it off can prevent the virus from doing damage.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b0edT1">
The trouble is that everyone’s immune system doesn’t respond the same way to a vaccine, and the virus itself is mutating. So a breakthrough infection may occur “because the immune response is too low or is not high in the right anatomic location, or it could mean that the virus has changed so the target that the immune system recognizes is no longer the same,” said Barker, the Drew University virologist.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="utQfOx">
Right now, it’s hard to gauge whether someone who received a Covid-19 vaccine is adequately protected. The specific combination of the immune system’s T cells, B cells, and antibodies that shield against the virus is known as the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01432-4">correlate of protection</a> or correlate of immunity. Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly<strong> </strong>what those benchmarks are, which could allow them to figure out who remains vulnerable after getting their injections. Early evidence shows that <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01377-8">antibody levels</a> can predict how well an individual is protected, but antibodies are not the whole story when it comes to immunity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="67y1He">
It’s also not clear whether breakthrough infections can cause long-term symptoms at the same rates as Covid-19 in unvaccinated people. The phenomenon of <a href="https://www.vox.com/22369734/long-hauler-covid-vaccine">long Covid or Covid long-haulers</a> remains an enduring mystery of the pandemic.
</p>
<h3 id="sDcUn6">
How are variants making breakthrough infections more likely?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="90g4Fr">
Many of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/22547537/delta-coronavirus-variant-
covid-19-vaccines-masks-lockdown">SARS-CoV-2 variants like delta</a> have mutations in the spike protein, rendering some vaccines less effective at preventing infections. These mutations help delta evade the immune system, infect cells more easily, and spread more readily among people. The more variants like this spread, the more breakthrough infections are expected.
</p>
<aside id="MvAWll">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Vg88dL">
Coupled with persistent holdouts against vaccinations and people who have yet to receive them, variants are a major public health concern.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gnBC3c">
“At an individual level, the vaccines are highly effective, and people who have been vaccinated should not be worried for themselves necessarily getting Covid,” said <a href="https://profiles.med.stanford.edu/214084">Karen Jacobson</a>, an infectious disease researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “The concern that a lot of people have started to express recently, especially with the new variants, is more on a population level, and the fact that we have large pockets of the population [who] are not vaccinated.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="23qGnj">
With variants circulating readily among unvaccinated people, the chances of an elusive strain infecting someone who has been immunized rises. And as the virus spreads, it accumulates more mutations, increasing the chances of an even more dangerous variant emerging.
</p>
<h3 id="ztmUlo">
Where are breakthrough infections most likely to happen?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pOMxd8">
The circumstances that lead to breakthrough infections are largely the same as they are for infections in people without protection. Some of the highest-risk settings for exposure are crowded indoor gatherings in poorly ventilated spaces, like for workers in health care settings. But large gatherings in general can still be a venue for causing breakthrough infections, as dozens of vaccinated tourists visiting <a href="https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/07/14/covid-breakthrough-infections-strike-
summer-tourists-visiting-provincetown/">Provincetown, Massachusetts</a>, discovered earlier in July when they tested positive for the virus.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0a3q5F">
However, the risk is not spread evenly across the country. In the United States, nearly half of all residents and close to 60 percent of adults have been vaccinated as of July 14. Yet there are places where <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/01/1000-counties-in-the-us-have-vaccination-coverage-of-less-
than-30percent.html">less than one-third of people</a> have been vaccinated. The chances of breakthrough infections tend to be highest in areas where Covid-19 cases remain high and vaccination rates remain low.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bFA3on">
Recently, the US has experienced an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-
cases.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage">uptick in hospitalizations and deaths</a> from Covid-19 after months of decline. The rise is due mainly to case increases in parts of states like Texas, Missouri, and Nevada that have low vaccination rates and are seeing more instances of the delta variant. But many of these regions are relaxing all their restrictions around Covid-19 and allowing life to resume as normal, despite the ongoing transmission of the virus.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R6lEPd">
These fissures in the pandemic are poised to grow. Getting people to act to limit the spread of the virus is only getting harder as fatigue takes hold. The result is that even more people who are vaccinated may end up infected, prolonging the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and slowing the drawdown of the Covid-19 crisis.
</p>
<h3 id="wujy1s">
Why don’t we know more about these breakthrough infections?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="45uSa4">
One of the challenges with understanding how to deal with breakthrough infections is that the term encompasses several different outcomes, and they aren’t tracked easily.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hbXgg8">
The disease cases are the most worrying from a public health perspective and the easiest to monitor, but asymptomatic infections and transmission are also concerning because they mean the virus is still replicating, mutating, and spreading even among vaccinated people. While individuals gain robust protection from vaccines, if the overall vaccination rate is low in a population, even immunized people can become part of the chain of transmission.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6hPFYm">
In the US, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22321794/covid-19-testing-test-vaccine-
coronavirus-variants">testing for Covid-19</a> has declined, especially among people who have been vaccinated, so it’s hard to figure out just how much immunized people are spreading the disease unwittingly. The CDC said in May that it would stop trying to track asymptomatic breakthrough infections and would investigate only hospitalizations and deaths.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="J8YJJk">
Breakthrough infections that do cause symptoms tend to be mild, so many vaccinated people who experience a cough, runny nose, or fever are not bothering to get tested for Covid-19. That makes it even harder to keep tabs on the spread of the virus.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ibcfFn">
“Certainly we could be missing cases, and I think continuing to have surveillance even in vaccinated populations is really important, especially if we’re talking about variants,” said Jacobson.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UH9lk7">
At the same time, the US is still struggling to <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-
health/22225012/us-sequencing-covid-19-variants">sequence enough genomes</a> of the viruses that are found. Genome sequencing is critical for both identifying which variants of SARS-CoV-2 are circulating and finding new mutations as they emerge. Without adequate sequencing, new, more dangerous variants can spread undetected.
</p>
<h3 id="cAoVgC">
What should we be doing about Covid-19 breakthrough infections?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KkhML6">
It’s hard to come up with a strategy to deal with a problem that’s so alarming yet so rare. But in general, the same tactics deployed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic still work at preventing breakthrough infections.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="u16eJE">
The best strategy for preventing breakthrough infections is increasing vaccination rates further, getting to the point where enough people are immunized to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from jumping person to person easily. The added benefit of vaccinations is that they also reduce opportunities for mutation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="O3ZWXh">
After that, precautions against Covid-19 like social distancing and wearing face masks may still be needed in some circumstances, like in places where cases are rising. “At this point with the Delta variant on the rise we cannot let our guard down and must still be vigilant when in public spaces, particularly crowded indoor spaces,” said Verardi, the University of Connecticut virologist. “As for me, I don’t plan on letting go of my mask when I’m in such spaces, at least for the time being.”
</p>
<div id="2QNR61">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
BREAKING: L.A. County just announced it will reimpose an indoor mask mandate, regardless of your vaccination status, beginning Saturday night at 11:59 pm. <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="FoxNews">@FoxNews</span></a>
</p>
— Bill Melugin (<span class="citation" data-cites="BillFOXLA">@BillFOXLA</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillFOXLA/status/1415781947926728709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2021</a>
</blockquote></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LSEqAV">
And as the virus continues evolving, it may change in ways that render vaccines much less effective. Companies are already <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22555898/covid-19-booster-shots">developing booster shots</a> to better target SARS-CoV-2 variants and bolster immunity, but whether they will be needed is still unclear.
</p>
<aside id="7xELXa">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZiVX9D">
However, there’s a lot we don’t know about how the vaccines will hold up over time, and the Covid-19 pandemic may still have more surprises in store. Protection from the vaccines still seems strong months after the doses are administered, and the immune responses they generate are in line with those produced by some of the best-known vaccines, indicating that the immunity they confer will likely <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/28/health/coronavirus-vaccines-immunity.html">last a long time</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4uVVRE">
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Tennessee has one of the lowest vax rates. Republicans are working to keep it that way.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A healthcare worker prepares Moderna COVID-19 vaccines at a clinic set up by Healthcare Network
on May 20, 2021 in Immokalee, Florida." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/iSmazKlpIbbOjutUFzu3FMFtCLQ=/333x0:3000x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69587116/1319098677.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Only about 38 percent of Tennessee’s population has been fully vaccinated as of July 14. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Tennessee Republicans demonstrate how vaccine skepticism has escalated to outright hostility.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A4Tjv5">
With only about <a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/states-ranked-by-percentage-of-
population-vaccinated-march-15.html">38 percent</a> of its population fully vaccinated, Tennessee is in desperate need of more people getting the Covid jab. Instead, Republicans in the state are waging war on the inoculations for the most spurious of reasons.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DNPNat">
Under pressure from increasingly vaccine-hostile Republicans, the public health department in Tennessee fired its top vaccine official earlier this week, then prohibited state officials from engaging in vaccine outreach of all forms to minors. These developments come as average new daily Covid-19 cases in the state have <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2021/07/12/tennessee-fires-top-vaccine-official-
covid-19-shows-new-spread/7928699002/">more than doubled</a> since last month.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lPHUxW">
The official, Dr.  Michelle Fiscus, wasn’t told in her termination letter why she was being fired (per a review of that letter by <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2021/07/12/tennessee-fires-top-vaccine-official-covid-19-shows-new-
spread/7928699002/">the Tennessean</a>). But she was previously<a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2021/06/16/gop-lawmakers-tennessee-health-department-kids-
covid-19-vaccines/7718710002/"> criticized by Republicans</a> over a letter she sent to medical providers about the state’s “Mature Minor Doctrine,” a policy that has been in place since 1987 that allows health care providers to vaccinate minors 14 and older without consent from their parents. She alleges she was fired for that advocacy, or, in other words, doing “[her] job.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="e9qL4S">
While there has been an exodus of public health officials during the pandemic across many states, the developments in Tennessee show how vaccine skepticism is evolving in outright vaccine hostility — and how that hostility is translating into policy in states where vaccination rates are lagging. (Tennessee ranks 44th out of the 50 states in the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated.)
</p>
<h3 id="AlsRqe">
What’s happening in Tennessee
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Sergye">
Fiscus, the medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the department, became a flashpoint for that ire because of the aforementioned letter informing medical providers about the Mature Minor Doctrine.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WwCrE8">
During a hearing last month, Republicans called Fiscus’s letter “reprehensible” and accused her of “peer pressuring” teens.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P31g2p">
“It looks like the Department of Health is marketing to children and it looks like you’re advocating,” said state Sen. Kerry Roberts (R), according to the Tennesseean. “Market to parents, don’t market to children. Period.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B2JIn1">
Then, on Monday, Fiscus was let go. In response, she wrote <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2021/07/12/tennessee-
fires-top-vaccine-official-covid-19-shows-new-spread/7928699002/">a letter</a> published by the Tennessean in which she said she’s “afraid for my state.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2G9i3X">
“It was my job to provide evidence-based education and vaccine access so that Tennesseans could protect themselves against COVID-19,” Fiscus wrote. ”I have now been terminated for doing exactly that.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QJnJeu">
In a sign of how state officials are trying to adapt to Republican vaccine hostility, Tennessee Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tim Jones wrote an email to staff following Fiscus’s firing <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2021/07/13/tennessee-halts-all-vaccine-outreach-minors-not-just-
covid-19/7928701002/">directing</a> them to conduct ”no proactive outreach regarding routine vaccines” and “no outreach whatsoever regarding the HPV vaccine.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="59OyOA">
Per the <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2021/07/13/tennessee-halts-all-vaccine-outreach-minors-not-just-
covid-19/7928701002/">Tennessean</a>:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="G1w6Ns">
If the health department must issue any information about vaccines, staff are instructed to strip the agency logo off the documents.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QNOcbE">
The health department will also stop all COVID-19 vaccine events on school property, despite holding at least one such event this month. The decisions to end vaccine outreach and school events come directly from <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2021/05/12/tennessee-vaccine-hesitancy-trump-supporters-christians-
lisa-piercey/4852627001/">Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey</a>, the internal report states.
</p>
</blockquote>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KL71sf">
Meanwhile, children enrolling in public schools in Tennessee are <a href="https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/immunization-program/ip/immunization-requirements/childcare-12th-grade-
immunization-requirements.html">still required</a> to follow the immunization schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
</p>
<h3 id="hf7iJE">
Vaccine skepticism has become vaccine hostility
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hTBswD">
Policies like the Mature Minor Doctrine might be important for teens whose parents watch lots of Fox News, where vaccine skepticism has become a major topic in recent months.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SQ3WQN">
Tucker Carlson’s top-rated show, for instance, highlights on a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/11/business/media/vaccines-fox-news-
hosts.html">near-nightly basis</a> stories of people having bad reactions to the Covid vaccine, and portrays efforts by the government, institutions, and private sector companies to encourage more people to get inoculated as creeping authoritarianism.
</p>
<div id="KmNhjv">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk compare vaccine requirements at universities to apartheid and The Handmaids Tale <a href="https://t.co/922gPdVm7k">pic.twitter.com/922gPdVm7k</a>
</p>
— nikki mccann ramírez (<span class="citation" data-cites="NikkiMcR">@NikkiMcR</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1412937016002633730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2021</a>
</blockquote></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vPQUrs">
Meanwhile, even though the vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective for kids as young as 12, former President Donald Trump used a Fox News interview last month to invoke the sort of anti-vax rhetoric he <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-donald-trump-became-an-anti-vaccinationist-2019-9">routinely trafficked in</a> before his 2016 presidential campaign, saying ”the vaccine on very young people is something that you gotta really stop.”
</p>
<div id="reauHx">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
“Frankly, we’re lucky we have the vaccine, but the vaccine on very young people is something that you gotta really stop” – Trump, pushing anti-vax talking points on Hannity <a href="https://t.co/ODZFDOShnu">pic.twitter.com/ODZFDOShnu</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation" data-cites="atrupar">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1405341094355820550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AA3DuL">
Perhaps most egregiously, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) recently <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/07/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-brown-shirts-vaccine/index.html">compared</a> the Biden administration’s initiative to go door-to-door to encourage people to get vaccinated to Nazi-era “brown shirts.” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), meanwhile, has used Fox News appearances and media events to highlight the stories of people who had bad reactions to a Covid vaccine, even though the vast majority of people experience mild to no problems at all, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html">according</a> to the CDC.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cSrFp4">
“Just because the vaccine is generally safe doesn’t mean that it’s 100 percent safe,” Johnson <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/ron-johnson-coronavirus-youtube/">said</a> last month. While that statement is true, the Food and Drug Administration notes that it “continues to find the known and potential benefits clearly outweigh the known and potential risks,” and Johnson has repeatedly <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/28/politics/senator-ron-johnson-vaers-covid-deaths/index.html">used misleading figures</a> to sensationalize the risks of getting vaccinated. The vaccine, moreover, is far safer than actually contracting Covid-19, which has now killed more than 600,000 Americans.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RhP0bt">
To be clear, there are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/us/politics/gop-covid-vaccine.html">some responsible Republican voices</a> urging people to get vaccinated. But the Trumpiest part of the GOP seems to be shifting from vaccine skepticism to outright hostility. At last week’s CPAC event in Dallas, for instance, attendees cheered when author Alex Berenson, a frequent Fox News guest who has built a reputation for spreading misinformation about Covid vaccines, noted that the federal government is falling short of its vaccination goals.
</p>
<div id="3N3IIS">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Noting that the government is falling short of its Covid vaccine goals is an applause line at CPAC Dallas <a href="https://t.co/og9Fw1MRAv">pic.twitter.com/og9Fw1MRAv</a>
</p>
— Aaron Rupar (<span class="citation" data-cites="atrupar">@atrupar</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1413955463939600390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dV4HlL">
Hours later, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci described that scene at CPAC as “<a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1414218804268257284">horrifying</a>” and “almost terrifying.”
</p>
<h3 id="WFSIgO">
GOP vaccine hostility is based on politics, not public health
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BWVmT8">
It wasn’t that long ago that Republicans like Ron Johnson were singing a very different tune about the Covid vaccine. In December, for instance, Johnson said Trump “deserves a lot of credit” for his “brilliant operation” to “produce a vaccine while it was being tested and approved.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kIvIda">
The Washington Post put together a video highlighting how a number of Republicans praised the Covid vaccines when Trump was in office, only to become skeptics once it became a useful tool to derail the Biden administration’s vaccination goals.
</p>
<div id="vdhXJI">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
New <a href="https://twitter.com/thefix?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="thefix">@thefix</span></a> mashup:<br/><br/>Under Trump, Republicans touted the coronavirus vaccines.<br/><br/>Now, under Biden, they’re questioning them.<a href="https://t.co/XxgHWpibR2">https://t.co/XxgHWpibR2</a><a href="https://t.co/QaQqFg2hAM">pic.twitter.com/QaQqFg2hAM</a>
</p>
— JM Rieger (<span class="citation" data-cites="RiegerReport">@RiegerReport</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/RiegerReport/status/1415412126571798542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2021</a>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2COzOC">
Ironically, the people most hurt by the sort of anti-vax rhetoric that has become commonplace among GOP politicians are their own constituents. As political scientist Seth Masket recently <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2021/06/25/covid-19-vaccine-rates-donald-trump-joe-biden/">detailed</a> for the Denver Post, there’s a “remarkably strong” correlation between states that Biden won in 2020 and states that have vaccination rates above 70 percent. Along the same lines, NPR <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/06/09/1004430257/theres-a-stark-red-
blue-divide-when-it-comes-to-states-vaccination-rates">reported</a> last month that “Trump won 17 of the 18 states with the lowest adult vaccination rates,” and that “many of these states have high proportions of whites without college degrees.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="driTfM">
“To put it bluntly,” as my colleague <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/7/6/22554198/political-polarization-vaccine-covid-19-coronavirus">German Lopez wrote</a>, “polarization is killing people.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="erMgAd">
This rhetoric and the effect it has had in plateauing vaccination rates in the US presents risks for everyone. Children under 12 are still unable to get vaccinated, preexisting conditions mean some groups of adults can’t be vaccinated or don’t get the full benefits of vaccines, and ongoing community spread in places like Tennessee presents more opportunities for the coronavirus to <a href="https://www.vox.com/22547537/delta-coronavirus-variant-covid-19-vaccines-masks-lockdown">mutate into new and potentially more dangerous variants</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dB2qWT">
Instead of touting the successes of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed and the role it played in helping Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson rapidly develop Covid vaccines, a loud and influential segment of the GOP has opted to try to persuade Trump supporters not to get vaccinated. And the developments in Tennessee indicate that this war against public health science won’t stop with the Covid vaccine.
</p>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>India, Pakistan placed in same group in T20 World Cup</strong> - The Group 1 has defending champions West Indies, former winners England, Australia and South Africa</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kuldeep has to find solution for himself as Dhoni is not behind stumps any more, says Venkapathy Raju</strong> - Kuldeep needs captain’s confidence but Raju wants the U.P. spinner to find a solution to get back to prime form</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tokyo drift: stadium to screen</strong> - Ahead of the spectator-less and sterile 32nd Summer Olympics that begins next week, a sports journalist recalls the simple joys of previous editions</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>No-Castling Chess: No decisive result in game two</strong> - It was in sharp contrast to the exciting action in the opening game, which the Chennai maestro won by playing some precise moves.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SL injury update: Perera out of entire India tour, Fernando to miss ODI series</strong> - Former captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera has been ruled out of the entire limited overs series against India while fast bowler Binura Fer</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>PM Modi inaugurates redeveloped Gandhinagar station, other development projects in Gujarat</strong> - Mr Modi also inaugurated via video link the redeveloped Vadnagar railway station, the newly-built five-star hotel atop the redeveloped Gandhinagar railway station</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Traders expect ‘favourable decision before Bakrid’</strong> - They withdraw their plan to open shops from today after meeting CM</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Jammu &amp; Kashmir officials seek ban on illegal killing of cows, camels on Bakrid next week</strong> - An official said a large numbers of sacrificial animals are likely to be slaughtered in the UT during Bakrid festival.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Piyush Goyal meets senior opposition leaders ahead of monsoon session</strong> - The interactions with senior Opposition leaders are being seen as an outreach exercise by the government ahead of the session.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Punjab CM urges PM to resume dialogue with farmers</strong> - Flags geopolitical instability as cause of concern</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Europe floods: At least 120 dead and hundreds unaccounted for</strong> - Hundreds more are unaccounted for after the worst flooding in decades.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Biden and Merkel ‘united against Russia aggression’</strong> - “Good friends can disagree,” Mr Biden says of their dispute over a Russia-to-Germany pipeline.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Peter R de Vries: Dutch crime reporter dies after shooting</strong> - Relatives of journalist Peter R de Vries say he has died nine days after being shot in Amsterdam.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Climate change: ‘No more excuses’ at COP26 climate summit - poor nations</strong> - More than 100 developing countries set out key demands ahead of the climate summit in Glasgow.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Tour: Bahrain-Victorious team investigated</strong> - French prosecutors open a preliminary investigation into doping allegations against Bahrain-Victorious after their team hotel and bus was searched.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Rocket Report: SpaceX tests FAA again in Texas, India pushes Vikas engine</strong> - “Welcome to the dawn of the new space age.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1780794">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Review: Loki’s surprising twists paid off with a major cliffhanger finale</strong> - Marvel also announced a second season for the series in post-credits snippet - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1780045">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>For years, a backdoor in popular KiwiSDR product gave root to project developer</strong> - Users are rattled after learning their devices and networks were exposed. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1780666">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>US cracks down on “Fulfilled by Amazon,” citing sale of 400,000+ hazardous items</strong> - Amazon shipped hair dryers with electrocution risk and CO detectors that don’t work. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1780635">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sea walls might just make floods someone else’s problem, study suggests</strong> - As sea levels rise, our defenses against flood damage might not work as planned - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1780487">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>So my girlfriend told me we could watch a porno for my birthday and do everything that we saw in the video</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
I was so freaking excited, until she fucked the pizza guy. :(
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/littleboy_xxxx"> /u/littleboy_xxxx </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ol9kkv/so_my_girlfriend_told_me_we_could_watch_a_porno/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ol9kkv/so_my_girlfriend_told_me_we_could_watch_a_porno/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>“You fancy my best friend, don’t you?” asked my wife.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“If given the choice…” I replied, “I’d rather have sex with you then her.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“You mean ‘than’.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/incredibleinkpen"> /u/incredibleinkpen </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ol40ua/you_fancy_my_best_friend_dont_you_asked_my_wife/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ol40ua/you_fancy_my_best_friend_dont_you_asked_my_wife/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A gynecologist had become fed up with malpractice insurance and HMO paperwork, and was burned out.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Hoping to try another career where skillful hands would be beneficial, he decided to become a mechanic.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He went to the local technical college, signed up for evening classes, attended diligently, and learned all he could. When the time of the practical exam approached, the gynecologist prepared carefully for weeks, and completed the exam with tremendous skill. When the results came back, he was surprised to find that he had obtained a score of 150%.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Fearing an error, he called the Instructor,“I don’t want to appear ungrateful for such an outstanding result. I wonder if there is an error in the grade.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Instructor said, “During the exam, you took the engine apart perfectly, which was worth 50% of the total maark. You put the engine back together again perfectly, which is also worth 50% of the mark.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After a pause, the instructor added, “| gave you an extra 50% because you did it all through the muffler which I’ve never seen done in my entire career”.
</p>
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<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/RayInRed"> /u/RayInRed </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/okxwg8/a_gynecologist_had_become_fed_up_with_malpractice/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/okxwg8/a_gynecologist_had_become_fed_up_with_malpractice/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Am I adopted?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Fred came home from University in tears.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Mum, am I adopted?”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“No of course not”, replied his mother. Why would you think such a thing?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Fred showed her his genealogy DNA test results. No match for any of his relatives, and strong matches for a family who lived the other side of the city.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Perturbed, his mother called her husband. “Honey, Fred has done a DNA test, and… and… I don’t know how to say this… he may not be our son.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Well, obviously!” he replied.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“What do you mean?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“It was your idea in the first place” her husband continued. “You remember, that first night in hospital when the baby did nothing but scream and cry and scream and cry. On and on. And you asked me to change him.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“I picked a good one I reckon. Ever so proud of Fred.”
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/watwat-656"> /u/watwat-656 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/okvx0f/am_i_adopted/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/okvx0f/am_i_adopted/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Jack, a handsome man, walked into a sports bar around 9:58 pm…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He sat down next to this blonde at the bar and stared up at the TV as the 10:00 news came on. The news crew was covering a story of a man on a ledge of a large building preparing to jump.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The blonde looked at Jack and said, “Do you think he’ll jump?”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Jack says, “You know what, I bet he will.” The blonde replied, “Well, I bet he won’t.” Jack placed $30 on the bar and said, “You’re on!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Just as the blonde placed her money on the bar, the guy did a swan dive off of the building, falling to his death. The blonde was very upset and handed her $30 to Jack, saying, “Fair’s fair… Here’s your money.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Jack replied, “I can’t take your money, I saw this earlier on the 5 o’clock news and knew he would jump.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The blonde replies, “I did too, but I didn’t think he’d do it again.”
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/GhostRoboX5"> /u/GhostRoboX5 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ol08dv/jack_a_handsome_man_walked_into_a_sports_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/ol08dv/jack_a_handsome_man_walked_into_a_sports_bar/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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