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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 Fear of COVID-19 Familial Infection Scale: Initial Psychometric Examination</strong> -
<div>
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has not only a physical health impact but also a psychological toll, which is associated with the social isolation and emotional contagion of fear and anxiety. One of the main factors which influence the increased levels of stress is the fear of COVID-19, and specifically the fear of being infected, and of transmitting the virus to one’s family and friends. In this study, a new measure named “The Fear of COVID-19 Familial Infection Scale” (FCFI) is suggested, and its psychometric properties are tested. Methods: A sample of 582 participants filled an online survey; of those, 393 (67.5%) were healthcare workers. Of the healthcare workers, 218 (37.5%) were medical doctors, 46 (7.9%) were nurses, and 117 (20.1%) were other healthcare professionals. Participants filled out a demographic questionnaire, The FCFI, the Fear of the COVID-19 scale, and the Depression and Anxiety Scale (DASS-21). Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the FCFI has two factors: Fear of infecting others, and Perception of Others’ fear of being infected by me. This bidimensional model accounts for 69.5% of the variance in the FCFI. The two subscales had good reliability and high convergence validity as indicated by its correlations with being exposed to COVID-19, fear of COVID-19 and the DASS-21 subscales. Conclusion: The FCFI has initial good psychometric properties and could be a useful tool to assess levels of fear of COVID-19 familial infection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article- html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/edwta/" target="_blank">The Fear of COVID-19 Familial Infection Scale: Initial Psychometric Examination</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>A third vaccination with a single T cell epitope protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the absence of neutralizing antibodies</strong> -
<div>
Understanding the mechanisms and impact of booster vaccinations can facilitate decisions on vaccination programmes. This study shows that three doses of the same synthetic peptide vaccine eliciting an exclusive CD8+ T cell response against one SARS-CoV-2 Spike epitope protected all mice against lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection in the K18-hACE2 transgenic mouse model in the absence of neutralizing antibodies, while only a second vaccination with this T cell vaccine was insufficient to provide protection. The third vaccine dose of the single T cell epitope peptide resulted in superior generation of effector-memory T cells in the circulation and tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells, and these tertiary vaccine-specific CD8+ T cells were characterized by enhanced polyfunctional cytokine production. Moreover, fate mapping showed that a substantial fraction of the tertiary effector-memory CD8+ T cells developed from remigrated TRM cells. Thus, repeated booster vaccinations quantitatively and qualitatively improve the CD8+ T cell response leading to protection against otherwise lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.15.472838v1" target="_blank">A third vaccination with a single T cell epitope protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the absence of neutralizing antibodies</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant exhibits significant escape from neutralization induced by a third booster dose of vaccination</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The Omicron Variant of concern (B.1.1.529) has spread internationally and is raising serious concerns about the reduced vaccine efficacy and the increased risk of reinfection. Here we assessed the serum neutralizing activity using a pseudovirus-based neutralization assay in 292 healthcare workers who had administered a third homologous boosting vaccination 8 to 9 months after completion of the priming two-dose inactivated vaccination to investigate whether the newly identified Omicron variant could escape serum antibody neutralization elicited by the booster vaccination. The third booster dose with BBIBP-CorV lead to a significant rebound in neutralizing immune response against SARS-CoV-2, and the neutralization GMT on day 28 after the third booster dose was 6.1 times higher than the GMT on day 28 after the second dose. The Omicron variant did cause significantly lower neutralization sensitivity compared to the wild-type strain of the booster elicited serum, with about 20.1-fold reduction. Our study demonstrated that a third booster dose of BBIBP-CorV lead to a significant rebound in neutralizing immune response against SARS-CoV-2, while the Omicron variant showed extensive but incomplete escape of the booster elicited neutralization.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article- link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.17.21267961v1" target="_blank">Pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant exhibits significant escape from neutralization induced by a third booster dose of vaccination</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Resource Profile: The Regenstrief Institute COVID-19 Research Data Commons (CoRDaCo)</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The primary objective of the COVID-19 Research Data Commons (CoRDaCo) is to provide broad and efficient access to a large corpus of clinical data related to COVID-19 in Indiana, facilitating research and discovery. This curated collection of data elements provides information on a significant portion of COVID-19 positive patients in the State from the beginning of the pandemic, as well as two years of health information prior its onset. CoRDaCo combines data from multiple sources, including clinical data from a large, regional health information exchange, clinical data repositories of two health systems, and state laboratory reporting and vital records, as well as geographic-based social variables. Clinical data cover information such as healthcare encounters, vital measurements, laboratory orders and results, medications, diagnoses, the Charlson Comorbidity Index and Pediatric Early Warning Score, COVID-19 vaccinations, mechanical ventilation, restraint use, intensive care unit and ICU and hospital lengths of stay, and mortality. Interested researchers can visit ridata.org or email askrds@regenstrief.org to discuss access to CoRDaCo.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.17.21267942v1" target="_blank">Resource Profile: The Regenstrief Institute COVID-19 Research Data Commons (CoRDaCo)</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Perceptions and Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccination Amongst Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Introduction: This study aims to characterize attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and to evaluate factors associated with vaccine uptake amongst pregnant individuals. Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed to a convenience sample of pregnant individuals receiving prenatal care at two large urban academic hospitals in a single healthcare network in Massachusetts. Individual demographic variables were included in the survey along with questions assessing attitudes towards COVID-19 and vaccination in pregnancy. Results: Of 477 respondents, 233 (49.3%) had received or were scheduled to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Age, White race, non-Hispanic/LatinX ethnicity, working from home, and typical receipt of the influenza vaccine were associated with COVID-19 vaccination. 276 respondents (58.4%) reported that their provider recommended the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy; these participants were more likely to have received a vaccine (OR 5.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.68-9.26). Vaccinated individuals were less likely to be worried about the effects of the vaccine on themselves (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.12-0.27) or their developing babies (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.11-0.26). Unvaccinated individuals were less likely to report that it is easy to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.34-0.93), to travel to receive a vaccine (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.10-0.36), and to miss work to receive a vaccine (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.18-0.48). Conclusions: Strategies are needed to improve patient education regarding vaccine side effects and safety in pregnancy and to change policy to make it feasible for pregnant patients to schedule and miss work without loss of pay to get vaccinated.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.17.21267997v1" target="_blank">Perceptions and Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccination Amongst Pregnant and Postpartum Individuals</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Syndromic Surveillance-Based Estimates of Vaccine Efficacy Against COVID-Like Illness from Emerging Omicron and COVID-19 Variants</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
New infections from the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 have been increasing dramatically in South Africa since first identification in November 2021. Despite increasing uptake of COVID-19 vaccine, there are concerns vaccine protection against omicron may be reduced compared to other variants. We sought to characterize a surrogate measure of vaccine efficacy in Gauteng, South Africa by leveraging real-time syndromic surveillance data. The University of Maryland Global COVID Trends and Impact Survey (UMD-CTIS) is an online, cross-sectional survey conducted among users sampled from the Facebook active user base. We derived three COVID-like illness (CLI) definitions (stringent, classic, and broad) using combinations of self-reported symptoms (present or not in the prior 24 hours) that broadly tracked with reported COVID-19 cases during June 18, 2021 - December 14, 2021 (inclusive of the delta wave and up-trend of the omicron wave). We used syndromic-surveillance-based CLI prevalence measures among the vaccinated (P<sub>V</sub>) and unvaccinated (P<sub>U</sub>) respondents to estimate VE<sub>CLIP</sub> = 1 - (P<sub>V</sub>/P<sub>U</sub>), a proxy for vaccine efficacy, during the delta (June 18-July 18, N= 9,387 surveys) and omicron (December 4-14, N= 2,389 surveys) wave periods. We assume no waning immunity, CLI prevalence approximates incident infection with each variant, and vaccinated and unvaccinated survey respondents in the two variant wave periods are exchangeable. The vaccine appears to have consistently lower VE<sub>CLIP</sub> against omicron, compared to delta, regardless of the CLI definition used. Stringent CLI (i.e. anosmia plus fever, cough and/or myalgias) yielded a delta VE<sub>CLIP</sub> = 0.85 [0.54, 0.95] higher than omicron VE<sub>CLIP</sub> = 0.62 [0.46, 0.72]. Classic CLI (cough plus anosmia, fever, and/or myalgias) gave lower estimates (delta VE<sub>CLIP</sub> = 0.76 [0.54, 0.87], omicron VE<sub>CLIP</sub> = 0.51 [0.42, 0.59]), but omicron was still lower than delta. We acknowledge the potential for measurement, confounding, and selection bias, as well as limitations for generalizability for these self-reported, syndromic surveillance-based VE<sub>CLIP</sub> measures. Thus VE<sub>CLIP</sub> as estimates of true, population-level vaccine efficacy should therefore be taken with caution. Nevertheless, these preliminary findings demonstrating declining VE<sub>CLIP</sub> raise concern for a true decline in vaccine efficacy versus waning immunity as a potential contributor to the omicron variant taking hold in Gauteng and elsewhere.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.17.21267995v1" target="_blank">Syndromic Surveillance-Based Estimates of Vaccine Efficacy Against COVID-Like Illness from Emerging Omicron and COVID-19 Variants</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Vaccine efficacy for COVID-19 outbreak in New York City</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
This article aims to study the COVID-19 data for New York City. We use both the daily number of second does vaccination and the daily number of reported cases for New York City. This article provides a method to combine an epidemic model and such data. We explore the influence of vaccine efficacy on our results.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.18.21268024v1" target="_blank">Vaccine efficacy for COVID-19 outbreak in New York City</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Antibody Responses to 3rd Dose mRNA Vaccines in Nursing Home and Assisted Living Residents</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A comparison of SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and the beta variant virus neutralization capacity between 2 and 3 mRNA vaccine series in nursing home residents, and between nursing home and assisted living residents strongly supports 3rd dose vaccine recommendations, and equivalent polices for nursing homes and assisted living settings. Findings suggest that residents mount a robust humoral response to a 3rd mRNA vaccination, and have greater neuralization capacity compared to a 2 dose series.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.17.21267996v1" target="_blank">Antibody Responses to 3rd Dose mRNA Vaccines in Nursing Home and Assisted Living Residents</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Poor neutralization and rapid decay of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 variants in vaccinated dialysis patients</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Patients on dialysis are at risk of severe course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Understanding the neutralizing activity and coverage of SARS-CoV-2 variants of vaccine-elicited antibodies is required to guide prophylactic and therapeutic COVID-19 interventions in this frail population. By analyzing plasma samples from 130 hemodialysis and 13 peritoneal dialysis patients after two doses of BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccines, we found that 35% of the patients had low-level or undetectable IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S). Neutralizing antibodies against the vaccine-matched SARS-CoV-2 and Delta variant were low or undetectable in 49% and 77% of patients, respectively, and were further reduced against other emerging variants. The fraction of non-responding patients was higher in SARS-CoV-2-naive hemodialysis patients immunized with BNT162b2 (66%) than those immunized with mRNA-1273 (23%). The reduced neutralizing activity correlated with low antibody avidity. Patients followed up to 7 months after vaccination showed a rapid decay of the antibody response with an average 21- and 10-fold reduction of neutralizing antibodies to vaccine-matched SARS-CoV-2 and Delta variant, which increased the fraction of non-responders to 84% and 90%, respectively. These data indicate that dialysis patients should be prioritized for additional vaccination boosts. Nevertheless, their antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 must be continuously monitored to adopt the best prophylactic and therapeutic strategy.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.05.21264054v2" target="_blank">Poor neutralization and rapid decay of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 variants in vaccinated dialysis patients</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>The Impact of the Pandemic on the Maintaining Happiness at Work</strong> -
<div>
During the pandemic, it became especially difficult for companies to maintain employee engagement and motivation. They are cut off from the normal environment and work team, no longer have social relationships with colleagues, which leads to a natural decrease in emotional connection with the company, a sense of belonging and loyalty. In today’s environment, the challenge is to manage, attract and retain talent, further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the period of working from home, as a result of the experience gained in the new reality, employees have other requirements that the company must meet. The transition to remote work in early 2020 has forced employees to develop new skills and become more familiar with technologies, manage tasks and solve problems online. It is true that some did more remote work, some less and some did not like it at all, but the fact is that it showed them new opportunities, and companies were challenged - how to maintain and increase the employee happiness index during the pandemic and post- pandemic period. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the impact of the pandemic on maintaining a happiness index at work and to assess employees’ attitudes towards remote work in general. How did the changes in work regime and environment during the pandemic affect employees and their job satisfaction? - In order to identify these factors, a study was conducted in Georgia, in which 200 employees participated and the results of which are given in this article.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://osf.io/4ku39/" target="_blank">The Impact of the Pandemic on the Maintaining Happiness at Work</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Amyloidogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein</strong> -
<div>
SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with a surprising number of morbidities. Uncanny similarities with amyloid- disease associated blood coagulation and fibrinolytic disturbances together with neurologic and cardiac problems led us to investigate the amyloidogenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S-protein). Amyloid fibril assays of peptide library mixtures and theoretical predictions identified seven amyloidogenic sequences within the S-protein. All seven peptides in isolation formed aggregates during incubation at 37{degrees}C. Three 20-amino acid long synthetic Spike peptides (sequence 191-210, 599-618, 1165-1184) fulfilled three amyloid fibril criteria: nucleation dependent polymerization kinetics by ThT, Congo red positivity and ultrastructural fibrillar morphology. Full-length folded S-protein did not form amyloid fibrils, but amyloid-like fibrils with evident branching were formed during 24 hours of S-protein co-incubation with the protease neutrophil elastase (NE) in vitro. NE efficiently cleaved S-protein rendering exposure of amyloidogenic segments and accumulation of the peptide 193-202, part of the most amyloidogenic synthetic Spike peptide. NE is overexpressed at inflamed sites of viral infection and at vaccine injection sites. Our data propose a molecular mechanism for amyloidogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 S-protein in humans facilitated by endoproteolysis. The potential implications of S-protein amyloidogenesis in COVID-19 disease associated pathogenesis and consequences following S-protein based vaccines should be addressed in understanding the disease, long COVID-19, and vaccine side effects.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.16.472920v1" target="_blank">Amyloidogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein</a>
</div></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Presentation, characteristics, treatments and outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 in Bulgaria</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: The first surge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Bulgaria occurred in the fall of</p></div></li>
</ul>
<ol start="2020" type="1">
<li>To accommodate the rising number of critically ill patients, new intensive care units were formed in several hospitals. Here we describe the clinical presentation, patient characteristics, treatments and outcomes of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients in a newly formed COVID-19 ICU at a tertiary cardiac center in Sofia, Bulgaria. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients admitted to Sveta Ekaterina University Hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria, between November 4th, 2020 and January 6th, 2021. Data were collected from electronic and written patient records and charts. Results: We identified 38 critical care patients admitted with respiratory failure and treated with mechanical ventilation at our COVID-19 ICU during this period. The median age was 66 (IQR 57-76, range 27-89) and 74% were male. Most patients, 36 (95%), had at least one comorbidity. The most common comorbidities were hypertension, valvular heart disease, ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Overall, 27 (71%) patients had a concomitant cardiac disease other than hypertension and 24% were recent cardiac surgical patients. Inotropic support was required in 29 (76%) patients, renal replacement therapy in 12 (32%) patients and prone positioning and ECMO were used in 5 (13%) and 2 (5%) patients respectively. The median duration of mechanical ventilation was 7.5 (IQR 5-14) days overall and 9 (IQR 6-13) days for survivors. At 30-days 28 (74%) of patients had died. Overall, 32 (84%) patients died in hospital and only 6 (16%) patients were discharged home. Conclusions: During the first major surge of COVID-19 cases in Bulgaria, despite the wave arriving later than in other countries, the healthcare system was largely unprepared. In our setting, mortality in critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation was very high at 85%. There may be several factors contributing to these results, namely the predominance of cardiovascular comorbidities in our patient population, the strained ICU capacity and the lack of medical personnel to provide adequate intensive care to such complex patients.
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"></p>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.17.21267655v1" target="_blank">Presentation, characteristics, treatments and outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 in Bulgaria</a>
</div></li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li><strong>Magnitude, global variation, and temporal development of the COVID-19 infection fatality burden</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How deadly is an infection with SARS-CoV-2 worldwide over time? This information is critical for developing and assessing public health responses on the country and global levels. However, imperfect data have been the most limiting factor for estimating the COVID-19 infection fatality burden during the first year of the pandemic. Here we leverage recently emerged compelling data sources and broadly applicable modeling strategies to estimate the crude infection fatality rate (cIFR) in 77 countries from 28 March 2020 to 31 March 2021, using 2.4 million reported deaths and estimated 435 million infections by age, sex, country, and date. The global average of all cIFR estimates is 1.2% (10th to 90th percentile: 0.2% to 2.4%). The cIFR varies strongly across countries, but little within countries over time, and it is often lower for women than men. Cross-country differences in cIFR are largely driven by the age structures of both the general and the truly infected population. While the broad trends and patterns of the cIFR estimates are more robust, we show that their levels are uncertain and sensitive to input data and modeling choices. In consequence, increased efforts at collecting high-quality data are essential for accurately estimating the cIFR, which is a key indicator for better understanding the health and mortality consequences of this pandemic.
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.17.21267986v1" target="_blank">Magnitude, global variation, and temporal development of the COVID-19 infection fatality burden</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Quarantine and testing strategies to ameliorate transmission due to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic: a modelling study</strong> -
<div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Background: Numerous countries imposed strict travel restrictions, contributing to the large socioeconomic burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. The long quarantines that apply to contacts of cases may be excessive for travel policy. Methods: We developed an approach to evaluate imminent countrywide COVID-19 infections after 0-14-day quarantine and testing. We identified the minimum travel quarantine duration such that the infection rate within the destination country did not increase compared to a travel ban, defining this minimum quarantine as “sufficient.” Findings: We present a generalised analytical framework and a specific case study of the epidemic situation on November 21, 2021, for application to 26 European countries. For most origin-destination country pairs, a three-day or shorter quarantine with RT-PCR or antigen testing on exit suffices. Adaptation to the European Union traffic-light risk stratification provided a simplified policy tool. Our analytical approach provides guidance for travel policy during all phases of pandemic diseases. Interpretation: For nearly half of origin-destination country pairs analysed, travel can be permitted in the absence of quarantine and testing. For the majority of pairs requiring controls, a short quarantine with testing could be as effective as a complete travel ban. The estimated travel quarantine durations are substantially shorter than those specified for traced contacts. Funding: EasyJet (JPT and APG), the Elihu endowment (JPT), the Burnett and Stender families9 endowment (APG), the Notsew Orm Sands Foundation (JPT and APG), the National Institutes of Health (MCF), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (SMM) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada EIDM-MfPH (SMM).
</p>
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.04.25.21256082v5" target="_blank">Quarantine and testing strategies to ameliorate transmission due to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic: a modelling study</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>De Novo Whole Genome Assembly of the Roborovski Dwarf Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii) Genome, an Animal Model for Severe/Critical COVID-19</strong> -
<div>
The Roborovski dwarf hamster Phodopus roborovskii belongs to the Phodopus genus, one of seven within Cricetinae subfamily. Like other rodents such as mice, rats or ferrets, hamsters can be important animal models for a range of diseases. Whereas the Syrian hamster from the genus Mesocricetus is now widely used as a model for mild to moderate COVID-19, Roborovski dwarf hamster show a severe to lethal course of disease upon infection with the novel human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.02.462569v3" target="_blank">De Novo Whole Genome Assembly of the Roborovski Dwarf Hamster (Phodopus roborovskii) Genome, an Animal Model for Severe/Critical COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
</ul>
<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>Trial to Evaluate Nitazoxanide for Treatment of Mild COVID-19 in Subjects Not at High Risk of Severe Illness</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Nitazoxanide;   Drug: Placebo;   Dietary Supplement: Vitamin Super-B Complex<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Romark Laboratories L.C.<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>Trial to Evaluate Nitazoxanide for Treatment of Mild or Moderate COVID-19 in Subjects at High Risk of Severe Illness</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Nitazoxanide;   Dietary Supplement: Vitamin Super-B Complex;   Drug: Placebo;   Other: Standard of Care<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Romark Laboratories L.C.<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 Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial of Ivermectin With Favipiravir in Mild-to-moderate COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Ivermectin Tablets;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Mahidol University;   Prince of Songkla University<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>Australian Phase 2/3b Study to Assess Effectiveness of a Protein-based Covid-19 Vaccine (Spikogen)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Spikogen/Covax-19<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
Vaxine Pty Ltd;   Australian Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Institute;   Cinnagen<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 of GRT-R910 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Boost Vaccine in Healthy Volunteers</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: GRT-R910 booster 113 days after prime;   Biological: GRT-R910 booster 28 days after prime<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Gritstone Oncology, Inc.<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 Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy Study of IBI314 in Ambulatory Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: IBI314;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Innovent Biologics (Suzhou) 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>Adrecizumab (HAM8101) to Improve Prognosis and Outcomes in COVID-19 Trial</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Adrecizumab (HAM 8101);   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf<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 Study of the Covid-19 (Recombinante) Vaccine With a 4 or 8 Week Interval Between the First Doses.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: Covid-19 (recombinante) vaccine<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   The Immunobiological Technology Institute (Bio-Manguinhos) / Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz)<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>A Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of the Combination of SCTA01 &amp; SCTA01C in Outpatients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: SCTA01 and SCTA01C;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sinocelltech 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>Efficacy,Immunogenicity and Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine , Inactivated Booster Dose in Adults Aged 18 Years and Above</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Medium-dosage COVID-19 Vaccine,Inactivated;   Biological: High-dosage COVID-19 Vaccine,Inactivated;   Biological: Placebo-comparator group<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>Communities Fighting COVID-19!</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: COVID-19 Testing Home-based (Aim 1);   Other: COVID-19 Testing Mobile (Aim 1);   Other: COVID-19 Testing Mobile Approach 1 (Aim 2);   Other: COVID-19 Testing Mobile Approach 2 (Aim 2)<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   San Diego State University;   National Cancer Institute (NCI)<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>Clinical Trial for Oral Formula of Vanillin and Wheat Germ Oil for Treatment of Mild and Moderate COVID-19 Viral Disease</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Mild-to-moderate COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Drug: Oral Capsule<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
Alexandria University;   Assoc. Prof. Ayman Baeis;   Dr. Noha Alaa Eldine Hassan Hamdy;   Ph. Hanya Hesham Sweilam<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>Combination Assessment Trial of COVID-19 Vaccines (COMBAT-COVID)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID 19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: BIBP (CNBG, Sinopharm) WIV;   Biological: CanSinoBIO;   Biological: AstraZeneca ChAdOx<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan;   Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations;   University of Oxford;   International Vaccine Institute;   Harvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM);   Chughtai Lab;   National Institute of Health, Pakistan<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>Oral Neutralizing Antibody Booster for Post-vaccinated People With COVID19 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Pandemic<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Dietary Supplement: Bacillus subtilis spore extract<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   DreamTec Research Limited;   Hong Kong Metropolitan University;   DreamTec Cytokine Limited<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>Transplantation of Deceased Donors With COVID-19 Into COVID-19 Negative Recipients Utilizing Casirivimab and Imdevimab Antibody Cocktail</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Organ Transplant<br/><b>Intervention</b>:  <br/>
Drug: Casirivimab and Imdevimab Antibody Cocktail<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Northwell Health;   Regeneron Pharmaceuticals<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</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>SARS-CoV-2 ferritin nanoparticle vaccines elicit broad SARS coronavirus immunogenicity</strong> - The need for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) next-generation vaccines has been highlighted by the rise of variants of concern (VoCs) and the long-term threat of emerging coronaviruses. Here, we design and characterize four categories of engineered nanoparticle immunogens that recapitulate the structural and antigenic properties of the prefusion SARS-CoV-2 spike (S), S1, and receptor-binding domain (RBD). These immunogens induce robust S binding, ACE2 inhibition, and…</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>Possible mechanistic insights into iron homeostasis role of the action of 4-aminoquinolines (chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine) on COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: This study aims to show the functional role of CQ and HCQ, as well as to provide possible mechanistic insight on the role of iron on viral infection, iron starvation and its downstream cellular pathways involving hepcidin and proinflammatory cytokines. The overall aim of providing possible mode of action of CQ and HCQ in the management of COVID-19 infection is exhibited via its anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic activities.</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>Cannabidiol Inhibits In Vitro Human Liver Microsomal Metabolism of Remdesivir: A Promising Adjuvant for COVID-19 Treatment</strong> - Introduction: The year 2020 began with the world being flounced with a wave of novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]) disease, named COVID-19. Based on promising pre-clinical and clinical data, remdesivir (RDV) was the first drug to receive FDA approval and so far, it is the most common therapy for treatment of SARS-CoV-2/MERS-CoV. However, following intravenous administration, RDV metabolizes majorly by human liver carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) and…</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>The Triangle Relationship Between Long Noncoding RNA, RIG-I-like Receptor Signaling Pathway, and Glycolysis</strong> - Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA), a noncoding RNA over 200nt in length, can regulate glycolysis through metabolic pathways, glucose metabolizing enzymes, and epigenetic reprogramming. Upon viral infection, increased aerobic glycolysis providzes material and energy for viral replication. Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is the only protein- specified downstream of retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) that bridges the gap between antiviral immunity and glycolysis. MAVS binding to RIG-I…</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>Active Life for Brain Health: A Narrative Review of the Mechanism Underlying the Protective Effects of Physical Activity on the Brain</strong> - A growing body of evidence clearly indicates the beneficial effects of physical activity (PA) on cognition. The importance of PA is now being reevaluated due to the increase in sedentary behavior in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many studies in humans have revealed that PA helps to preserve brain health, the underlying mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. In this review, which mainly focuses on studies in humans, we comprehensively summarize the mechanisms…</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>Dexmedetomidine does not directly inhibit neutrophil extracellular trap production</strong> - No abstract</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 qualitative exploration of the impact of COVID-19 on food decisions of economically disadvantaged families in Northern Ireland</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: The restrictions put in place to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 influenced all aspects of dietary decisions of low-income families. Changes observed during this period included frequent consumption of homemade meals, but also increased unhealthy snacking. Infrequent food shopping encouraged good meal planning, but was also a barrier to securing adequate fresh food. Food-related support including school meal assistance contributed to families’ food security, particularly those 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>In vitro interaction of potential antiviral TMPRSS2 inhibitors with human serum albumin and cytochrome P 450 isoenzymes</strong> - The interactions of four sulfonylated Phe(3-Am)-derived inhibitors (MI-432, MI-463, MI-482 and MI-1900) of type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSP) such as transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) were examined with serum albumin and cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes. Complex formation with albumin was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, microsomal hepatic CYP1A2, 2C9, 2C19 and 3A4 activities in presence of these inhibitors were determined using fluorometric assays….</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>RNA polymerization actuating nucleic acid membrane (RANAM)-based biosensing for universal RNA virus detection</strong> - The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has shown the importance of early disease diagnosis in preventing further infection and mortality. Despite major advances in the development of highly precise and rapid detection approaches, the time-consuming process of designing a virus-specific diagnostic kit has been a limiting factor in the early management of the pandemic. Here, we propose an RNA polymerase activity-sensing strategy utilizing an RNA polymerization actuating nucleic acid membrane…</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>Virucidal effect of povidone-iodine against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro</strong> - CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the ideal contact time was 1 min and the optimal concentration was 1 mg/ml, which provides an experimental basis for the use of oral disinfectants in dental hospitals.</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>Anticoagulation for Stroke Prevention after Restoration of Haemostasis with Emicizumab in Acquired Haemophilia A</strong> - Acquired haemophilia A (AHA) is a rare haemorrhagic disorder caused by the development of autoantibodies inhibiting factor VIII function. It predominantly affects the elderly, who are often burdened with a considerable number of comorbidities, and can result in life-threatening bleeding. The management of AHA consists of two aspects: inhibitor eradication with an immunomodulator and bleed control with a bypassing agent. Here we present a case of AHA with a high titre inhibitor in a patient with…</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>The state of complement in COVID-19</strong> - Hyperactivation of the complement and coagulation systems is recognized as part of the clinical syndrome of COVID-19. Here we review systemic complement activation and local complement activation in response to the causative virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and their currently known relationships to hyperinflammation and thrombosis. We also provide an update on early clinical findings and emerging clinical trial evidence that suggest potential therapeutic…</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>Antibody response after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in adults with haematological malignancies: a systematic review and meta-analysis</strong> - Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have shown remarkable efficacy and thus constitute an important preventive option against COVID-19, especially in fragile patients. We aimed to systematically analyse the outcomes of patients with haematological malignancies who received vaccination and to identify specific groups with differences in outcomes. The primary end point was antibody response after full vaccination (two doses of mRNA or one dose of vector-based vaccines). We identified 49 studies comprising…</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>Rare case of drug-induced bradycardia associated with the just low dose use of methylprednisolone in a child with COVID-19</strong> - Methylprednisolone (MP) is usually used to reduce the inflammation reaction and tissue damage, which may have a benefit assistant treatment effect on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, We present the case of a child who manifest significant bradycardia with the use of just low dose MP on the premise of the long-term use of arbidol. Arbidol can affect the activity of CYP3A4 which is also a key metabolic enzyme of MP by competitive inhibition, which is easy to aggravate the side effects…</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>Elucidating design principles for engineering cell-derived vesicles to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> - The ability of pathogens to develop drug resistance is a global health challenge. The SARS-CoV-2 virus presents an urgent need wherein several variants of concern resist neutralization by monoclonal antibody therapies and vaccine- induced sera. Decoy nanoparticles-cell-mimicking particles that bind and inhibit virions-are an emerging class of therapeutics that may overcome such drug resistance challenges. To date, we lack quantitative understanding as to how design features impact performance of…</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>METHODS OF TREATING SARS-COV-2 INFECTION</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU344309338">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>REAL-TIME REST BREAK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR WORKPLACE</strong> - The present invention relates to a real-time rest break management system for workplace that comprises of a work desk, wherein first portion is incorporated with a biometric unit 4 for authenticating first user, and a second portion with a telescopic panel 2 associated with a weight sensor 6 and timer unit 7 calculating weight of head/hand manifesting user presence and their resting time period is mounted with an inflated cushion 5, an interactive primary display unit 1 attached over desk enables user to set first/second threshold time for sleeping/taking break, further linked with a tracking interface keeping track of activities and a vibrating unit crafted inside the cushion 5 which is linked to a secondary display unit 8 of second user, giving them access to actuate vibrating unit generating impulses to wake first user when threshold time period is exceeded by the first user. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN342791215">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>P2P 네트워크를 이용한 내장된 화상회의 시스템</strong> - 본 발명은 P2P 네트워크를 이용한 내장된 화상회의 시스템에 관한 것으로, 상태표시부(1), 영상송출부(2), 제어부(3), 광고부(4), 입력부(5)를 포함한다. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=KR342781397">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A DOORBELL SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND RECORDING A PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA OF A PERSON</strong> - AbstractTitle: A doorbell system for monitoring and recording a physiological data of a person The present invention provides a doorbell system 500 for monitoring and recording a physiological data of a person. The doorbell system 500 having a transmitter module 100 and a receiving module 200. The transmitter module 100 is having a TOF sensor module 110, an ultrasound detector 120, and an infrared detector 130. Further, a speech recognition system 150, a facial recognition system 160, and a temperature detector 190 are provided for recognizing speech, face, and temperature of the person by comparing pre-stored data. A controlling module 180 is set with a predefined commands for communicating with the transmitter module 100 and receiving module 200. The collected facial and speech data is compared and matched with the pre-stored data then the temperature detector 190 triggers and the door opens when the captured body temperature of the person is matched within the predefined range of temperature.Figure 1 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN340503637">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A study of contemporary trends in investing patterns, household savings, and economic investment.</strong> - Because household savings and household investments are intertwined and interdependent, they are discussed briefly in this paper. Household savings account for more than half of a country’s capital formation, which fluctuates due to a variety of economic factors such as inflation and interest rates. Households should gradually shift their savings and investments from physical assets to financial assets to avoid a sudden change in wealth. They should also save and invest using a variety of platforms. Trends in investing and saving will be easier to track and measure this way. This year’s domestic saving rate in India is 2.3 percent lower than last year’s and 1.2 percent lower than the year before. Since 2011, general domestic savings have been steadily declining, with the trend continuing into the following year. According to official data, the GDP in 2020 shrank by 23.9%, the least in previous years and the least since the Covid-19 pandemic in previous years. As a result, the information presented in this paper is drawn from and evaluated from other sources - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN340502149">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>靶向刺激体液免疫和细胞免疫的新冠病毒mRNA疫苗</strong> - 本发明公开了一种靶向刺激体液免疫和细胞免疫的新冠病毒mRNA疫苗。本申请的第一方面提供一种分离的DNA分子组合，该DNA分子组合包括第一DNA分子和第二DNA分子和第三DNA分子中的至少一种。通过第一DNA分子以及第二DNA分子和/或第三DNA分子的组合，利用第一DNA分子最终合成的mRNA诱导高滴度的交叉中和抗体，利用第二DNA分子和/或第三DNA分子最终合成的mRNA诱导新冠病毒特异性的细胞毒性T淋巴细胞，从而高效地同时激活相对独立的体液免疫应答和细胞免疫应答，应对新冠病毒在流行传播过程中产生的突变毒株所引发的突破性感染。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN343418093">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2抑制剂在制备治疗和/或预防冠状病毒感染药物中的用途</strong> - 本发明公开了跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2抑制剂在制备治疗和/或预防冠状病毒感染药物中的用途。本发明通过亲和垂钓及活性导向分离获得3种化合物，证实该类化合物可以直接地与跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2结合，KD&lt;13μM，且能够显著抑制跨膜丝氨酸蛋白酶2的催化活性。在细胞水平上可以有效的抑制新型冠状病毒SARS‑CoV‑2假病毒入侵，表明该类化合物对于制备治疗和/或预防病毒感染药物具有非常积极的作用。化合物1 化合物2 化合物3。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN343418164">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>PROLIPOSOMAL DRY POWDER INHALER OF REMDESIVIR</strong> - The present invention is related to Proliposomal Dry Powder Inhaler of Remdesivir and its method thereof for the treatment of viral infections such Coronaviridae (including COVID-19 infection). - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN342291904">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Use of Diminazene Aceturate, Xanthenone, ACE 2 activators or analogs for the Treatment and therapeutic use of COVID-19 on human patients.</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU340325322">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>ACTIVE RIDER SAFETY SYSTEM FOR TWO WHEELERS</strong> - The present invention relates to an active rider safety system for two wheelers comprising, a protective case equipped by a user for riding, where the case is integrated with multiple piezoelectric sensor that determines fastening of the case by user, a processing unit linked to the sensor, where the unit detects absence of case upon fetching data from the sensor below a threshold value and thereby terminates operation of ignition by stopping a coupled motor operated via a radio frequency module, an alcohol detection sensor that detects presence of alcohol and send data to processing unit, a temperature sensor that measures temperature of the user, an accelerometer sensor that activates upon ignition us tuned on to determine presence of a crash and a navigation module that via communication module sends location of user to pre saved users and concerned authorities. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN340503361">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
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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>A Person of the Year: Jamie Raskin</strong> - How one politician devoted his fight for democracy to his lost son. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/a-person-of-the-year-jamie-raskin">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Year in Climate</strong> - A summer that really scared scientists. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/2021-in-review/the-year-in-climate">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Inside an Oklahoma City Abortion Clinic</strong> - The staff is struggling to meet the needs of Texas patients, with no relief in sight. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/inside-an-oklahoma-city-abortion-clinic">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Rio Grande Valley’s Abortion Desert</strong> - Texas’s new law is the culmination of decades of legal restrictions and budget cuts that have left women in one of the country’s poorest regions with scant access to abortion. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-rio-grande-valleys-abortion-desert">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Baby-Box Lady of America</strong> - With the help of safe-haven laws, which allow parents to anonymously surrender their babies, Monica Kelsey has installed more than ninety baby boxes—mailbox-like receptacles for infants—in five states. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-baby-box-lady-of-america">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>The Senate’s last-minute confirmation push, explained</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer adjusts his glasses as he speaks to reporters on Capitol
Hill." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7oEqDWPxmk67PnM0QTSsn9ra6Lk=/169x0:4981x3609/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70292090/1359012818.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer talks to reporters following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the US Capitol on December 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Republican senators have been been holding up Biden’s diplomatic nominees.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xwmHaM">
The Senate confirmed a long-delayed slate of executive and judicial nominees on Friday and Saturday, filling positions that been left open for months because of Republican obstruction.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VeDUeW">
The marathon Senate session, which ran into the early hours of Saturday morning before <a href="https://www.dailypress.senate.gov/friday-december-17-2021/">officially adjourning</a> at just after 4 am Eastern time, included confirmation votes for 41 ambassadors and nine federal district court judges nominated by President Joe Biden, <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1472191229249179650?s=20">according to Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman</a>.
</p>
<div id="746Ryf">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Quite the last day in session for the Senate. They confirmed 9 district court judges, 41 ambassadors and 5 other positions. They also invoked cloture on two more circuit judges.<a href="https://twitter.com/RahmEmanuel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="RahmEmanuel">@RahmEmanuel</span></a> is going to Tokyo. 48-21 vote.
</p>
— Jake Sherman (<span class="citation" data-cites="JakeSherman">@JakeSherman</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1472191229249179650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2021</a>
</blockquote></div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jCHrcx">
Among those <a href="https://twitter.com/DSenFloor/status/1472283459435614213?s=20">confirmed</a> were US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, US Ambassador to France Denise Campbell Bauer, and US Ambassador to the European Union Mark Gitenstein.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B2TbCR">
The Senate also confirmed its 40th Biden-nominated judge, <a href="https://twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1472186035777978368?s=20">according to Washington Post reporter Seung Min Kim</a>, more than any president in his first year in office since Ronald Reagan.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vcFvnC">
The last-minute rush of confirmations on Friday — the last day of the Senate’s 2021 session — was an effort to work through a backlog of about 150 presidential nominees. Many diplomatic and national security posts remain open thanks to stonewalling from Senate Republicans and the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/11/13/1055575802/lack-of-american-ambassadors-is-hurting-
foreign-goals-says-afsa-president">slow pace of nominations</a> from the Biden administration. Despite Friday’s progress, many of the nominees still in the backlog <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/senate-powers-through-
nomination-votes-in-marathon-session/">will have to be re-nominated by the president</a> in the new session, further delaying the process.
</p>
<h3 id="GgP8C8">
Republicans stalled confirmations to advance their own agendas
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BUMn2Y">
The overall process of confirming presidential nominees has become increasingly difficult in recent years, but Friday’s backlog was the result of several specific demands from Republican senators.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aXtG30">
In particular, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/14/democrats-cruz-hawley-biden-ambassadors-524220">Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Marco Rubio</a> have all held up Biden foreign service and national security nominees until their own priorities were guaranteed a vote.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="U8WgPO">
Most presidential nominees have’t been subject to the filibuster since a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/6/10/5785938/life-after-the-nuclear-option-in-the-senate">2013 rule change</a> (and none are <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/4/3/15108140/neil-gorsuch-nuclear-
option-trump">as of 2017</a>), so it’s not technically possible for a single Republican senator to block the confirmation of a nominee outright. They can make it a grueling process, however, by denying unanimous consent to confirm nominations.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S6G9ag">
Specifically, while a single senator doesn’t have the power to halt the process full stop — provided the nominee has the support of at least 50 senators with the vice president to break a tie — they <em>can</em> open up the floor for debate. That takes up significant time in the Senate, which would be a challenge at any time, but particularly when the confirmation backlog is so large and the chamber has other major priorities to address.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TguRiF">
“In past years, many of these nominees would have sailed through with consent and cooperation, but this year a handful of Republicans have hijacked the rules of the Senate to slow the process down,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1471515462035021824?s=20">said on the Senate floor Thursday</a>. “It’s cynical, it’s entirely pointless, and worst of all it’s damaging — seriously damaging — to our national security.”
</p>
<div id="ke2a5l">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="SenSchumer">@SenSchumer</span></a> on confirming Biden nominees: “A handful of Republicans have hijacked the rules of the Senate to slow the process down. It’s cynical, it’s entirely pointless, and worst of all, it is damaging, seriously damaging to our national security.” <a href="https://t.co/YzenPmylkg">pic.twitter.com/YzenPmylkg</a>
</p>
— The Hill (<span class="citation" data-cites="thehill">@thehill</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1471515462035021824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9uXEQ1">
Prior to Friday, Cruz tried to strike a deal with Schumer to exchange a vote on sanctions for <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/18/cruz-vote-russian-pipeline-sanctions-schumer-525334">Russia’s Nord Stream 2</a> gas pipeline for votes to confirm 16 ambassadors and State Department officials, without any luck. While the US isn’t in favor of Nord Stream 2, a natural gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/02/us/politics/senate-confirmation-cruz-nominations.html">rescinded sanctions </a>against the company building it <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-russia-chicago-germany-national-
security-cccf92c2d2efc2ec285590cf8b39729e">to preserve the US relationship with Germany</a>, a key ally which has approved the pipeline.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3V5pnF">
“I’ve made clear to every State Department official, to every state department nominee, that I will place holds on these nominees unless and until the Biden administration follows the law and stops this pipeline and imposes the sanctions,” <a href="https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sen-cruz-on-the-
senate-floor-i-will-use-all-options-to-stop-biden-putin-nord-stream-2-pipeline">Cruz said in August statement</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oK123J">
Ultimately, Cruz secured his vote — it’s scheduled for January 14 — and agreed to release his hold on <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/18/cruz-vote-russian-pipeline-sanctions-schumer-525334">dozens of diplomatic nominations,</a> which were confirmed overnight.
</p>
<div id="fpwzjo">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
Also: This is precisely why Schumer didn’t take the Cruz offer to confirm 16 people. he got 41 ambassadors
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">— Jake Sherman (<span class="citation" data-cites="JakeSherman">@JakeSherman</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1472192736367460354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2021</a></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dTFVHd">
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/02/us/politics/senate-confirmation-cruz-
nominations.html">Hawley</a> has also tried Cruz’s stalling tactic, albeit with less success. After the US’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/videos/22652273/afghanistan-us-military-timeline-effects">disastrous pullout from Afghanistan</a> in August, Hawley <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/josh-hawley-state-defense-
nominees/index.html">pledged to block all of Biden’s national security and Pentagon nominees</a> unless Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken resigned their posts. That hasn’t happened, but Hawley has threatened to hold up the confirmation process “as long as it takes,” as <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/10/democrats-schumer-hardball-biden-nominees-524085">he said in early December</a>. “If I’m still on the floor doing this in 2023, so be it, 2024, so be it, until somebody is held accountable.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dAG1H5">
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/12/08/ambassador-
vacancies/">Hawley and Cruz in particular</a> may have broader reasons for their obstruction — both have been accused of blocking the nominations at least in part to position themselves as antagonists to Biden in potential 2024 runs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8kep9e">
Despite the challenges from Cruz and Hawley, Democrats pressed on with 56 total voice votes, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rahm-emanuel-japan-ambassador/2021/12/18/aabe873e-6000-11ec-
bda6-25c1f558dd09_story.html">according to the Washington Post</a>, as well as a floor vote to confirm Emanuel as ambassador to Japan.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ttKRy9">
Schumer, for his part, seemed quite satisfied with the outcome of the long night of voting.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lJUGfC">
“At the end of the day, we will have invoked cloture on two circuit judges, confirmed nine district court judges, confirmed 41 ambassadors, and confirmed five other members of President Biden’s team,” he said Saturday, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/586415-cruz-to-get-nord-stream-2-vote-as-part-of-deal-on-
biden-nominees">according to the Hill</a>. “It’s been a long day but a good day’s work. I thank my colleagues.”
</p>
<h3 id="7aIQiX">
Ambassadorships are critical diplomatic positions
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ghZaFb">
In addition to Friday’s confirmation spree, the Senate also <a href="https://www.axios.com/senate-china-ambassador-nicholas-
burns-1244e013-a5f7-441f-a1ce-c5a2dc715948.html">confirmed</a> one of Biden’s highest-profile ambassadorial nominees on Thursday after Rubio agreed to allow the confirmation of Nicholas Burns as ambassador to China to proceed smoothly.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HxCrbz">
Burns, a career diplomat who served under both Republicans and Democrats over a 30-year career, including as undersecretary of state from 2005 to 2008 and as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-senate-backs-biden-
nominee-burns-be-ambassador-china-2021-12-16/">US ambassador to NATO</a>, was <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/08/20/president-biden-announces-his-intent-to-
nominate-three-individuals-to-serve-as-ambassadors/">nominated in August</a>; until this week, his position had gone <a href="https://www.axios.com/senate-china-ambassador-nicholas-burns-1244e013-a5f7-441f-a1ce-c5a2dc715948.html">unfilled for the past 14 months</a> amid increasing US-China tensions.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1RnnY7">
Rubio had been holding Burns’s nomination hostage pending a vote on his legislation to sanction goods made by <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-
highlight/22632448/xinjiang-cotton-ban-china-uyghurs-fast-fashion">slave labor</a> in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. The <a href="https://www.axios.com/uyghur-forced-labor-china-nicholas-burns-
cf503f53-3031-4a84-9320-eaa7309cf535.html">Senate passed the bill unanimously on Thursday</a>, and Biden has indicated he will sign it into law.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l9PuMm">
But the logic of holding key nominations over individual legislative priorities, even when they’re related, is opaque at best, and potentially damaging at worst.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0AOETa">
As <a href="https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-rubio-strike-bipartisan-deal-to-pass-legislation-to-
end-complicity-with-the-genocide-in-china-confirm-key-national-security-nominees-critical-to-implementing-us-china-
policy">Sen. Chris Murphy</a> (D-CT) pointed out <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigCaplan/status/1441189912817012744?s=20">on the Senate floor in September</a>, that kind of obstruction prevents professionals who could help accomplish those priorities, or at least manage diplomatic relationships, from doing their jobs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Jsj0Re">
“It just takes a lot of chutzpah for my colleagues to stand here on the floor and criticize the president’s conduct of foreign policy at the same time that they are refusing to allow the President to have staff to conduct foreign policy,” <a href="https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-
releases/murphy-blasts-senate-republicans-unprecedented-efforts-to-block-state-department-nominations-gop-obstruction-
causing-a-growing-national-security-crisis">Murphy said</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3SwS9g">
Similarly, according to <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-too-brussels-also-hates-ted-cruz/">Politico</a>, European politicians had reportedly also grown frustrated by Cruz’s obstruction prior to Friday’s confirmations. “Cruz is blocking everything,” one senior EU official lamented.
</p>
<h3 id="ZYlMtD">
What happens next?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Cpe3ei">
After filing for cloture on 22 Biden nominees up for confirmation, Schumer <a href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/news/press-releases/majority-
leader-schumer-floor-remarks-on-filing-cloture-on-twenty-two-of-president-bidens-nominations-and-the-need-to-confirm-
president-bidens-nominees-despite-republican-obstruction">warned Thursday</a> that “we could be back here in the near future doing this whole thing over again.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZhUWpe">
That’s because, despite the number of nominees confirmed Friday, many of those still pending will have to go back to Biden’s desk to be be <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46664/2#:~:text=Rule%20XXXI%2C%20Paragraph%206,-Rule%20XXXI%2C%20paragraph&amp;text=The%20rule%20does%20so%20in,for%20more%20than%2030%20days.">re- nominated</a> in the new year — going through the same committee process and potentially giving Republicans more chances to slow-walk their confirmation.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VIG7gb">
Currently, the Senate is set to reconvene January 3, and will vote on the confirmation of Gabriel Sanchez to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AXZs5p">
In the long term, however, the confirmation process could be revised to prevent long delays. <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/14/democrats-cruz-hawley-biden-ambassadors-524220">According to Politico’s Andrew Desiderio</a>, some senators are pushing for a rule change to prevent this sort of confirmation lag from happening again. A bipartisan group met Monday to discuss potential rule changes to prevent the kind of obstruction that contributed to the current confirmation backlog, but it’s unclear what those changes might look like.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZtKDbK">
In the interim, Murphy told Desiderio he is worried about future confirmation fights.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="AUyn0h">
“My worry is that this is not going away, not just on ambassadors,” Murphy said. “I mean, everybody’s got a hold on every agency. So it just doesn’t feel like the rules, as they stand now, work for nominees.”
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>You might get a breakthrough case of Covid-19 this winter. Here’s how to prepare.</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Illustration of a snowy scene containing a huge box of tissues, a blister pack of pills, a
large warm hat, and a small person blowing their nose." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/fStLx5jzcfjYp1zQ4zWY0rz9z9M=/651x0:5984x4000/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70290836/covid.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Getty Images/iStockphoto
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
If you’re hoping for the best but still want to plan for the worst, there are things you can do now.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f8EBfd">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="46oasS">
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f6XK0u">
As case numbers increase in the US and <a href="https://www.vox.com/22824183/omicron-variant-covid-19-vaccine-south-africa-pfizer-vaccine">a new variant of concern circulates</a>, it’s hard to feel optimistic about our upcoming Covid-19 season. Among people who are vaccinated and who have been fairly cautious thus far, a dark feeling of inevitability may be beginning to settle in — a sense that even if you’ve avoided the coronavirus until now, that might not hold through the winter.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XUTcIF">
While it can be anxiety-inducing to see a cluster of storm clouds gathering and know there’s a very good chance you’re in their direct path, there is still time to do a bit of weatherproofing, so to speak — or at least put on a raincoat and grab an umbrella, so that you’re not caught totally off guard when it starts to pour.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vPzil0">
Being prepared for a Covid-19 infection in your household is just plain practical. Even if omicron turns out to be less dangerous than previous variants, the US is also still looking at its first winter with delta, which we know is highly transmissible compared to last winter’s dominant Covid-19 variant. This means people who have tested positive or are symptomatic and waiting for PCR test results need to be especially prepared to tend to their illness without leaving the house, reducing the likelihood of infecting others. Keep in mind that <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22791746/us-
covid-19-cases-deaths-race-inequities-vaccine-antiviral">underserved groups are likely to bear the burden of this and future phases of the pandemic</a>; even if you have a case that feels truly mild, it’s still crucial to do your part to mitigate exposure and keep the pandemic from worsening.
</p>
<aside id="HeVa25">
<div>
</div>
</aside>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eD14mL">
It’s also wise to get physically and mentally ready on a personal level. During uncertain times, it can be helpful to <a href="https://www.vox.com/22828161/how-to-deal-with-omicron-covid-uncertainty-holiday-planning">gain some small semblance of control</a>. While we wait to learn more about omicron, doing something lightly productive — even just restocking your now-expired cold meds — can offset <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22839842/covid-
omicron-variant-us-response-hospitalizations">feelings of powerlessness</a> or anxiety you may be experiencing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XEsZZ1">
Lastly, getting a positive diagnosis can be unmooring, even if you’re vaccinated and not afraid of a scary outcome. You might feel mostly okay physically, but it’s unlikely you’ll want to do a ton of research or make a lot of decisions in that moment. The more time you can spend resting and healing — versus, say, trying to find the most up-to- date info on testing and treatments — the better.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Q9V55F">
If you’re hoping for the best but still want to plan for the worst, here’s advice from one health expert on what you can do right now.
</p>
<h3 id="LfSGvq">
Get boosted (and get a flu shot)
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OPThEm">
Plain and simple. As Vox has previously reported, <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/2021/12/1/22809878/covid-19-omicron-variant-vaccine-booster-shots">booster shots today could fight omicron tomorrow</a>, and getting a flu shot <a href="https://www.vox.com/21356160/flu-shot-
vaccine-covid-coronavirus-influenza-season-pandemic">will help keep hospitals from being overwhelmed</a> (and reduce the risk of co-infection).
</p>
<h3 id="VGITGs">
Make a plan for how and where you’ll get tested if you have symptoms or an exposure
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nJJoRH">
“It’s really important for people to get tested, because it’s really hard to differentiate between seasonal flu, Covid, or just a regular cold,” says <a href="https://twitter.com/syramadad">Syra Madad</a>, the senior director of system-wide special pathogens for NYC Health + Hospitals. “There are a lot of overlapping signs and symptoms, and they’re nonspecific. You can have a fever, cough, or runny nose with any of those three.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0pesfk">
Depending on how you’ve been utilizing testing thus far, you may not have put much thought into how or where you’ll get tested if you start showing symptoms or if you need results ASAP. (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/index.html">According to the CDC</a>, vaccinated people should get tested five to seven days after an exposure or as soon as symptoms develop. Be aware, however, that omicron <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/12/omicron-breakthrough-vaccine-testing/621014/">may have a quicker onset</a> than other variants.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="i49toD">
It’s wise to <a href="https://www.vox.com/22814390/omicron-
covid-19-vaccine-rapid-test-antigen-pcr-vaccine">figure out a testing plan now</a>, including at-home and lab tests, when you’re presumably healthy. Determine the closest testing site(s) to you and how you’ll get there if you need a lab test; ideally, you’d avoid public transportation and ride-sharing services, but if that’s not possible, think about what you might do to minimize the risk to other people. Also make note of the testing site’s hours, whether it’s open on weekends, and whether it’s walk-in only or if you can make an appointment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w94X4w">
Know that getting tested when you know there’s a fairly high probability that you have Covid-19 — versus getting tested as a formality or prophylactically — can be a stressful experience. In those moments, you’re likely going to want your results quickly. So you may also want to figure out where you’ll be able to get a rapid PCR test near you, if available, and add that to the “Covid dossier” (a.k.a. Google Doc) you’re building out. <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22790673/home-
covid-tests-molecular-antigen-winter-holidays">As Vox has previously reported</a>, it’s also a good idea to stock up on rapid at-home antigen tests.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nA08mJ">
Finally, if you’re going to be traveling for an extended period of time over the holidays or in the new year, make sure you know where you can get tested while you’re at your destination.
</p>
<h3 id="GAjOFI">
Step up your mask game
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="67bvTA">
It can be difficult to think of yourself as contagious, especially when you feel great or just “not <em>that</em> sick.” But it’s important to internalize the reality that, at any point, you could unwittingly pose a much bigger threat to others than you realize. That means taking extra precautions to protect your community, especially if you’ve gotten a little lax about this since getting vaccinated.
</p></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ycrhgL">
“No one wants to experience a breakthrough infection,” Madad says. “We know that even fully vaccinated people can transmit the virus, obviously at a lower extent, to fully vaccinated individuals. I think that’s really important for people to understand. It’s not just about you. I know here in America, it’s a lot about me, me, me, but we need to make sure we’re also looking at <em>we</em>, collectively.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LrPI46">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22251362/mask-fit-coronavirus-best-cloth-n95">The best mask is one that fits</a>, so make sure yours does, and think about <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/8/3/22607777/cdc-mask-guidance-covid-19-delta-
variant">replacing your cloth masks with N95, KN95, or surgical masks</a>. If you want to stick with cloth, consider whether it’s time to replace your current supply. (<a href="https://www.vox.com/the-
goods/21358558/covid-19-masks-n95-washing-laundry-germs">Vox reported</a> in September 2020 that a cloth mask likely needs to be replaced after 100 rounds in the washer or 50 in the dryer because the fabric will start to break down and become more porous.)
</p>
<h3 id="v6AJbi">
Determine who will be your main source of medical care if you get sick
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oJ6VtC">
A lot of people in the US simply <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2757495?resultClick=3">don’t have a primary care provider</a> they see regularly — even people who are <a href="https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M19-1834">insured</a>. That’s a tough spot to be in when you’re sick and everything you’re reading is telling you to “talk to your doctor” about symptoms, and treatments.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KtVCxa">
“I would definitely encourage people to make sure that they have a primary care physician,” Madad says. Of course, many people don’t, and can’t, for a slew of structural and systemic reasons. Madad says she’d like to see more centralized hotlines that people can call about symptoms, for guidance on what types of treatments (like monoclonal antibodies) they might qualify for, and to know whether or not to go to the hospital. Until that happens, the best thing for you personally to do is to spend some time on your public health department’s website and the nearest public hospital’s website to find additional resources and information about free or low-cost telehealth options.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7htOcB">
If you do have the resources to get a primary health care provider and have simply been procrastinating doing the research to find one, make that a priority in the next couple of weeks. The good news is that the advent of telehealth means this might be considerably easier, since you won’t need to worry as much about the doctor being a long car or bus ride away.
</p>
<h3 id="wiazHp">
Have a plan for how you’ll isolate if you test positive
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uxXbH7">
The Covid-19 vaccines are so effective at reducing hospitalization and death that it’s possible to start to feel like we’re post-pandemic or that getting Covid-19 is no big deal. It might not be a death sentence if you’re young, vaccinated, and generally healthy, but it’s still not the same as, say, getting a cold (even if it literally feels like you just have a cold). Plus, plenty of people are simply not young or generally healthy and very much want to avoid getting Covid-19 entirely. Which is all to say: It’s important to take isolation seriously.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cpM99h">
With that in mind, take some time to familiarize yourself with <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-
sick.html">the current CDC recommendations</a> for the Covid-positive. Plan that, per current recommendations, you’ll likely need to be at home for 10 days — and not just mostly at home, but literally <em>not leaving your home</em>, except to get medical care, for 10 days. (Also keep in mind the current guidance <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/22841477/covid-19-omicron-variant-tests-symptoms-isolation">could change with omicron</a>.) Here are some other things to think about:
</p>
<ul>
<li id="FpKtQu">
Are there any steps you could take to mitigate spread to family members or housemates? For example, can you confine yourself to one room or even one floor? If you live in an apartment, does it make sense to buy an air purifier and a couple of fans to help with ventilation? Madad also pointed to <a href="https://www1.nyc.gov/site/helpnownyc/get-help/covid-19-hotel-
program.page">New York City’s free hotel program for people and/or families who need to isolate</a>. Not all cities will have options like this, of course, but it’s absolutely worth knowing that ahead of time.
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c0JFJu">
If you have young kids, what might you do in terms of child care if you have to self-isolate and can’t send your kid to day care or school?
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qDT4Jx">
How might you get food and medicine if you can’t leave the house? Do any drug stores or grocery stores near your home offer delivery? Are there any local mutual aid groups you can join now, in case you need a supply drop-off from a neighbor later?
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YZJ2fU">
What is your workplace’s sick leave or PTO policy and how will that affect you, especially if you’re employed outside the house? Even companies with generous leave policies might require you to take short-term disability if you need to use more than five days of sick leave in a row, which is not something you want to learn for the first time mere hours after a Covid-19 diagnosis.
</li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tQHCeN">
If you live in an apartment and have a dog you need to take outside, who could pick up your pet and watch it while you isolate?
</li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="akWv44">
The answer to some of these questions might be, “Well, I guess I’m screwed!” which absolutely does not represent a moral failing on your part. But facing the bleak reality that things like sick leave and child care in the US are not built for a pandemic (or for a non-pandemic, to be frank) is a tiny bit easier and less overwhelming when you’re feeling relatively healthy.
</p>
<h3 id="NNoP3s">
Stock up on essentials
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wkip8u">
One thing that will make it massively easier to isolate and to focus on getting better is a well-stocked medicine chest and pantry.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kIdMiH">
To tend to your symptoms, you’ll likely want to have a variety of cold and cough medicines, pain relievers and fever reducers (like acetaminophen and ibuprofen), cough drops, a thermometer, and a few boxes of tissues. Madad says a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/well/live/covid-pulse-
oximeter.html">pulse oximeter</a> to monitor changes in your oxygen levels also isn’t a bad idea, though the reliability of this tool varies somewhat, especially for those with dark skin. Think about what you like to eat when you’re sick and/or don’t have much appetite (jello, popsicles, instant ramen, soup, etc.) and consider bulking up your grocery list for a few weeks with pantry staples and freezer meals for the benefit of Future You.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UsGY7T">
For extra credit, here are two items that unexpectedly made my own bout of Covid-19 much easier: a <em>big</em> water bottle with a straw (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Medegen-Roommates-Pitcher-Insulated-
Translucent/dp/B0013YBCVS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2G8TCZ4L6LZI8&amp;keywords=1%2BX%2BMedegen%2BRoommates%2BPitcher%2BInsulated%2BW%2FStraw%2BTranslucent%2BW%2FGranite%2BAnd%2BHandle%2B32%2BOz%2B-%2BModel%2Bh206-01&amp;qid=1639689390&amp;sprefix=1%2Bx%2Bmedegen%2Broommates%2Bpitcher%2Binsulated%2Bw%2Fstraw%2Btranslucent%2Bw%2Fgranite%2Band%2Bhandle%2B32%2Boz%2B-%2Bmodel%2Bh206-01%2Caps%2C64&amp;sr=8-1&amp;th=1">like this</a>), which made it much easier to stay hydrated, and a small trash receptacle to put next to the bed or couch, because having a runny nose and taking lots of individually wrapped cold meds generates a ton of trash, which quickly takes over your nightstand and adds to the generally rotten vibe of having a respiratory illness.
</p>
<h3 id="Dnt1PF">
Mentally prepare for how much rest you’ll need when you’re sick
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="7I2ahv">
One of the big benefits of planning ahead like this is that it’ll make it easier to do nothing after you’ve tested positive — something that is critical to the healing process.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LAYi5j">
During <a href="https://www.justgoodshit.com/blog/things-to-do-for-
a-mild-covid-case">the mild case of Covid-19 I had last January</a>, I immediately took time off work, but I didn’t totally understand what it means to truly rest, in the doctor-prescribed sense. I thought I could do light chores if I felt mostly up to them, for example, or read a book. I even, somewhat inexplicably, set my alarm for a normal wake-up time every morning, like it was an average weekend instead of … time off to deal with the respiratory illness I’d spent a year avoiding. It took me a few days to accept that doing anything but lying down and watching TV was draining, and even if I felt okay in the moment, I’d pay for it by feeling awful in the hours that followed. If you’ve been healthy your whole life, it can be difficult to comprehend how physically wiped you might feel after doing your typical version of “doing nothing.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lPmJcX">
“We want to give our bodies time to recover,” Madad says. “You’re not going to get that healing time or recovery time if you’re going to constantly be active and on your feet and doing things that we do on a daily basis. I know so many of us live active lives, and to just stay in bed is something that’s really hard for many of us. But it’s really important.” And know that if you can’t take it easy — because, say, your boss expects you to get back to work or you have to take care of your kids, or both — it might take you longer to feel like yourself again. “If you are not giving that time to your body, then it probably will take longer for you to deal with Covid,” Madad says.
</p>
<h3 id="RxlmvI">
Pick up the phone if/when the health department calls you
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FdZbva">
If you’re not one to answer phone calls from unknown numbers, consider making an exception in the days following your positive test — it could very well be the local health department getting in touch. Depending on where you live, they could be calling to get your help with contact tracing, or they might want to ask you some questions about your symptoms, answer any questions you have, and provide you with important info and resources. (On the other hand, Madad says a lot of states are currently overwhelmed, so you may not get a call at all.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tpBkI5">
Madad says that people might feel hesitant to share their friends’ or coworkers’ personal information with the health department, but stresses that contact tracing is still a critical piece of preventing future outbreaks. “Oftentimes, I hear, ‘I’m not going to give out my personal information,’ or ‘I’m not going to give information of who I have been in contact with because it’s none of their business,’” she says. “But, again, I would look at it as a form of community service. If you get that call, give that information, because their goal is to end this pandemic. By giving that information, you’re contributing to helping reduce the spread of this virus, which ultimately will help end this pandemic eventually.”
</p>
<h3 id="IC2dkI">
Be ready to feel a wave of emotions
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wBrPRY">
Even if you’ve told yourself you’ll likely get Covid-19 eventually and it’s probably not a big deal, it’s still totally reasonable to feel overwhelmed and upset by a positive test. (It’s also completely reasonable to think it is a very big deal, and to feel afraid.) “It’s okay to be concerned, it’s okay to have those types of feelings,” Madad says. “No one wants to experience illness of any kind, whether we’re talking about Covid-19 or any type of a virus — no one wants to get sick. That’s not a condition that anybody wants to experience, especially when you talk about a variant that we’re still learning more about.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ckTJRz">
It’s also very normal to feel a sense of shame or guilt, but Madad says it’s important to not let those feelings stop you from taking necessary steps to protect others. “Regardless of how you got infected, you want to do the right thing in terms of preventing other people from getting sick and contributing to that community transmission that is happening,” she says. That means telling close contacts they need to get tested and taking isolation seriously. “I think there should be no shame, no embarrassment,” Madad says. “You’re doing community service — you’re letting people know to protect themselves, because you’re infected, and you want to make sure that you’re staying away from them.”
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Can a new approach to funding scientific research unlock innovation?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IlG1UVC_tXu_VeXGyV1Uj-
mpWMU=/0x0:3556x2667/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70290678/1237285331.0.jpeg"/></figure></li>
</ul>
<figcaption>
A technician works at the African Health Research Institute in Durban, South Africa, on December 15. | Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images
</figcaption>
<pre><code>&lt;/figure&gt;</code></pre>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
How we fund research is stifling creativity. Here’s one potential fix.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="CFB3Y3">
Ask a bunch of scientists what’s wrong with their field, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process#1">as Vox did a few years ago</a>, and one thing nearly all of them will name is the funding process. You might think that top scientists at top universities are paid by those universities for the research they do, but for the most part, you’d be wrong: Nearly all academic researchers in the sciences rely on outside grants in order to pay salaries, buy their equipment, and run their experiments.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zduucS">
Those grants end up powerfully shaping the academic sciences. By <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process#1">some estimates</a>, many top researchers spend 50 percent of their time writing grants. <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v534/n7609/full/nature18315.html">Interdisciplinary research</a> is less likely to get funding, meaning critical kinds of research don’t get done. And scientists argue that the constant fighting for funding undermines good work by <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4376168/">encouraging researchers to overpromise and engage in questionable practices</a>, <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/policy-nih-
plans-to-enhance-reproducibility-1.14586">overincentivizing publication in top journals</a>, <a href="https://www.academia.edu/14162686/A_tragedy_of_the_academic_commons_interpreting_the_replication_crisis_in_psychology_as_a_social_dilemma_for_early-
career_researchers">disincentivizing replications of existing work</a>, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1745691616687745">stifling creativity and intellectual risk- taking</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NBaLQF">
A new biomedical research institute, <a href="https://arcinstitute.org/">called the Arc Institute</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/patrickc/status/1471156220425871360">announced on Wednesday</a> as a nonprofit in collaboration between Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UC San Francisco and funded by some of the biggest names in tech, is meant to address some of those problems — and show what could be a better way<strong> </strong>to fund science.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L8BIoR">
Arc is “an institutional experiment in how science is conducted and funded,” Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe and one of the Institute’s funders, told me. Researchers get eight-year grants to do whatever they want, instead of three-year grants tied to a specific project.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B2OcZl">
The institute is also hiring for people who want to work on improving key biological research tools instead of on conducting experiments and writing papers. It’s an expensive approach that can, even at best, only solve the problems with our current system for a tiny fraction of the researchers affected by it. But its founders hope it can at least show that solutions are possible — and inspire further experimentation.
</p>
<h3 id="boK1B4">
Arc, explained
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="c4O112">
The key idea behind Arc is that the current system for biomedical scientists has enabled a lot of great research. But there’s an overwhelming sentiment among scientists that some key work is falling through the cracks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q6E11e">
Top investigators “spend over half of our time fundraising. The rest of that time we’re shouldering serious managerial, operational, logistical things,” Patrick Hsu, an assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of California Berkeley and one of Arc’s founders, told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HpJOZn">
The system “doesn’t empirically seem to enable people to pursue what they themselves think is their best idea,” Collison said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vCmWF3">
Last year, Collison was involved in funding a major scientific grantmaking endeavor called <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-
perfect/2020/4/21/21228156/coronavirus-fast-grants-tyler-cowen-patrick-collison">FastGrants</a> — an effort to get money out to researchers doing critical work on Covid-19. With the funds, they sent a survey. One question included was “if you have the same amount of funding but you could use it however you want, and it was stable, would you change your research program,” Silvana Konermann, an assistant professor of biochemistry at Stanford and the new executive director of Arc, told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="goJA8j">
Eighty percent of the scientists who answered said they would change their research program substantially.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UV4P6m">
Arc is a bet on doing exactly that. The researchers it brings on as core investigators will get less restricted, eight-year grants. The idea is that they’ll spend less time fundraising and feel secure to switch course and focus on whatever they believe is most essential, giving them what Konermann said is the “flexibility and freedom to pursue the research they’re the most passionate about and take risks and take on projects that might fail.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZLGPvu">
The institute is also hoping to better support those scientists with “technology development centers” that focus on inventing better tools and processes for biomedical research. It’s the kind of work that is essential to science but that doesn’t lead to academic papers and that is therefore not seen as a viable career path.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9GFy3f">
With the current system, “there aren’t long-term careers for the people doing it,” Hsu told me. “It should be possible to work for 20 years on refining some super-useful technology” — for cutting and pasting DNA, for example, or something similarly fundamental. Right now there aren’t good career options in the academic biosciences for people who want to work on slow, slight engineering improvements on a key problem. It’d be nice to change that.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZRPYRD">
Arc will operate out of Palo Alto, California, where Stanford is located, as an independent nonprofit collaborating with Stanford, Berkeley, and UCSF — all institutions with highly regarded biomedical programs.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qHrnY4">
It’ll be expensive — part of why no one has fixed biomedical science is that it isn’t cheap. The venture<strong> </strong>has funding commitments from — along with Patrick Collison (who is Konermann’s husband) and his brother and Stripe co-founder John Collison — cryptocurrency billionaire Vitalik Buterin, and Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna (whose <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/4/24/8457895/givewell-open-philanthropy-
charity">ambitious philanthropy</a> crops up <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/21728843/best-charities-donate-
giving-tuesday">frequently</a> here on Future Perfect), among others.
</p>
<h3 id="AOqFQn">
What’s missing from our scientific funding system
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Bii90Q">
If you’re a tenured professor doing academic research in many scientific fields, you’ll be responsible for running a lab. That means you’ll need to hire graduate students and postdocs, as well as pay for equipment, supplies, and publication fees.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qxhpg5">
Universities pay a share of these expenses, but the bulk is expected to come from research grants. In the US, most of those grants <a href="https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/who_pays">come from the federal government</a>: Biomedical research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and much other research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zGjsV1">
Grant applications tend to be long and complicated, and often require “preliminary work” on a project, which means a lab has to already commit significant resources toward it before they can even apply for future work on it to be paid for, Hsu told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Skq9Nr">
And the number of grant applications to institutions like the NIH has been going up, while funding hasn’t necessarily kept pace, so grant rejection rates are sky-high. In the 1970s when the program got started, the share of NIH grant applications that are approved was <a href="https://report.nih.gov/funding/nih-budget-and-spending-data-past-fiscal-years/success-rates">about 35 to 40 percent — now it’s about 20 percent</a>. That means most of the time and effort on writing grant applications is effectively wasted.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3jKjVW">
The process isn’t just time-consuming — it’s also stunningly capricious. One study found <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/13323">very little correlation</a> between how a grant was scored in the NIH process for grant approvals and whether the research it produced was eventually cited.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="o5h7L2">
Another study, looking at high-quality proposals, found there was <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/02/27/1714379115">virtually no agreement on their merits</a> — two researchers might come to vastly different conclusions about whether the grant should be approved. <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d4797?ijkey=1fa4befcca754a1a3a9cb2e45306f3694cc84639&amp;keytype2=tf_ipsecsha">Another analysis</a> looked at successful grants and found that 59 percent of them could have been rejected due to random variability in scoring. Watching how NIH grants were reviewed was “very eye-opening for me,” Hsu told me — and not in a good way.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qLffqn">
Then there’s the fact that grants tend to expire after a few years. As John Pooley, a neurobiology postdoc at the University of Bristol, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/7/14/12016710/science-challeges-
research-funding-peer-review-process">told Vox</a>, that inclines researchers toward tackling something that they can address in a few years. But some of the most important problems in medicine will take much longer to crack.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1639443378.009900">
To be clear, a lot of incredible biomedical research is happening in academic laboratories today. The US leads the world in biomedicine, and key inventions like <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/7/23/17594864/crispr-
cas9-gene-editing">CRISPR</a> happened in US laboratories. While the system certainly needs improvement, no one wants to lose what makes US biomedicine already lead the world.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DoJfTP">
“It’s not that the current model is really bad for everyone — I think the current model actually works really well for some people,” Konermann told me. “The hope is not that everything will be like Arc, but that each of these models will have their own downsides and their own upsides,” making for a “healthier overall ecosystem.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TSdML8">
Of course, even if there are flaws in the current system, Arc might not necessarily<strong> </strong>address them. For one thing, it’s really small and not an option for most biomedical researchers, no matter how much they’d like it. For another, Arc represents a bet on what conditions produce good science — and while their case for their bet is compelling, they could be wrong that giving scientists more flexibility and more autonomy actually produces the lifesaving cures we hope for from biomedicine.
</p>
<h3 id="TpHGDX">
Experimenting with our scientific process
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QrROM6">
A wide range of ideas have been aired for how to fix the scientific grant process, from <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/1/18/18183939/science-
funding-grant-lotteries-research">lotteries</a> to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16923379/">limiting applications to one page</a>. There have been private attempts to do better — like <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-
perfect/2020/4/21/21228156/coronavirus-fast-grants-tyler-cowen-patrick-collison">FastGrants</a>, which aimed to get out Covid-19 research money in 48 hours instead of weeks or months, and which has moved more than <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02111-7">$50 million</a> to date.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3NiitL">
But one key thing, Collison emphasized to me, is simply having more options. There’s nothing wrong with the NIH grant process as one way that researchers can secure money for an idea. But when it’s the only way, any science that doesn’t fit neatly into the NIH process won’t get done at all.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="anen8l">
Arc is one more option, but it will only be able to fund a few core investigators and a limited number of full-time careers working on developing new tools in its technology development centers.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PFRvZ9">
That’s why Collison says one<strong> </strong>measure of Arc’s success — alongside the more obvious ones, like whether its researchers report that they’re able to focus on science, and whether they discover new things that make the world a better place — is whether “other funders, other institutions, other stakeholders in our prevailing systems, are compelled to themselves pursue other experiments and other models.” If Arc works, then that raises new questions — what else might work? What other potential is going untapped in the current system?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OfLV6V">
It’s an experiment that the beneficiaries of biomedical research — which is to say, everyone — ought to watch with interest.
</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>Data | How good is Stephen Curry, the shooter?</strong> - Steph Curry has not only shot the most number of three-pointers in the NBA but has also managed to do it in merely 789 games</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>India thrash Japan 6-0 in Asian Champions Trophy</strong> - Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace</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>India tour of South Africa | Hope fast bowlers can give us 20 wickets in every Test against South Africa, says Pujara</strong> - “Our fast bowlers are our strength and I hope that they will be able to utilise these conditions”</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>The Ashes | Australia snare Root to close in on Adelaide Test victory</strong> - England are chasing a target of 468</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>Not yet ready for Tour-level play: Woods</strong> - Tiger Woods is looking forward to his first competitive rounds since the career-threatening leg injuries he suffered in a car crash, but he said on Fr</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>Rajya Sabha productivity plunges to 37.60% during 3rd week of Winter Session</strong> - Three bills were passed and returned during the week.</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>CPI(M), LDF helping fundamentalist forces unleash violence in Kerala, says BJP</strong> - BJP Kerala president K. Surendran alleges that the Popular Front of India is preparing for a communal riot in the State</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>Subramanian Swamy seeks ban on Popular Front of India</strong> - The BJP leader says law and order situation in Kerala has collapsed and the Union government should be ready to dismiss the State government headed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan</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>Opposition MPs flag unsatisfactory answers to their questions in Parliament</strong> - They are full of rhetoric and read more like a pean to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they say</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>Akhilesh Yadav accuses Yogi Adityanath of ‘tapping’ his telephones</strong> - Samajwadi Party chief also asked reporters to “remain alert, if you are speaking to me”</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>Covid: Dutch go into Christmas lockdown over Omicron wave</strong> - Non-essential shops, schools, bars, restaurants and other public venues will be closed until at least mid-January.</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>Wagner Group: Why the EU is alarmed by Russian mercenaries in Central Africa</strong> - The shadowy Russian mercenary group, allegedly linked to the Kremlin, has been accused of rights abuses.</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>UK troops will not be deployed to Ukraine to defend against Russia</strong> - Britain’s defence secretary says this is because Ukraine is not a member of the Nato military alliance.</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: French ski season in disarray as UK tourists banned</strong> - Snow on the slopes of Mont Blanc is the best Chamonix has seen in years - but few Brits will enjoy it.</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>UK Brexit minister resigns</strong> - He says he hopes Boris Johnson will not be tempted by “coercive measures” to tackle Covid.</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>YouTube TV loses ESPN, ABC, and all other Disney-owned channels</strong> - YouTube TV can’t strike new deal with Disney, lowers price from $65 to $50. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1821766">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The weekend’s best deals: Epic Games Store holiday sale, Apple devices, and more</strong> - Dealmaster also includes good noise-canceling headphones and Philips Hue lights. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1821507">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Mask up! The best face masks for use against COVID-19 [Updated]</strong> - Finding masks that meet CDC and WHO guidelines is tough. We did the work for you. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1722673">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Google warns that NSO hacking is on par with elite nation-state spies</strong> - ForcedEntry is “one of the most technically sophisticated exploits.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1821631">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Anti-5G “quantum pendants” are radioactive</strong> - Dutch authority for nuclear safety issues warning, bans 10 scammy “negative ion” products. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1821525">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>what’s the fastest way to get banned from r/conservative?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
source?
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/connie-lingus38"> /u/connie-lingus38 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjeri4/whats_the_fastest_way_to_get_banned_from/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjeri4/whats_the_fastest_way_to_get_banned_from/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Me: The earth isn’t flat</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me: The earth isn’t flat.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Fiat earther: Correct.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me: huh?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Fiat earther: It’s shaped like an Italian car.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Me: what?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Fiat earther: You read my name wrong, didn’t you?
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/whomikehidden"> /u/whomikehidden </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjmaho/me_the_earth_isnt_flat/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjmaho/me_the_earth_isnt_flat/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>The IRS suspected a fishing boat owner wasn’t paying proper wages to his Deckhand, so they sent an agent to investigate him.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
IRS AGENT: “I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Boat Owner: “Well, there’s Clarence, my deckhand, he’s been with me for 3 years. I pay him $1,000 a week plus free room and board. Then there’s the mentally challenged guy. He works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of the work around here. He makes about $30 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of Bacardi rum and a dozen Budweisers every Saturday night so he can cope with life. He also gets to sleep with my wife occasionally”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
IRS AGENT: “That’s the guy I want to talk to - the mentally challenged one”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Boat Owner: “That would be me. What would you like to know”?
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Waitsfornoone"> /u/Waitsfornoone </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjfr91/the_irs_suspected_a_fishing_boat_owner_wasnt/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjfr91/the_irs_suspected_a_fishing_boat_owner_wasnt/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>An old man was walking on a park adjoining the cliff famous for suicide and saw a young woman standing at the edge contemplating suicide</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He approached her.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She: “Dont come near me!!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Old man :" Since you are anyway going to die,why cant you make this old man happy with a quickie?"
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She shrieked “Over my dead body,you filthy pervert”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Old man “Ok,if thats the case, I will walk down and wait for you at the bottom” and then he walked away.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The woman stood for another 10 minutes and came back to her car and left.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The old man who was watching her from the bushes sighed “7 suicide attempt saved this month”.
</p>
</div>
<!-- SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Indianfattie"> /u/Indianfattie </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjt9w1/an_old_man_was_walking_on_a_park_adjoining_the/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjt9w1/an_old_man_was_walking_on_a_park_adjoining_the/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>English is hard</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
ok just hear me out there are 2 silent Ks in “knock”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
4 silent Ks in “knick knack”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
and there are 3 silent Ks in republican
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
edit: typing is hard too
</p>
</div>
<!--
SC_ON -->
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/idontwanttobeavirgin"> /u/idontwanttobeavirgin </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjuged/english_is_hard/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rjuged/english_is_hard/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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