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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>Comprehensive analysis of disease pathology in immunocompetent and immunocompromised hamster models of SARS-CoV-2 infection</strong> -
<div>
The pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in the context of a specific immunological niche is not fully understood. Here, we used a golden Syrian hamster model to systematically evaluate the kinetics of host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, following disease pathology, viral loads, antibody responses, and inflammatory cytokine expression in multiple organs. The kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and genomewide lung transcriptome was also compared between immunocompetent and immunocompromised hamsters. We observed that the body weight loss was proportional to the SARS-CoV-2 infectious dose and lasted for a short time only in immunocompetent hamsters. Body weight loss was more prominent and prolonged in infected immunocompromised hamsters. While the kinetics of viral replication and peak live viral loads were not significantly different at low and high infectious doses (LD and HD), the HD-infected immunocompetent animals developed severe lung disease pathology. The immunocompetent animals cleared the live virus in all tested tissues by 12 days post-infection and generated a robust serum antibody response. In contrast, immunocompromised hamsters mounted an inadequate SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody response, and the virus was detected in the pulmonary and multiple extrapulmonary organs until 16 days post-infection. These hamsters also had prolonged moderate inflammation with severe bronchiolar-alveolar hyperplasia/metaplasia. Consistent with the difference in disease presentation, distinct changes in the expression of inflammation and immune cell response pathways and network genes were seen in the lungs of infected immunocompetent and immunocompromised animals. This study highlights the interplay between the kinetics of viral replication and the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis at organ-level niches and maps how COVID-19 symptoms vary in different immune contexts. Together, our data suggest that the histopathological manifestations caused by progressive SARS-CoV-2 infection may be a better predictor of COVID-19 severity than individual measures of viral load, antibody response, and cytokine storm at the systemic or local (lungs) levels in the immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts.
</div>
<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.07.475406v1" target="_blank">Comprehensive analysis of disease pathology in immunocompetent and immunocompromised hamster models of SARS-CoV-2 infection</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of Long COVID among diagnosed cases of COVID-19</strong> -
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Background: Long COVID or long-term complication after COVID-19 has the ability to affect health and quality of life. Knowledge about the burden and predictors could aid in their prevention and management. Most of the studies are from high-income countries and focus on severe cases. We did this study to estimate the prevalence and identify the characteristics and predictors of Long COVID among our patients. Methodology: We recruited adult (≥18 years) patients who were diagnosed as Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR) confirmed SARS-COV-2 infection and were either hospitalized or tested on outpatient basis. Eligible participants were followed up telephonically after four weeks of diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 infection to collect data on sociodemographic, clinical history, vaccination history, Cycle threshold (Ct) values during diagnosis and other variables. Characteristic of Long COVID were elicited, and multivariable logistic regression was done to find the predictors of Long COVID. Results: We have analyzed 487 individual data with a median follow-up of 44 days (Inter quartile range (IQR): 39,47). Overall, Long COVID was reported by 29.2% (95% Confidence interval (CI): 25.3%,33.4%) participants. Prevalence of Long COVID among patients with mild/moderate disease (n = 415) was 23.4% (95% CI: 19.5%,27.7%) as compared to 62.5% (95% CI: 50.7%,73%) in severe/critical cases(n=72). The most common Long COVID symptom was fatigue (64.8%) followed by cough (32.4%). Statistically significant predictors of Long COVID were - Pre-existing medical conditions (Adjusted Odds ratio (aOR)=2.00, 95% CI: 1.16,3.44), having a more significant number of symptoms during acute phase of COVID-19 disease (aOR=11.24, 95% CI: 4.00,31.51), two doses of COVID-19 vaccination (aOR=2.32, 95% CI: 1.17,4.58), the severity of illness (aOR=5.71, 95% CI: 3.00,10.89) and being admitted to hospital (Odds ratio (OR)=3.89, 95% CI: 2.49,6.08). Conclusion: A considerable proportion of COVID-19 cases reported Long COVID symptoms. More research is needed in Long COVID to objectively assess the symptoms and find the biological and radiological markers.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.04.21268536v1" target="_blank">Prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of Long COVID among diagnosed cases of COVID-19</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>VarLOCK - sequencing independent, rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern for point-of-care testing, qPCR pipelines and national wastewater surveillance</strong> -
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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a threat to the general population. The ongoing vaccination programs provide protection to individuals and facilitate the opening of society and a return to normality. However, emergent and existing SARS-CoV-2 variants capable of evading the immune system endanger the efficacy of the vaccination strategy. To preserve the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination globally, aggressive and effective surveillance for known and emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOC) is required. Rapid and specific molecular diagnostics can provide speed and coverage advantages compared to genomic sequencing alone, benefitting the public health response and facilitating VOC containment. In this work, we expand the recently developed SARS-CoV-2 CRISPR-Cas detection technology (SHERLOCK) to allow rapid and sensitive discrimination of VOCs, that can be used at point of care and/or implemented in the pipelines of small or large testing facilities, and even determine proportion of VOCs in pooled population-level wastewater samples. This technology aims to complement the ongoing sequencing efforts to allow facile and, crucially, rapid identification of individuals infected with VOCs to help break infection chains. Here, we show the optimisation of our VarLOCK assays (Variant-specific SHERLOCK) for multiple specific mutations in the S gene of SARS-CoV-2 and validation with samples from the Cardiff University Testing Service. We also show the applicability of VarLOCK to national wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants. In addition, we show the rapid adaptability of the technique for new and emerging VOCs such as Omicron.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.06.21268555v1" target="_blank">VarLOCK - sequencing independent, rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern for point-of-care testing, qPCR pipelines and national wastewater surveillance</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Comparison of infectious SARS-CoV-2 from the nasopharynx of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals</strong> -
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The frequency of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated individuals increased with the emergence of the Delta variant, particularly with longer time from vaccine completion. However, whether breakthrough infections lead to onward transmission remains unclear. Here, we conducted a study involving 125 patients comprised of 72 vaccinated and 53 unvaccinated individuals, to assess the levels of infectious virus in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Quantitative plaque assays showed no significant differences in the titers of virus between these cohorts. However, the proportion of nasopharyngeal samples with culturable virus was lower in the vaccinated patients relative to unvaccinated patients (21% vs. 40%). Finally, time-to-event analysis with Kaplan-Myer curves revealed that protection from culturable infectious virus waned significantly starting at 5 months after completing a 2-dose regimen of mRNA vaccines. These results have important implications in timing of booster dose to prevent onward transmission from breakthrough cases.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.28.21268460v2" target="_blank">Comparison of infectious SARS-CoV-2 from the nasopharynx of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Prediction of Subsequent Need for Intensive Oxygen Supplementation in Galveston, Texas: A Retrospective Cohort Study and Multivariable Regression Model of Unvaccinated COVID-19 Patients</strong> -
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Objective The severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic claiming more than 4 million lives worldwide. Overwhelming Coronavirus-Disease-2019 (COVID-19) respiratory failure placed tremendous demands on healthcare systems increasing the death toll. Cost-effective prognostic tools to characterize COVID-19 patients9 likely to progress to severe hypoxemic respiratory failure are still needed. Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study to develop a model utilizing demographic and clinical data collected in the first 12-hours admission to explore associations with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure in unvaccinated and hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Setting University based healthcare system including 6 hospitals located in the Galveston, Brazoria and Harris counties of Texas. Participants Adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to one of six hospitals between March 19th and June 31st, 2020. Primary outcome The primary outcome was defined as reaching a WHO ordinal scale between 6-9 at any time during admission, which corresponded to severe hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring high-flow oxygen supplementation or mechanical ventilation. Results We included 329 participants in the model cohort and 62 (18.8%) met the primary outcome. Our multivariable regression model found that lactate dehydrogenase (OR 3.38 (95% CI 2.04-5.59)), qSOFA score (OR: 2.24 (95% CI 1.22-4.12)), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (OR:1.08 (95% CI 1.02-1.14)), age (OR: 1.04 (95% CI 1.02-1.07)), BMI (OR: 1.08 (95% CI1.03-1.13)), oxygen saturation or admission SpO2 (OR: 0.91 (95% CI 0.83-0.99)), and admission date (OR: 0.99 (95% CI 0.98-0.99)). The final model showed an area under curve (AUC) of 0.85. The sensitivity analysis and point of influence analysis did not reveal inconsistencies. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that a combination of accessible demographic and clinical information provide a powerful predictive tool to identify subjects with CoVID-19 likely to progress to severe hypoxemic respiratory failure.
</p>
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<div class="article-link article-html-link">
🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.05.21265970v2" target="_blank">Prediction of Subsequent Need for Intensive Oxygen Supplementation in Galveston, Texas: A Retrospective Cohort Study and Multivariable Regression Model of Unvaccinated COVID-19 Patients</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Determinants of pre-vaccination antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2: a population-based longitudinal study (COVIDENCE UK)</strong> -
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Background: Prospective population-based studies investigating multiple determinants of pre-vaccination antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 are lacking. Methods: We did a prospective population-based study in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-naive UK adults recruited between May 1 and November 2, 2020, without a positive swab test result for SARS-CoV-2 prior to enrolment. Information on 88 potential sociodemographic, behavioural, nutritional, clinical and pharmacological risk factors was obtained through online questionnaires, and combined IgG/IgA/IgM responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein were determined in dried blood spots obtained between November 6, 2020 and April 18, 2021. We used logistic and linear regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and adjusted geometric mean ratios (aGMRs) for potential determinants of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity (all participants) and antibody titres (seropositive participants only), respectively. Results: 1696 (15.2%) of 11,130 participants were seropositive. Factors independently associated with increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity included frontline health/care occupation (aOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.48-2.33), international travel (1.20, 1.07-1.35), number of visits to shops and other indoor public places (≥5 vs. 0/week: 1.29, 1.06-1.57, P-trend=0.01), body mass index (BMI) ≥25 vs &lt;25 kg/m <sub>2</sub> (1.24, 1.11-1.39), Asian/Asian British vs White ethnicity (1.65, 1.10-2.49), and alcohol consumption ≥15 vs 0 units/week (1.23, 1.04-1.46). Light physical exercise associated with decreased risk (0.80, 0.70-0.93, for ≥10 vs 0-4 h/week). Among seropositive participants, higher titres of anti-Spike antibodies associated with factors including BMI ≥30 vs &lt;25 kg/m<sub>2</sub> (aGMR 1.10, 1.02-1.19), Asian/Asian British vs White ethnicity (1.22, 1.04-1.44), frontline health/care occupation (1.24, 95% CI 1.11-1.39), international travel (1.11, 1.05-1.16), and number of visits to shops and other indoor public places (≥5 vs. 0/week: 1.12, 1.02-1.23, P-trend=0.01); these associations were not substantially attenuated by adjustment for COVID-19 disease severity. Conclusions: Higher alcohol consumption and reduced light physical exercise represent new modifiable risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recognised associations between Asian/Asian British ethnic origin and obesity and increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity were independent of other sociodemographic, behavioural, nutritional, clinical and pharmacological factors investigated. Among seropositive participants, higher titres of anti-Spike antibodies in people of Asian ancestry and in obese people were not explained by greater COVID-19 disease severity in these groups.
</p>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.02.21265767v2" target="_blank">Determinants of pre-vaccination antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2: a population-based longitudinal study (COVIDENCE UK)</a>
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<li><strong>Temporary hold of mycophenolate boosts SARS-CoV-2 vaccination-specific humoral and cellular immunity in kidney transplant recipients</strong> -
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Transplant recipients exhibit an impaired protective immunity after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, potentially caused by mycophenolate (MPA) immunosuppression. Recent data from autoimmune patients suggest that temporary MPA hold might significantly improve booster vaccination outcomes. We applied a fourth dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine during temporary (5 weeks) MPA hold to 29 kidney transplant recipients, who had not mounted a humoral immune-response to previous vaccinations. Seroconversion until day 32 after vaccination was observed in 76% of patients, associated with acquisition of virus neutralizing capacity. Interestingly, 21/25 (84%) CNI-treated patients responded, but only 1/4 Belatacept- treated patients. In line with humoral responses, counts and relative frequencies of spike receptor binding domain (RBD) specific B cells were significantly increased on day 7 after vaccination, with an increase in RBD specific CD27++CD38+ plasmablasts. Whereas overall proportions of spike-reactive CD4+ T cells remained unaltered after the fourth dose, frequencies were positively correlated with specific IgG levels. Importantly, antigen-specific proliferating Ki67+ and in vivo activated PD1+ T cells significantly increased after re-vaccination during MPA hold, whereas cytokine production and memory differentiation remained unaffected. In summary, MPA hold was safe and augmented all arms of immunity during booster vaccination, suggesting its implementation in vaccination protocols for clinically stable transplant recipients.
</p>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.05.21268478v1" target="_blank">Temporary hold of mycophenolate boosts SARS-CoV-2 vaccination-specific humoral and cellular immunity in kidney transplant recipients</a>
</div></li>
<li><strong>Persistence of immunity and impact of a third (booster) dose of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, BBV152; a phase 2, double-blind, randomised controlled trial</strong> -
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Background: Neutralising antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been reported to decline within 6 months of vaccination, particularly against Variants of Concern (VOC). We assessed the immunogenicity and safety of a booster dose of BBV152 administered 6 months after the second of a two-dose primary vaccination series. Methods: In an ongoing phase 2 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04471519) the protocol was amended after six months to re-consent and randomise 184 previously vaccinated participants to receive a third dose of vaccine or placebo on Day 215. The primary outcome was to measure neutralising antibody titres by plaque-reduction neutralisation test (PRNT50) four weeks after the booster; safety as serious adverse events (SAE) was the key secondary outcome. Findings: Four weeks after a second BBV152 vaccination geometric mean titres (GMTs) of neutralising antibodies were 197.0 PRNT50 (95% CI: 155.6,249.4); this level declined to 23.9 PRNT50 (14.0,40.6) six months later, with a seroconversion rate of 75.4% (95% CI: 68.4,81.6). Four weeks after booster vaccination the GMT increased on Day 243 to 746.6 PRNT50 (514.9,1081) compared with 100.7 PRNT50 (43.6,232.6) in the placebo group. Corresponding seroconversion rates were 98.7% (92.8,99.9) and 79.8% (69.6,87.8). Increased titres in the placebo group were attributed to natural infection as the study was conducted during the second wave of COVID-19 in India. PRNT50 titres against the SARS-CoV-2 variants increased Alpha (32.6 fold), Beta (161.0 fold), Delta (264.7 fold), and Delta plus (174.2 fold) after the booster vaccination. We found that vaccine induces both memory B and T cells with a distinct AIM+ specific CD4+T central and effector memory phenotype, including CD8+ TEMRA phenotype. Reactogenicity after vaccine and placebo was minimal and comparable, and no SAEs were reported. Interpretation: Six months after a two dose BBV152 vaccination series cell mediated immunity and neutralising antibodies to both homologous (D614G) and heterologous strains (Alpha, Beta, Delta and Delta plus) persisted above baseline, although the magnitude of the responses had declined. Neutralising antibodies against homologous and heterologous SARS-CoV-2 variants increased 19 to 97 fold after a third vaccination. Booster BBV152 vaccination is safe and may be necessary to ensure persistent immunity to prevent breakthrough infections.
</p>
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.05.22268777v1" target="_blank">Persistence of immunity and impact of a third (booster) dose of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, BBV152; a phase 2, double-blind, randomised controlled trial</a>
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<li><strong>The emergence, spread and vanishing of a French SARS-CoV-2 variant exemplifies the fate of RNA virus epidemics and obeys the Black Queen rule</strong> -
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The nature and dynamics of mutations associated with the emergence, spread and vanishing of SARS-CoV-2 variants causing successive waves are complex. We determined the kinetics of the most common French variant (Marseille-4) for 10 months since its onset in July 2020. Here, we analysed and classified into subvariants and lineages 7,453 genomes obtained by next-generation sequencing. We identified two subvariants, Marseille-4A, which contains 22 different lineages of at least 50 genomes, and Marseille-4B. Their average lifetime was 4.1+/-1.4 months, during which 4.1+/-2.6 mutations accumulated. Growth rate was 0.079+/-0.045, varying from 0.010 to 0.173. All the lineages exhibited a gamma distribution. Several beneficial mutations at unpredicted sites initiated a new outbreak, while the accumulation of other mutations resulted in more viral heterogenicity, increased diversity and vanishing of the lineages. Marseille-4B emerged when the other Marseille-4 lineages vanished. Its ORF8 gene was knocked out by a stop codon, as reported in several mink lineages and in the alpha variant. This subvariant was associated with increased hospitalization and death rates, suggesting that ORF8 is a nonvirulence gene. We speculate that the observed heterogenicity of a lineage may predict the end of the outbreak.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.04.22268715v1" target="_blank">The emergence, spread and vanishing of a French SARS-CoV-2 variant exemplifies the fate of RNA virus epidemics and obeys the Black Queen rule</a>
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<li><strong>Innate and adaptive immune defects associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine response in elderly people</strong> -
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The immune factors associated with impaired SARS-CoV-2 vaccine response in the elderly are mostly unknown. We studied old and young people vaccinated with SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA before and after the first and second dose. Aging was associated with a lower anti-RBD IgG levels and a decreased magnitude and polyfunctionality of SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell response. The dramatic decrease in thymic function in the elderly, which fueled alteration in T cell homeostasis, and lower CD161+ T cell levels were associated with decreased T cell response two months after vaccination. Additionally, a deficient dendritic cell (DC) homing, activation and Toll like receptor (TLR)-mediated function, along with a proinflammatory functional profile in monocytes, were observed in the elderly, which was also related to lower specific T cell response after vaccination. These findings might be relevant for the improvement of the current vaccination strategies and for the development of new vaccine prototypes.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.07.22268806v1" target="_blank">Innate and adaptive immune defects associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine response in elderly people</a>
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<li><strong>Exploring the health impacts and inequalities of the new way of working: findings from a cross-sectional study.</strong> -
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Aim To explore the working Welsh adult population9s ability to work from home, their preferences for the future, and the self-reported health impacts of home-working. Subject and Method: A nationally-representative household survey was undertaken across Wales (Public Health Wales9 COVID-19, Employment and Health in Wales study), with cross-sectional data on home-working being collected between November 2020 and January 2021 from 615 employed working-aged adults in Wales (63.7% female, 32.7% aged 50-59). Respondents were asked about their ability to work from home, their perceptions of its impact on their health and their preferences for time spent home-working in future. Results Over 50% were able to work from home, and showed a preference towards home-working to some capacity, with over a third wishing to work from home at least half the time. However, those living in the most deprived areas, in atypical employment, with high wage precarity or with limiting pre-existing conditions were less likely to report being able to work from home. Of those that could work from home, over 40% reported that it worsened their mental well-being and loneliness, and for people in poorer health, home-working negatively impacted their diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol use. People aged 30 to 39 and those who lived alone were more likely to report wanting to spend some time working in an office/base instead of at home. Conclusion The inequity in the ability to work from home reflects underlying inequalities in Wales, with those facing the greatest insecurity (e.g. those living in most deprived areas, those with more precarious work or financial circumstances) being less able to participate in home-working. Working from home offers greater flexibility, reduces the financial and time costs associated with commuting, and protects individuals from exposure to communicable diseases. However, working from home presents an enormous challenge to preserving the mental-wellbeing of the workforce, particularly for younger individuals and those with low mental well-being. Younger respondents and those in poorer health who could work from home were also more likely to engage in health-harming behaviours, and reduce their engagement in health-protective behaviours such as eating well and moving more. Reflecting on the future, providing pathways for accessing work from home arrangements, integrating hybrid models and preparing targeted health support for at risk groups may be best suited to the working population9s preferences and needs.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.07.22268797v1" target="_blank">Exploring the health impacts and inequalities of the new way of working: findings from a cross-sectional study.</a>
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<li><strong>Differential Peripheral Blood Glycoprotein Profiles in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic COVID-19</strong> -
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Glycosylation is the most common form of post-translational modification of proteins, critically affecting their structure and function. Using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for high-resolution site-specific quantification of glycopeptides coupled with high-throughput artificial intelligence-powered data processing, we analyzed differential protein glyco-isoform distributions of 597 abundant serum glycopeptides and non-glycosylated peptides in 50 individuals who had been seriously ill with COVID-19 and in 22 individuals who had recovered after an asymptomatic course of COVID-19. As additional comparison reference phenotypes, we included 12 individuals with a history of infection with a common cold coronavirus, 16 patients with bacterial sepsis, and 15 healthy subjects without history of coronavirus exposure. We found statistically significant differences, at FDR&lt;0.05, for normalized abundances of 374 of the 597 peptides and glycopeptides interrogated, between symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. Similar statistically significant differences were seen when comparing symptomatic COVID-19 patients to healthy controls (350 differentially abundant peptides and glycopeptides) and common cold coronavirus seropositive subjects (353 differentially abundant peptides and glycopeptides). Among healthy controls and sepsis patients, 326 peptides and glycopeptides were found to be differentially abundant, of which 277 overlapped with biomarkers that showed differential expression between symptomatic COVID-19 cases and healthy controls. Among symptomatic COVID-19 cases and sepsis patients, 101 glycopeptide and peptide biomarkers were found to be statistically significantly abundant. Using both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques, we found specific glycoprotein profiles to be strongly predictive of symptomatic COVID-19 infection. LASSO-regularized multivariable logistic regression and K-means clustering yielded accuracies of 100% in an independent test set and of 96% overall, respectively. Our findings are consistent with the interpretation that a majority of glycoprotein modifications observed which are shared among symptomatic COVID-19 and sepsis patients likely represent a generic consequence of a severe systemic immune and inflammatory state. However, there are glyco-isoform changes that are specific and particular to severe COVID-19 infection. These may be representative of either COVID-19-specific consequences or of susceptibility to or predisposition for a severe course of the disease. Our findings support the potential value of glycoproteomic biomarkers in the biomedical understanding, and, potentially, the clinical management of serious acute infectious conditions.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.07.21267956v1" target="_blank">Differential Peripheral Blood Glycoprotein Profiles in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic COVID-19</a>
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<li><strong>Consensus on COVID-19 vaccination in pediatric oncohematological patients, on behalf of infectious working group of Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology</strong> -
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Vaccines represent the best tool to prevent the severity course and fatal consequences of pandemic by new Coronavirus 2019 infection (SARS CoV 2). Considering the limited data on vaccination of pediatric oncohematological patients, we develop a Consensus document to support the Italian pediatric hematological oncological (AIEOP) centers in a scientifically correct communication with families and patients and to promote vaccination. The topics of the Consensus were: SARS CoV 2 infection and disease (COVID 19) in the pediatric subject s; COVID 19 vaccines (type, schedule); which and when to vaccinate; contraindications and risk of serious adverse events; rare adverse events; third dose and vaccination after COVID 19; and other general prevention measures. Using the Delphi methodology fo r Consensus, 21 statements and their corresponding rationale were elaborated and discussed with the representatives of 31 centers, followed by voting. AIEOP Centers showed an overall agreement on all the statements that were therefore approved. This consensus document highlights that children and adolescents affected by hematological and oncological diseases are a fragile category. Vaccination plays an important role to prevent COVID19, to permit the regular administration of chemotherapy or other treatmen ts, to perform control visits and hospital admissions, and to prevent treatment delays.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.06.22268792v1" target="_blank">Consensus on COVID-19 vaccination in pediatric oncohematological patients, on behalf of infectious working group of Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology</a>
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<li><strong>Effectiveness of mRNA-1273 against SARS-CoV-2 omicron and delta variants</strong> -
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Background The recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant raised concerns around potential escape from vaccine- elicited immunity. Limited data are available on real-world vaccine effectiveness (VE) of mRNA-1273 against omicron. Here, we report VE of 2 or 3 mRNA-1273 doses against infection and hospitalization with omicron and delta, including among immunocompromised individuals. Methods This test negative study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Cases were individuals aged ≥18 years testing positive by RT-PCR with specimens collected between 12/6/2021 and 12/23/2021 with variant determined by spike gene status. Randomly sampled test negative controls were 5:1 matched to cases by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and specimen collection date. Conditional logistic regression models were used to evaluate adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of vaccination with mRNA-1273 doses between cases and controls. VE(%) was calculated as (1-aOR)x100. Results 6657 test positive cases (44% delta, 56% omicron) were included. The 2-dose VE against omicron infection was 30.4% (95% CI, 5.0%-49.0%) at 14-90 days after vaccination and declined quickly thereafter. The 3-dose VE was 95.2% (93.4%-96.4%) against delta infection and 62.5% (56.2%-67.9%) against omicron infection. The 3-dose VE against omicron infection was low among immunocompromised individuals (11.5%; 0.0%-66.5%). None of the cases (delta or omicron) vaccinated with 3 doses were hospitalized compared to 53 delta and 2 omicron unvaccinated cases. Conclusions VE of 3 mRNA-1273 doses against infection with delta was high and durable, but VE against omicron infection was lower. VE against omicron infection was particularly low among immunocompromised individuals. No 3-dose recipients were hospitalized for COVID-19.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.07.22268919v1" target="_blank">Effectiveness of mRNA-1273 against SARS-CoV-2 omicron and delta variants</a>
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<li><strong>Statewide Impact of COVID-19 on Social Determinants of Health - A First Look: Findings from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin</strong> -
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There is an urgent need to track the early and ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on population health from local to global scales. At the same time, there is an overall lack of U.S. state-specific surveillance data tracking social determinants of health (SDOH) and associations with population well-being, individual mitigation and coping strategies, family dynamics and other economic shocks of the pandemic in populations. Statewide data can offer important insights into how SDOH shape the long-term effects of COVID-19 in the population since implementation of many policies and programs varied widely early on in the pandemic. In May of 2020, the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) program launched a statewide online/phone survey of early and ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on health and well-being across diverse communities and families. The goal of this study is to provide descriptive data including perceived COVID-19 risks, access to and results of COVID-19 antigen testing, individual mitigation and coping strategies, family dynamics and other economic shocks of the pandemic on health and mental health in populations. Key findings include higher rates of testing and perceived past infection from COVID-19 among non-white respondents. Higher economic shifts and job changes in female vs male respondents. Families with children reported overall higher levels of stress, and stress from the pandemic. There were urban and rural differences in changes to access to care. Rural regions, which had a lower prevalence of infections early in the pandemic as compared to urban areas, also reported fewer delays or missed appointments due to COVID-19. Key findings show that SDOH are shaping impacts of health and well-being early on in the pandemic and future longitudinal follow-up will be important to shape policies and programs well into the future.
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🖺 Full Text HTML: <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.18.21252017v2" target="_blank">Statewide Impact of COVID-19 on Social Determinants of Health - A First Look: Findings from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin</a>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-clinical-trials">From Clinical Trials</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Phase III Study of Novaferon in Non-hospitalized Adult Patients With Mild COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Novaferon;   Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Genova Inc.;   Tokyo Shinagawa Hospital<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>Human COVID-19 Immunoglobulin (COVID-HIG) Therapy for COVID-19 Patients</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: Human COVID-19 immunoglobulin (pH4) for intravenous injection;   Drug: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Sinopharm Wuhan Plasma-derived Biotherapies Co., Ltd.;   China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Beijing Tiantan Biological Products 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>A Telemedicine Brief Mindfulness Intervention in Post-COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Post COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: Mindfulness<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:  <br/>
Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus;   Catholic University of the Sacred Heart<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>Immunogenicity and Safety of a Booster Dose of the SpikoGen COVID-19 Vaccine</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein + Advax-SM adjuvant;   Biological: Saline placebo<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Cinnagen;   Vaxine Pty Ltd<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>Quality of Life and Lung Function on Post Covid-19 Patient</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Other: breathing exercise, Aerobic exercises<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Qassim University<br/><b>Recruiting</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy Study of IBI314 in Mild to Moderate Patients With COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: IBI314(low dose);   Biological: IBI314(high dose);   Biological: IBI314(medium dose);   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
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>PTX-COVID19-B, an mRNA Humoral Vaccine, Intended for Prevention of COVID-19 in a General Population. This Study is Designed to Demonstrate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of PTX-COVID19-B in Comparison to the Pfizer- BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   Covid19 Vaccine<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: PTX-COVID19-B;   Biological: Pfizer- BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine;   Biological: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Providence Therapeutics Holdings 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>Multicenter Double Blind, Parallel-group Phase 2/3 Trial, to Study Raloxifene in Adult COVID-19 Patients.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   SARS CoV 2 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Raloxifene;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Dompé Farmaceutici S.p.A<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Safety &amp; Immunogenicity of Booster SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19<br/><b>Intervention</b>:   Biological: SARS-COV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell-Sinopharm) Inactivated<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   PT. Kimia Farma (Persero) Tbk<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>Spa Rehabilitation, Antioxidant and Bioenergetic Supportive Treatment of Patients With Post-Covid-19 Syndrome</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Respiratory Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Dietary Supplement: ubiquinol (reduced coenzyme Q10);   Other: mountain spa rehabilitation;   Diagnostic Test: 2x14 ml of peripheral blood collected in a tube with anticoagulant<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Comenius University;   Sanatórium of Dr. Guhr, n.o.<br/><b>Completed</b></p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Symptom-based Rehabilitation Compared to Usual Care in Post-COVID - a Randomized Controlled Trial</strong> - <b>Conditions</b>:   COVID-19;   Long-COVID<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: symptom-focused rehabilitation;   Other: usual care<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land;   Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety;   Praxis im Zentrum Erlangen;   Pneumologen Lichterfelde Berlin;   Pneumopraxis Marburg;   COVID ambulance Philipps-University Marburg;   Pneumologie Elisenhof Munich;   COVID ambulance Pneumology LMU Munich;   COVID ambulance psychology LMU Munich;   University Clinic Augsburg;   COVID ambulance Schön Klinik Schönau<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 to Evaluate the Effect of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) As an Adjuvant to Standard of Care (SOC) On Fatigue Associated With COVID-19 Infection</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Infection<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Other: Nicotinamide Mononucleotide;   Other: Nicotinamide Mononucleotide with L-Leucine;   Other: Placebo<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:  <br/>
Vedic Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd.<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 Live Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus-vectored COVID-19 Vaccine Phase 1 Study.</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   SARS-CoV-2<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Drug: Sodium Chloride;   Biological: NDV- HXP-S IN low dose;   Biological: NDV-HXP-S IM low dose;   Biological: NDV-HXP-S IN high dose;   Biological: NDV- HXP-S IM high dose<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   Sean Liu<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>The Effectiveness of RPSG Intervention for Nurses During the COVID-19</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Behavioral: RPSG;   Behavioral: AVMBM<br/><b>Sponsor</b>:   National Taiwan University Hospital<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>Safety, Reactogenicity, and Immunogenicity Study of Heterologous Booster Vaccination of a SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Protein Nanoparticle Vaccine (GBP510)</strong> - <b>Condition</b>:   COVID-19 (Healthy Volunteers)<br/><b>Interventions</b>:   Biological: SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Protein Nanoparticle Vaccine (GBP510) (RBD of SARS-CoV-2 25ug / dose) Adjuvanted with AS03;   Other: Normal saline<br/><b>Sponsors</b>:   Korea University Guro Hospital;   Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention<br/><b>Not yet recruiting</b></p></li>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-pubmed">From PubMed</h1>
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<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Anthranilamides with quinoline and β-carboline scaffolds: design, synthesis, and biological activity</strong> - In the present study, we report the design and synthesis of novel amide-type hybrid molecules based on anthranilic acid and quinoline or β-carboline heterocyclic scaffolds. Three types of biological screenings were performed: (i) in vitro antiproliferative screening against a panel of solid tumor and leukemia cell lines, (ii) antiviral screening against several RNA viruses, and (iii) anti-quorum sensing screening using gram-negative Chromobacterium violaceum as the reporter strain….</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 6 triggers NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis by targeting ATP6AP1</strong> - A recent mutation analysis suggested that Non-Structural Protein 6 (NSP6) of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a key determinant of the viral pathogenicity. Here, by transcriptome analysis, we demonstrated that the inflammasome-related NOD-like receptor signaling was activated in SARS-CoV-2-infected lung epithelial cells and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients’ lung tissues. The induction of inflammasomes/pyroptosis in patients with severe COVID-19 was…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>SARS-CoV-2 NSP13 Inhibits Type I IFN Production by Degradation of TBK1 via p62-Dependent Selective Autophagy</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has seriously threatened global public health. Severe COVID-19 has been reported to be associated with an impaired IFN response. However, the mechanisms of how SARS-CoV-2 antagonizes the host IFN response are poorly understood. In this study, we report that SARS-CoV-2 helicase NSP13 inhibits type I IFN production by directly targeting TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) for degradation….</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>Targeting chronic COVID-19 lung injury; Tofacitinib can be used against tissue-resident memory T cells</strong> - Post-Covid pulmonary fibrosis is evident following severe COVID-19. There is an urgent need to identify the cellular and pathophysiological characteristics of chronic lung squeals of Covid-19 for the development of future preventive and/or therapeutic interventions. Tissue-resident memory T (T(RM)) cells can mediate local immune protection against infections and cancer. Less beneficially, lung T(RM) cells cause chronic airway inflammation and fibrosis by stimulating pathologic inflammation. The…</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Monoclonal antibodies and their target specificity against SARS-CoV-2 infections: Perspectives and challenges Short title: Monoclonal antibodies and SARS-CoV-2 infections</strong> - The world continues to be in the midst of a distressing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel virus with multiple antigenic systems. The virus enters via nasopharynx, oral and infects cells by the expression of the spike protein, and enters the lungs using the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 receptor. The spectrum of specific immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 virus infection is increasingly…</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>Nucleic Acid-Based Vaccines Platform Against Covid-19 Pandemic</strong> - CONCLUSION: The fast global dissemination of the coronavirus has highlighted the urgent necessity to build an efficient vaccine to inhibit disease. Cooperative attempts throughout the world have paid to the fast and unprecedented production of vaccines. Much needs to be learned regarding SARSCoV-2 and vaccine development against 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>Discovery of compounds inhibiting SARS-COV-2 multi-targets</strong> - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic that has devastated the lives of millions. Researchers around the world are relentlessly working in hopes of finding a cure. Even though the virus shares similarities with reported SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV at the genomic and proteomic level, efforts to repurpose already known drugs against SARS-CoV-2 have resulted ineffective. In this succinct review, we discuss the different potential targets in SARS-CoV-2 at both…</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 need for a multi-level drug targeting strategy to curb the COVID-19 pandemic</strong> - Thousands of drugs, nutraceuticals and their combinations can be used to select candidate therapeutics for targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its symptoms in order to curb COVID-19. A comprehensive, multi-level strategy against COVID-19 should include drug targeting of biomolecules and biochemical pathways involved in the prevention and proliferation of the infection, and the fatal or serious symptoms following infection. Several drugs are routinely used in the treatment of different categories 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>GP73 is a glucogenic hormone contributing to SARS-CoV-2-induced hyperglycemia</strong> - Severe cases of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are associated with elevated blood glucose levels and metabolic complications. However, the molecular mechanisms for how SARS-CoV-2 infection alters glycometabolic control are incompletely understood. Here, we connect the circulating protein GP73 with enhanced hepatic gluconeogenesis during SARS-CoV-2 infection. We first demonstrate that GP73 secretion is induced in multiple tissues upon fasting and that…</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>An update on drugs with therapeutic potential for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) treatment</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest threats to human health in the 21st century with more than 257 million cases and over 5.17 million deaths reported worldwide (as of November 23, 2021. Various agents were initially proclaimed to be effective against SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and ribavirin are all examples of therapeutic agents, whose efficacy against COVID-19 was later disproved. Meanwhile, concentrated efforts 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>Antiviral activity of 5-aminolevulinic acid against variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2</strong> - CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that 5-ALA with SFC warrants accelerated clinical evaluation as an antiviral drug candidate for treating patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 variants.</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>Nafamostat reduces systemic inflammation in TLR7-mediated virus-like illness</strong> - CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that R848 administration provides a useful model of ssRNA virus infection, which induces inflammation in the periphery and CNS, and virus infection-like illness. In turn, we show that nafamostat has a systemic anti-inflammatory effect in the presence of the TLR7/8 agonist. Therefore, the results indicate that nafamostat has anti-inflammatory actions, beyond its ability to inhibit TMPRSS2, that might potentiate its anti-viral actions in pathologies such as COVID-19.</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>Inflammasome activation in neutrophils of patients with severe COVID-19</strong> - Infection by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) engages the inflammasome in monocytes and macrophages and leads to the cytokine storm in COVID-19. Neutrophils, the most abundant leukocytes, release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Our recent study shows that activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is important for NET release in sterile inflammation. However, the role of neutrophil inflammasome formation…</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>Cangma Huadu granules, a new drug with great potential to treat coronavirus and influenza infections, exert its efficacy through anti-inflammatory and immune regulation</strong> - CONCLUSION: CMHD can significantly combats viral infections caused by HCoV-229E and H1N1, and the mechanism may be related to its multiple functions of anti-inflammatory, immunity regulating and inhibiting NF-κB signal transduction pathway.</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>Interferon Control of Human Coronavirus Infection and Viral Evasion: Mechanistic Insights and Implications for Antiviral Drug and Vaccine Development</strong> - Recognition of viral infections by various pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) activates an inflammatory cytokine response that inhibits viral replication and orchestrates the activation of adaptive immune responses to control the viral infection. The broadly active innate immune response puts a strong selective pressure on viruses and drives the selection of variants with increased capabilities to subvert the induction and function of antiviral cytokines. This revolutionary process dynamically…</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>IDENTIFICATION AND ALARM SYSTEM FOR FACIAL CORONA MASK USING CNN BASED IMAGE PROCESSING</strong> - tThe covid-19 epidemic is the world’s largest wake-up call for people to pay attention to their own and society’s health. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a segment of the population that has been exposed to the covid-19 virus and has generated antibodies without developing any significant illnesses and is continuing to be healthy. This indicates that a significant section of the population, even excluding the elderly, lacks the necessary bodily immunity to combat a Viral infection. As terrible as covid-19 is on a global scale, developing personal health standards and preventative measures for any pathogenic virus as a community would have spared many lives. In’this work, a camera is combined with an image processing system to recognise facial masks, which may be improved in a variety of ways. First and foremost, this method is meant to identify masks on a single person’s face. While this method is efficient in identifying someone has a mask, it does not ensure that they will wear it all of the time. The most effective update for this task is to install a camera with a wide field of view so that many individuals can be seen in the frame, and the faces of those who aren’t wearing markings can be identified, as well as the number of people and the timing. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346889253">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>RNA 검출 방법</strong> - 본 발명은 RNA의 분석 및 검출 방법에 관한 것이다. 특히, 본 발명은 특히, 본 발명은 짧은 염기서열의 RNA까지 분석이 가능하면서도 높은 민감도 및 정확도로 정량적 검출까지 가능하여 감염증, 암 등 여러 질환의 진단 용도로도 널리 활용될 수 있다. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=KR346026620">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>REUNION OF PHOTOTHERMAL THERAPY WITH MXENE ADSORBED UREMIC TOXINS AND CYTOKINES: A SHILED FOR COVID-19 PATENTS</strong> - The COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc throughout the world. The disease has proved to be more fatalfor patients having comorbidities like diabetics, lungs and kidney infections, etc. In the case of COVID-19 patientsI having kidney injury, the. removal of uremic toxins from the blood is hindered and there is a rapid surge in the levelj of cytokine hormone resulting in the death of the patient in a short interval of time. To resolve this issue,iI; researchers have examined that the immediate removal of these toxins can improve the condition of the patient to a |greater extent. Studies have also found the presence of SARS CoV-2 viral RNAs in the blood of COVID-19patients, which risks their life as well as impacts the blood transfusion process, especially in the case ofasymptomatic patients. Hence it is required to control the surge of cytokines and uremic toxins as well as disinfectthe blood of the patient from the virus. MXenes, having a foam-like porous structure and hydrophilic negativesurface functionalization have greater adsorption efficiency as well as superior photothermal activity. Utilizingthese properties of MXenes, the MXene membranes can be used in the dialyzer that can help in the efficient andBiuick removal of the uremic toxins, cytokines, and other impurities from the blood. Along with this the greaterTJAdsorption efficiency of MXenes to amino acids result in the trapping of the SARS CoV-2 viruses on the surface J)3&gt;f the MXene. Many researchers as well as the WHO have proved the efficient reduction of the viral copy numbersjjvith the increase of temperature. Hence, followed by the trapping of the viruses, the implementation of"Zphotothermal Therapy can result in the inactivation and denaturation of the viruses and their respective viral RNAsBJlby the produced heat. The same process can be repeated several times to get better results. This whole process canr&gt;oQ-esult in impurity-free and infection-free blood, that can be returned back to the body of the patient or can be!— I Sitilized for the blood transfusion process without any risk of infection.IM - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346889224">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hung Thanh Phan COVID-19 NEW SOLUTION</strong> - - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU344983394">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A METHOD TO REVEAL MOTIF PATTERNS OF COVID-19 USING MULTIPLE SEQUENCE ALIGNMENT</strong> - This present invention consists of different levels of computation and work in a pipeline manner i.e., input of one will be output of another and it is sequential process. Input data given in form of nucleotide sequence (DNA) of different COVID-19 patients (1). Using these nucleotide sequence perform mutation if possible and arrange them in a sequential order (2). Arrange number of nucleotide sequences of different patients in row wise and also compute number of characters in each row. (3). Compute frequency of occurrence of character in column wise and create a matrix having 4 rows and maximum sequence length will be the column size (4). Find the character like A, T, C, and G which one has maximum score and similarly find for each column to produce a final sequence (5). - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346039750">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>REUSABILITY OF ANTIMICROBIAL MULTILAYER NANOFIBER MASK WITH HIGH PROTECTIVE</strong> - According to the present Invention, an antimicrobial multi-layer protective mask has a body section including at least first and second fabric layers having random fiber configuration; a middle layer including nanofiber membrane; and third and fourth fabric layers. There are two layers of fabric sandwiched between the nanofiber membrane and the third fabric layer. Fabric layers 1 through 4 each include a synergistic mixture of at least two metal oxide powders that exhibit synergistic antibacterial capabilities, such as the first metal’s mixed-oxidation state oxide and a second metal’s single-oxidation-state oxide. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346039053">link</a></p></li>
<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 data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>一种具有广谱中和活性的新型冠状病毒重组蛋白及其制备方法</strong> - 本发明涉及一种具有广谱中和活性的新型冠状病毒重组蛋白及其制备方法，所述新型冠状病毒重组蛋白为CRM‑RBD重组蛋白，所述CRM‑RBD重组蛋白的氨基酸序列如SEQ ID NO：1所示，编码所述CRM‑RBD重组蛋白的核苷酸序列如SEQ ID</p></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">NO：2所示，利用所述核苷酸序列通过以下步骤制备得到重组纳米蛋白颗粒：构建得到大肠杆菌重组表达菌；培养大肠杆菌重组表达菌得到发酵液；获得包涵体粗提物；变性溶解得到包涵体变性蛋白；纯化得到纯化重组蛋白；复性得到复性后蛋白；对复性后蛋白进行分离纯化，得到重组纳米蛋白颗粒。本发明的新型冠状病毒重组蛋白对新冠病毒原型株、贝塔变异株、德尔塔变异株均具有中和保护效果。 - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=CN345743545">link</a></p>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>METHOD AND SYSTEM TO DETECT THE VITAL HEALTH PARAMETERS OF A PERSON</strong> - The present invention relates to detect the vital health parameters of a person through SPO2, a blood oxygen saturation sensor. The blood oxygen saturation sensor is arranged within a first shape body of a wearable glove; determining, a temperature through the temperature sensor, arranged within a second shape body of the wearable glove; determining, a pulse rate through a cardiac sensor, arranged within a third shape body of the wearable glove. Further, at a control unit, the detected blood oxygen level signal, temperature signal and pulse rate are received. The control unit is arranged on a palm shape body of the wearable glove to convert, segregate and transmit, the digital blood oxygen level signal, the digital temperature signal and the digital cardiac signal, on a cloud-based storage or a computing terminal. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=IN346033920">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>머신러닝 기반 수요예측을 이용한 피킹 로케이션 보충 서비스 제공 방법</strong> - 머신러닝 기반 수요예측을 이용한 피킹 로케이션 보충 서비스 제공 방법이 제공되며, 물류창고에 적재된 아이템의 카테고리, 부피 및 계절성을 포함하는 속성 데이터를 수집하는 단계, 적어도 하나의 인공지능 알고리즘을 이용하여 아이템의 1일 예상 출고량을 출력하는 단계, 물류창고 내 피킹 로케이션(Picking Location)의 부피를 아이템의 부피로 나누어 최대 재고수량을 산출하는 단계, 1일 예상 출고량의 제 1 배를 최소 출고수량으로 설정하고, 최대 재고수량의 제 2 배를 최소 재고수량으로 결정하는 단계, 피킹 로케이션 내 현재 재고수량을 추출하는 단계, 피킹 로케이션 내 현재 재고수량이 최소 출고수량 또는 최소 재고수량보다 작은지의 여부를 확인하는 단계 및 현재 재고수량이 최소 출고수량 또는 최소 재고수량보다 작은 경우, 보충수량을 계산하고 재고보충지시를 할당하는 단계를 포함한다. - <a href="https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=KR346015824">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>Who Gets the Blame When Schools Shut Down</strong> - Somehow, it is teachers who are held responsible—more than government failures or even COVID-19 itself—for pandemic-era school closures. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/who-gets-the-blame-when-schools-shut-down">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Is a Civil War Ahead?</strong> - A year after the attack on the Capitol, America is suspended between democracy and autocracy. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/is-a-civil-war-ahead">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Ongoing Saga of the “Fearless Girl” Statue</strong> - Since its installation, the sculpture, by Kristen Visbal, has been mired in legal disputes and claims of “fake corporate feminism.” New York City will soon decide its fate. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-ongoing-saga-of-the-fearless-girl-statue">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sunday Reading: Hospitals and the New Surge</strong> - From the magazine’s archive: a selection of pieces about the crucial role that hospitals and health workers continue to occupy in our lives. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/sunday-reading-hospitals-and-the-new-surge">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Vaccine Mandates Have a Bad Day at the Supreme Court</strong> - The tenor of the conservative Justices’ questions suggested that the OSHA mandate, which would apply to about eighty million people, has little chance of going into effect in its present form. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/vaccine-mandates-have-a-bad-day-at-the-supreme-court">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>We need to wear better masks</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Two people holding phones wear KN95 masks in Times Square, New York City." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5R1NG0_vApBLVaFEjB6Asv-Ih08=/305x0:5173x3651/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70364418/1333261302.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Two people wear KN95 masks while standing in Times Square, New York City, in August 2021. | Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Cloth masks won’t cut it against omicron.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PEbNNh">
The rapid spread of the omicron variant means that <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/23/1066871176/mask-n95-omicron-contagious">many medical and public health experts </a><a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/12/why-you-should-upgrade-your-face-mask-to-
an-n95.html">are urging Americans to adopt better masking protocols</a> to protect themselves and others from the spread of Covid-19.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Adxxwe">
Masking best practices have changed since the beginning of the pandemic, and confusion still abounds about which mask to wear and in what circumstances. However, medical experts are in agreement: Masks are a crucial component in stopping the spread of all variants of Covid-19, and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-12-30/n95-masks-a-
must-have-with-omicron-but-fakes-abound">N95 respirator is still the most effective mask on the market</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HfuSwT">
Although a simple <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/cloth-face-mask-omicron-11640984082">cloth mask</a> is better than no face covering at all, <a href="https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-disposable-face-
masks.html">superior options</a> are now widely available — much more so than in March 2020, when Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance about <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/5/29/21273625/coronavirus-masks-required-
virginia-china-hong-kong">whether masking was even necessary for Covid-19 prevention</a> vacillated.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SVSy4z">
And since the <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-
omicron-variant-what-you-need-to-know">omicron variant</a> appears to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/omicron-
coronavirus-variant.html">be far more transmissible than previous variants</a>, masking is a critical tool in helping prevent the spread, particularly in areas where Covid-19 cases are high.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="STrgHH">
Here’s what to know about masking and omicron.
</p>
<h3 id="8YTDlj">
How mask usage should change with omicron
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Nda53H">
Mask-wearing guidance has changed a lot over the course of the pandemic, and omicron presents more changes — as well as more opportunity for confusion. With the high transmissibility of the omicron variant, experts say, masking is particularly important. Omicron is estimated to be about<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-
evades-immunity-better-than-delta-danish-study-finds-2022-01-03/"> 2.7 to 3.7 times more infectious</a> among inoculated people than the <a href="https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/5-things-to-know-delta-variant-covid">delta variant</a>, which rapidly became the world’s dominant strain last summer. While many people are experiencing milder cases with omicron, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html">cases are increasing precipitously</a>, even in highly vaccinated areas. Its ability to dodge antibodies created by the available Covid-19 vaccines means that additional prevention measures — like masks — are now back in the spotlight.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="522Fbb">
As Abraar Karan, an infectious diseases doctor at Stanford University, explained to <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/12/why-
you-should-upgrade-your-face-mask-to-an-n95.html">New York Magazine</a> in December, cloth masks and face coverings don’t filter aerosols — the particles through which the coronavirus spreads — particularly well; they can escape from an infected person and easily be inhaled if both parties are wearing cloth face coverings.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WUyzlL">
That means surgical masks and N95 masks are the way to go in 2022, as a <a href="https://twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1478867026542219264?s=20">recent Wall Street Journal graphic</a> illustrates.
</p>
<div id="uBwq4y">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
This graphic from the <a href="https://twitter.com/WSJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"><span class="citation" data-cites="WSJ">@WSJ</span></a> is incredibly helpful <a href="https://t.co/kQ1YyjOsg7">pic.twitter.com/kQ1YyjOsg7</a>
</p>
— Seung Min Kim (<span class="citation" data-cites="seungminkim">@seungminkim</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/seungminkim/status/1478867026542219264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2022</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FjPlMg">
N95 respirators in particular are much better at blocking these particles, <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/12/why-you-should-upgrade-your-face-mask-to-an-n95.html">according to Karan</a>, due to the filter’s structure and the electrostatic charge that attracts and traps the tiny aerosol particles. Just as critically, the filter’s fit over the wearer’s mouth and nose is far better than a cloth mask or face covering, which can leave large gaps on the sides — giving infectious particles ample opportunity to escape.
</p>
<h3 id="Wh1CaK">
How can you get the right mask?
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="A4pTj4">
The N95 has been the gold standard for masks since the start of the pandemic, and they provide the most protection against Covid-19, including the omicron variant. Now that they’re no longer in <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/7/10/21319960/n95-masks-shortage-trump-supply-
chain">critically short supply</a>, they’re also the best option for day-to-day use.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EljSFS">
<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/12/why-you-should-upgrade-your-face-mask-to-an-n95.html">As Karan explained to New York Magazine</a>, the N95’s complex, irregular webbing allows for superior filtration which traps 95 percent of aerosol particles — hence the “95” in N95.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NPwcxk">
When used in a medical setting, N95s are generally single- use, but for average people in lower-risk settings, they can be <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/reviewed/2022/01/04/n-95-kn-95-masks-should-you-wear-one-heres-where-you-can-
get-them/8971474002/">reused</a> a limited number of times.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WJdXzj">
N95 availability was scattershot at best in the beginning of the pandemic, even for health care workers. Now, nearly two years later <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/best-disposable-face-masks-n95-kn95-kf94-surgical/#doesomicronchangemask">high-quality options</a> are much more readily available.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cPWoN6">
Cost is still a potential barrier, however, as N95s generally cost a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/where-to-buy-n95-kn95-masks-online/">dollar or two per disposable mask</a>, and counterfeit respirators pose an additional problem, as Anne Miller, executive director of the N95 Project, explained to <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-12-30/n95-masks-a-must-
have-with-omicron-but-fakes-abound">US News and World Report</a> in December. Nonetheless, Miller told US News, there are some failsafe ways to ensure that the model you are purchasing was manufactured by a reputable company and has passed NIOSH filtration tests.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lj3nTp">
Specifically, N95 masks should have a TC number — TC, followed by a series of five total numbers, then a lot number. KN95 respirators operate under a similar protocol; all models should have GB 2626 - 2019, followed by a space, then KN95 printed on them if they are produced by a reputable company. According to Miller, lack of a brand name on a mask or a claim on the mask’s packaging that it’s FDA approved or registered with the FDA are major warning signs; those claims are essentially meaningless.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RPaFP3">
However, high-quality respirators that have been tested for fit and efficacy <a href="https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-
disposable-face-masks.html">are available</a>, and doing a few basic tests on masks yourself can help you weed out ineffective models. For one, <a href="https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-disposable-face-masks.html">as the Strategist reported last month</a>, you shouldn’t be able to see light through the mask when you hold it up to a light source, nor should you be able to blow out a flame when wearing the mask. And in terms of fit, the sides should collapse when you breathe in, showing that your mask has an effective seal. If air escapes around the sides of the mask, you need a tighter fit, since aerosols can still flow in or out of the barrier.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GkStrn">
If you can’t find an N95 or KN95, which is the Chinese-made equivalent, a surgical mask is quite effective as well, given its multiple layers and irregular weave, which is better at intercepting particles than the regular, uniform weave of cloth masks. Surgical masks aren’t quite as effective as N95 respirators, but they use the same filtration mechanism. Fit is also crucial, since surgical masks don’t have the same structure as N95 masks and don’t mold as well to the nose and mouth area. However, fit can be improved by <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/mask-fit-and-
filtration.html#improve-fit">knotting</a> or <a href="https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-disposable-face-
masks.html">twisting</a> the side loops before placing them over your ears for a closer fit.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RuuVyW">
Despite still-existing barriers like cost and confusing messaging, it’s easier now in 2022 to buy an effective N95 or KN95 respirator that’s comfortable and fits your face. And in combination with Covid-19 vaccines and boosters, which provide <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/28/omicron-how-severe-us/">strong protection against severe Covid-19</a>, a good-quality, well-fitting mask is one of the best steps you can take to protect yourself as case numbers <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html">continue to surge in the US</a>.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>We’re one step closer to self-farming farms</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A tractor plowing a dirt field." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/Mvz1CA7CvR69Y0QHOST_6G-RWzI=/240x0:1680x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70363272/r4f167384_rrd__1x.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
The new self-driving John Deere R8 tractor can be controlled via smartphone. | John Deere
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
John Deere will start selling autonomous tractors later this year
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cqXS0p">
The most exciting gadget of the year isn’t <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/2/22858698/samsung-2022-tvs-nft-support-announced-cryptocurrency">a TV that displays NFTs</a> or <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/5/22867624/asus-zenbook-17-fold-oled-foldable-laptop-
tablet-specs-price-release-date">a foldable tablet computer</a> or anything related to the metaverse. It’s an autonomous tractor.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lo5QTL">
More specifically, it’s <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/4/22866699/john-deere-
autonomous-farming-ai-machine-vision-kit">the self-driving John Deere 8R tractor</a> that can plow fields, avoid obstacles, and plant crops with minimal human intervention. It looks a lot like any other John Deere tractor — it’s green and yellow — but there are six pairs of stereo cameras that use artificial intelligence to scan the surroundings and maneuver accordingly. The farmer doesn’t need to be anywhere near the machine to operate it, either, as there’s a smartphone app that controls everything. The tractor goes on sale later this year, just in time for an extra special robotic harvest season.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bckb59">
“In my view, it’s a big deal,” Santosh Pitla, associate professor of advanced machinery systems at the University of Nebraska, told Recode. John Deere’s equipment accounts for more than half of all farm machinery sold in the United States, and even the simple fact that it’s putting an autonomous tractor on the market will change the way farming works. “That’s big news,” Pitla said, “and it’s good news.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qgiIb2">
This is clearly a big deal for John Deere, but it also represents a huge step forward for the precision agriculture movement as a whole. Simply put, precision agriculture <a href="https://nifa.usda.gov/precision-agriculture-crop-production">is a concept</a> that utilizes computers, data gathering, and satellite imagery to build a strategy for maximizing the output of a farm. Autonomous farming equipment like soil sensors, specialized drones, and self-driving tractors are key to a future where we can produce more crops <a href="https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-self-driving-tractors-ai-and-precision-agriculture-will-save-us-from-the-
impending-food-crisis/">with less effort and less environmental impact</a>. But exactly who’s in charge of that future and who benefits from it is still to be determined.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8FPx96">
There’s reason to believe that farmers who own thousands of acres will be first in line to buy John Deere’s new self-driving tractors. With models ranging from 230 to 410 horsepower, <a href="https://www.deere.com/en/tractors/row-crop-tractors/row-crop-8-family/power-efficiency/">the John Deere 8R tractors</a> are big machines designed for big farms. And while the company hasn’t said how much its new autonomous tractor will cost, existing, non-autonomous models in the 8R line <a href="https://configure.deere.com/cbyo/#/en_us/products/agriculture/tractors/row_crop_tractors/8_series_row_crop_tractors">can cost over $600,000</a>. John Deere says it will sell the automation system as a kit that can be installed on its other tractor models. The company also says it’s looking into offering a subscription plan, but didn’t specify how much it would cost.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f7yjZl">
But even if a farmer buys the tractor outright, it’s not clear who actually owns the equipment or the valuable farming data it collects. The newest John Deere tractors are sensor-filled and internet- connected. Almost anything the machine does <a href="https://www.theverge.com/22533735/john-deere-cto-hindman-decoder-
interview-right-to-repair-tractors">gets logged and beamed to the cloud</a> from an onboard cellular transmitter, and John Deere has the capability <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/05/26/1000400896/standoff-between-farmers-and-tractor-
makers-intensifies-over-repair-issues">to remotely shut down many of its tractors</a> if it determines that someone has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/xykkkd/why-american-farmers-are-hacking-their-tractors-with-ukrainian-
firmware">modified their equipment</a> or has missed a lease payment. Many farmers say they <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-03-05/farmers-fight-john-deere-over-who-gets-to-fix-
an-800-000-tractor?sref=Wg6QzS2e">can’t even repair the tractors themselves</a>, lest they trip a switch that disables the machine entirely. This means they’re forced to pay John Deere or its authorized repair shops for their maintenance needs. Meanwhile, John Deere’s privacy and data policy says it can share the data about farmers’ activities that its software collects with “outside parties” in certain circumstances.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="N8Mdi5">
“I’m all for innovation, and I think John Deere is a helluva company,” Kevin Kenney, an agricultural engineer and right-to-repair advocate, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/john-deere-self-driving-tractor-stirs-debate-ai-farming/">told Wired</a> after John Deere announced its autonomous tractor. “But they’re trying to be the Facebook of farming.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A close-up of the front end of a large tractor with its headlights on." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nZrXyw4RKzSpq0CMOfp4CXDDkRQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23153813/r4f175043_rrd__1x.jpg"/> <cite>John Deere</cite></figure></li>
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<figcaption>
John Deere says it will sell self-driving kits separately so that older models can be retrofitted to be autonomous.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="z0PXFG">
John Deere isn’t the only one working on autonomous farming equipment, and it’s not even clear that big self-driving tractors are the best use of the technology. Case has <a href="https://www.caseih.com/northamerica/en-us/Pages/campaigns/autonomous-concept-vehicle.aspx">an autonomous tractor concept</a> that doesn’t even have a cab for a human driver, and AGCO, which owns farm equipment brands like Fendt and Massey Ferguson, is testing smaller autonomous machines, including <a href="https://www.farm-
equipment.com/articles/19609-video-a-close-look-at-agcos-prototype-autonomous-planter-row-unit">a seed-planting robot</a> that’s the size of a washing machine. DJI, the popular drone maker, now has an entire division <a href="https://ag.dji.com/">devoted to flying farming robots</a> that can help with anything from crop monitoring to targeted pesticide spraying.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mHrBty">
A number of researchers think that swarms of smaller machines working together are more promising for a wider range of farmers. Pitla, the Nebraska professor, is working on technology that would replace a single 500-horsepower tractor <a href="https://sdn.unl.edu/article/driverless-tractors-coming-soon-
field-near-you">with 10 50-horsepower tractors</a>. Not only could the swarm better handle different terrain and smaller farms, whose land might not be as uniform as large farms, but if one tractor broke, the rest could keep working.
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“I’ve seen farmers doing 18 hours of planting because the weather is perfect, the soil conditions are perfect,” Pitla said. “It’s a very timely operation. So in a way, if you have swarms of these machines, you’re distributing the risk.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="luS11d">
When you consider the fact that the farming industry is facing an ongoing labor shortage, which <a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-health-coronavirus-pandemic-
business-50121aa858e9f7cb2c708d94602ef366">some say is getting worse</a>, the concept of autonomous farming equipment is even more appealing. That fact could alleviate concerns that automation takes jobs away from humans, but it will likely take years before we understand just how disruptive widespread adoption of automation in agriculture could be to the labor market.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="An agricultural drone spraying crops." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/16IuRQ3mK3LJwfhcy5S7HUgkWqs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23153844/a2d9b21e4f870c162ff4cd6d83a76265.jpg"/> <cite>DJI</cite></p>
<figcaption>
The DJI AGRAS T30 can use GPS coordinates to spray specific crops and uses radar to avoid obstacles along the way.
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</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5QXPJU">
Farmers and technologists alike hope that self-driving tractors and other autonomous farming equipment will usher in an era of greater yields. The driving principle behind precision farming is that by better understanding the soil and addressing issues with crops, we <a href="https://www.croplife.com/precision/study-shows-precision-agriculture-improves-environmental-stewardship-while-
increasing-yields/">can squeeze more productivity</a> out of the world’s limited amount of farmland without a negative impact on the environment. This factors into a growing debate over whether industrialized agriculture is recklessly profit-driven and exploitative of the land, or if consolidating farms is more efficient. With the proper rollout of autonomous farming technology, we could have it both ways.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TM45Ka">
“Similar to the autonomous car industry, full autonomy of farm vehicles and equipment can also be considered as an important, if not the ultimate, goal in the agriculture industry,” said Abhisesh Silwal, a project scientist who works on agricultural robots at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute. He added that automating delicate, time-sensitive tasks like pruning and harvesting, which typically require skilled workers, could help sustainability in the long run.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="l5QmYi">
For now, while researchers make drones and swarm-bots smarter, we’ve got John Deere and its self-driving tractor. Even if it’s not suitable or affordable for every farmer, the new self-driving machine is pushing autonomous agriculture further into the mainstream. And unlike the TV that can display NFTs, this technology can actually help feed the world.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lf0F9h">
<em>This story was first published in the Recode newsletter. </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/newsletters"><em>Sign up here</em></a><em> so you don’t miss the next one!</em>
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The most interesting thing Don’t Look Up has to say about the apocalypse</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/h9zBXjV8sQnWYAXlFo2M29TAB_s=/800x0:7200x4800/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70363197/DLU_20210115_10712_R2.0.jpeg"/>
<figcaption>
<em>Don’t Look Up</em>’s stars (Leonardo DiCaprio as Dr. Randall Mindy and Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky) take their comet warning to daytime TV (with Cate Blanchett as Brie Evantee and Tyler Perry as Jack Bremmer,) | Niko Tavernise/Netflix
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When Don’t Look Up stops trying to be funny, it has something deeply important to say.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EsFkxV">
<em>Don’t Look Up</em>, Adam McKay’s dark satire about humanity’s efforts to deflect a comet that’s going to destroy us all, is — at least according to my social media feeds — either one of the most important movies ever or so bad as to be nearly unwatchable. (Reviewers are <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dont_look_up_2021">similarly split </a>— the film currently has a 55 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, though Netflix <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/dont-look-up-netflix-
weekly-viewing-records-1235147910/">has reported</a> that <em>Don’t Look Up</em> recorded more than 152 million viewing hours for the week of December 27, the most in the platform’s history.)
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Gnbljl">
A lot of this comes down to what you think of the movie’s politics, which are rather confused for a film that was made with the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/making-of-dont-look-up-adam-mckay-1235060315/">explicit political aim</a> of encouraging viewers to take climate change seriously — as <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/12/18/dont-look-up-review-mckay-comet-climate-change/">many</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/01/04/taking-hard-look-dont-look-up/">many</a> critics have already noted.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ahNzKJ">
But as others have already <a href="https://www.slowboring.com/p/dont-look-up">pointed</a> <a href="https://www.slowboring.com/p/dont-look-up">out</a>, the movie doesn’t really work at all as an allegory for the long-term threat of climate change, which is very unlike a comet that will leave no survivors if we don’t nuke it in the next six months.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RBJ8zk">
What it does do incredibly well is serve as an allegory for <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/1/3/18165541/extinction-risks-humanity-asteroids-supervolcanos-gamma-
rays">actual comets, or supervolcanic eruptions</a>, or <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-
perfect/2018/12/21/18126576/ai-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-safety-alignment">transformative AI</a>, or engineered pandemics, or for anything else that really might abruptly end humanity — and that might well get you laughed off daytime TV for freaking out about them, as happens to the protagonists in one of <em>Don’t Look Up</em>’s best- crafted scenes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OgtY8e">
Beyond that, there’s another element of what <em>Don’t Look Up</em> has to say that has been somewhat neglected in the conversation about it, probably because talking about it involves massive spoilers.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rzJys9">
Be warned: From here, I’m going to tell you exactly how this movie ends.
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<h3 id="8oprRo"></h3></li>
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<em>Don’t Look Up</em> on what it means for us to lose
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="e3OPau">
The apocalyptic disaster movie — think <em>I Am Legend</em>, <em>Independence Day</em>, <em>2012</em>, <em>War of the Worlds, The Day After Tomorrow</em> — has its conventions. The hero starts out as an ordinary family man (and yes, it’s almost always a man), but when circumstances demand it, he realizes he has something more than the ordinary inside him. The fate of the world rests on his shoulders, and he’ll save it, or at least salvage something of it for the survivors and the people he loves.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0ROXJj">
It’s very clearly this genre that <em>Don’t Look Up</em> is in dialogue with, especially in Leonardo DiCaprio’s character’s plot: He begins as an awkward astronomy professor and becomes the face of the comet revelation. Seduced by power and fame, he betrays his wife, and as the world comes to an end he realizes what really matters, making a pilgrimage home to reunite with his family and face his mistakes.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><img alt="
" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EHaXhohzZDr_5JMXV3TRA8JyflE=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23152676/DLU_20210208_14352_R2.JPG"/> <cite>Niko Tavernise/Netflix</cite></p>
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Toward the end of <em>Don’t Look Up</em>, Randall (Leonardo DiCaprio) travels home to reconcile with his family.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="e13s3d">
It’s similar to the arc of John Cusack’s character in <em>2012</em>, who reconciles with his ex as the floods begin to recede, with notes of the poignant reunion the hero of <em>War of the Worlds </em>(played by Tom Cruise) has with his estranged family at the end of the movie. The apocalypse, in this genre convention, is a backdrop for men to realize their mettle, put aside childish things, save their families, save the world, and then choose to live and love in it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vAwp1D">
<em>Don’t Look Up</em> is pointedly at odds with that tradition.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dTjZAv">
The scheme to break apart the comet headed for Earth fails. With humanity facing its doom, the heroes and their loved ones gather around the dinner table and share memories and prayer and family jokes. DiCaprio wins his wife’s forgiveness and gruffly greets his adult children.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Mdi8rC">
And then the comet hits. He, and they, die. Humanity (save for a couple of characters killed off in a closing scene later) is wiped out.
</p>
<h3 id="zQnKxC">
Taking the end of the world seriously
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8LLrPl">
It’s the most serious thing the movie has to say; there are no interjections of the usual Adam McKay silliness interwoven elsewhere (though he does undercut the haunting takeaway with that jokey coda).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F1iD1m">
<em>Don’t Look Up</em> isn’t about ordinary people who discover inside them the heroism to save the ones they love. It’s about ordinary people who know what’s coming and ultimately aren’t heroes at all. They make a couple of futile attempts to do something, which amount to nothing. And then they die, because that’s what will happen, if we aren’t up to the task ahead of us.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dVTaHW">
There probably isn’t a comet coming, though with more surveillance we could be a whole lot more secure. But a lot of people who work on existential risks — threats that might plausibly destroy our world — believe that this <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/10/18/17886974/science-technology-climate-change-existential-threats-
martin-rees">century will be the most dangerous one in human history</a>. Emerging technologies like AI and synthetic biology make it easier than ever to inadvertently create threats to the entire human species.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8vopEi">
Our existing mechanisms for responding to pandemics, let alone to risks we’ve never imagined, aren’t good enough. The power of love won’t preserve the world. There are no adults in the room, and if we don’t become those adults — and maybe even if we do — we could die, and we may destroy our world so completely that nothing will ever grow in the ashes.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZvlFDD">
As I wrote these words — and as I watched this film — I felt myself flinching away. I don’t want to believe that we are not up to the task of facing existential threats to humanity. I want to believe that everything’s going to turn out okay, that the worst possible outcome can’t actually really happen, for real.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oVbAHE">
I felt suddenly aware of how often I refuse to glance up at the metaphorical sky lest there’s a comet there, refuse to pick up Toby Ord’s <a href="https://theprecipice.com/"><em>The Precipice</em></a>, the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toby-ord-on-existential-risk-donald-trump-
thinking/id1081584611?i=1000470978881">seminal book on existential risk</a>, lest its pages reveal a danger bearing down on our civilization that no heroes lie in wait to save us from. (Spoiler: The book does, indeed, reveal a whole bunch of them, and argues there is a one-in-six chance one will destroy us this century.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5zJid5">
<em>Don’t Look Up</em> mostly doesn’t know exactly what it’s trying to say. But it knows this, and it captures it perfectly: Humanity is on track to make mistakes we can’t recover from, and we don’t want to look at that, and we don’t know what to do even when we see it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L8msbz">
The point of acknowledging that, of course, isn’t to sink back, self-satisfied, into wise and informed despair. It’s to <em>get us to look up —</em> to look at the threats to our world wherever they’re coming from, and however uncomfortable they are to acknowledge, and then to actually act.
</p>
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</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eZLRam">
<em>A version of this story was initially published in the </em>Future Perfect<em> newsletter. </em><a href="https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/A2BA26698741513A"><em><strong>Sign up here to subscribe!</strong></em></a>
</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>Nadal beats Cressy to claim Melbourne title</strong> - Earlier, former world number one Simona Halep stormed past Veronika Kudermetova 6-2 6-3 at the Melbourne Summer Set 1 final to claim her 23rd career title</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>Badminton | Lakshya Sen eyeing maiden title on India Open debut</strong> - “I had a 10-day break after the world championships and started training from January 1st.”</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 2021-22 | England’s Jos Buttler to return home with broken finger</strong> - Limited-overs specialist wicketkeeper Sam Billings has been called into the squad as cover for Bairstow and Buttler</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>Anisimova battles through injury to claim second WTA title</strong> - “I’m in a good headspace now after an incredibly tough year,” said Anisimova, who missed the Australian Open in 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19</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>Bopanna and Ramkumar win Adelaide International</strong> - In the one hour and 21 minutes contest, the Indians saved all the four break points they faced and broke their rivals twice</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>Encounter breaks out between militants, security forces in J-K’s Kulgam district</strong> - An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said. Security forces had laun</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>EAM Jaishankar speaks to French counterpart Le Drian</strong> - The ties between India and France are on an upswing with cooperation witnessing a significant expansion in key areas.</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>Goa polls | Independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar quits; to join Congress</strong> - The Sanguem MLA submitted his resignation to the Goa Assembly Speaker</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>Panneerselvam calls for closure of Tasmac shops as COVID-19 cases rise in Tamil Nadu</strong> - He condemns the DMK for not taking steps to close the State-run liquor shops</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>Settle ring net issue once and for all, CITU urges State government</strong> - ‘Untreated wastes being released into sea resulting in depletion of fish resources’</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: Thousands protest in France against proposed new vaccine pass</strong> - The protests are against a draft law which would in effect ban the unvaccinated from public areas.</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>Novak Djokovic: Australia loses bid to delay tennis star’s visa appeal</strong> - A judge overseeing the tennis star’s deportation case rejects a request to postpone hearing for two days.</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>Novak Djokovic: Is his vaccine saga an unforced error for Australia?</strong> - The story of the star tennis player being held in Australia sparks ire at every twist and turn.</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>Omicron: Huge number of Covid cases on second Italy-India flight say Indian officials</strong> - Majority of passengers on two flights from Italy to Amritsar in India test positive for Covid-19.</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>Denmark frees suspected pirates in dinghy in Gulf of Guinea</strong> - The suspects had been detained at sea in the Gulf of Guinea in November. A fourth remains in custody.</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>Facebook’s data center plans rile residents in the Netherlands</strong> - Locals say Big Tech data centers will syphon away all their green energy. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1824533">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Remarkably, NASA has completed deployment of the Webb space telescope</strong> - “This is an amazing milestone.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1824691">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The weekend’s best deals: Nintendo Switch New Year’s sale, Apple Watch, and more</strong> - Dealmaster also has USB-C chargers, the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, and Wacom tablets. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1824434">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Wordle is the word: Why Ars is hooked on a free, easy-to-share web game</strong> - Helping you decipher all those green and yellow squares. Also: a nod to <em>Babble Royale</em>. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1824475">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Astronomers discover a strange galaxy without dark matter</strong> - New observations suggest that dark matter’s not as ubiquitous as scientists thought. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1824521">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>What do you get when you combine human DNA with seal DNA?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
You get banned from SeaWorld.
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/mymeatpuppets"> /u/mymeatpuppets </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rze0q3/what_do_you_get_when_you_combine_human_dna_with/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rze0q3/what_do_you_get_when_you_combine_human_dna_with/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>Guy has a really bad stutter.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Guy who has a bad stutter goes to the doctor, he says “ doccttrr I have ttttoo gettt rid ooooff my stttuter ccccan you hhhhelp me?”The doctor says okay let’s do a complete physical on you and see what we find. The guy takes off his clothes and he’s got a huge cock, the doctor says that’s the problem right there! That penis is so big it’s pulling on your vocal chords and causing the stutter, we have several smaller transplants we can choose from and remove the big one. So the guy agrees and has the surgery, a month later he goes back to see the doctor and says “ hey doc I can speak fantastically with no stutter, but my wife isn’t satisfied so I need my old cock back. The doctor says “ ffffuck yyyou”
</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/wolfraisedbybabies"> /u/wolfraisedbybabies </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rzf63a/guy_has_a_really_bad_stutter/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rzf63a/guy_has_a_really_bad_stutter/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A guy and his date decide to go to Lovers Lane.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
It’s their third date and the guy is really excited to take things to the next level, but they’re both clearly kind of shy about it. So after they park, he asks if she wants to make out. She agrees enthusiastically, and they start kissing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After a little bit, he pauses and says “hey, do you want to get in the back seat?” She smiles shyly, lowers her gaze and shakes her head no. But they get back to kissing.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
After some more time, things are starting to heat up. He’s made it to second base, the windows are fogging, and again he asks “do you want to get in the back seat?” And again she says no.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
A little while later, they’re practically half naked, things are getting HOT, and he asks again “hey! Do you want to get in the back seat?” And when she says no, this time he stops and sits back.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Listen, I don’t know but it seems like you’re really enjoying this,” he says
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Oh, I am!” She exclaims, worried that they’ve stopped.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“And maybe I’m being forward but I’d like to take things to the next level,” he raises his eyebrows.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“Oh me too! I’d like that very much!”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
He turns to face her directly and cries out in exasperation, “well then why don’t you want to get in the back seat??”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
She looks up at him, tears welling in her eyes, brow furrowed in dismay and whispers…
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
“But I want to stay up here with you.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
(Folks, I present to you my fathers favorite joke, on his 76th birthday. Happy birthday pops.)
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/antoindotnet"> /u/antoindotnet </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rzhs7f/a_guy_and_his_date_decide_to_go_to_lovers_lane/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rzhs7f/a_guy_and_his_date_decide_to_go_to_lovers_lane/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A man says to his wife ‘apparently the milkman has had sex with every woman but one on our street’</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
‘I bet it’s that stuck up cow at No.36’ replies the wife
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/AdeptLengthiness8886"> /u/AdeptLengthiness8886 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rz5uma/a_man_says_to_his_wife_apparently_the_milkman_has/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rz5uma/a_man_says_to_his_wife_apparently_the_milkman_has/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A man goes to hell…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
<div class="md">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The devil greets him and says “You have to pick your torture. Pick wisely because this will be your torture for eternity”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The man goes through hundreds of rooms but can’t decide, until he sees a room where a man is sitting on a couch watching football on TV and getting a blowjob from a cheerleader.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The man says “This is what I want to do for eternity!” The devil says “Are you sure?”. He screams “Hell, yes!”.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The devil goes up to the cheerleader and says “You can stop now. I found someone to replace you”
</p>
</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/afackacc"> /u/afackacc </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rz0xef/a_man_goes_to_hell/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/rz0xef/a_man_goes_to_hell/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
</ul>
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