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Category Archives: Medicine

COVID-19 boosted open access but preprints are only a fraction of pandemic papers

Science – “Critics of scientific publishing had hoped for a bigger shake-up from the global crisis: “…But nearly 2 years later, hopes for a wholesale revolution are fading. Preprints by medical researchers surged, but they remain a small fraction of the literature on COVID-19. Much of that literature is available for free, but access to… Continue Reading

Unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die of COVID

CDC: “What is already known about this topic? The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, and death is higher in unvaccinated than vaccinated persons, and the incidence rate ratios are related to vaccine effectiveness. What is added by this report? Across 13 U.S. jurisdictions, incidence rate ratios for hospitalization and death changed relatively little after the… Continue Reading

COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States

Overall US COVID-19 Vaccine | Deliveries and Administration; Maps, charts, and data provided by CDC, updates daily by 8 pm ET.  “Represents all vaccine partners including jurisdictional partner clinics, retail pharmacies, long-term care facilities, dialysis centers, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Health Resources and Services Administration partner sites, and federal entity facilities. On August 13th,… Continue Reading

Study finds vaccine booster shots effective as WHO Europe head says they’re ‘not a luxury’

Washington Post: “Booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are highly effective against both coronavirus infection and severe covid-19, Israeli scientists reported in a new paper that supports the idea of administering a third dose as protection against the virus wanes. Researchers at a variety of Israeli institutions looked at data from the nation’s Health Ministry… Continue Reading

Even with Delta Variant the Amazing Vaccines Are Saving Lives

Kottke: “…Even with Delta endemic in the country, the vaccines are providing extraordinary protection against infections severe enough to land folks in the hospital. In a recent CDC study of infections and hospitalizations in Los Angeles County, they report that on July 25, the hospitalization rate of unvaccinated people was 29.2 times that of fully… Continue Reading

Should You Get a Booster Shot? Here’s What We Know

Scientific American – “Experts weigh in on common questions about whether and when additional doses of coronavirus vaccines may be needed…The groups it is clear should be getting additional doses include highly immunocompromised people: recipients of solid organ transplants, those with AIDS, those taking highly immunosuppressive drugs for cancer or autoimmune disease—these people have less… Continue Reading

What to know about coronavirus booster shots in the US

Washington Post: “The United States on Wednesday became the latest country to embrace the widespread use of coronavirus vaccine booster shots, citing new data that shows the vaccines’ effectiveness waning over time. The Biden administration said it plans to make booster shots available to Americans starting the week of Sept. 20, pending reviews by federal… Continue Reading

COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People

CDC: “HHS announced a plan to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots this fall. CDC’s independent advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, will continue to meet and discuss data on the evolution of the pandemic and the use of COVID-19 vaccines. ACIP will make further recommendations on the use of boosters for the… Continue Reading

How the Pandemic Now Ends

The Atlantic – Cases of COVID-19 are rising fast. Vaccine uptake has plateaued. The pandemic will be over one day—but the way there is different now. “This new surge brings a jarring sense of déjà vu. America has fallen prey to many of the same self-destructive but alluring instincts that I identified last year. It… Continue Reading

Why the CDC changed its mask guidance, according to an epidemiologist

Vox: “An expert explains why vaccinated people should wear masks in some indoor settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now done an about-face on its masking guidelines for people vaccinated against Covid-19. Back in May, the agency said that people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 could “resume activities without wearing masks… Continue Reading

4 Reasons I’m Wearing a Mask Again

The Atlantic – “Our vaccines are extraordinary, but right now they need all the help they can get…But the pandemic is once again entering a new phase that feels more dangerous and more in flux, even for the people lucky enough to have received their lifesaving shots. A more transmissible variant—one that can discombobulate vaccine-trained… Continue Reading