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Contract Tracing Problems: People Increasingly, ‘Have No Idea’ how they contracted COVID-19.

Sat, 2020-10-31 12:50 — mike kraft

... As the coronavirus soars across the country, smashing daily records and surpassing nine million cases nationwide, tracing the path of the pandemic in the United States is no longer simply challenging. It has become nearly impossible.

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Remsdesvir: Some experts troubled about FDA approval for COVID-19 treatment

Fri, 2020-10-30 14:07 — mike kraft

The United States reached a milestone, of sorts, when last week the Food and Drug Administration approved the first treatment for Covid-19.

The drug is called Veklury, although most people know it by its scientific name, remdesivir.

On Wednesday, its manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, said that remdesivir, which has been authorized for emergency use since the spring, had brought in $873 million in revenues so far this year and that it was the company’s second-best-selling drug in the third quarter, behind its H.I.V. drug, Biktarvy.

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New research shows that Covid-19 antibodies can neutralize the virus and last up to five months

Fri, 2020-10-30 13:15 — mike kraft

There’s encouraging news about antibodies in a new paper published in the journal Science from researchers at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital. In their study of the antibody responses of patients with either mild or moderate Covid-19, antibody levels appeared to stay relatively stable for at least five months, and their presence was correlated with the inactivation of the virus.

Antibodies are molecules pumped out by the immune system in response to infection, and they have a role in preventing future infections, though exactly how they function within the context of Covid-19 isn’t clear yet. Scientists are urgently trying to figure out whether the presence of antibodies actually means a person is protected from future infection as well as how long antibodies last in the body. Knowing this is crucial, especially for vaccine development.

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Internal Documents Reveal COVID-19 Hospitalization Data The Government Keeps Hidden

Fri, 2020-10-30 10:26 — mike kraft

As coronavirus cases rise swiftly around the country, surpassing both the spring and summer surges, health officials brace for a coming wave of hospitalizations and deaths. Knowing which hospitals in which communities are reaching capacity could be key to an effective response to the growing crisis. That information is gathered by the federal government — but not shared openly with the public.

NPR has obtained documents that give a snapshot of data the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services collects and analyzes daily. The documents — reports sent to agency staffers — highlight trends in hospitalizations and pinpoint cities nearing full hospital capacity and facilities under stress. They paint a granular picture of the strain on hospitals across the country that could help local citizens decide when to take extra precautions against COVID-19.

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Short of medics as virus surges, central Europe sounds alarm

Thu, 2020-10-29 09:45 — mike kraft

Short of medics as virus surges, central Europe sounds alarm KYJOV, Czech Republic (AP) — Soldiers in Poland are giving coronavirus tests. American National Guard troops with medical training are headed to the Czech Republic to work alongside doctors there.... AP NEWS

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Some Americans refuse to wear masks even as their hometowns become covid-19 hot spots

Wed, 2020-10-28 10:18 — mike kraft

Some Americans refuse to wear masks even as their hometowns become covid-19 hot spots The resistance has grown larger thanks to presidential candidates with starkly different views about masks, as well as the pandemic. Joel Achenbach, Lori Rozsa Washington Post

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In coronavirus testing, false positives are more hazardous than they might seem.

Mon, 2020-10-26 10:32 — mike kraft

In the high-stakes world of coronavirus testing, false positives are widely considered to be benign in comparison with false negatives, which can deprive infected people of treatment and embolden them to mingle with others, hastening the spread of disease.

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Some doctors fighting the pandemic now have another thing to worry about

Sat, 2020-10-24 11:35 — mike kraft

Some doctors fighting the pandemic now have another thing to worry about For months Dr. Jinendra Satiya has faced fears on the frontlines of a deadly pandemic, treating coronavirus patients. Natasha Chen, CNN CNN

(CNN) For months Dr. Jinendra Satiya has faced fears on the frontlines of a deadly pandemic, treating coronavirus patients.

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OPINION: Why Can’t We See All of the Government’s Virus Data?

Sat, 2020-10-24 11:09 — mike kraft

The Trump administration has declined to release critical data to outside public health experts that would enable them to devise strategies against the virus that has killed 223,000 Americans and counting.

Federal agencies have told us that since March they have been compiling basic data for each county and city on Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, the timing of social distancing mandates, testing, and other factors. This information can provide insights into how combinations of public health mandates — masks, social distancing and school closures, for instance — can keep the virus spread in check.

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Hospitalization data flawed in Missouri, perhaps elsewhere

Sat, 2020-10-24 10:32 — mike kraft

Hospitalization data flawed in Missouri, perhaps elsewhere O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — With the number of coronavirus patients requiring hospitalization rising at alarming levels, Missouri and perhaps a handful of other states are unable to post accurate data on... AP NEWS

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — With the number of coronavirus patients requiring hospitalization rising at alarming levels, Missouri and perhaps a handful of other states are unable to post accurate data on COVID-19 dashboards because of a flaw in the federal reporting system.

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