Reuters
CureVac fails in pivotal COVID-19 vaccine trial with 47% efficacy
· German biotech CureVac NV (5CV.DE) said on Wednesday its COVID-19 vaccine was only 47% effective in a late-stage trial, missing the study's main goal and throwing in doubt the potential delivery of hundreds of millions of doses to the European Union. · Shared by 14, including Vishal Gulati (I back scientists), Rick Powell, Martin Steiger
Project Syndicate
Can We End the Pandemic? | by William A. Haseltine
2 min · · The emergence of dangerous new coronavirus variants is threatening the progress that we have made with the help of COVID-19 vaccines. It is now clear that our pharmaceutical research efforts and… · Shared by 7, including Rick Powell
The Daily Beast
The Doctor Who Eliminated Smallpox Says COVID-19 Is Here to Stay
18+ min · · Dr. Larry Brilliant spoke with Harry Siegel about why it’s too late to hope for herd immunity despite the “magic” of vaccines, and much more. · Shared by 8, including Rick Powell
nature
The COVID lab-leak hypothesis: what scientists do and don’t know
9 min · · Nature examines arguments that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a lab in China, and the science behind them. · Shared by 100, including Roger Highfield, Evan Kirstel the $B2B Techfluencer, Andy Budd, Rick Powell, Charles Arthur, Dr. Kiki Sanford, Maggie Koerth, Jonathan Eisen
Scientific American
Some Pandemic Health Habits Deserve to Stay
3 min · · We need a public health culture change informed by lessons from COVID · Shared by 50, including Rick Powell, Monica Gandhi MD, MPH
nature
Six months of COVID vaccines: what 1.7 billion doses have taught scientists
Summary · 13+ min · · At a pivotal moment in the pandemic, Nature explores key questions about the vaccines that countries are racing to deliver while viral variants spread around the globe. · Shared by 101, including Rick Powell, Burak Bayburtlu, Carly, Roger Highfield, getAbstract, Eric Topol, Fred Destin, Carla Gentry, Dr. Saskia Popescu
The Guardian
Covid outbreak at my children’s school makes me fear we’re complacent
5 min · · Talk of ‘freedom day’ and foreign holidays may be premature when so many pupils are testing positive · Shared by 12, including Martin Steiger, Rick Powell
WIRED
The Teeny, Tiny Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill
19+ min · · All pandemic long, scientists brawled over how the virus spreads. Droplets! No, aerosols! At the heart of the fight was a mysterious error in decades-old research. · Shared by 715, including Moritz Stefaner, Kevin Marks 🏠kevinmarks.com xoxo.zone/@KevinMarks, Douglas Karr, Jeff Atwood, Gavin Schmidt, wil shipley, Jen Simmons, Rachel Glennerster, Dr. Simon A. Rego, Lee Keyes, Bethany Brookshire, Akshat Rathi, zooko❤ⓩ🛡🦓🦓🦓, David Fisman, David Smith, Martin Stabe, Prof Steve Keen, Roger Highfield, zeynep tufekci, Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🥼🤹🦟🧀
Works in Progress
Why didn't suicides rise during Covid?
12+ min · · Covid-19 brought death, suffering and financial straits, so it was unsurprising that depression rose around the world. But when the data came in, we found suicide did not – and it's a mystery why. · Shared by 22, including Liam Bright, Rick Powell, sircharlsxavier
nature
Count the cost of disability caused by COVID-19
9 min · · Focusing only on cases and deaths hides the pandemic’s lasting health burden on people, societies and economies. · Shared by 28, including Carl Zimmer, Eric Topol, Rick Powell, Deborah Blum, slumos
nature
What scientists know about new, fast-spreading coronavirus variants
5 min · · Key questions remain about how quickly B.1.617 variants can spread, their potential to evade immunity and how they might affect the course of the pandemic. · Shared by 36, including Rick Powell, Amesh Adalja, Eric Topol
nature
Had COVID? You’ll probably make antibodies for a lifetime
3 min · · People who recover from mild COVID-19 have bone-marrow cells that can churn out antibodies for decades, though viral variants could dampen some of the protection they offer. · Shared by 78, including Mark_Sisson, Arin Basu, Eric Topol, Jason Silva, Benny Johnson, Carlos del Rio, Rick Powell, Daniel Kraft, MD
nature
What the science says about lifting mask mandates
11+ min · · With COVID rates dropping and vaccinations on the rise, the United States and other places are removing some requirements for face coverings. Are they moving too fast? · Shared by 29, including Rick Powell, Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, Timothy Caulfield, Carlos del Rio
nature
‘It’s a minefield’: COVID vaccine safety poses unique communication challenge
4 min · · Poll on vaccine hesitancy demonstrates the extraordinary predicament researchers face in transmitting risk information during a pandemic. · Shared by 13, including Dr. Saskia Popescu, Roger Highfield, Rick Powell
nature
Mix-and-match COVID vaccines trigger potent immune response
3 min · · Preliminary results from a trial of more than 600 people are the first to show the benefits of combining different vaccines. · Shared by 67, including Carlos del Rio, Martin Varsavsky, Tim Bray, Dr. Saskia Popescu, Rick Powell, Tomas Pueyo, Marc Brupbacher, Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, Mario Klingemann💧💦, Carly, Roger Highfield, Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🥼🤹🦟🧀, Christopher Lauer™
reason
The Pandemic Could Have Been Over Much Sooner—If Not for the FDA
6 min · · At critical junctures, the FDA slowed vaccine development and rollout. Its decisions almost certainly cost lives. · Shared by 9, including Rick Powell