Here’s some news that will make the Covid-19 vaccine-wary holdouts cause for some pack slapping. Recent data released by the U.S. CDC in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report suggests that when it comes to the Delta variant, people with previous infections fared better than those who only had vaccines. According to the study, “Case rates were initially lowest among vaccinated persons without a previous COVID-19 diagnosis; however, after emergence of the Delta variant and over the course of time, incidence increased sharply in this group, but only slightly among both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons with previously diagnosed COVID-19. Across the entire study period, persons with vaccine- and infection-derived immunity had much lower rates of hospitalization compared with those in unvaccinated persons. These results suggest that vaccination protects against COVID-19 and related hospitalization and that surviving a previous infection protects against a reinfection. Importantly, infection-derived protection was greater after the highly transmissible Delta variant became predominant, coinciding with early declining of vaccine-induced immunity in many persons. Similar data accounting for booster doses and as new variants, including Omicron, circulate will need to be assessed.” It will be interesting to see how the results from this study are weaponized by the anti-vaxx crowd. https://bit.ly/3tG4l0V
Half of America hoped that a new president would usher in a new era of competence. So far, it appears as if they’ll have to wait for another president to take office. In light of this, the president held a wide-ranging press conference to make his case to the media and American public. He was particularly defensive when it came to his administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Per STAT, “President Biden on Wednesday defended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, amid mounting criticism of the agency’s repeated struggles to communicate basic public health guidance. But instead of conceding that the agency is fundamentally flawed, or that his top health officials have underperformed, Biden attributed the communications issues to the ever-changing nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, and of science itself. ‘The messages, to the extent they’ve been confusing — it’s because the scientists, they’re learning more,’ Biden said during a nearly two-hour press conference.” Talk about speaking out of both sides of his mouth. https://bit.ly/3KtgQmo
If the pandemic has driven something to scientists and the general public, it is the importance of conducting high-quality clinical trials. Experts believe adopting digital methods will revolutionize clinical trials. Per FierceBiotech, “Demand for faster enrollment and growing use of decentralized trials model are increasing use of management tech in clinical development, according to Florence Healthcare. The conclusion comes from a survey of nearly 200 research professionals quizzed by the software firm about trends in the drug development space, which revealed that tech is being used to solve recruitment bottlenecks and reduce admin, says Florence CEO Ryan Jones.” According to Jones, transitioning from paper to digital will result in automation, de-duplication, and intelligence. https://bit.ly/3KqOk4J
A massive stretch of newly discovered coral reefs is cause for celebration. Per the Associated Press, “Deep in the South Pacific, scientists have explored a rare stretch of pristine corals shaped like roses off the coast of Tahiti. The reef is thought to be one of the largest found at such depths and seems untouched by climate change or human activities… Globally, coral reefs have been depleted from overfishing and pollution. Climate change is also harming delicate corals — including those in areas neighboring the newly discovered reef — with severe bleaching caused by warmer waters. Between 2009 and 2018, 14% of the world’s corals were killed, according to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Project.” One of the main reasons the reef was in such good shape lay in its depth — between 115 feet (35 meters) to 230 feet (70 meters) deep. https://bit.ly/3tKU6sg
Thanks for reading. Let’s be careful out there.