COVID-19 News and Discussions

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caltrek
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Bentley University Research Examines Relationship Between Political Affiliations and Interpretations of COVID-19 Graphs
June 6, 2022

Extract:
(EurekAlert)…the public’s response to the pandemic in the United States has often diverged sharply along political lines, raising important questions about how virus data are being interpreted. For example, is there a relationship between our political affiliations and how we see and interpret Covid-19 graphs? When Democrats and Republicans look at a line graph showing the number of Covid cases over time, do they generally agree on the slope of line in degrees, or do they actually see entirely different line slopes? And do members of the two parties agree in terms of the words that they select to subjectively interpret the slope of “the curve”?

Dr. Jonathan Ericson, Dr. William Albert, and Bentley Ph.D. Student Ja-Naé Duane, recently published a study on this timely and important topic in Big Data & Society: (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/ ... 7221080678.

The team found that the Democrats and Republicans in their study sample saw the graphs similarly in terms of actual percentages and line slopes in degrees. For example, members of both parties agreed that the mathematical slope of “the curve” in Covid-19 line graphs was steeper than the curve in the Flu-labeled line graphs, even though the slopes were adjusted to be exactly the same in all of the graphs. This result shows that members of both parties agreed on the mathematical features of the data, and it also suggests that members of the two political parties shared a heightened awareness of Covid-19 in comparison to the Flu. However, members of the two parties selected different words when they were asked to describe the data in terms of whether the curve was “slightly” or “sharply” increasing…

This study…provides research-based evidence that although members of the two parties may agree on the mathematical features of a graph… those features (e.g., whether a trend line is “slightly” or “sharply” increasing) may diverge along political lines. The team notes in their article that they see this research as confirming how critically important it is that researchers, policy makers, and data professionals “continually seek to clarify the relationship between how data are presented and how they are subjectively interpreted and continually seek new ways of ethically displaying data that promote shared understanding and minimize our biases.”
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/954982
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Omicron booster candidate shows 'superiority' against variant, Moderna says
Source: Washington Post
Preliminary data on Moderna’s omicron-targeting coronavirus vaccine booster candidate showed that the shot gives recipients a “superior” antibody response against the variant, Moderna announced Wednesday, expressing hope that the company can make the new shots available by late summer. The booster candidate, which provided an eightfold rise in immunization against omicron, also increased antibodies against the alpha, beta, gamma and delta variants.

Soon after omicron’s discovery last year, Moderna said it was developing shots specifically designed to fight the variant. Rivals Pfizer and BioNTech announced the same. In April, Moderna released data that showed a booster shot that the company began working on in February 2021, tailored to fight the original version of the virus and the beta variant, increased the level of virus-blocking antibodies against several variants, including omicron, better than a regular booster.

Data from the recent clinical trial, which involved 437 participants, showed that Moderna’s omicron-targeting booster would probably provide longer protection against variants a month after administration when compared with earlier versions of its coronavirus vaccine, Moderna said, making it the company’s “lead candidate for a Fall 2022 booster.” It will submit the data to regulators in the coming weeks. The booster “was generally well-tolerated,” with side effects comparable to earlier boosters, the company said.

New daily coronavirus infections are slowly climbing in the United States. The country recorded a 38 percent uptick in new cases during the past week, according to figures compiled by The Washington Post, as protection from booster shots and previous infections wanes and as more people go about their lives without masks.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2 ... rus-trial/
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COVID-19: Infections increase in UK for the first time in two months
Friday 10 June 2022

COVID cases have risen for the first time in two months, according to the latest figures.

The spike is likely to be caused by increases in cases compatible with the original Omicron variant BA.1 and the newer variants BA.4 and BA.5, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

A total of 989,800 people in private households are estimated to have had the virus last week - up from 953,900 the previous week.

It is the first time total infections have risen week-on-week since the end of March, when the number hit a record 4.9 million at the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave.
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-inf ... s-12631373
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U.S. to lift coronavirus testing requirement for flyers returning to the country
Source: Washington Post

International travelers flying to the United States will no longer need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding their flights to the U.S., a senior Biden administration official said Friday, ending one of the nation’s last pandemic-related travel requirements.

The requirement will end at 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

The administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, said science and data show the requirement is no longer necessary. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will reassess the decision in 90 days and would reinstate the requirement if necessary, officials said.

The Biden administration in April dropped its requirement that people wear masks on airplanes, buses and in other public transportation settings after a federal judge ruled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority by putting the mandate in place. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of Florida is being appealed.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transpor ... ment-ends/
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FDA says Moderna vaccine for youngest children is safe and effective
Source: Washington Post
Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration on Friday said Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for infants and young children was safe and effective, setting the stage for a review by the agency’s outside advisers Wednesday and a potential authorization by the end of the week.

The analysis was released in briefing documents ahead of next week’s meeting, when the independent advisers also will consider whether a vaccine by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, should be authorized for the youngest children. Babies and children younger than 5 — a group numbering 19 million — remain the only age group in the United States still not eligible for a coronavirus vaccine.

Moderna has asked the FDA for permission to use its vaccine in children 6 months through 5 years old. The Pfizer-BioNTech request is for children 6 months through 4 years old. The FDA is expected to release its assessment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the next few days.

The FDA said the Moderna two-shot regimen for the youngest children met the main requirement set by regulators — that it generate an immune response at least as strong as the protection afforded young adults. The vaccine, according to data from the company and confirmed by the FDA, was only somewhat effective in preventing illness among the youngest group of recipients, reflecting the impact of the highly transmissible omicron variant, which has blunted the power of the vaccine in adults as well.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2 ... -analysis/
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To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
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