Welcome to the newly revamped Key Developments, now twice weekly and with non-COVID news. Right now, it’s actually still just COVID news, but we’ll be slowly morphing it into something broader as we go.
There are nearly 29.7 million global cases. Cases have grown around the world by almost 2 million since last week; global cases continue to accelerate. There have been over 938,000 total deaths. There will be 1 million dead by the end of the month. There are nearly 6.8 million cases in the US. There have been over 200,000 deaths in the US. Over 1,000 have died in the US since yesterday. India gained over 90,000 new cases in the last 24 hours.
About 1% of patients with COVID-19 develop a pneumothorax, which is a collapsed lung. In the case of COVID, it’s because tissue is so damaged by the virus that it perforates and leaks air into the chest cavity. Older patients with pneumothorax suffer higher mortality rates.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs like ibuprofen are not linked to worsened disease in COVID-19 patients according to a large cohort study:
NSAIDs like ibuprofen not tied to severe COVID-19, death – via @CIDRAPhttps://t.co/J4NfqFXV3e
— LinksMedicus.com (@Links_Medicus) September 11, 2020
Thousands of students have tested positive at the University of South Carolina and have been asked to isolate in a defunct dorm building. The University of Alabama system also has over 1,000 positive students. There are tens of thousands of cases in US colleges and universities:
"New York Times survey of more than 1,600 American colleges and universities..has revealed at least 88,000 cases and at least 60 deaths since the pandemic began. "
Tracking Covid at U.S. Colleges and Universities https://t.co/xWMOONjZxc
— Richard H. Ebright (@R_H_Ebright) September 11, 2020
Cases and hospitalizations are declining in the US:
Nationally, Covid cases and hospitalizations continue to decline driven by sharp improvement in the sunbelt; but concerning trends in the Midwest present challenges for our national picture heading into the Fall. pic.twitter.com/zJkIEGsVMw
— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) September 14, 2020
Before we get excited by the decline in cases and hospitalizations, note that we’ve got an R > 1 in more than 30 states in the US—this means cases are going to trend up again shortly.
An HHS official with no medical or science background (he was formerly a radio host) interfered with COVID-19 reports. After an uproar he apologized, signaled a desire to take medical leave, and told HHS staff to listen to some Grateful Dead music:
new: MICHAEL CAPUTO called emergency meeting to apologize to staff for his actions, is meeting with AZAR to discuss his future. https://t.co/HoBYgDB7Ej with @adamcancryn @owermohle
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) September 15, 2020
An intra-nasal vaccine is moving forward to human trials in China.
AstraZenica vaccine trials have resumed.
Peeps has halted production of its fall and winter holiday-themed treats. The company has reduced its production to protect its workforce and is planning to ramp production back up for spring:
Peeps Halts Production Due To Pandemic, Meaning No Holiday-Themed Candy https://t.co/CkLwOEazsk
— 1075 KISS FM (@KISS1075) September 14, 2020
Paper towels might be tough to find again.
Folks who forego mask-wearing in Indonesia can be forced to dig graves.
Things are going (not so) great all around:
So to sum up: The West is burning; the Arctic is melting; the National Hurricane Center is tracking eight major systems; and the WHO reports the largest single-day increase of coronavirus cases globally.
— Christian Davenport (@wapodavenport) September 14, 2020
Pfizer might win the race to approval in the US, but that doesn’t guarantee we’ll have a vaccine ready by the end of the year. There should be multiple vaccines available in 2021.
A serostudy done by Amgen and published in the NEJM shows that antibodies stick around for at least 4 months.