HBO Doc ‘The Last Cruise’ Gives Insight Into Nightmarish Covid-19 Outbreak
In the first few minutes of The Last Cruise, a new HBO documentary directed by Hannah Olson, the skies are clear, the waters blue, and aboard the Diamond Princess, aerobics classes involving hundreds are in full swing. The date is January 20, 2020, and …
Persistence Of Covid-19 Antibodies Varies Widely From Person To Person
One of the greatest unsolved mysteries of Covid-19 is why the neutralizing antibodies our bodies generate in response to the virus tend to dwindle in number so quickly. A small minority of studies, including one completed in Iceland last summer, have observed …
Preventing Fecal-Oral And Fecal-Aerosol Transmission Of Covid-19
Last year, I conducted an interview with a friend who traveled to Shanghai and was forced to quarantine in a hotel for 11 days under the supervision of local health authorities. He was brought hot meals, subjected to temperature checks twice daily, …
Self-Testing: A Route To School Re-Opening – The Austrian Example
Austria is seeking something different to reopen its schools. After months of battling SARS-CoV-2, the government is asking students to test themselves twice a week before they can attend class. The country could become an example for the U.S., where many schools …
Weighing Biden’s First Executive Orders to Address COVID-19: Plaudits and missed opportunities
Within days of his inauguration, President Joe Biden followed through on his promise to get straight to work fighting COVID-19, swiftly signing numerous executive orders aimed at mitigating the pandemic. These directives include everything from enforcing mask-wearing to enhancing worker safety, increasing …
The Mouse That Roared: What The US Can Learn From Andorra About Covid-19 Testing
One country is setting the global standard for Covid-19 testing, and it isn’t the United States. In anticipation of the winter holidays, the small European principality of Andorra has begun distributing rapid, self-administered antigen tests for Covid-19 to all residents over the …
Covid-19 Home Tests Should Be Much Cheaper
Great news: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its first over-the-counter, totally at-home test. Unlike previously authorized models, the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test requires neither a laboratory to process results, nor a health worker to facilitate, nor a prescription to purchase. …
Why Covid-19 Is Overwhelming California
At this pivotal juncture in our nation’s history, California has become a microcosm of broader developments taking shape across the US. The country’s most populous state is also its most diverse, home to a wide range of cultures, ethnicities, and economies. To the …
The Trouble With Herd Immunity And Covid-19 Vaccines
Now that an independent advisory panel has voted in favor of approving Pfizer’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine, it likely won’t be long before the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clears it for emergency use. Within 24 hours of their decision, millions of …
Even With A Vaccine, We Still Need Rapid Tests To End Covid-19
Yesterday, an independent FDA advisory panel gave Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine—already approved in Britain, Canada, and Saudi Arabia—its vote of confidence, setting it up to be authorized as early as this weekend for emergency use in the United States. Their recommendation extends to …