Is the current COVID-19 strategy effective?

Is the current COVID-19 strategy effective? In conclusion, since COVID-19 has spread widely across Europe and the US, we no longer have any chance to eradicate it; we shall have to live with it. The good news is that recent data have shown that we can handle a much larger number of infections without excessive social cost. Dutch COVID-19 policy should therefore move away from controlling infections towards creating herd immunity by letting the COVID-19-virus roam freely among the non-vulnerable groups, while strictly protecting the vulnerable groups. Currently, a daily number of infections of 8,000 (about 0.05% of the population) would seem to strike a proper balance between keeping the cost of lockdown policies manageable and speeding up the process of achieving herd immunity.

Pfizer chairman: We're not sure if someone can transmit virus after vaccination

Pfizer chairman: We're not sure if someone can transmit virus after vaccination: Pfizer chairman Albert Bourla told Dateline host Lester Holt that the pharmaceutical company was “not certain” if the vaccine prevented the coronavirus from being transmitted, saying, “This is something that needs to be examined.”

How to Gather the Oral Histories of COVID-19

How to Gather the Oral Histories of COVID-19: In fact, oral history projects are proliferating across the U.S. For example, StoryCorps is collecting oral histories of 2020 through StoryCorps Connect. The New York Public Library has launched History Now: The Pandemic Diaries Project. And universities from Princeton to Arizona State to the University of Wisconsin are building COVID-19 oral history archives. So many projects are underway, in fact, that a number of organizations have offered guidance on how to take an oral history. Americans have turned to oral testimony in a time of crisis before.

Dear Pandemic

Dear Pandemic: Welcome to Dear Pandemic, a website where bona fide nerdy girls post real info on COVID-19. We are committed to facts.

Meet the scientists investigating the origins of the COVID pandemic

Meet the scientists investigating the origins of the COVID pandemic: Christian Drosten, a virologist at the Charité hospital in Berlin, notes that invitations to apply for the team were only sent to members of the WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), a closed group with experience in outbreak response. Many researchers with relevant expertise were not given the opportunity to apply, says Drosten, who received the e-mail, but missed the invitation while on holiday. “They could and should have issued this as a more open call.”

Although the team members are highly qualified, eight out of ten are men and investigators from Europe dominate the group

The UK has approved a COVID vaccine — here’s what scientists now want to know

The UK has approved a COVID vaccine — here’s what scientists now want to know: Do the vaccines prevent transmission of COVID-19?

How long will vaccine-induced immunity last?

How well do the vaccines work in groups such as old people and children?

How do the vaccines stack up against each other?

Could the virus evolve to evade immunity given by vaccines?

How will scientists monitor for long-term safety concerns?

 

The dangers of Covid-19 far outweigh the risks of a vaccine

The dangers of Covid-19 far outweigh the risks of a vaccine: So can I tell you that there won't be a long-term unknown side effect to the Covid jab? No. I can only tell you the chances of there being one are very, very, low. But what I do know is that, if the regulators license these vaccines, the risks to you from Covid-19 will definitely be higher. Watch the data yourself as it comes out. Take good counsel. If you are worried, keep an open mind and don't rush. You are unlikely to be offered a vaccine for months. We are a proud and usually sensible nation. No one is going to be forced to have a vaccine, but doing so is the wise choice.