Coronavirus News Explained

Why is B.1.1.7 More Transmisible?           Earlier this year, a new coronavirus strain named B.1.1.7 emerged in the United Kingdom and has now made its way across the globe. With B.1.1.7 came concerns about the potentially faster spread of the virus. If the new variant does spread faster, this would mean an increased number of COVID-19 cases and a greater need for an effective vaccine. Multiple studies have found that this new strain is indeed more transmissible than previous strains of SARS-CoV-2. (See A New Coronavirus Strain for more information about B.1.1.7) A recently published article in preprint at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , investigates the reason behind the high transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant. In this study, researchers specifically looked into the viral load of infected patients as well as how long the virus lasted in each individual. The details of the study are summarized below. About the Study   ...

 Effective Drug for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients           Although COVID-19 vaccines have recently been all the rage with the distribution of the approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, other non-vaccine, coronavirus treatments have also proved successful including a drug named tocilizumab. How does tocilizumab work? Many people with severe COVID-19 suffer from systemic or widespread inflammation due to the immune system overworking against the virus. Tocilizumab is a drug that reduces this inflammation. Although tocilizumab is commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, researchers believe it can also be used to combat the coronavirus as the drug reduces inflammation, which is a common symptom in patients with severe COVID-19.     Multiple studies have been conducted that tested the efficacy of tocilizumab but each study produced varying results and reached different conclusions. One of these studies, published in December 2020 i...

 What Makes Someone a COVID Superspreader     It is known that the coronavirus is primarily spread from person to person through respiratory droplets which can be released in sneezes and coughs. As a result, many people might suspect that coughing or sneezing by an infected person makes them a 'super spreader' or more likely to transmit the virus to others. However, new research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases  on February 2, 2021 finds that what makes someone a COVID-19 superspreader is not how often one coughs or sneezes but instead dependent upon another factor. This post covers the methods and results of the conducted study and summarizes the overall findings.  About the Study     The study, conducted in Catalonia, Spain, was a randomized trial conducted between March 17 and April 28, 2020.  Researchers conducted this study with the goal of answering the question 'what makes someone with COVID-19 more contagious.' To answer th...

 Comparing Vaccines: Pfizer vs. Moderna vs. Johnson and Johnson            As of February 3, 2021, two vaccines, developed by the companies Pfizer and Moderna, have already been approved in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Currently, other vaccines that have just completed phase 3 clinical trials are seeking Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA; one of the most notable candidates is a vaccine developed by the company Johnson and Johnson . As more vaccines become available to the public, some may be wondering which vaccine they should get and why? Is one type of vaccine more effective than the others? What are the side effects of each of the vaccines? This post does a side-by-side comparison of the current leading vaccines developed by the companies Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Information is taken from peer-reviewed clinical trial results cited in previous posts about these vaccines as well as newer res...

6-Month Effects of COVID-19                As of January 25, 2021, there are almost 100 million recorded cases of COVID-19 worldwide. Clearly, COVID-19 infection is a problem that many people have and will face. However, because the virus is relatively new with its first case reported on December 31, 2019, not much is known about the long term effects of COVID-19. Researchers know the symptoms of COVID-19 include coughing, fever, nausea, loss of taste, etc, but these symptoms tend to be transient and dissipate with recovery. Will COVID-19 still affect people after recovery? A study published in The Lancet   earlier this month details and records the 6-month effects of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. Even months after recovery, many patients still suffer from various symptoms including fatigue, insomnia and more. Some other symptoms not detailed in the study but reported in an article in The New York Times Magazine include memory loss...

 New vaccine candidate linked to long lasting antibody levels     COVID-19 vaccines have recently become the hot topic of many conversations. Two vaccines in particular, have been all over the media; one developed by the company  Moderna  and the other by  Pfizer . Both vaccines are mRNA based and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are the only vaccines "authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19," (as of Jan. 15, 2021). However, many COVID-19 vaccine candidates are currently under development and undergoing clinical trials. One candidate in particular, although in its early stages of testing, displayed hopeful results; the vaccine was associated with long lasting antibody levels in all ages. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, this candidate is not mRNA-based but rather an adenovirus-based vaccine. The results for the phase 1-2a trial of this vaccine were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Janua...

Early Plasma Treatment Reduces Severe COVID-19 in Older Adults     Multiple drugs and therapies have been developed since the outbreak of the coronavirus to help patients recover from COVID-19. Among these treatments include convalescent plasma , a liquid part of the blood that contains antibodies against the coronavirus, donated by people who have recovered from COVID-19. However, there have been mixed results regarding treatment with convalescent plasma. A group of scientists from the Fundación INFANT in Buenos Aires, Argentina speculated a reason for the mixed results is that the plasma should be administered earlier in the course of illness for higher efficacy. These researchers conducted a clinical trial to test the effects of plasma treatment given early in the COVID-19 disease course. Their study results, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine  ( NEJM) on January 6, 2021, suggest that an early plasma treatment reduces severe COVID-19 symptoms i...

 About the UK originated virus strain: B117     The release of promising vaccines in December 2020 has provided hope to many people that things may begin returning to normal in 2021. However, news of B117, a new and fast spreading UK-originated mutant coronavirus strain, has flooded social media networks and caused growing concern about the virus and what this mutation means for the COVID-19 pandemic. How did this mutation occur? Will the vaccine still work on the new strain? Is the new strain more infectious? How worried should everyone be? With the B117 strain comes a series of questions and confusion over what information should be believed. This post uses research taken from scientific publications and research institutions to provide detailed information and answer common questions about the mutation. What is B117     The B117 strain is not the first mutation in the coronavirus and will not be the last. In fact, scientists have known and expected ...

First Place: High School Division      Below is a piece written by Darren L (age 14), the winner of High School Division for the  COVID-19 Writing Contest  . Darren's submission is a research entry about masks, where he first details reasons why people refuse to wear masks and then provides evidence proving that masks are effective. (For more information about the efficacy of masks and different types of masks see  here ) Darren's piece can also be viewed through this  link . Enjoy! Why Masks are Effective in Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 By: Darren Lee Masks have been used for thousands of years and have been proven to be a great tool to prevent the spread of many diseases. For example, in 2009, there was a reported number of 30,200 cases of swine flu. After people started wearing masks, the number of cases decreased. Even though masks have been proven to be a helpful tool to stop the spread of viruses, people still refuse to wear them.  Why ...

Honorable Mention: High School Division     The following piece is written by Richard X, a participant of the High School Division for the COVID-19 Writing Contest . Richard's entry, a personal piece titled "Afterschool", was selected as honorable mention for the contest. In "Afterschool" Richard details how COVID-19 has affected his school life, specifically as a freshman in his first year of high school. His submission can also be viewed here . Enjoy! Afterschool Ah, another day of online school is over. I stare at my photo album for no particular reason. It’s full of smiles, happiness, and bondings less than six feet apart. It’s been a couple of months since any of that has happened, so grasping a blast from the past surely helps me remember the times when the people wearing masks weren’t here.  There's a Jazz club starting now, and so I quickly, and reluctantly, log into Zoom yet again, adding another hour to my total hours on Zoom. Charlie Parker’s musi...

First Place: Middle School Division Thank You, COVID     The piece below is written by William P (age 11), the first place winner of COVID-19 Writing Contest for the middle school division. William submitted a personal piece, titled "Thank You, COVID", where William details his journey during the pandemic from first hearing news of the coronavirus to being stuck in lockdown and experiencing the racial aspects of the diseases as someone of Chinese ethnicity. His entry can also be viewed through this link:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1beUpcwtaWQrbqEgmtX-wbPZ3Jbp72Dx0ZMvlXgTIKZU/edit . Enjoy! Thank You, Covid   By: William P. I slowly closed the door and tiptoed back to my bed so I wouldn’t wake the rest of my family. I could hear my parents snoring and my brother restless in his bed. I climbed into the bottom bunk bed, sad that I now would have to sleep in this room crammed with all my family members for many more months until the virus went away.  ...

Honorable Mentions: Middle School Division           The pieces below are written by Richy Z (age 11) and Andy S (age 12), two participants of the COVID-19 Writing Contest . Richy's and Andy's submissions were selected as honorable mentions for the middle school division of the writing contest. Richy's entry , "The workers most likely to catch COVID are...", is a research paper highlighting workers at high risk to COVID-19 in California. Andy's entry , "Changing with the World", is a personal piece describing how the virus has changed the way we live our lives and how Andy has adapted to this change. Enjoy! The workers most likely to catch COVID are… Richy Z, Age 11 COVID-19 is part of our lives. It is shutting down schools, workplaces, making people lose jobs, and worse, harming them. That’s the purpose of this paper: to interpret attainable, raw data. This way we can find out where and who the most likely people to catch COVID-19 are, so those peop...