Prospective mapping of viral mutations that escape antibodies used to treat COVID-19 Science Magazine
Few victims of public shaming have become as famous as Mr. Cronk, the New Brunswicker who contracted coronavirus on a business trip.
He initially had no symptoms, so was not required to self-isolate upon returning, he said.
Nine days later, he exhibited a few symptoms and tested positive for the coronavirus, so the health department began contact tracing. After the local news media did a story about a frustrated store owner disbelieving his staff had been exposed to the virus, Mr. Cronk worried hed be outed as the source of the exposure, knowing he had visited the store.
Saint John is very small, he said. I knew it was matter of time before my name was spoken. So, he approached the C.B.C. network to get the story straight, before chatter got around. To his knowledge, none of his contacts tested positive and he was never ticketed by the police for breaking public emergency regulations, he said.
Afterward, a video clip from his Instagram account promoting his marijuana supply business, Cronk Grow Nutrients made the rounds on Twitter. In it, Mr. Cronk said he cant taste a thing right now and detailed the many trips he had taken that month. Many assumed he had been knowingly, carelessly spreading the virus.
The optics, and the timing, were terrible: As the memes multiplied, the provinces top doctor announced a surge in cases and the premier declared a crackdown on Christmas travel and gatherings. Online, Mr. Cronk was deemed New Brunswicks infector in chief.
There wasnt a lesson to be learned, said Mr. Cronk. I was shamed for no reason.
Historically, stigma and shaming have faithfully trailed pandemics, said David Barnes, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies the history of infectious diseases and epidemics. During the plague in Europe, Jewish people became convenient scapegoats. During the cholera epidemic in Britain in the 19th century, working-class Irish people were blamed, Mr. Barnes said.
Most recently, gay men and Haitians were stigmatized during the AIDS epidemic in the United States.
We make ourselves feel safer and superior by associating disease with people who are not like us, do things we dont do, or come from places unlike our place, said Mr. Barnes. We shouldnt be surprised.
San Franciscos public schools have been virtual-only for nearly a year, despite increasing pressure from parents and politicians to reopen for in-person instruction. Even the city attorney has called on the school district to immediately reopen elementary schools.
The school district is set to vote on a plan Tuesday that would allow schools to reopen in Californias second-most-restrictive red tier once staff is fully vaccinated.
But local politicians say that plan is still too restrictive, given the reality that vaccinations are proceeding slowly because of lack of supply.
Some have noted that other major school districts across the U.S. have opened to some form of in-person schooling despite having higher levels of community transmission than San Francisco.
In New York City, where an average of 51 people per 100,000 are testing positive for the coronavirus every day, elementary schools have been open on a hybrid schedule for months, and middle schools are in the process of reopening. Other large school districts, including Atlanta and Miami, have fully reopened for elementary, middle and high school students (with remote learning options), despite having higher daily case rates than San Franciscos current rate of 9 per 100,000.
Supporters of San Franciscos prolonged closures have argued that keeping children and teachers at home is part of whats driving the citys low case rates, and that opening schools too quickly could lead to transmission among students and teachers.
We need a clear and coordinated state, county and local plan that puts the health and safety of our communities first and does not take shortcuts toward the path of opening schools in person, the California Teachers Association wrote in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom in late January as part of an effort to keep schools in counties under the states widespread purple tier closed for 100 days.
The idea that keeping schools closed has kept coronavirus numbers low isnt supported by the evidence, according to numerous Bay Area health experts.
There is not data to support that claim, Dr. Jeanne Noble, head of UCSFs emergency department COVID-19 response, said in an email. Noble cited a December study published by the CDC that found that, among children younger than 18 in Mississippi, attending school or child care did not make students more likely to test positive for the coronavirus. Instead, children who didnt consistently wear masks or had close contact with people outside of their household were more likely to test positive.
In fact, Noble said, the study found that kids who had gone to school or day care where masking was enforced during the previous 14 days were more likely to test negative for the coronavirus.
In other words, not only did attending in person not raise the risk for acquiring COVID, attending a school with universal masking actually lowered the childs risk for acquiring COVID, suggesting that schools may indeed be protective, she said.
In another recent study of 90,000 students and 10,000 teachers in North Carolinas school system, only 32 in-school transmissions occurred all of which were related to breaches in masking protocol, Noble said.
Carrie Byington, executive vice president of University of California Health, said the rate of coronavirus within a community remained an important factor when considering whether and how to reopen schools.
Case rates and other indicators of community transmission are important considerations when planning for school openings or any in-person activity, she said in an email.
But she agreed that opening schools was unlikely to drive San Franciscos infection rates up: There is now evidence from the U.S. and other countries that in-person school is not a primary driver of community transmission of SARS-CoV2, she said.
Some experts said that case rates a factor that the CDC has weighed heavily in its school reopening guide should not even be considered when making the decision to reopen.
We have seen major cities all over the country including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Miami, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Boston open to some component of in-person learning (hybrid or full-time) despite much higher case rates than San Francisco without significant issues of school-based transmission, Dr. Mitul Kapadia, associate clinical professor of pediatrics at UCSF, said in an email.
Kapadia pointed out that many public schools in Marin County have been open since October, with more than 17,000 students attending school in-person on a daily basis. With similar case rates Marin Countys daily new case rate is at 12 per 100,000 residents Marin has seen minimal school-based transmission and zero transmissions from student to teacher, he said.
Safe school reopening can happen despite high levels of community transmission, Kapadia said. The biggest predictor of transmission within schools is consistent implementation of layered mitigation strategies particularly mask use and physical distancing.
Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susan.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Susieneilson
More than 20 new cases of the more contagious U.K. and South African coronavirus strains have been found in South Carolina.
COLUMBIA, S.C. Its been less than a month since the first two U.S. cases of the more easily spread South African coronavirus strain were found in South Carolina.
Since then, more than a dozen new cases of the virus have been found.
According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), the new strain, which was first discovered in adults in the Pee Dee and Low Country regions, has now been discovered in at least 15 people in the Pee Dee region, five in the Low Country and one in the Midlands.
Its not immediately clear whether these cases are linked.
Dr. Helmut Albrecht, director for the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at Prisma Health and the University of South Carolina, said mutations are common in viruses as a lifeline. One of the main concerns with the current strains, however, is how mutations may impact the effectiveness of available vaccines.
Theres always in every surge, there are new strains coming to the forefront and this is what you expect from the virus, Albrecht said. What should worry us is the future when this strain picks up two, three more mutations, it will make our vaccine efforts more difficult.
Across the country, few cases of the South African strain have been reported.
The U.K. strain, however, appears to be more widespread with 42 states reporting cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Palmetto State is only reporting three cases of the U.K. strain.
Neither of these variants, while more easily spread, are known to be more deadly than the original strain at this time.
Dr. Albrecht said travel could be a factor in why the U.K. strain hasnt been reported more locally. He added that DHEC has started a larger scale effort to test for variants like the South African strain, which could be why more cases of that strain have been found.
Still, he said, its just a matter of time before the U.K. strain becomes more prevalent.
and the South African strain too, Albrecht said.
For now, safety guidance like mask wearing and social distancing are the best defense at keeping variants at bay until the vaccines become more widely available, according to Albrecht.
About Our Data
The administrations decisions surrounding the managing of the COVID-19 pandemic are data-driven, literature-based and follow established public health practices. The department uses statewide and national data as well as peer-reviewed literature, and guidance from the CDC and White House when making public health decisions. Decisions are based on science and facts.
COVID-19 is a novel virus, meaning never seen before in the world.
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet); through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
All guidance recommends that everyone wash their hands frequently, wear a mask, practice social distancing, disinfect surfaces, avoid going out if sick, and monitoring health for symptoms of the virus. These simple practices help stop the spread of the virus.
The Administration has used all available facts, data points and expert guidance in its decision to guide the response to COVID-19, at all times seeking to protect lives and livelihoods.
The PA Department of Health has added more groups of people to phase 1A of the vaccine rollout, making millions of Pennsylvanians eligible for the shot.
PENNSYLVANIA, USA Editor's note: The above video is from January 20.
Looking for more information on the COVID-19 vaccine?
Millions of people are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Pennsylvania.
Plenty of people are asking how they sign up to get the shot.
First, you need to go to this website.
You can take a quiz to see if you're eligible for the vaccine right now.
If it is your turn, you can head to step 2, which is a map of all the COVID-19 vaccine providers in Pennsylvania.
You can type in your address, or zoom in and find some providers near you.
Then you'll see a bunch of these dots.
All vaccine providers on the map are marked with blue dots -- whether they've received doses or not.
You can click on that dot and you'll either be re-directed to go to that facility's website to schedule an appointment to get the shot or you'll see a phone number or email to contact.
Different locations have different protocols on how to schedule, so you'll have to follow those instructions.
For instance, a Rite Aid location will take you to where you could be waiting for a bit.
Remember, just because you are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, does not mean you will get it right away.
PA Department of Health officials say there are not currently enough doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the commonwealth to vaccinate all 3.5 million people in phase 1a.
Instead, they said that process will likely take a few weeks.
February 19, 2021
Focus areas included shelters, jails, adult care homes, and teleworking
Auditor Jennifer McGuirk presented the first in a series of reports on the Countys response to COVID-19 Thursday, Feb. 18, shedding light on County operations during the first year of the pandemic.
The Auditors Office surveyed more than 3,300 employees, held 70 interviews with County leaders and management, conducted site visits, and researched County, state and federal guidance. Focus areas included the Countys response in congregate settings and implementation of countywide guidance. The time period covered spanned from June 1, 2020 to Dec. 18, 2020.
Specifically we looked at conditions in shelters, jails, juvenile detention, and adult care homes, McGuirk said. People in these settings also tend to represent vulnerable communities in our county, including seniors, people who have disabilities, people who are experiencing houselessness, and people in adult or juvenile custody.
The report found that the County acted quickly in response to the significant challenges presented by the pandemic in accordance to public health guidance. The audit also found the County had to also ensure buildings are safe and ready for employees while reducing the risks associated with the high number of teleworkers.
This report provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our achievements and incorporate insights that will help us improve our ongoing efforts to address what may be the greatest challenge to the countys operations in its history, Chair Deborah Kafoury said.
Auditors reported almost 80 percent of surveyed staff agreed the County has taken appropriate action to reduce staff on site and installed sufficient signage promoting public health guidance.
The survey found generally good compliance with the Countys face covering policy, with 64 percent of respondents saying they always wear face coverings and 33 percent saying they sometimes wear them. Almost 80 percent agreed the County has taken appropriate action to reduce staff on site and installed sufficient signage promoting public health guidance.
Adherence to the face covering policy was lower among Sheriffs Office employees, with 42 percent of those surveyed saying they always wear face coverings. At Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention, that number was 50 percent.
Since Sheriffs Office employees work in jail facilities where people live together in close quarters, we want to see the mask wearing to be higher, said Nicole Dewees, a principal auditor. We found that there needed to be more mask wearing at detention facilities by people in custody and employees, particularly in light of recent outbreaks.
Sheriff Mike Reese and Erika Preuitt, who directs the Department of Community Justice, attended Thursdays meeting. In response to follow up questions from Commissioners Lori Stegmann and Jessica Vega Pederson, they affirmed that all staff, along with adults and youth in custody, are expected to wear face coverings. Failure to follow guidelines, they said, is subject to investigation and discipline.
I think early on we did have challenges with getting compliance with our face covering policy, which I take very seriously, Sheriff Reese said. Im certain that we have improved dramatically in our adherence to the guidelines and will continue to enforce my expectations that everyone wear a mask as appropriate and as per policy.
Its an expectation that our juvenile custody service specialists wear face coverings, Preuitt said. We, similarly to the Sheriffs Office, are going down progressive discipline if people are not wearing masks or not wearing their face coverings, also if theyre not following up with youth not wearing their face coverings.
The audit also examined the Countys response in other congregate settings, including shelters and adult care homes.
The Joint Office of Homeless Services successfully added additional shelter capacity to support physical distancing, along with clear safety guidance to providers, auditors found. Moving forward, they said, staffing and shelter supply challenges should be expected as the pandemic causes an increase in homelessness.
With about 600 adult care homes in Multnomah County, the report found the Countys Adult Care Home Program adjusted quickly to the pandemic. However, auditors also found the program could improve communication with adult care homes to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local health requirements for the safety of staff and residents.
The state has allowed us to do outside visits, so we encouraged outside visits for folks so their family can come and visit with them outside, said Irma Jimenez, who directs the Aging, Disability and Veterans Services Division. And just most recently, theres a little bit of flexibility for indoor visits, so another thing that were doing is providing that information to the providers when those restrictions get lifted or put in place, we make sure the providers know that.
In response to the pandemic, the County had to shift quickly to large numbers of employees teleworking to reduce workplace virus transmission. The audit also explored how the County can strengthen, clarify, and improve teleworking moving forward.
The Countys teleworking rules were originally designed as a mutual agreement when an employee is interested in teleworking under certain circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how the County can continue to serve people in productive, creative ways. It also exposed problems with accessing work equipment, technical difficulties, and access to human resources policies.
This pandemic gave us the opportunity in many places to see actually we can continue as agovernment functioning and in many places we can actually be even more productive, said Travis Graves, interim director of Department of County Assets and chief Human Resources Officer. So Im interested in looking to the future in terms of post-pandemic. What do we look like as an organization and what are the implications for that?
Commissioners thanked the Auditor for offering ways to improve the Countys response in congregate settings and facilities, while also honoring the employees who have worked in person throughout the pandemic.
This survey was about the employees going into work every single day who dont have the option of working from home like a lot of us are here, Commissioner Vega Pederson said, and doing their jobs and wearing masks for everyones safety and that is a lot that we ask of our employees. So Im really grateful for all the work that they do
Upon issuance of report, county Public Health officials should revise guidance on the public facing website for nonprofit shelter providers within county boundaries to improve clarity, in line with state requirements.
Joint Office of Homeless Services management should include clauses to follow Public Health guidelines in new contracts with shelter providers and in new amendments to contracts with shelter providers.
To be consistent with CDC guidelines, MCSO should begin exchanging the cloth masks of adults in custody on a daily basis if they are used upon issuance of this report.
With normal no-cost visiting options suspended because of COVID-19 precautions, MCSO should either expand the use of free-phone calls or modify lobby video visit operations to allow for safe use as soon as possible and no later than 90 days within issuance of this report.
Immediately upon the issuance of this report, we recommend that managers consistently enforce face covering policies with their staff.
The ACH Program should perform a review of all recent communication with each ACH and ensure that each ACH has received sufficient information and is aware of requirements and guidelines pertaining to the pandemic. A particular focus is needed in the areas of exposure, infection control, physical distancing and reporting. A review should be performed as soon as possible and no later than 30 days from issuance of this report. If contact is needed the contact should be made within at least 90 days from the issuance of this report.
As soon as possible, the OR OSHA COVID-19 temporary rule implementation committee should complete all new OSHA requirements:
Risk assessment, infection control plan, protocols for potential exposure, and employee training.
Note: management reports that substantial work toward this recommendation has been completed. This work occurred between the time the report was written and when it was issued. We acknowledge that work has been done, but we did not audit that work. We are leaving the recommendation in the report, so we can follow up on the recommendation thoroughly.
By March 2021, Central Human Resources should develop a method for employees to provide COVID-19 related feedback anonymously.
By March 2021, the Chair or her designee should provide employees with a point of contact for COVID-19 safety coordination.
Based on responses to our offices employee survey, it appears that applying policies is an ongoing challenge. Upon issuance of the report and periodically thereafter, the Chair or her designee should reiterate to managers and employees her expectations that safety policies and recommendations are followed, including the requirement that employees telework as much as possible.
Prior to adding in-person capacity at county locations, we recommend that FPM ensure that necessary building modifications, including the installation of partitions, and filter upgrades in HVAC systems have been completed.
Prior to adding in-person capacity at county locations, we recommend that FPM work with its janitorial contractors to ensure that each location has sufficient staffing capacity to ensure the enhanced cleaning recommended by the CDC.
We are told that the county is currently in the process of adding COVID-19 specific cleaning and disinfecting requirements into its contracts with janitorial providers. We recommend that FPM complete these contractual requirements prior to programs adding substantial in-person capacity at county locations.
By July 2021, department directors should provide county-owned computers to employees who frequently telework and should emphasize using county-owned computers for employees who occasionally telework. The county should also provide employees with any other equipment typically used by one person to telework effectively, such as computer mice, computer monitors, and headsets. These examples are meant to be descriptive, not exhaustive.
By February 2022, Central Human Resources should ensure the maintenance of telework information electronically, preferably in Workday to allow:
Accessibility to approved or denied telework agreements at the employee, supervisory, departmental and central levels.
Electronic approvals and updating for better efficiency.
Monitoring of teleworking performance and equity.
Documentation of specific details, such as computer ID numbers, of all county equipment used to telework.
To help ensure fairness among employees, by February 2022, Central Human Resources should indicate potential telework eligibility in county job descriptions.
Austin, Texas All Austin Public Health (APH) COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites will remain closed Friday, Feb. 19 due to inclement weather. The sites have been closed since Saturday, Feb. 12 for the same reason.
APH staff have and continue to diligently monitor the vaccine to ensure it is safe and secure during the winter weather event.
We know these are challenging times as our staff, their families, and our entire community are grappling with issues caused by the weather, said APH Director Stephanie Hayden-Howard. We assure you that as soon as we can safely give the vaccine again, we will notify the public.
People with current vaccination appointments will receive a cancellation email or text.It is not known when vaccine operations will be able to resume. Anyone who receives a cancellation will be contacted by APH to reschedule. However, APH will not send out new appointments until we are confident that we can safely restart operations.
We greatly appreciate the communitys patience as we work through these unprecedented times, said Dr. Mark Escott, Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority. While there may be several days between the time your appointment is canceled and your new appointment information is sent, it is important to remember that there is flexibility allowed between doses without losing effectiveness.
Dr. Escott reiterated: Your body works with the vaccine to make the first dose strongerover time. The second dose is a booster and a delay will not diminish its efficacy.
Both first and second doses are provided by appointment only. Pleasedo notshow up at the vaccine sites without an appointment as that will interfere with the vaccine operations.
Vaccine Sites:
Testing Sites:
As testing sites remain closed, continue to checkwww.austintexas.gov/covid-testinfofor updates.If you are experiencingsymptoms of COVID-19and are unable to get a test, continue to self-isolate for at least 10 days since symptom onset and at least 1 day following the resolution of fever and improvement of other symptoms.
COVID-19 Hotel Facility:
For additional COVID-19 information and updates, visitwww.AustinTexas.gov/COVID19.
When Covid-19 shut down the U.S. economy in March, Elon Musk had a rocket to launch.
The billionaires space exploration venture, SpaceX, was planning to blast a crewed spacecraft into the sky in May and wanted to stay on schedule. That meant finding a way to keep facilities safely open and limit the spread of Covid-19, a challenge when tests were in short supply.
To monitor the prevalence of the virus among SpaceX workers nationwide, Mr. Musk and the rocket companys top medical executive worked with doctors and academic researchers to build an antibody-testing program. More than 4,000 SpaceX workers volunteered for monthly blood tests.
This week the group published its findings, which suggest that a certain threshold of antibodies might provide people lasting protection against the virus. Mr. Musk is listed as a co-author of the peer-reviewed study, which appears in the journal Nature Communications.
People can have antibodies, but it doesnt mean they are going to be immune to Covid-19, said Galit Alter, a co-author of the study who is a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. Individuals who experienced fewer, milder Covid-19 symptoms generated fewer antibodies and were therefore less likely to meet the threshold for longer-term immunity, the study found.
Houston Health Department to resume COVID-19 vaccinations following winter storm
February 18, 2021
UPDATE (Feb. 18) - Houston Health Department-affiliated United Memorial Medical Center COVID-19 testing sites resume normal operations on Friday, February 19. Visit HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 for details.
HOUSTON- The Houston Health Department will resume COVID-19 vaccinations this weekend with 4,784 second dose appointments on Saturday and Sunday, February 20-21.
People who received their first dose from the department during the week of January 18-23 will be contacted Friday and Saturday to schedule appointments. People who do not hear from the department by Saturday afternoon should contact the COVID-19 call center at 832-393-4220.
The department will schedule additional second and first dose appointments next week.
Area Agency on Aging WaitlistThe Houston Health Departments COVID-19 vaccine waitlist remains open for people age 65 and older, people age 60 and older with chronic health conditions, and people with disabilities.
Those who qualify may call the departments Area Agency on Aging at 832-393-4301 to leave a voicemail with their name and phone number. Calls will be returned for screening and scheduling as supply is available. People only need to leave one message.
Testing SitesHouston Health Department-affiliated COVID-19 testing sites will remain closed Friday, February 19. An announcement about reopening will be provided Friday.
