Thursday, August 6, 2020
There were numerous thoughtful questions on our team Q&A call yesterday. The pandemic is still very much on our collective minds - How do we reconcile the data on death and hospitalizations with the case rates? Why are hand sanitizers being recalled (due to methanol contamination)? What are the useful ways to measure and monitor ourselves for symptoms of COVID? The breadth of our wide-ranging discussion is remarkable. We manage to weave healthcare, policy, pathophysiology, and humor into a 60 min Webex Q&A. And, selfishly, I am pretty sure I am getting more out of it than the team.
FDA recall on hand sanitizers:
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-consumers-should-not-use
------------
Latest Data
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
declining cases per million in the US, but still around 60,000 new cases per day (7-day avg).
stable deaths per million in the US on August 2-3, but no multi-day trend
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=cases
Also, look at https://covidtracking.com/data
The US Regionally:
There are fewer new cases and, in some states, falling rates of death per million, per FT data.
The NYT has the best state-level data visualization
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
About the data:
https://covidtracking.com/about-data/visualization-guide is the best resource to understand data visualization and data integrity.
-----------
There are continued articles about transmissions in schools.
The NYT covers a review of Israeli school reopening and the rapid rise in the viral spread that occurred when schools did not distance or enforce mask-wearing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/world/middleeast/coronavirus-israel-schools-reopen.html
The Lancet offers a more academic paper on the SUCESS of opening Australian schools - but the authors cite the success based on low community prevalence, the availability of contact tracing and testing, and adherence to other protective measures (read the discussion).
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30251-0/fulltext
I have many reservations about school reopening in the US.
One of our discussions on the Q&A focused on the question, "Why should I wear a mask if hospitalization and death rates are not in line with reported case rates? Doesn't that speak to this virus being not as severe as advertised?" My responses:
1) Mask wearing is a small inconvenience, even if we are wrong, to potentially protect our fellow humans. One does not have the freedom to put others at risk without their knowledge or against their will.
2) The virus has consequences beyond hospitalization and death, including increasing evidence for long-term organ damage.
Here is a round of up of observed long-term cardiac consequences of COVID.
https://twitter.com/scottgottliebmd/status/1291117316831432715?s=10
another article from a few weeks ago
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/06/23/864536258/we-still-dont-fully-understand-the-label-asymptomatic
The Atlantic offers some analysis of the pandemic in South America. Take a look at the FT charts to get a sense of where they are in the volume of cases.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/08/coronavirus-pandemic-developing-world/614578/
Physicians communicating with each other is a good thing. Teleconferencing has made that easier. Here is an article on critical care specialists gathering weekly on Zoom and a reporter who has been sitting in on the discussions.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/06/zoom-forum-changing-icu-treatment-of-covid19-patients-ecmo/
-----
Infographic of the day: Everything You Need to Know About TikTok
Assumptions: I need to know something about TikTok. I don't know what TikTok is. I want to use TikTok to market my business.
Realities: This kind of stuff is why my parents felt old when I set the VCR clock, and they couldn't. Useful to learn about a prevalent communications tool, security concerns aside. Not sure Nephrologists are on the platform quite yet, but I bet patients are.
https://www.viziononline.co.uk/tiktok-business/
-----
Bonus Round: Ukulele time.
My horizons have been broadened. Today I learned that the Ukulele is a viable instrument for some damn-fine covers. While the article seems to spend a lot of time discussing the long, maligned history of Tiny Tim and the Uke, I think the band highlighted is more worthy of notice. (Which I noted the article got their name wrong OverStyle not Overdriver.)
http://www.openculture.com/2020/08/seriously-awesome-ukulele-covers-of-sultans-of-swing.html
Meet Overdriver Duo - a Brazilian husband/wife band who adds a lot of flair to the numerous covers of famous songs. And they play more than just Ukuleles.
https://lostandfoundtobe.com/overdriverduo-overstyle/
Clean hands and sharp minds,
-Adam
Back on Monday. Be safe.
There were numerous thoughtful questions on our team Q&A call yesterday. The pandemic is still very much on our collective minds - How do we reconcile the data on death and hospitalizations with the case rates? Why are hand sanitizers being recalled (due to methanol contamination)? What are the useful ways to measure and monitor ourselves for symptoms of COVID? The breadth of our wide-ranging discussion is remarkable. We manage to weave healthcare, policy, pathophysiology, and humor into a 60 min Webex Q&A. And, selfishly, I am pretty sure I am getting more out of it than the team.
FDA recall on hand sanitizers:
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-hand-sanitizers-consumers-should-not-use
------------
Latest Data
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
declining cases per million in the US, but still around 60,000 new cases per day (7-day avg).
stable deaths per million in the US on August 2-3, but no multi-day trend
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=cases
Also, look at https://covidtracking.com/data
The US Regionally:
There are fewer new cases and, in some states, falling rates of death per million, per FT data.
The NYT has the best state-level data visualization
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
About the data:
https://covidtracking.com/about-data/visualization-guide is the best resource to understand data visualization and data integrity.
-----------
There are continued articles about transmissions in schools.
The NYT covers a review of Israeli school reopening and the rapid rise in the viral spread that occurred when schools did not distance or enforce mask-wearing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/04/world/middleeast/coronavirus-israel-schools-reopen.html
The Lancet offers a more academic paper on the SUCESS of opening Australian schools - but the authors cite the success based on low community prevalence, the availability of contact tracing and testing, and adherence to other protective measures (read the discussion).
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30251-0/fulltext
I have many reservations about school reopening in the US.
One of our discussions on the Q&A focused on the question, "Why should I wear a mask if hospitalization and death rates are not in line with reported case rates? Doesn't that speak to this virus being not as severe as advertised?" My responses:
1) Mask wearing is a small inconvenience, even if we are wrong, to potentially protect our fellow humans. One does not have the freedom to put others at risk without their knowledge or against their will.
2) The virus has consequences beyond hospitalization and death, including increasing evidence for long-term organ damage.
Here is a round of up of observed long-term cardiac consequences of COVID.
https://twitter.com/scottgottliebmd/status/1291117316831432715?s=10
another article from a few weeks ago
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/06/23/864536258/we-still-dont-fully-understand-the-label-asymptomatic
The Atlantic offers some analysis of the pandemic in South America. Take a look at the FT charts to get a sense of where they are in the volume of cases.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/08/coronavirus-pandemic-developing-world/614578/
Physicians communicating with each other is a good thing. Teleconferencing has made that easier. Here is an article on critical care specialists gathering weekly on Zoom and a reporter who has been sitting in on the discussions.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/06/zoom-forum-changing-icu-treatment-of-covid19-patients-ecmo/
-----
Infographic of the day: Everything You Need to Know About TikTok
Assumptions: I need to know something about TikTok. I don't know what TikTok is. I want to use TikTok to market my business.
Realities: This kind of stuff is why my parents felt old when I set the VCR clock, and they couldn't. Useful to learn about a prevalent communications tool, security concerns aside. Not sure Nephrologists are on the platform quite yet, but I bet patients are.
https://www.viziononline.co.uk/tiktok-business/
-----
Bonus Round: Ukulele time.
My horizons have been broadened. Today I learned that the Ukulele is a viable instrument for some damn-fine covers. While the article seems to spend a lot of time discussing the long, maligned history of Tiny Tim and the Uke, I think the band highlighted is more worthy of notice. (Which I noted the article got their name wrong OverStyle not Overdriver.)
http://www.openculture.com/2020/08/seriously-awesome-ukulele-covers-of-sultans-of-swing.html
Meet Overdriver Duo - a Brazilian husband/wife band who adds a lot of flair to the numerous covers of famous songs. And they play more than just Ukuleles.
https://lostandfoundtobe.com/overdriverduo-overstyle/
Clean hands and sharp minds,
-Adam
Back on Monday. Be safe.
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