Monday, January 25, 2021
I often wonder what celebrities and politicians tell themselves during quiet moments. Measures of short-term and long-term success, compelling trade-offs, and uncrossable boundaries must inform their actions. This past weekend, Dr. Brix and Dr. Fauci opened windows into their pandemic roles. Transparency can be very therapeutic (at least for me) but may not change the view through the retrospectoscope of history.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-dr-deborah-birx-on-face-the-nation-january-24-2021/
and
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/health/fauci-trump-covid.html
-----Latest Data---
New cases are decreasing on the F.T. charts for the U.S. and the U.K.
Death rates are no longer increasing.
The U.S. average went up to ~1,100,000 vaccine doses per day yesterday.
All data above is reflective of 7-day rolling averages.
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
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=casesf
Also, look at https://covidtracking.com/data
The U.S. Regionally - N.Y. Times:
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.
Vaccine Tracker
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/
-----
The COVID tracking project's 1/21/21 blog post is, dare I say, cautiously optimistic and offers a deep-dive into last week's data. From their blog, "It is important to note that although reports of the increased transmissibility of at least one variant are cause for concern, the new variants are transmitted in the same way as older strains of the virus. Reducing viral transmission is also our best weapon against the evolution of more mutations."
https://covidtracking.com/analysis-updates/encouraging-indicators-are-everywhere-but-deaths-remain-high-this-week-in-covid-19-data-jan-21
Here are more comments on using the lull in new cases to prepare for the B.1.1.7 variant.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1353221858670374912
Upgrade your masks, buy enough to dispose of them more frequently, and review the CDC guidelines on extended use. While most extended use guidelines apply to healthcare settings, common sense would say using new and intact masks offers the best protection.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/hcwcontrols/recommendedguidanceextuse.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7454118/
Here is a quick-hit critical analysis of a recently published study on Colchicine vs. placebo that seemed to demonstrate decreased hospitalization rates in COVID patients. The study was flawed.
https://twitter.com/GaetanBurgio/status/1353289733766430720
https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/23/colchicine-gout-drug-shows-promise-for-covid-19/
Ivermectin is another drug making the rounds in this way - flawed studies and strong advocates. It is OK to say we don't know and need more data. It is SOMETIMES OK to use therapies whose effectiveness we don't fully understand. It is not OK to use the absence of knowledge as a sign of hidden agendas and conspiracies. https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/statement-on-ivermectin/
On Friday, the NIH published a consensus statement on the use of full-dose (as opposed to lower blood clot-preventing doses) of the blood thinner heparin for hospitalized, moderately ill COVID patients. This summation is a perfect example of the kind of data large trials can generate and how we can "know" things in healthcare.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/full-dose-blood-thinners-decreased-need-life-support-improved-outcome-hospitalized-covid-19-patients
Infographic of the day: Venn Diagram of Cutlery
https://en.1jux.net/633967
I doubt this diagram is new, but I had not seen it before. And it made me laugh.
----- Bonus Round - Learning from Others, for Kids
When I was young, my parents bought me a series of books called Value Tales. They were biographies of historical figures that highlighted critical lessons from the subjects' lives, made with School House Rocks-style art and an easy-to-understand abridged narrative. Many of the stories stuck with me, such as the visuals in the Louis Pasteur biography.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ValueTales
While my kids are too old for this, it seems there is a comeback in this genre, only less hokey and more artistic. The messaging is timeless, however.
https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/04/13/picture-book-biographies/
My exploration of this topic began when I stumbled on a soon-to-be-released illustrated children's biography of Edwin Hubble (of telescope fame).
https://www.brainpickings.org/2021/01/24/the-boy-whose-head-was-filled-with-stars-edwin-hubble/
(My father would be thrilled to know I just wrote about the Value Tale Books. Oddly, and thanks to moving them (or not), I learned that the Value Tales and my "Choose Your Own Adventure" books are in demand. Crazy.)
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
I often wonder what celebrities and politicians tell themselves during quiet moments. Measures of short-term and long-term success, compelling trade-offs, and uncrossable boundaries must inform their actions. This past weekend, Dr. Brix and Dr. Fauci opened windows into their pandemic roles. Transparency can be very therapeutic (at least for me) but may not change the view through the retrospectoscope of history.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-dr-deborah-birx-on-face-the-nation-january-24-2021/
and
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/health/fauci-trump-covid.html
-----Latest Data---
New cases are decreasing on the F.T. charts for the U.S. and the U.K.
Death rates are no longer increasing.
The U.S. average went up to ~1,100,000 vaccine doses per day yesterday.
All data above is reflective of 7-day rolling averages.
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
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=casesf
Also, look at https://covidtracking.com/data
The U.S. Regionally - N.Y. Times:
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.
Vaccine Tracker
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/
-----
The COVID tracking project's 1/21/21 blog post is, dare I say, cautiously optimistic and offers a deep-dive into last week's data. From their blog, "It is important to note that although reports of the increased transmissibility of at least one variant are cause for concern, the new variants are transmitted in the same way as older strains of the virus. Reducing viral transmission is also our best weapon against the evolution of more mutations."
https://covidtracking.com/analysis-updates/encouraging-indicators-are-everywhere-but-deaths-remain-high-this-week-in-covid-19-data-jan-21
Here are more comments on using the lull in new cases to prepare for the B.1.1.7 variant.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1353221858670374912
Upgrade your masks, buy enough to dispose of them more frequently, and review the CDC guidelines on extended use. While most extended use guidelines apply to healthcare settings, common sense would say using new and intact masks offers the best protection.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/hcwcontrols/recommendedguidanceextuse.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7454118/
Here is a quick-hit critical analysis of a recently published study on Colchicine vs. placebo that seemed to demonstrate decreased hospitalization rates in COVID patients. The study was flawed.
https://twitter.com/GaetanBurgio/status/1353289733766430720
https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/23/colchicine-gout-drug-shows-promise-for-covid-19/
Ivermectin is another drug making the rounds in this way - flawed studies and strong advocates. It is OK to say we don't know and need more data. It is SOMETIMES OK to use therapies whose effectiveness we don't fully understand. It is not OK to use the absence of knowledge as a sign of hidden agendas and conspiracies. https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/statement-on-ivermectin/
On Friday, the NIH published a consensus statement on the use of full-dose (as opposed to lower blood clot-preventing doses) of the blood thinner heparin for hospitalized, moderately ill COVID patients. This summation is a perfect example of the kind of data large trials can generate and how we can "know" things in healthcare.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/full-dose-blood-thinners-decreased-need-life-support-improved-outcome-hospitalized-covid-19-patients
Infographic of the day: Venn Diagram of Cutlery
https://en.1jux.net/633967
I doubt this diagram is new, but I had not seen it before. And it made me laugh.
----- Bonus Round - Learning from Others, for Kids
When I was young, my parents bought me a series of books called Value Tales. They were biographies of historical figures that highlighted critical lessons from the subjects' lives, made with School House Rocks-style art and an easy-to-understand abridged narrative. Many of the stories stuck with me, such as the visuals in the Louis Pasteur biography.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ValueTales
While my kids are too old for this, it seems there is a comeback in this genre, only less hokey and more artistic. The messaging is timeless, however.
https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/04/13/picture-book-biographies/
My exploration of this topic began when I stumbled on a soon-to-be-released illustrated children's biography of Edwin Hubble (of telescope fame).
https://www.brainpickings.org/2021/01/24/the-boy-whose-head-was-filled-with-stars-edwin-hubble/
(My father would be thrilled to know I just wrote about the Value Tale Books. Oddly, and thanks to moving them (or not), I learned that the Value Tales and my "Choose Your Own Adventure" books are in demand. Crazy.)
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
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