What Adam is Reading 2-11-21

Thursday, February 11, 2021

My son and I were up late last night recording a Ted Talk for school.  I do not recall my parents adjusting lights to minimize shadows, ensuring sound quality, and coaching an "on-air presence" for my school projects.  There is, I suppose, some equivalency between well-proofed writing and crisply-produced video. 

 

-----Latest Data---

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/

-----

 

STAT news shares some of my anxiety about the possible impact of the new variants.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/02/10/covid-19-cases-are-falling-variant-driven-storm/

 

A loyal reader shared the Helix variant tracker.  Helix, a DNA sequencing company, sells an FDA emergency-approved RT-PCR testing kit.  They are updating this tracker weekly with variant SARS-CoV-2 strains they identify.  This dashboard does NOT include data from other organizations,

https://www.helix.com/pages/helix-covid-19-surveillance-dashboard

Not a lot of data at the moment, but keep this graph in mind - B.1.1.7 cases should be doubling about every ten days.

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1358544056788295681?s=20

 

A more communicative CDC yesterday released 1) guidance on mask-wearing coinciding with 2) a JAMA article on the data behind their recommendations.

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1359573923868798976?s=20

 

CDC on how to achieve an appropriate FIT to your mask:

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7007e1.htm?s_cid=mm7007e1_w

 

JAMA article with round-up of data on mask-wearing.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536

Critical table with highlights added.  Detect any trends?

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1359573923868798976/photo/1

 

For the third day in a row, I offer my summary of a thinking about complex COVID news:

  • We must vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible to prevent hospitalization and death. Mentally prepare for vaccine boosters at some point.
  • We still need to mask, distance, and isolate to protect those not yet vaccinated. We probably need more effective masks (like surgical and N95s) since the new variants are more transmissible.
  • Depending on how well we do the first two, the case or death rates may still worsen due to the new strains.
  • None of us are truly safe until all of us are safe.

 

 

One last article of note -

Data from the U.K.'s public health surveillance system indicates that 2020/2021 cases of Flu, norovirus, rotavirus, and other enteric viruses (person to person transmitted viruses) are all markedly lower.  The hypothesis is masking, handwashing, and social distancing contributed. 

https://twitter.com/NicolaMedical/status/1359810775179808770?s=20

 

 

Infographic of the day: Critical Thinking 101

The Visual Capitalist rounds up how to review content for its veracity.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-to-spot-fake-news/

 

 

Bonus Round ----  Musical Ephemera and things I found during my YouTube concert night a few weeks back

 

Brian Wilson and George Martin breakdown songs from the Beach Boys Pet Sounds

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVUBpzlELOg&pbjreload=101

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTVcNsJGX0&pbjreload=101

 

An essay on the musical competition between the Beatles and Beach Boys.

https://www.openculture.com/2020/11/how-the-beach-boys-created-their-pop-masterpieces.html

 

Famous people playing Pink Floyd music with David Gilmour

Crosby, Stills, and Gilmour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uiVpxDuAhc&feature=youtu.be

Bowie and Gilmour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGXu1lNmL-A&pbjreload=101

 

 

Clean hands and sharp minds,

 

Adam

 

PS - I'm out next week.  I'll write more starting on 2/22.  We are heading to an AirBnB for a few days for the kid's Winter Break.  Be safe.

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