What Adam is Reading 10-25-21

on

Week of October 25, 2021

 

Thanks to an in-person team meeting and, even more so, an in-person memorial service for my college professor Stanley Michalak (who passed away in January 2021), the last week has reminded me how much I miss a more extensive social network. At the memorial reception, I discovered two pandemic-only skills I am not proficient in: juggling masks, hors d'oeuvre, and drinks while standing; and identifying people I last saw in 1997 by only their eyes and hair. It felt like the cocktail party-like version of a video game final boss fight. Despite these challenges, it was great to see so many long-lost friends. I also had the opportunity to recount the valuable and painful lesson of the lowest grade I received in my political science major -- with the professor who gave me that grade (which I deserved). It is incredible how both long and short 24 years can seem. And it is impressive how brief but intense relationships can be so impactful.

 

---- Latest Data

 

Deaths, case rates, and hospitalizations continue to decline in the U.S. The U.K., Russia, and some Eastern European countries are seeing rising cases and deaths - likely due to low vaccination rates and MAYBE because of a subvariant of the delta virus.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html

and 

https://theuscovidatlas.org/map?src=county_usfacts&var=Confirmed_Count_per_100K_Population&mthd=lisa&v=2

 

Country Comparison from FT.com

https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=eur&areas=usa&areas=gbr&areas=rus&areas=rou&areas=lva&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usla&areasRegional=usnv&areasRegional=usar&areasRegional=usks&areasRegional=usmo&cumulative=0&logScale=1&per100K=1&startDate=2021-06-01&values=cases

 

CDC Weekly Review of Data and Variant Tracking

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

------------------

 

CDC Updated booster recommendations this past week:

For individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster (of either Pfizer or Moderna) at six months or more after their initial series:

Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots are recommended for those 18 and older and vaccinated two or more months ago.

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p1021-covid-booster.html

and

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-cdc-advisers-weigh-moderna-jj-covid-19-vaccine-boosters-mix-and-match-shots-2021-10-21/

more readable

https://twitter.com/AdrienneLaF/status/1451169947472875524

 

I have been seeing anecdotal reports of immunocompromised patients receiving prophylactic monoclonal antibodies.

Here is a good editorial on the problem:

https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/95207

Slate offers a series about immunocompromised patients:

https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/immunocompromised-pandemic-monoclonal-antibodies-prophylactic-use.html 

One more

https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/immunocompromised-covid-risk-delta-vaccine-response.html

 

Several loyal readers have written to share frustrations with family and friends who, despite significant pressure, continue to refuse vaccination. Here is a CDC MMWR article (published 10/22/21) with data on mortality in vaccine recipients from 12/2020 through 7/2021. Vaccine recipients had lower all-cause mortality. Please be clear - this relationship may not be causal. (The COVID vaccine may not keep you from dying - the data may represent healthier people getting vaccinated.) However, these data convey the safety of all the vaccines, even more so when compared to unvaccinated individuals.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7043e2.htm

 

The Lancet published a comprehensive review article regarding COVID immunity from both infection and vaccination. Here are some take-aways. Infection-acquired immunity is not as good as vaccine-acquired immunity. There is age and time-dependent waning of immunity. There are numerous unanswered questions - for example, "What is the minimum protective threshold of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies?"

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(21)00407-0/fulltext

and, for what its worth, Twitter commentary:

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1451334518162354178

 

 

Infographics!

Here is a New York Times Wes Anderson actor heat map-like infographic.

(This infographic should probably be a simple list, but since it is about Wes Anderson, someone felt compelled to make it a stylized caricature infographic. And shouldn't the most frequent actor be at the top?) 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/22/movies/the-french-dispatch-wes-anderson.html

 

 

Things I learned this week

 

I blithely ate famous steak in the form of Tri-Tip from the Cardiff Seaside Market. Only after the fact did I become aware that I consumed something worthy of far more adulation and ceremony. I should have been paying more attention to the steak and less to the conversation.

https://beef2live.com/story-cardiff-crack-0-114734

While it appears beef2live.com is an industry-sponsored website, this article seems unbiased.

 

On a sweltering summer walking tour in Salem, MA, I acquired a low-grade interest in the politics and tactics of witch trials. I did not, however, learn about anti-witch baking until recently. I now know about witch cakes. Or anti-witch cakes (which is probably more apropos). These urine-enriched spikey bagels are a fascinating physical intersection of nephrology, baking, and witches. A trifecta for kidney doctors who likes random history and food facts. Thank you, Atlas Obscura.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-are-witch-cakes

 

Clean hands and sharp minds team

 

-Adam

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