COVID STRATEGIC CHOICES publishes: Understanding The Canadian Shield (Dec 30th, 2020) https://covidstrategicchoices.ca/ This strategy is designed to shield Canadians and our economy from both COVID and the unintended consequences of the fight against COVID. Determined action over the next few weeks could save 5,000 lives, create 320,000 jobs, and generate $37 B of economic growth […]
“3 fallacies that blighted this year’s COVID commentary — have you fallen foul of any of them?” Rachael L. Brown Director of the Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences and Senior Lecturer at the School of Philosophy, Australian National University https://theconversation.com/3-fallacies-that-blighted-this-years-covid-commentary-have-you-fallen-foul-of-any-of-them-148518 THE CONVERSATION (AU)
Yaneer Bar-Yam endcoronavirus.org, covidactiongroup.net, isagcovid19.org, simplecovid.org, necsi.edu New England Complex Systems Institute Adapted from Tweet, December 13, 2020 I have been working on pandemic outbreaks for 15 years. There is a misunderstanding of the difference between the response in much of the West, versus successful countries (including New Zealand and Australia). Summarizing: 1.Reactive versus proactive and goal oriented. 1/- […]
NPR, December 28, 2020 Heard on Morning Edition https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/28/948936133/still-disinfecting-surfaces-it-might-not-be-worth-it At the start of the pandemic, stores quickly sold out of disinfectant sprays and wipes. People were advised to wipe down their packages and the cans they bought at the grocery store. But scientists have learned a lot this year about the coronavirus and how it’s transmitted, […]
NIH Study: COVID-19 severity could depend on route of infection: Infection through inhaling #Airborne virus could lead to more severe disease than infection from fomites (contact w/ contaminated objects.) To test it, hamsters were infected via the different routes. NIH Study: COVID-19 severity could depend on route of infection: Infection through inhaling #Airborne virus could […]
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is driven by contact, fomite, and airborne transmission. The relative contribution of different transmission routes remains subject to debate. Here, we show Syrian hamsters are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection through intranasal, aerosol and fomite exposure. Different routes of exposure presented with distinct disease manifestations. Intranasal and aerosol inoculation caused more severe respiratory […]
There is overwhelming evidence that inhalation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) represents a major transmission route for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There is an urgent need to harmonize discussions about modes of virus transmission across disciplines to ensure the most effective control strategies and provide clear and consistent guidance to the public. […]
The Swiss cheese infographic that went viral from: Ian M. Mackay, PhD Virology (University of Queensland) A new version with colour & division inspiration from @uq_news and strict mouse design oversight by @kat_arden (ver3.0).It reorganises slices into personal & shared responsibilities (think of this in terms of all the slices rather than any single […]
As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hit many parts of the country, provinces that were quick to act with strict containment measures have been more successful in limiting the spread, a CBC News analysis has found. Using data from Oxford University that tracks provincial government responses to the contagion, we see […]
SUMMARY Living with COVID in the world is a reality. Living with COVID in our communities is a choice—quite possibly not the right choice. Zero COVID community transmission does not mean elimination: it means successfully stopping all local infections and eradicating the occasional new cases—whether from external infection or hidden local reservoirs—until vaccines are widely […]
