COVID-19 Update #6

Monterey County (7/20/20 - 8/10/20):

2,218 new cases (5,446 total / 35 total deaths)

Worldwide (7/20/20 - 8/10/20):

5.68 million new cases (19.72 million total / 728,013 total deaths)

U.S.A. (7/20/20 - 8/10/20):

1.32 million new cases (5.02 million total / 161,842 total deaths)

California (7/20/20 - 8/10/20):

177,219 new cases (561,911 total / 10,359 total deaths)

7/20/20

The current US COVID-19 relief bill will terminate in the near future. The bill provides $600 per week to individuals who are currently unemployed or facing financial issues, such as paying bills, rent, and other essentials. The Democrat Party originally passed a $3 trillion relief funding bill, but it was not advanced into the Senate. Later this week, Republicans within the Senate will reveal a more limited funding bill to address the issue

Based on a new South Korean study, it was determined that most SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission occurs within households compared to outdoor spaces. The study included data from over 59,000 contacts, with 5,700 identified as having symptomatic COVID-19 cases. It was determined that viral transmission was 6 times more likely to occur within the household than outside the household. 11.8% of household contacts tested positive for the virus, while the rate of infectivity measured 1.9% of non household individuals. Those between the ages of 10 and 19 years within households had the highest vulnerability for viral transmission (18.6%). Household contacts between the ages of 0 to 9 years had the least risk for COVID-19 (5.3%). This study suggests that child transmission via in-person schooling is a possibility, therefore posing the threat of transmitting the virus to other family members who may be more vulnerable. However, more research must be conducted to fully comprehend asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic COVID-19 child transmission

7/22/20

Currently, USA mortality rate is approximately 800 deaths/day, significantly higher than the previous average of 581 deaths/day recorded on 7/8/20
USA agrees to a deal with Pfizer and BioNTech for the purchase of 100 million doses of their SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, with an option for an additional 500 million doses, worth $1.95 billion. The company hopes to acquire FDA authorization of their first candidate vaccine by October 20, with delivery of the vaccine to the public by December 2020
More information on airborne transmission continues to accumulate. In a recent study, live replicating / infectious virus was found in airborne particles as small as < 1 micrometer, as confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction Test (PCR), cell culture, and electron microscopy. More research needs to be conducted to determine the actual infectious dose of SARS-CoV-2 (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.13.20041632v1.full.pdf)

7/23/20

California surpasses New York State to become #1 in total COVID-19 incidence.
Certain states in the USA, including California, continue to report increasing rates of hospitalization, with > 25% of inpatient beds being occupied by COVID-19 patients
Listed below is a breakdown of significant US COVID-19 landmarks and the duration of time needed to reach them:
- 0 —> 500,000 cases: 81 days
- 500,000 —> 1 million cases: 98 days
- 1 million —> 2 million cases: 44 days
- 2 million —> 3 million cases: 27 days
- 3 million —> 4 million cases: 14 days

7/27/20

The number of COVID-19 deaths in the US is currently 145,982, making it the #6 cause of death in the USA. To put this into perspective, it is more common than diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease, influenza, and pneumonia
Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (mRNA-1273) begins Phase 3 trial, including 30,000 healthy adult volunteers across 89 different locations within the US. 2 doses will be given 28 days apart, with the trial considered a success if < 0.5% of the volunteers acquire COVID-19. Of note, at this point, 3 other vaccines are in Phase 3 of development ( 2 from China and 1 from United Kingdom)

7/28/20

As of July 28, Monterey County approved a mandate that incorporates monetary fines for lack of face covering usage. Failing to comply with these restrictions will lead to different fines depending on its frequency. The initial fine is $100 for the first violation, $200 for the second violation, and $500 for the third violation. Click the link for the extended guidelines provided by Monterey County: (https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/COVID-19/Guidance-for-Face-Coverings_06-18-2020.pdf)

7/31/20

USA surpasses 150,000 deaths
- 22.5% of global COVID-19 deaths
- 26% of global cases, even though it only represent 4.3% of the global population
- Now averaging 65,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day, which is more than double since April 2020
USA suffered its worst economic quarter in history, reflected by the GDP dropping by 9.5%
Initial new data suggests that even though PCR detected virus can be shed for long periods of time (up to 80 days), that the period of time in which infectious / viable virus is present occurs 3-5 days after symptom onset when the viral load is at its highest (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.25.20162107v2.full.pdf)

8/3/20

A recent article published by the New York Times referenced that out of the 25 largest school districts in America, only 6 are preparing for in-person classes this school year. Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC Director, announced that although in-class education is ideal, places that have higher than 5% positivity rate of COVID-19 should resort to online learning to lower the risk of viral spreading (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/31/us/coronavirus-school-reopening-risk.html)
Phase 3 trials of vaccines incorporate tens of thousands of individuals in order to get a better understanding of the efficacy of the virus in making antibodies. the effectiveness of the vaccine and the duration of the production of neutralizing antibody response are undetermined. Furthermore, although these vaccines could prevent the onset of the current strain of COVID-19, future mutation of the virus could result in further development and repeated vaccinations

8/5/20

An article published by Science focused on assessing the long-term effects of COVID-19 on survivors. Although much initial research was conducted on the short-term symptoms and effects of COVID-19, it seems that information regarding the long-term effects of the virus are surfacing. Even though respiratory symptoms are most common during the initial onset of the virus, SARS-CoV-2 has been known to cause the following health conditions: “brain fog” also known as impaired cognitive function, respiratory symptoms (shortness of breath), and cardiological symptoms (heart arrhythmia and hypertension). Some studies report that 70-80% of COVID-19 patients with mild to severe cases undergo lasting health effects following COVID-19 illness

8/7/20

US #10 in the world in per capita mortality rate: 484 deaths/1 million
US case fatality rate (# deaths / # of infected): 3.28%
With some US schools already opening for in-class instruction, the role of children in community transmission of COVID-19 will surface in the near future. Although schools are approaching student education in different ways, the CDC guidance recommends that choices about reopening schools should be based mainly on the rate of community transmission within its district
Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of Remdesivir, is currently under pressure by a group of 31 state Attorneys General to allow other companies to manufacture the drug. Remdesivir is currently the only drug that has been proven to be effective in treating COVID-19 during a set of randomized control trials. There is a very large demand for the product, and allowing other companies to produce a generic version would both boost supply and lower costs

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