COVID-19 Update #7

Monterey County (8/11/20 - 9/8/20):

3,215 new cases (8,661 total / 62 total deaths)

Worldwide (8/11/20 - 9/8/20):

7.52 million new cases (27.24 million total / 891,031 total deaths)

U.S.A. (8/11/20 - 9/8/20):

1.23 million new cases (6.29 million total / 188,688 total deaths)

California (8/11/20 - 9/8/20):

176,000 new cases (737,911 total / 13,758 total deaths)

8/12/20

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has developed a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (adenovirus-based) and plan to begin utilizing it on the public in October
Of the 40,329 health care workers in New York City tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies between April and June, 13.7% tested positive. Of those health care workers that previously tested positive via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, 93.5% were antibody positive
Researchers of University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have begun to evaluate llama derived smaller antibodies called “nanobodies” as an effective option to fight COVID-19, as they are able to interfere between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the host ACE2 receptor bonding. Furthermore, the route of administration would be a user friendly aerosol (inhalation) route, which allows direct access to the airways
Early attempts of in-person schooling has resulted in over 230 COVID-19 cases and the quarantining of over 2,000 teachers, students, and other members of the staff
Despite the experts from multiple universities suggesting country-wide utilization of face masks, only 35 states have thus far complied

8/17/20

US FDA issues an EUA for a saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test from Yale University (SalivaDirect)
CDC stated that people who had been infected with COVID-19, can continue to test positive for up to 3 months, despite not being infectious

8/19/20

The USA still faces challenges with regards to the long turnaround time to get test results to individuals. Currently, when studied between July 30, 2020 and August 10, 2020, it took more than 3 days to obtain results in 40% of the tests. Other states have reported average times of 2-5.5 days and in certain cases, report times can be over 1 week. This relatively slow processing of test results diminishes the value of testing, as many patients are already past their infectious period and potentially could infect others not knowing their test results.
A recent study from the Mayo Clinic suggested that convalescent plasma, especially that with high SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels, significantly decreased mortality in COVID-19 patients. This method of treatment was most effective when given within the first 3 days of diagnosis

8/24/20

For the first time since 7/27/20, the USA averages less than 1,000 deaths per day
US FDA issues an EUA for convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19
China reports that it has been administering its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to its population since July 2020, therefore making China the first country to publicly use a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. No information exists on trial data of this vaccine
The first case of a confirmed reinfection is reported, involving a 33 year old male who was originally diagnosed with COVID-19 in March 2020, discharged from the hospital after two negative PCR tests, became reinfected in August 2020. Further analysis confirmed two different lineages of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
US CDC announced updated guidelines for school openings

8/26/20

Several US universities are reporting concerning numbers of new COVID-19 cases shortly after reopening in-person classes, most notably University of North Carolina (UNC), which reported a 32% positive test rate during the week of 8/17/20 - 8/23/20

8/28/20

Governor Gavin Newsom issued a new program called “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” that categorizes every county in California into tiers based on the COVID-19 metrics of case rate and test positivity rate. At the time of the instated program, Monterey county is situated in the purple/widespread tier, indicating the highest level of infectivity and COVID-19 transmission.
- COVID-19 Metrics for Monterey County:
  - 15.5 new COVID-19 cases for every 100,000 population
  - 10.9% test positivity rate
- A next lower tier, for instance, requires 4-7 new daily cases per 100,000 population and a 5-8% test positivity rate. Counties are mandated to stay in their current tiers for at least 3 weeks before moving to a different tier. Click this link for the full program description: (https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/)
The US CDC issues an EUA towards an Abbott Laboratories rapid diagnostic antigen test capable of producing results in 15 minutes. It has a 97.1% sensitivity and a 98.5% specificity. Of note, antigen tests only detect viral particles and specific proteins, whereas PCR based tests detect viral RNA. This test is only meant for use in symptomatic individuals

8/31/20

COVID-19 Business Updates (Full Order: https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance/)
- Hair salons and barbershops are permitted to open indoors with safety precautions.
- All retail stores can open indoor operations with 25% capacity.
- Grocery stores can commence indoor operations with 50% capacity.
- All shopping centers can reopen with 25% capacity.
- Large public spaces and indoor foodcourts must remain closed.
India sets a new average daily incidence record, with 73,557 cases per day
The USA reports its first case of reinfection involving a 25 year old male who was initially infected in April 2020, discharged from the hospital after 2 negative tests, and then became reinfected (confirmed different strain of SARS-CoV-2) one month later. Of note, as opposed to the world’s first reported case reinfection, who was asymptomatic, the US case suffered from a far more serious reinfection

9/2/20

World Timeline of COVID-19 (# cases):
- 0—> 1 million = 100 days
- 1 million —> 5 million = 48 days
- 5 million —> 10 million = 38 days
- 10 million —> 20 million =45 days
USA Timeline of COVID-19 (# cases)
- 1/22/20 (1st case) —> 1 million = 98 days
- 1 million —> 2 million = 44 days
- 2 million —> 3 million = 27 days
- 3 million —> 4 million = 14 days
- 4 million —> 5 million = 18 days
- 5 million —> 6 million = 21 days
The University of Arizona was successful in identifying two cases of COVID-19 by utilizing testing of sewage samples from various dormitories
The NOVAVAX Inc. SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, which is composed of recombinant nanoparticles, published data from its Phase I trial, deeming the vaccine to be well tolerated, has an acceptable safety profile, and induced neutralizing antibodies, especially the dual dose regimen
Recent study proposes how SARS-CoV2 affects the heart. Cardiomyocytes (muscle cells of the heart) are damaged due to sarcomere fragmentation and the cleavage of thick filaments of those cells and the presence of enucleated cardiomyocytes

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Guest UserSeptember 8, 2020