COVID Transmissions for 10-30-2020
Good morning! It has been 348 days since the first documented human case of COVID-19.
We’re coming up on another weekend—a spooky one, in which the clocks will run backwards. Have fun with it!
As usual, bolded terms are linked to the running newsletter glossary.
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Now, let’s talk COVID.
Regeneron antibody cocktail results announced
I do not love science-by-press-release, but it’s worth noting that a press release from Regeneron has described results from their “seamless” Phase 1/2/3 trial of their antibody cocktail. The “seamless” Phase 1/2/3 design means that really it is a hybrid of three phases of trials, with each phase flowing into the next. That’s not as important as the results reported, though.
Regeneron signaled that non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who received their antibody cocktail experienced shortened duration of symptoms and lowered viral load. They also indicated that the benefits were greatest in the subgroup of patients who were unable to mount their own successful immune response to the virus.
Read the press release here, but please apply a grain of salt because it is not a peer-reviewed publication: https://investor.regeneron.com/news-releases/news-release-details/regenerons-regn-cov2-antibody-cocktail-reduced-viral-levels-and
H/t to reader ES, who shared this press release with me.
10 to 15% of LA-area COVID-19 cases come from restaurant dining
Apparently, according to this Eater story, contact tracers in LA report that as many as 15% of the COVID-19 cases in that city result from people eating at restaurants, with indoor dining in particular being singled out: https://la.eater.com/2020/10/29/21536567/morning-briefing-restaurant-news-los-angeles-dr-ferrer-coronavirus-cases-10-percent-dining-out
It remains clear to me that being unmasked around others adds risk. Being indoors around others adds risk. The longer the time spent at risk, the greater the cumulative risk. Being indoors, unmasked, around others, for about an hour at a time? That’s a lot of risk, that it’s also an accurate description of restaurant dining.
I’d rather eat outside in the cold, or get takeout.
What am I doing to cope with the pandemic? This:
Remembering a college tradition
Where I went to school, the weekend that the clocks turn back,* we did something called the “Negative Time Tommy’s Run.” Tommy’s is a burger chain in LA, famous for its chili. The objective of Negative Time Tommy’s was to leave after 1 AM, visit Tommy’s, have something there, and get back before you left, taking advantage of the time change.
This year, a lot of what made this nerdy tradition fun isn’t possible. Classes aren’t happening in person. People aren’t cramming into cars to drive places with others who aren’t in their households. Restaurants are…complicated, as the headline above indicates.
But a few alumni are trying to find ways to nod to this tradition; currently, the plan is vague and starts with a spreadsheet. Still, it’s nice to remember better times and find a way to honor them even when things are difficult.
*The clocks turn back in the US this weekend, for those who this may have snuck up on.
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No corrections since last issue.
Thanks for reading, everyone! Have a great weekend!
See you all next time.
Always,
JS