How dogs tracked their humans across the ancient world Science
And Now, a Sinkhole Full of Rats New York Magazine. Very on-brand for 2020.
Too few companies disclose financial hit from climate change, regulator says Reuters
Big Tech shows its resilience to pandemic and politics FT
M.T.A. Slashes in Service Could Erase 450,000 Jobs NYT
Zeta leaves over 2.1 million customers without power and at least 6 dead after battering Gulf Coast CNN
Authorities Urge Orange County Residents To Stop Building Additions Onto Homes Currently On Fire The Onion
#COVID19
A room, a bar and a classroom: how the coronavirus is spread through the air El Pais (DJ). See also COVID-19 Airborne Transmission Tool Available Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. The tool was developed by José Luis Jiménez (linked to at NC here, here, and here).
Public health antibody screening indicates a six-fold higher SARS-CoV-2 exposure rate than reported cases in children Cell. Bavaria. From the Highlights: “SARS-CoV-2 dual antibody strategy yielded 100% specificity and >95% sensitivity. Childhood surveillance finds 6-fold higher antibody prevalence than reported cases. Half of the antibody positive children were asymptomatic.”
COVID-19 Outbreak at an Overnight Summer School Retreat ― Wisconsin, July–August 2020 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. It looks to me like the Summer School actually did make an effort at social distancing, though obviously not enough. “Classes were held in outdoor pavilions with approximately 20 students per class seated <6 feet (<2 m) apart at tables. Teachers wore masks during class and were socially distanced from students at all times.” This sentence caught my eye: “All illnesses were mild to moderate, and no hospitalizations or deaths occurred.” This makes me think that there really may be a dose-response relationship.
Effectiveness of Face Masks in Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 American Society for Microbiology. This paragraph caught my eye: “It has been reported that the stability of the virus in the air changes depending on the droplet/aerosol components, such as inorganics, proteins, and surfactants, suggesting that the permeation efficiency of masks is also affected by the components of viral droplets/aerosols…. Further detailed analysis will be required to reveal the precise relationship between the protective efficiency of masks and the components of viral droplets/aerosols.”
COVID-19 transmission—up in the air The Lancet
* * * COVID-19 outpatients – early risk-stratified treatment with zinc plus low dose hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin: a retrospective case series study (pre-proof) International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents (an Elsevier, peer-reviewed journal). n=141. From the Conclusion: “Risk stratification-based treatment of COVID-19 outpatients as early as possible after symptom onset with the used triple therapy, including the combination of zinc with low dose hydroxychloroquine, was associated with significantly fewer hospitalizations.” The author, Zelenko’s, “Protocol” in layperson’s terms. Zinc stans rejoice! Zelenko’s political views.
Chart of Latin American Covid treatments:
An excellent summary of Latin American #COVID19 treatment guidelines by @cla_cor despite lack of evidence many countries recommending drugs like HCQ, LPVr, Azithro, Ivermectin, etc. #ChasingTheSun @IDWeek2020 pic.twitter.com/vTexvpN962
— Carlos del Rio (@CarlosdelRio7) October 22, 2020
BLACK: no evidence; GREEN: Recommended (strong); YELLOW: recommended (weak); RED: not recommended. LIGHT BLUE: not mentioned in each country guidelines. DIVIDED COLOR in a box (Peru): Infectious Disease society gives an opposite recommendation to official government guidelines.
The ‘very, very bad look’ of remdesivir, the first FDA-approved COVID-19 drug Science. Whoops.
* * * What Bats Can Teach Humans About Coronavirus Immunity JSTOR Daily
Robust neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 infection persist for months Science. From the abstract: “Here we report that the vast majority of infected individuals with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 experience robust IgG antibody responses against the viral spike protein, based on a dataset of 30,082 individuals screened at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. We also show that titers are relatively stable for at least a period approximating 5 months and that anti-spike binding titers significantly correlate with neutralization of authentic SARS-CoV-2.”
The US could have 50 million vaccine doses before it’s ready to use them Quartz
* * * United to test all passengers for COVID-19 on select London flights ABC
COVID-19 Is Killing My People—And No One Seems to Care The Atlantic
‘You’re Out of Your Mind if You Think I’m Ever Going Back to School’ NYT
225,000 couples owe a collective $3.7 billion for weddings that didn’t happen in 2020 Yahoo Money
The next pandemic: where is it coming from and how do we stop it? FT
China?
China regional GDP data shows growing economic divide, exacerbated by coronavirus South China Morning Post
China’s Failing Small Banks Are Becoming a Big Problem Bloomberg
The Huawei war Evgeny Morozov, Le Monde Diplomatique
Cambodia launches blockchain-powered peer-to-peer payments, hopes it crushes cash The Register
India
Gold Sales in India’s Festival Quarter Seen Weakest Since 2008 Bloomberg
UK/EU
Labour party suspends Jeremy Corbyn over anti-Semitism report FT Corbyn’s response:
You don’t usually need an account to view public profiles tho but this is the screenshot! pic.twitter.com/9zK6UuBNeF
— 🦇 (@beeJ_w) October 29, 2020
Jeremy Corbyn to fight suspension from Labour after EHRC antisemitism report comments – as it happened Guardian. Sanders take note.
The long winter – why Covid restrictions could last until April The Spectator
Tunisian carrying Quran fatally stabs 3 in French church AP
Inside the Secret Banking Heavyweight That Aims to Revive Italy Bloomberg
Brexit
Why are British people protesting U.S. farm imports? The Counter. You’ll eat it and like it.
New Cold War
Russian group offered Catalan separatist leaders 10,000 soldiers, judge says Politico
Russiagate
Russian in Cyprus Was Behind Key Parts of Discredited Dossier on Trump WSJ. And the deck: “A Wall Street Journal investigation points to the identity of ‘Source 3′ as a disgruntled PR executive with a ‘vast network’ of sources.” What a cesspit.
Trump Transition
Pence absent from Covid-19 planning calls for more than a month Politico
Democrats prefer ‘scalpel’ over ‘jackhammer’ to reform key U.S. internet law Reuters
Wilbur Ross Remained on Chinese Joint Venture Board While Running U.S.-China Trade War Foreign Policy
2020
Are Dead People Voting By Mail? Evidence From Washington State Administrative Records (PDF) Democracy & Polarization Lab, Stanford University
‘Dude, I’m Done’: When Politics Tears Families And Friendships Apart NPR
2 charged after explosives found in van amid unrest in Philadelphia over Black man’s death ABC
Our Famously Free Press
Glenn Greenwald Leaves The Intercept, Claiming He Was Censored NYT
The Extraordinary Pierre Omidyar Mark Ames and Yasha Levine, NSFWCorp. From 2013, still germane.’
“It’s A Head Fake”: Anonymous’s Big Reveal Calls New York Times’ Sourcing Into Question Vanity Fair. Indeed. It’s a sad day when the Times platforms anonymous officials, instead of anonymous intelligence officials.
Cities across the U.S. are defying FOIA laws, indefinitely delaying requests MuckRock
Intelligence Community
Top U.S. officials were briefed on an active threat against Pentagon leaders, say five officials NBC
Invisible 9/11s: Only the CIA Can See How US Is Attacked By Nations It Targets Caitlin Johnstone, Consortium News
Health Care
How Much Has The Number of Uninsured Risen Since 2016 — And At What Cost To Health And Life? Health Affairs
Class Warfare
These 6 skills cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence World Economic Forum. Worth a read. First, they came for the working class…
He Made a Minor Mistake Filling Out an Unemployment Form. Then the State Demanded $14,990 From Him. Pro Publica
The struggle between success and succession FT
Common Ownership and the Corporate Governance Channel for Employer Power in Labor Markets (PDF) Marshall Steinbaum, Antitrust Bulletin
The Remarkable Value of Thinking Broadly: A COVID-19 Trifecta (interview) Zeynep Tufekci, MedScape
The Epigenetic Secrets Behind Dopamine, Drug Addiction and Depression Quanta
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
