COVID source shout-out: More wastewater dashboards
I recently learned about a wastewater surveillance dashboard for Washington state, and an upgraded dashboard for the WastewaterSCAN project.
Read MoreAuthor: Betsy Ladyzhets
Sources and updates, January 29
Sources and updates for the week of January 29 include wastewater surveillance in New York State, bivalent boosters vs. XBB.1.5, the potential end of the global health emergency, and more.
Read MoreThe future of COVID-19 vaccines needs more data
On Thursday, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (or VRBPAC) met to discuss the future of COVID-19 vaccines. While the committee readily agreed that our current, Omicron-specific shots are working well and should be used more broadly, it had a hard time answering other questions about future vaccine regimens—largely due to a lack of good data.
Read MoreNational numbers, January 29
At the national level, COVID-19 spread appears to be approaching another plateau. New cases and hospitalizations (as reported by the CDC) are still in decline, but their descent is slowing: reported cases dropped by 11% this week, compared to 24% last week.
Read MoreCOVID source shout-out: Safety protocols at Davos
This week, thousands of top political and business leaders gathered in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum—one of the highest-profile mass events in the world. And the forum, colloquially called Davos after its location, had excellent COVID-19 safety protocols.
Read MoreSources and updates, January 22
Sources and updates for the week of January 22 include respiratory virus hospitalizations, new excess death estimates, wastewater testing on airplanes, and more.
Read MoreNew opportunity for science-curious journalists
The Open Notebook has launched a new community program, called the Covering Science Slack, which could be a great opportunity for some journalist readers of the COVID-19 Data Dispatch. In this Slack server, general assignment and local journalists who are interested in improving their science reporting skills engage in discussions with experienced science journalists, who serve as mentors.
Read MoreNew wastewater surveillance report highlights need for expansion, standardization
This week, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a major report about the state of wastewater surveillance for infectious diseases in the U.S. The report, written by a committee of top experts (and peer-reviewed before its release), is an extensive description of the promise and the challenges of wastewater testing.
Read MoreNational numbers, January 22
National COVID-19 metrics continue to suggest that the U.S. is coming out of its holiday surge, though some parts of the country may face increased transmission as the Omicron variant XBB.1.5 spreads.
Read MoreCOVID source shout-out: Illinois’ new wastewater dashboard
Illinois is the latest state to get its own dashboard for COVID-19 wastewater surveillance, with a new website that launched earlier this week. It includes data for 75 sites across the state.
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