Tag Archives: SARS-Cov-2

Morning News Podcast: Covid-19 Surges, Roger Stone & Alternative Meat

Axios TodayCoronavirus cases are on the rise in 33 states — and California and Florida hit record high numbers of daily cases last week. Now, hospitals and other medical facilities are feeling déjà vu, as they start to experience personal protective equipment shortages again.

  • Plus, Roger Stone talks to Axios’ Mike Allen 48 hours after President Trump commuted his sentence.
  • And, the massive rise of alternative meat sales means a fundamental change for the American diet.

Guests: Axios’ Bob Herman, Mike Allen and Bryan Walsh.

Health Infographics: How “Strong HVAC Airflows Spread Covid-19 Indoors”

From McKinsey & Company (July 9, 2020):

McKinsey & Company logoThe World Health Organization recently acknowledged that some evidence about in-room transmission is worrisome. In addition, after analyzing a transmission event at a restaurant in China, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that an asymptomatic patient transmitted the virus to families at two nearby tables.

Strong Airflows Spread Coronavirus Droplets Within a Restaurant - McKinsey July 2020

Based on the restaurant layout, seating arrangements, and smear samples from air-conditioning inlets and outlets, the CDC found that the coronavirus was likely transmitted when strong airflows from a nearby air conditioner spread large droplets from the infected person. These droplets traveled more than one meter—further than usual, but less than the distance aerosols can typically travel.

Solutions to Help Prevent Airborne Spread of Viruses between Rooms - McKinsey & Company July 2020

Three Different Common Methods to Purify Contaminated Air - Filtration, Irradiation and Thermal - McKinsey July 2020

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Political News: “Brooks & Capehart” On Covid-19 Response (PBS Video)

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including how the surging coronavirus is affecting President Trump’s public support, the significance of the Supreme Court’s recent rulings and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s economic policy recommendations.

Health Podcasts: Massive Coronavirus Outbreak At San Quentin Prison

Nature PodcastNature discusses the massive coronavirus outbreak that struck the iconic Californian prison after it rejected expert aid.

In this episode:

01:47 Disaster in San Quentin

San Quentin prison is facing a massive outbreak, we dig into how they got there. The crisis has arisen despite warnings from experts, and offers of free tests, which were declined. We ask why? And what can be done now?

News: California’s San Quentin prison declined free coronavirus tests and urgent advice — now it has a massive outbreak

29:51 One good thing

For the last episode of Coronapod, our hosts pick out ways that the pandemic has changed them for the better, including professional flexibility, a renewed focus on the power of reporting and time with family

36:07 Lockdown and children’s health

Reporter Stewart asks if lockdowns could have any lasting impact on her young children – what evidence is there on the effect of isolation on young minds?

Survey: Co-Space Study: Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children during Epidemics

Top New Science Podcasts: Megatrials For Covid-19 Treatment & Blood Benefits Of Exercise

science-magazine-podcastsContributing correspondent Kai Kupferschmidt talks with host Sarah Crespi about the success of a fast moving megatrial for coronavirus treatments. The United Kingdom’s Recovery (Randomized Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy) trial has enrolled more than 12,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients since early March and has released important recommendations that were quickly taken up by doctors and scientists around the world. 

Kupferschmidt discusses why such a large study is necessary and why other large drug trials like the World Health Organization’s Solidarity trial are lagging behind. Also this week, producer Meagan Cantwell talks with Saul Villeda, a professor in the Department of Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, about transferring the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain from an active mouse to a sedentary mouse by transferring their blood.

Health: “Making Sense Of Coronavirus Data” (Video)

Public health organizations track the spread of coronavirus and use graphs and charts to visualize the data. WSJ’s Brianna Abbott explains what to look for in the data to understand how the virus is impacting your community.

Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann/WSJ

Covid-19 Update Podcast: Researchers Simulate New Outbreaks “Military-Style”

coronapod-reportResearchers have run numerous military-style simulations to predict the consequences of fictitious viral outbreaks. We discuss how these simulations work, what recommendations come out of them and if any of these warnings have been heeded.

24:08 One good thing

Our hosts pick out things that have made them smile in the last week, including audience feedback, the official end of the Ebola outbreak in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and an enormous t-shirt collection.

News: World’s second-deadliest Ebola outbreak ends in Democratic Republic of the Congo

28:50 The latest coronavirus research papers

Benjamin Thompson takes a look through some of the key coronavirus papers of the last few weeks.

Transportation: “How Covid-19 Is Changing Everyday Commuting”

Traveling on trains and buses means potential exposure to the coronavirus, so cities are racing to make their public transit systems safe. WSJ explores how things like sanitizing robots, working from home and expanded bike lanes are changing our commutes. Video/Illustration: Jaden Urbi and Zoë Soriano.