Coronavirus News Explained

Efficacy of 3 vs. 6 Feet of Social Distancing     Mask up. Stay 6 feet apart. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these measures must be followed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. However on March 19, 2021, after nearly a year of social distancing, the CDC updated their guidelines: "with universal masking, students should maintain a distance of at least 3 feet in classroom settings." In other words, the minimum social distancing requirement in schools has been reduced to 3 feet with a masking mandate. Some people are skeptical of this updated guideline; is 3 feet really a safe distance? A study published on March 10, 2021 in the Clinical Infectious Disease s journal by Oxford University Press investigates the effectiveness of 3 feet versus 6 feet of social distancing in public schools. About the Study      Data for the study was obtained from September 24, 2020 through January 27, 2021. A total of 251 K-12 school districts in Massachu

 Elders at Higher Risk of COVID-19 Reinfection     If someone has received a COVID-19 vaccine or been infected with the virus, does this prevent them from reinfection? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , "cases of reinfection with COVID-19 have been reported, but remain rare." As of March 21, 2021, a Dutch news site that has been tracking repeat infection confirms 66 worldwide cases of  coronavirus reinfection , or instances where individuals are infected with COVID-19 for a second (or more) time(s). Understanding the degree of protection against COVID-19 reinfection is important to develop effective strategies in mitigating coronavirus infection rates. A study conducted in Denmark and published in The Lancet  on March 17, 2021 used COVID-19 data to estimate the protection towards COVID-19 reinfection. About the Study     Individual-level data was collected from the Danish Microbiology Database for individuals who had a COVID-19 PCR, or polymerase c

 COVID-19 and Air Pollution Risks Highlight Inequities in US              Arguably, the two most pressing health-related problems faced by the world today are the COVID-19 pandemic and the environmental crisis. Paired together, these two issues can wreak greater havoc on certain communities than when experienced separately. For example, past research has confirmed that air pollution is linked with an increased COVID-19 death rate (See Air Pollution and COVID-19 ). Although many people today face air pollution either as a result of fires, car exhaust, factories, or something else, exposure to pollutants in the air can vary dramatically depending on where one resides. Up until recently, previous studies have not examined which communities tend to live in areas that are at an increased risk for both COVID-19 and air pollution. A study published in ScienceDirect  in February 2021, investigates which communities are at higher risk for both air pollution and COVID-19 in the United States.  A

 How Have School Closures and Behavioral Changes Affected the Pandemic?      This month marks one year since the start of the pandemic and the shut down of schools in the United States. Almost all schools were  remote from the March-June 2020 school year and depending on their district and location, some schools have reopened in Fall 2020 while others remain remote and/or plan to transition to hybrid learning in the next few months. Nonetheless, there has been much controversy over the reopening of schools and its effects on the health and safety of students and teachers. Some argue that children need to return to in-person learning to receive optimal education while others believe it is too dangerous for schools to reopen in the midst of a pandemic. A recent study published on February 22, 2021 in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics ,  uses real-life data to analyze the impact of school closures and voluntary behavioral changes, such as less time spent at

 Pfizer Vaccine Succeeds in Real World Setting             Multiple vaccines are now being distributed in many countries across the world including the Pfizer vaccine in Israel.  Every country has its own unique approach to vaccination, with some approaches being more efficient than others. Israel is one such country that has succeeded with its rapid vaccine distribution. According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention , Israel began it's vaccine distribution in December 2020 and by February 2021, already 84% of Israelis aged 70 years or older and 10% of Israelis aged under 50 years received a complete 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. In comparison, only 7.7% of Americans have been fully vaccinated as of March 1, 2021. Data from mass vaccine rollouts (like Israel) are a great indicator of a vaccine's efficacy in the real world, where the setting is not limited by factors such as sample size or restrictive inclusion as in clinical trials. An article published in the