A recent modelling study painted a reassuring picture of a post-pandemic future in which SARS-CoV-2 transitions, over “a few years to a few decades”, from dangerous pathogen to just another common-cold coronavirus. This predicted loss of virulence, the authors stress, is based on a specific idiosyncrasy of the virus, namely that it rarely causes serious disease in children. Still, many experts agreed that we should not be in the least surprised by the authors’ conclusion, as all viruses “become more transmissible and less pathogenic over time”. After all, the seductive logic goes, from an evolutionary perspective it makes no sense for a pathogen to harm the host on which it depends for its survival. According to this reasoning, virulence is little more than a temporary evolutionary imbalance.

Will coronavirus really evolve to become less deadly?

Reluctance to accept a COVID-19 booster vaccine was reported in 12 percent of young adults, compared to 8 percent of adults aged 30–59 and 3 percent of adults aged over 60, find UCL researchers as part of the COVID-19 Social Study.

Unwillingness to have booster vaccine most common in groups with highest infection rates

10.1093/comnet/xxx000

Individuals who interact with each other in social networks often exchange ideas and influence eachother’s opinions. A popular approach to studying the dynamics of opinion spread on networks is byexamining bounded-confidence (BC) models, in which the nodes of a network have continuous-valuedstates that encode their opinions and are receptive to other opinions if they lie within some confidencebound of their own opinion. We extend the Deffuant–Weisbuch (DW) model, which is a well-knownBC model, by studying opinion dynamics that coevolve with network structure. We propose an adaptivevariant of the DW model in which the nodes of a network can (1) alter their opinion when they interactwith a neighboring node and (2) break a connection with a neighbor based on an opinion tolerancethreshold and then form a new connection to a node following the principle of homophily. This opiniontolerance threshold acts as a threshold to determine if the opinions of adjacent nodes are sufficientlydifferent to be viewed as discordant. We find that our adaptive BC model requires a larger confidencebound than the standard DW model for the nodes of a network to achieve a consensus. Interestingly,our model includes regions with ‘pseudo-consensus’ steady states, in which there exist two subclusterswithin an opinion-consensus group that deviate from each other by a small amount. We conduct extensivenumerical simulations of our adaptive BC model and examine the importance of early-time dynamics andnodes with initial moderate opinions for achieving consensus. We also examine the effects of coevolutionon the convergence time of the dynamics.

An Adaptive Bounded-Confidence Model of Opinion Dynamics onNetworks

The pairing of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination against it confers powerful protection, but data from Israel show that that protection gradually declines.

Waning COVID super-immunity raises questions about Omicron

BackgroundMandatory COVID-19 certification (showing vaccination, recent negative test, or proof of recovery) has been introduced in some countries. We aimed to investigate the effect of certification on vaccine uptake.MethodsWe designed a synthetic control model comparing six countries (Denmark, Israel, Italy, France, Germany, and Switzerland) that introduced certification (April–August, 2021), with 19 control countries. Using daily data on cases, deaths, vaccinations, and country-specific information, we produced a counterfactual trend estimating what might have happened in similar circumstances if certificates were not introduced. The main outcome was daily COVID-19 vaccine doses.FindingsCOVID-19 certification led to increased vaccinations 20 days before implementation in anticipation, with a lasting effect up to 40 days after. Countries with pre-intervention uptake that was below average had a more pronounced increase in daily vaccinations compared with those where uptake was already average or higher. In France, doses exceeded 55 672 (95% CI 49 668–73 707) vaccines per million population or, in absolute terms, 3 761 440 (3 355 761–4 979 952) doses before mandatory certification and 72 151 (37 940–114 140) per million population after certification (4 874 857 [2 563 396–7 711 769] doses). We found no effect in countries that already had average uptake (Germany), or an unclear effect when certificates were introduced during a period of limited vaccine supply (Denmark). Increase in uptake was highest for people younger than 30 years after the introduction of certification. Access restrictions linked to certain settings (nightclubs and events with >1000 people) were associated with increased uptake in those younger than 20 years. When certification was extended to broader settings, uptake remained high in the youngest group, but increases were also observed in those aged 30–49 years.InterpretationMandatory COVID-19 certification could increase vaccine uptake, but interpretation and transferability of findings need to be considered in the context of pre-existing levels of vaccine uptake and hesitancy, eligibility changes, and the pandemic trajectory.

10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00273-5

The effect of mandatory COVID-19 certificates on vaccine uptake: synthetic-control modelling of six countries

10.1038/d41586-021-03592-2

The data are growing that booster jabs enhance protection — but their durability, impact and ability to quash the new variant are unknown.

Omicron is supercharging the COVID vaccine booster debate

The two hippos at Antwerp Zoo tested positive for the coronavirus after a vet noticed their noses were "expelling snot." The huge animals, who are mother and daughter, are not in great peril.

Hippos with runny noses test positive for COVID-19 at Belgian zoo

10.1038/d41586-021-01084-x

Halting the spread of the coronavirus will require a high-level counteroffensive against new destructive forces.

COVID vaccines: time to confront anti-vax aggression

Background Saliva is an attractive sample for detecting SARS-CoV-2 because it is easy to collect and minimally invasive. However, contradictory reports exist concerning the sensitivity of saliva versus nasal swabs.Methods We recruited and followed close contacts of COVID-19 cases for up to 14 days from their last exposure and collected self-reported symptoms, mid-turbinate swabs (MTS) and saliva every two or three days. Ct values and frequency of viral detection by MTS and saliva were compared. Logistic regression was used to estimate the probability of detection by days since symptom onset for the two sample types.Results We enrolled 58 contacts who provided a total of 200 saliva and MTS sample pairs; 14 contacts (13 with symptoms) had one or more positive samples. Overall, saliva and MTS had similar rates of viral detection (p=0.78). Although Ct values for saliva were significantly greater than for MTS (p=0.014), Cohen’s Kappa demonstrated substantial agreement (κ=0.83). However, sensitivity varied significantly with time relative to symptom onset. Early in the course of infection (days -3 to 2), saliva had 12 times (95%CI: 1.2, 130) greater likelihood of detecting viral RNA compared to MTS. After day 2, there was a non-significant trend to greater sensitivity using MTS samples.Conclusion Saliva and MTS specimens demonstrated high agreement, making saliva a suitable alternative to MTS nasal swabs for COVID-19 detection. Furthermore, saliva was more sensitive than MTS early in the course of infection, suggesting that it may be a superior and cost-effective screening tool for COVID-19.Key PointsSaliva is more sensitive in detecting symptomatic cases of COVID-19 than MTS early in the course of infection.Saliva performs best in the pre-symptomatic period.Saliva and MTS demonstrated high agreement making saliva a suitable and cost-effective COVID-19 screening tool.

10.1101/2021.12.01.21267147

Comparison of Saliva and Mid-Turbinate Swabs for Detection of COVID-19

10.1038/s41577-021-00662-4

Breakthrough infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in fully vaccinated individuals are receiving intense scrutiny because of their importance in determining how long restrictions to control virus transmission will need to remain in place in highly vaccinated populations as well as in determining the need for additional vaccine doses or changes to the vaccine formulations and/or dosing intervals. Measurement of breakthrough infections is challenging outside of randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind field trials. However, laboratory and observational studies are necessary to understand the impact of waning immunity, viral variants and other determinants of changing vaccine effectiveness against various levels of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity. Here, we describe the approaches being used to measure vaccine effectiveness and provide a synthesis of the burgeoning literature on the determinants of vaccine effectiveness and breakthrough rates. We argue that, rather than trying to tease apart the contributions of factors such as age, viral variants and time since vaccination, the rates of breakthrough infection are best seen as a consequence of the level of immunity at any moment in an individual, the variant to which that individual is exposed and the severity of disease being considered. We also address key open questions concerning the transition to endemicity, the potential need for altered vaccine formulations to track viral variants, the need to identify immune correlates of protection, and the public health challenges of using various tools to counter breakthrough infections, including boosters in an era of global vaccine shortages.

SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals: measurement, causes and impact

this is not good news for Scotland (and I suspect England not too far behind)

Exclusive: Survey also found people are frustrated with governments’ pandemic response and restrictions

Majority of public in Europe support Covid vaccine passports – survey

Our world has changed. The pleasures that we took for granted before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 now require risk assessment. The days and long nights of clubs and concerts are tainted with the fear of virus transmission and super spreading events. The so-called new adults, coming of age and emerging from the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 might never have experienced the raw beat and the emotions of live concerts that were part and parcel of the fabric of social life in the pre-COVID-19 era. But just how risky are such live, large, indoor events in terms of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus? Are precautions such as pre-concert rapid antigen testing, mask-wearing and adequate ventilation sufficient to prevent virus transmission in situations where social distancing is impossible? How adherent are concert goers with mask wearing? What exactly is adequate ventilation and how important is it in mitigating infection risk? How sensitive is rapid antigen testing up to 3 days before concerts as a tool to screen for the infected? In The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Constance Delaugerre and colleagues1Delaugerre C Foissac F Abdoul H et al.Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during a large, live, indoor gathering (SPRING): a non-inferiority, randomised, controlled trial.Lancet Infect Dis. 2021; (published online Nov 26.)https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00673-3PubMed Google Scholar take on the challenge of addressing these conundrums, by comparing SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates (by means of day 7 post-concert, saliva RT-PCR data) in those who attended a large, live concert on May 29, 2021, in Paris and in non-attendees. They assessed adherence to mask wearing by means of an artificial intelligence tool. It is an ambitious, thoughtful, and well-designed study and the authors tackle important practical questions that have major societal ramifications.

10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00721-0

Concerts and COVID: can the beat go on?

Omicron, the SARS-CoV-2 variant responsible for a cluster of cases in South Africa and that is now spreading around the world, is the most heavily mutated variant to emerge so far and carries mutations similar to changes seen in previous variants of concern associated with enhanced transmissibility and partial resistance to vaccine induced immunity.

10.1136/bmj.n2943

Covid-19: Omicron may be more transmissible than other variants and partly resistant to existing vaccines, scientists fear

Exclusive: Some may predate earliest cases of new variant found in South Africa last week

UK science advisers brace for hundreds of confirmed Omicron Covid cases

The NHS will announce details this week of how it plans to accelerate the rollout in order to meet an expected surge in demand

Covid booster jabs to be offered to all adults after 3 months, and over 12s to receive second doses

On Nov 25, 2021, about 23 months since the first reported case of COVID-19 and after a global estimated 260 million cases and 5·2 million deaths,1WHOWHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard.https://covid19.who.int/Date: 2021Date accessed: November 29, 2021Google Scholar a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VoC), omicron,2WHOUpdate on omicron. Nov 28, 2021.https://www.who.int/news/item/28-11-2021-update-on-omicronDate accessed: November 30, 2021Google Scholar was reported. Omicron emerged in a COVID-19-weary world in which anger and frustration with the pandemic are rife amid widespread negative impacts on social, mental, and economic wellbeing. Although previous VoCs emerged in a world in which natural immunity from COVID-19 infections was common, this fifth VoC has emerged at a time when vaccine immunity is increasing in the world.

10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02758-6

Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant: a new chapter in the COVID-19 pandemic

In Hessen gibt es sieben weitere bestätigte Fälle der Omikron-Variante des Coronavirus. Das teilte des Institut für Medizinische Virologie am Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt am Mittwoch mit. "Die Sequenzierungen haben heute bestätigt, dass es sich bei allen sieben Verdachtsfällen um Infektionen mit der Omikron-Variante handelt", sagte Institutsdirektorin Sandra Ciesek laut Mitteilung.

Sieben weitere bestätigte Omikron-Fälle in Hessen

NEW YORK — MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan has learned a few lessons after interviewing everyone from John Legend to former National Security Adviser John Bolton.Hasan’s next book is called “How to Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking.” Henry Holt and Company announced Thursday that publication is scheduled for 2023.WpGet the full experience.Choose your planArrowRight“Arguing may be in my blood, but I also believe it can be taught,” Hasan said in a statement. “For years now, people have asked me how I do what I do onscreen and onstage. I’m ready to share my secrets, tips of the trade and advice to every person interested in besting an opponent whether it’s in the classroom, on live TV, in the boardroom, or anywhere.”

Mehdi Hasan to share tips on 'How to Win Every Argument'

BackgroundFew data exist on the comparative safety and immunogenicity of different COVID-19 vaccines given as a third (booster) dose. To generate data to optimise selection of booster vaccines, we investigated the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of seven different COVID-19 vaccines as a third dose after two doses of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 (Oxford–AstraZeneca; hereafter referred to as ChAd) or BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNtech, hearafter referred to as BNT).MethodsCOV-BOOST is a multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial of third dose booster vaccination against COVID-19. Participants were aged older than 30 years, and were at least 70 days post two doses of ChAd or at least 84 days post two doses of BNT primary COVID-19 immunisation course, with no history of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. 18 sites were split into three groups (A, B, and C). Within each site group (A, B, or C), participants were randomly assigned to an experimental vaccine or control. Group A received NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax; hereafter referred to as NVX), a half dose of NVX, ChAd, or quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY) control (1:1:1:1). Group B received BNT, VLA2001 (Valneva; hereafter referred to as VLA), a half dose of VLA, Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen; hereafter referred to as Ad26) or MenACWY (1:1:1:1:1). Group C received mRNA1273 (Moderna; hereafter referred to as m1273), CVnCov (CureVac; hereafter referred to as CVn), a half dose of BNT, or MenACWY (1:1:1:1). Participants and all investigatory staff were blinded to treatment allocation. Coprimary outcomes were safety and reactogenicity and immunogenicity of anti-spike IgG measured by ELISA. The primary analysis for immunogenicity was on a modified intention-to-treat basis; safety and reactogenicity were assessed in the intention-to-treat population. Secondary outcomes included assessment of viral neutralisation and cellular responses. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, number 73765130.FindingsBetween June 1 and June 30, 2021, 3498 people were screened. 2878 participants met eligibility criteria and received COVID-19 vaccine or control. The median ages of ChAd/ChAd-primed participants were 53 years (IQR 44–61) in the younger age group and 76 years (73–78) in the older age group. In the BNT/BNT-primed participants, the median ages were 51 years (41–59) in the younger age group and 78 years (75–82) in the older age group. In the ChAd/ChAD-primed group, 676 (46·7%) participants were female and 1380 (95·4%) were White, and in the BNT/BNT-primed group 770 (53·6%) participants were female and 1321 (91·9%) were White. Three vaccines showed overall increased reactogenicity: m1273 after ChAd/ChAd or BNT/BNT; and ChAd and Ad26 after BNT/BNT. For ChAd/ChAd-primed individuals, spike IgG geometric mean ratios (GMRs) between study vaccines and controls ranged from 1·8 (99% CI 1·5–2·3) in the half VLA group to 32·3 (24·8–42·0) in the m1273 group. GMRs for wild-type cellular responses compared with controls ranged from 1·1 (95% CI 0·7–1·6) for ChAd to 3·6 (2·4–5·5) for m1273. For BNT/BNT-primed individuals, spike IgG GMRs ranged from 1·3 (99% CI 1·0–1·5) in the half VLA group to 11·5 (9·4–14·1) in the m1273 group. GMRs for wild-type cellular responses compared with controls ranged from 1·0 (95% CI 0·7–1·6) for half VLA to 4·7 (3·1–7·1) for m1273. The results were similar between those aged 30–69 years and those aged 70 years and older. Fatigue and pain were the most common solicited local and systemic adverse events, experienced more in people aged 30–69 years than those aged 70 years or older. Serious adverse events were uncommon, similar in active vaccine and control groups. In total, there were 24 serious adverse events: five in the control group (two in control group A, three in control group B, and zero in control group C), two in Ad26, five in VLA, one in VLA-half, one in BNT, two in BNT-half, two in ChAd, one in CVn, two in NVX, two in NVX-half, and one in m1273.InterpretationAll study vaccines boosted antibody and neutralising responses after ChAd/ChAd initial course and all except one after BNT/BNT, with no safety concerns. Substantial differences in humoral and cellular responses, and vaccine availability will influence policy choices for booster vaccination.

Safety and immunogenicity of seven COVID-19 vaccines as a third dose (booster) following two doses of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 or BNT162b2 in the UK (COV-BOOST): a blinded, multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial

10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02717-3

Germany expected to restrict unvaccinated access to essential businesses only; India detects two cases of new Omicron variant in Karnataka US: Biden to announce nationwide coronavirus battle plan EU must consider mandatory Covid jabs, says Von der Leyen Omicron variant fuelling ‘exponential’ rise in South Africa Covid cases Scientists find possible trigger for AstraZeneca jab blood clots UK Covid – latest updates

Covid live: Germany set to impose restrictions on the unvaccinated; India detects two cases of Omicron variant

Germany expected to restrict unvaccinated access to essential businesses only; India detects two cases of new Omicron variant in Karnataka US: Biden to announce nationwide coronavirus battle plan EU must consider mandatory Covid jabs, says Von der Leyen Omicron variant fuelling ‘exponential’ rise in South Africa Covid cases Scientists find possible trigger for AstraZeneca jab blood clots UK Covid – latest updates

Covid live: Germany set to impose restrictions on the unvaccinated; India detects two cases of Omicron variant

Mit Spannung wird die Entscheidung der Stiko zur Kinderimpfung gegen Corona erwartet. Deren Chef sagt nun im F.A.Z.-Podcast: Er würde seine eigenen kleinen Kinder derzeit nicht impfen lassen. Es gebe zu wenige Daten.

Stiko-Chef Mertens würde eigene Kinder jetzt nicht impfen lassen

Weil mit steigenden Infektionszahlen immer mehr PCR-Tests benötigt werden, stoßen Labore an ihre Grenzen. Ergebnisse lassen oft länger auf sich warten, vielerorts wird bereits priorisiert.

Laborbranche am Limit

My first 30-odd years of research in cognitive science has been driven by an attempt to balance two facts about human thought that seem incompatible and two corresponding ways of understanding information processing. The facts are that, on one hand, human memories serve as sophisticated pattern recognition devices with great flexibility and an ability to generalize and predict as long as circumstances remain sufficiently familiar. On the other hand, we are capable of deploying an enormous variety of representational schemes that map closely onto articulable structure in the world and that support explanation even in unfamiliar circumstances. The contrasting ways of modeling such processes involve, first, more and more sophisticated associative models that capture progressively higher-order statistical structure and, second, more powerful representational languages for other sorts of structure, especially compositional and causal structure. My efforts to rectify these forces have taken me from the study of memory to induction and category knowledge to causal reasoning. In the process, I have consistently appealed to dual systems of thinking. I have come to realize that a key reason for our success as cognizers is that we rely on others for most of our information processing needs; we live in a community of knowledge. We make use of others both intuitively—by outsourcing much of our thinking without knowing we are doing it—and by deliberating with others.

10.1111/tops.12580

How Do We Believe?

EU competition chief argues in favour of getting “80 per cent now than 100 per cent never”

Vestager urges European legislators to push through rules to regulate Big Tech

Infected individual recently travelled to Nigeria and is currently isolating

B.C. identifies 1st case of omicron variant

Research suggests serious bouts of illness with coronavirus may significantly damage long-term health

Severe Covid infection doubles chances of dying in following year, study finds

Weil er einen gelben Davidstern mit der Aufschrift "Ungeimpft" verbreitet hat, ist ein 56-jähriger Berliner wegen Volksverhetzung verurteilt worden. Laut Generalstaatsanwaltschaft hatte er bei Facebook einen Post verbreitet, auf dem der gelbe Stern mit der Überschrift "Die Jagd auf Menschen kann nun wieder beginnen" abgebildet war. "Dieses Symbol vergleicht Nichtgeimpfte mit den verfolgten Juden in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus", teilte die Generalstaatsaanwaltschaft auf Twitter mit. Dieses "in der Querdenkerszene" verbreitete Symbol verharmlose den Holocaust und sei strafbar. Der Mann wurde zu einer Geldbuße von 80 Tagessätzen verurteilt.

Berliner Impfgegner wegen Volksverhetzung verurteilt

Vaccines are the most powerful pharmaceutical tool to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. While the majority (about 65%) of the German population were fully vaccinated, incidence started growing exponentially in October 2021 with about 41% of recorded new cases aged twelve or above being symptomatic breakthrough infections, presumably also contributing to the dynamics. At the time, it (i) remains elusive how significant this contribution is and (ii) whether targeted non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) may stop the amplification of the ongoing crisis. Here, we estimate that about 67%–76% of all new infections are caused by unvaccinated individuals, implying that only 24%–33% are caused by the vaccinated. Furthermore, we estimate 38%–51% of new infections to be caused by unvaccinated individuals infecting other unvaccinated individuals. In total, unvaccinated individuals are expected to be involved in 8–9 of 10 new infections. We further show that decreasing the transmissibility of the unvaccinated by, e. g. targeted NPIs, causes a steeper decrease in the effective reproduction number ℛ than decreasing the transmissibility of vaccinated individuals, potentially leading to temporary epidemic control. Furthermore, reducing contacts between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals serves to decrease ℛ in a similar manner as increasing vaccine uptake. Taken together, our results contribute to the public discourse regarding policy changes in pandemic response and highlight the importance of combined measures, such as vaccination campaigns and contact reduction, to achieve epidemic control and preventing an overload of public health systems.

10.1101/2021.11.24.21266831

Germany’s current COVID-19 crisis is mainly driven by the unvaccinated

10.31234/osf.io/6rp8u

Background: In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and claims that traditional masculinity may put some men at increased risk for infection, research reporting men’s health behaviors is critically important. Traditional masculine norms such as self-reliance and toughness are associated with a lower likelihood to vaccinate or follow safety restrictions. Furthermore, infection risk and traditional masculinity should be investigated in a differentiated manner including gender role orientation, underlying traditional masculine ideologies and male gender role conflict. Methods: In this pre-registered online survey conducted during March/April 2021 in German-speaking countries in Europe, 490 men completed questionnaires regarding contracting COVID-19 as confirmed by a validated test, fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S), and experience of psychological burden due to COVID-19. In addition, depression symptomatology was assessed by using prototypical internalizing and male-typical externalizing depression symptoms. Furthermore, self-identified masculine gender orientation, endorsement of traditional masculine ideologies, and gender role conflict were measured. Results: A total of 6.9% of men (n = 34) reported having contracted COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Group comparisons revealed that men who had contracted COVID-19 exhibited higher overall traditional masculine ideology and gender role conflict. Logistic regression controlling for confounders (age, income, education, and sexual orientation) indicated that only depression symptoms are independently associated with the risk of having contracted COVID-19. While prototypical depression symptoms were negatively associated with the risk of having contracted COVID-19, male-typical externalizing depression symptoms were positively associated with the risk of having contracted COVID-19. Conclusion: For traditional masculinity, no robust association for an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 could be established, while higher male-typical externalizing depression symptoms were associated with an increased risk of having contracted COVID-19.

Examining the role of traditional masculinity and depression in men’s risk for contracting COVID-19

Das Bundesverfassungsgericht hat die Kontakt- und Ausgangsbeschränkungen der Bundesregierung vom Frühjahr dieses Jahres als verhältnismäßig bewertet. Beschwerden gegen die "Bundesnotbremse" wurden zurückgewiesen.

Bundesnotbremse war verfassungsgemäß

This report has been published to share the detailed variant surveillance analyses which contribute to the variant risk assessments and designation of new variants of concern (VOC) and variants under investigation (VUI). This specialist technical briefing contains early data and analysis on emerging variants and findings have a high level of uncertainty. A separate report is published covering surveillance data on all other VOCs and VUIs. In summary: 1. There are 4 current VOCs and 9 VUIs (Table 1). The new Variant UnderInvestigation is VUI-21NOV-01, B.1.1.529.2. Delta remains the predominant variant accounting for approximately 99.8% ofsequenced cases in England from 10 October to the 22 of November 2021.3. The Delta sublineage (VUI-21OCT-01) AY.4.2 continues to increase as a proportion of cases in the UK. It accounts for 15.2% of Delta cases in the most recent complete week of sequencing (11 November 2021 to 7 November 2021). In more recent weeks, sequencing data is incomplete, however AY.4.2 accounts for 17.8% of Delta cases in the week 8 November 2021 to 14 November 2021 and 20.3% in the week 15 November 2021 to 21 November 2021.4. The logistic growth rate for (VUI-21OCT-01) AY.4.2 is estimated to be 15% per week compared to other circulating variants. Growth rate is context dependent and cannot be interpreted as a change in biological transmissibility.5. Secondary attack rates amongst contacts of cases with (VUI-21OCT-01) AY.4.2 remain higher than those observed for other Delta cases for all categories (Table 6).6. An updated analysis using more recent data confirms that there is no evidence that VUI-21OCT-01 (AY 4.2) causes more severe disease than other Delta variants.7. Genomes from a new variant B.1.1.529 have been uploaded to GISAID by South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong. It has a large number of mutations which are likely to be biologically significant, and which may change the behaviour of the virus with regards to immune escape, transmissibility, and susceptibility to some treatments. There are currently no detected cases in the UK. This variant was designated VUI-21NOV-01 on 25 November 2021 and is currently undergoing further rapid assessment.All risk assessments are published separately online, except for Gamma, which was published within Technical Briefing 7 and Alpha within Technical Briefing 9. As Delta is the dominant variant in the UK, epidemiological data in the weekly surveillance report is also relevant.

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England

Only 2.5% of the world’s COVID vaccines have gone to African countries. As a result of vaccine hoarding by rich countries, more than 100-million COVID doses could go to waste this year. Rather than focusing on the high levels of vaccine equity, pharmaceutical companies are trying to shift the blame onto vaccine hesitancy on the continent.

An inconvenient truth: The real reason why Africa is not getting vaccinated

AstraZeneca shots were destroyed in August following a change in vaccination policy

‘An absolute scandal’: UK threw away 600,000 vaccine doses after they passed expiry date

10.31234/osf.io/2xngy

Misinformation has been a pressing issue since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, threatening our ability to effectively act on the crisis. More recently, the availability of vaccines in developed countries has not always translated into high vaccination rates, with online misinformation often presented as the culprit. Yet little is known about the actual effects of fake news on behavioural intentions. Does exposure to misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines indeed affects people’s intentions to receive such a vaccine? This paper attempts to answer this question through three preregistered experiments (N=3463). In Study 1, participants (n=1269) were exposed to fabricated pro- or anti-vaccine information or to neutral true information, and then asked about their intentions to get vaccinated, alongside a few other behavioural intentions. In Study 2, participants (n=1863) were exposed to true pro- and anti-vaccine information, while Study 3 (n=1548) compared the effects of single and multiple exposures to novel misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. The results showed that exposure to false information on the vaccines did not affect the participants’ intentions to get vaccinated, even when multiple exposures led them to believe that the headlines were more accurate than in the single exposure conditions. An exploratory meta-analysis of studies 1 and 3 (n=2683) showed that exposure to false information about COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of whether it was in favour of or against vaccines, increased vaccination intentions. We conclude by cautioning researchers against equating exposure to misinformation or perceived accuracy of false news with actual behaviours.

Measuring the effects of misinformation exposure on behavioural intentions

Especially in the beginning of the pandemic, food shopping, an already anxiety-provoking task for individuals prone to eating disorders, became even more difficult.

The pandemic has deeply affected many people with eating disorders

Österreich will im Februar die allgemeine Impfpflicht einführen. Eine Maßnahme, die sich laut SPIEGEL-Umfrage auch die große Mehrheit der Deutschen wünscht. Besonders ältere Menschen sind dafür.

Große Mehrheit unterstützt allgemeine Impfpflicht

10.31234/osf.io/rt7u4

Vaccines are an important tool for governments and health agencies to contain and curb the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, despite their effectiveness and safeness, a substantial portion of the population worldwide is hesitant to get vaccinated. In the current study, we examined whether fear of COVID-19 predicts vaccination willingness. In a longitudinal study (N = 938), fear for COVID-19 was assessed in April 2020 and vaccination willingness was measured in June 2021. Approximately 11% of our sample indicated that they were not willing to get vaccinated. Results of a logistic regression showed that increased fear of COVID-19 predicts vaccination willingness 14 months later, even when controlling for several anxious personality traits, infection control perceptions, risks for loved ones, self-rated health, previous infection, media use, and demographic variables. These results show that fear of COVID-19 is a relevant construct to consider for predicting and possibly influencing vaccination willingness. Nonetheless, sensitivity and specificity of fear of COVID-19 to predict vaccination willingness were quite low and only became slightly better when fear of COVID-19 was measured concurrently. This indicates that other potential factors, such as perceived risks of the vaccines, probably also play a role in explaining vaccination willingness.

Fear of COVID-19 predicts vaccination willingness 14 months later

10.31234/osf.io/ae6t9

BACKGROUND: Social interactions are vital for our wellbeing, particularly during times of stress. PURPOSE: We investigated the real-time effect of social interactions on changes in stress and mood using an ecological momentary assessment approach in 732 participants during COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020 and in a subsample of these participants (n= 281) during a further lockdown in winter 2020. METHODS: Participants reported their stress and mood in a smartphone app five times per day for seven days and indicated the nature and frequency of their recent social interactions. RESULTS: Overall, social interactions and their frequency were associated with enhanced momentary mood. In person interactions, but not those that were not in person (e.g., via audio, video, or text), were linked to lower stress, especially if they were with closer others. Individuals scoring high on trait loneliness benefited least from social interactions in terms of their momentary mood, whereas those scoring high on trait depressive symptoms benefited the most. Our key findings replicated across both lockdowns. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the benefits and limits of social interactions for improving momentary mood and stress during psychologically demanding periods and highlight how clinically relevant individual differences can modulate these effects.

The benefits and limits of social interactions during COVID-19 lockdown

The delta variant could be overtaken by AY.4.2, a more transmissible coronavirus variant that may be less likely to cause symptoms, while another variant from central Africa is being closely monitored

What we know so far about AY.4.2 and other new coronavirus variants

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic

Covid-19 news: Austria goes back into lockdown

Artificial intelligence can be used to scour the crowdsourced encyclopedia for contradictory information and flag it to human editors

Wikipedia tests AI for spotting contradictory claims in articles

10.1038/s41586-021-04231-6

The CVnCoV (CureVac) mRNA vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 has recently been evaluated in a phase 2b/3 efficacy trial in humans1. CV2CoV is a second-generation mRNA vaccine with non-modified nucleosides but optimized non-coding regions and enhanced antigen expression. Here we report a head-to-head study of the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of CVnCoV and CV2CoV in nonhuman primates. We immunized 18 cynomolgus macaques with two doses of 12 ug of lipid nanoparticle formulated CVnCoV, CV2CoV, or sham (N=6/group). CV2CoV induced substantially higher binding and neutralizing antibodies, memory B cell responses, and T cell responses as compared with CVnCoV. CV2CoV also induced more potent neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the delta variant. Moreover, CV2CoV proved comparably immunogenic to the BNT162b2 (Pfizer) vaccine in macaques. While CVnCoV provided partial protection against SARS-CoV-2 challenge, CV2CoV afforded more robust protection with markedly lower viral loads in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Binding and neutralizing antibody titers correlated with protective efficacy. These data demonstrate that optimization of non-coding regions can greatly improve the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a non-modified mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in nonhuman primates.

Optimization of Non-Coding Regions for a Non-Modified mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine

10.31235/osf.io/69gjs