The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been the worst infectious disease outbreak in the U.S. in over 100 years and was associated with the deaths of over 500,000 people in the U.S. within its first year alone. This public health challenge is additionally affected by public scepticism over the severity of the disease, or even its existence in many countries, including the U.S. Previous research has shown that this scepticism is politically skewed in the U.S., with conservatives more likely to downplay or deny the risks of the virus. Such polarisation has been led by elite cues, including the President of the U.S. at one point describing the virus as a ‘hoax’. However, the subsequent hospitalisation of President Trump with COVID-19 in October 2020 served as a high-profile exemplar of the reality and risks of the virus, and as such may have influenced opinions, particularly for U.S. conservatives. The current research draws on two studies, both of which serendipitously surveyed independent representative U.S. samples before and shortly after the announcement of Trump’s illness. In Study 1, measuring risk perceptions of the virus, we find that, controlling for sociodemographic factors, participants surveyed before and after the announcement did not differ in their risk perception regardless of political orientation. However, in Study 2, measuring belief that the virus is a hoax, we find that among those on the far right of the political spectrum, such a belief was lower for those surveyed after the announcement, suggesting that Trump’s hospitalisation may have changed the beliefs of those most receptive to the President’s earlier claims of the virus being a hoax.

The effects of President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis on hoax beliefs and risk perceptions of the virus in the U.S.

10.31234/osf.io/8e49j

Background: Since the initial phases of vaccination campaigns, health authorities across the world have recommended vaccination of children between 15 and 18; and since the summer of 2021, vaccinations of children between 12 and 15 have been recommended. Recently, American and European Health Authorities have approved the use of a vaccine against COVID-19 for children between age 5 and 11. In this article, we ask what predicts parents’ intention to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Methods: We use empirical data from a large-scale survey in Denmark about vaccine intentions. The survey included a subsample of 794 parents to children aged 6-15. For this group of parents, we assess key predictors (including demographics, predispositions, vaccine perceptions, and vaccine barriers) of parents’ acceptance of a vaccine for their child against COVID-19. Results: We propose that the vaccine decision follows a stepwise process: demographic variables shape parents’ predispositions, which again shape their specific perceptions of the safety and effectiveness - both in general and for their children - of the particular vaccine. Moreover, we argue that vaccine barriers will moderate this process. Our results demonstrate that parents’ intention to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 is not driven by considerations regarding the disease of COVID-19 but by considerations of the safety of vaccines and added benefits of vaccination such as normalizing societal and everyday life. The balance of these considerations shift depending on the child's age, with lower acceptance for younger children. Furthermore, the content of considerations are shaped by trust in the health authorities and factual vaccine knowledge. Conclusion: To increase parents' acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine for their children, health authorities should focus on establishing and communicating evidence for the safety of vaccines and the impact of vaccination for their everyday lives.

Considerations Underlying Parents’ Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines for Their Child: Evidence from Denmark

10.1126/science.abj6981

Successful reporting system helps flag real problems but is being twisted in COVID-19 era

Antivaccine activists use a government database on side effects to scare the public

10.1186/s13223-020-00474-6

“Immune boosting” is a trending topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of “immune boosting” is scientifically misleading and often used to market unproven products and therapies. This paper presents an analysis of popular immune-boosting posts from Instagram. Of the sampled posts, all promoted “immune boosting” as beneficial, nearly all involved commercial interests, and many used scientific and medical rhetoric in their messaging.

“Immune Boosting” in the time of COVID: selling immunity on Instagram

Some school leaders say CO2 monitors provided by DfE are having no impact

Classroom carbon dioxide levels up to three times above watchdog guidelines

10.1038/s41586-021-04232-5

T cell immunity is central for the control of viral infections. CoVac-1 is a peptide-based vaccine candidate, composed of SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes derived from various viral proteins1,2, combined with the Toll-like receptor 1/2 agonist XS15 emulsified in Montanide ISA51 VG, aiming to induce profound SARS-CoV-2 T cell immunity to combat COVID-19. We conducted a phase I open-label trial, recruiting 36 participants aged 18 to 80 years, who received one single subcutaneous CoVac-1 vaccination. The primary endpoint was safety analysed until day 56. Immunogenicity in terms of CoVac-1-induced T-cell response was analysed as main secondary endpoint until day 28 and in the follow-up until month 3. No serious adverse events and no grade 4 adverse events were observed. Expected local granuloma formation was observed in all study subjects, while systemic reactogenicity was absent or mild. SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses targeting multiple vaccine peptides were induced in all study participants, mediated by multifunctional T-helper 1 CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. CoVac-1-induced interferon-γ T cell responses persisted in the follow-up analyses and surpassed those detected after SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as after vaccination with approved vaccines. Furthermore, vaccine-induced T- cell responses were unaffected by current SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC). Together, CoVac-1 showed a favourable safety profile and induced broad, potent and VOC-independent T- cell responses, supporting the presently ongoing evaluation in a phase II trial for patients with B cell/antibody deficiency. Download PDF

A COVID-19 peptide vaccine for the induction of SARS-CoV-2 T cell immunity

Researchers found 17 illicit marketplaces claiming to sell vaccine passports, and some appear to be valid entries in national databases

Fake covid-19 vaccine certificates are being sold on the dark web

10.31234/osf.io/9bsjg

Although vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is considered the central strategy against the pandemic, uptake lags behind target rates. To explore whether this rate could be enhanced by a nudging strategy that exploits the status quo bias, we conducted a randomized controlled study in northern Italy comparing vaccination acceptance among 2,000 adults aged 50-59 who were either invited to set an appointment (opt-in group) or assigned an individual appointment (opt-out group). Results indicate an increase in vaccination rate for the opt-out group compared to the opt-in group of 3.2 percentage points — a 32% relative increase. This suggests that a significant portion of those who remain unvaccinated may not hold strong beliefs against vaccination, but rather tend to inaction and may therefore be nudged toward vaccination with a reduction of action required.

Default change nudges Covid-19 vaccine uptake: a randomized controlled trial

German brands, incl. food companies and retailers, teaming up in the pro-vaccination campaign #ZusammenGegenCorona

How can we connect #metascience to established #science fields? Find out at this afternoon's session at #aimos2021 Remco Heesen @fallonmody Felipe Romeo will discuss. Come join us. #OpenScience #OpenData #reproducibility

THL recommends coronavirus vaccinations for at-risk children aged 5 to 11 years, for the entire age group require more information on safety 3 Dec 2021 Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) recommends starting coronavirus vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years who belong to risk groups as soon as vaccines are available.

THL recommends coronavirus vaccinations for at-risk children aged 5 to 11 years, for the entire age group require more information on safety

10.1073/pnas.2110117118

There is ample evidence that masking and social distancing are effective in reducing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. However, due to the complexity of airborne disease transmission, it is difficult to quantify their effectiveness, especially in the case of one-to-one exposure. Here, we introduce the concept of an upper bound for one-to-one exposure to infectious human respiratory particles and apply it to SARS-CoV-2. To calculate exposure and infection risk, we use a comprehensive database on respiratory particle size distribution; exhalation flow physics; leakage from face masks of various types and fits measured on human subjects; consideration of ambient particle shrinkage due to evaporation; and rehydration, inhalability, and deposition in the susceptible airways. We find, for a typical SARS-CoV-2 viral load and infectious dose, that social distancing alone, even at 3.0 m between two speaking individuals, leads to an upper bound of 90% for risk of infection after a few minutes. If only the susceptible wears a face mask with infectious speaking at a distance of 1.5 m, the upper bound drops very significantly; that is, with a surgical mask, the upper bound reaches 90% after 30 min, and, with an FFP2 mask, it remains at about 20% even after 1 h. When both wear a surgical mask, while the infectious is speaking, the very conservative upper bound remains below 30% after 1 h, but, when both wear a well-fitting FFP2 mask, it is 0.4%. We conclude that wearing appropriate masks in the community provides excellent protection for others and oneself, and makes social distancing less important.

An upper bound on one-to-one exposure to infectious human respiratory particles

10.1136/bmj.n3011

Six different covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective to use as booster doses in people who previously received the Oxford AstraZeneca or Pfizer BioNTech vaccines, but the antibody boost they provide varies substantially, a study has found.1

Covid-19: Antibody boost after third dose varies greatly by vaccine, study finds

Just one of many msgs I've received today:

We're back in familiar territory - growing concern about a new variant of coronavirus.

New Covid variant: How worried should we be?

10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00686-1

Prior to the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine and when case numbers were low, our longitudinal survey with Australian adults showed that 85·8% (3741 of 4362) were willing to be vaccinated in April, 2020, and 89·8% (1144 of 1274) in July, 2020.1Dodd RH Pickles K Nickel B et al.Concerns and motivations about COVID-19 vaccination.Lancet Infect Dis. 2021; 21: 161Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (0) Google Scholar,  2Dodd RH Cvejic E Bonner C et al.Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 in Australia.Lancet Infect Dis. 2021; 21: 318-319Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar Younger adults perceived themselves to be at less risk of infection and were less willing to receive a vaccine.Since then, Australia's vaccine rollout has gained rapid momentum in some states, due in part to an outbreak of the highly contagious delta (B.1.617.2) variant. In July–August, 2021, we did a nationally representative survey of 2050 adults aged 18–49 years (appendix p 1) to understand barriers to vaccine uptake in a group underrepresented in current research and with lower vaccine uptake. Participants indicated their intentions on a six-point scale.3Freeman D Loe BS Chadwick A et al.COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK: the Oxford coronavirus explanations, attitudes, and narratives survey (Oceans) II.Psychol Med. 2020; (published online Dec 11.)https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291720005188Crossref Scopus (53) Google Scholar We found that 871 (42·5%) intended to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, 467 (22·8%) would get it when they had time, 177 (8·6%) would delay being vaccinated, 223 (10·9%) planned to avoid getting it for as long as possible, 121 (5·9%) said that they would never get a COVID-19 vaccine, and 191 (9·3%) were unsure.

COVID-19 vaccine intentions in Australia

The European medicines regulator has approved the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine for use in those as young as five-years-old, paving the way for the shot to be given to younger children in the EU.“The benefits of [the Pfizer vaccine] in children aged five to 11 outweigh the risks, particularly in those with conditions that increase the risk of severe Covid-19,” said the European Medicines Agency’s human medicines committee on Thursday. Those in the age cohort from five to 11 will be given the Pfizer vaccine in smaller doses, which are a third of the size of jabs for people aged 12 and over. The vaccine is administered in two shots, three weeks apart.The smaller dose was 90.7 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 in that age group, according to results from clinical trials on almost 2,000 children. The effectiveness “was comparable to that seen with the higher dose . . . in 16- to 25-year-olds”, added the EMA.The US and Israel have started to administer the Pfizer shot to five to 11-year-olds, while the vaccination drive is set to begin in Canada next week. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is yet to approve the shot for that age group.

EU regulator gives green light for Pfizer shot to children as young as 5

Striking how some media coverage is assuming (without caveats) that the Belgian case brought the new variant "from" Egypt or Turkey.There's no chance they picked it up after returning to Belgium of course. How could that happen..we only have a 7-day average of 17,000 cases a day

Travel, aviation and oil stocks around world badly hit as worries deepen over effect of fresh Covid wave on global economy

FTSE 100 hit by biggest fall since June 2020 amid new variant fears

Company says it will know in two weeks whether current Pfizer jab is effective against Omicron variant

BioNTech says it could tweak Covid vaccine in 100 days if needed

10.1136/bmj-2021-068302

Objective To review the evidence on the effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Biosis, Joanna Briggs, Global Health, and World Health Organization COVID-19 database (preprints).Eligibility criteria for study selection Observational and interventional studies that assessed the effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality.Main outcome measures The main outcome measure was incidence of covid-19. Secondary outcomes included SARS-CoV-2 transmission and covid-19 mortality.Data synthesis DerSimonian Laird random effects meta-analysis was performed to investigate the effect of mask wearing, handwashing, and physical distancing measures on incidence of covid-19. Pooled effect estimates with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were computed, and heterogeneity among studies was assessed using Cochran’s Q test and the I2 metrics, with two tailed P values.Results 72 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 35 evaluated individual public health measures and 37 assessed multiple public health measures as a “package of interventions.” Eight of 35 studies were included in the meta-analysis, which indicated a reduction in incidence of covid-19 associated with handwashing (relative risk 0.47, 95% confidence interval 0.19 to 1.12, I2=12%), mask wearing (0.47, 0.29 to 0.75, I2=84%), and physical distancing (0.75, 0.59 to 0.95, I2=87%). Owing to heterogeneity of the studies, meta-analysis was not possible for the outcomes of quarantine and isolation, universal lockdowns, and closures of borders, schools, and workplaces. The effects of these interventions were synthesised descriptively.Conclusions This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that several personal protective and social measures, including handwashing, mask wearing, and physical distancing are associated with reductions in the incidence covid-19. Public health efforts to implement public health measures should consider community health and sociocultural needs, and future research is needed to better understand the effectiveness of public health measures in the context of covid-19 vaccination.

Effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis

England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty has said his "greatest worry" is whether people will accept fresh curbs on activities to tackle Covid variants.

Chris Whitty: Public would need to back more Covid curbs

3. Supersizing travel

2. COVID vaccines of the future might not be shots

1 big thing: Omicron rattles globe, marches north

Axios AM

Scientists say they are being punished for transparency over their discovery of new variant

South African anger over ‘rushed’ Covid travel restrictions

10.1001/jama.2021.21699

The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) was the first SARS-CoV-2 vaccine authorized and most widely used in older persons in France. Although no increases in cardiovascular events were reported in the phase 3 trials,1 questions emerged once the vaccine was used on a large scale because older people were underrepresented in the trials. We evaluated the short-term risk of severe cardiovascular events among French people aged 75 years or older after the administration of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine.

Myocardial Infarction, Stroke, and Pulmonary Embolism After BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in People Aged 75 Years or Older

The traveler from Campania who tested positive for the molecular test landed in Milan on his return from Mozambique with his family. The laboratory of the Sacco Hospital in Milan is continuing to study the genome of the sample taken

First case of Omicron variant in Italy. The ISS: "Sequence identified in the positive patient in Campania"

“When you reduce the quality of discourse down to street-fighting level,” it can raise the risk of violence, said a former consultant to U.S. intelligence services.

American vaccine misinformation and extremism are infiltrating New Zealand

friendly reminder that “more transmissible” is by itself REALLY BAD for a pandemic. even small increases in R₀ mean more potential for spread, more cases, more deaths etc please get your vax & help others get theirs

Some parents who fear myocarditis or think vaccinating children isn't necessary are overlooking a few things.

Why it's important to vaccinate children against COVID

countries banned because of the omicron variant vs. countries with confirmed omicron cases

Ok, so vax take-up in Gauteng is 38.6%. Given 9% of inpatients whose vax status is known are vaxxed, I think that's pretty encouraging (odds, log odds, etc.)

TikTok video calls for bath in borax – but once a person is vaccinated, there’s no way back, doctors say

‘Detox’ routines won’t undo Covid vaccine, experts tell anti-vaxxers

A new variant identified in southern Africa is causing global panic – but its real impact will be shown by the data that scientists are racing to establish

How bad will the Omicron Covid variant be in Britain? Three things will tell us

When literally every country “banning” you has a higher infection rate

BNO News and Newsnodes are tracking confirmed and suspected cases of Omicron, a coronavirus variant which is also known as B.1.1.529. Omicron was designated as a Variant of Concern by the World Health Organization on November 26, 2021. This page will be updated several times a day.

Tracking COVID-19 variant Omicron

Swiss voters have had their say in a Sunday referendum on government COVID-19 restrictions.

Weekend - Switzerland votes to support government COVID-19 measures

Abbott has been intently monitoring the mutations of COVID-19 so we can ensure our tests can detect them. We have already conducted an assessment of the Omicron variant and we're confident our rapid and PCR tests can detect the virus. While the Omicron variant contains mutations to the spike protein, Abbott's rapid and molecular tests – antigen and PCR – do not rely on the spike gene to detect the virus.

Evaluating Omicron and Other COVID Variants to Ensure Test Effectiveness

The emergence of a new Covid-19 variant with a startlingly large constellation of mutations has countries around the world sounding alarms. While the concerns are understandable, experts in immunology say people need to remember a critical fact: Two years and 8 billion vaccine doses into the pandemic, many immune systems are no longer blank slates when it comes to SARS-CoV-2.

A reason for optimism on Omicron: Our immune systems are not blank slates

#Omicron is sending more kids to the hospital than #Delta in South Africa

The WA government is ramping up regional vaccination programs ahead of the proposed reopening of the borderAuthorities say misinformation has been a persistent problem throughout the pandemicUS-based social media groups, including a Facebook page called "Freedom Keepers" are suspected to be disseminating information to harm vulnerable communities

WA Premier Mark McGowan says US white supremacists are targeting remote communities

If it's anything like Beta, then boosters should clobber it just fine.

Our first https://filogeneti.ca/CoVizu update with B.1.1.529. As expected, number of mutations is well over molecular clock prediction (~13 diffs). Relatively low numbers of identical genomes implies large number of unsampled infections. We update every two days from GISAID.

@Twitter why are you promoting civil war #Bürgerkrieg in Germany? @TwitterSupport Can you try to be at least slightly responsible about ot promoting these antivaxers?

Nearly three-quarters of virus genomes sequenced last month were of new variant, say South African health officials

Omicron variant fuelling ‘exponential’ rise in Covid cases, say South Africa officials