Fwd: How Iceland hammered COVID with science

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From: Nature Briefing <brie...@nature.com>
Date: November 25, 2020 at 10:45:54 AM MST
To: elaza...@gmail.com
Subject: How Iceland hammered COVID with science
Reply-To: Nature Briefing <brie...@nature.com>

 What matters in science | 

View this email in your browser Wednesday 25 November 2020

Hello Nature readers, Today we explore how Iceland hammered COVID with science, examine ways Joe Biden can make good on his ambitious climate agenda and discover a lucky mistake for the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine.

Biden campaigned on the most ambitious climate platform ever put forth by a leading candidate for US president. (Alex Wong/Getty)

Can Biden achieve his climate promises? US president-elect Joe Biden has the most aggressive climate agenda ever put forth by a leading US presidential candidate, but he faces strong opposition from some of the nation’s law-makers. Climate-policy experts say that although he faces a split Congress, Biden still has levers he can pull. He could, for instance, exert his authority over federal agencies to drive forward his agenda. He could also leverage his experience working with both parties in the Senate to push through legislation. Nature | 9 min read

COVID-19 coronavirus update Iceland’s science has been pivotal in understanding the COVID-19 pandemic. (Jon E. Gustafsson) How Iceland hammered COVID with science Iceland brought huge scientific heft to its attempts to contain and study the coronavirus. Spearheaded by deCODE, the local genetics company that tests much of its population, Iceland’s science has been credited with preventing deaths and allowing the country to keep its borders open. The well-oiled testing machine also made key early discoveries about COVID-19 infections: almost half of infected people are asymptomatic, children are much less likely to become sick than adults and the most common symptoms are muscle aches, headaches and a cough — not fever. And research continues: scientists plan to analyse the effect of viral loads, tease out the risk factors for a super-spreading event and understand the role of genetics in who gets sickest. Nature | 13 min read Lucky mistake for AstraZeneca vaccine AstraZeneca says that the striking improvement in efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, UK, was discovered because of a mistake. Milder-than-expected side-effects led to the discovery that some trial participants were inadvertently given a lower first dose. Early data show that the vaccine is 90% effective in protecting those people against COVID, compared with 62% in people who got two full doses. A top priority for researchers is finding out why. “The reason we had the half dose is serendipity,” said AstraZeneca executive Mene Pangalos. The Guardian | 4 min read Read more: Why Oxford’s positive COVID vaccine results are puzzling scientists (Nature | 6 min read) How to shift into COVID-19 research Many early-career researchers, despite the shutdown and slow recovery at academic labs worldwide, have found their way to fruitful COVID-19 research from specialities outside virology or related disciplines. Several scientists describe how they made the switch, as well as the challenges and the rewards. They recommend intensive, strategic reading to fill knowledge gaps and honing a skill that might best be called strategic opportunism — the ability to map out a path from one’s own expertise and resources to an intersecting area of emerging research. Nature | 12 min read

Features & opinion

Postdocs under pressure Long hours and a lack of job security, combined with workplace bullying and discrimination, are forcing many postdocs to consider leaving science — despite scientific successes. “I published papers but I wasn’t happy,” says Adrian Cazares, a postdoctoral researcher in computational microbiology. “[Postdocs] are under so much pressure all the time. We take it to every part of our lives. It really started to affect my mental health.” Nature’s inaugural survey of postdoctoral researchers reveals that nearly one in four respondents said they had experienced discrimination or harassment during their current postdoctoral stint — most from their supervisor or principal investigator. Nature | 10 min read

Contraceptives research needs a reboot Whether because of side-effects, stigma, lack of access or other issues, currently available methods of contraception are not doing the job: around 40% of pregnancies globally are unintended. The field is ripe for innovation and the market is huge, writes global-health strategist Stephen Gerrard and four colleagues. They recommend ways to reinvigorate R&D and “move from methods that women tolerate to those that actually satisfy their needs”. Nature | 11 min read

Quote of the day “It is illegal to install structures or art without authorisation on federally managed public lands, no matter what planet you’re from.” Utah authorities are not impressed by a mysterious 3.6-metre-high metal monolith that has been found embedded in the rock in a remote part of the US state. (BBC)

Have you ever fancied having the naming rights to a species brand new to science? Short of discovering one yourself, now’s your chance. Conservation charity Saving Nature is raffling off the opportunity to (respectfully) name this lovely tiny frog from the cloud forests of Colombia. The money raised will go to protect the frog’s habitat. I can’t offer you taxonomic immortality, but you will have my eternal thanks for your feedback on this newsletter. Your emails are always welcome at brie...@nature.com. Flora Graham, senior editor, Nature Briefing

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[Irene Rosenthal]

fascinating and good news!

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[Bernstein, Alan]

I read this and a connected article ("Why do COVID death rates seem to be falling?"). Here are two sentences (one from each article) to put our country to shame.

1. "Convalescent plasma studies have been hampered in the United States by the widespread availability of the treatment outside clinical trials."   Hmmn, no ability to require testing meds before using them.  And 2. In Iceland, "all the data are logged in a national electronic medical record system." Hmmn, no ability to keep track of the tests we do manage to perform.  Would these measures benefit us in the U. S.?

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[Steve Pittman]

Alan, you asked, "Would these measures benefit us in the U. S.?"

The U.S. has been doing a good job of driving the COVID-19 death rate down by improving patient care.  Please see the NPR article Studies Point To Big Drop In COVID-19 Death Rates.  Please note that the NPR article discusses death rates in the U.S. while the Nature article Why do COVID death rates seem to be falling? discusses deaths worldwide.  While the U.S. can always do a better job, the Infectious Diseases Society of America seems to be doing a good job here in the U.S. of developing standardized COVID-19 treatments based upon results across many hospitals and then disseminating information about those standardized treatments to most doctors.  The NPR article attributes much of the drop in death rates here in the U.S. to that effort.

Steve

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