Anthony Fauci calls White House event ‘superspreader’, tempers presidential praise of an experimental drug

‘The US government's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has said the event held at the White House Rose Garden on September 26 was a "superspreader" event that led to multiple people, including President Donald Trump, being infected. "I think the data speak for themselves. We had a superspreader event in the White House," Fauci told CBS News Radio. "And it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks," he added.

‘Asked about the president's praise for an experimental COVID-19 treatment he received as "a cure," Fauci said calling it such would be misleading as it still hasn't been proven. "We don't have any indication – I think you really have to depend on what you mean by a cure because that's the word that leads to a lot of confusion," he said.’

Read here (DW, Oct 10, 2020)

Go ahead, laugh at their expense: The mad king and his courtiers learned a lot about Covid-19

‘The Rose Garden event may come to be regarded as the most unscientific, and unethical, experiment in the world. If all of these people bounce back, maybe COVID-19 isn’t such a big deal. If several of them don’t fare well, then the liberal inclination to take it more seriously is justified. Either way, it would be an experiment of zero statistical value, but this event has captured the attention of the nation, and these outcomes will count for more than they should—more, for some, than the evidence of 210,000 dead.

‘But the Rose Garden wasn’t the only place where people were infected. During four days of debate prep (the worst debate prep in history, but that’s another matter), Chris Christie got it. Will the man ever learn? When has his relationship with Trump ever brought him anything but misery? Some people are drawn to bullies. They have a need to endlessly repeat the suffering of their childhood, always hoping for a different outcome. To see a healthy and chipper George Stephanopoulos, sitting in his neon bright Good Morning America studio interviewing a pale and clearly anxious Christie, quarantined in Jersey, was heartbreaking. “No one was wearing masks,” he said of the four days he had spent with the president, and you weren’t sure whether he was angry about it or maybe a little bit proud of it; at last he’d been given a seat at the cool kids’ table.’

Read here (The Atlantic, Oct 8, 2020)

White House contact tracing questioned as Covid-19 spreads in Washington

‘The White House contact tracing programme is too haphazard to pinpoint or halt a COVID-19 outbreak that was rapidly spreading in the US capital city, health experts and city officials said on Tuesday (Oct 6). Washington reported 105 new cases of the coronavirus for Oct 5, the mayor's office said, the highest figure since June...

‘A White House event on Sep 26 for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett was suspected of spreading infections, as was an Air Force One flight that evening with Trump. But several staff members, guests and journalists at the event or on the flight told Reuters they have not been contacted by the White House medical team.’

Read here (Channel News Asia, Oct 7, 2020)

How superspreading is fueling the pandemic — and how we can stop it

‘We now know that, on average, most people with the novel coronavirus pass the virus to just one other person, or to no one else at all. But some go on to infect many, many more, often before they even experience symptoms. Many of these transmission chains begin with “superspreading” events, where one person (usually in a crowded indoor space) passes the virus to dozens of others. Early contact tracing studies suggest these events have been a large driver of transmission around the world. By some estimates, 10 percent of people have been causing 80 percent of new infections.

This article tries to answer the following:

• Why is the coronavirus so good at superspreading?
• Are certain people more likely to be superspreaders?
• Why superspreading is more common at concerts than in libraries
• What should we be doing to limit superspreading?

Read here (Vox, Oct 3, 2020)

Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh study: (1) 8% of the detected Covid-19 cases accounted for 60% of the transmission (2) Transmission among individuals of approximately the same age was highest among children under 15 years old and adults 65 years and older

‘A study published in Science analyzed surveillance and contact tracing data from two South Indian states, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, collected through August 1. This is one of the few studies that captures the epidemiology of COVID-19 in low- or middle-income countries on a large scale. Together, these states account for approximately 10% (127.8 million) of India’s national population, and they contain the most robust healthcare workforces and public health infrastructure in the country. The study provides a detailed look at the timeline and growth of the COVID-19 epidemics in these states, including incidence and mortality.

‘The researchers found that the majority of cases (71%) did not result in secondary transmission to any of their contacts identified through contact tracing efforts. Based on data collected from more than 600,000 cases and contacts, the researchers estimate that 8% of the detected COVID-19 cases accounted for 60% of the transmission, providing further evidence that super-spreading events play a major role in the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers also identified that transmission among individuals of approximately the same age was highest among children under 15 years old and adults 65 years and older. While the researchers were not able to determine the degree of transmission from children to adults, the study results support that pediatric cases do play a role in the ongoing pandemic. Overall, the case fatality ratio was 2.06%, and generally increased with age; however, unlike the US, mortality tended to plateau rather than increase in individuals 75 years and older. The reasons for this trend are uncertain. Additionally, the median hospital admission time before death was 6 days.’

Read here (John Hopkins Newsletter, Science, Sept 30, 2020)

Highly contagious Covid-19 variant detected in two clusters

‘Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has urged greater caution after a highly contagious variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 had been confirmed in two clusters in Malaysia.

‘In a Facebook post just past midnight this morning, the Institute of Medical Research had just identified the virus carrying the D614G mutation in samples collected from three cases from the Sivagangga cluster, and one case in the Bukit Tiram cluster...

“It has been found to be ten times more likely to infect other individuals, and could spread easily if spread by ‘superspreaders’,” Noor Hisham said.

‘He also voiced concern that experimental vaccines currently in development may not be able to tackle the D614G variant of the virus because it is still relatively new.’

Read here (Malaysiakini, August 16, 2020)