COVID-19 News from Around the Web

Pfizer's announcement Monday of a potentially effective coronavirus vaccine triggered a wave of hope and optimism, renewing some expectations that life in the U.S. could return to normal sometime in 2021. Normal, however, is a ways away. Not every aspect of society will bounce back immediately, with rollouts of the vaccines starting with essential workers and plans dictating numerous phases of reopening, experts said. And a vaccine, even one with promising early results, cannot do anything to stop a grueling winter, with outbreaks growing rapidly across the country and record hospitalization rates threatening to overwhelm health care resources.

After several state officials saw a spike in COVID-19 cases tied to Halloween gatherings, health experts are urging students in higher education to either remain on campus or follow specific protocols in an attempt to stay safe from infection as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. … "We would encourage students not to go home and the reason is that we know with travel comes risk of exposure," Dr. Anita Barkin, co-chair of the American College Health Association COVID-19 Task Force, told GMA "So we would prefer students stay on campus and do a virtual Thanksgiving with their family."

The current wave … frightens public health officials because it's tearing into the frayed health care safety net of rural America. Small hospitals, understaffed and financially vulnerable before the pandemic, are under siege as the virus runs unchecked from North Dakota to the Texas Panhandle. Many of these hospitals are in towns where people are more likely to eschew precautions such as masks and social distancing at churches, grocery stores and other public places. Many of the nation’s nearly 1,800 rural hospitals lack the equipment, workforce and expertise to handle a surge of COVID-19patients. Nurses and doctors are getting sick, leaving already short-staffed hospitals more desperate for workers.

In a study of hospitalized patients who had COVID-19, outcomes for those who had allergies were similar to those of other patients, a new study reports. … The study looked at outcomes for people with allergic rhinitis, asthma, eczema and food allergies. There were no significant differences in the number of interventions those patients needed compared to other patients, researchers found. "With regard to ICU admission, 43% of those with allergic disease were admitted versus 45% without. And 79% of those with allergy needed supplemental oxygen versus 74% of those without.”…

Here’s what we know — and still need to learn — about the two most advanced Covid-19 vaccines and how they might reshape the pandemic that has killed 1.3 million people worldwide and infected at least 54.5 million.

U.S. hospitals, weighing high demand and tight supplies, said they may limit use of a new Eli Lilly and Co. antibody drug to COVID-19 patients with multiple risk factors for serious illness or to those whose immune systems have not begun to fight the infection. The treatment, bamlanivimab, was given U.S. emergency use authorization (EUA) last week by the FDA for helping newly-diagnosed, high-risk patients avoid hospitalization.

Moderna Inc’s experimental vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19 based on interim data from a late-stage trial, the company said on Monday, becoming the second U.S. drugmaker to report results that far exceed expectations. Together with Pfizer Inc’s vaccine, which is also more than 90% effective, and pending more safety data and regulatory review, the US could have two vaccines authorized for emergency use in December with as many as 60 million doses of vaccine available this year. Next year, the U.S. government could have access to more than 1 billion doses just from the two vaccine makers, more than needed for the country’s 330 million residents.

The US reported 166,555 new cases on Sunday, with 1,266 new deaths. The staggering milestone was reached only six days after the U.S. hit 10 million cases. Positive test rates and hospitalization rates are on the rise across the country, according to the CDC. Hospitalizations continue to climb. More than 69,000 people were hospitalized as of Sunday, more than ever before. The pandemic also continues to disproportionately affect Black and brown communities in the U.S. According to data from the CDC as of Nov. 7, hospitalization rates for Hispanic or Latino people are 4.2 times higher than that of white people. American Indian or Alaska Native people have been hospitalized at 4.1 times the rate of white people, with Black people being hospitalized at 3.9 times the rate of white people.

Hospitals have put their pandemic plans into action, adding more beds and creating makeshift COVID-19 wards. But in the hardest-hit areas, there are simply not enough doctors, nurses, and other specialists to staff those beds. Some health-care workers told me that COVID-19 patients are the sickest people they’ve ever cared for: They require twice as much attention as a typical intensive-care-unit patient, for three times the normal length of stay. “It was doable over the summer, but now it’s just too much,” says Whitney Neville, a nurse based in Iowa. “Last Monday we had 25 patients waiting in the emergency department. They had been admitted but there was no one to take care of them.” I asked her how much slack the system has left. “There is none,” she said.

A new poll conducted by Ohio State University has found that 38 percent of Americans say they are likely to participate in gatherings of more than 10 family members this holiday season, and a third would not ask others to wear masks at holiday gatherings. … The national survey, which took responses from over 2,000 people, found that while a majority of people do expect to take some mitigation measures as they celebrate during the holidays, a significant percentage are disinclined to. For instance, 27 percent of respondents indicated that they wouldn’t practice social distancing during holiday gatherings, the survey found.

Joe Biden’s scientific advisers will meet with vaccine makers in coming days as the presidential transition remains stalled because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge that he lost the election. That delayed handoff is especially problematic during a public health crisis, the government’s top infectious disease expert said. “Of course it would be better if we could start working with them,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci … He likened the process to runners passing on the baton in a relay race. “You don’t want to stop and then give it to somebody,” he said. “You want to just essentially keep going.”

A team of scientists … looked at 488 Covid-19 patients treated and released from hospitals in Michigan. They surveyed them about two months after their release, between March 16 and July 1. A third of the survivors reported ongoing health issues, such as cough, new or worsening conditions and persistent loss of taste or smell, the researchers reported this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Nearly half said they were "emotionally affected" by their illness and a small number, 28, sought mental health care after discharge. Another 36% reported "at least a mild financial impact from their hospitalization." Of those employed before their illness, 40% said they either lost their job or were too sick to return to work. Just over a quarter of those who returned to work reported reduced hours or modified responsibilities.

At least 231 people in Texas prisons and jails have died from COVID-19, including 27 staff members, 14 people in jail and 190 people in prison, according to a new report from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. … Nine of the inmates who died were already approved for parole and awaiting release, while another 21 had served at least 90% of their sentence. ... In county jails, 80% of the people who died hadn't even been convicted of a crime.

As leftover candy stashes run low in American households across the country, several state officials and school authorities have begun citing coronavirus outbreaks related to Halloween, less than two weeks after the fall holiday. Despite these warnings, some people flouted recommendations. Although several large events made headlines, such as a gathering in Utah, which reportedly attracted thousands of costumed attendees, other smaller events in private homes and dorm rooms, seemingly slipped under the radar. And now, officials say those smaller events could be contributing to the surging COVID-19 case numbers seen in communities across the country.

As COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise nationwide, some states are halting phased reopening plans or imposing new coronavirus-related restrictions. Several are putting limits on social gatherings, adding states to travel quarantine lists, mandating face masks and encouraging residents to stay home, as many did in the spring. Others are restricting business hours of operation and limiting restaurant capacity. … Is your state reimplementing COVID-19 restrictions? See the list below.

The new coronavirus was circulating in Italy since September 2019, a study by the National Cancer Institute (INT) of the Italian city of Milan shows, signaling that Covid-19 might have spread beyond China earlier than previously thought. … The Italian researchers’ findings, published by the INT’s scientific magazine Tumori Journal, show that 11.6% of 959 healthy volunteers enrolled in a lung cancer screening trial between September 2019 and March 2020, had developed coronavirus antibodies well before February.