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COVID-19 News from Around the Web

Blacks and Hispanics are twice as likely to test positive for Covid-19, says a new study
CNN - September 23, 2020
The disparity cannot be entirely explained by underlying health conditions, place of residence or place of care, according to the study published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Medicine. The team found that Black people were more likely to be tested than Hispanic and White people. Black people were tested at a rate of 60 per 1,000 people, compared to 52.7 per 1,000 among Hispanic people and 38.6 per 1,000 among White people. Among those who received Covid-19 tests, 10.2% of Black people and 11.4% of Hispanic people tested positive, compared to just 4.4% of White people.
COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Are Spreading Rapidly—and They’re a Public Health Risk All Their Own
TIME - September 23, 2020
While modern science offers a better understanding of how diseases infect people and how to contain them, COVID-19 conspiracy theories are spreading rapidly via social media, unreliable news outlets and from our own political leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump. The result: many Americans now believe pandemic-related conspiracy theories—and, alarmingly, those same people are less likely to take steps to prevent the virus from spreading.
America’s 200,000 COVID-19 Deaths: Small Cities And Towns Bear A Growing Share
NPR - September 23, 2020
An NPR analysis finds that the share of COVID-19 deaths outside places considered large metro areas by the CDC has grown dramatically since the country passed its first 100,000 deaths. Then, about a fifth of deaths came from places outside large metro areas. In the second 100,000 deaths, that share jumped to nearly half. The largest growth occurred in small towns and rural areas, where the share of deaths nearly tripled.
Having Flu and COVID Doubles Death Risk in Hospitalized Patients
HealthDay - September 23, 2020
British government scientists conducted the research during the early months of the pandemic, and the results were troubling: 43% of patients who were hospitalized with both infections died, compared with 26.9% of people who were hospitalized for coronavirus infection alone, the Washington Post reported. While the study only followed 58 people between the months of January and April, the findings line up with similar research that is underway, the Post reported.
4 Out of 5 People With COVID-19 Will Develop Symptoms: Study
HealthDay - September 23, 2020
Only about 20% of infected people remain symptom-free while they carry the new coronavirus, according to a review of 79 COVID-19 studies. These studies involved just over 6,600 people, of whom 1,287 remained asymptomatic. … The new figure of around 20% is at the low end of previous estimates of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, said Dr. Susan Kline, a professor of infectious diseases with the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Many Health Care Workers Who Have Coronavirus Don’t Have Symptoms: Study
HealthDay - September 23, 2020
Four in 10 health care workers who test positive for COVID-19 don't have symptoms, which means they could unknowingly spread the disease to co-workers and patients, researchers say. For the new study, the research team reviewed 97 studies that included more than 230,000 health care workers in 24 countries. Rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the health care workers ranged from 7% to 10%. Of those who tested positive for the virus, 48% were nurses, 25% were doctors and 23% were other health care workers.
Minorities Hit Hardest When COVID Strikes Nursing Homes
HealthDay - September 23, 2020
Minority residents of U.S. nursing homes and assisted living communities have been especially hard hit in the coronavirus pandemic, two University of Rochester studies show. The first found that nursing homes with higher percentages of racial and ethnic minority residents reported two to four times more new COVID-19 cases and deaths compared to others for the week of May 25. … The second study found that COVID-19 deaths in assisted living communities in seven states were four times higher than in the counties where they're located.
Hungry with children: 1 in 3 U.S. families with kids don’t have enough food
CBS News - September 23, 2020
One in three families with kids is experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic, double the rate since 2018, and a higher proportion than at the peak of the Great Recession, according to a new analysis from The Hamilton Project, which examined Census data. By comparison, about 1 in 4 households is food insecure, the analysis found.
The Road Ahead: Charting the coronavirus pandemic over the next 12 months — and beyond
STAT - September 23, 2020
In this project, STAT describes 30 key moments, possible turning points that could steer the pandemic onto a different course or barometers for how the virus is reshaping our lives, from rituals like Halloween and the Super Bowl, to what school could look like, to just how long we might be incorporating precautions into our routines. This road map is informed by insights from more than three dozen experts, including Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates, people on the frontlines at schools and hospitals, as well as STAT reporters.