Reopening America

Many of the transmission chains of COVID-19 begin with “superspreading” events. That’s when one person, usually in a crowded indoor space, passes the virus to dozens of others. Some estimates say that 10% of people have been causing 80% of infections. But one big question, who is the superspreader… the person or the event?  Katherine Harmon Courage, contributor to Vox, joins us for how superspreading is fueling the pandemic and how we can stop it.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine and its role in the health-care system by at least three years, some experts say. This increased use is also driving a slew of possible business deals. Some telehealth companies are getting ready for initial public offerings, while others are exploring sales and acquisitions. Sarah Krouse, reporter at the WSJ, joins us for more.

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Researchers in Hong Kong have confirmed the first case of COVID-19 reinfection. The man who is 33 years-old, first had the coronavirus in late March and contracted the virus again in August while traveling in Europe. One thing to note, the second time around the man did not have any symptoms. Andrew Joseph, reporter at Stat News, joins us for what to know about the first COVID reinfection.

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The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma as a coronavirus treatment. Some 70,000 Americans have already received blood plasma as part of their treatment. While the president has said that the treatment is “very safe and effective,” The FDA did not go that far because there have been no controlled clinical trials. Sarah Owermohle, healthcare reporter at Politico, joins us for more.

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At the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, canine studies are being done to see if man's best friend can sniff out coronavirus. So far, they are doing a pretty good job of it! Nine dogs are currently enrolled in the study with the hopes that one day they might be able to pick out infected individuals, including those that are asymptomatic, in nursing homes, businesses and airports. Dogs have already been proven to be able to detect explosives and some diseases such as hidden cancers, diabetes, and bacterial and viral infections. Frances Stead Sellers, senior writer at the Washington Post, joins us for more.

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As kids are returning to school in various forms whether it be in person, hybrid, or online learning, many are experiencing a level of anxiety with how different things are during the pandemic. Psychologists suggest that parents need to keep calm and listen to children’s anxieties and enforce good routines of mask wearing and social distancing. Andrea Peterson, health reporter at the WSJ, joins us for tips on how to manage back-to-school anxiety.

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Public health experts have said that casinos are a high-risk environment for COVID-19 and a new analysis of smartphone data shows just how interconnected the country is with visitors to Las Vegas. During a four day period in July, 26,000 devices were identified on the Las Vegas Strip, and in that same weekend, those same smartphones showed up in every state on the mainland except for Maine. Marshall Allen, healthcare reporter at ProPublica, joins us for how mobile people are despite the pandemic.

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Some good coronavirus news today as scientists are seeing that the body does show signs of lasting immunity to COVID-19, even in those that only had mild symptoms. We still don’t know how long immunity will last, that will have to be looked at in real time, but recent studies show that antibodies, B-cells and T-cells are all doing their jobs. Katherine Wu, science reporter at the NY Times, joins us for what we are learning about coronavirus immunity.

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The first Bluetooth “exposure-notification” app has launched in Virginia and it’s called Covidwise. The app uses Bluetooth chirps to detect if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. While it is very easy to use, for it to really be effective, it needs widespread adoption. Geoffrey Fowler, tech columnist at the Washington Post, joins us this useful app with little privacy risk.

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The FDA has approved a new and inexpensive saliva test for COVID-19 that was developed by Yale University and funded in part by the NBA and the NBA Players Association. So far, the test has yielded similar results to other diagnostic tests and also avoids a key step that has caused shortages in chemical reagents in other tests. Ed Silverman, @Pharmalot columnist and senior writer at STAT News, joins us for more.

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