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Daily Archives: December 9, 2020

The “two dose” problem for Covid-19 vaccines, briefly explained

Vox – The Covid-19 vaccine requires two doses. Studies show as many as 50 percent of people could miss the second one. “When we talk about the Covid-19 vaccines, we aren’t necessarily talking about people getting one shot, then being done and good to go. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — which are the closest to approval — have two-dose regimens. You get one shot, and then a few weeks later, you’re supposed to get another one. Among all the logistical challenges in distributing and administering a Covid-19 vaccine, this looks like one of the biggest. That’s because, based on research that evaluated compliance with other multi-dose vaccines, patients are really, really bad at getting their second dose. Bad as in, as many as half of patients never do. Studies conducted in both the US and UK on the hepatitis B vaccine — which, like the Covid-19 vaccines, is supposed to have around a one-month period between the first and second doses — found that roughly 50 percent of patients failed to get their follow-up shot within a year after their first…”

Infected after 5 minutes from 20 feet away: South Korea study shows coronavirus’ spread indoors

LA Times [paywall / Free via Yahoo News]: ” Dr. Lee Ju-hyung has largely avoided restaurants in recent months, but on the few occasions he’s dined out, he’s developed a strange, if sensible, habit: whipping out a small anemometer to check the airflow. It’s a precaution he has been taking since a June experiment in… Continue Reading

Archive, Historians, CREW Sue White House, Seek to Preserve Presidential Records During the Transition

National Security Archive – “The National Security Archive, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, the American Historical Association, and the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington today filed suit against President Donald Trump in his official capacity, seeking to enforce the Presidential Records Act and prevent any destruction of records during the… Continue Reading

Rep. Johnson’s Bipartisan Bill Making Federal Court Records Free to Public Passes House

“Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04), chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, today announced The Open Courts Act of 2020, H.R. 8235, which would modernize the federal judiciary’s court records systems and eliminate the paywall (called PACER) that currently forces the public to pay more than $140 million each year to access… Continue Reading

Individual Retirement Account Ownership: Data and Policy Issues

CRS report via LC – Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Ownership: Data and Policy Issues December 9, 2020 (51 pages) “…Congress has provided various tax incentives to encourage individuals to save for retirement. Tax incentives exist for employers to offer retirement plans and for employees to participate in these plans, as well as for individuals to… Continue Reading

Why Do Banks Share Your Financial Information and Are They Allowed To?

GAO WatchBlog  – In a word: yes. If you’ve ever applied for a loan, you know that banks and credit unions collect a lot of personal financial information from you, such as your income and credit history. And it’s not uncommon for lenders to then share your information with other vendors, such as insurance companies… Continue Reading

A Political Obituary for Donald Trump

The Atlantic –  The effects of his reign will linger. But democracy survived. “To assess the legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency, start by quantifying it. Since last February, more than a quarter of a million Americans have died from COVID-19—a fifth of the world’s deaths from the disease, the highest number of any country. In… Continue Reading

CDC guidance on ventilation interventions

Ventilation – “CDC recommends a layered strategy to reduce exposures to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This includes using multiple mitigation strategies with several layers of safeguards to reduce the spread of disease and lower the risk of exposure. While it may not be necessary to apply every consideration to be protective, implementing multiple… Continue Reading