Data Snapshot
UW Medicine Hospitals:
King County: The county reported 205 new positive cases and 2 new deaths on May 22.
Washington: The state reported 395,900 cases and 5,709 deaths as of May 23.
United States: The CDC reports 32,947,548 cases and 587,342 deaths as of May 24.
Global: WHO reports 167,011,807 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,472,068 deaths as of May 25.
Numbers update frequently, please follow links for most up-to-date numbers.
UW Medicine COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Update
Total Vaccine Doses Administered: 305,468
- Total first dose: 158,568
- Total second dose: 146,900
As of May 20, 2021.
UW Medicine in the News
MarketWatch: Diagnosed with COVID-19? Two signs predictive of higher mortality are ‘easily measured’ at home
Featuring: Nona Sotoodehnia, Neal Chatterjee, Cardiology
“Two ‘easily measured’ signs of health are also distinctly predictive of higher mortality, according to a study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 published Sunday in the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses: respiration rate and blood-oxygen saturation. ‘Initially, most patients with COVID don’t have difficulty breathing. They can have quite low oxygen saturation and still be asymptomatic,’ said Dr. Nona Sotoodehnia, co-director of the Cardiovascular Health Research Unit at the University of Washington School of Medicine. ‘If patients follow the current guidance, because they may not get short of breath until their blood oxygen is quite low, then we are missing a chance to intervene early with life-saving treatment,’ said Sotoodehnia, who is also a co-lead author of the paper.”
GeekWire: Ultrapotent, nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine with Univ. of Wash. roots gets $173M for human trials
Featuring: Neil King, Brooke Fiala, UW Medicine Institute of Protein Design; Alexandra Walls, David Veesler, Biochemistry
“A project to test what’s being called an ultrapotent, second-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate will receive up to $173.4 million to conduct phase 3 clinical trials. The vaccine was developed in partnership between UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design and SK bioscience, which is based in South Korea. The vaccine, called GPB510, employs a nanoparticle technology that was created at the University of Washington-based institute. The vaccine uses a nanoparticle scaffolding that is studded with 60 copies of a key region of the virus’ spike protein. The design mimics the shape of the coronavirus. In preclinical research published in the leading scientific journals Cell and Nature, the vaccine triggered powerful and lasting immune responses. The researchers were working to develop a vaccine that is safe and effective at low doses, easy to manufacture, and stable without requiring storage at super low temperatures. UW associate professor Neil King, who was a recent finalist for the 2021 GeekWire Awards’ Innovation of the Year, led the research in Seattle.”
The Seattle Times: What’s our COVID future? Here’s what scientists say about summer, fall in Washington
Featuring: Helen Chu, Allergy & Infectious Diseases; Ali Mokdad Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation “Some fully vaccinated Washingtonians are ditching their masks, cases are falling and restaurants this summer could be packed. In some Washington state ZIP codes, adult vaccination rates for at least one shot have risen well above 80%. Summer could feel comfortable — perhaps almost normal — but the pandemic isn’t over. Most scientists say reaching herd immunity — in which the virus can’t readily be transmitted because so many people are protected — is unlikely. Instead, many think the virus will become endemic: permanent, with occasional flare-ups. ‘I don’t think it’s going to go away,’ said Dr. Helen Chu, a UW Medicine virologist.”
COVID-19 Literature Report
COVID-19 Literature Situation Report is a daily (M-F) newsletter put together by the Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness that provides a succinct summary of the latest scientific literature related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Takeaways: COVID-19 Literature Situation Report May 21, 2021
- A large retrospective cohort study of US adults aged 18-65 enrolled in commercial insurance found that 14% of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 9% of persons without SARS-CoV-2 infection and 13% of persons with a non-COVID viral lower respiratory tract illness developed ≥1 new clinical sequela after the acute phase of disease. More.
- An analysis of 2020 US county-level data on COVID-19 and all-cause mortality found that 17% of excess deaths were attributed to a cause other than COVID-19, suggesting that direct COVID-19 death counts may substantially underestimate total excess mortality due to COVID-19. More.
- An analysis of COVID-19 incidence within K-5 public schools in Georgia (N=169 schools, 91,893 students) found that incidence was 37% lower in schools that required teachers and staff to wear masks and 39% lower in schools that improved ventilation. More.
COVID-19 Literature Surveillance Team, is an affiliated group of medical students, PhDs and physicians keeping up with the latest research on SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 by finding the newest articles, reading them, grading their level of evidence and bringing you the bottom line.
Read the latest report: May 14 | Weekly COVID-19 LST Report.
Tweet of the Week
“The numbers remain extremely low, but just like everything else, we know that things happen after vaccination that would have happened with or without the vaccine,” said @JohnLynchID @UWMedicine @harborviewmc @UWDeptMedicine @kxly4news https://t.co/GB2EKd3BwW
— UW Medicine Newsroom (@uwmnewsroom) May 25, 2021
