Data Snapshot
UW Medicine Hospitals:
King County: The county reported 559 new positive cases (this number includes a count delay from Nov. 3) and 0 new deaths on Nov. 4.
Washington: The state reported 111,480 cases and 2,416 deaths as of Nov. 3.
United States: The CDC reports 9,357,245 cases and 231,988 deaths as of Nov. 4.
Global: WHO reports 47,930,397 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,221,781 deaths as of Nov. 5.
*Numbers update frequently, please follow links for most up-to-date numbers.
COVID-19 Literature Situation 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 Nov. 3, 2020
- A study from England found that living with children was not associated with the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or with adverse COVID-19 outcomes. There were also no changes in risk following the closure of schools. More.
- Adults in the US experienced increases in psychological distress from March to April 2020, which then recovered to baseline levels by June, according to longitudinal survey data. More.
- Data from 45 countries indicate that the age-related pattern in the proportion of people with SARS-CoV-2 who die is similar across settings, reaching a peak infection fatality ratio of 8.3% among people age 80 years or older. More.
- Contact tracing in Singapore found that the attack rate among household contacts was much higher compared to work and social contacts. Close physical proximity and verbal interactions of at least 30 minutes were identified as risk factors. More.
UW Medicine in the News
KIRO 7: Surging coronavirus cases in WA signal another wave is here
Featuring: Paul Pottinger, Allergy & Infectious Diseases
“With cases surging again and more holidays around the corner, Dr. Paul Pottinger from University of Washington Medicine is concerned that this isn’t the worst of it. ‘This is another wave. Is it going to be bigger than the last one? Yes, it sure looks like it will. To me, the question is how long will we let it go on? And how high will we let that spike?’ Dr. Pottinger said. But he said we can still turn things around. ‘What will make a difference will be a really concerted effort like everybody to be really diligent, especially as we go into the holidays and to try to flatten that curve,’ Dr. Pottinger added.”
Geekwire: Fred Hutch researchers uncover new genetic details of White House COVID-19 outbreak
Featuring: Trevor Bedford, Genome Sciences
“‘We’ve seen repeatedly with COVID-19 that the absence of scientific statements provides shelter for speculation and even conspiracy theories to grow. My strategy since January has been to try to address these issues as directly and transparently as I can,’ said Trevor Bedford, the study’s lead. That includes debunking unfounded theories about COVID spreading in California in the fall of 2019, or being created in a lab. ‘I still believe that science plays a role in dampening speculation and getting society to a firmer, shared factual footing,’ Bedford said. The new investigation was shared Sunday as a pre-print of non peer-reviewed research, posted on medRxiv. The site, pronounced “med-archive” is a free platform that in recent months has featured up-to-the-minute research during the COVID pandemic. The study’s researchers include scientists from the University of Washington, Seattle’s Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Seattle. Bedford and his team have done similar lineage analysis for public health departments in Washington, Florida, California, Utah, Minnesota and Michigan, as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and Public Health England.”
ABC News: How to combat ‘COVID fatigue’: Medical experts on what works — and doesn’t
Featuring: Ali Mokdad, IHME
“One positive: When cases have gone up, behaviors like mask-wearing and reduced mobility have also increased, Dr. Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told ABC News. ‘We have seen that in July and August,’ said Mokdad, pointing to Florida, Arizona, Texas and California as examples of places where cases were going up. ‘We’ve seen a rapid increase in masks, we’ve seen a decline in mobility, and the cases started coming down. So I’m very hopeful. I would have loved for it to be different. But I’m hoping, as the cases are unfortunately surging, people are going to start paying attention.’”
Tweet of the Week
#Radiotherapy for #COVID19-caused lung inflammation? Dr. 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗻, chair of @uwradonc, points out prospective benefits and risks. https://t.co/6tp2TifXT3 #CytokineStorm @SCCAProtons
— UW Medicine Newsroom (@uwmnewsroom) November 4, 2020
Read more on Medscape: Low-Dose Radiotherapy for Lung Inflammation in Severe COVID-19, featuring Ramesh Rengan, Radiation Oncology.