Coronavirus Vaccines: Five Key Questions as Trials Begin

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March 20, 2020

Dear Reader, Here's the latest on COVID-19: Today's top story reviews key questions scientists hope to answer to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Next up, a new study used mathematical modeling to determine which kind of triage policy could be useful in ICUs during a surge—which might help doctors handle the coronavirus outbreak. Also, the new precautions we're all being asked to take may seem excessive—even draconian. Brian Malow explains why that's the wrong way to think about it. Lastly, like other emerging disease outbreaks, COVID-19 is creating immense psychosocial disturbances. The U.S. is taking bold moves to counteract the contagion's physical effects; but how can we also strengthen the country's resistance to its emotional impacts?

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Medicine Coronavirus Vaccines: Five Key Questions as Trials Begin Some experts warn that accelerated testing will involve risky trade-offs By Ewen Callaway,Nature magazine

Public Health How to Triage Patients Who Need Intensive Care A new computer model analyzes when to admit people to intensive care units—and when to move them out—which could help doctors handle the coronavirus surge By Jim Daley

Public Health Covert Coronavirus Infections Could Be Seeding New Outbreaks Scientists are rushing to estimate the proportion of people with mild or no symptoms who could be spreading the pathogen By Jane Qiu,Nature magazine

Behavior & Society Those Precautions for Avoiding the Coronavirus May Seem Extreme, But.... That's the wrong way to think about it By Michael D. Lemonick

Medicine How COVID-19 Drug Hunters Spot Virus-Fighting Compounds A big project looks at "doorways" the coronavirus uses to get into cells—and finds drugs that could block them By Nevan Krogan,The Conversation US

Behavior & Society COVID-19's Psychosocial Impacts The pandemic is putting enormous stress on all of us, but especially on health care workers and other specific groups By Monica Schoch-Spana

Medicine Larry Brilliant Helped to Eradicate Smallpox--and He Has Advice for COVID-19 The doctor's firsthand experience with epidemics gives him a unique view of our current health crisis By Jeffery DelViscio,Karen M. Sughrue

Policy & Ethics False Hope about Coronavirus Treatments President Trump misspoke in a recent press conference: there are no approved treatments By Kelly McBride Folkers,Arthur Caplan

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QUOTE OF THE DAY "I like it when people are thinking I'm overreacting because that means we're doing it just right." Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases via CNN

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