150,000 and counting

Covid Act Now Daily Download By the numbers //  20:00 ET 29 July 2020     Risk Levels* ⬤  Active or imminent outbreak  ⬤  At risk ⬤  Slow disease growth ⬤  On track to contain COVID U.S. Vitals Cases: 4,394,906 +66,211 / 24h Deaths: 142,848 +1,418 / 24h Tests: 53,825,445 +839,868 / 24h Data derived from The COVID Tracking Project   The Day’s Top COVID Stories USA today reports the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic surpassed 150,000 today. Barely two months ago, the number was 100,000. Just last week, the U.S. surpassed four million infections, doubling its total case count in six weeks. And the nation is still averaging about 1,000 deaths and 60,000 infections per day. CNN covers the statement and plans released by the The Association of American Medical Colleges that said "if the nation does not change its course — and soon — deaths in the United States could be well into the multiple hundreds of thousands." The plans call for the government to address critical supply shortages, expand and improve testing, reopen schools safely, expand health insurance, and develop a vaccination distribution protocol. Read the full plan here.  AP News reports on how misinformation on the virus is proving highly contagious. As the U.S hits 150,000 deaths — there is seemingly no antidote in sight for the burgeoning outbreak of coronavirus conspiracy theories, hoaxes, anti-mask myths, and sham cures. Experts worry the torrent of bad information is dangerously undermining efforts to slow the virus.   New COVID Literature & Studies A study using computational modeling finds that combinations of many existing drugs have either synergistic or antagonistic effects on the novel coronavirus. For example, the combination of remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine (two drugs that have been widely tested in COVID patients to varying results) demonstrated strong antagonism. (The two drugs may cancel out each other’s positive effects). This study highlights the possibility of repurposing existing drugs for treating COVID, as well as the prospects and limitations of different drug combinations. Read the study. A research team has identified two potential drugs against the novel coronavirus that target the virus’ proteases. Proteases are viral proteins that help the virus process new proteins being made during viral replication. Read the study. A county-level study in the U.S. finds that the average prevalence of any of the five underlying medical conditions that increase risk for severe COVID (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and obesity) is 47%. Rural counties had significantly higher prevalences of these conditions. These estimates can be combined with data on local hospitalization, ICU admissions, and ventilator use among COVID patients to help counties plan for appropriate resource utilization. Read the study.   Below the Fold What Buildings Will Look Like After The COVID Crisis (WSJ) How COVID Could Give Kim Jong Un A Doomsday Weapon (Politico) Baseball COVID Outbreak: 18 Total Reported Cases Among Team (CBS)   CAN in the News Dr. Vin Gupta on MSNBC’s The Last Word (MSNBC)   On a Lighter Note Possible Breakthrough in Alzheimer’s Research: “Love Drug” Oxytocin Found to Reverse Damage in Mice Brains (Good News Network)   FAQs About us   Our model assumptions & references Contact General Inquiries: info@covidactnow.org Press Inquiries: press@covidactnow.org   ⬤  ⬤  ⬤  ⬤ *Key Indicators (How we determine risk levels) Daily New Cases: How many new cases are confirmed daily? Infection Rate: Is the number of infections going down? Test Positivity: Is COVID testing widespread enough to identify new cases? ICU Headroom: Do hospitals have capacity to treat a surge of COVID hospitalizations? Contacts Traced: Are we finding and isolating most new cases before COVID spreads?