Variants
There is a somewhat worrying report from Qatar saying that the efficacy of only one dose of Pfizer is only 29.5% against infection from B.1.1.7 and 54% against hospitalization. If you only have one dose, maybe don’t go licking doorknobs just yet.
However, this report, also out today, from the UK from December to April (i.e. when B.1.1.7 was flourishing) says that Pfizer had an efficacy of 65% after one dose and 70% after two.
Did Qatar mishandle their vax and let it get warm? Did they have a slightly different version of B.1.1.7? (B.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.7?) I don’t know. That’s the maddening thing about data: sometimes more data gives less clarity instead of more.
Still, hold off on licking the doorknobs.
Vaccines
This report says that Moderna can give a rash in the arm you were injected in.
Long COVID
This study found virus particles in the penis tissue of men who’d had COVID 4-6 months before. And the men had erectile dysfunction. Men, get a vax, yo.
A different study found significantly lower sperm counts in men who had gotten COVID-19.
Science
This article is not specifically about COVID-19, but more broadly about how medical practice should be informed by science, and how hard that is in practice. It’s not really going to tell you anything practical that you need to know about COVID, but I thought it was really interesting.