Pathology
This preprint made a model which predicts positive PCR tests based on seven symptoms: loss or change of sense of smell, loss or change of sense of taste, fever, new persistent cough, chills, appetite loss, and muscle aches. This can possibly replace tests in places where tests either are not available or when someone is already sick. (It seems somewhat cruel to make someone who is sick haul their draggy ass to a clinic and stand in line for who knows how long in order to get a test.)
Vaccines/Long COVID
This preprint found that vaccination reduced the Long COVID score slightly and doubled the rate of symptoms completely resolving.
This study looked at transmission in contacts of infected people, and found that vaccinated people do not transmit COVID-19 as much as unvaxxinated people, even if their viral loads as measured by PCR tests was the same. Reminder: PCR tests can’t distinguish between live, viable virus and the scattered remains of dead virus.
| Reduction of transmission odds vs. unvaxxed | Comirnaty | Vaxzevria |
| for Alpha | 82% | 63% |
| for Delta | 65% | 36% |
The reduction of transmission odds declined over time. For each doubling of weeks after 14-days-post-dose2, the risk of transmission increased by 1.13x for Vaxzevria and by 1.2x for Comirnaty.