Resources
Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker
By Jonathan Corum, Denise Grady and Carl Zimmer
The New York Times
Site updated regularly
Researchers around the world are developing more than 135 vaccines against the coronavirus. Vaccines typically require years of research and testing before reaching the clinic, but scientists are racing to produce a safe and effective vaccine by next year.
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Work began in January with the deciphering of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The first vaccine safety trials in humans started in March, but the road ahead remains uncertain. Some trials will fail, and others may end without a clear result. But a few may succeed in stimulating the immune system to produce effective antibodies against the virus.
Here is the status of all the vaccines that have reached trials in humans, along with a selection of promising vaccines still being tested in cells or animals.
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Read more here.
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Track Testing Trends:
Understanding COVID-19 outbreaks across U.S. states and regions based on three important metrics.
Johns Hopkins University and Medicine
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These charts lay out the key metrics for understanding the reach and severity of COVID-19 in a given area: number of new daily cases, tests per 100,000 people (testing rate), and percentage of tests that are positive (positivity rate).
As testing capacity increases, considering confirmed new cases, testing rates, and percent positivity together gives us a fuller picture of COVID-19 in a particular state or region. Under these conditions and stable testing practices, trends in daily cases can be cautiously interpreted as trends in transmission of the virus. Leaders can then make informed decisions about lifting social distancing and other transmission control measures.
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See the metrics here.
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How COVID-19 Spreads​
Updated June 16, 2020
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly through close contact from person-to-person. Some people without symptoms may be able to spread the virus. We are still learning about how the virus spreads and the severity of illness it causes.
Person-to-person spread
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
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Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
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Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
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These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
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COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.
The virus spreads easily between people
How easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious, like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily. Another factor is whether the spread is sustained, which means it goes from person-to-person without stopping.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading very easily and sustainably between people. Information from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic suggests that this virus is spreading more efficiently than influenza, but not as efficiently as measles, which is highly contagious. In general, the more closely a person interacts with others and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread.
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Read the full article here.
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The Incubation Period of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) From Publicly Reported Confirmed Cases: Estimation and Application
Stephen A. Lauer, MS, PhD
Annals of Internal Medicine
Original Research May 5, 2020
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Abstract:
A novel human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified in China in December 2019. There is limited support for many of its key epidemiologic features, including the incubation period for clinical disease (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]), which has important implications for surveillance and control activities.
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Objective:
To estimate the length of the incubation period of COVID-19 and describe its public health implications.
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Design:
Pooled analysis of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported between 4 January 2020 and 24 February 2020.
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Read the full study here.
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