(2) Meaghan Kall on Twitter: "That said, evidence is accumulating to suggest that XBB.1.5 does have the edge in infectiousness Due to the double nucleotide change at 486 increasing spike affinity to ACE2 h/t @yunlong_cao @SystemsVirology https://t.co/HHijGfPcP1" / Twitter

(2) Meaghan Kall on Twitter: "That said, evidence is accumulating to suggest that XBB.1.5 does have the edge in infectiousness Due to the double nucleotide change at 486 increasing spike affinity to ACE2 h/t @yunlong_cao @SystemsVirology https://t.co/HHijGfPcP1" / Twitter

China zero-Covid policy: How did it all go so wrong for Xi Jinping? | CNN

China zero-Covid policy: How did it all go so wrong for Xi Jinping? | CNN: 

 

As an unprecedented wave of infections – and deaths – sweeps the country, many have questioned why after sacrificing so much under zero-Covid and waiting for so long to reopen, the government ultimately let the virus rip through a population with little prior warning or preparation. 

15 Best N95, KF94, and KN95 Face Masks (2022) | WIRED

15 Best N95, KF94, and KN95 Face Masks (2022) | WIRED: According to a report from spring 2021, if an infected and noninfected person were both wearing cloth masks, it would take around 27 minutes for an infectious dose of Covid-19 to reach the noninfected person. If both were wearing surgical masks, that time would rise to about an hour. If both were wearing non-fitted N95s, it would take 25 hours to receive an infectious dose. This was before the Delta or Omicron variants, but it should offer an idea of the masks' relative effectiveness levels.

SARS-CoV-2 variants dashboard

SARS-CoV-2 variants dashboard

 

This is pretty cool!  I have quit thinking about variants when they seemed to be getting less deadly. 

CGP Gray mentioned that variants are getting more transmissible but less deadly.  I'd like to read more research about that.

Ultra-contagious BA.4, BA.5 subvariants fuel coronavirus spread across much of California - Los Angeles Times

Ultra-contagious BA.4, BA.5 subvariants fuel coronavirus spread across much of California - Los Angeles Times

 I thought I was done. I'm going to start linking to stories about the new variants, but actually start summarizing articles and make this an actual blog.  I'm trying to decide if I want to wear a mask or not.

North Korea reports positive covid case for the first time - The Washington Post

North Korea reports positive covid case for the first time - The Washington Post: With no vaccines at all, experts have said North Korea risks becoming the epicenter of new variants as a result of the population’s low immunity to the virus. 

The next variant: three key questions about what’s after Omicron

The next variant: three key questions about what’s after Omicron

This party isn't over.

"Although that has fed speculation that the virus could be evolving towards a strain that induces a milder disease, SARS-CoV-2’s evolutionary path remains unclear, says Rambaut. Thus far, new variants of concern have not evolved from the dominant preceding one. Instead, they have emerged from separate lineages. There is no guarantee that the next dominant variant will sprout from the ‘mild’ Omicron branch of the SARS-CoV-2 family tree. “It is possible that a later variant may be back to a Delta or Alpha lineage, with sufficient immune evasion to sweep Omicron away,” says Rambaut."