Racial data transparency

What you can do

Experts’ understanding of how the Covid-19 works is growing. It seems that there are four factors that most likely play a role: how close you get to an infected person; how long you are near that person; whether that person expels viral droplets on or near you; and how much you touch your face afterwards. Here is a guide to the symptoms of Covid-19.

You can help reduce your risk and do your part to protect others by following some basic steps:

Keep your distance from others. Stay at least six feet away from people outside your household as much as possible.

Wear a mask outside your home. A mask protects others from your germs, and it protects you from infection as well. The more people who wear masks, the more we all stay safer.

Wash your hands often. Anytime you come in contact with a surface outside your home, scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds, rinse and then dry your hands with a clean towel.

Avoid touching your face. The virus can spread when our hands come into contact with the virus, and we touch our nose, mouth or eyes. Try to keep your hands away from your face unless you have just recently washed them.

Here’s a complete guide on how you can prepare for the coronavirus outbreak.

When will a vaccine be available?

Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 will be available when they are demonstrated to be safe and efficacious in large phase 3 clinical trials, have been approved by regulatory authorities (the Food and Drug Administration in the United States), and have been manufactured and distributed to places where people can be vaccinated.

To demonstrate efficacy, sufficient differences in disease must be observed between those who received the viral vaccine and those who received the placebo or comparison vaccine in a phase 3 clinical trial. This depends on the likelihood of infection in places where the studies are conducted but can take from several months to years. Once sufficient data are available to be confident that the vaccine is efficacious, and no evidence of serious adverse events is identified, a rigorous and transparent approval process should take place.

Manufacturing capacity has already been developed for some vaccines and vaccine distribution systems are being put in place. However, because of limited quantities of vaccine, some groups of people will be offered the vaccine first, likely health care workers, other essential personnel, and those most vulnerable to severe disease and death.

Who started the Testing Insights Initiative and why?

The Testing Initiative is the result of support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation as long-term philanthropic partners of the university, in addition to outreach and encouragement from Senator Mark Warner. Policy makers from across the country, including at the federal level have sought a centralized hub for information and data about testing as they evaluate plans to re-open economies and craft policy responses to counter the spread of the disease. The new Testing Insights Initiative will provide such a resource and help guide leaders as they consider how and when to re-open.

Testing Insights

Johns Hopkins experts are working to fill the void of publicly accessible COVID-19 testing data. This initiative reflects an interdisciplinary collaboration between several groups at Johns Hopkins University: The Bloomberg School of Public Health, Applied Physics Laboratory, Center for Health Security, Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) in the Whiting School of Engineering, and the Centers for Civic Impact, with generous support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

The World Health Organization recommends that states strive for 3-12% test positivity, as an indicator that states are conducting enough tests. Which states are testing enough to meet this goal?

Johns Hopkins center for Health Security

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The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is tracking the development and availability of serology tests. Serology tests are blood-based, and can be used to determine whether individuals have been exposed to a particular pathogen by looking at antibodies, or proteins produced by the body in response to an infection. Serology tests can be helpful in determining whether someone was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, regardless of whether they ever developed symptoms of the disease. Serology tests can better quantify the number of cases of COVID-19 in the population, including those that may be asymptomatic or have recovered.

Should children get the vaccine?

Children will not be a priority group for a vaccine early in vaccine deployment but will likely be eligible as vaccine availability improves. The major vaccine clinical trials are currently focused on enrolling adults, and as they expand, the inclusion of children in vaccine clinical trials will produce data on safety and efficacy that can be applied to children. While children are less likely to develop severe disease and die from Covid-19, there are several reasons for ensuring that eventually there is a vaccine that is safe for children. Although rare, some children may develop severe disease or die from Covid-19. Children have also developed a severe inflammatory syndrome, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Children may be important transmitters of SARS-CoV-2 and vaccinating them with a vaccine that reduces transmission could be important in controlling the pandemic. Finally, having a safe vaccine for children will build confidence towards opening up schools and learning centers for in-person educational processes.

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Vaccines are finally starting to roll out, but the virus is spreading faster than ever — and killing thousands of Americans daily. 

The Moderna coronavirus vaccine was recommended for emergency authorization by an FDA panel, following the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine last week

Friday December 18, 2020 12:00-1:00 ET

As the pandemic surges to dangerous, record-breaking levels, we are launching the first in a series of bi-weekly webcast briefings on the CRC this coming Friday at noon. The series will provide timely, accessible updates on the state of the pandemic and public health responses, and will offer opportunities for live Q&A with leading experts from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 300,000 Monday just as the country began dispensing COVID-19 shots in a monumental campaign to conquer the pandemic.

Health care workers around the country rolled up their sleeves for the first COVID-19 shots Monday as hope that an all-out vaccination effort can defeat the coronavirus smacked up against the heartbreaking reality of 300,000 U.S. deaths.

As coronavirus deaths soar across the country, deaths in communities that are home to colleges have risen faster than the rest of the nation.

Over the next six months, the U.S. hopes to distribute enough doses of the coronavirus vaccine to reach the arm of every American.

Friday December 11, 2020 12:00-12:30 ET

As the pandemic surges to dangerous, record-breaking levels, we are launching the first in a series of bi-weekly webcast briefings on the CRC this coming Friday at noon. The series will provide timely, accessible updates on the state of the pandemic and public health responses, and will offer opportunities for live Q&A with leading experts from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Reducing the spread of COVID-19 over the next several months — while vaccines are being distributed — has the potential to save more than 100,000 American lives.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate offers some protection after the first dose, with nearly full protection after the second dose.

Dr. William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University, encouraged anyone who has already tested positive for COVID-19 to get vaccinated once a vaccine becomes available.

With the arrival of December, it’s now clear the winter surge of the pandemic is materializing in many of the ways that the country’s top scientists and health care leaders feared.

Friday December 4, 2020 12:00-12:30 ET

As the pandemic surges to dangerous, record-breaking levels, we are launching the first in a series of bi-weekly webcast briefings on the CRC this coming Friday at noon. The series will provide timely, accessible updates on the state of the pandemic and public health responses, and will offer opportunities for live Q&A with leading experts from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Though the agency has issued all of the recommendations in earlier guidance, the new summary represents the first time the C.D.C. published a multi-pronged list of strategies for states, a sort of battle plan.

Experts emphasize the importance of transparent messaging in ensuring wide public acceptance and completion of vaccination regimens.

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New

Vaccines are finally starting to roll out, but the virus is spreading faster than ever — and killing thousands of Americans daily. 

Reducing the spread of COVID-19 over the next several months — while vaccines are being distributed — has the potential to save more than 100,000 American lives.

According to research by Johns Hopkins University, communities of color often have less access to COVID-19 testing.

CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann spoke with Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, about areas where people don’t have access to coronavirus tests, known as testing deserts.

Johns Hopkins experts Beth Blauer and Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo on the lack of federal standards around COVID testing data. 

If you think a negative test result means you don’t have coronavirus, you could be wrong. It can take days before a new infection shows up on a COVID-19 test.

Backers of a third type of coronavirus test, developed by a Nobel Prize winner using cutting-edge CRISPR technology, say it has the potential to be rapid, accurate and inexpensive.

After struggling to ramp up coronavirus testing, the U.S. can now screen several million people daily, thanks to a growing supply of rapid tests. But the boom comes with a new challenge: keeping track of the results.

A new experiment has found that a $5 rapid COVID-19 test may be nearly as effective as the slower, more complex polymerase chain reaction test.

The coronavirus pandemic may have caused tens of thousands of more deaths than previously thought, according to a report published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA.

Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, coauthors a piece on the importance of isolation following a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Faster, cheaper coronavirus tests are starting to hit the market, and some experts say these technologies could give the U.S. the ability to adopt a new, more effective testing strategy.

Главные мифы coronavirus

Миф 1. Передача вируса через посылки. Множество людей в нашей стране переживают за то, что новый тип вируса передается через посылки и им можно заболеть. Почтовые отправления из Китая не представляют опасности, так как в первую очередь коронавирус не может жить вне организма человека более 2-ух дней. (Конечно о такой скорости доставки aliexpress мы и мечтать не могли:) )

Миф 2. Coronavirus – это смертельный приговор. Действительно, новый тип коронавируса распространяется с высокой скоростью и считается опасным. Но статистика такова, что в более 80% случаев он протекает в легкой форме и его очень сложно отличить от обычно простуды. Смертельных случаев около 4%, в большинстве своем это очень пожилые люди и люди, которые имеют слабый иммунитет.

Миф 3. Медицинские маски не защитят вас от covid-19. В действительно маски будут довольно эффективны если рядом с вами кто-то кашляет или чихает. Всемирная организация здравоохранения рекомендует носить маски в общественных местах и менять их каждые 2-3 часа.

Симптомы COVID-19

Самыми обычными симптомами является лихорадка, сухой кашель и общая усталость (симптомы очень схожи с ОРВИ или гриппом).
Также к симптомам coronavirus относят:

• Головная боль
• Заложенность носа
• Боль в горле
• Сложность дыхания
• Озноб
• Тошнота
• Диарея

При тяжелой болезни:

• Высокая температура
• Кашель с кровью
• Почечная недостаточность

Против болезни covid-19 пока отсутствует вакцина или какое-либо специфическое противовирусное средство. В данному заболеванию у людей отсутствует иммунитет и поэтому к нему подвержены люди всех возрастом.

Эпидемия начала очень быстрое распространение, и Всемирная организация здравоохранения объявила чрезвычайную ситуацию с оценкой рисков, как очень высокие.

Основные меры профилактики COVID-19

В качестве профилактики соблюдайте основные меры:

• Значительно чаще старайтесь мыть руки
• Меньше прикасайтесь ко рту, лицу и глазам
• Отложите все поездки на территорию других стран
• Избегайте массовых скоплений людей
• Чаще проветривайте воздух в помещении и делайте влажную уборку
• Старайтесь не касаться различных предметов в общественных местах

11 февраля 2020 года заболевание получило название новой коронавирусной пневмонии — COVID-2019 (CO – это коронавирус, VI – это вирус, а D обозначает заболевание).

How to Protect Your Kids from the Coronavirus and COVID-19

Milstone says that the best way to prevent children from becoming sick with COVID-19 is to avoid exposing them to people who are (or who might be) sick with the virus, including family members. Here are three of the best ways to protect your kids from infection.

Maintain physical distancing. The more people your kids come in contact with, and the longer the duration of that contact, the higher the risk of infection with the coronavirus.

• Children should stay at least 6 feet from others outside of their household.
• Check your kids’ day care and schools (if they are open) to ensure physical distancing measures are in place.
• Limit in-person play with other children, and be sure the children wear masks properly.
• Ensure that children limit close contact with children and adults who are vulnerable, such as those with health conditions.

Wear a mask. When out and about in public, adults and kids should wear a mask that covers both nose and mouth, especially in situations outside the home where physical distance isn’t possible. Milstone suggests that parents help younger children practice wearing masks before returning to school so kids are comfortable wearing them in class.

Hand hygiene. Kids should wash their hands after using the bathroom, sneezing, coughing or blowing their nose, before eating (even snacks) and immediately after coming inside from playing outdoors.

Milstone advises parents to teach kids to wash their hands regularly, with soap and warm water, for at least 20 seconds. “They can help keep track of time by singing the ABCs, which takes about 20 seconds to finish,” he says. If soap and water are not available, Milstone says the next best option is hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

About this page:

This page was last updated on Wednesday, December 23, 2020 at 03:00 AM EST.

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).

Positivity rates are a measure of testing capacity, and can help gauge whether governments are casting a wide enough net with their testing programs to identify infections that may be occurring. While this metric can provide important context about case totals and trends, it is NOT a measure of how prevalent the virus is in communities. Policy decisions, like openings and closings or interstate travel, should not be determined based on test positivity alone. Considering confirmed new cases, testing rates, and percent positivity together gives us a fuller picture of COVID-19 in a particular state or region.

More Details
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7-Day Averages: The CRC calculates the rolling 7-day average separately for daily cases and daily tests, and then for each day calculate the percentage over the rolling averages. Some states may be calculating the positivity percentage for each day, and then doing the rolling 7-day average. The reason why we use our approach is because testing capacity issues and uneven reporting cadences create a lot of misleading peaks and valleys in the data. Since we want to give a 7-day average, it is more fair to average the raw data and then calculate the ratios. Otherwise, days when a large number of negative tests are released all at once—and positivity is going to be very low—will have the same weight as days when data was steadily released, and the overall result is going to be lower. Our approach is applied to all our testing data to correct for these uneven data release patterns.

Positivity rates can tell us whether a state’s testing capacity is sufficient. Ideally, a state should be meeting or exceeding the recommended positivity rate, which the WHO has set at 5%. A positivity rate over 5% indicates a state may only be testing the sickest patients who seek out medical care, and are not casting a wide enough net to identify milder cases and track outbreaks.

Percent positivity can also help us determine if an increase in cases is simply the result of expanded testing or if it signals increased transmission of the virus. If we see the percentage of positive tests begin to rise, it indicates insufficient testing to find infections that may be occurring. Not finding these infections may mean that the virus is transmitting without intervention, which can lead to future case growth.

Specifically:

• If a rise in cases is the result of increased testing, the percent positive line could look flat or like it is decreasing over the time period when cases increased.

• If a rise in cases is the result of increased transmission, the line could appear to be increasing over that same time period.

How we calculate positivity
arrow-rightCreated with Sketch.

7-Day Averages: The CRC calculates the rolling 7-day average separately for daily cases and daily tests, and then for each day calculate the percentage over the rolling averages. Some states may be calculating the positivity percentage for each day, and then doing the rolling 7-day average. The reason why we use our approach is because testing capacity issues and uneven reporting cadences create a lot of misleading peaks and valleys in the data. Since we want to give a 7-day average, it is more fair to average the raw data and then calculate the ratios. Otherwise, days when a large number of negative tests are released all at once—and positivity is going to be very low—will have the same weight as days when data was steadily released, and the overall result is going to be lower. Our approach is applied to all our testing data to correct for these uneven data release patterns.

How do vaccines work?

Vaccines stimulate the human body’s own protective immune responses so that, if a person is infected with a pathogen, the immune system can quickly prevent the infection from spreading within the body and causing disease. In this way, vaccines mimic natural infection but without actually causing the person to become sick.

For SARS-CoV-2, antibodies that bind to and block the spike protein on the virus’s surface are thought to be most important for protection from disease because the spike protein is what attaches to human cells, allowing the virus to enter our cells. Blocking this entrance prevents infection.

Not all people who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop disease (Covid-19 is the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2). These people have asymptomatic infection but can still transmit the virus to others. Most vaccines do not completely prevent infection but do prevent the infection from spreading within the body and from causing disease. Many vaccines can also prevent transmission, potentially leading to herd protection whereby unvaccinated people are protected from infection by the vaccinated people around them because they have less chance of exposure to the virus.

Онлайн карта распространения коронавируса CSSE Университета Джона Хопкинса

В Исследовательском центре системных наук и инженерии (CSSE) американского Университета Джона Хопкинса создана карта коронавируса, отображающая ситуацию с заболеванием в реальном времени.

Интерактивная карта распространения коронавируса в мире основывается на данных, полученных из китайских источников и сведений, имеющихся во Всемирной Организации Здравоохранения, в специализированных центрах США и Европы.

На интерактивной карте мира представлены очаги заболевания, зарегистрированные в разных странах. Карта распространения коронавируса периодически обновляется, информация предоставляется в реальном времени.

Посмотрите на развитие ситуации с COVID-19 на моем сайте (карта подгружается не мгновенно, а через несколько секунд), или перейдите на сайт университетского центра по этой ссылке.

В левой колонке отображается общее число заболевших в мире с распределением по странам, регионам и городам. Эти данные актуальны на данный момент времени.

В правой части находятся сведения о количестве умерших, в результате болезни, и о количестве выздоровевших людей. Ниже расположены графики с актуальными данными, отображаемыми в разных категориях.

How long will protection last following vaccination?

We do not know how long protection will last following vaccination but it will be critically important to measure long-term protection (at least two years) in the phase 3 trials and in other groups prioritized for early vaccination. We are still learning about the duration of protection following infection with SARS-CoV-2 and it is too early to tell how long protection will last. There have already been cases where individuals have been shown to be infected twice but most often the second illness was mild or without any symptoms. This is what we would expect with an immune response that protects against disease but not infection.

There are ways to potentially make protection following vaccination more durable than following natural infection, such as with an adjuvant, an ingredient used in some vaccines that helps create a stronger immune response, or with booster doses of vaccine. These strategies to enhance vaccines may be particularly important for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and those with underlying diseases, who are at particular risk of severe Covid-19 but are also less likely to develop a protective immune response to a vaccine.

Немного о коронавирусе

COVID-19 (так же называемый просто «Коронавирус») – это вирусная инфекция, входящая в семейство коронавирусов. В данном семействе насчитывается 39 видов, большая часть которых не особенно опасна для человека или вовсе безвредна. С эпидемиями коронавируса человечество сталкивалось и раньше – в 2002 и 2003 году вирус ТОРС-CoV (более известный как «Атипичная пневмония») унес жизни 813 человек.

Эпидемия COVID-19 уже значительно превзошла эту отметку в несколько раз. Это обусловлено самыми разными факторами, главными из которых можно назвать:

• Высокую скорость распространения. В густонаселенном Китае эпидемия очень быстро набрала обороты, в кратчайшие сроки заразив достаточно большое количество человек;
• Быстрым рассеиванием зараженных по миру. Из Китая вирус быстро распространился по всему миру, в основном с помощью авиасообщения. Множество европейских стран, не успевших закрыть границы или организовать должный уровень проверки, в настоящий момент сталкиваются с серьезным ростом количества заболевших.
• Сложность лечения и диагностики. Симптомы коронавируса на начальных стадиях могут напоминать грипп, пневмонию и другие заболевания, затрагивающие дыхательную систему, а тесты не всегда с первого раза могут определить заражение COVID-19.

Что же из себя представляет коронавирус? Это заболевание, которое в первую очередь бьет по дыхательной системе человека. В большинстве случаев смерть возникает именно из-за отказа легких, реже – от возникших в течение болезни осложнений. Симптомы у COVID-19 следующие:

• Лихорадка;
• Высокая температура;
• Кашель;
• Боль в легких;
• Одышка;
• Быстрая утомляемость, постоянная усталость;
• Головная боль.

Если вы ранее хоть раз болели пневмонией, то без труда поймете, как ощущаются эти симптомы. Если же вам повезло и с таким заболеванием вы не сталкивались, то симптомы коронавируса можно сравнить с достаточно серьезным заболеванием гриппом, сопровождающимся сильными приступами кашля, резью и зудом легких.

If I already had Covid-19, should I still get a vaccine?

When people recover from some viral infections, such as measles or mumps, they are protected against reinfection and would not need to be vaccinated. However, for other diseases, such as pneumococcal pneumonia or influenza, it is important to be vaccinated (or revaccinated) despite having disease because the vaccine protects against several strains or types of the pathogen and thus can still be valuable. There is no evidence that there are significant differences in SARS-CoV-2 to warrant vaccination for this reason, but we do not yet know how long people are protected after having Covid-19 and so do not yet know if these people should be vaccinated. If protection only lasts for several months, vaccination could be of benefit.

What is herd immunity from the coronavirus?

Herd immunity is a public health term that refers to the fact that, when enough people in a community have immunity from a disease, the community is protected from outbreaks of that disease.

Infectious disease experts at The Johns Hopkins University explain that about 70% of the population needs to be immune to this coronavirus before herd immunity can work. People might be immune from the coronavirus, at least for a while, if they have already had it, but we don’t know this yet. A widely available, safe and effective vaccine may not be available for months.

Without a vaccine, most doctors and scientists agree that a herd immunity approach of letting the virus “take its course” is not acceptable. Letting the coronavirus circulate freely among the public would result in hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions more people left with lasting lung, heart, brain or kidney damage.

“Reopening” and Coronavirus Spikes

As communities began to reopen bars, restaurants and stores during the spring and summer of 2020, people were understandably eager to be able to go out and resume some of their regular activities.

But the number of people infected with the coronavirus was still high in many areas, and transmission of the virus was easily rekindled once people increased their activities and contact with each other. Medical experts urged reopening communities to continue diligent COVID-19 precautions, including physical distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing, and monitoring for symptoms. Unfortunately, the combination of reopening and lapses in these infection prevention efforts has caused the number of coronavirus infections to rise again.

What is an emergency use authorization?

Drugs and vaccines have to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that only safe and effective products are available to the American public. In situations when there is good scientific reason to believe that a drug is safe and is likely to treat or prevent disease, the FDA may authorize its use even if definitive proof of the efficacy of the drug is not known, especially for diseases that cause high mortality.

Emergency use authorizations were granted by the FDA Commissioner for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine (later revoked) and for the use of convalescent plasma to treat hospitalized patients with Covid-19. Many are concerned that Emergency Use Authorization for a vaccine could be issued prematurely, before sufficient safety and efficacy data have been generated through phase 3 clinical trials.

It is important to emphasize that the bar for ensuring safety of a vaccine is higher than for a therapeutic to treat an ill person. Vaccines are given to potentially millions of healthy people, unlike drugs for sick people, and loss of trust in a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 could spill over into loss of trust in other vaccines, seriously jeopardizing public health.

Preparing for a Spike or Second Wave of Coronavirus in Your Area