Hacker News with Generative AI: COVID-19

RFK, Jr. Laying Off Entire Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/Aids Policy (forbes.com)
The U.S. is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic with more and more long COVID cases emerging. Bird flu is a growing threat. Measles outbreaks have been occurring. Antibiotic-resistant organisms continue to spread in healthcare settings. So what do you do next if you are in charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is supposed to protect the health of humans in the U.S.? How about lay off the entire staff of the U.S.
5 years after Covid, the return-to-office push is stronger than ever (cnbc.com)
Does it matter whether SARS-CoV-2 leaked from a lab? (marginalrevolution.com)
Does it matter whether SARS-CoV-2 leaked from a lab in Wuhan or had natural zoonotic origins? I think on the margin it does matter.
Beyond long Covid – how reinfections could cause silent long term organ damage (cbc.ca)
It’s now been five years since the COVID pandemic stopped the world in its tracks.
German spy agency believed Covid escaped from lab (rvmnews.com)
Germany’s top foreign intelligence agency has determined with 80% to 95% certainty that the COVID-19 pandemic originated from a Chinese government lab in Wuhan, according to new reports from German news outlets Zeit and Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Covid-flu vaccine could provide broader immunity and lasting protection (medicalxpress.com)
Cornell researchers have developed a new vaccine platform that could provide more robust, longer-lasting protection from both COVID-19 and influenza, and broader immunity to different flu strains.
The curious surge of productivity in U.S. restaurants (bfi.uchicago.edu)
We document that, after remaining almost constant for almost 30 years, real labor productivity at U.S. restaurants surged over 15% during the COVID pandemic.
German Intelligence Agency Concluded COVID19 Likely Originated from Lab Accident (dw.com)
Germany's spy agency thinks an accident in a Chinese lab likely led to the COVID-19 pandemic, media say. Evidence it collected allegedly indicates negligence at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Trump ends Fauci security detail, he'd feel no responsibility if harm befell him (apnews.com)
President Donald Trump has ended the federal security detail for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who advised him on the COVID-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
Psychopathic tendencies more likely to gamble with other people's lives (2021) (psypost.org)
New research provides evidence that individuals who scored higher in non-clinical psychopathy were more willing to take risks with other people’s lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FBI's lab leak investigation (vanityfair.com)
In the five years since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Wuhan, China, a bitter international debate has raged among scientists, politicians, and journalists over the virus’s origin and who is to blame for the more than 7 million deaths it’s caused worldwide.
Immune markers of post COVID vaccination syndrome indicate future research (news.yale.edu)
A fiscal crisis is looming for many US cities (theconversation.com)
Five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many U.S. cities are still adjusting to a new normal, with more people working remotely and less economic activity in city centers.
So many Americans died from Covid, it's boosting Social Security (fortune.com)
New research finds Social Security will pay out $205 billion less in future benefits owing to COVID-related premature deaths.
Bill to ban mRNA vaccines passes out of House committee (dailyinterlake.com)
A bill that would ban the use of mRNA vaccines, including for Covid-19, is on its way to the House floor after passing out of committee in a party-line vote Wednesday.
Louisiana to end mass vaccine promotion, state's top health official says (apnews.com)
The Louisiana Department of Health “will no longer promote mass vaccination” according to a Thursday memo written by the state’s top health official and obtained by The Associated Press.
Long Covid impacted more than 1M children: CDC study suggests (abcnews.go.com)
More than 1 million children may have been affected by long COVID as of 2023, new federal data published Monday suggests.
New neuroscience research shows Covid-19 leaves mark on young adult brains (psypost.org)
A new study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity has found that young adults who have recovered from COVID-19 show distinct patterns of brain activity during cognitive tasks, even if they perform normally on those tasks.
Search PPP Loans by Zip Code (ppploanmap.com)
Ever wondered where all that PPP loan money ended up? Now you can see it—mapped out, visualized, and easy to explore.
One product created a multi-million dollar brand (bbc.com)
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hill House Home's Nap Dress became more than just a piece of clothing – it was a symbol of comfort and versatility for a world in flux.
CIA now favors lab leak theory to explain Covid's origins (nytimes.com)
The C.I.A. has said for years that it did not have enough information to conclude whether the Covid pandemic emerged naturally from a wet market in Wuhan, China, or from an accidental leak at a research lab there.
Trump orders federal workers back to office full-time (dailymaverick.co.za)
President Donald Trump has ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week, signing an executive order in front of cheering supporters at Washington's Capital One Arena on Monday.
Shove your office mandates, people still prefer working from home (theregister.com)
Years after the pandemic reshaped working practices across the world, many staff are still resisting corporate efforts to get them to return to the office preferring instead to quit in favor of a more flexible employer.
Finland's zero homeless strategy (2021) (oecdecoscope.blog)
Following a period when homelessness rose in many countries, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted governments across the OECD area to provide unprecedented public support – including to the homeless.
Four causes for 'Zoom fatigue' (2021) (news.stanford.edu)
Even as more people are logging onto popular video chat platforms to connect with colleagues, family and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanford researchers have a warning for you: Those video calls are likely tiring you out.
The "Pfizer Boob Job": A Case of Unexplained Gigantomastia (nlm.nih.gov)
True parenchymal breast changes following COVID-19 vaccination are exceedingly rare. Equally rare are incidences of pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH)-associated gigantomastia. The patient in this case report presented with both occurrences and experienced massive breast enlargement 1 week postadministration of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which worsened after her second dose.
Savoy Style vs. Hollywood Style: A Fight to the Death (Hopefully?) (2011) (wordpress.com)
As a professional dance instructor in the time of COVID-19, my income for at least five months of the year has been erased. If you read this article and find it useful or thought provoking, please consider a donation. You will be *literally* helping support an artist, and have my sincerest gratitude.
Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy call remote work a 'Covid-era privilege.' (cnbc.com)
WHO implores China to share Covid origins data, five years on (theguardian.com)
The World Health Organization on Monday implored China to share data and access to help understand the origins of Covid-19, five years on from the start of the pandemic that upended the planet.
Louisiana forbids public health workers from promoting Covid, flu and mpox shots (npr.org)
A group of high-level managers at the Louisiana Department of Health walked into a Nov. 14 meeting in Baton Rouge expecting to talk about outreach and community events.