This Week in Virology

The TWiV team explains what the Biden report on SARS-CoV-2 origins did not: evidence that the virus came from Nature, not a lab; and reveals new coronaviruses in rodents that inhabit populated areas in southern China. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Biden preliminary report on virus origins (NY Times) Window on SARS-CoV-2 origins closing (Nature) WHO Committee members on TWiV 760 Origins of SARS-CoV-2 review (Cell) Comirnaty? Really Pfizer? (FDA) Why the weird name for Pfizer vaccine (Quartz) US vaccine names (CDC) More coronaviruses from rodents in China (J Viral) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – The Brilliant Abyss by Helen Scales Kathy – Solar System ball drop Rich – Dr. Fox effect Alan – Patty Wagstaff virtual airshow cockpit video Vincent – Office Hours Listener Picks Karen – The Dog Will See You Now Alicia – Bio-Rad GTCA Song Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #77, Daniel Griffin discusses children becoming increasingly infected, virological characteristics of infections in vaccinated health care workers, transmission dynamics among close contacts, licensing of Pfizer mRNA vaccine, cost of hospitalization of unvaccinated patients, 29 times higher hospitalization rates in unvaccinated patients, boost in neutralizing antibody potency and breadth by third vaccine dose, and use of J&J vaccine as second dose. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode COVID-19 false dichotomies (BMC Inf Dis) Virological characteristics of infections (medRxiv) Transmission among close contacts (JAMA) Comirnaty licensed (FDA) Cost of hospitalization of unvaccinated (Health Sys Tracker) 29 times higher hospitalization among unvaccinated (MMWR) Third dose boosts antibody potency and breadth (medRxiv) J&J second dose (J&J) Letters read on TWiV 797 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

Paul and Theodora return to TWiV to explain their research on determining the number of neutralizing epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 spike that are recognized by antibodies, and engineering of a polymutant spike with twenty amino acid changes that demonstrates the high genetic barrier to escape from convalescent serum. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Guests: Paul Bieniasz and Theodora Hatiziiouannou Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode High genetic barrier for SARS-CoV-2 antibody escape (bioRxiv) Enhanced antibody one year after COVID-19 (Nature) Letters read on TWiV 796 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – NIF and Photon Science: fusion reaction generates 1.3 MJ Brianne – The PCR Song Rich – 1) How Boston Dynamics' Spot Robot Works! 2) Inside the lab: How does Atlas work?3) Atlas | Partners in Parkour Theodora – Kevin Parry turning into random objects Vincent – Lex Fridman Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #76, Daniel Griffin covers association of age and pediatric household transmission, rapid antigen testing in remote communities, shedding of infectious virus in vaccinated individuals, FDA amendment of mRNA vaccine EUA to allow a third dose, new vaccine mandate for NY state, full vaccination suppresses selection of variants, effectiveness of mRNA vaccines in nursing homes, sustained effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against hospitalization, and no benefit from early convalescent serum in high-risk outpatients. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Age and pediatric household transmission (JAMA) Rapid antigen testing in remote communities (MMWR) Shedding of infectious virus from vaccinated individuals (medRxiv) Additional vaccine doses for immunocompromised (FDA) New vaccine mandate for New York (NYS) Vaccination suppresses variant emergence (medRxiv) mRNA vaccine effectiveness in nursing homes (MMWR) Effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against hospitalization (MMWR) mRNA vaccine sustained effectiveness against hospitalization (MMWR) No benefit of convalescent plasma for high-risk outpatients (NEJM) Letters read on TWiV 795 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV summarizes cases of arbovirus disease during 2019 in the US, and explains a study that estimates infectiousness throughout the SARS-CoV-2 course of infection. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Vaccine Town Halls (ASV) Arboviral illness, US, 2019 (MMWR) Estimating SARS-CoV-2 infectiousness (Science) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Climate Reports | United Nations Brianne – Astronomy Picture of the Day: A Perfect Spiral Rich – COVID-19 false dichotomies Alan – Fixing broken machines Vincent – MKBHD Studio Tour 2021 Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #75, Daniel Griffin reviews vaccine effectiveness against transmission, modeling effectiveness of daily antigen tests, updated CDC guidance for fully vaccinated, risk of infection with time after mRNA vaccination, reduced risk of infection after vaccination, therapeutic anticoagulants in critically ill patients, and 6 month outcomes in hospitalized patients. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Vaccine effectiveness against transmission (Euro Surveill) Effectiveness of daily antigen tests (medRxiv) Interim guidance for fully vaccinated people (CDC) Elapsed time since BNT162b2 vaccine and reinfection (medRxiv) Reduced risk of infection after vaccination (MMWR) Therapeutic anticoagulants in critically ill patients (NEJM) 6 month outcomes in hospitalized patients (J Gen Int Med) Letters read on TWiV 793 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

Jeffrey Shaman returns to TWiV to explain how epidemiologists measure SARS-CoV-2 movement among humans, including calculation of the reproductive index, secondary transmission, and what factors affect transmission. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Guest: Jeffrey Shaman Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode A guide to R (Nature) Epidemiology of three SARS-CoV-2 VOC (medRxiv) Impact of delta variant in India (medRxiv) Letters read on TWiV 792 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – The Social Lives of Giraffes Kathy – Saturn's Iapetus, moon in 3-D Vincent – Arkansas Governor Wants To Reverse A Law That Forbids Schools To Require Masks Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

TWiV reviews SARS-CoV-2 infection of wild white-tailed deer in the US, mRNA vaccine-mediated protection by spike-specific T cells before detection of neutralizing antibodies, and recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection in T-cell depleted rhesus macaques. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode SARS-CoV-2 in wild deer (bioRxiv) Rapid T cell induction by mRNA vaccine (Nature) T cell depleted macaques recover from SARS-CoV-2 infection (mBio) Letters read on TWiV 791 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Dickson – Virgin Hyperloop shows off the future Brianne – BioNumbers Rich – Advice will evolve as COVID situation changes Alan – Mars Perseverance-themed geocaching swag Vincent – Mattel's Barbie Turns Women Of Science, Including COVID Vaccine Developer, Into Dolls Listener Picks Nancy – Vaccines at a Party Jeff – How to Survive a Plague, Part 2 Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv

In COVID-19 clinical update #74, Daniel Griffin covers infections in vaccinated individuals, expansion of Regeneron monoclonal antibody cocktail for prophylaxis, neutralization of variants by antibodies produced by infection or vaccination, longer hospital stays associated with remdesivir treatment, and post-acute sequelae of infection and impact on quality of life 1-6 months after illness. Hosts: Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Outbreak in Barnstable County, MA (MMWR) Kinetics of delta variant infections (medRxiv) Prophlaxis with Regeneron mAbs (Regeneron) Subcutaneous mAbs to prevent COVID-19 (NEJM) Variant neutralization by infection or vaccine antibodies (Clin Inf Dis) Remdesivir associated with longer hospital stays (JAMA) Post-acute sequelae (Op For Inf Dis) Letters read on TWiV 790 Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

TWiV reviews a leaked CDC document on virulence and spread of the delta variant, and how anti-alphavirus antibodies that do not neutralize infection can nevertheless protect mice from disease. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode NYC first to require vaccination proof (Reuters) Leaked internal CDC document (WaPo) Manuscripts on increased virulence (one, two, three) Disease protection by non-neutralizing antibodies (Cell) Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks! Weekly Picks Brianne – Nobel Prize Games Kathy – Snail sensors Rich – In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope by Rana Awdish Vincent – The Provincetown Covid data is actually good news (if you are vaccinated) and I Was the Architect of Operation Warp Speed. I Have a Message for All Americans. Listener Pick Jake – NASA spinoff Peter – Bernard, the Extraordinary Moth Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your virology questions and comments to twiv@microbe.tv