Vaccines, variants, and ventilation research briefing
An updated briefing, prepared by Battelle, summarizes research available on vaccines, variants, and ventilation. Among the new findings:
- Ventilation: In a retrospective observational study of a workplace COVID-19 cluster in Italy, researchers found that in spaces that are poorly ventilated and have high occupancy, typical nonpharmaceutical interventions (e.g., distancing of greater than 1 meter, use of plexiglass panels, use of hand sanitizer, and wearing masks when moving about the office (but not while seated at a desk) were not sufficient in preventing an outbreak among staff.
- Variants: A report of a B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant outbreak in a long-term care facility in Germany indicated that though breakthrough infections occurred in the majority of vaccinated individuals, they had milder symptoms and faster time to negative test results than unvaccinated individuals.
- Vaccines: Breakthrough infections among vaccinated individuals tend to have milder symptoms and shorter periods of illness. One study assessed breakthrough COVID-19 infections among fully vaccinated healthcare workers (N=1,497) and found that 39 had documented infections of SARS-CoV-2. Most were mild or asymptomatic, but some did have persistent symptoms (more than 6 weeks).
View the briefing
Webinar: "International Pandemic Perspectives: Problem-Solving in Times of Crisis”
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged many cultural institutions to reimagine their practices. Partnerships, programming, and services have all shifted to meet the public's new and changing needs. Some of these changes have been temporary, and others are here to stay. Join us on 28 September in a REALM webinar where library, archive, and museum colleagues from across the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States discuss the operational changes they will be continuing, regardless of pandemic conditions.
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