Research briefing update
This final research briefing, prepared by Battelle, summarizes research available on vaccines, variants, and ventilation. Among the new findings:
- Vaccines: In a case-control study of 4,513 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in 18 US states, patients vaccinated with an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine were significantly less likely to have died or undergone mechanical ventilation.
- Ventilation: Researchers in Portugal sought to estimate the percentages of aerosol infection risk reduction of COVID-19 using a modeling approach. In schools, they found that completely opened windows lowered risk of infection by 64% when compared to closed windows. In mechanically ventilated spaces, risk of infection dropped significantly when air flow rates were doubled. Lastly, risk of infection was reduced by 72% when HEPA filters were used in schools.
- Variants: A study of the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in Qatar showed that although the vaccines were modestly effective in preventing infection with the Delta variant (55.5% effectiveness for either vaccine ≥14 days after the 2nd dose), the vaccines were highly effective in preventing severe, critical, or fatal disease (93.6%).
View the briefing
Pandemic challenges and learning outcomes from a regional library system
Monica Harris is the Associate Executive Director of RAILS (Reaching Across Illinois Library System), which serves approximately 1,300 academic, public, school, and special library agencies in northern and west-central Illinois. Monica shares the importance of making staff feel appreciated, adapting to meet evolving needs, and what she hopes the next year will look like.
Read the article
Fifty libraries and museums awarded funding to advance vaccine confidence in their communities
Communities for Immunity has awarded funding to 50 additional museums and libraries to advance vaccine confidence in a second round of awards, totaling nearly 100 museums, libraries, and tribal organizations across the country who have received funding through this initiative.
Communities for Immunity is led by the Association of Science and Technology Centers and the American Alliance of Museums with support from the US Centers for Disease Control and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Read the announcement
