The second wave — is it here?

It’s not like there’s a clear boundary, but it looks like Covid-19 cases are picking up again.

Although the article mentions Bibb and five other Middle Georgia counties, there’s definitely an uptick going on:

It’s not just Georgia — in a lot of the country, hospitals are gearing up: “New surge of Covid-19 cases has states, hospitals scrambling, yet again”

Sheesh, another epidemic?

Ophthalmologists are concerned that “Increased digital screen time during Covid-19 may accelerate myopia epidemic.” (Today I learned that lots of people being nearsighted is a “myopia epidemic.” Next up: “Lockdowns, apathy increasing body odor epidemic.”)

Pharma twist: The FDA may approve a low-dose version of atropine, and at least one ophthalmologist (the one who got to write an article) “I anticipate a large increase in [atropine] prescriptions written for myopia control.”

Obamacare premiums to decline for 2021: CMS

The latest figures from CMS show that the average (typical?) Obamacare plan — i.e., one bought through the exchange — will cost about two percent less in 2021. That’s the base price, of course; most people get a subsidy to cover some or all of the cost.

Wanna cut down on opioid use?

Stick patients with pins! No, really. “A new pilot study concludes that using acupuncture before surgery can reduce a person’s need for opioids following surgery.”

People in the control group needed an average of 56 of morphine milligram equivalent (MME) in the first 24 hours after surgery. In comparison, those who had traditional acupuncture received an average of only 20.4 MME. Almost two-thirds less than the control group.

I’m gonna pass on this one

The Brits are considering infecting healthy people with SARS-CoV-2 — a challenge trial. But the first one won’t be to test a drug. It’ll just be to make people sick: “[T]he aim will be to discover the smallest amount of virus it takes to cause a person to develop COVID-19.”

After that study is done, they’ll start infecting people who have been vaccinated to test the vaccine(s).

Brand new gland

Dutch scientists, rooting around inside some patients’ heads, found themselves a new organ: “a pair of large salivary glands, lurking in the nook where the nasal cavity meets the throat.” Anatomy books all say there are three salivary glands, so if this proves true, it’ll be the first update in 300 years — and a chance for textbook makers to raise their prices by 35%.

The new find might help explain why people who undergo radiation therapy for cancer of the head or neck so often end up with chronic dry mouth and swallowing problems. Because these obscure glands weren’t known to doctors, “nobody ever tried to spare them” from such treatments.

The Long Read: “Inside the Fall of the CDC”

Spoiler: It’s not just about politics.

Now, 10 months into the crisis, many fear the CDC has lost the most important currency of public health: trust, the confidence in experts that persuades people to wear masks for the public good, to refrain from close-packed gatherings, to take a vaccine.

Captain Obvious sings the same old song

“Study Shows Active Older Adults Have Better Physical and Mental Health“