Favorites December 21st 2021

Catherine Rampell @crampell

Combined, there are 1.486 million new housing units under construction. This is the most since 1973.

calculatedrisk.substack.comNovember Housing Starts: Most Housing Units Under Construction Since 1973Housing Starts Increased to 1.679 million Annual Rate in November

This is great news, we should try to keep this up!

Josh Wingrove @josh_wingrove

SCOOP: The FDA is set to authorize the Covid-19 treatment pills from *both* Pfizer and Merck. An announcement is expected this week. It would open up two significant treatment options for severe cases. A big milestone. With @JenniferJJacobs and @RobertLangreth on @TheTerminal.

This is great, hopefully we can manufacture more than the originally projected 90 million doses over the next year.

Nate Silver @NateSilver538

You can say "we don't know enough to come to any conclusions about Omicron's severity". But people with money on the line are clearly willing to make big bets on a probabilistic basis, as stocks prices for companies that rely on in-person activity have boomed over the past week.

Interesting basket of stocks, would be cool to see some semi-objectively selected basket of stocks like this over a longer period.

Catherine Rampell @crampell

Updated numbers on foreign-born immigration, via Census census.gov/library/storie…

We really need to be doing everything we can to turn around this downturn in immigration. This is such a bad outcome.

Eric Topol @EricTopol

Taking note, to date Israel has called the shots, with the data to back it up, exceptionally well

Eran Segal @segal_eran

Israel will recommend a 4th booster shot to people above the age of 60

I'd also like to nominate Canada for going all-in on first doses first, but Israel is doing well at COVID decision-making too.

Eric Umansky @ericuman

NEW: An MIT scientist created an inexpensive, at-home test in *March 2020* --just weeks into the pandemic. She had a factory read to churn them out The tests were solid. We checked But she couldn't get past FDA's constipated review by @lydiadepillis

propublica.orgThis Scientist Created a Rapid Test Just Weeks Into the Pandemic. Here’s Why You Still Can’t Get It.Irene Bosch developed a quick, inexpensive COVID-19 test in early 2020. The Harvard-trained scientist already had a factory set up. But she was stymied by an FDA process experts say made no sense.

The US on the other hand, has had some really obvious mistakes

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

Well this would be awfully nice

defenseone.comUS Army Creates Single Vaccine Against All COVID & SARS Variants, Researchers SayWithin weeks, Walter Reed researchers expect to announce that human trials show success against Omicron—and even future strains.

But our vaccine development abilities are clearly second-to-none. Although it's just a phase-1 trial, so don't get too excited yet. Also, they're having trouble finding volunteers who 1) haven't had any vaccination yet and 2) havent had covid.

Stephen Magee ▼ @St_Magee

This is the solarpunk future I'm fighting for!

Very very cute animation.

Rain again tonight