TRACKING EMERGING VIRUSES – October 27, 2025 – COVID
“COVID-19-era school closures caused the U.S. significant economic and educational loss while being less effective than other transmission interventions, according to new research.
The University of Washington and Oxford University study found that closing schools created $2 trillion in future economic losses — a conservative estimate — while reducing the spread of the coronavirus by just 8%.
Mask mandates, on the other hand, lessened transmission by nearly 20% and cost relatively little, researchers concluded.
“Hindsight is 20/20, right?” said Adrian Raftery, a professor emeritus of statistics and sociology at UW and a co-author of the study. “This study’s an opportunity to look back and see what worked, what didn’t work, and what we could’ve done better.”
The research examined 11 different non-pharmaceutical interventions — including mask mandates, public testing, contact tracing, social distancing, and workplace closures. Those interventions combined saved almost 900,000 lives and reduced the death rate by about 70%, Raftery said.” (1)
“The Covid inquiry this morning heard from Boris Johnson for the final time as a mammoth morning session addressed the impact of the pandemic on children’s education.
Here’s a summary of what the former prime minister had to say over the course of nearly three hours of testimony.
Johnson accepted that planning for the “nightmare idea” of closing schools as an immediate response to the virus should have begun sooner – but insisted that “work had been going on” to prepare for this
Despite insisting school closures were a “last resort”, our education editor writes that inquiry evidence makes clear the gaps in the government’s preparation
As a packed public gallery watched closely, Johnson insisted that there was “no way round” scraping exams in summer 2020
But, former students with a front row seat heard how the algorithmic determination of exam results that summer “plainly let down a lot of kids” – with Johnson conceding the move was ultimately “a disaster”
Schools were able to reopen for only a day in January 2021, and Johnson backed plans for mass testing in schools to enable this, but said he lost the battle to a new Alpha variant
The former PM also outlined the reasons why he failed to support a pandemic recovery plan – arguing that he backed investing on one-to-one tutoring instead as it offered the best value for money
Asked about rules for social gatherings and the impact of lockdowns on children, Johnson admitted the government “probably did go too far” with a scheme that was “far too elaborate”” (2)
“President Donald Trump received a Covid vaccine and flu shot during his visit to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, his physician said in a memo released by the White House.
“In preparation for upcoming international travel, President Trump also received preventive health screenings and immunizations, including annual influenza and updated COVID-19 booster vaccinations,” the president’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, wrote.
The president’s own CDC has shifted away from a broad recommendation for Covid-19 immunization; people who want one must now consult with a health care provider, a process known as shared clinical decision-making. However, a prescription is not necessarily needed.” (3)
A Medical Breakthrough Saved Millions of Lives During COVID. Why Are We Turning Our Backs on It Now? https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2024-10-23/health-medicine-vaccine-funding-mrna-nih
“That’s not the case in many states, where governors and medical officials have used the latest FDA restriction to limit vaccinations. It’s also not the case behind bars, where viruses can—and do—spread like wildfire. That’s what happened at the start of the Covid pandemic, as I document in my book, Corridors of Contagion.
Thousands of people were packed, often without access to masks, into cellblocks and dormitories. Public health officials recommended that jails and prisons release people to avoid outbreaks. Some states did. But with hundreds of thousands still held behind bars and staff coming in and out each day, that was not enough to avoid outbreaks and preventable deaths. Although the number of people behind bars decreased, the prison mortality rate jumped 77 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, or 3.4 times the rate of the general public. Not every state distinguishes Covid from other causes of death, but in the 19 states that did, Covid was seen to have caused nearly one-third of prison deaths. When vaccinations became available, prison staff were prioritized over incarcerated people.
With Covid rates rising and vaccination rates and mask wearing nearly nonexistent, incarcerated people are facing yet another spike in cases. Now they also must contend with years of hostility toward basic protective precautions, such as masking or attempts at social distancing. They continue to face substandard medical care, with many providers emboldened by the FDA’s restrictions and the federal government’s anti-science ideology to justify their refusal to administer vaccines and boosters or even take Covid symptoms seriously.” (4)
“In a forthcoming study, a University of Wisconsin-Madison economist analyzed data from the pandemic and found real-world evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine actually reduces the spread of the disease between vaccinated people and their close contacts.
Dan Sacks is an associate professor of risk management and insurance in the Wisconsin School of Business. He researches the economics of health.
In the study, Sacks found that among children in Indiana, the COVID-19 vaccine reduced the number of infections by 80 percent for those who received it. Even more significantly, he found, every two vaccinated children prevented approximately one additional COVID-19 case in their households.” (5)
“Recently, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. kicked off new efforts to address long COVID with a roundtable discussion with doctors, researchers and patient advocates.”
“Ali Rogin: So what would make up, Michael, sticking with you, that long and short term plan in order to make this strategy work? What’s needed?
Michael Peluso: “There are actually three specific things that I advocated for at this meeting, and I think that there was kind of broad agreement on these things. The first is real investment in a diagnostics and biomarker program, both to help people get a diagnosis of long COVID in the clinic, but also to help us identify individuals who may benefit from a specific treatment strategy or for participation in a specific clinical trial.
The second thing that we really need is a rapid scale up of the number of clinical trials that are happening. We’ve seen some improvement, some increase in the number of clinical trials over the last couple of years. But I’d like to see a dozen more clinical trials right now testing all of the different possible leads for what might cause long COVID and how we might help people feel better.
And then the third thing that we really need to help that happen is we need the pharmaceutical industry to get off the sidelines and to really commit to participating in clinical trials, putting their drugs up for testing, investing deeply in this problem so that we can get answers for people who are really debilitated from this condition.” (6)
RESEARCH UPDATES
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could unlock the next revolution in cancer treatment – new research,
Health Headlines: Getting COVID twice leads to worse effects, https://www.news8000.com/news/health-headlines-getting-covid-twice-leads-to-worse-effects/video_b8bc9ad6-1238-5224-8208-3255874eb4fb.html
Scientists finally reveal what’s behind long COVID’s mysterious brain fog, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251006051127.htm
Vaccinated but Still Got COVID? A New Study Helps Explains Why, https://scitechdaily.com/vaccinated-but-still-got-covid-a-new-study-helps-explains-why/
COVID Linked to Eye Issues, But Vaccine Offers Protection, https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/covid-linked-eye-issues-vaccine-offers-protection-2025a1000r4e
Older COVID-19 survivors more likely to develop new-onset dementia, study finds, https://www.mcknights.com/news/older-covid-19-survivors-more-likely-to-develop-new-onset-dementia-study-finds/
Patients Critically Ill With COVID-19 Have Heightened Risk of Pulmonary Fibrosis, https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/patients-critically-ill-with-covid-19-have-heightened-risk-of-pulmonary-fibrosis
1.Were school COVID-19 closures worth it? Not really, University of Washington study finds, By Sami West, https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/25/were-school-covid-closures-worth-it-not-really-uw-study-finds/
2.Complex Covid rules probably went too far, particularly for children, Johnson tells inquiry, by Adam Goldsmith, https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cx2dyx45pd9t
3.Trump received Covid vaccine and flu shot during second physical of the year, By Samantha Waldenberg, https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/10/politics/health-trump-covid-vaccine-flu-shot-physical
4.We’ve Entered the Gaslighting Phase of Covid in Prisons, Victoria Law, https://www.thenation.com/article/society/covid-prisons-gaslighting/
5.Wisconsin researcher finds COVID-19 vaccine offers stronger protection than once thought, By Beatrice Lawrence,https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-researcher-covid-vaccine-reduce-spread
6.What to know about RFK Jr.’s efforts to address long COVID research and treatments, By Ali Rogin, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-to-know-about-rfk-jr-s-efforts-to-address-long-covid-research-and-treatments
curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai