Coronavirus crisis hits ice-locked Arctic research expedition

Coronavirus crisis hits ice-locked Arctic research expedition

The Polarstern ship, locked in Arctic ice for the MOSAiC mission. (Sebastian Grote/Alfred-Wegener-Institut (CC-BY 4.0))

Infection affects ice-locked Arctic expedition

• Research on a vessel that has been intentionally frozen in Arctic sea ice since last October will be affected after a team member on land tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The rotating crew of some 300 polar scientists on the Polarstern get tested for coronavirus before they arrive on the ship. For now the mission’s leaders are confident that the infection was caught before it reached the vessel — but it will delay some research. (Nature | 4 min read)
• “Aim to create a sweet spot between complacency and anxiety, as well as moderate disgust.” That’s just one of the behaviour-change principles — create the right level and type of emotion — that four behavioural-health researchers give in their guide to slowing down COVID-19. The other principles are: make a mental model of transmission, create new social norms, replace one behaviour with another (don’t touch your face — instead keep your hands below shoulder level) and make behaviours easy (grab your tissues when you grab your keys). (BMJ blog)
• Pressure to rush out a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) risks making matters worse for some people. There is evidence, from decades of efforts to produce a vaccine against other types of coronavirus, of ‘vaccine enhancement’ — in which some vaccinated people experience worse-than-usual symptoms if they do become infected. The mechanism is not fully understood, and the risk is usually mitigated by extensive testing in animals. (Reuters | 7 min read)

Read the latest coronavirus news, continuously updated on Nature.