Should young people get the first shots of COVID-19 vaccine?

+ plants that can find dead bodies US Edition - Today's top story: Why COVID-19 vaccines need to prioritize 'superspreaders' [View in browser]( US Edition | 4 September 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair As the world waits for an effective COVID-19 vaccine, tough decisions will need to be made about who gets the first shots. A committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently recommended prioritizing older adults after giving the vaccine to first responders and health care workers. However, Dana Goldman and David Conti of USC and Matthew E. Kahn of Johns Hopkins, scholars who have spent decades studying health economics and epidemiology, argue this pandemic “requires a different model” – one that [prioritizes the young after essential workers](. Also today: - [Police are ill-equipped for encounters with mentally ill people]( - [What the CDC eviction ban means for tenants and landlords]( - [Understanding Lewy body dementia, the disease Tom Seaver suffered from]( Kalpana Jain Senior Religion + Ethics Editor How should COVID-19 vaccine be prioritized? AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File [Why COVID-19 vaccines need to prioritize ‘superspreaders’]( Dana Goldman, University of Southern California; David Conti, University of Southern California; Matthew E. Kahn, Johns Hopkins University A team of experts argues that after taking care of essential workers, COVID-19 vaccinations should be given to the greatest transmitters of the virus, who are mostly the young. Ethics + Religion - [Why masks are a religious issue]( Leslie Dorrough Smith, Avila University Are masks a religious matter, or is religion being used to suit people’s political agendas? A scholar of Christian conservatism and culture argues both can be true. Economy + Business - [What the CDC eviction ban means for tenants and landlords: 6 questions answered]( Katy Ramsey Mason, University of Memphis The CDC's sweeping eviction moratorium leaves more questions than answers – as well as concerns that it merely pushes the problem into winter. - [Labor Day celebrates earning a living, but remember what work really means]( Richard Gunderman, Indiana University The philosopher Simone Weil offers an illuminating perspective for our work life. Politics/Election '20 - [To stop police shootings of people with mental health disabilities, I asked them what cops – and everyone – could do to help]( Jennifer Sarrett, Emory University Police are almost always the first responders in cases of mental health crisis. Too often these encounters turn bad, even deadly. But police were never meant to be in charge of US mental health care. - [Monuments ‘expire’ – but offensive monuments can become powerful history lessons]( Alan Marcus, University of Connecticut; Walter Woodward, University of Connecticut Once stripped of their symbolic power, problem monuments offer what educators call 'teachable moments,' helping people assess society's current values and compare them with what mattered in the past. Health - [Tom Seaver, like Robin Williams, had Lewy body dementia, but what is this strange illness?]( Melissa J. Armstrong, University of Florida A pitcher known for his mental game as well as his physical prowess, Tom Seaver died this week from Lewy body dementia. A doctor explains this troubling form of dementia. - [Steroids cut COVID-19 death rates, but not for everyone – here’s who benefits and who doesn’t]( Bryan McVerry, University of Pittsburgh Three new studies show corticosteroids can reduce deaths in critically ill COVID-19 patients. But what about other patients? Arts + Culture - [The complicated legacy of the Pilgrims is finally coming to light 400 years after they landed in Plymouth]( Peter C. Mancall, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Descendants from the Pilgrims were keen to highlight their ancestors' role in the country's founding. But their sanitized version of events is only now starting to be told in full. - [Why do brides wear white?]( Marlise Schoeny, The Ohio State University The tradition of a bride garbed in white weaves through two thousand years of history, influenced by the Romans – and Queen Victoria. Science + Technology - [Plants might be able to tell us about the location of dead bodies, helping families find missing people]( Neal Stewart, University of Tennessee Researchers are figuring out how plants respond to the presence of human cadavers. The findings could prove important for discovering the locations of murder victims or mass graves. - [CRISPR can help combat the troubling immune response against gene therapy]( Samira Kiani, University of Pittsburgh The immune system is trained to destroy viruses, even when they carry therapeutic cargo as is the case in gene therapy. Now researchers have figured out how to dial down the immune response. From our international editions - [Undressing for redress: the significance of Nigerian women’s naked protests]( Bright Alozie, West Virginia University Nigerian women have successfully used their naked bodies as an instrument of power, rather than shame, to protest injustice. - [Air Canada’s cancellation of regional flights will gut remote communities]( Isabelle Dostaler, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Mohamed Khomsi, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) A disaster is looming for remote Canadian communities after Air Canada cancelled 30 regional routes. It threatens the rights of all Canadians to be connected to the national transportation system. - [Research shows Māori are more likely to die from COVID-19 than other New Zealanders]( Michael Plank, University of Canterbury; Andrew Sporle; Kate Hannah; Melissa McLeod, University of Otago; Nicholas Steyn Māori are historically at greater risk of severe illness and death during pandemics. New research shows they are at least 50% more likely to die from COVID-19 than other New Zealanders. You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe](. 89 South Street - Suite 202 Boston, MA 02111