Thumbs up, thumbs down

Thumbs up to researchers in the Yale School of Public Health for developing a coronavirus test that uses saliva instead of the long swab deep into the nasal cavity. The benefits are extensive. The test, called Saliva Direct, is “simpler, less expensive, faster, making it more available for largescale testing and screening,” said Chantal Vogels, a postdoctoral fellow who led the laboratory development with others at Yale. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently authorized emergency use of the test, an important step to opening it to other diagnostic laboratories and scaling up for widespread use.

Thumbs down to anticipated hardship in state government. Gov. Ned Lamont, anticipating a prolonged coronavirus-induced economic slowdown, has asked state agencies to look for ways to cut spending by 10 percent or more in the coming two-year budget cycle. Such a move, which is necessary given the job losses and overall economic hit from the pandemic, will have a wide impact on a variety of Connecticut services, and its effect will be felt by nearly everyone. It’s just one more reminder that even as coronavirus case numbers decline, the impact promises to be long and challenging.

Thumbs up, tentatively, to the return of students at many area campuses and universities. Though it’s good to see activities starting again after the spring’s COVID-related shutdowns, this won’t be anything like a typical year, and it promises to be especially hard for first-year students who might be leaving home for the first time. College officials have promised to crack down on typical college events like parties and large gatherings to help slow the spread of the virus, though it won’t be easy to enforce those policies. Everyone involved needs to show some common sense and help keep the state on the path to getting the virus under control.

Thumbs down to the announcement of the first Connecticut resident to have tested positive for West Nile virus this year. While most people infected with West Nile do not develop symptoms, about one in five people who are infected develop West Nile fever, an illness that includes a fever and other symptoms such as body aches, joint pain, headache or a rash. Another risk is Eastern equine encephalitis, which in recent years has closed some Connecticut events and was recently detected in mosquitoes earlier in the year than normal. Experts recommend the use of insect repellent and avoiding the outdoors at dusk and dawn to limit exposure. We don’t need more viruses to worry about, but at least these are not new and can be treated.