Noted

Alex Eben Meyer

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A piece of paper the size of an index card, hiding in a stack of materials donated in 2019 to New York’s Morgan Library and Museum, turned out to be an unknown work—a waltz in the key of A minor—by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849). Discovered last year by Yale School of Music alumnus Robinson McClellan ’06MusM, ’11DMA, a curator at the Morgan, the work was authenticated by Chopin experts. Specialists analyzed the handwriting, paper, ink, and the composer’s distinctive musical notations to determine that the manuscript is from the 1830s. 

Tailoring Covid-19 vaccination campaigns to local infection trends and personal infection histories can result in up to a fourfold increase in protection against the virus, according to a study by the Yale School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina.

The incidence of respiratory viruses fluctuates seasonally, and antibody levels created through vaccination wane over time. To maximize immunity and reduce infection risk, researchers say, boosters should be taken a few months prior to higher transmission periods.

On the other hand, breakthrough infections—which occur when someone contracts the virus despite having been vaccinated—temporarily enhance immunity, so those experiencing breakthrough infections should delay booster shots by several months.

Optimizing the timing of COVID-19 booster shots is especially crucial to prevent severe illness in high-risk populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised, and researchers encourage expanding this personalized vaccination approach to other circulating diseases.