Sources and updates, March 13
Sources and updates for the week of March 13 include vaccine data annotations, free rapid tests, a combination of Delta and Omicron, and more.
Read MoreTag: Delta variant
Omicron updates: More transmissible, immune evading, but still not cause for panic
We continue to learn more about this new variant as it spreads rapidly across the world, though much of the data are still preliminary. Here are a few major updates, including how vaccines fare against Omicron, its rapid spread, and more.
Read MoreNational numbers, December 12
Remember how, last week, I said that the dip in the CDC’s case counts was a vestige of Thanksgiving data delays—and we’d see more cases in the next week? Well, we’re seeing those cases now. Cases have increased by 37% from last week to this week, and they’ve increased by 55% in the last month.
Read MoreVaccines aren’t enough: What Biden can do about Omicron
This past Monday, President Biden said in a speech, “We’re throwing everything we can at this virus, tracking it from every angle.” Which I, personally, found laughable. The U.S.’s anti-COVID strategy basically revolves around vaccines, and it’s not sufficient for stopping new surges.
Read MoreOmicron updates: What we’ve learned since last week
There is still a lot we don’t know about the Omicron variant, first identified in Botswana and South Africa in late November. Still, we’ve learned a few new things in the last week. Here’s a quick roundup.
Read MoreNational numbers, December 5
Don’t be fooled by the apparent case decline in the CDC’s numbers: the U.S. is still in the midst of a new surge. The agency reported fewer cases last week due to Thanksgiving holiday delays, but we can expect cases to shoot up next week as delayed cases are added to the data.
Read MoreOmicron variant: What we know, what we don’t, and why not to panic (yet)
On Thanksgiving, my Twitter feed was dominated not by food photos, but by news of a novel coronavirus variant identified in South Africa earlier this week. While the variant—now called Omicron, or B.1.1.529—likely didn’t originate in South Africa, data from the country’s comprehensive surveillance system provided enough evidence to suggest that this variant could be more contagious than Delta, as well as potentially more able to evade human immune systems.
Read MoreReader question: How long will COVID-19 restrictions continue?
A couple of weeks ago, I received a reader question from a friend of mine who recently got engaged! He and his fiancée are planning a wedding in summer 2023, and he asked me: “How likely do you think it is that (1) the COVID-19 pandemic remains a serious danger to our safety in the summer of 2023 and (2) the government still has the energy to keep enforcing COVID-19 restrictions?”
Read MoreUnpacking Delta AY.4.2: Are we prepared for the next variant?
Recently, a new offshoot of the Delta variant has been gaining ground in the U.K. It’s called AY.4.2, and it appears to be slightly more transmissible than Delta itself. While experts say this variant doesn’t differ enough from Delta to pose a serious concern, I think it’s worth exploring what we know about it so far—and what this means for the future of coronavirus mutation.
Read MoreAnother COVID-19 endgame take
Trevor Bedford, computational virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center—and widely regarded expert on coronavirus variants—wrote a useful Twitter thread this week. In the thread, Bedford provides his take on the “COVID-19 endgame.” In other words, what will happen once the virus reaches endemic levels?
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