Anti-Arthritis Drug Can Help Reduce Covid-19 Deaths, U.K. Study Shows – Wall Street Journal

A U.K. study found that an anti-arthritis drug helped reduce deaths of patients hospitalized by Covid-19, an encouraging finding that may help revive interest in the medication after showing mixed results in prior studies.

The Second COVID-19 Shot Is a Rude Reawakening for Immune Cells – The Atlantic

At about 2 a.m. on Thursday morning, I woke to find my husband shivering beside me. For hours, he had been tossing in bed, exhausted but unable to sleep, nursing chills, a fever, and an agonizingly sore left arm. His teeth chattered. His forehead was freckled with sweat. And as I lay next to him, cinching blanket after blanket around his arms, I felt an immense sense of relief. All this misery was a sign that the immune cells in his body had been riled up by the second shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, and were well on their way to guarding him from future disease.

U.S. will have enough vaccine for 300 million people by end of July – Washington Post

The purchases increase available supply by 50 percent, bringing the total to 600 million doses. Because both products are two-dose regimens, that would be enough to fully vaccinate 300 million people. An estimated 260 million people in the United States are currently considered eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine, though trials involving children as young as 12 could widen the pool.

As Germany extends its lockdown over covid-19 fears, France surprises with a more upbeat tone – Washington Post

When a coronavirus variant forced Britain into lockdown in December, it triggered alarm across Europe. Within hours, France, Germany and other countries shut their borders or imposed restrictions, leaving thousands of travelers and lorry drivers stranded.

Some vaccinated people exposed to the virus don’t need to quarantine, C.D.C. says – New York Times

Some people who have been fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine if they are exposed to the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

Why the U.S. Is Struggling to Track Coronavirus Variants – Smithsonian

A scattered and underfunded effort at genomic sequencing has hindered the country’s ability to detect different forms of the virus

Tracking the UK SARS-CoV-2 outbreak – Science

Following a year of relatively uneventful evolution, the emergence and global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants signals an urgent need for better genetic tracking (1). The United Kingdom (UK) has emerged as a leader in this domain. A £20 million investment in March 2020 established the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium (2), which has produced >200,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, more than twice the number produced by any other country

Coronavirus variant first seen in Los Angeles has spread around the world – Los Angeles Times

The coronavirus variant first seen in Los Angeles in July now accounts for about 44% of new infections in Southern California and more than a third of new infections throughout the state, researchers reported Thursday.

Australia’s Victoria State to Enter 5-Day Lockdown on Virus – Bloomberg

Australia’s second-most populous state will enter a snap five-day lockdown from midnight to contain an outbreak of the virulent U.K. strain of the coronavirus that’s spread from a quarantine hotel.