Poland’s population rapidly shrinking under pandemic – ABC News

Statistics for 2020 show deaths spiked in Poland to a level unseen since World War II and births sharply declined, trends that are being attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic

Fewer stayed home, more wore masks as pandemic wore on – CIDRAP

Self-reported adherence to such coronavirus-curbing behaviors as physical distancing fell substantially—while mask wearing rose significantly—from spring to fall 2020, regardless of US Census region, according to a research letter published late last week in JAMA.

As variants spread, countries pursue new round of travel restrictions – Washington Post

Governments around the world — including those of the United States, Britain and New Zealand — are moving to impose stricter travel limitations in a bid to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants that experts warn are more contagious.

Mexico’s pandemic policy: No police. No curfews. No fines. No regrets. – Washington Post

As the coronavirus swept the globe early last year, Mexican officials made an unusual decision: They would not impose “coercive” measures to force citizens to obey pandemic restrictions.

Global Covid cases top 100 million as new strains emerge – NBC News

Global Covid-19 cases topped 100 million Tuesday as virus mutations continue to create new concerns, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

How Dangerous Are New COVID-19 Strains? – Council on Foreign Relations

One year after scientists first identified the new coronavirus, several variations of the virus that appear to be more infectious are causing global alarm. Though the new strains are not thought to be more deadly, their spread raises the possibility of overloading already strained health-care systems. Now, countries’ vaccine campaigns are up against the increasingly fast transmission of COVID-19.

Side-by-Side Comparisons of Important SARS-CoV-2 Variants – The Scientist

The range of SARS-CoV-2 variants has emerged across the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Most attention has been on fast-spreading variants recently identified in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil. Scientists suspect that the variants’ particular patterns of mutations have the potential to affect their transmissibility, virulence, and/or ability to evade parts of the immune system. The latter could make people with vaccine-induced or natural immunity to SARS-CoV-2 vulnerable to becoming reinfected with novel variants, and these possible effects remain under investigation.

Germany considers stopping all air travel due to coronavirus mutations – DW

Interior Minister Seehofer said Germany is considering a stop to international air travel, citing a similar approach by Israel. He added border closures to regions where new mutations are prevalent are also being mulled.

Israel Secures COVID-19 Vaccine Doses By Agreeing To Share Medical Data On Israelis – NPR

Israel agreed to provide Pfizer with a trove of medical data about its citizens in return for COVID-19 vaccine supplies. Some privacy experts there are concerned.

The Pandemic Is Finally Softening. Will That Last? – The Atlantic

In the past week, a new picture has emerged in COVID-19 data: The pandemic seems to be receding from its high-water mark in the United States. The most dependable metric of COVID-19’s spread—the number of people currently in the hospital with the disease—is in its first sustained, week-over-week decline since September, according to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic. Hospitalizations fell in the past week in every state but Vermont.

Moderna Is Working On Booster Shot To Protect Against COVID-19 Variant – NPR

Moderna is developing a booster shot for its COVID-19 vaccine to ensure that it works against a variant from South Africa. The variant contains mutations that help the virus evade the immune system.