Featured Headlines

As India rises to No. 2 in total infections, a huge Hindu pilgrimage risks becoming a superspreading event – NYT

Even as India hit a record for daily coronavirus infections, and its total caseload rose to second in the world behind the United States, the images that dominated Indian news media on Monday were of a crowded religious festival along the banks of the Ganges River.

Ontario hospitals may have to withhold care as COVID-19 fills ICUs – Reuters

Doctors in the Canadian province of Ontario may soon have to decide who can and cannot receive treatment in intensive care as the number of coronavirus infections sets records and patients are packed into hospitals still stretched from a December wave.

Thailand faces its worst virus outbreak as a major travel holiday begins – NYT

Thailand is facing its worst coronavirus outbreak just as millions of people head to their home provinces during the country’s biggest travel holiday.

Studies Confirm Racial, Ethnic Disparities In COVID-19 Hospitalizations And Visits – NPR

The studies, published Monday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, examine trends in racial and ethnic disparities in hospitalizations and emergency room visits associated with COVID-19 in 2020.

Previous COVID-19 may cut risk of reinfection 84% – CIDRAP

People who had COVID-19 had an 84% lower risk of becoming reinfected and a 93% lower risk of symptomatic infection during 7 months of follow-up, according to findings from a large, multicenter study published late last week in The Lancet.

The C.D.C. director says Michigan needs to shut down, not get extra vaccine, to slow its virus outbreak – NYT

The Biden administration and Michigan’s Democratic governor are locked in an increasingly tense standoff over the state’s worst-in-the-nation coronavirus outbreak, with a top federal health official on Monday urging the governor to lock down her state.

WHO says Covid pandemic is growing ‘exponentially’ at more than 4.4 million new cases a week – CNBC

The World Health Organization said Monday the trajectory of the coronavirus pandemic is now “growing exponentially,” with more than 4.4 million new Covid-19 cases reported over the last week.

England reopens shops and some pubs and restaurants after three months of lockdown – NYT

Britain reopened large parts of its economy on Monday, allowing people in England back in shops, hair salons and outdoor areas of pubs and restaurants, a long-awaited milestone after three months of lockdown, and a day after the country recorded its lowest daily coronavirus death toll since September.

Germany Is Expected To Centralize Its COVID-19 Response. Some Fear It May Be Too Late – NPR

This week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is making good on a veiled threat she issued two weeks ago to centralize pandemic management. Amid growing calls for Merkel to take control of the situation and bypass the country’s 16 state leaders, Germany’s parliament is expected to pass a measure this month that will allow her finally to take charge of the country’s COVID-19 response.

Study bolsters the case that antibody drugs can protect against Covid-19 – NYT

A monoclonal antibody cocktail developed by the drug maker Regeneron offered strong protection against Covid-19 when given to people living with someone infected with the coronavirus, according to clinical trial results announced on Monday. The drug, if authorized, could offer another line of defense against the disease for people who are not protected by vaccination.

U.K. variant isn’t linked to more severe disease or death, study finds – NBC

The variant known as B.1.1.7 is now the dominant coronavirus strain in Europe and the U.S. Scientists say there is still much to learn about the more contagious virus.

An Indian SARS-CoV-2 Variant Lands In California. More Danger Ahead? – Forbes

Yet another variant of SARS-CoV-2 has arrived on our shores from afar. A recent survey of the viral sequences infecting Californians turned up six independent isolates of a variant that is now circulating widely in India. Over the past two months, infection rates in India have exploded.