As Vaccines Roll Out, Social Lives Are Under Strain
In January, any time I spoke to a vaccinated person, I felt like I'd met a celebrity. I couldn't believe that people I knew had actually received these medical miracles.
Now, the balance is shifting. My parents and grandparents have gotten their first doses. Many of my friends and colleagues have gotten theirs, or will soon. As I wait for my turn, I'm still full of awe and relief—but I'll admit there's a little jealousy in there, too. Even though only a quarter of Americans have gotten a shot, I'm starting to feel like one of the stragglers.
It turns out I'm not alone. After I started working on a story about the many ways vaccines are changing Americans' social lives, I quickly found that this semi-vaccinated period is complicated. Plenty of people are feeling a bit of vaccine envy as they watch the vaccine selfies roll in—and as immunity increasingly becomes a prerequisite for having a rich social life. The rise of vaccine-mandatory weddings, parties and even dates means the unprotected may soon be on the outside looking in.
Thankfully, that FOMO should be fairly short-lived. U.S. states are set to make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1, and many have said they'll open up appointments even sooner. By the end of 2021, the strange limbo of vaccine rollout may become a distant memory—at least for most of us.
Andrea Norred, a 42-year-old from California, told me she may actually have to make new friends because so many of hers have decided not to get vaccinated. Norred has an immune deficiency that both puts her at risk of severe disease and reduces vaccines' effectiveness in her body, so she truly can't afford to be around people who choose not to get their shots. "I don't know that things will ever be the same for me, socially, as long as COVID is around," Norred said.
Worse, Norred's 18-year-old son has decided not to get vaccinated, which puts their relationship on uncertain terrain. Though she's desperate to give him a hug, Norred has no idea when that will be safe for her.
Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic. But, as Norred's story shows, they can also become a wedge between those who choose to get inoculated and those who don't. That's a side effect that could linger as long as COVID-19 does.
More than 173.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of this morning, of which 133.3 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. Almost 26% of the overall U.S. population has received at least one dose, and about 14.3% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
With COVID-19 cases in India on the rise, the country is temporarily pausing vaccine exports to focus on its domestic rollout, sources familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal; Indian officials have yet to confirm or deny the report. The Serum Institute of India produces many of the vaccines supplied to lower-income nations, including through the World Health Organization's COVAX program. For India to stop exporting doses even temporarily would throw a wrench in global vaccine distribution, which is already lagging behind schedule.
In better news, Major League Baseball today reported a nice sign of how far the U.S. vaccine rollout has come: more than 1 million doses have been administered in MLB stadiums alone. Eleven professional baseball stadiums have become mass vaccination centers during the pandemic, including Citi Field, Marlins Park and Dodger Stadium.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
More than 125.4 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 2.7 million people have died. On March 25, there were 714,605 new cases and 11,708 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here is every country with over 2 million confirmed cases:
Many European countries are implementing new restrictions as they continue to battle COVID-19 surges. France has placed three more areas (Rhône, Aube and Nièvre) under lockdown and banned outdoor gatherings of more than six people. Germany will require negative tests for travelers entering the country by air. Belgium is under strict lockdown starting tomorrow. Each country is a reminder that COVID-19 continues to spread, fueled by new variants, and that the pandemic will not truly end until each part of the world gets the virus under control.
Papua New Guinea is another reminder of that reality. The small island nation escaped the worst of coronavirus' effects for months, but that has changed dramatically over the past few weeks. Though only 39 deaths have been reported there, 30 have occurred over the past six weeks, according to the New York Times. Perhaps more striking, 70% of people getting tested for the virus after developing potential COVID-19 symptoms are now testing positive, in a sign that no area is truly insulated from the virus.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 30 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 546,800 people have died. On March 25, there were 67,443 new cases and 1,558 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
For more evidence that vaccines are making a positive difference—slowly but surely—look to the U.S.' elders. As the Wall Street Journal reports, COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates are falling among American adults older than 65, who were prioritized in early phases of vaccine rollout and are thus most likely to be fully protected now. Nursing homes are particularly illustrative. During the week ending March 7, nursing home residents accounted for just 4% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths, compared to more than half in May 2020.
It's been well-reported that mental health issues have spiked during the pandemic. New data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm that phenomenon—and, even more troublingly, suggest many people could not or did not seek treatment. The percentage of U.S. adults reporting anxiety or depression symptoms increased from 36% to 41.5% from August 2020 to February 2021. And by February of this year, about 12% of adults said they had an unmet mental health care need, up from about 9% in August 2020.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of March 26, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
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WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
There's Garbage 'Freaking Everywhere'
It's not your imagination. As TIME's Alana Semuels reports, public litter is getting out of hand during the pandemic due to a messy mix of labor shortages, increased residential waste and the influx of single-use products like masks and gloves. Read more here.
How One Pastor Is Closing the Vaccine Gap
"People trust the church," one health care expert told TIME's Madeleine Carlisle for her latest story. "And they trust the pastor." Kylon Middleton, a well-known pastor in Charleston, S.C., is capitalizing on that trust to help encourage vaccination within communities of color. Read more here.
For Long COVID Patients, Vaccines Bring Promise and Uncertainty
Some people with long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms have reported relief after getting vaccinated, but others' conditions have gotten worse. Now, many Long COVID patients are approaching the shots with a mix of trepidation and hope, writes Katherine Wu for The Atlantic. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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