Some COVID-19 Side Effects Are Unexpected. That's Normal.
Everyone in my immediate family has had at least one COVID-19 shot by now, but we've all had different side effects. My brother only had a slight fever for a couple hours, while my mom was so tired she spent an entire day on the couch. My dad only experienced a sore arm. My sister was sickest of all: she had a whole suite of symptoms, including headache, chills, tiredness and vomiting—which she admits was unpleasant, but as a teacher working in person, she's very happy to be protected. "I'd go through it 10 more times if I had to," she later told me.
Now that nearly 300 million doses have been administered in the U.S, this mixed bag of minor side effects is playing out on a national scale, as my colleague Jamie Ducharme reports. People of all ages and wellness levels are now getting vaccinated, and each of their bodies are responding slightly differently. At scale, that means more side effects are being detected—including some which may have been found in only a small number of people during the vaccines' clinical trial stages, which included tens of thousands of participants, rather than hundreds of millions.
As Jamie reports, several of these side effects have taken people by surprise. Some vaccine recipients have reported heavy or painful menstrual periods, while others have experienced rashes or brain fog. However, very few recipients have reported life-threatening issues after vaccination. Side effects are to be expected with a vaccine; they're a sign that your body is responding to the shot. In any case, it's a good idea to keep close tabs on your condition and contact your doctor if something seems wrong, experts say.
"For many people, side effects are the scariest part of vaccination—particularly if they develop side effects that don't seem 'normal,'" Jamie tells me. "Feeling informed is half the battle. Just knowing that other people experienced the same thing you are can help calm your nerves. But it's important to stress that if something seems seriously off, or if a particular side effect isn't going away or seems to be getting worse, you should call your doctor and report it to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Nearly 297.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of this afternoon, of which nearly 232.4 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 29.1% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
Brazilian health regulators said yesterday that they won't recommend Russia’s Sputnik vaccine for use in the hard-hit South American country, citing concerns about its development and manufacturing, the Washington Post reports. The decision is a blow to Brazil's sluggish vaccination efforts—while nearly 1.9 million new cases have been reported there in the last month, only about 13% of the country’s 211 million residents have had at least one dose.
West Virginia is starting an unconventional new program to boost vaccine uptake: it's giving $100 savings bonds to people ages 16 to 35 who get the shot, governor Jim Justice announced yesterday. Justice said that the state will use money from the federal CARES Act to pay for the bonds, noting that people in the target age group are "not taking the vaccines as fast as we'd like them to take them." Less than 10% of all doses distributed in the state so far have gone to people under 35.
TODAY'S CORONAVIRUS OUTLOOK
The Global Situation
Nearly 147.9 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 3.1 million people have died. On April 26, there were 682,784 new cases and 11,156 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 2.5 million confirmed cases:
As Indian hospitals grapple with a punishing surge in infections, other countries are working to send essential medical supplies, including equipment for proving oxygen, as TIME's Billy Perrigo reports. Individual people can help by donating to organizations that provide medical supplies, fight hunger and fill other needs; see Billy's story for ideas on how to lend a hand.
Yesterday, a mask mandate went into effect in Bangkok; today, the New York Times reports that Prayuth Chan-ocha, Prime Minister of Thailand and a Bangkok resident, has been slapped with a $190 fine for failure to comply. He agreed to pay the fine after he was photographed without a mask at a government meeting.
Greece is dropping quarantine requirements for visitors from a growing number of countries ahead of a plan to fully reopen to tourists on May 15, the New York Times reports. Greece ended the requirement for seven more countries yesterday, after dropping restrictions for the European Union and the U.S. last week. However, the U.S. State Department advises that Americans avoid traveling to Greece, given the high number of cases there. Greece is currently reporting about 372 new daily cases per 100,000 residents.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded more than 32.1 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. Nearly 572,700 people have died. On April 26, there were 47,691 new cases and 474 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:
Fully vaccinated people in the U.S. no longer need to wear masks while outside unless they're in a big crowd with people they don't know, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance issued today. People who aren't fully vaccinated should still wear masks and avoid outdoor gatherings with other unvaccinated people. "For those who haven't gotten their vaccination yet, especially if you're younger or think you don't need it, this is another great reason to get vaccinated," U.S. President Joe Biden said at a press conference today.
More second doses than first doses were administered in the U.S. during 10 of the last 11 days, a possible sign of slowing demand, CNN reports, citing CDC data. This inversion has only occurred in the U.S. once before, when bad weather in February slowed shipments of doses meant to be used as initial shots. Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, told CNN that the data suggest the U.S. may be "hitting the hesitancy wall."
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of April 27, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Experts Aren't Sure if PPP Loans Helped Workers
The $800 billion Paycheck Protection Program was designed to help small businesses keep their employees on payroll. But more than a year after it passed, it's still uncertain whether it actually worked, Scott Horsley reports for NPR. Read more here.
Remember Working in Offices?
Here, New York magazine's editors wax nostalgic about 150 years of that place many of us used to work: the office. Read more here.
Did the Fed Save the Economy—or Increase Inequality?
While the U.S. Federal Reserve's actions during the pandemic—like keeping interest rates low—have been praised for helping to stabilize the country's economy, they have also exacerbated inequality, according to this joint Washington Post/ProPublica report. 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 Tara Law and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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