When it comes to COVID-19, the world's focus has largely been on vaccines, and for good reason: those in use around the world have been shown to seriously reduce the risk of severe disease and death among recipients. It's natural, then, that such a potent weapon against COVID-19 would become the centerpiece of our efforts to curb the global outbreak.
But vaccines have their limits. They are by nature a preventative tool, unable to help those already sick with the virus. Moreover, anti-vaccine sentiment runs strong in some quarters—based on current trends, it's unlikely that the overall vaccination rate in the U.S., for instance, will climb much higher than 75% or so (nationwide employer vaccine mandates set to go into force this January could change that).
Combined, those two facts have made it urgent that pharmaceutical companies develop not just vaccines, but treatments, too. Thankfully, there's been good news on that front lately. Pfizer announced Friday that its COVID-19 pill cuts the risk of hospitalization and death by nearly 90% if taken with ritonavir (another, older antiviral) shortly after the onset of symptoms, and a similar pill from drugmaker Merck is already under U.S. Food and Drug Administration review after comparably tantalizing results. (We should note here that Pfizer has yet to submit its data for peer review.)
Based on the available data, both of these treatments seem promising but not perfect—vaccination will likely remain the centerpiece of our collective global public health efforts. But if authorized, the Pfizer and Merck pills could go a long way towards reducing the worst outcomes from the disease, especially among the unvaccinated, who are at more than 11 times greater risk of dying of COVID-19 compared to vaccinated people. They could perhaps also be more easily made, distributed and administered in the developing world, where the vaccination drive has been tragically slow. As my friend and former TIME editor Bryan Walsh recently pointed out over at Axios, frequent testing will be key—the sooner someone knows they're infected, the sooner they can begin a treatment regimen.
All of that, of course, is predicated on the idea that these treatments will prove both safe and effective. Here's to that hope. The vaccines are a medical marvel, but it's becoming painfully clear that they can't end this pandemic alone.
More than 534 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been shipped to various U.S. states as of this morning, of which more than 430.9 million doses have been administered thus far, according to TIME's vaccine tracker. About 58.4% of Americans have been completely vaccinated.
More than 249.8 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and about 5 million people have died. On Nov. 7, there were 320,894 new cases and 4,136 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's every country that has reported over 4.7 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 46.4 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 754,400 people have died. On Nov. 7, there were 21,968 new cases and 119 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:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Nov. 8, 1:30 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
The U.S. is once again welcoming travelers from Canada, Mexico, most of Europe and a host of other countries, the Associated Press reports. Inbound air travelers must be fully vaccinated and have proof of a recent negative test, while those coming in by land from Canada or Mexico only need proof of vaccination. The move stands to be especially life-changing for international families who were kept apart for more than a year and a half by a strict ban on most foreign visitors.
The pressure is mounting on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers, who was unable to play in yesterday's 13-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after testing positive for COVID-19. Rogers, who previously said he was "inoculated" against the virus, revealed last week that he's actually unvaccinated, though he hasn't always followed the league's rules for players who haven't gotten their shots. In an interview explaining his decision, Rogers said he was nervous about allergic reactions and side effects, though he also shared a litany of vaccine misinformation—including the unsubstantiated claim that the shots can affect fertility. Several of football's best-known voices have since spoken out about Rogers' actions. "You lied to everyone," longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw said during a weekend broadcast.
Why does Romania, a southeastern European country that's been a member of the European Union since 2007, have one of the world's highest viral death-per-capita rates, at 262.21 per 100,000? In part, it's because leaders of the influential Orthodox Church have been railing against vaccination, the New York Timesreports. Only around 44% of Romanians have received at least one dose, one of Europe's lowest rates; the result was an October spike that at its peak saw nearly 20,000 cases in a single day in a country of about 19.3 million.
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.
If you were forwarded this and want to sign up to receive it daily, click here.
Today's newsletter was written by Alex Fitzpatrick and edited by Angela Haupt.
沒有留言:
張貼留言