Face masks have long been a contentious part of the U.S.’s pandemic response. From the start, they’ve been underestimated, under-manufactured and very poorly understood. In the past week, however, leaders have finally come out in support of high-quality face masks, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releasing detailed information about the differences between face coverings and making it clear that well-fitting N95 respirators—as opposed to cloth or surgical masks—offer the best protection against the virus.
Today, the Biden Administration went a step further and announced that the U.S. will provide 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks to the public at pharmacies and community health centers across the country; the goal is to provide three masks per person. The masks, which will be pulled from the Strategic National Stockpile, will be shipped this week for distribution starting next week. The U.S. didn’t offer additional details on the program, such as whether child-size masks will also be provided or if the N95s can be reworn.
The new effort is one of a few recent attempts to improve accessibility to vital virus prevention tools. Today, the U.S. formally launched covidtests.gov, where Americans can order four free at-home rapid tests per household. Though critics fear the moves are too little, too late, other experts applaud them as steps in the right direction.
More than 334 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 5 a.m. E.T. today, and nearly 5.6 million people have died. On Jan. 18, there were over 3.2 million new cases and 8,525 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending, in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
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 5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded nearly 68 million coronavirus cases as of 5 a.m. E.T. today. Nearly 854,000 people have died. On Jan. 18, there were 1,060,747 new cases and 1,896 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
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 Jan. 19, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Recovering from COVID-19 provided stronger protection from getting infected again and from becoming hospitalized from a future infection compared to vaccination alone, according to a report published by the CDCtoday. However, there’s an important caveat: the study only looked at cases from May to Nov. 2021—before the Omicron variant and booster shots became widespread. (It’s so far unclear how protective a past infection with the Omicron variant is against future infection and hospitalization.) Benjamin Silk, a co-author of the study and a CDC epidemiologist, warned that it shouldn’t be assumed that what scientists have learned about one wave of the pandemic will necessarily apply to another. “It’d be like comparing apples and oranges,” he told reporters, according to the New York Times.
The U.K. will begin to relax its COVID-19 restrictions as the surge driven by Omicron appears to subside, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today in a statement to the House of Commons. Johnson said that the country will no longer ask the public to work from home, and that starting Jan. 27, it will be optional for businesses and other organizations to use the NHS COVID pass, which carries proof of vaccination or test status. The government will also no longer require face masks. “We will trust the judgement of the British people and no longer criminalize anyone who chooses not to wear one,” Johnson said.
As Tokyo logged 7,377 COVID-19 cases today—a new single-day record—Japan announced new restrictions in the capital and in 12 other areas,the Associated Press reports. The restrictions, which could force restaurants to close early and ban the serving of alcohol, will be implemented by local leaders and remain in place until Feb. 13, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in his statement. “We have decided that it is now necessary to prepare so that medical systems can firmly function, take appropriate measures and slow rising case numbers,” he said.
Dozens of Dutch theaters and museums opened as hair salons and gyms today to protest lockdown restrictions that have continued to affect the arts sector, the New York Times reports. Amsterdam’s Van Gogh museum, for instance, offered haircuts, beard trims, and “Van Gogh inspired nail art.” While some non-essential businesses such as gyms, salons and brothels were allowed to reopen last week, movie theaters, museums and concert venues are still closed.
Parents in Chesapeake, Virginia filed a lawsuit today in response to an executive order by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) making face masks voluntary for public school children, CNN reports. The lawsuit alleges that the order violates a law passed by the state general assembly in 2021 directing schools to follow CDC recommendations to limit the spread of the virus. The CDC recommends all students, teachers and visitors wear masks in K-12 schools.
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 Mandy Oaklander.
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