In the spring of 2020, the pandemic was more frightening than it is today. Without vaccines, treatments, or a good understanding of how the virus spread, our only defense was avoidance.
Things are different two years into the pandemic, writes former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb in a new essay for TIME. Between vaccination and prior exposures, most Americans now have some level of immunity to the virus. Doctors have effective treatments and more knowledge about patient care. Rapid tests are much easier to come by. It’s time, Gottlieb writes, to stop living as though we’re still in 2020.
“Now we need to shift from measures adopted collectively, to tactics taken individually by people who are judging their own individual risk against their degree of caution,” Gottlieb writes.
There are still some collective steps we need to take, like ensuring that everyone has access to tests and vaccines, that indoor air is properly ventilated, and that people stay home when they are sick. But, Gottlieb argues, wide-reaching measures like school closures, permanent mask mandates, and stay-at-home orders probably don’t belong in 2022. Instead, people should make decisions based on their own comfort and risk level—perhaps voluntarily wearing masks or continuing to work from home if they’re able.
California Governor Gavin Newsom seems to agree. Yesterday, he announced a first-of-its-kind plan to take an endemic—as opposed to a pandemic—approach to COVID-19 management in California. The plan relies on monitoring efforts, including wastewater analysis, to track the prevalence of COVID-19 and the emergence of new variants. If a spike is detected, the government will respond quickly by distributing stockpiled masks, offering tests and vaccines, and fincreasing hospital staffing. This targeted approach is meant to replace blunter strategies, like state-wide mask mandates or business closures.
Some argue it’s too soon to ease up, given the high number of people who still get sick or die from COVID-19 every day. (Yesterday, the virus killed more than 3,000 people in the U.S.) It’s a particularly dangerous time for vulnerable people including the elderly and immunocompromised, and shots still aren’t authorized for the youngest children.
Nonetheless, lawmakers and health officials are increasingly determined to make 2022 the year the pandemic ends, even if COVID-19 has other plans.
More than 419.6 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 5.8 million people have died. On Feb. 17, there were 1.9 million new cases and 11,823 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 5.5 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 78.2 million coronavirus cases as of 12 a.m. E.T. today. More than 931,000 people have died. On Feb. 17, there were 96,603 new cases and 3,223 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 Feb. 18, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allegedly delayed its review of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for young children because of disappointing preliminary data, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sources told the Journal that because so few participants in the under-5 trial had gotten infected with COVID-19—whether or not they had received the vaccine—FDA officials decided to wait for more infections (and thus more data) in order to get a better idea of whether or not the shot is effective. The delay will allow regulators to analyze whether a third dose of Pfizer’s shot increases protection.
Nearly every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic has become politicized, including the drugs used to treat the virus. A new research letter, published today in JAMA Internal Medicine, finds that hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin were prescribed far more often in majority Republican versus majority Democratic counties in the U.S. in late 2020. Neither drug is effective against COVID-19, but widespread misinformation about both drugs helped them grow popular among people who distrust vaccines. Hydroxychloroquine was prescribed 150% more in the most Republican counties in the U.S. compared to the least. Ivermectin was prescribed 900% more in Republican areas.
The Solomon Islands is currently weathering its first COVID-19 outbreak, stoking fears about the health care system’s ability to keep up. The isolated Pacific Island nation has largely managed to avoid COVID-19, but when Omicron arrived, it tore through the mostly unvaccinated population. In the capital city of Honiara, an estimated half the population had symptoms of the virus last week. Hospitals may not be able to manage the surge, local health officials say.
From disposable masks and gloves to vaccine syringes, a shocking amount of medical waste has been generated during the pandemic. That’s a problem worldwide, but perhaps nowhere more so than in Africa, Deutsche Welle reports. Many African countries do not have effective waste management systems, which means that trash of all kinds ends up in unregulated dumps and landfills. The sheer volume of pandemic-related medical waste is a problem, but it also means that potentially infectious items are littering the streets.
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 Mandy Oaklander. We will be off on Monday for Presidents' Day.
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