While it may feel great to shed masks and resume prior routines, optimistic statements like Biden’s should come with an asterisk. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the lasting effects of COVID-19—and scientists are turning up some troubling findings.
For example, it’s still not clear why some people suffer debilitating symptoms long after their initial infections. Researchers are studying so-called “Long COVID,” but there’s no consensus yet on its cause or treatment, leaving countless people disabled for an indefinite amount of time.
My colleague Jeffrey Kluger today reports on another potentially devastating consequence of infection. A growing body of research links COVID-19 to rare, temporary psychotic episodes, even in people with no history of mental health disorders. Some experts argue there isn’t enough evidence to prove the virus is causing these episodes—but, as Jeffrey reports, there is proof that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can affect the brain, which could possibly trigger psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations.
"With its devilish versatility, COVID-19 has kept surprising us with new variants, Long COVID, odd symptoms like loss of taste and smell,”—and now, a possible link to psychosis, Jeffrey says.
That underscores how much is left to learn about the virus that has dominated our lives for the last two years. No matter how much we wish to return to normal, SARS-CoV-2 may have more tricks in store for us.
More than 442 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. E.T. today, and nearly 6 million people have died. On March 3, there were more than 1.8 million new cases and 8,383 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 6 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 79 million coronavirus cases as of 12 a.m. E.T. today. More than 956,000 people have died. On March 3, there were 52,292 new cases and 1,743 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 Mar. 4, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
More than 90% of the U.S. population lives in an area with a “low” or “medium” risk of COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced yesterday. Last week, the CDC changed the way it assesses county-level COVID-19 risk, using data on hospitalizations and health care capacity in addition to case counts. The CDC now recommends universal indoor masking only for counties that are at “high” risk under this system—which means that the vast majority of Americans are not currently advised to wear masks inside.
The National Football League (NFL) and its players’ association agreed yesterday to stop most COVID-19 protocols, making the NFL the first major professional sports league in the U.S. to do so. Unless required by local law, players, coaches, and staff no longer need to wear masks inside NFL facilities, and stadiums won’t enforce capacity limits. Teams also don’t need to test their players at regular intervals, though they must retain equipment for testing people who develop symptoms. Anyone who tests positive must isolate themselves for five days.
Joining many other countries in pushing for a return to normal, France will no longer require vaccine passports to enter most indoor venues starting March 14, Reuters reports. Masks will also not be required starting on that date, except on public transportation. France is still reporting an average of about 50,000 infections per day, but that’s well below the Omicron-era record of about half a million in a single day in January.
New Zealand, meanwhile, is having the opposite experience. After aggressively containing COVID-19 for the last two years, New Zealand is experiencing its first true spike in cases due to Omicron. More than 23,000 diagnoses were reported yesterday; before Omicron, the single-day number never rose above the low hundreds, the New York Times reports. The surge is forcing both citizens and experts in New Zealand to move beyond its “Zero COVID” strategy and grapple with a future that includes the virus.
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.
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