The antiviral drug Paxlovid has impressive benefits. For unvaccinated people at higher risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes, it can reduce the risk of hospitalization by almost 90%. While it’s less effective in doing the same among vaccinated people, it can spare some vulnerable individuals from the virus’ worst consequences.
But recently, Paxlovid has gotten a lot of attention for a less positive reason: some people who take the drug’s standard five-day course—including President Joe Biden—test negative, then test positive again a few days later. This phenomenon is known as “Paxlovid rebound.”
My colleague Alice Park, who wrote a new story on Paxlovid rebound, says it is significant for a few reasons. Rebound infections increase the amount of time people have to isolate, since they are contagious once they start testing positive again. And while rebound infections are on the whole more mild, some experience symptoms.
Researchers are still trying to understand how often Paxlovid rebound occurs. (Studies from Paxlovid’s manufacturer, Pfizer, suggest it happens in 1-2% of people who take the drug, but many experts believe it’s more common.) Some scientists are also advocating for longer courses of Paxlovid to reduce the chances of infection rebound, or a second course if someone tests positive again. But both ideas could come with drawbacks; Paxlovid has side effects and interacts with some common medications, meaning patients need to reduce their doses or stop the drug when they’re taking Paxlovid. There’s also some early evidence that SARS-CoV-2 may develop resistance to Paxlovid. If true, a shorter course may be safer.
For now, the drug’s benefits still outweigh the risk of rebound. But Alice says it’s crucial to learn more. “Understanding exactly how often rebound occurs could help doctors and patients make better decisions weighing the pros and cons of going on the treatment,” she says.
More than 587 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 6.4 million people have died. On Aug. 10, there were more than 1 million new cases and 3,563 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 10 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 92.5 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 1.03 million people have died. On Aug. 10, 220,566 new cases were reported in the U.S., and 927 deaths were confirmed.
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 Aug. 11. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
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WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
People who are not up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines no longer need to quarantine if they’re exposed to the virus, under updated guidance released today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Instead, they are directed to wear a mask around others for 10 days and get tested five days after their exposure. The CDC’s updated guidance also says it’s usually no longer necessary to test asymptomatic people for screening purposes, except in high-risk settings like nursing homes and prisons.
A new report from the CDC confirms what many experts already suspected: the vast majority of at-home COVID-19 test results go unreported. From October 2021 to May 2022, the four rapid test manufacturers included in the CDC’s study produced almost 400 million at-home diagnostics—and cumulatively received only about 11 million user-reported results. While self-tests are useful for consumers, they offer little benefit for public-health surveillance, the CDC concluded.
North Korea is claiming in state-sponsored media that it has eradicated COVID-19—a highly unlikely scenario, given that the virus continues to circulate globally and North Korea’s under-resourced health care system does not have a COVID-19 vaccination program, the Washington Post reports. North Korea has recorded nearly 5 million cases of “fever” since May and fewer than 100 deaths, but those numbers can’t be independently verified, according to the Post.
New Delhi is reinstituting a mask mandate as COVID-19 case counts there rise. Indian health officials said today that more than 16,000 cases had been recorded nationwide in the past 24 hours, with more than 2,000 of those in the capital city. Eight people died of COVID-19 in New Delhi yesterday, the highest single-day death toll in six months. People in the capital city must now wear face coverings in public or risk fines.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Mandy Oaklander.
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