If it seems like more viral diseases are swirling lately, that's because they are. Scientists say that infectious-disease outbreaks are becoming more frequent and more intense. In recent months and years, we’ve seen a resurgence of diseases (like polio) that seemed nearly eradicated; the encroachment of tropical diseases (like monkeypox) into new parts of the world; and, of course, the appearance of novel diseases (like SARS-CoV-2). What’s going on?
My colleague Alice Park put this question to scientists and experts, who pointed to three big factors:
Humans are in greater contact with one another and the natural world, giving pathogens the chance to spread and evolve. Urbanization and overcrowding in cities, plus the rise of international travel, have pushed people closer together, while issues like deforestation and climate change move us nearer to other creatures.
Viruses are evolving to spread more easily among people. This is one reason why the ongoing pandemic has hit us so hard: unlike previous coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 found a way to move efficiently among humans.
People are not cooperating. Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome, a global health charitable foundation, told Alice that the world needs to work together to better deal with infectious diseases. “We’ve got to get back to understanding that the world is very small, and we are interconnected,” he said.
As viruses and bacteria keep evolving, Alice told me, humans need to evolve as well—by expanding global investment, attention, and education. More outbreaks are inevitably coming. “If we don't want pandemic after pandemic, we will need to improve the way we track new pathogens and share that information globally,” Alice said. “We have the tools, but don't have the level of commitment and resources required to make such networks as strong as they need to be.”
More than 610.3 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 9 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 6.5 million people have died. On Sept. 14, there were 690,480 new cases and 2,403 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 95.4 million coronavirus cases as of 9 a.m. E.T. today. More than 1.05 million people have died. On Sept. 14, there were 103,473 new cases reported in the U.S., and 937 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 Sept. 15. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
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WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
At a press conference yesterday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said that while the world isn’t yet at the end of the pandemic, “the end is in sight.” He said that “now is the time to run harder” and ensure that countries completely vaccinate high-risk groups, continue testing and sequencing the virus, and strengthen policies to address COVID-19 and future pathogens.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau released this weekshowcased how dramatically American life has changed during the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2021, for example, the number of people working from home tripled, and the number of households with internet rose by 4%. U.S. child poverty dropped from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021, which the Census Bureau attributed to COVID-19 anti-poverty programs. However, the income inequality index increased for the first time in a decade, rising 1.2%.
About 500,000 people have left the workforce after being sick with COVID-19, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research published Tuesday. People who were absent from work for at least a week with the disease were about 7% less likely to be in the labor force a year later, compared to people who hadn’t missed work because of COVID-19. An absence related to COVID-19 was also associated with a $9,000 drop in labor earnings over the following 14 months. Research has shown that many people who get COVID-19 “suffer from enduring health problems,” the study authors write.
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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