HHS Authorizes the use of all available doses, the head of Operation Warp Speed resigns, and Sinovac's vaccine goes into use despite dubious data. Here's what you should know: Headlines HHS announces that all available Covid-19 doses can be given out to accelerate vaccination On Tuesday, Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar said that all Covid-19 vaccine doses held by states can now be given out. This is one of several solutions that have been proposed to speed up the US' slow vaccine rollout. However, releasing all available vaccines means people may have to wait longer than intended before receiving their second dose. As the FDA pointed out in a statement last week, there's no data to support any changes to dosing—including how long people have to wait between doses. Dr. Moncef Slaoui resigns from his post leading Operation Warp Speed Dr. Moncef Slaoui, Operation Warp Speed's chief adviser, has submitted his resignation. He will stay in his role in a diminished capacity for the first few weeks of Biden's term to help with the transition before stepping down by February 12. Slaoui had previously said he planned to step down after two vaccines and two therapies were approved, which happened in December. He plans to donate the $1,000 he was paid for overseeing Operation Warp Speed to scientific research. Indonesia rolls out Sinovac vaccine despite dubious efficacy data Today, Indonesia's president received a dose of Beijing-based Sinovac's vaccine on live television as part of an upcoming national campaign. The country approved the vaccine on Monday. Human trials in Indonesia found that the vaccine was safe and 65.3 percent effective. But on Tuesday, Brazilian scientists said it had an efficacy rate of just over 50 percent, lower than the 78 percent rate they had announced the week prior, and Sinovac has yet to release trial data. Daily Distraction Socializing outside in the freezing cold is a bummer. Writer Kate Knibbs has a suggestion for making the situation a little cozier: heated clothes. Something to Read Last November, WIRED's editor in chief Nicholas Thompson published a story about "Mostly Harmless," a hiker whose body was found in the wilds of Florida in August of 2018. Two years later, his life remained a mystery despite the efforts of internet sleuths. On Tuesday, the hiker was finally identified, and his story isn't what anyone had thought—or hoped. Sanity Check Fighting a case of the pandemic blues? Though it might seem counterintuitive, playing postapocalyptic video games might just provide the mood boost you need. One Question How can you calculate Covid-19 risk? Even the clearest advice—wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart—doesn't address many of the subtle situations we're faced with every day, and there's no good way to calculate how likely certain activities are to give you Covid-19. This past summer, six housemates in San Francisco decided to come up with a system for calculating the risk of their day-to-day activities and the ones they longed to do. Using public health data, they created a tool whereby each house member had a certain number of points they could use on risky behaviors before the household maxed its budget. This strategy, while imperfect, gave them a structure to live by while still protecting their pod. Now, it's a public tool anyone can use to estimate life's risks during a pandemic. Covid-19 Care Package 📦 The Covid-19 virus can linger on objects for as little as a few hours or as long as a couple of days, depending on the surface. Here's a look at the research. 😷 If you're planning to go out in public anytime soon, you're going to need a mask. Here are the best ones you can buy, or how to make one at home. 🧼 It's not just your hands that need washing—your gadgets, clothes, and home need it too. Here's how to properly disinfect your stuff. 💻 Whether or not you're a work-from-home pro, here's how to stay productive without losing your mind. 😔 It's hard not to be anxious about a global pandemic, but here's how you can protect yourself and your family without spiraling and how to not hate the loved ones you're quarantined with. ✂️ It may still be a while before you can see your hairstylist, so here's how to cut your hair at home, plus other ways to keep yourself lookin' fresh. 🦠 Read all of our coronavirus coverage here. |
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