| Australia battles a new outbreak, research suggests mRNA vaccines work well over time, and Bangladesh prepares for its return to lockdown. Here's what you should know: Headlines Australia introduces lockdowns and mask mandates in response to a new outbreak Australia, which has boasted low case counts for much of the pandemic, is now facing the possibility of a national outbreak thanks to the highly contagious Delta variant. As of Monday, Sydney and Darwin are in lockdown, mask mandates have begun in Canberra and Perth, and Victoria, the region where Melbourne is located, has introduced border restrictions on several other states. The outbreak is made worse by the fact that vaccinations have been slow going in Australia: So far, less than 5 percent of the population is fully inoculated. New research suggests that mRNA vaccines may produce lasting immunity, especially in people who have had Covid-19 New research indicates that the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are likely to produce lasting immunity, provided the virus and its variants don't evolve significantly, which isn't a given. People who had Covid-19 and then received the shots are additionally well protected, even if the virus continues to transform over time: One new study, which has been published as a preprint, found that memory B cells, which make antibodies, continue to grow stronger for at least a year after someone is infected with Covid-19. This means that by the time those people were vaccinated, their bodies were already primed to produce a robust immune response. Bangladesh prepares for sweeping new lockdown measures Bangladesh is preparing to reinstate a national lockdown after the country reported its highest-ever daily death toll from Covid-19, 119 deaths, on Sunday. Most people will be sheltering at home by Thursday. Workplaces will be shut after Wednesday, but authorities have already halted almost all public transit in Dhaka, the capital, leaving thousands with no way to move around the city or get to work other than walking. The lockdown announcement also caused tens of thousands of migrant workers to leave the city for their home villages on Sunday. Daily Distraction Five years ago, Columbus, Ohio, won $50 million to jump-start its adoption of new urban technologies. Now the project's final report is out—but many of those exciting ideas never came to fruition. Something to Read Pamela Conrad is a geobiologist at NASA—and an Episcopal priest. She's channeling both areas of focus to try to answer an age-old question: Is there life on Mars? Sanity Check Looking to strengthen your marriage? Try gaming together. One Question What's the post-pandemic future of the movie theater industry? After 15 months of Covid theater closures and delayed movie releases, A Quiet Place Part II raked in more than $57 million on Memorial Day weekend—the most any movie has made during the pandemic. Over the holiday, AMC Theatres also announced it's raising around $230.5 million to acquire more theaters and expand its business. Both of these developments are promising signs that the pandemic didn't topple the entire movie industry—but showbiz still has a long way to go to get back to where it was before March 2020.
Covid-19 Care Package 📦 To end this pandemic and prevent future ones, we'll need a good way to track and surveil emerging diseases. Here's a look at the latest efforts. 😷 If you're planning to go out in public, you're still likely to need a mask for some time to come. Here are the best ones you can buy, or how to make one at home. 💉 The data is in, and the vaccines are working. Here's how to get an appointment in your area. 💻 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. ✂️ Here are some ways to keep yourself lookin' fresh after over a year at home. 🦠Read all of our coronavirus coverage here. | 
0 Comments:
Post a Comment