PLUS: The Covid-19 headlines you need to know, a distraction, and something to read.
By Eve Sneider | 05.12.22 | North Korea locks down, Moderna seeks vaccine approvals for kids and teens, and Biden mourns those lost during the pandemic. But first, here's this week's big story: |  | In 2015, Bill Gates gave a TED talk warning that the world was simply not prepared for the imminent possibility of a pandemic. Six years later, at this year's TED conference, he returned to the stage to convey a more optimistic message: We can do things now to ward off the next one. This is also the subject of his new book, How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, which uses lessons from the past two years to mock up a blueprint for keeping another deadly virus from sweeping the planet. Of course, Gates concedes, much of the US's supposed pandemic preparedness was useless in the fight against Covid-19, but that's why new efforts are needed now. And already, groundbreaking programs that were developed over the past two years are being halted, even though the US and many other parts of the world are likely at the outset of another wave. Case in point: This week Bill Gates himself tested positive. | | Today, North Korea announced a nationwide lockdown following the country's first confirmed Covid-19 outbreak. Its 26 million people are mostly unvaccinated, as the government has refused shots from international groups. (Associated Press) On Wednesday, Moderna announced that it has applied for emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for its Covid vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 17, children ages six to 11, and younger kids between 6 months and 6 years. (Reuters) At the White House's virtual Global Covid-19 Summit, President Biden mourned the deaths of more than 1 million Americans, ordering flags to be flown at half-staff and calling on the country not to "grow numb to such sorrow." (CNN) After the head of the World Health Organization called China's zero-Covid strategy "irresponsible," officials from the country defended its approach, saying it's a method that stands the test of time. (Associated Press) Despite a bipartisan push in Congress, the Senate remains stalled on an agreement to spend $10 billion to procure tests, therapeutics, and vaccines. (Washington Post) | | When it comes to love, science doesn't have much useful guidance to offer. So researchers gathered data to see what the numbers had to say about who and how we date. | | What's up with Web3? WIRED's Gilad Edelman unpacks the new internet phenomenon's lofty ideals and big crypto aspirations. | |
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