PLUS: The Covid-19 headlines you need to know, a distraction, and something to read.
By Eve Sneider | 05.05.22 | Nearly 15 million people worldwide have died from Covid, Moderna's Q1 earnings skyrocketed, and the CDC recommends masking in transit. But first, here's this week's big story: |  | Two of China's major cities, Shanghai and Beijing, are continuing to battle Covid. While Beijing has thus far avoided a citywide lockdown, there are now 518 restricted areas, or places where cases have been identified or close contacts live or have visited. More than 40 subway stations and 158 bus routes have been closed, and indoor dining has been banned, among other restrictions that have gone into place in an attempt to curb the city's case count. Mass testing is also underway. Meanwhile, more than a month of lockdown in Shanghai has left many without work and dealt a serious blow to the economy. These recent outbreaks in China seem to be testing the limits of the country's stringent zero-Covid policy. Many of Shanghai's 26 million residents have turned to the internet to express their mounting desperation over the city's lockdown. This surge of online outrage has posed a challenge to China's censors as they try to tamp down open expressions of anger. | | The WHO released a report saying that nearly 15 million people worldwide have died as a result of Covid-19. The agency's estimates indicate that there were close to a million US deaths at the end of last year, a number the country only just hit officially. (STAT News) Moderna far surpassed its revenue and profit expectations for the first quarter of 2022, bringing in $5.9 billion from sales of its Covid shot. The company's net income for the quarter increased threefold from last year. (CNBC) The CDC recommended earlier this week that travelers wear masks on airplanes and trains and in airports. A judge ordered the transportation mask mandate unlawful last month, and the government hasn't yet sought immediate court action to reinstate it. (Reuters) Just five days after Puerto Rico lifted all pandemic restrictions, including one requiring travelers to show a recent negative test upon arrival, cases began increasing. The island is now reporting 7 percent of the nation's new cases. (New York Times) People on a Carnival Cruise Line ship are quarantined in Seattle after a number of passengers onboard tested positive during a cruise that started in Miami. The CDC is investigating the outbreak. (Washington Post) | | Festival season has begun! If you're planning to be out among crowds this summer, consider carrying Narcan. You never know when someone might need it. | | On fast-fashion site Shein, you can buy a dress for $8 or a swimsuit for $12. How is that possible? Writer Vauhini Vara dives into the company's meteoric rise. | | If you're still looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift, WIRED can help. | |
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