Coronavirus Update: How Paxlovid helps prevent the worst of Covid

PLUS: The Covid-19 headlines you need to know, a distraction, and something to read.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions By Eve Sneider | 08.11.22 As the news keeps evolving, we're here to bring you the most reliable coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Subscribe to support our journalism. North Korea claims victory over Covid, cases rise in China, and the WHO says global infections are stable. But first, here's this week's big story: Paxlovid remains an important tool in the pandemic arsenal Anthony Fauci and President Biden recently joined the ranks of people who started testing positive for Covid again after testing negative, bringing more attention to the concept of "rebound cases." While many have linked rebounds to Paxlovid, these cases have also occurred in patients who haven't taken the drug, and they still don't appear to be very common. One theory for why rebounding could happen after taking Paxlovid has to do with how the drug works. Paxlovid keeps the virus from replicating, and it's possible that the five-day course may not always leave enough time for someone's immune system to completely clear the virus from their body. In those cases, the remaining virus can start reproducing again. Paxlovid was approved back in December 2021, making it the first oral antiviral for treating Covid. It has proven highly effective in keeping at-risk people from experiencing serious symptoms, being hospitalized, and dying from the disease, even in the face of new variants. Headlines North Korean state media is claiming that the country has eradicated Covid, despite the country's notoriously fragile health care system. (Washington Post) Cases in China are the highest they've been in three months, thanks in large part to an outbreak on Hainan island, which is almost entirely locked down. (Bloomberg) The World Health Organization reported yesterday that the number of Covid deaths worldwide is falling and case counts remain stable. BA.5 remains the dominant strain globally. (Associated Press) A new government ordinance in New Delhi states that mask-wearing will once again be mandated in public. People who are caught without a mask could face fines. (Reuters) After several weeks of increase, the rate of new cases in the US is in decline. But hospitalizations have risen across much of the country this summer, and there are still hundreds of deaths every day. (ABC) Science Spotlight Three Possible Futures of the Monkeypox Epidemic Last week, the Biden administration declared the monkeypox epidemic a public health emergency. But how the situation will evolve from here is still uncertain. A Bioengineered Cornea Shows It Can Improve People's Sight Roughly one in 70 people in need of a cornea transplant actually receive one. Recent developments in bioengineering could restore many more people's sight. Daily Distraction As Captchas get more creative, it's becoming harder to prove to a website that you're not a robot. Something to Read What if the same techniques could be used to both eradicate the sea lamprey where it's invasive and protect it where it's endangered? In Europe and North America, biologists are working to alternately save and squash the notorious vampire fish. Sanity Check Upgrading your laptop doesn't have to break the bank. Here are a few of our favorite cheap options. GET WIRED Get 1 year of WIRED for less than $1 per month. That includes Steven Levy's exclusive newsletter and a free tote! Subscribe now. Have questions or comments? Reply to this email.   This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or Manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.