PLUS: The Covid-19 headlines you need to know, a distraction, and something to read.
By Eve Sneider | 05.19.22 | China offers North Korea pandemic assistance, the CDC weighs boosters for some kids, and Shanghai moves toward reopening. But first, here's this week's big story: |  Cases and hospitalizations rise across the US White House officials warned yesterday that a third of Americans live in parts of the country where cases and hospitalizations are on the rise. To protect each other and prevent further spread, CDC director Rochelle Walensky urged people in these areas to resume wearing masks in indoor spaces. Whether local leaders will heed this warning is another question. For instance, although New York City is now at a "high" Covid alert level, mayor Eric Adams has said that he doesn't plan to mandate face coverings indoors. In response to rising cases, officials are said to be weighing second boosters for Americans under 50. Since the start of the year, politicians have spoken with increasing regularity about what it would look like to live with the virus, from dropping restrictions to declaring endemicity. That said, it's clear that the pandemic isn't over, so it's still worth testing if you have symptoms, plan to travel, or will be seeing someone who's vulnerable, and exercising caution if you live in a place where cases are on the rise. | | Earlier this week, China agreed to help North Korea battle its Covid-19 outbreak. Shortly after, three North Korean cargo planes flew to China and back. (CNN) A panel of CDC advisors are meeting today to discuss authorizing a third dose of Pfizer and BioNTech's shot for kids ages 5 to 11. They're expected to approve the move, as the FDA did earlier this week. (New York Times) Today, more people in Shanghai were allowed to return to grocery stores after nearly two months of lockdown. The city also recorded no new cases outside of quarantined districts for the fifth day in a row. (Reuters) Though many European countries have eased Covid travel restrictions, Spain recently announced that adults must still be fully vaccinated to enter the country. (The Guardian) The FDA approved the first nonprescription test for detecting Covid, influenza A and B, and respiratory syncytial virus earlier this week, and people can administer it at home. (NBC) | | Before he goes through with his planned Twitter acquisition, Elon Musk has said he wants to figure out how many accounts on the platform are bots. How do you do that? It could get complicated. | | In the beginning, there was the Arpanet, a military-funded experiment that gave rise to the internet as we know it. At least, that's the way the story goes. But the origins of the World Wide Web are actually far more nuanced. | |
