The Curve: As U.S. surpasses 500,000 deaths, is an end in sight?
Pandemic news in your inbox for Monday, Feb. 22, 2021
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The latest
A look at the picture in Ohio: 1,461 new cases, 67 additional deaths on Sunday
And here’s what things are like across the country: Latest case count in the U.S.
Multiple factors driving drop in COVID-19 cases
New cases of the coronavirus have fallen dramatically throughout the last several weeks, I reported in my latest story for The Columbus Dispatch. The drop is likely due to a variety of reasons, including vaccinations, natural immunity from infections, fewer holiday gatherings and more.
Johns Hopkins doctor: COVID, Bye 👋
Could the United States actually achieve herd immunity in a matter of weeks? That’s what one Johns Hopkins University doctor suggests in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health, thinks a recent drop in cases means far more Americans may have been infected than have been confirmed.
‘Our generation’s D-Day:' COVID deaths surpass 500,000 in the U.S.
In less than a year, the number of people killed by the coronavirus has surpassed half-a-million, reports Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today. For comparison, the D-Day invasion during World War II claimed the lives of about 405,000 U.S. service members, Ortiz reports. Several days of the pandemic are considered some of the deadliest in American history.
💉 Next in line: Waiting for a vaccine
Millions of Americans are waiting their place in line for a coronavirus vaccine. This week, the FDA will consider emergency approval for a third shot.
J&J has only a few million doses ready to go for vaccine launch
Although a third COVID-19 vaccine will be welcomed by many, Johnson & Johnson may not be able to provide a big bump to supply right away, reports Berkeley Lovelace for CNBC. On the plus side, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be one dose instead of two like the ones already on the market from Pfizer and Moderna.
Ohio State asks White House to prioritize cancer patients for vaccine
In another of my latest stories for The Dispatch, I report that Ohio State University’s cancer hospital is one of 133 organizations that have asked President Joe Biden to set shots aside for cancer patients, who are considered immunocompromised. Biden’s own son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015.
People who had COVID may get single vaccine dose, studies suggest
It’s possible that people who already had COVID-19 may have enough natural immunity that they don’t need two doses of a vaccine, recent studies show. The first dose of a coronavirus vaccine appears to “turbocharge” the immune systems of people who already fell ill from COVID-19, reports Apoorva Mandavilli of The New York Times.
Good reads
A look at the best journalism on COVID-19 and health care.
A baby bust rather than a baby boom
At the beginning of the pandemic, doctors predicted a baby boom would occur with so many Americans cooped up in their home with nothing to do. My Columbus Dispatch colleague Ken Gordon reports it’s looking like the opposite has come true though as the pandemic indirectly caused a steep decline in births across the Buckeye State and the nation as a whole.
When could the U.S. reach herd immunity? It’s complicated.
Using interactive graphics, Matthew Conlen and Charlie Smart of The New York Times take a look at when the United States might reach herd immunity for COVID-19, a metric that would allow many people to return to some semblance of a normal life. Depending on the vaccine rollout and rate of infections, Conlen and Smart report that some herd immunity could be reached as early as April and as late as November.
Mom recounts baby's life-threatening COVID complication
Severe cases of COVID-19 are rare in children. But, some develop a severe inflammation in response to the virus. One Ohio mom told Akron Beacon Journal reporter Betty Lin-Fisher about how scared she was when her baby developed the complication referred to as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome.
Schools officials call Gov. Mike DeWine's reopening reprimand unfair
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine established a stipulation for teachers to get the COVID-19 vaccine: They had to be back in the classroom come March. Earlier this month, DeWine slammed some school districts for failing to meet his March 1 deadline, but teachers are saying his reprimand is unreasonable, reports Alissa Widman Neese for The Columbus Dispatch.