Coronavirus Briefing: Hitting the Brakes

Drug companies pledged to not distribute a vaccine until it was thoroughly tested.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 8, 2020 An informed guide to the global outbreak, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. (Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.) By Lara Takenaga A large-scale trial of a coronavirus vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford has been put on hold, after a participant in the U.K. appeared to have had a severe adverse reaction, STAT reported tonight. Senate Republicans plan to move forward with a scaled-back stimulus plan, which is expected to include $300 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits. The rate of positive coronavirus tests in New York State has stayed below 1 percent for 30 straight days, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced over the weekend. Get the latest updates here, as well as maps and trackers for U.S. metro areas and vaccines in development. Racing to understand Covid-19 immunity Nine drug companies pledged today to “stand with science” and not release a coronavirus vaccine until it met rigorous safety and efficacy standards. Normally in competition with one another, the companies banded together in an effort to reassure the public that they would not bow to pressure from the Trump administration and prematurely rush out a vaccine. The promise came after repeated claims from President Trump that a vaccine could be available by Election Day. “We’ll have the vaccine soon, maybe before a special date,” he said just yesterday. “You know what date I’m talking about.” The companies said they would follow guidance from agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and complete large clinical trials before any potential vaccine was released. But until the day that the first vaccine arrives, your face covering could act as a stand-in. Researchers have proposed the new theory that masks might offer a crude form of immunization, by allowing some but not all virus particles to be breathed in, lowering people’s chances of getting sick while potentially provoking an immune response to fight the pathogens. Though outside experts were intrigued by the idea, they were reluctant to embrace it, in part because trying to prove the theory would involve unethical experiments that expose masked and unmasked people to the virus. Immune systems may be an important driver of risk for older Covid-19 patients. Some scientists suggest that aging can prompt the immune system to enter a heightened state of alert, increasing inflammation and depleting certain disease-fighting cells. That could help explain why people who are 80 and over are hundreds of times more likely to die from the virus than those under 40. The long-haul patients: For some, battling Covid-19 can mean daily fevers, fatigue and other grueling physical symptoms that last months. But the long bouts of illness can also prompt mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Back to school tips For millions of American schoolchildren, the Tuesday after Labor Day traditionally marks the return to their classrooms. This year, instead of boarding buses and lugging backpacks, most of those students are opening their laptops at home. If you’re among the parents, students or teachers trying to navigate this new educational landscape, we’ve got some resources that may be helpful: Every parent knows structure is important; the hard part is maintaining it. Here are five tips from the experts on keeping a routine. Learning through a screen introduces a few new hazards to the school day. Here’s how to protect students’ privacy, and their eyesight. If you’ve got both remote workers and remote learners in your home, here’s advice for giving everyone the space they need. This will be a tough year for teachers, too. But you can take advantage of the circumstances by helping your students find their own answers in the world. Coronavirus Schools Briefing The pandemic is upending education. Get the latest news and tips as students go back to school. Sign up Reopenings India now leads the world in new daily cases and has the second-highest number of total cases as renewed lockdowns contribute to another tragedy: a rise in farmer suicides. Spain topped more than 525,000 total cases on Monday, making it the only country in western Europe to exceed the half-million mark. Israel has backed away from a lockdown plan criticized by ultra-Orthodox leaders who believed their community was being stigmatized. The director of the Tour de France tested positive for the virus and will quarantine for a week. Race officials said he had not been in direct contact with any riders. Here’s a roundup of restrictions in all 50 states. What else we’re following Over Labor Day weekend, the Transportation Security Administration recorded the highest daily count of travelers going through security since March, prompting worries about a rise in infections, The Washington Post reports. President Xi Jinping of China today declared the country’s success in suppressing the virus, pointing to it as a vindication of Communist Party rule. A Chinese drug company that has tested coronavirus vaccines on its employees said the workers traveled to countries with large outbreaks without becoming infected. Few U.S. testing sites will screen children, limiting schools’ ability to quickly isolate and trace virus cases among students. Manhattan’s office buildings are ghost towns. With employees still working from home, many businesses have delayed signing leases until rents drop and the pandemic passes. An Ironman triathlon in Estonia over the weekend was the first of its kind since March. For many competitors, just getting to the starting line proved to be as challenging as the race itself. The grocery landscape has changed in the United States as consumers find shelves stocked with fewer choices, stores redesigned for social distancing and more online options. What you’re doing I started restoring old rusted tools that had been in the garage for years. The repetitive manual activity over many hours of scrubbing, sanding and polishing has a calming effect. One item was a handsaw that belonged to my grandfather. It was made in 1917. It survived the 1918 Spanish flu and has now found a new “life” during Covid-19. — Walter Doubell, Gauteng, South Africa Let us know how you’re dealing with the pandemic. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. Email your thoughts to briefing@nytimes.com. Did a friend forward you the briefing? Sign up here. Need help? 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