An informed guide to the pandemic, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. |
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 | | Daily reported coronavirus cases in the United States, seven-day average.The New York Times |
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The school unmasking debate |
Now that Democratic states like Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey are lifting their mandates, schools in liberal-leaning communities are being forced to decide: When should the masks come off? |
The C.D.C. and the American Academy of Pediatrics continue to call for masking in schools, and some polls show that the public is broadly supportive of the practice. But a well-organized chorus of public health and child development experts, alongside parent activists, say that masking hurts children academically and socially, and are calling for the return to a semblance of normalcy. |
Some embrace masking as a potent health tool and a symbol of progressive values. Others have come to see face coverings as an unfortunate social barrier between their children and the world. Many people are somewhere in between. |
To complicate things further, virus safety plans have been painstakingly negotiated between teachers' unions and districts, and they may be too complex to roll back. |
Teachers' unions have been among the strongest supporters of masking, pushing in recent weeks for their members and students to have access to medical-grade masks and respirators, such as N95s. But individual teachers disagree on how important masks are, and how they are affecting students. |
David Fleishman, the superintendent of schools in Newton, Mass., an affluent liberal suburb of Boston, said he recently received a message from a parent who pushed for ending mask mandates in classrooms. |
But first, he said, the individual felt the need to assure him, "I am not a Trump supporter." |
The view from Central Europe |
Even as Western European countries lift virus restrictions and move toward living with the virus, parts of Central and Eastern Europe are deep in their Omicron waves. Contagion is rising even as the prospect of a nearby war in Ukraine is destabilizing the region. |
For a look at the situation in Poland, I spoke to Ada Petriczko, a Polish reporter on fellowship at The New York Times. |
What's the current virus situation? |
The Omicron wave literally just started. In the past two weeks the Delta variant has started to be replaced by the Omicron variant. Cases are down from a record high in January, but yesterday we had almost 47,000 a day, a jump of 10,000 from the day before, which shows you how quickly it's increasing. |
During the Delta wave in the fall of 2021, experts said they had to make some really difficult decisions regarding which patients would receive I.C.U. beds first. This is not the case now, but we're kind of at a tipping point where we can't be sure which way the wave will go. It's worrying, as we have had one of the highest Covid-related mortality rates in Europe. |
Poland has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the E.U., with only 57 percent of people fully vaccinated. This puts strain on the health care system, which has limited capacity and is underfinanced in comparison to most Western European countries. We also have high vaccine hesitancy. |
Why is there so much hesitancy? |
Experts are saying that the government hasn't really done anything to mobilize the vaccine hesitant. |
I spoke to Miłosz Parczewski, an infectious disease specialist who, until recently, was on the Medical Council, which advised the prime minister of Poland on the handling of the pandemic. In January of last year, 13 of the doctors resigned, claiming that their recommendations had no impact on the real activities of the government. |
Parczewski told me that there was reluctance on the side of the government to take the necessary steps in getting the pandemic under control, like restricting mass events for unvaccinated people, and he believes they refused to impose restrictions because they were afraid of vaccine-hesitant voters. He also said there was a growing tolerance of Covid-19 denialism among members of the government and state officials. |
Is the possibility of war in Ukraine complicating the virus situation? |
Experts I've spoken to have said that it shouldn't complicate the situation in terms of access to drugs or health care for Poles. What could complicate it would be if there was an unforeseen migration of unvaccinated people from Ukraine. We don't know if or when such a migration would take place, but during the next few weeks, the Omicron wave will be at its highest. |
 | | Demonstrators blocking access to the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario.Geoff Robins/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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Automakers are being particularly affected by the partial shutdown of the Ambassador Bridge, which links Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, and accounts for roughly a quarter of the trade between the U.S. and Canada. General Motors canceled two shifts at a factory in Lansing, Mich., while Ford Motor and Toyota have shut down some operations because factories could not get parts that are made in Canada. |
In Toronto, Canada's largest city and financial center, the police yesterday closed roads in the downtown area after seeing social media posts indicating that a truck convoy protest was heading there. |
In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced a barrage of criticism from opposition politicians, including the contention that overzealous restrictions were keeping Canada in a state of permanent emergency. But Trudeau said yesterday that his recent electoral win in September showed that Canadians clearly supported vaccination mandates. He has steadfastly refused to negotiate with the protesters. |
What else we're following |
- The C.D.C. has not officially approved the Pfizer vaccine for children under 5, but it's already telling local health officials they could receive doses by Feb. 21, CNBC reports.
- A large study found that many people infected with Covid-19 were still suffering from heart and vascular disease a year after recovering, Science reports.
- The U.S. Navy discharged 240 service members for refusing to get the vaccine, CNN reports.
- Eager for visitors, the Philippines reopened to international tourists.
- The Oscars ceremony this year won't require audience members to provide proof of vaccination, Variety reports.
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I am completely disgusted with all the Americans refusing to wear masks or get vaccinated and really down on the whole world, since so many countries are experiencing demonstrations against mask and vaccine mandates. We are in a pandemic, but the world is "tired of it" and wants to get back to normal. We are not the people who weathered World War I or World War II. Imagine stating you were tired of the war, so you started protesting rationing, recycling and other home front measures? We have become a whiny bunch of children, instead of understanding that the world has entered a new, terrible era with pandemics that don't respond to people being "tired of them." — Edwina Ekstrom, White Township, N.J. |
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