An informed guide to the pandemic, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. |
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 | | The New York Times |
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Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, is the latest major political figure to test positive for the coronavirus. Adams is fully vaccinated, has received one booster shot and says he is experiencing very mild symptoms. |
It's usually hard to track how someone was exposed to the virus, but Adams attended the Gridiron Club dinner in Washington last weekend. The formal event appears to have seeded dozens of infections among political officials and journalists, including Attorney General Merrick Garland and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. |
That outbreak has not slowed the whirlwind spring season of parties in the U.S. capital. |
"After two years at home, the power brokers of the nation's capital are determined to get back to the serious business of having fun," The Washington Post reported. "The calculation: The rewards, at least for the vaccinated and boosted, outweigh the possible risk of catching the milder variants of the disease." |
That's a calculation many Americans have also made, but those decisions may soon become more fraught: Nationally, cases have begun to rise again. |
Across the country, there are, on average, more than 31,000 new virus cases being reported each day, as of Sunday, a 3 percent increase from two weeks ago, according to a Times database. |
"This is not going to be eradicated, and it's not going to be eliminated," Dr. Fauci said on Sunday. "And what's going to happen is that we're going to see that each individual is going to have to make their calculation of the amount of risk that they want to take in going to indoor dinners and in going to functions." |
When Eric Adams announced his positive Covid test Sunday, he quickly took the opportunity to spread the word about antiviral medications. |
Adams, who has a history of diabetes, is one of millions of Americans who qualify for the drugs Paxlovid and molnupiravir. When taken within days of a positive test, they can drastically reduce an at-risk patient's chances of being hospitalized. |
But often, patients don't hear of antiviral options, writes our colleague Anne Barnard, an environment and climate reporter for the Metro desk who had Covid last week. Anne's doctor's office didn't mention them. Only after hearing that the mayor was on antivirals did she realize she might be eligible. When Anne checked out a New York City-administered antiviral program, she received a prescription easily. |
We also talked to our colleague Knvul Sheikh, who has written extensively about Covid and antivirals. She said antivirals caught on slowly, both because initial supply was low and because even doctors were confused about access. But under President Biden's "test to treat" program, the drugs are increasingly obtainable free after a diagnosis. Those over 65, pregnant women and those with diabetes, cancer, kidney disease and other conditions are eligible. |
To start the process, call your primary-care doctor after testing positive or use a website like this one, this one or this one. At designated "test to treat" locations, you can be prescribed immediately. Antivirals can interact with other medications, so discuss that with your prescriber. |
Knvul told us that one of the most important things she learned was that those in antiviral eligible groups should move quickly: "After you've crossed the five day mark, you can no longer get these medicines," Knvul said. "You might pass sniffles off as allergies when it could be Covid. If you test sooner rather than later it will give you more time to act." |
She added, "If you're living in an area starting to see a rise in cases, maybe be proactive and find the closest dispensing location near you, in case you get sick." |
As antiviral treatments become more widely available, we'd like to know: Have you or a loved one used them? What was your experience? We want to know if they were easy to find or noticeably eased symptoms. Please use this form to respond; your responses may be used in a future newsletter. |
Tensions rise in Shanghai |
The lockdown in Shanghai, China's most populous city, has entered a second week, and residents are reaching the limits of their patience. The shutdown has caused food shortages and reduced access to medical care, according to local reports. |
But the government appears to be holding fast to the strict measures. "We cannot let our guard down," a top health official told residents in an interview with state media on Sunday, arguing that the closures were the best way to ensure "people first, lives first." |
In other news: China's lockdowns and restrictions are creating further disruptions to global supply chains. Guangzhou, a manufacturing hub, has begun limiting entries and exits amid a major uptick, The Associated Press reports. The city said last week that it would test all 18 million of its residents after fewer than 30 locally transmitted cases were reported over the previous seven days. |
- A trucker demonstration that protested in the Washington D.C. area in February has returned to California, protesting at City Hall in Los Angeles.
- An experimental drug halved the death rate among critically ill Covid patients, its maker said on Monday.
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I moved to Shanghai in September of 2019 for an exciting new position. In December, I decided to accept the two-week quarantine and risk of no return and go home for an extended visit. I was able to properly grieve the loss of my grandfather — who passed in fall 2020 from Covid, at 94 — as well as spend much needed time with family. I spent so much energy and effort to get back to China, my new "home," only to return to a three-week strict hotel quarantine, followed almost immediately by the lockdown of Shanghai. I now sit here, bartering for food and water, watching parents and children be separated, and pets killed, thinking "What was it that I rushed back for?" It feels like we are going into a terrible nightmare. — Andi Archer, Shanghai |
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