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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 | | Covid-19 hospitalizations have fallen by 10 percent over the past two weeks in New York State.Dave Sanders for The New York Times |
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In Vermont, for example, hospitalization numbers have dropped by more than 40 percent in the past two weeks. |
 | | Covid patients in hospitals and I.C.U.s in Vermont.The New York Times |
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Hospitalizations have also declined over 20 percent in Massachusetts and roughly 10 percent in Maine, Connecticut and New York. Case numbers in the region have also declined significantly. |
Every other U.S. region is seeing a rise in hospitalizations, particularly the southern states of Alabama and Louisiana, where hospitalizations have risen by at least 70 percent. |
 | | Covid patients in hospitals and I.C.U.s in Alabama.The New York Times |
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So what do these numbers tell us about the outlook for the summer? Unfortunately, interpreting Covid data has become much more complex than it was in previous waves, when more cases usually led to more hospitalizations and deaths. |
The shift to more widespread home testing means that many cases are no longer being logged by health officials (here's how you can help). Only a few state health departments, like those in Colorado and Washington, collect data from home tests. The result is that official case counts are becoming an increasingly unreliable measure of the virus's true toll. |
Hospitalization data, while better, is also not perfect. More than 29,000 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 across the country, an increase of 16 percent over the past two weeks. But that figure includes patients who are in the hospital because they are very ill with Covid-19, as well as those admitted for other reasons, who test positive on arrival. |
 | | Covid patients in hospitals and I.C.U.s in the U.S.The New York Times |
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A better metric might be the number of Covid patients in intensive care units. Currently, there are 3,000 patients in intensive care with Covid, which is about 11 percent of all hospitalized patients with Covid. |
That is the lowest rate since September 2020, and it has held steady since early May, even as hospitalizations have increased overall. That's a good sign and could reflect several factors: Doctors have become better at fighting the disease, Pfizer's Covid pills may be having an effect and Americans may be slightly better protected against the disease. The U.S. also saw a modest bump in people receiving boosters during the latest surge. |
 | | The New York Times |
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As for what lies ahead, the overall situation will most likely improve into the summer, said Dr. Bill Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. But that trend could also be temporary. |
"Things are likely to be somewhat worse, especially in the fall and winter," he said. |
C.E.O.s versus the culture shift |
If some corporate leaders get their way, there will be a new test for workplace devotion — and anyone who opts for remote work will get a failing grade. But can C.E.O.s really claw their way back to 2019? |
This past week, Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to Tesla and SpaceX employees: Return to the office for at least 40 hours per week — or lose your job. Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan, said last month that working from home wasn't for people who wanted "to hustle." And Mayor Eric Adams of New York City recently announced a strict policy of in-person work for city employees as he aimed to revive the city's tax base. |
But for all of the power wielded by Musk, Dimon and Adams, they may be fighting a culture shift that is larger than any single company or city, my colleague Vivian Giang wrote in the DealBook newsletter. |
There are signs that the work-from-home trend is actually accelerating. One recent survey published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that employers said they would allow employees to work from home an average of 2.3 days per week — up from 1.5 days in the summer of 2020. |
At its core, the battle over remote work is a test of corporate America's definition of an ideal worker. For decades or even longer, that has been a person who prioritizes the job above all else and has no outside commitments. |
"For many C.E.O.s and managers, that's how they worked. That's how they succeeded and that's the only way they know," said Brigid Schulte, the director of the Better Life Lab program at the think tank New America. "All of this was completely false; it was totally a fake story we've been telling ourselves." |
What else we're following |
- Britain's prime minister, troubled by a scandal over parties during lockdown, survived a no-confidence vote, but was left politically wounded.
- Officials are warning of an Omicron resurgence in Shanghai, with 13 new cases since the lifting of strict lockdown restrictions earlier this month, The South China Morning Post reports.
- Migrant workers clashed with police in Beijing over virus restrictions, The Telegraph reports.
- The Washington Post explores how long Covid may change the way we understand disability.
- The promise of mRNA vaccines was that they could quickly be retooled for new variants. So where's the Omicron booster?
- A new coronavirus has been found among rodents in Sweden, but scientists say the disease does not pose an immediate threat, Science Alert reports.
- The C.D.C. warned of community spread of monkeypox in the U.S., after three confirmed cases were found among people who had not traveled abroad, Politico reports.
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My family has moved on as if there is no pandemic. I, on the other hand, have remained diligent. I have asthma and am considered high-risk so I wear an N95 everywhere I go. No indoor dining for me, and I have not gone on any trips. I work from home and I have saved $60,000 since 2020. While others are planning vacations and catching Covid, I am planning my retirement in 12 years, reaping the benefits and remaining Covid free! — Kimberly Mitchell, Michigan |
Let us know how you're dealing with the pandemic. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. |
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