Virus Briefing: Americans are not getting their boosters

Plus China sticks with "zero Covid" and how to plan for a holiday wave.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 17, 2022 Here's your update on the coronavirus pandemic and other virus news. TOP NEWS Rosem Morton for The New York Times As White House Presses for Booster Shots, Americans Are Slow to Get Them Only about 15 million doses of the new shots have been administered so far, and many Americans appear to be unaware of or simply uninterested in them. By Noah Weiland Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times China is sticking to its 'zero Covid' policy. Xi Jinping doubled down on the idea that the measures have saved lives and vowed to continue the stringent set of policies. By Alexandra Stevenson Mark R Cristino/EPA, via Shutterstock China's Leader Strikes a Defiant Note, Warning of 'Stormy Seas' Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third term as leader during a pivotal meeting of the Communist Party, extending his authoritarian rule over the country. By Chris Buckley, Keith Bradsher, Vivian Wang and Austin Ramzy Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times 'We're All Over This Place': Building a Fortress for Beijing's Moment The authorities in China have arrested a million criminal suspects, curbed travel to Beijing to keep Covid out, and deployed an army of neighborhood monitors. By Vivian Wang Getty Images Another Covid Wave Could be Coming. Here's How to Make Your Holiday Plans. As our third pandemic winter approaches, you can mitigate risk without missing out. By Dani Blum Justin J Wee for The New York Times In New York, Masks Will Not Be Required at the Opera or Ballet Many arts groups, worried about alienating older patrons, have maintained strict rules. Now "the time has come to move on," one leader said. By Javier C. Hernández What else we're following Coronavirus Two Omicron subvariants — BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 — are on the rise in the U.S., accounting for 11 percent of cases, up from 1 percent a week ago, U.S. News reports. Covid hospitalizations are increasing in Canada, CTV reports. Some doctors in Hong Kong have doubts about long Covid and how it should be treated, The South China Morning Post reports. The Guardian published a new series about long Covid and those who are living with it. Monkeypox Ontario's top health official is weighing whether to declare the monkeypox outbreak over, CP24 reports. New Zealand decided not to offer financial support to those isolating with a monkeypox infection, 1 News reports. Cases in the U.S. are down, but NPR looks at whether we can eliminate the virus. Salon asks: Are we celebrating the gains against the virus too soon? Polio The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $1.2 billion to eradicate polio around the globe, The Associated Press reports. Ebola Uganda locked down two regions for three weeks as cases in the country rise, CNN reports. Other viruses Pediatric doctors in five states said their hospital bed capacity was strained because of a sudden rise in RSV, a common virus that causes lung infections and can severely sicken infants, NBC News reports. Email your thoughts to virusbriefing@nytimes.com. Did a friend forward you the briefing? Sign up here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Virus Briefing from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018