In the US, financial and tech companies drop restrictions and mandate a return to the workplace while lockdowns impact China's economy.
The United States government is ending its free at-home Covid-19 test program this week due to a lack of funding and efforts to preserve supply ahead of an anticipated fall surge in cases. The White House – along with the website where people can claim their tests -- blamed Congress for failing to provide additional funding for the program, which provided up to 16 free tests per household since the beginning of the year. It comes as more financial and tech companies drop restrictions and mandate a return to the workplace. Goldman Sachs, which in 2021 became one of the first major companies to call employees back to the office full-time, will no longer require its employees to get vaccinated for Covid, according to a memo obtained by CNN. The policy does not apply to New York City, which has a vaccine mandate in place. As Americans ditch Covid measures, China remains one of the last places in the world to enforce stringent zero-Covid measures, which relies on sweeping digital surveillance, mass testing and snap lockdowns. The southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Monday shut down the world's largest electronics market and suspended public transport nearby as authorities enforced neighborhood-wide lockdowns over a small number of cases. This comes around a week after millions of residents in the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing were mass tested amid a record heat wave and power shortages. These unending restrictions have upended daily life and dealt a heavy blow to China's slowing economy. In July, youth unemployment in China hit a record high, with one in five young people out of work. On Wednesday, Chinese stocks hit a four-week low, while the country's massive manufacturing industry continued to shrink in August following endless stringent Covid restrictions. As Covid-19 evolves, Pfizer's antiviral pill Paxlovid is one of the few treatments that remain effective against new variants. Studies have, however, shown a small percentage of people who take the drug can get a rebound case. This includes First Lady Jill Biden, who tested positive last week on a rebound case of Covid-19 after taking the drug. That said, the antiviral seems to significantly reduce the rates of hospitalization and deaths during the Omicron surge among people age 65 and older, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found last week. There is no evidence that people younger than 65 benefited from taking Paxlovid during the surge, it added. In other news |
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Global Cases 602,382,621
Global Deaths 6,491,316
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| US Cases 94,380,993 US Deaths 1,044,763 |
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Source: Johns Hopkins University |
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Q Do we know when Pfizer's updated booster will be available in the US? A Pfizer and BioNTech's latest Covid-19 booster is expected to be authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the next few days, according to an administration official. The updated booster is a bivalent vaccine which means it was designed to protect against two different variants of the virus, in this case, the original strain and the Omicron sublineages BA.4 and BA.5. On August 23, Moderna submitted its application to the FDA for emergency use authorization of its Omicron booster -- which has already been approved for use in the United Kingdom -- a day after Pfizer/BioNTech submitted theirs. The administration official said it's unclear whether the FDA will authorize Moderna's booster in time for the CDC advisers' meeting on Thursday, where a vaccine advisory committee to the CDC is expected to discuss and vote on Pfizer's booster, another source has said. |
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If you're worried about your kids heading back to school, remember that they are at a low risk of severe illness from Covid-19, Dr. Leana Wen, CNN's medical analyst says. A well-fitted, high-quality mask reduces the risk of transmission and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends indoor masking based on the level of community transmission, she said. "I also think it's reasonable for parents and caregivers to make a different risk calculus," she said. Read more on what precautions families should take as children return to school. |
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CORONAVIRUS: FACT vs FICTION |
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