When US President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address last year, as the highly contagious Omicron variant drove a new wave of Covid cases around the world, he praised America's progress in the fight against the virus and outlined his plan to emerge from the worst of the pandemic. Addressing the nation on Tuesday night, he struck a triumphant tone about the success of that strategy, saying: "Today, Covid no longer controls our lives." Life does look a lot more normal this year. Fears over another surge of the virus this winter have not been realized. The 7-day average of deaths in the US, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is around 493, a small fraction of the 2,313 at this time last year.
Speaking to a packed – and at times raucous – Congress on Tuesday evening, Biden paused to recognize how far America has come in the fight against the pandemic.
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"Covid no longer controls our lives," Biden told Congress. |
"While the virus is not gone, thanks to the resilience of the American people, we have broken Covid's grip on us," Biden said, while urging Americans to "remain vigilant" in the fight against Covid. "We still need to monitor dozens of variants and support new vaccines and treatments. So Congress needs to fund these efforts and keep everyone safe." His speech comes as the White House readies itself to end two national emergency declarations to help fight the coronavirus. In January, the Biden administration extended the national and public health emergency declaration, for what it said would be one final time. The emergency is scheduled to end on May 11 – and with it, many of the benefits and laws issued during the pandemic. Among the laws set to change is Title 42, the Trump-era border restriction invoked at the onset of the pandemic. "Absent other relevant developments, the end of the public health emergency will (among other consequences) terminate the Title 42 orders and moot this case," Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in a filing submitted to the Supreme Court.
Title 42 allowed border officials to turn away migrants encountered at the US-Mexico border in the name of Covid prevention – but there have been concerns that the law has been used more for political than for public health purposes.
IN OTHER NEWS
- For months, Federal Reserve officials have blamed a dwindling supply of US workers for elevated inflation levels. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in December that Covid-related deaths accounted for a large chunk of the structural labor shortage in the economy. That's why some economists and health care advocates were surprised on Wednesday when central bankers decided to no longer list public health readings among the data points they'll consider in assessing economic conditions and prescribing monetary policy changes going forward. As long Covid continues to put a dent in the workforce, experts say it's premature to count Covid out as an economic issue. Read our full report here.
- Stuck at home due to Covid restrictions, Chinese savers socked away a record $2.6 trillion last year. Household savings at banks were up 80% from 2021, according to the People's Bank of China. That's more than one third of households' total income. Now that life is returning to normal, hopes are high that consumers will indulge in "revenge spending," providing a much-needed boost to the world's second largest economy, the impacts of which would be felt across the globe. But the country's property crash may act as a laggard in consumption. Since real estate accounts for 70% of household wealth in China, "revenge spending" will be limited, analysts say.
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| Global Cases 672,118,663 Global Deaths 6,847,270 |
| US Cases 102,647,451 US Deaths 1,112,159 |
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Source: Johns Hopkins University |
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Q What's happening to New York's vaccine mandate? A New York City is set to end its controversial Covid-19 vaccine mandate for municipal employees on Friday, terminating a policy that has at times pitted the city's leadership against its workforce, and prompted numerous lawsuits. "With more than 96% of city workers and more than 80% of New Yorkers having received their primary Covid-19 series and more tools readily available to keep us healthy, this is the right moment for this decision," Democratic Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement, announcing that vaccination would become optional for city workers. The roughly 1,780 municipal employees who were fired for not complying with the mandate will not be automatically reinstated and will have to reapply for their old jobs, the city said. Read the full story here. |
Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you're facing: +1 347-322-0415.
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Aside from the normal precautions of avoiding getting sick from a Covid-19 infection, there may be another trick. People who have a healthy lifestyle before Covid-19 infection may have a lower risk of long Covid than their peers, a new study says. The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, looked at almost 2,000 women who reported a positive Covid-19 test between April 2020 and November 2021. The researchers looked at six modifiable lifestyle factors: body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, sleep, and exercise. They found that a healthy pre-infection lifestyle was associated with a lower risk of Covid-19 symptoms that last for four weeks or longer. Women who met five or six of the criteria for a healthy lifestyle had almost half the risk of long Covid as women who met none of the criteria. Read more here. |
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CORONAVIRUS: FACT vs FICTION |
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