Fauci says U.S. rates declining but coronavirus not yet under control

Fauci on Wednesday said health experts are not expecting a variant “that’s going to outstrip the capability of delta,” even as another one has just been detected in Louisiana.

Dubbed B.1.630, the iteration was sequenced last week from two samples collected in Baton Rouge. First detected in March in the Dominican Republic, it is one of over a dozen “variants under monitoring” designated by the World Health Organization.

Since May 2020, the covid-causing virus has mutated into a slew of variants — yet none as potent as delta, which drove a surge in cases throughout August and September in the United States.

After another period of acceleration, coronavirus cases in the United States are falling again but the virus is not yet under “control,” Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, said Wednesday.

“We had an acceleration. We had a peak. … All three of the parameters — cases, hospitalizations and deaths — are going down. But we have got to do better than that.”

The comments from the White House’s chief medical adviser come amid hope that the summer surge fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus is ebbing.

As companies across many industries navigate the future of work — with some employees working permanently at home and others slowly returning to the office — they’re experimenting with how best to offer their scattered workforces perks to help keep employees motivated. The days of endlessly flowing kombucha and cold brew, meditation rooms and Friday massages may be on hold as companies tweak their budgets for a new style of work. But they are getting creative with digital perks, from wellness services to subscription snack boxes and virtual events to keep employees engaged using technology.

What are you going to believe: Official statements or social media?

The Southwest Airlines cancellations over the weekend are a good example of how news travels on two different tracks today.

In the part of the United States that relies on traditional media, rumors that the cancellations were the result of a pilot protest over coronavirus vaccine mandates were dismissed because, well, there was no evidence. Official entities, such as the airline, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Southwest pilots union, all issued statements saying the rumors were false.

Hollywood production workers pushing for a larger share of pandemic-era profits and better working conditions will walk off the job Monday unless they win concessions on bathroom and meal breaks and other issues in contract negotiations, their union announced.

Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees contend that television and film studios have raked in massive profits during the coronavirus pandemic as consumers have turned to streaming options to fill more time at home. But they say those gains have not extended to workers who now put in significantly longer workweeks. The union seeks to have new rest periods, meal breaks and pay raises for entry-level workers codified in a new collective-bargaining agreement.

Congressional Democrats on Wednesday called on the Biden administration to bring new pressure on Moderna and potentially disclose details of the company’s mRNA vaccines, as tensions build over whether the company has sufficiently shared its know-how with the developing world.

“Despite receiving huge sums of public funding from American taxpayers, Moderna has refused calls to share its technology, including from the U.S. government,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and her colleagues wrote to Biden administration officials in a letter shared with The Washington Post.

Here’s what to know about the top coronavirus stories around the globe from news service reports:

• An extreme-right party’s violent exploitation of anger over Italy’s coronavirus restrictions is forcing authorities to wrestle with the country’s fascist legacy and fueling fears there could be a replay of last week’s mobs trying to force their way to Parliament.
• Controversy is brewing in Britain after the United Nations tasked controversial former health minister Matt Hancock with “supporting Africa’s path to recovery” from the pandemic. Critics questioned the choice of Hancock, who led an early government response to the pandemic that was characterized as a historic failure in a landmark report Tuesday.
• The Russia-backed separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday reported the largest spike in new coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic, saying the health-care system has been overwhelmed. The separatist authorities have asked Russia for more assistance, and a convoy is expected to deliver Russian vaccines, ventilators and other medical equipment Thursday.
• In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte suggested that people reluctant to get vaccinated against the coronavirus should be immunized in their sleep.
• Venezuela’s former defense minister and retired general Raúl I. Baduel, considered a political prisoner by the opposition, died Tuesday of covid-19-related heart failure, the country’s top public prosecutor said.
• Nearly all eligible residents of Canberra, the capital of Australia, will be vaccinated by the end of November, according to Andrew Barr, chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). He estimated that “the ACT will be one of the most vaccinated cities in the world.”

Since federal health agencies endorsed a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for certain Americans, more than 7 million people have received boosters, said Jeff Zients, the White House’s covid-19 response coordinator.

“Our program is off to a very strong start and continues to accelerate,” he said in a news conference Wednesday, adding that one third of all eligible seniors had received their booster doses.

For now, the extra dose is available only for people 65 and older, residents of long-term-care facilities and individuals ages 18 to 64 who either have underlying medical conditions or are at an increased risk for covid-19 because of occupational or institutional setting. Yet its availability underscores the Biden administration’s push to expand vaccination.