U.S. Coronavirus Cases Are Down but Eclipse Spring and Summer Peaks New cases have fallen almost 50 percent since the highest peak, on Jan. 8. Still, the numbers are far higher than at any point before Oct. 1. nytimes

The worst of the current wave of coronavirus infections seems to be behind us, with the seven-day rolling average of new cases trending down in almost every part of the country. Nationally, that average peaked on Jan. 8 at nearly 260,000 new cases; the figure for Feb. 3, 136,442, amounts to a 47 percent drop from that peak.

Countdown to 'catastrophe:' Inside Europe's fight for COVID shots In a meeting last week in the Europa building in Brussels, home of the European Union's political leadership, diplomats for the 27 member states were desperate. Francesco Guarascio, John Chalmers U.S.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - In a meeting last week in the Europa building in Brussels, home of the European Union’s political leadership, diplomats for the 27 member states were desperate.

UK backs CureVac effort to make vaccine for COVID variants LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government announced Friday that it plans to work with a German biopharmaceutical company to develop vaccines targeting emerging variants of COVID-19 as public health... AP NEWS

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government announced Friday that it plans to work with a German biopharmaceutical company to develop vaccines targeting emerging variants of COVID-19 as public health officials call for new tools to keep the virus in check as it mutates.

J&J applies for emergency authorization; FDA expected to greenlight in coming weeks If it is authorized, the Covid-19 would be U.S.'s third. NBC News

Johnson & Johnson submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration Thursday for an emergency use authorization for its experimental Covid-19 vaccine.

CDC director says schools can safely reopen without vaccinating teachers Teachers do not need to get vaccinated against Covid-19 before schools can safely reopen, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Berkeley Lovelace Jr. CNBC

Teachers do not need to get vaccinated against Covid-19 before schools can safely reopen, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

International Red Cross sets goal of immunizing 500 million people A coalition of Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations set a goal of 500 million coronavirus vaccinations in developing nations, saying international health care disparities would have “deadly Zack Budryk TheHill

A coalition of Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations set a goal of 500 million coronavirus vaccinations in developing nations, saying international health care disparities would have “deadly consequences.”

Factbox: Latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus As more countries announce vaccine and immunisation programmes, researchers begin to explore mixing doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine shots to prepare them for about 4,000 different coronavirus variants worldwide. Reuters Staff U.S.

*New vaccination centres are due to open this month in the heart of two California communities especially hard hit by the coronavirus.

As pandemic fatigue sets in, trauma and exhaustion plague health care workers

NY Times:

 ....  Doctors, paramedics and nurses’ aides have been hailed in the United States as frontline Covid-19 warriors, but gone are the days when people applauded workers outside hospitals and on city streets. A year into the pandemic, with emergency rooms packed again, vaccines in short supply and more contagious variants of the virus threatening to unleash a fresh wave of infections, medical workers are feeling burned out and unappreciated.

Some health care experts are calling for a national effort to track the psychological well-being of medical professionals, much like the federal health program that monitors workers who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

China arrests suspects in fake COVID-19 vaccine ring TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese police have arrested more than 80 suspected members of a criminal group that was manufacturing and selling fake COVID-19 vaccines, including to other countries.... AP NEWS

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese police have arrested more than 80 suspected members of a criminal group that was manufacturing and selling fake COVID-19 vaccines, including to other countries.