Mutations

Covid is already deadlier this year than all of 2020. So why do many in U.S. think the problem’s over? In the global scramble for Covid-19 vaccines, high-income countries, predictably, have sought to secure stocks for their own populations first. Sam Meredith CNBC

As the U.S. pushes ahead with its reopening, easing mask mandates and lifting public health restrictions, much of the rest of the world is seeing an alarming surge in the number of Covid-19 infections and deaths.

They relied on Chinese COVID vaccines. Now they’re battling outbreaks. Recent infections in Mongolia, Bahrain, Chile and the Seychelles suggest that the Chinese vaccines they use may not be very effective at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, particularly the new variants. The Seattle Times

Mongolia promised its people a “COVID-free summer.” Bahrain said there would be a “return to normal life.” The tiny island nation of the Seychelles aimed to jump-start its economy.

The dangerous Delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading so quickly in the United States that it's likely the mutant strain will become predominant in the U.S. within weeks, according to a new analysis.

The variant, first identified in India, is the most contagious yet and, among those not yet vaccinated, may trigger serious illness in more people than other variants do, say scientists tracking the spread of infection.

The Delta variant apparently already accounts for at least 14% of all new infections, according to the research analysis posted online Monday of more than 242,000 infections nationwide over the last six months.