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The pandemic led to nearly 15 million excess deaths worldwide in 2020 and 2021, the World Health Organization said in a new estimate published this week. Some of those deaths were caused by the virus, but many occurred as hospitals were overwhelmed with covid-19 patients and people did not receive care for other conditions. Nearly two-thirds of those deaths were concentrated in just 10 countries, including the United States.

The Biden administration on Friday warned that a fall surge could infect up to 100 million people, my colleagues Yasmeen Abutaleb and Joel Achenbach reported. New omicron subvariants that appear to be very good at evading immunity could drive a sharp increase in cases in coming months. And a possible summer surge in the South could use up the nation’s supply of antivirals and tests just before the fall arrives. 

(both from The Washington Post)

From Medscape:

Airliner Wastewater Shows Omicron Entering France by Plane

(Reuters) - Airplane wastewater tests show that requiring proof of COVID vaccination and negative tests before international flights does not necessarily protect countries from the spread of new variants.

Our Biggest Mistakes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Messaging, vaccine distribution, supply issues...

Latest COVID Subvariants Create New Waves, Evade Immunity