Today again the top story is that Merck has developed a possible treatment for Covid-19. The experimental drug, molnupiravir, apparently keeps the virus from replicating.
The pill, which is under FDA review, would be available for patients to take at home, keeping the disease under control and avoiding hospitalization.
It appears to work best when administered soon after a patient is diagnosed and may not be as effective as monoclonal antibodies, but those require a patient to be hospitalized and receive an intravenous transfusion.
So this is how the pandemic may end, similar to how another terrible pandemic, AIDS, was brought under control by similar antiviral drugs.
If so, the toll will still have been terrible -- over 5 million dead globally with 2,000 a day still dying here in the highly-vaccinated U.S.
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For some reason I love the following story from Reuters: "Old Irish Goats Protect Dublin Hills From Wildfires."
According to the piece, a "bearded, indigenous breed near extinction love to eat the highly flammable vegetation and the local council hopes grazing by a herd of 25 will leave the north Dublin suburb of Howth less prone to natural wildfires."
* The pill that could change the Covid fight (Politico)
* U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses 700,000 Despite Wide Availability of Vaccines (NYT)
* Koch-backed group fuels opposition to school mask mandates, leaked letter shows (WP)
* Inflation Warning Signs Flash Red, Posing Challenge for Washington (NYT)
* Global COVID-19 deaths hit 5 million as Delta variant sweeps the world (Reuters)
* South Pole posts most severe cold season on record, a surprise in a warming world (WP)
* In Portugal, There Is Virtually No One Left to Vaccinate (NYT)
* Merck COVID-19 pill success slams Moderna shares, shakes up healthcare sector (Reuters)
* The Colorado River Is in Crisis. The Walton Family Is Pushing a Solution.-- The first-ever official shortage on the Colorado River has intensified a debate over how to provide water for 40 million people across the Southwest and irrigate fields of thirsty crops. No voice is more influential than that of the Walton family, billionaire heirs to the Walmart fortune. (WSJ)
* As coronavirus cases mount and vaccine mandates spread, holdouts plague police and fire departments (WP)
* California to Mandate Covid-19 Vaccines for All Students as Soon as Next Fall (NYT)
* Apple Doesn’t Make Videogames. But It’s the Hottest Player in Gaming.--CEO Tim Cook quietly turned the iPhone company into a superpower in the videogame business. Now he’s fighting rivals in a multiplayer universe. (WSJ)
* Alaska’s vanishing salmon push Yukon River tribes to brink (AP)
* Afghan girls stuck at home, waiting for Taliban plan to re-open schools (Reuters)
* Women’s March protesters rally across U.S. to protect Roe v. Wade (WP
| * Millions of Indian kids have been out of school for 18 months. The break threatens decades of progress. (WP) |
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