MIXED MESSAGES
A series of comments by top officials, including Dr. Fauci, have muddied the discussion not just on school reopenings but on COVID vaccinations, underscoring a Biden team dilemma.
Erin Banco is a national security reporter for The Daily Beast and holds a master's degree from the Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She has worked as a Middle East correspondent for Newsweek Media Group and as a freelance journalist in Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and Syria. Her work can be found in The New York Times, Newsweek Magazine, CNN, and The Intercept. Send her tips: erin.banco@thedailybeast.com or tips@thedailybeast.com. You can also use our anonymous document submission system, SecureDrop. Click here to find out how.
UNFATHOMABLE
“I know all too well,” he said, appearing to keep back tears.
‘Sword of Damocles’
Health officials worry the fallout from this week’s brutal deep freeze will drive COVID infections up when it looked like the country was just starting to make progress.
No Relief
“We don’t know how long this is going to go on.”
RACE AGAINST TIME
As lethal new U.K. and South African strains gain ground and threaten to again drive up case numbers, the CDC is enlisting top institutions for help on surveillance.
BLAME GAME
Over granola bars and other snacks at the Jan. 5 meeting, participants discussed the extent to which states were “failing in their vaccine rollout,” one attendee said.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Federal health officials announced a detailed set of guidelines for reopening schools, adding that vaccinations for teachers should be seen as an “additional layer of protection.”
MURKY PICTURE
The CDC says more than 463,000 Americans have died from the virus. But the real number is likely higher—and analyzing “excess deaths” over the past year may be the key.
COLD TURKEY
Dr. Fauci is still “cautiously optimistic” that life can return to normal by the beginning of the fall. But others worry that we may not get there until the early winter.
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JOIN TOGETHER
Similar partnerships between big pharma companies have already been struck in Europe.