Different Takes: Lessons On How To Protect The Most Americans; Restore Travel Restrictions Because Of Variants

Stat: Antibody-Assisted Vaccination Will Speed The Path To Protection
This combination of lasting immunity and effective vaccines has been the cornerstone of almost all past successes against viruses (HIV, to date, being the key exception). It’s how the scourges of smallpox, polio, measles, mumps, and other infectious diseases have been beaten. And it’s how we are going to beat Covid-19.But even in a best-case scenario, it will be months before enough vaccine doses have been made to treat everyone. With epidemiologists estimating that two-thirds of the population must be immune for the herd protection needed to quell the pandemic, an antibody-assisted approach would let us reach that threshold faster. (Michael Rose, 1/21)

The New York Times: Ethicists Say To Take The Covid-19 Vaccine If You Can 
Last week, as friends of mine learned they would soon be eligible for a Covid-19 vaccination, I received a slew of angst-ridden text messages. A teacher who sees students only once a week wondered if she should wait so teachers who were more at risk could get a shot first. A friend with a health condition who is mostly able to stay home and isolate pondered letting her dose go to someone more deserving. On social media, I stumbled across posts from friends who are eligible for vaccination but could not get appointments — and who were angry that others they knew, whom they considered lower risk, had already been inoculated. As more and more Americans become eligible for Covid-19 vaccines despite their limited supply, deciding whether to take an available shot has turned into a moral quandary. There’s no question that vaccine access has been inequitable across parts of the country. But many medical ethicists agree: If you are eligible for a vaccination, you should get it, no matter how worthy — or unworthy — you feel. (Melinda Wenner Moyer, 1/21)

Los Angeles Times: Lucky Me. I Got My First Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine. But Why?
The urgent text from a friend came late Friday afternoon: If you want to get the COVID-19 vaccine, go immediately to the website for the UC Irvine healthcare system and schedule an appointment. I didn’t wait to ask questions. I clicked the link she sent me and, amazingly enough, it looked as though there were plenty of open spaces each morning throughout the holiday weekend. I picked Monday.Lucky me. The question is, why me? The answer is heart-sinking: Because of disorganized policies at the state level and confusion in the counties. Health authorities are looking to get people vaccinated quickly, a good thing, but that’s resulted in sloppiness and a lack of clarity as officials have set priorities and communicated with the public. (Karin Klein, 1/20)

The Washington Post: The Coronavirus Variants Could Dash Our Hopes Of Getting Back To Normal. We Must Prepare. 
After what feels like the longest year in any adult life, it finally looked as if covid-19 was about to be over. All the old disputes about whether to restrict our lives while we waited for a vaccine or just go about our lives to reach herd immunity naturally had been mooted by the lightning-fast production of two good vaccines. It appears the viruses of South Africa would like a word with us. (Megan McArdle, 1/20)

The New York Times: Is Mask-Slipping The New Manspreading?
When I saw Bill Clinton’s mask slip below his nose during the inaugural festivities, I figured, well, it could happen to any of us. But then John Roberts’s mask was not entirely covering his nose at different points. And even Barack Obama’s mask dipped below the tip of his nose at one point. A couple months back, then-President Trump’s economic adviser Larry Kudlow was spotted outside the West Wing with his mask down. I realized it’s not a Democratic thing. Or a Republican thing. Or an inaugural thing. It’s a male thing. It’s like manspreading, but with masks. Call it manslipping.(James Gorman, 1/20)

The Washington Post: 400,000 Dead. Never Forget These Precious Lives Lost.
That effective vaccines are now being rolled out, albeit not as quickly as needed, and that Wednesday saw the inauguration of a president who has promised a plan of action against the pandemic are reasons for some hope. It is important, though, that we never forget the precious lives lost and how many could have been saved if government had not failed. (1/20)

Los Angeles Times: How Can America Recover From Its Trump-Induced Trauma?
Thursday, the nation will wake up and there will be no tweet from the president of the United States fomenting ignorance and division, encouraging people to act outrageously or to disbelieve science. He won’t be wondering aloud whether bleach, taken internally, would prevent or cure COVID-19. He won’t make a new enemy of another longtime ally or enact a sudden travel ban against predominantly Muslim countries that separates families and strands travelers at airports with visas in hand. (1/21)