President Joe Biden will commemorate the victims with a candle lighting ceremony and a moment of silence later today.
Despite the vaccination rollout progress, leading medical experts and associations have pleaded with people to keep following the rules. The pandemic is far from over and the virus keeps spreading, albeit at a slower rate. According to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, another 91,000 Americans are projected to die from the disease by June 1.
“It really is a terrible situation that we’ve been through and that we’re still going through,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “And that’s the reason why we keep insisting to continue with the public health measures — because we don’t want this to get much worse than it already is.”
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED
Q: Do vaccines prevent actual infection or just its symptoms?
A team at the Mayo Clinic health system looked at more than 31,000 people across four states who had received at least one dose of either vaccine — and found the vaccines were upward of 80% effective in preventing infection 36 days after the first dose.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY
This device is crucial in the fight against Covid. It may not work on dark skin
The pulse oximeter has been an essential tool for doctors treating Covid-19 patients. The small clamp-like devices attach painlessly to a patient’s finger and constantly monitor the amount of oxygen in their blood.
Pulse oximeters work by sending two types of red light through your finger to detect the color of your blood; bright red blood is highly oxygenated, while blue or purplish blood is less. If the device isn’t calibrated for darker skin, the pigmentation could affect how the light is absorbed.
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ON OUR RADAR
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce his long-awaited roadmap for taking England out of lockdown, UK government officials confirmed to CNN on Monday morning.
- Australia began its Covid-19 vaccination rollout for frontline workers on Monday, according to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office.
- The hotel that hosted a mostly maskless rally for Florida’s governor is under investigation.
- Bereft of visitors, the Louvre keeps busy with major refit and restorations.
- Inside Europe’s biggest Hindu temple, Covid-19 myths get debunked and vaccines administered.
- A 90-year-old Seattle woman walks six miles in snow to get her Covid-19 vaccine.
- Six Flags plans to open all of its amusement parks for the 2021 season.
- For those with body dysmorphic disorder, masks do more than protect. They help them function.
TOP TIP
Distance learning has taken away a lot of the social and emotional aspects of education, including teaching children about empathy.
“We need to keep reminding children to always think about things from someone else’s perspective. How are they feeling? What are they thinking that made them behave like that?,” she said.
Reading helps, too, Demetriou added. “There is lots of research that shows that books can elicit empathy, and conversation about the characters and stories helps children see what it is like to experience life as another person.”
TODAY’S PODCAST
“I early conceived a liking for and sought every opportunity to be in a position to relieve the suffering of others.” — Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the US