August 24, 2020

New U.S. COVID-19 cases drop for a fifth consecutive week and deaths decline, a sustained improvement that runs parallel to the political pressure to speed up vaccine development. Fauci warns that rushing a vaccine could jeopardize testing of other candidates and erode public trust if a prematurely approved shot turns out to be unsafe or ineffective — a caution the Trump administration appears ready to set aside. Nature reports wealthy countries have already pre-ordered more than two billion vaccine doses, raising the prospect that the same global inequality visible in the pandemic’s economic toll will repeat in the distribution of the cure.

The Wall Street Journal runs a piece arguing lockdowns are “overly blunt and costly,” a rare instance of a major outlet questioning the shutdown consensus that has dominated since March. Opioid overdoses rise during the pandemic despite expanded telemedicine access, a reminder that the COVID response’s secondary effects — social isolation, economic stress, disrupted treatment — are not captured in the virus case counts.