Axios

Fifty weeks ago, a community-based media center in Manhattan gave handheld cameras to five young New York filmmakers whose families were helping keep the city running during shutdown.

The impact: "COVID Diaries NYC," a 39-minute documentary available on demand beginning Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.

A rush of summer overnight camps are reopening this year in states like Maine, Massachusetts and New York.

Why it matters: Parents say their kids deserve "a glimpse of normal life" after a year in lockdown, while camps are getting ready to open as fully as they can because "campers and staff need this experience,” American Camp Association CEO Tom Rosenberg told AP.

New guidelines published Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend annual lung cancer screenings for people as young as 50 and with shorter smoking histories than previously thought necessary.

Why it matters: The advice will make 6.4 million more Americans eligible for the yearly screening, including more women and African Americans, who tend to develop lung cancer earlier than white men despite smoking less, according to the New York Times.

Los Angeles schools superintendent Austin Beutner says he knew the coronavirus had pushed the world to a tipping point in February 2020 when his city jumped from one confirmed coronavirus case to 14 cases in a matter of days.

Why it matters: In an interview Tuesday with Axios Re:Cap, Beutner recalls how the second-largest school district in the U.S. prepared to shut down while making sure its most vulnerable families had the resources of more affluent classmates.

San Francisco officials prioritized addressing women's inequality in the city's pandemic response "from day one," Mayor London Breed told Axios in a virutal event on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Women have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly a million American mothers have left the workforce as unemployment hits women harder than men. Meanwhile, stay-at-home orders have pushed the bulk of housework onto women, many of which are also juggling child care and heightened discrimination.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has obtained the vial that carried the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered in the U.S., AP reports.

The big picture: The acquisition is part of the museum's plan to document the global pandemic, and it comes just days before the anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralize a potentially more contagious variant of the virus that was first discovered in Brazil, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Why it matters: The results come as experts warn that several new variants — which are already present in the U.S. — could create a new surge in coronavirus cases and prolong the pandemic.

Crown Publishing Group has "paused active support" of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's book on leadership lessons from the pandemic and has "no plans to reprint or reissue in paperback," citing a federal investigation into Cuomo's handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: The embattled governor, who is simultaneously facing several allegations of sexual harassment, was heavily criticized for his decision to publish a book last October about his response to the coronavirus, as the pandemic was still raging.

About 78% of people who were hospitalized, placed on a ventilator or died from COVID-19 were overweight or obese, a new report from the CDC shows.

Why it matters: The findings show risk of severe COVID-19 illness rises sharply with elevated body mass index, especially for people younger than 65.

A year after the coronavirus abruptly shut down much of the country, Americans are watching for a clear signal of when the pandemic will be over — and most won't be ready to ditch the masks and social distancing until they get it, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

The big picture: The poll found that more Americans are expecting the outbreak to be over sooner rather than later, as vaccinations ramp up throughout the country — but that very few are ready to end the precautions that have upended their lives.

More than two-thirds of Americans 75 and older have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, as have more than half of those 65-74, per CDC data.

Why it matters: Any future surge in cases almost certainly wouldn't be as deadly as previous waves, because older people are the most likely to die from the virus.

The maker of a compact electric truck originally marketed for food service is focusing on a new, more urgent purpose: a mobile vaccine unit.

Why it matters: COVID-19 vaccine distribution is a logistical challenge in many communities, with people waiting in snaking lines of cars — and some lacking transportation altogether. Ayro's "electric vaccine vehicle" aims to address those challenges by setting up mobile stations to bring vaccines to the people.