Axios

Blake Byers has stepped down as a general partner with Google Ventures, after an 9-year run during which he invested primarily in biotech companies like Denali, Grail and Neuralink. He also led the earliest outside investment in Robinhood.

Why it matters: Byers was one of the earliest investors at GV, which has become one of the Silicon Valley's most active venture capital firms.

Major League Baseball has postponed its opening series between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets to double down on testing and contact tracing for Nationals players, coaches and staff, the league announced Friday.

Why it matters: After three Nationals players tested positive for the coronavirus this week, MLB is taking precautions to prevent further delays.

Fully vaccinated people can travel domestically and internationally without having to show a negative COVID-19 test or quarantining, but are still recommended to wear a mask and follow public health precautions, according to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why it matters: It's a major incentive for Americans to get vaccinated that will also provide a boost to the U.S. travel industry, which has been financially hammered by the pandemic over the past year.

The federal government is pushing forward on rapid, at-home coronavirus tests.

Why it matters: Testing remains an important part of controlling the pandemic, even as vaccinations continue to rise — both for people who haven't yet been vaccinated, and to catch emerging outbreaks early.

As coronavirus cases rise across the country, some experts are again calling to delay the second doses of vaccines — and to target vaccines to the hardest-hit areas.

Why it matters: America's vaccination strategy should adapt to a changing pandemic, these experts argue.

The acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Regina LaBelle, on Thursday said that drug deaths increased by 26.8% during the coronavirus pandemic.

What she's saying: "We lost 88,000 people in the 12-month period ending in August 2020," LaBelle said, according to NPR.

Facing a brutal new wave of coronavirus cases, India on Thursday made anyone over 45 eligible for vaccination. But the scramble to vaccinate as many people as possible has also meant sharply curtailing exports.

Why it matters: The hopes of vaccinating the world have largely fallen on the shoulders of India, a vaccine manufacturing powerhouse and home to the world’s largest producer, the Serum Institute.

Canada's three biggest provinces this week announced new coronavirus restrictions amid a surge in cases largely driven by COVID-19 variants, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Details: Ontario will enter a four-week limited lockdown — its third lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic — starting Saturday, which will ban all indoor activities. Earlier this week, Quebec closed schools and non-essential businesses, and British Columbia banned indoor activities, including places of worship.

Visit our live coronavirus variant tracker online ↗

America is in a race to vaccinate people before the country is overwhelmed by variants that are spurring a fourth wave of COVID-19.

Why it matters: Spring is here, and when cases were dropping, hope was rising for a more normal summer. But experts warn this will only happen if people keep social distancing, wearing masks and getting vaccinated as soon as they can.

The Washington Nationals-New York Mets Opening Day game, which was set to kick off in the nation's capital on Thursday night, will reportedly be postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, per ESPN's Buster Olney.

Why it matters: More than one year after the first professional sports game was canceled due to COVID-19, it's a reminder that the pandemic is still disrupting everyday life — especially as fourth wave of infections driven by new variants looms over the country.

The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization on Wednesday for two over-the-counter coronavirus tests that can be used routinely.

Why it matters: Although the FDA had already issued authorizations for several at-home coronavirus tests, most recently earlier this month, the tests greenlighted this week can be used multiple times instead of once.

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Thursday that their COVID-19 vaccine was 91.3% effective at protecting against symptomatic disease up to six months after the second dose, with no serious safety concerns, according to an updated analysis of clinical trial results.

Why it matters: Real-world and trial data continue to indicate that the vaccine is highly effective, especially against COVID-19 hospitalization and death. The companies said updated trial results showed the vaccine offered 100% protection against severe disease as defined by the CDC, and 95.3% as defined by the FDA.

A Baltimore plant ruined a batch of "drug substance" that would have gone into millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine — but sources familiar with the process say the setback ultimately may not be that bad.

The big picture: Anything that could slow down the vaccine production process is not good news, especially for the one-shot J&J vaccine. But some experts said the company and the overall U.S. vaccination effort will likely be able to recover quickly.

Suicides in the U.S. decreased in 2020, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why it matters: Critics of lockdowns and other coronavirus-prevention efforts have suggested throughout the pandemic that those measures would drive the suicide rate higher. But that hasn't happened.

Coronavirus infections are on the rise yet again, all across the U.S.

The big picture: America may be at the beginning of a fourth wave in the pandemic. It will almost certainly be far less deadly than the previous three, but this persistent failure to contain the virus has real consequences, and will only make it harder to put COVID-19 behind us.

A new look at the data from our most recent Axios-Ipsos poll shows a strong correlation between the people who are influenced by COVID vaccine misinformation and those who are unlikely to get the vaccine.

The big picture: As this graphic shows, Americans who either believed misinformation or were unsure whether it was true or false were less likely to get the vaccine than those who knew that it was false.

Americans are worried about the rapid spread of COVID-19 variants, and are still willing to take safety precautions as a result, according to new Harris Poll data.

Why it matters: Despite the race to vaccinate as many people as possible, the variants are fueling another surge in cases across the U.S.

On the eve of the MLB regular season's start, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo announced a player has tested positive for COVID-19, and four teammates and a staffer are in quarantine.

Why it matters: Major League Baseball is still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus last season, when sponsor revenue plummeted by up to 60% and players' salary also fell, as the pandemic shortened the season.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) urged Americans to "use common sense to avoid spreading" COVID-19, including wearing masks, as she told People Magazine Wednesday that she previously tested positive for the virus.

Why it matters: The influential conservative firebrand and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee's comments come at a time when some GOP lawmakers have gone against health officials' guidance on face coverings and other suggested precautions.