Stealthy new COVID-19 variants, low vaccination rates and mixed messaging over the state of the pandemic threaten to thwart the Biden administration's efforts to contain a wintertime surge.
Why it matters: The pandemic has largely become background noise to a crisis-fatigued public even as new strains show the ability to topple our best defenses. And there's still confusion over such basics as what it means to be "fully vaccinated."
President Biden will receive an updated COVID-19 booster shot this week, White House spokesperson Kevin Munoz said Sunday evening.
The big picture: "Around 20 million people have gotten an updated COVID vaccine so far," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing Thursday. "This is really an important progress, but it's not enough."
Doctors who've never been involved in politics before are mobilizing to influence the outcome of the midterms, joining battles over abortion and gun violence while confronting health misinformation and anti-science sentiment.
Why it matters: The same public distrust and politicization of science that's fueling physician burnout is drawing some doctors to grassroots political movements. They're being featured in political ads, joining candidates on the stump and, in some cases, even running for office.
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