Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced stricter restrictions on travelers in response to new, likely more contagious variants of the novel coronavirus — including suspending airline service to Mexico and all Caribbean destinations until April 30. https://lapazbcs.xyz/s2TSWQ

Yes, you can still get infected with COVID-19 after being vaccinated. On December 18, a San Diego emergency room nurse was given a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. A week later, he tested positive for the virus, CNN affiliate KGTV reported.
Stories like this will become more common as millions of Americans are administered the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines over the coming months. Over time, many who are vaccinated will still get infected with the novel coronavirus.
During trials, the vaccines were shown to be about 95% effective — which means some vaccinated people were still infected. https://mexurl.com/AQtSLy

Clinical trial data on two COVID-19 vaccines show that a coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa is lessening their ability to protect against the illness, underscoring the need to vaccinate vast numbers of people as quickly as possible, scientists said. https://a1le.xyz/vacineRSA

In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Michael Osterholm, Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Biden Transition Covid-19 Advisory Board, talks about vaccine distribution challenges and the threat of virus variants. https://a1le.xyz/Osterholm

"We're in a desperate situation. An entire emergency unit has simply run out of oxygen... A lot of people are dying."
Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid death toll with more than 221,000 fatalities. In Manaus, the health system has collapsed twice during the pandemic and deaths doubled between December and January. https://a1le.xyz/YQCrIO

The colleges that took the pandemic seriously. Many colleges and universities have figured out how to diagnose their populations and control outbreaks—and offer a vision for more normal life until the vaccine is available to all. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/colleges-took-pandemic-seriously/617879/

Nike's newest shoe is "easy on, easy off" for those who cannot be bothered with the most minor inconveniences, like putting on shoes.
Called the Go Flyease, it's Nike's first pair of lace-less sneakers that can easily be put on and taken off without using your hands. The casual shoe arrives at a time when people are touching fewer things during the pandemic and a revival of comfier counterparts that take minimal effort to take on and off, such as Crocs. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/01/business/nike-hands-free-shoe/index.html

Panda pair Mei Xiang and Tian Tian played in the snow at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC.
Their five-month-old cub Xiao Qi Ji briefly braved the snowy climate before quickly heading back inside. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-55884236

Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, has issued a warning that criminals are selling fake negative Covid-19 test certificates.
The fear is this could enable people to cheat travel restrictions. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-55890168

The UK must "come down hard" on the South African coronavirus variant, the health secretary has said, after cases with no links to travel were detected.
About 80,000 people in England will be offered urgent tests for the variant. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55895019

Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine 91 percent effective, says study.
Published in The Lancet, the study included more than 2,100 people above 60, and the vaccine appeared to be about 92 percent effective in them. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/2/russias-sputnik-v-vaccine-91-effective-says-study

UK government researchers have discovered that the already more contagious #B117 has further acquired the other troublesome E484K mutation seen in South African #B1351 & Brazilian #P1 variants—in 11 patients. E484k is blamed for partial vaccine-evasion. https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1356366084753027072

I've had my Covid-19 vaccine — now what can I safely do? Your questions answered https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/03/health/after-covid-19-vaccine-safety-wellness/index.html

U.S. authorities returned dozens of Haitians to the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez from El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, a move that appeared to contradict a policy agreement in place with Mexico brokered under the previous U.S. administration. https://a1le.xyz/V8Antf

Dr Nicholas Christakis, physician and social scientist at Yale University, explains the legacy Covid-19 will leave behind and his prediction for how long the pandemic will last. https://edition.cnn.com/videos/opinions/2021/02/03/covid-19-pandemic-end-lon-orig-bks.cnn

A giant blimp depicting Donald Trump as a diaper-clad baby, which followed the outgoing US President on his visits to London and symbolized international opposition to his administration, has secured its place in history after being acquired by a British museum. https://a1le.xyz/z8w168

Leading medical journal The Lancet reported on Tuesday that Sputnik V, which was developed at Russia's Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, was 91.6% effective against symptomatic cases of COVID-19. https://p.dw.com/p/3obxX

AstraZeneca COVID jab ‘less effective against S Africa variant’
British drugmaker says its vaccine showed ‘limited efficacy against mild disease’ caused by the South African variant of the coronavirus. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/7/astrazeneca-covid-jab-less-effective-against-s-africa-variant

South Africa pauses AstraZeneca vaccine rollout after study shows it offers less protection against variant South Africa pauses AstraZeneca vaccine rollout after study shows it offers less protection against variant https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/07/health/south-africa-astrazeneca-vaccine-study/index.html

Electric vehicle and clean energy company #Tesla is betting big on bitcoin, saying it may soon accept the digital currency as payment for its cars. https://a1le.xyz/TeslaBitcoin