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It is now well known that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can mutate to evade vaccine protection against infection. The Omicron variants — BA.1, B1.1 and BA.2 — can infect those who were previously infected by other variants, even when vaccinated. A third booster shot offers some protection from an Omicron infection, but it wanes after three or four months, leaving most people susceptible to reinfection. That said, the immunity conveyed by prior infection or vaccination still dramatically reduces the incidence of hospitalization and death. (William A. Haseltine, 2/27)

The decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ease mask recommendations for the vast majority of the country marks a shift. The pandemic virus is becoming endemic. A pandemic is an emergency, with disease spreading out of control across countries and continents. “Endemic” suggests the malady is regular, present and predictable. But making the shift must not entail surrender or abandon. (2/26)

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, most Americans can take off their masks. Based on new metrics that take into account Covid hospitalizations, hospital capacity and new Covid cases, more than 70 percent of the country lives in an area where indoor masks are no longer recommended. For schools located in these parts of the U.S., this represents a seismic shift. Up until now, the agency had recommended universal indoor mask use in K-12 schools to reduce Covid transmission. (Dr. Jalal Baig, 2/25)

The CDC finally got masking right. After months of pleading from governors, local officials, educators and health experts, their new recommendations make clear that masks are no longer required in much of the United States — including in most schools. (Leana S. Wen, 2/25)

Across the nation and in various counties in Maryland, mask mandates are being lifted. Politicians on all sides waiting for midterms and upholding promises to the business community have decided it’s OK to put Black lives at risk for personal gain. Black people know this game. Our whole lives are based on survival since the founding of this nation. Horrifically, Black people are always the first to be sacrificed and the last to be protected. Everything from the polluted air we breathe in our neighborhoods to mass incarceration and food insecurity are intentional symptoms of the legacy of racism. (Antoin Quarles, 2/25)

Never has there been a more urgent time for Congress pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would ensure the right to a legal abortion nationwide — a right that is now imperiled. The Supreme Court is considering gutting or overturning Roe vs. Wade, the landmark decision that has guaranteed the right to a legal abortion for nearly half a century, at the request of the state of Mississippi, which is defending its unconstitutional 15-week abortion ban. (2/27)

Elections have consequences, as they say, and the majority of Americans who support abortion rights may soon get a startling demonstration of that principle in action. In dozens of Republican-led states, including Missouri, lawmakers are filing bills to restrict abortion rights in anticipation of a likely weakening of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court. In essence, the GOP’s aggressive campaign of the past few years to stack the court with right-wing ideologues — a campaign driven overwhelmingly by their zeal to roll back abortion rights — is on the cusp of paying off. If and when the court acts and these state laws take effect, impoverished women in particular will again be denied control over their bodies, and dangerous back-alley abortions will again be the only choice for some. (2/27)