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After hitting almost unimaginable highs of hundreds of thousands of new cases a day over the winter holidays, the infection rate in the United States has plummeted to levels not seen since the fall, with a seven-day rolling average of under 65,000. The good news, possibly due to rising vaccinations, seasonal virus patterns or increased respect for restrictions, however, pales in comparison to the grim toll of the pandemic that will hit 500,000 deaths on Monday. Yet deaths too are falling, with numbers almost 30 percent lower this week than last week and hospitalizations down 15 percent. The brutal winter surge may be slowing and vaccinations gaining pace, but the experts warn there is still a long way to go in the fight. Top infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci warned that we might still be seeing masks in 2022 and refused to predict when “normal” would return. (Cunningham and Schemm, 2/22)

As the US prepares to hit a devastating new milestone -- half a million Covid-19 deaths -- officials say the country is also edging closer to the end of its brutal battle against the virus. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Sunday Covid-19 hospitalizations dropped below 1,000 for the first time since November 16 and are now down by more than half from their January peak. (Maxouris, 2/22)

Two University of New Mexico scientists have discovered a new mutation in the virus that causes COVID-19, but they say there is no indication that the variant makes the virus any more dangerous – at least not yet.“ There is no evidence that the mutation makes the virus more virulent, more transmissible, causes more severe disease or makes current vaccines any less effective,” said Daryl Domman, an assistant professor in UNM’s Center for Global Health. (Nathanson, 2/21)

Two new studies reveal high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. A research letter by Italian investigators published yesterday in JAMA Psychiatry details a study of 381 patients in Rome who had sought emergency care for COVID-19 and were given a psychiatric assessment 1 to 4 months after recovery, from Apr 21 to Oct 15, 2020. (Van Beusekom, 2/19)

The pandemic has closed schools, offices, sports arenas and limited social interaction for millions of people -- perhaps an even bigger struggle for young people more used to being active. In a recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63% of 18- to-24-year-olds reported symptoms of anxiety or depression, with 25% reporting increased substance use to deal with that stress and 25% saying they'd seriously considered suicide. (Alkhouri, 2/21)

Last month, the nation watched as Winston the gorilla came down with COVID-19 and then recovered. So far, the virus has been detected in zoo animals like Winston, domestic animals like cats and dogs, and most worryingly, in farmed and wild animals like mink and ferrets. Now, animal experts are warning that if the virus is circulating freely in wild animals, it might develop mutations and evolve into a new version – one that is capable of jumping back into humans. (Chan, 2/21)

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, heart surgeons warned that fewer people were coming in for bypass operations, valve replacements, and other cardiac procedures, in some cases dying as a result. In a new nationwide analysis, researchers determined that the consequences may have been even worse than many realized — particularly in hard-hit hot spots in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. During April, the number of heart surgeries plunged by 71% in those three states and by 53% in the country as a whole, when compared with monthly averages in 2019. (Avril, 2/21)