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President Biden missed an important opportunity on the Fourth of July by holding an event at the White House that did not require its more than 1,000 attendees to be vaccinated. The celebration could have been a chance to show that vaccination isn’t just an individual decision, but one that affects the health of others — including those already vaccinated. (Leana S. Wen, 7/6)

Even as U.S. policy makers and business leaders seek to put the COVID pandemic in the rearview mirror with the help of highly effective vaccines, a fundamental policy and planning gap is looming. Many who survive the initial viral illness suffer debilitating long-term sequelae. Unlike the common cold or even influenza, this virus causes a bewildering array of symptoms that persist long after the acute illness is resolved and can render some affected unable to resume their usual activities. As scientists and clinicians continue to delineate the “long-haul” course of COVID, policy makers and planners must anticipate and prepare for the impact of this new cause of disability, including its implications for federal and private worker’s compensation and disability insurance programs and support services. (Claire Pomeroy, 7/6)

Forty-seven percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced fully vaccinated people can go maskless indoors. In response, states and businesses have lifted masking and other pandemic restrictions, signifying a return to normal. But normal may be a long way off for about 10 million immunocompromised Americans who face unprecedented health risk and uncertainty when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness. Emerging studies suggest their bodies are not producing the levels of immunity that they should, leaving many of them vulnerable to infection. (Andrea N. Polonijo and Michaela Curran, 7/6)

Don’t panic, but recent news makes it clear that the novel coronavirus isn’t done with us yet. It’s finding ways to become even more novel, and more deadly. New data from Israel suggest the effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine declines sharply when it’s pitted against the hyperinfectious delta variant. Last week, more than half of all covid-19 cases in Israel reportedly occurred in people who were vaccinated; the vaccine appears to prevent only about two-thirds of symptomatic cases, compared with preventing almost 100 percent among older variants. (Megan McArdle, 7/6)

With 78 percent of San Diegans 12 years and older having been vaccinated at least once for COVID-19 as of last week, our county is ahead of the national average of 64 percent. Uptake has been fantastic among those with the means for it. Yet we remain far short of what’s needed to end the pandemic and its devastation. Many point to “vaccine hesitancy.” This may do more harm than good because it blames the individual, homogenizes important differences and doesn’t take context into account. In addition, the inequities within our hardest-hit communities cannot themselves be vaccinated away. (E.J. Sobo, 7/6)