The State of the Pandemic

<p>The coronavirus seems to be in retreat in the United States, with the number of cases across the country down about 25 percent compared with a couple of weeks ago. Hospitalizations and deaths are also falling.</p><p>So, what stage are we in with the pandemic? And how will developments such as a new antiviral treatment and the availability of booster shots affect things?</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/apoorva-mandavilli?smid=pc-thedail">Apoorva Mandavilli</a>, a science and global health reporter for The New York Times. </p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/signup/NTTD?smid=pc-thedaily">Sign up here</a> to get The Daily in your inbox each morning. And for an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>The authorization for booster shots<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/24/us/politics/biden-booster-shots-moderna-johnson-johnson.html"> applies to groups of people in the United States fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine</a>, but about 45 percent of the country’s fully inoculated people received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson doses.</li><li>Merck said it would seek authorization for molnupiravir, an antiviral pill that the company says is effective against Covid. Experts said such treatments could be<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/business/covid-antiviral-pill-merck.html"> a powerful tool against the virus</a>.</li><li>Despite<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/us/covid-delta-us-surge-vaccines.html"> a fall in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths</a>, public health officials said the pandemic remained a potent threat.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit </p><p><a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a></p><p>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.</p>