The Washington Post. Coronavirus Updates.

Important developments in the pandemic.

By Ben Guarino with Lindsey Bever  Email The Post's coronavirus coverage linked in this newsletter is free to access from this email.   The latest The more people on the planet who are vaccinated, the better protected we all are. Not only will communities be defended against spread locally, but high vaccination rates will hinder the ability of the coronavirus to evolve into new variants that may travel the globe. But, as reporter David J. Lynch notes, the world is largely without a plan to vaccinate roughly half the population, which lives outside the richest countries where vaccine supplies are abundant. “The virus is still raging across the planet, and we don’t have the vaccines. This is the greatest priority right now,” said Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Program. Like many mothers, Ana Diaz Guzman stopped working last year. And, like many mothers, the 43-year-old single mom from Silver Spring, Md., had struggled to find work as the economy reopened. Guzman was able to secure employment ― but only for a few weeks. Many women who left the workforce amid the pandemic, especially those who are Black and Latina, have not had success in returning to work. A concerned Australian citizen called a crime hotline to report Australian deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce was not wearing a mask when he entered a gas station. Joyce received a fine equivalent to about $150 in U.S. dollars. Australia's leaders have issued stronger restrictions in recent days as the delta variant spreads among residents, many of whom are unvaccinated. United Airlines' fleet of planes is being enlarged with a new order for 270 aircraft, which includes 200 Boeing Max and 70 Airbus passenger jets. The expansion of United's airplane fleet, and similar expansions by U.S. aviation companies, is a sign the industry has bet on a post-pandemic travel boom. The Wimbledon tennis tournament returned in England after last year's hiatus – a cancellation that had not occurred since World War II. Wimbledon spectators gave a round of thunderous applause for attendees who included health-care workers, clinical researchers and Oxford University professor Sarah Gilbert, one of the designers of the AstraZeneca vaccine. In a concession to the pandemic, fan numbers at the court will be capped at 50 percent – except for the tournament's fully open final two days. Other important news The pandemic's disruption caused these women to move back in with their parents. Some women flourished. Others cherished the time with their folks. A few described strained relationships. Americans who have not yet been vaccinated require incentives beyond fear, according to an analysis by a team of political scientists: Beer, raffles and, yes, chances to win money work well as positive reinforcements. And here's another tactic health officials are using to boost vaccinations – incentives not only for the person getting the shot but for a helper who tags along, too. In D.C., a friend, relative or other person who assists in making a vaccine appointment is eligible for a $51 Visa gift card. Correction: In Tuesday's newsletter, we incorrectly said Israel did not revive its indoor mask mandate. In fact, this has been reinstated with the emergence of the delta variant, although Israel has not ordered lockdowns or other severe restrictions.   Guide to the pandemic Track confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. and the spread around the world. U.S. vaccine distribution and delivery, tracked by state. Guides: Finding vaccine appointments | Vaccines | Variants | Masks Submit a question and we may answer it in a future story or newsletter.    Your questions, answered “What does it mean for a vaccine to be 90 percent effective? Does it mean that for 90 percent of fully vaccinated persons, the vaccine is ‘effective’ and for the other 10 percent, the vaccine doesn't really work at resisting the virus? Or does it mean that if I am fully vaccinated, my body will resist 90 percent of the exposures I experience and be susceptible to the other 10 percent? In other words, in the clinical trials, did 10 percent of the subjects develop symptoms, or did each subject develop symptoms after 10 percent of their exposures?” —JoAnn in Pennsylvania Let’s start with the difference between efficacy and effectiveness. Efficacy refers to how the vaccines performed in controlled settings, such as clinical trials. As we know, in the U.S. trials, the messenger RNA vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — showed 95 and 94 percent efficacy, respectively, at preventing covid-19. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, an adenovirus vector vaccine, demonstrated 66 percent efficacy at preventing infection. Effectiveness refers to how well the vaccines perform in real life. These numbers are more applicable, obviously. They're also usually a bit lower because the number of people getting vaccinated — and the number of outside factors, including underlying health issues — is going to be higher. In one real-world study, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were shown to be 80 percent effective at preventing infection after one dose of the two-dose series and 90 percent effective after the second dose.  This seems to be the statistic you’re citing in your question, so let us answer it: When a vaccine is said to be 90 percent effective, that means the risk of an average, fully vaccinated person contracting the virus is reduced by 90 percent. So, in essence, there is still a 10 percent chance that person could get infected. However, it is important to note that these numbers are variable and can be influenced by a number of factors, including the nature of exposure to the virus, how strong a person’s immune system is and whether that person has any preexisting health conditions. Variants, such as the highly contagious delta variant, could also affect vaccine effectiveness. There’s really no way to know how effective any of the vaccines will be for you. All you can do is get vaccinated, knowing that even though there is no perfect vaccine, the coronavirus vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration do a great job of protecting people against the virus, particularly against severe illness, hospitalization and death.   Today’s top reads Find more stories, analysis and op-eds about the pandemic on our coronavirus page. Covid-19 has gotten a helicopter generation of teens to embrace work. Just in time. Perspective ●  By Petula Dvorak ●  Read more »   AIDS disappeared from public view without ending. Will covid-19 do the same? Perspective ●  By Dan Royles ●  Read more »   I went to Las Vegas to test whether I was really ready for life on the other side of the pandemic Perspective ●  By T.M. Shine ●  Read more »