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Q: Children younger than 12 in the US are not eligible for Covid-19 vaccines yet. How careful should I be with my kids?

A: “This is something I think a lot about as a parent of two young children, ages 1 and almost 4, and why I have been very concerned about the lifting of indoor mask mandates,” CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said.

The study is not as strong as real-world evidence, but it could potentially open the door to more flexibility for places facing logistical or supply challenges to vaccinate their populations.

Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you’re facing: +1 347-322-0415.

TOP 3 READS OF THE WEEK

Singapore wants to stop counting Covid cases. Its roadmap could be a model for other countries

Singapore has laid out a new vision for a return to normality. 
The roadmap, proposed by three members of Singapore’s Covid-19 task force, would scrap lockdowns and mass contact tracing, and allow for quarantine-free travel to resume along with large gatherings.

The proposal is a radical departure from the so-called “zero transmission” model adopted by several countries and territories – including rival Asian business hub Hong Kong – which have so far proved successful at avoiding large outbreaks.

But that model, which requires stringent, often punishing quarantine measures, will be almost impossible to maintain as new variants spread. In the long term it’s simply unsustainable, the task force members claim; instead, they say living with Covid is possible.

I tested positive for Covid-19 twice in two cities. The responses were vastly different

As someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 in both Britain and Hong Kong, I’ve experienced the worst of both worlds, writes Pauline Lockwood.

In one, I fell victim to the complete failure to check the disease’s spread, and in the other I got caught up in a zealous system intended to completely eradicate Covid-19.

The pandemic’s true tragedy is that the virus has killed nearly 4 million people worldwide, but it has also come with widespread repercussions. After undergoing four quarantines, the one when I actually had Covid-19 was the least traumatic. For me, pandemic measures have been far harder to deal with than the disease itself.

The view from Lockwood's room in the Penny Bay quarantine camp in Hong Kong.

The pandemic exposed the devastating consequences of staff shortages in nursing homes

Covid-19 ravaged nursing homes across the United States – killing more than 132,000 residents and 1,900 staff members as of June 13, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It also highlighted the dire consequences that staff shortages in those long-term care facilities can have.

But experts say this has been a decades-old problem. “Seventy-five percent of the nursing homes had inadequate staffing before the pandemic started,” said Charlene Harrington, a professor emerita at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s not surprising that they weren’t able to cope with it.”

One of the world’s strictest lockdowns is lifting, but many are scared to go back to normal life

TOP TIP

While it’s a bit of a bummer to think about going back to school before it’s even the Fourth of July, in many parts of the US, if you want your child to be immunized against Covid-19 by the time classes start, you need to act fast.

Why Covid-19 outbreaks in countries using Chinese vaccines don’t necessarily mean the shots have failed

LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST

Scientifically speaking, what is the purpose of laughter? Why is it so important for our brains and well-being? And how might it help us get back to “normal” as we emerge from the pandemic?

For the first time in more than a year, many of us are ready to imagine the next chapter of our lives. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on a mission to help us approach our new normal mindfully, finding a balance between self-care and productivity, and talking to doctors and researchers about the surprising science behind how we can thrive. Listen Now.

WHAT’S NEW THIS WEEK

  • As Covid-19 cases reach new highs in Russia, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin asked residents in the Russian capital to stay home in the coming week to help curb the spread. “The number of newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases has jumped to last year’s peak values,” Sobyanin wrote in his official blog as he declared a non-working week, which does not apply to key workers and the military.  

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