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24 Feb, 7 tweets, 2 min read
The growth of a dangerous Covid-19 variant has thrown South Africa's pandemic response into disarray, raising fears around the world that mutant strains could render the current generation of vaccines ineffective. #NBCNewsThreads (1/7) nbcnews.to/3pSMhLb
“What we are going to see is a cat-and-mouse game between virus changing and then vaccine manufacturers having to quickly change their vaccines,” says Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the Univ. of Edinburgh. (2/7) nbcnews.com/news/world/fig…
Signs of trouble came in October when doctors noticed a worrying rise in the number of Covid-19 infections, specifically around Nelson Mandela Bay, the eastern end of South Africa's coastline.

The variant has since been detected in more than 40 countries, including the US. (3/7)
Scientists noticed a Covid-19 variant with troubling mutations to its spike protein, the part of a virus that enables it to enter human cells.

Current vaccines target the spike protein, but the mutations may make antibodies produced by the vaccines less effective. (4/7)
The mutations may also make people who previously had Covid-19 more susceptible to reinfection.

“It's possible that this variant is able to reinfect people and that may be contributing to how it’s spreading more efficiently through the population again,” a researcher says. (5/7)
The mutations caused a serious setback for South Africa’s vaccine plans. A study found that the AstraZeneca vaccine is far less effective against the new variant, prompting the government to halt its rollout after it had already been purchased and scheduled to be given out. (6/7)
Now South Africa has switched gears, pegging its hopes on a single-dose shot developed by Johnson & Johnson that had been trialed more extensively in the country and showed better results against the new variant. (7/7) nbcnews.com/news/world/fig…

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More from @NBCNews

25 Feb
Students from the Bolivian National Military School of Health observe as the trucks transporting the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrive to La Paz on Wednesday.

Bolivia received 500,000 doses and will start a free immunization campaign against coronavirus.

📷 Jorge Bernal / AFP Image
People wait in line to get a dose of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine during a mass vaccination in Mexico City on Wednesday.

📷 Carlos Jasso / Reuters Image
Woman receives coronavirus vaccine last week as part of a Tel Aviv municipality initiative offering a free drink at a bar to residents getting the shot.

📷 Corinna Kern / Reuters Image
Read 5 tweets
25 Feb
Why have some states fared better than others with vaccine distribution.

Reporting by @David_Ingram, @PhilMcCausland and @ChicagoEl.

(1/7) #NBCNewsThreads nbcnews.to/3qTWOHA
@David_Ingram @PhilMcCausland @ChicagoEl While a few states are outliers on either end, the vast majority of states are at roughly the same level, according to an @NBCNews analysis of state vaccination data.

Of the 50 states, 44 have administered 70% to 90% of the doses that have been distributed to them. (2/7)
@David_Ingram @PhilMcCausland @ChicagoEl In the states outperforming the average, state authorities have often taken a strong hand in organizing local efforts, moved quickly to get the public signed up to participate, and have leaned on nearby federal institutions for help. (3/7) nbcnews.com/news/us-news/w…
Read 7 tweets
24 Feb
Nearly a third of all freshwater fish species are threatened by extinction, a new report by 16 conservation groups found.

Over half of the world’s freshwater species have already become extinct, with 16 disappearing in 2020 alone. (1/4) nbcnews.to/3pRbPIN
Populations of larger species, weighing more than 60 pounds, have fallen by a “catastrophic” 94%.

While freshwater fish are vital for the functioning of the world’s rivers, lakes and wetlands, millions of people also depend on them for food security and their livelihoods. (2/4)
Conservation groups point to various pressures on global freshwater fish populations, including habitat degradation, draining of rivers and threat of climate change.

Of the roughly 10,000 species whose conservation status has been assessed 30% are at risk of extinction. (3/4)
Read 4 tweets
23 Feb
BREAKING: Tiger Woods injured in rollover crash near LA, extracted with "jaws of life." nbcnews.to/3dIVaVk
Aerial footage shows site of rollover crash involving Tiger Woods.

Latest: nbcnews.to/3dIVaVk
Woods was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment of compound fractures in at least one leg, law enforcement sources said.

Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, told Golf Digest on Tuesday afternoon that Woods was in surgery for his multiple injuries. nbcnews.to/3dIVaVk
Read 4 tweets
23 Feb
A year after Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot while jogging in Georgia, Black runners all over the country are still feeling the effects.

nbcnews.to/3aM0IN9

(1/7) #NBCNewsThreads
"I used to run for health reasons," says Akeem Baker, a longtime friend of Arbery who now wears bright clothing during jogs and only runs familiar routes through neighborhoods where he's known.

"Now I run for a sense of therapy, as if I am chasing some sort of freedom."

(2/7)
"His tragic death changed everything for Black runners," says Kevin O. Davis, a member of the Plano Running Club in Texas, which has 2,000 members, almost all of them white.

(3/7)
Read 7 tweets
22 Feb
TEXAS LATEST:

• 8,800,000 Texans still under boil water notices

• 120,000 still have no water service at all

• 3,500,000 bottles of water distributed, per Gov. Abbott

• At least 22 people in Texas died in connection to the storm

nbcnews.to/3pGoUok Image
Marie Maybou melts snow on her kitchen stove Friday in Austin, Texas.

Maybou was using the water to flush the toilets in her home after the city water stopped running.

📷 Joe Raedle / Getty Image
Cars line up in a parking lot at a food distribution point set up at Del Valle High School Saturday in Austin.

The Central Texas Food Bank handed out about 2,000 boxes of food to people in need after historic cold weather created food and water shortages.

📷 Joe Raedle / Getty Image
Read 10 tweets

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