Vox Sentences - Covid-19 isn’t done with us yet

An omicron variant fuels increasing Covid-19 infections; President Biden heads to the Middle East.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin

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Another omicron surge?

 Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

• The highly transmissible BA.5 omicron subvariant is increasing coronavirus infections and reinfections across the country. [New York Times / Sheryl Gay Stolberg]
• Last week, new cases in the US averaged 100,000 per day, according to CDC data. Infectious disease experts think the real numbers are significantly higher. [Wall Street Journal / Jon Kamp and Jared S. Hopkins]
• BA.5 is responsible for more than half of new US infections, likely because it’s better at evading immune defenses than its predecessors. Antibodies among the vaccinated and previously infected are less effective at preventing reinfection. [The Atlantic / Ed Yong]
• The Biden administration said Tuesday it will utilize vaccines, masking indoors, and continued access to testing and treatments to fight BA.5. [Stat News / Andrew Joseph]
• Last month, the FDA recommended vaccine makers create BA.5-specific shots — but they won’t be available until the fall. With pandemic funding stalled in Congress, the White House may have to ration new vaccines. [CNBC / Spencer Kimball]
• Meanwhile, disease experts warn that not curbing the spread of Covid-19 could lead to even more reinfections and new variants. [Washington Post / Joel Achenbach]

What to know about Biden's Middle East trip

• President Joe Biden will embark on his first trip to the Middle East on Tuesday, with stops in Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Saudi Arabia. [Associated Press / Chris Megerian, Josef Federman, and Aamer Madhani]
• Biden initially sought to avoid wading deeply into the region. However, concern about the influence of China, countering Iran, and rising fuel prices changed his plans. [Politico / Alexander Ward and Jonathan Lemire]
• On Wednesday, Biden will discuss strengthening military ties between the US, Israel, and its recent Arab allies to deter Iran. The president will also meet with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank, where he could announce new aid. [NYT / Patrick Kingsley]
• Biden will then travel to Saudi Arabia — a country he once vowed to make a pariah for the killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi — for a summit of Gulf states. [NBC News / Shannon Pettypiece]

On Tuesday, NASA released images from its $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope depicting far-flung parts of the universe in a new light. [AP / Seth Borenstein]

• First lady Jill Biden apologized on Tuesday for comparing Latino diversity to breakfast tacos during a civil rights conference in San Antonio the day before. [CNN / Kate Bennett and Kyle Blaine]
• Fifty percent of GOP voters wouldn’t back Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential primaries, according to a NYT/Siena College poll released Tuesday. [Axios / Ivana Saric]
• During a Tuesday hearing, the House committee investigating January 6, 2021, spoke with former Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol. [Washington Post / Amber Phillips]

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“People shouldn’t be surprised if they get infected, and they shouldn’t be surprised if it’s pretty unpleasant.”

[Stephen Goldstein, virologist, on BA.5 / The Atlantic]

Joe Biden's Saudi vacation

Candidate Biden said he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” on the world stage. Now President Biden is traveling there, asking for the kingdom’s help on gas prices.

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