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Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. are starting to churn out doses of omicron-specific vaccines, and they say they could have data on whether the shots are effective as soon as March. But is this the best way to build and maintain protection against Covid-19?The world is breeding new variants so fast, it may not make sense to chase them one at a time. Global regulators don’t necessarily think it’s the right approach. The World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say omicron-specific vaccines might not be needed, and that public-health agencies around the world — not drug companies — should work together to decide the composition of the next vaccines. (Lisa Jarvis, 1/20)

In 2014, a vibrant and well-traveled patient I will call Alice, whom I (Berman) was treating for bipolar disorder, began refusing to leave her home after a prolonged course of physical rehabilitation for a spinal injury. None of the usual diagnoses—depression, anxiety or agoraphobia—explained her withdrawal, which continued after medications stabilized her mood. Patients with these conditions typically maintain a desire to be with others, but Alice had shut out the world. (Carol W. Berman and Xi Chen, 1/19)

As chairs of pediatrics in Florida’s medical schools, we are unified in our fight to protect Florida’s children against COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, deaths and long-term sequelae. Protecting our children against COVID-19 requires alignment and collaboration among Florida’s pediatricians, nurses, health systems, public-health experts, parents, schools, child-care centers, communities, media outlets and policymakers. This requires all of us to be on the same page about the facts: (Glenn Flores, F. Daniel Armstrong, Patricia Emmanuel, Mark Hudak and Desmond Schatz, 1/19)

Each time a new variant of the coronavirus emerges, the world follows a similar pattern. Scientists share the discovery, and panic ensues. Not enough is done between each wave to prevent or prepare for the next one. Omicron caught much of the world off guard. Not by its existence — that’s what viruses do — but by how contagious it was and how quickly it spread. Countries tried to institute policies in real time that should have been in place much earlier, such as making sure to have enough testing supplies. (John Nkengasong, 1/20)

We were among the earliest advocates of testing in schools, and this past summer we recommended implementation of a test-and-stay program that leveraged daily antigen testing to keep unvaccinated kids exposed to COVID-19 in schools. But the context of the pandemic has changed — specifically, new variants and vaccine availability for all K-12 students — and these changes render the program obsolete. (Westyn Branch-Elliman, Elissa Perkins and Shira Doron, 1/19)

Last week the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced that it has switched to a scoring system that no longer considers race when determining which patients with COVID-19 should receive monoclonal antibodies. This change came on the heels of a threatened suit alleging unfair racial preference policies. This purportedly "colorblind" decision is both disappointing and detrimental to communities of color across our state who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 for nearly two years. (Rachel R. Hardeman and Eduardo M. Medina, 1/19)

The Tuesday news that the Biden administration's free rapid Covid-19 test site had gone online a day early, part of a quiet beta launch to test the site, rocketed through social media with such intensity that I was sure the site would crash. I was already skeptical -- my experience of new government websites is forever tarnished by the debacle of healthcare.gov's initial crash and burn. Plus, when I logged on, I knew I only had a few minutes between meetings, and I've never met a government website that didn't require two forms of ID, proof of residency and endless forms to fill out. Still, I clicked. Two minutes later, I had an email telling me that the tests would be on their way in a few weeks. (David Perry, 1/19)

The omicron variant spreads so rapidly that sometimes it feels as if resistance is futile. It’s disheartening to hear of omicron infecting people who are up-to-date on their shots and wear an N95 mask every time they leave home. Even some well-known public-health experts are getting infected. But that doesn’t mean everyone is going to get it. (Faye Flam, 1/19)