Good morning. it's Thursday, Feb. 4. A new study suggests, at least for one COVID-19 vaccine, delaying the time between doses may help slow transmission of the virus more quickly. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Vaccine Surprise

A COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University can protect against the coronavirus while significantly slowing transmission after just one shot, according to new research. A study of the two-shot regimen in the United Kingdom showed 76% effectiveness at preventing COVID-19 out to three months after the first shot, while reducing symptomatic spread by 67%.

Officials said the results justify the UK's decision to delay the second dose for many recipients by up to 12 weeks. With limited vaccine supplies, the strategy is meant to provide initial benefits to a greater number of people in the hopes early immunity will blunt the spread of the virus. 

The AstraZeneca drug is not yet approved in the US, and officials have said the new results can't be generalized to the currently available vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, which rely on separate technologies. 

Meanwhile, new cases of COVID-19 continue to fall in the US, down 45% since mid-January. While testing has dropped by about a quarter, the test positivity rate—the percentage of tests returning as positive—has fallen from near 14% to around 8% over the same timeframe (see data). Roughly 90,000 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 130,000 three weeks ago.

The US has reported 450,797 total COVID-19 deaths, with 3,796 new deaths yesterday. Almost 34 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country, with 6.4 million people receiving their second shot. 

Illegal Walkie-Talkies

Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was accused yesterday of illegally importing walkie-talkies into the country. Critics called the allegations "comically trivial" in light of the country's recent military coup, and fabricated as justification for detaining Suu Kyi. Ousted President Win Myint was similarly accused of violating COVID-19 restrictions during campaign events last year. Both will reportedly be remanded until Feb. 15, pending investigations into the charges. 

A Nobel Peace Prize winner and daughter of the country's modern founder, Suu Kyi has effectively led the country since 2016. Her pro-democracy party won more than 80% of parliamentary seats in November elections, prompting claims of widespread voting fraud from the military.

Reports say the new military leadership has blocked Facebook, as public resistance and calls for civil disobedience have grown.

Marjorie Taylor Greene

The House of Representatives appears set to vote today to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, GA-14) of her committee assignments. The move follows revelations the freshman lawmaker had endorsed a slew of fringe theories before being elected in November. Some have argued the reprimand—driven by the opposing party for already public comments—would set a dangerous precedent.

The practical impact of the vote (assuming it passes) is marginal; Greene, one of 435 members, would retain voting rights but be sidelined from the legislative process. However, the issue has become symbolic of the larger tension within the Republican Party between establishment and more populist factions. Greene—who reportedly apologized to colleagues for the past remarks last night—turned the push into a fundraising effort, netting a reported $160K in a single day.

The GOP establishment scored a victory last night, rallying support for Rep. Liz Cheney (R, WY-at large), who rankled many with her vote to impeach former President Trump. Casting secret ballots, the caucus voted 145-61 for Cheney to retain her leadership position.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by ButcherBox

> Netflix tops all studios in Golden Globe nominations with 42 including six apiece for “Mank” and “The Crown” (More) | See full list of nominations for 78th Golden Globes (Feb. 28, 8pm ET, NBC) (More)

> US Justice Department drops lawsuit brought by Trump administration that accused Yale University of discriminating against white and Asian American applicants (More)

> Morgan Wallen, country star whose album has topped Billboard’s country chart for past three weeks, removed from more than 400 radio station playlists after video emerges of Wallen using racial slur (More)

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Science & Technology

> Researchers show the sensors in the Apple Watch can be used to provide real-time monitoring of symptoms and health of Parkinson's patients (More)

> New software toolkit allows scientists to leverage advanced machine learning to predict and optimize chemical reactions, without heavy expertise in AI development (More)

> New sediment analysis suggests the Arctic Ocean was completely cut off from the world's oceans during recent glacial periods, with the basin filled with fresh water (More)

Business & Markets

> Consulting giant McKinsey reaches $573M settlement related to marketing advice to OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and other opioid epidemic players (More)

> GameStop and other “meme stocks” bounce back up Wednesday after Tuesday free falls (More) | NYC-based hedge fund netted $700M in GameStop trade (More)

> John Matze, CEO of social media platform Parler, terminated by its board (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Senate leaders reach agreement on an organizing resolution to guide procedures in the body until the current session ends in 2022; control of committees and assignments for new senators had been delayed by negotiations (More)

> Columbus, Ohio, police officer indicted for December shooting of unarmed Black man during a nonemergency call (More) | Background on the shooting of 47-year-old Andre Hill (More)

> Brian Sicknick, US Capitol Police officer killed in the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, becomes the fifth person to lay in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda (More)

IN-DEPTH

The Real Rosa Parks

Shondaland | Urana McCauley, Liz Dwyer. (From 2019) McCauley, the great niece of Rosa Parks, tells the real history of the civil rights icon—and tries to put the caricature of a quiet, tired seamstress to rest. (Read)

Before the Next One

Bloomberg Businessweek | Robert Langreth. A future deadly pandemic is almost a near certainty, with the only questions being what and when. Here are five steps society must take to prepare for the inevitable. (Read)

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ETCETERA

The year's most anticipated fiction from Black authors.

New Jersey man gets world's first face and double hand transplant.

Download The Economist's annual Democracy Index (the US remains "flawed").

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Get a first glimpse of Amazon's new HQ2 design. 

An ambitious project to map thousands of books.

A fascinating visualization of the pandemic's emotional wave.

... and the need for pandemic workplace friends.

Toddler to release album recorded from the womb.

Clickbait: Birds named by people who hate birds.

Historybook: George Washington elected first president of the US (1789); Aviation innovator Charles Lindbergh born (1902); Rosa Parks born (1913); RIP pianist and entertainer Liberace (1987); Facebook is founded (2004).

"Each person must live their life as a model for others."

- Rosa Parks

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