Researchers in Tokyo are developing a “dream” Covid-19 vaccine that offers lifetime efficacy, in what would be a game-changer as the fight against the coronavirus drags on into its third year, the Japan Times reports.

“As states grapple with how to rein in the spread of the Omicron variant, many governors and other state officials are applying a lighter touch than during previous surges, as they are armed with more tools to combat the virus and increasingly mindful of the economic harm caused by sweeping restrictions,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Many decision makers say they are trying to avoid strict measures enacted during previous Covid surges by encouraging vaccinations, increasing capacity for rapid testing and closely watching factors such as hospital admissions and booster-shot uptake.”

Washington Post: “Health officials’ recommendation this week to shorten the isolation period for people with asymptomatic coronavirus infections to five days was driven largely by the concern that essential services might be hobbled amid one of the worst infection surges of the pandemic.”

“The CDC estimated that the Omicron variant now accounts for roughly 59% of all Covid cases in the United States, a significant decrease from the agency’s previous estimate,” the New York Times reports.

“The update shows how hard it is to track the fast-spreading variant in real time and how poorly the agency has communicated its uncertainty.”

“The lightning spread of the coronavirus’s omicron variant in the United States pushed the seven-day average of new daily cases to 253,245 as of Tuesday afternoon, surpassing the previous high of 248,209 cases on Jan. 12,” the Washington Post reports.