COVID-19 Update, April 30, 2021: The Global Challenge

By any measure, things are improving in the US and UK: Vaccinations are rising, infections are dropping, cities are reopening. New York City plans to be fully back on track by July 1. Elsewhere, however, the picture darkens. India, once relatively free of the coronavirus, is in a nightmarish state. South American reels from the coronavirus variant coming from Brazil. Now voices are being raised, urging all nations to pull together and arrest the coronavirus, so we call all be free from it.

The latest:

The 2020 death toll in the US exceeded that of the 1918 influenza pandemic: tinyurl.com/sp8d7thc.

The US is overloaded with vaccine, a fact not appreciated by the poorer countries of the world: tinyurl.com/ymbwcepr. Now the US will share 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with the world: tinyurl.com/6n3hh9jw.

And yet 8% of those getting their first dose don't come back for the second: tinyurl.com/4bjrb6wd. Yes, you can contract COVID-19 between vaccine doses: tinyurl.com/4es5tdcx.

The CDC issues relaxed guidelines for the vaccinated: tinyurl.com/brdyxcap.

The CDC okays use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine: tinyurl.com/vhtdkwzu. Despite the pause, the J&J vaccine remains popular with those looking for a one-and-done experience: tinyurl.com/5bumvrea.

Nearly 150 faith leaders from around the world call for drug companies to achieve global vaccination: tinyurl.com/4jh8nr97. Dr. Anthony Fauci calls for a stronger, more coordinated global approach to the pandemic: tinyurl.com/rynehey2.

Descendants of the unwilling participants in the notorious Tuskegee syphilis experiment -- often cited as a reason for vaccine hesitancy in the Black community -- throw their support behind getting inoculated: tinyurl.com/3z6vz5ve.

The CDC says that cruising in American waters could begin by mid-summer: tinyurl.com/3dytk2dp.

The Shuttered Venues Operators Grant gets 17,000 applications in 24 hours: tinyurl.com/uxypna6u.

The EU plans to admit American tourists this summer if they're vaccinated: tinyurl.com/yen37evd.

The EU also cuts a deal with Pfizer for 1.8 billion doses of vaccine: tinyurl.com/5daa7dun.

The US' GDP grew 6.5% during the first quarter of 2021, aligning with expectations: tinyurl.com/6mjhuvhf.

Justin Bieber's summer tour, scheduled to start in June, is postponed to 2022: tinyurl.com/c7j6nsu4.

Food for thought:

Going back to the gym? Here are some principles for staying safe: tinyurl.com/9vejmphj.

The importance of understanding that vaccine hesitancy is often the result of deeply held beliefs, not ignorance: tinyurl.com/m74fdypa.

Around the country:

In California:

Disneyland reopens this week: tinyurl.com/mtxdes7t.

In Florida:

Governor De Santis extends the state of pandemic emergency by 60 days: tinyurl.com/chyhtafm.

Disney World offers cash bonuses to employees who get vaccinated: tinyurl.com/rzrwhxcx.

The principal of a Miami private school says she doesn't want vaccinated teachers around her students; you read that right: tinyurl.com/jdavbyw3.

tinyurl.com/4ytp2wur.

The state passes a ban on vaccine passports: tinyurl.com/48vcfaxs.

In Illinois:

The state sees a substantial drop in new infections on Monday: tinyurl.com/9de9tc8b.

It's a mixed picture for the state's music festivals, only some of which are forging ahead: tinyurl.com/4yhh3m65.

Chicago will reopen the United Center and other venues for indoor events; outdoor festival and farmers market will also expand: tinyurl.com/fecx6874.

Steppenwolf Theatre reopens for in-person performances in November: tinyurl.com/nskkyhr.

In Massachusetts: tinyurl.com/d2btcyjn.

In Michigan:

The coronavirus surge is being driven by younger patients: tinyurl.com/4pjk9cc8.

In New York:

Mayor de Blasio says New York City will be fully reopened on July 1, with Broadway to follow in September: tinyurl.com/rhmu95fu.

New York City now accepts walk-in appointments at all its vaccination sites: tinyurl.com/4e9sbztn.

Governor Cuomo lifts the COVID curfew on New York City restaurants; bar seating will be allowed, too: tinyurl.com/43h2y83a.

In Puerto Rico:

The island begins to emerge from its worst bout of the coronavirus: tinyurl.com/3ps4n3x2.

In West Virginia:

The state plans to offer young people a $100 savings bond if they get vaccinated: tinyurl.com/6rjsrku8.

Around the world:

South America is in dire shape following the latest COVID-19 surge: tinyurl.com/7rmvbr7k.

In France:

The Cannes Film Festival will be back in full force in July: tinyurl.com/82m33je.

Cinemas and cultural centers will reopen May 19: tinyurl.com/xsh8xsrk.

In India:

The number of new COVID infections continues to skyrocket, reaching 386, 425 in a single day: tinyurl.com/mmtj24j4. Bad as the new surge is, the number of deaths has most likely been undercounted: tinyurl.com/zb8wpv64. Prime Minister Modi urges everyone to get vaccinated: tinyurl.com/yp82hxhj. The government censors social media posts that are critical of its handling of the new surge: tinyurl.com/h52fhbhn. As the situation worsens, the US promises assistance: tinyurl.com/yp82hxhj. The country degenerates into a nightmare state: tinyurl.com/8rz585dk. The US warns Americans to get out of the country, ASAP: tinyurl.com/2r3bceyv. Mass vaccination poses an uphill climb: tinyurl.com/8923bw2m.

In Italy:

The government relaxes some coronavirus restrictions this week, a decision not everyone agrees with: tinyurl.com/822hsdrp.

In New Zealand:

In a sign of the nation's recovery, the band Six60 stages a concert -- for 50,000: tinyurl.com/uh6zxppm.

In Spain:

Starting in June, the country will welcome travelers with vaccination certificates: tinyurl.com/yxd7cdsn.

In Turkey:

A door-to-door vaccination persuasion campaign is winning hearts and minds: tinyurl.com/4fxjfksa.

In the UK:

New infection rates are dropping precipitously: tinyurl.com/nmz74ham.

A major easing of lockdown rules this week allows Britons to travel to different parts of the country for the first time in months: tinyurl.com/2rzev4hk.

A group of prominent arts industry figures ask the government to institute COVID-status certificates in order to jump-start live performances: tinyurl.com/3rek8kva.

London reaches a benchmark -- five million doses of vaccine given out: tinyurl.com/kvzx2m6v.

Arts organizations urge the government to cut through the mountain of red tape for touring shows caused by Brexit: tinyurl.com/5c6cap44.

Losses:

Former television star Johnny Crawford: tinyurl.com/8syy4mwd.

Opera singer Theodore Lambrinos: tinyurl.com/39fdc57w.

Education:

New webinar from Green Hippo: Taking the Guesswork out of 3D Mapping and Previsualization, May 5 at 10am ET; register at tinyurl.com/4excpsh8.

Entertainment:

Elliott Gould and Kathleen Chalfant star in We Have To Hurry, by acclaimed Dorothy Lyman. It streams live via Broadway on Demand May 1 at 8pm and May 2 at 3pm. Patricia Vanstone is the director. The producers will donate all proceeds to The Actors Fund Home East and West. Tickets, priced at $15 per household: tinyurl.com/2vvc7t3k.

Becca: A Night of Stories and Song in Memory of Rebecca Luker, celebrates the Broadway star who recently died of ALS. It's a fundraiser to help fight the disease. The starry lineup includes Laura Benanti, Sierra Boggess, Michael Cerveris, Kristin Chenoweth, Victoria Clark, Santino Fontana, Judy Kuhn, Norm Lewis, Tam Mutu, Howard McGillin, Kelli O'Hara, and Sally Wilfert. Tickets are $20: tinyurl.com/6bazywkx.

John Lloyd Young returns on Saturday, May 1 with John Lloyd Young By Request: Live From Las Vegas, an up close and personal concert of songs chosen entirely by fans and ticket holders. The 75-minute livestreamed pay-per-view concert will include favorites from John's popular repertoire of classic R&B, rock, doo-wop, Broadway, and of course, Jersey Boys. Tickets are $30: thespacelv.com.

From Boston Symphony Orchestra: Available for viewing through May 8: Seiji Ozawa (BSO Music Director, 1973-2002) conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra in excerpts from Acts II and III of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, originally recorded on November 21, 1978: www.bso.org/now.

The Civilians present a concert reading of Kate Douglas and Grace McLean's new musical Against Women & Music! It is directed by Sarna Lapine and music directed by Simone Allen. The cast includes Amber Grey, Andrew Kober, Katrina Lenk, Heath Saunders, and Natalie Walker. It will be presented on May 6 at 7:30pm ET. To register for this free event, go to thecivilians.org.

Now through May 9, The Civilians present the digital premiere of Black Feminist Video Game by Darrel Alejandro Holnes, directed by Victoria Collado, and featuring an original video game created by Ché Rose and Jocelyn Short of Cookout Games. Tickets are $10: thecivilians.org/.

Now through May 13. Pianist Shai Wosner joins musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for a chamber program of music by Antonin Dvorák. The program opens with Wosner's arrangement for piano, clarinet, and viola of three of Dvorák's Legends, a series of ten smaller works originally composed as piano duets. Tickets at: DSO.org.

The cabaret Feinstein's/54 Below presents Jeremy Jordan in Carry On, a new show that takes the audience deep into his new life as a father. Featuring musical direction by Benjamin Rauhala, it premieres May 6 at 8pm ET and is available on demand May 7 - 27. Tickets are $35: www.54Below.com/Jeremy.

Geffen Playhouse presents Someone Else's House, written and performed by the projection designer Jared Mezzochi and directed by Margot Bordelon, produced in association with Virtual Design Collective. It runs today through July 3. The story is based on Mezzochi's family's frightening, true-life haunting inside a 200-year-old New England house. Tickets are $75 per household: www.geffenplayhouse.org/.

Metropolitan Playhouse presents a free livestreamed reading, with talkback to follow, of Careful What You Wish For, by Michèle LaRue, running May 1 at 8pm ET through May 5 at 10pm ET. Running time is one hour: www.MetropolitanPlayhouse.org/watchcareful.

The Public Theater once again streams The Line, written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen and directed by Blank. A stunning documentary piece about frontline healthcare workers in the pandemic, its cast includes Santino Fontana, John Ortiz, Alison Pill, Jamey Sheridan, and Lorraine Toussaint. It is available through June 2: www.publictheater.org/playnow.

The New Group Off Stage launches with Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett, with Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, Wallace Shawn, Tarik Trotter, and Drake Bradshaw. Waiting for Godot will premiere online May 6 at 7pm EST, and available to stream at www.thenewgroup.org.

Untitled Theater Company No. 61 releases on May 1 its newest audio drama podcast, The Iron Heel, adapted by Edward Einhorn from the 1908 dystopian novel by Jack London. The three-part presentation will also have listening parties on May 1, 15, and 29. For details: untitledtheater.com .

Weekend Playlist:

Kristin Chenoweth takes on Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You:" tinyurl.com/b9bxpvvx.

Jane Krakowski and company bring to life "Look What Happened to Mabel," from the musical Mack and Mabel: tinyurl.com/fva7xvam.

Calvin Harris and Florence Welch team up for "Sweet Nothing:" tinyurl.com/44rtf455.

Because you know you've been yearning for a Carol Burnett -- Maggie Smith duet: tinyurl.com/549hy5ue.

As New York City starts to open up, Tony Yazbeck celebrates the city with "Lucky to Be Me," for On the Town: https://tinyurl.com/h3eff3df.

That's all for the week. Have a great weekend. Stay safe. Vaccinate. -DB

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