Herd immunity? It’s complicated | Morning Newsletter
And, offshore wind’s opponents.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Hello, readers of the Inquirer Morning Newsletter.
First: We’re not there yet when it comes to herd immunity, and it’s complex.
Then: Some fishing groups have fears about the upcoming offshore wind farm project in Jersey waters.
And: We asked Philly-area residents how they’re doing a year into the pandemic. This is what they said.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_ashleyhoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
By the estimation of epidemiologists, we’d need more than 80% of the population to become immune, so that the virus can’t find hosts and spread. We’re not there yet. But the answer to the “are we there yet?” question is far from simple.
The hope is that vaccinations drive down the cases, and that people may possibly be able to have a more normal summer. But what will happen next winter when we head back indoors, where the virus spreads more easily? That’s not clear yet. Reporter Tom Avril describes the antibody study he participated in at the National Institutes of Health, for which he and thousands of others sent in blood samples.
And he spoke with the experts about why it’s too soon to declare herd immunity against COVID-19.
N.J. fishing groups worry offshore wind will adversely affect their industry: ‘This is our farmland’
Some commercial and recreational fishing organizations share a fear that offshore wind farms to be installed off the coast of New Jersey in coming years could threaten their livelihoods by creating navigational issues, impacting aquatic habitats, and forcing sport anglers farther out to sea.
Ocean Wind, New Jersey’s first such project, calls for the developer Ørsted to install 98 turbines about 15 miles into the Atlantic Ocean by 2024. It’s one of a number of coming projects needed to reach Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of generating 7,500 megawatts of wind power by 2035, representing a new frontier in the battle against climate change. Ørsted has endeavored to address possible conflicts, saying that the wind farm’s impact will be “very minimal.” But the fishing organizations want more power over the process.
Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine in the Philly area? Use our lookup tool.
Double-masking can increase your protection. But not all masks should be layered.
How can I get to Philly’s mass vaccination clinics? Use our transportation guide.
Here’s how to prepare for a vaccine appointment.
What’s safe once you’re fully vaccinated? We asked seven experts to rank the risk of everyday activities once you’re vaccinated. Here’s what they said.
Can I go on vacation yet? This is how to know what’s safe.
And this is your guide to traveling with kids during the pandemic.
What you need to know today
We asked Philly-area residents how they’re doing a year into the pandemic. We hope what they said resonates with you. If you have an experience you’d like to share, please feel free to post it on social media with the hashtag #OneYearInPhilly.
This is how Philly, one of the country’s most supervised big cities, cut its probation numbers by a third.
The FBI is investigating the purchase of millions of dollars in real estate in Harrisburg by Pennsylvania’s largest pension fund, we have learned.
And newly obtained documents show that the board of Pennsylvania’s biggest pension fund adopted that inflated number even after the state treasurer raised questions last summer.
People fleeing New York and New Jersey for the Poconos could give Pa. Democrats a new stronghold in the woodsy vacation area that more people are calling their full-time homes.
The first fundraising reports give us an early snapshot of the 2022 Senate race in Pennsylvania.
West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. is a Philly-area company that’s booming now that one of its products is usually involved whenever anyone gets a COVID-19 vaccine.
Retired Philly cops target DA Larry Krasner in the first TV ads of the Democratic primary.
Philly is planning to reopen pools. The schedule? That depends on staffing, and the city is looking for lifeguards to take the stand.
Through your eyes | #OurPhilly
Just try and name a more iconic mural city. We won’t wait.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout-out!
That’s interesting
🌆 Columnist Maria Panaritis spent time with Delaware County Council Vice Chair Dr. Monica Taylor to learn about how she pivoted to meet the moment.
🏥 As part of our Future of Work series, this is how an EMT job can actually help catapult someone into a role in higher-paying medical fields.
😷 A hoagie delivery guy achieving peak levels of Philly was just bringing some food to a Northeast Philly clinic, and he left with a shot.
🏀 Every 76ers fan knows about the team’s home-court advantage. There’s a lot riding on the No. 1 playoff seed.
🦅 Could coach Doug Pederson be done with the NFL forever? Marcus Hayes has a take.
Opinions
“Kudos to Jenkins for stepping up to help 300 local high school students get started by giving them money to open their own savings accounts,” columnist Jenice Armstrong writes about how former Eagles player Malcolm Jenkins is trying to teach Philly kids how to save money.
As people stream the Netflix movie Concrete Cowboy, this is what it was like to ride with the city’s Black cowboys through the streets of North and West Philly, Philly freelance editor Vernon Clark writes.
While it’s a relief that Philadelphia has avoided a doomsday scenario, we would be more optimistic if the city acknowledged the need to be ready for future shocks, The Inquirer Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom, writes about Mayor Jim Kenney’s budget plan.
What we’re reading
Billy Penn makes a passionate case for bringing a WNBA team based in Philly.
The Washington Post has published a column on how laborious it can be to be Black in America.
There could be another experience we can share together today. NASA is planning for what Reuters calls “a Wright Brothers moment” as it attempts to send a mini chopper over Mars’ surface. It would be a real first.
Sam Sinns spent 10 years as a performer and dance captain at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park in Florida before he took his fancy footwork to another magical place here on earth, Pennsylvania, to open Twirl, a Newtown Square dance studio.
When he learned that the pandemic had forced Disney to lay off many of his former colleagues last year, he came up with a game plan to bring on some of them to work remotely and safely from their home base in Orlando.
“Pretty much everything I’ve needed came from the Disney performers, which was awesome,” Sinns said. “It’s just such a talented group of people, and they all had skills.” One Disney performer who joined Twirl now puts together videos of Twirl’s dance shows and recitals.