Your Evening Briefing: The Covid-19 Pills That Could Turn the Tide

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize a pair of pills from Pfizer and Merck to treat Covid-19, a potential milestone in the fight against the pandemic that will expand therapies for the infected. The news came as President Joe Biden sought to reassure a fearful America, echoing preliminary studies showing that while the omicron variant will cause more breakthrough infections among the vaccinated, they are very unlikely to cause severe illness—especially for people with booster shots. But as politicians and health officials pin their hopes on diminished severity and coming treatments, health systems are already imploding—especially in the U.S.

Bloomberg is tracking the coronavirus pandemic and the progress of global vaccination efforts.