The Delta variant

 

Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times

1. The Delta variant is proving to be a stubborn hurdle in the fight against the coronavirus.

As the U.S. heads into its second pandemic summer, President Biden warned that those who fail to get vaccinated against Covid-19 risk becoming infected by “a variant that is more easily transmissible, potentially deadlier and particularly dangerous for young people.” Vice President Kamala Harris visited a vaccination center in Atlanta on Friday, above.

In Russia, the Delta variant is now the most prevalent version in Moscow, where case numbers have tripled over the past two weeks and city officials have added 5,000 beds to coronavirus wards. The outbreak has led to some vaccine mandates.

And in England, “freedom day,” when the last remaining coronavirus restrictions had been scheduled to end, was delayed until July 19 after a spike in Delta cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed confidence that the curbs would be lifted next month but added that “at a certain stage, we are going to have to learn to live with the virus and to manage it as best we can.”