Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on the political, media + other going ons in Latin America and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
- Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today:
- Due to widely circulating COVID-19 variants and hesitancy towards vaccines, experts believe it is unlikely that “herd immunity” will be reached in the U.S. Daily vaccination rates in the country have decreased, yet officials say they remain the “key to transforming the virus into a controllable threat.” Anthony Fauci stated that he has stopped using the term “herd immunity” for the confusion it has caused and wants individuals to simply prioritize getting everyone vaccinated quickly. [NYT]
- COVID-19 is raging through populations in South America, resulting in many emergency situations. Latin America made up 35% of global COVID-19 deaths last week and was already one of the hardest hit regions in 2020. Experts worry dangerous variants may emerge if the surges are not contained.[NYT]
- Four migrant families previously separated at the border during the Trump administration will be reunited this week, through a task force created by the Biden administration aiming to allow previously deported parents to return to be with their children. Some had been separated as far back as 2017. The Department of Homeland Security did not disclose how they selected the families to be reunited. [NPR]
- Convoys of healthcare workers have been traveling to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to remote communities in the Brazillian Amazon. Due to the terrain, the overwhelmed healthcare system, and the government’s failure to buy and roll out vaccines early on, people living in the Brazillian Amazon have previously experienced difficulty controlling COVID-19. [BBC]
- Vanessa Bryant announced the launch of Mamacita Apparel Line in honor of her late daughter Gigi Bryant. The release comes on what would have been Gigi’s 15th birthday. All of the proceeds will go towards the Mamba and Mambacita Sports foundation, a charity founded by the family to fund programs for underserved communities. [Hypebeast]