CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: These scientists uncovered the key to the first COVID vaccines

Plus: COVID and immunity, America's mental health crisis, art in a post-pandemic world [TRACKING CORONAVIRUS IN THE U.S.]( [VIEW ONLINE]( [TRACKING CORONAVIRUS IN THE U.S.]( [National Geographic]( [The Coronavirus Era]( This week: What we do and don't know about COVID and immunity; the scientists who unlocked a mystery; America's mental health-care deserts; art museums in a post-pandemic world. IMAGE BY DANIEL WRAPP, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN [They spent 12 years solving a puzzle. It yielded the first COVID-19 vaccines.]( Long before anyone knew of SARS-CoV-2, a small band of government and university scientists uncovered a prototypical key that unlocked life-saving immunizations. [READ ON]( SHARE [F]( [T]( [VACCINE TRACKER: The latest news on COVID-19 vaccines +]( PHOTOGRAPH BY LIM HUEY TENG, REUTERS [What we've learned about how our immune system fights COVID-19]( A year into the pandemic, our understanding of immune responses to the coronavirus has skyrocketed. But more questions—such as how long immunity lasts—still need answers. [READ THE STORY]( SHARE [F]( [T]( TRACKING CORONAVIRUS [Where cases are growing and falling in the U.S.]( [SEE THE DATA]( [Mapping the global spread of the coronavirus]( [SEE THE DATA]( PHOTOGRAPH BY RICK BOWMER, AP [COVID-19 is taking a heavy toll in America's mental health-care deserts]( While the pandemic has helped normalize conversations about mental health, the root crisis remains: There are not enough trained professionals to treat everyone in need. [READ MORE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( PHOTOGRAPH BY MARCO DI LAURO, GETTY IMAGES [When the world reopens, will art museums still be there?]( Struggling with pandemic shutdowns and lost revenue, galleries respond with innovative exhibits, online programs, and safety protocols. [READ ON]( SHARE [F]( [T]( PHOTOGRAPH BY CRISTINA ALDEHUELA, BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES [Africa's first COVID-19 wave was atypical. Its second could be, too.]( Its more than 50 countries are on diverse journeys—illustrated by unexpected outbreaks, death surges fueled by stigma, and some puzzling places with abundant spread but low hospitalization rates. [READ THE STORY]( SHARE [F]( [T]( PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW TESTA, THE NEW YORK TIMES VIA REDUX [Why new coronavirus variants 'suddenly arose' in the U.K. and South Africa]( Some researchers suspect chronic cases allow the virus to replicate over long periods of time and that certain new therapies may encourage it to mutate. [LEARN MORE]( SHARE [F]( [T]( What we're reading [Where Year 2 of the pandemic will take us (The Atlantic)]( ›› [Track the number of people vaccinated in each state (Washington Post)]( ›› [Sign up here]( to receive our daily newsletters, covering History, Travel, Science, Animals, and Photography. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS We'd like to hear from you! Tell us what you think of our emails by sharing your feedback in this short survey. [TAKE THE SURVEY]( [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [READ OUR LATEST STORIES]( [SHOP]( [DONATE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [TRAVEL]( [FB]( [Twitter]( [IG]( Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply. This email was sent to: {EMAIL}. Please do not reply to this email as this address is not monitored. This email contains an advertisement from: National Geographic | 1145 17th Street, N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036 You are receiving this email because you elected to receive marketing communications from National Geographic under the terms of our [Privacy Policy](. [Manage all types of email preferences]( with National Geographic Partners. [Unsubscribe]( from this type of email. To unsubscribe between January 10 and January 26, 2021, please reply “unsubscribe” to this email. © 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC, All rights reserved.