Texas docs develop global COVID vaccine

Plus: global wishes for 2022; child grooms; 300 million COVID cases [View this email online]( [NPR]( Goats and Soda editor's note Dola Sun for NPR We asked global thinkers and activists [to make a wish for 2022.]( For Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, she said, "My wish is the same as always: I want to live in a world where every girl can learn and lead." For global health researcher Dr. Madhu Pai, it's a pandemic care package for every family, containing COVID-19 vaccines, high-quality masks, rapid self-tests and new antiviral medications. And for researcher Susannah Hares, it's a school meal for every child around the world. [Read the rest of the wishes here]( -- then share your global wish for 2022 with us. Tell us about a global health and development problem you would tackle, why you think it's important and how you'd solve it. We may feature it on NPR.org. Email your idea to [goatsandsoda@npr.org](mailto:goatsandsoda@npr.org?subject=2022%20wishes). Malaka Gharib Deputy editor, Goats and Soda --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- must-reads Max Trautner/Texas Children's Hospital [A Texas team comes up with a COVID vaccine that could be a global game changer]( Peter Hotez and Maria Elena Bottazzi used an oldie-but-goodie technology to devise a vaccine that's easy to make — and relatively cheap. India has already ordered 300 million doses. [For many Afghans, winter is forcing a cruel choice of whether to eat or stay warm]( "It shouldn't be a lottery of life about who gets to eat, who doesn't get to eat. Do I keep my child warm or do I give my child food?" a World Food Programme Afghanistan spokesperson tells NPR. COVID news NPR [Coronavirus world map: We've now passed the 300 million mark for infections]( A map of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world. The respiratory disease has spread rapidly across six continents and has killed millions. [Omicron is spreading at lightning speed. Scientists are trying to figure out why]( The burning questions: What makes this newly identified variant so transmissible? And what does it mean for preventing spread? [The goal: at least 40% vaxxed in all nations by year-end. This map shows how we stand]( The program called COVAX was set up to make sure that all countries have access to COVID vaccines. Two key public health figures talk about what went wrong — and how to fix it. [$17 trillion: That's how much the pandemic could take away from today's kids]( A new report from UNESCO estimates the potential lifetime earnings lost to the world's children due to school closings. But there are ways to prevent this from happening. photo stories Stephanie Sinclair for NPR [Child grooms are often overlooked in the fight to stop child marriage]( The U.N. issued its first report on the plight of child grooms. And the pandemic has only made things worse. Here's a report from Nepal, where 1 in 10 boys marry young. [Flood survivors, former sex slaves, fantastic masks: Top global photo stories of 2021]( The power of photos can be seen in our most popular picture essays of the year, with compelling images from South Sudan, the Philippines, Mexico (check out those artistic face coverings) and more. COVID faqs John Moore/Getty Images [What's the difference between isolation and quarantine?]( The Centers for Disease Control changed its guidelines for isolation and quarantine during this pandemic. Not everyone is sure how to define those terms. Also, not everyone is 100% behind the changes. [How do you define mild, moderate and severe COVID?]( As researchers try to determine the severity of cases caused by the omicron variant, the question of what exactly constitutes mild, moderate and severe COVID is weighing on people's minds. Bonus: What does it mean if the booster knocks me out? Goats and Soda editor [Marc Silver explains in an NPR Instagram story.]( links we like - Our NPR sister blog Shots has [an in-depth FAQ on COVID tests]( when to test, what kind to use and what the results mean. - [The global supply chain is amazingly efficient. So why did it break down?]( NPR's Fresh Air interviews Wall Street Journal columnist Christopher Mims, the author of a new book on the subject. - The Economist looks at 10 global trends to watch in 2022. On their list? An African fashion boom and a revitalized space race. [Watch the video here.]( - The Christian Science Monitor [collects high points in 2021 around the world](. They include improved legal rights for Indigenous people in Latin America and effective solar projects in sub-Saharan Africa. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. 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