If the current trend holds, LA residents could face a new mask mandate by the end of the month. The minor inconvenience of wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings could probably stave off broader mandates, but that behavior isn’t happening at scale. Katherine J. Wu in The Atlantic: The BA.5 Wave Is What COVID Normal Looks Like. “Pathogens don’t spread or transform without first inhabiting hosts. But with masks, distancing, travel restrictions, and other protective measures almost entirely vanished, ‘we’ve given the virus every opportunity to keep doing this.'”

+ Politico: Low demand for young kids’ Covid vaccines is alarming doctors.

+ “A whopping 10 players on the Royals’ roster are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and will not be able to enter Canada for the Blue Jays series.”

+ Related to a few of today’s stories: Americans’ trust in major institutions reaches a new low.