USA TODAY is following the news around COVID-19 when a pair of vaccines joins the U.S. fight against a virus that has killed more than 392,000 Americans since the first reported fatality in February. Keep updating this page to get the latest updates on the coronavirus, including who is receiving Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as other important news from across the USA TODAY Network. Subscribe to our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates right in your inbox, join our Facebook group or go through our detailed answers to readers’ questions for everything you need to know about coronavirus.
In the headlines:
► COVID-19’s global deaths reached the terrible 2 million mark, which is roughly equivalent to the entire population of Nebraska. Of those deaths, more than 390,000 occurred in the United States.
► The Institute for Health Metrics now predicts that by May, the US will have more than 566,000 deaths from COVID-19
► President-elect Joe Biden said on Friday that his government will add clinics, strengthen the public health workforce and invoke a wartime production law to ensure adequate vaccine supplies for Americans to receive 100 million of COVID-19 injections in the first 100 days of his government.
► As of Monday, the UK will require all incoming travelers to have a negative COVID-19 test and quarantine. Children under 11, essential workers and people traveling for urgent medical treatment are exempt.
► The coronavirus pandemic is designed to reduce life expectancy for Americans at birth by more than a year, according to a study by the University of Southern California and Princeton University. It is expected that the life expectancy of black and Latino populations will be reduced by 30% to 40% more than the white population.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 23.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 392,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals exceed 94 million cases and 2 million deaths have been recorded.
📘 What we’re reading: Scientists are convinced that COVID-19 came from a thumb-sized bat hidden inside a remote Chinese cave a year ago. But where did this virus really come from? Read more about its mysterious origin.
The model predicts 566,000 US. deaths by May 1, but it could be more
The Institute for Health Metrics now predicts that by May, more than 566,000 people will die of COVID-19 in the United States, with the peak likely occurring in early February. The organization states that “daily deaths are expected to decrease continuously after the peak, reaching less than 500 per day in April due to seasonality and increased vaccination”. They predict that by May 1, some states may be close to collective immunity.
But if the most transmissible variant, which has already been detected in several states, is established, the peak could be “delayed for weeks and the death toll substantially increased” Meanwhile, the IHME has warned that hospitals will be under “severe stress in the coming years. four weeks ”, as coastal states experience a significant increase in cases. The Midwest, recently a hotspot, is tending to fall.
Biden promises quick action on vaccine launches, eyeing Defense Production Law
In his first detailed discussion of his vaccination plans the day after revealing his $ 1.9 trillion economic rescue plan, President-elect Joe Biden said swift action is essential to reverse the “gloomy failure” of launching the national vaccine that left millions of doses stored during the deadliest stretch of the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden’s team identified suppliers that could be exploited under the federal Defense Production Act to avoid the potential shortage of glass vials, corks, syringes and needles that could delay getting shots.
He reiterated an earlier pledge to open vaccines in addition to health professionals and nursing home residents for adults over 65 and frontline employees such as teachers, first responders and clerks.
Biden will instruct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin establishing mass vaccination sites in places such as school academies, community centers and sports stadiums. He promised that these new clinics, as well as temporary mobile clinics, will be available in underserved communities hard hit by the coronavirus.
– Ken Alltucker
Should you wear a mask after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine? Absolutely.
“Masks and social detachment will need to continue for the foreseeable future – until we have some level of herd immunity,” said Dr. Preeti Malani, director of health at the University of Michigan. “Masks and distance are here to stay.”
Malani and other health experts explained several reasons why Americans should keep their masks on: no vaccine is 100% effective; it takes some time for the protection to be activated; and being vaccinated will not stop you from spreading the virus. Read more here.
– Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News
The UK variant could become the dominant strain in the US in March, warns the CDC
The highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus that is wreaking havoc in the United Kingdom could become prevalent in the United States in March, warned the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A model published on Friday in the agency’s Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report showed the variant, B.1.1.7, spreading rapidly, threatening to deplete health resources and increase the immunity of the population needed to control the pandemic.
About 76 cases of the new variant were detected in 10 states as of Jan. 13, the CDC said, with Illinois announcing its first case on Friday in Chicago.
The CDC said it is collaborating with other federal agencies to coordinate and improve genomic surveillance to better understand local epidemiology in the face of this new variant. The agency also highlighted the importance of public health strategies to reduce transmission, which will gain “critical time to increase vaccination coverage”.
The world reaches 2 million deaths by coronavirus
The global number of COVID-19 deaths reached 2 million on Friday, while vaccines developed at breakneck speed are being launched around the world in a total campaign to overcome the threat.
The milestone was reached just over a year after the coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. It took eight months to reach 1 million dead. It took less than four months to reach the next million.
Although the count is based on figures provided by government agencies worldwide, the actual number is believed to be significantly higher, in part because of inadequate testing and the many fatalities that have been imprecisely attributed to other causes, especially in the outbreak.
“Behind that terrible number are names and faces – the smile that will now be just a memory, the forever empty chair at the dinner table, the room that echoes with the silence of a loved one,” said the UN secretary general. , Antonio Guterres. He said the number of victims “has been exacerbated by the absence of a coordinated global effort”
“Science has succeeded, but solidarity has failed,” he said.
Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY; Associated Press
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: COVID news, updates: Joe Biden’s coronavirus plan; new strain a concern