,
John Bacon
| USA TODAY
Virus mutations, explained
See how mRNA viruses like COVID-19 mutate and why certain viruses are more difficult to develop vaccines.
FAQs only, USA TODAY
COVID-19 killed more than 420,000 Americans in one year and infections continued to increase, despite the introduction of a pair of vaccines in late 2020. USA TODAY is following the news. Keep updating this page for the latest updates. Subscribe to our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox, join our Facebook group or go through our detailed answers to readers’ questions.
Winning a new lottery in Minnesota can be a lifesaver.
State residents can start signing up for a vaccine lottery today after a first-come, first-served vaccination site crashed amid overwhelming demand. Less than 5% of the state’s population had received an injection by Sunday.
Governor Tim Walz revealed a series of changes in vaccine distribution efforts, including a mass vaccination pop-up event for teachers, school staff and daycare staff at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, starting Thursday and ending on Monday. The state reserved 15,000 doses for the event.
The boost comes amid revelations that a highly contagious coronavirus variant initially discovered in Brazil landed in the United States – in Minnesota. The State Department of Health reported that the resident recently traveled to Brazil and fell ill in the first week of January.
The variant from Brazil seems to be able to escape the natural antibodies developed after contracting COVID-19. While this may mean a potential weakening of the effectiveness of current vaccines, current vaccines will still offer some protection. This variation of the virus joins others in circulation in the United States – including those seen for the first time in the United Kingdom, South Africa and, more recently, in California.
In the headlines:
► President Joe Biden reinstated travel restrictions, which were in force for most of 2020, for non-American citizens who were in Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom and much of Europe. Then President Donald Trump rescinded the restrictions days before his term ended. Biden added South Africa to the shortlist, starting January 30, in light of the new contagious coronavirus variant seen there for the first time.
►As of last week, Alaska has administered more COVID-19 injections per capita than any state in the country, according to CDC data, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Missouri ranked last in the 50 states.
►From Tuesday, travelers flying to the USA from foreign countries must provide proof of a recent coronavirus test with a negative result.
► In California, the state with the highest number of infections, health officials suspended regional requests to stay home on Monday, citing a decline in the number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 and patients in intensive care units.
► Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine protects against two variants of the coronavirus that emerged in Britain and South Africa, although not as strongly against the latter, according to a company study.
►World Health Organization officials said on Monday that they do not believe that Olympic athletes should have priority access to COVID-19 vaccines, especially if it means reducing the world’s health workers and the elderly population.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 25.2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 420,900 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: More than 99.7 million cases and 2.1 million deaths.
📘 What we’re reading: Your child may not return to the classroom this year. Are teacher unions to blame? Read more here.
Campus leaders hoped that the autumn lessons would position them better for the spring semester. That was before a post-holiday winter wave raised the number of COVID-19 deaths in America to over 400,000. Before the emergence of more contagious variants of the coronavirus. Before the vaccine was launched, it was slower than expected.
Now, returning student populations may be at even greater risk than in the fall – not to mention neighboring communities, where the research suggested further outbreaks in university cities.
Despite these concerns, colleges are advancing. The stakes are high; the number of enrollments plummeted in most colleges in the past semester, and the loss of revenue from on-site services, such as on-campus lodging and meals, can be devastating for schools that depend on that money. University cities would also feel the economic squeeze.
But when managers talk about the need to reopen, they focus on what worked in the fall – and the benefits of the full university experience.
– Chris Quintana, USA TODAY
Contributing: The Associated Press