A COVID-19 vaccine made by the Swedish-British company AstraZeneca appears to provide strong protection three months after just one dose, while reducing the spread of infections, the researchers said on Wednesday.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the study supports a strategy to delay the second injection so that more first doses can be given to more people. The researchers also found a 67% reduction in positive swabs among vaccinees – crucial news because, if no virus is present, the virus cannot spread.
AstraZeneca has not yet applied for emergency use authorization for its vaccine in the United States. Only two vaccines, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, have been authorized in the United States and both require a second dose.
Dr. Anthony Fauci praised British researchers for responding to his data, but said the United States will continue to recommend that booster doses of Pfizer be administered about 21 days after the initial injection and booster doses of Moderna about 28 days later.
“We are also going a lot because of the data and science that emanated from large clinical trials,” said Fauci. “We feel strongly that we will follow science, which has dictated to us the ideal way to get a 94 to 95 percent response.”
COVID-19 killed more than 450,000 Americans 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 to get 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.
In the headlines:
►San Francisco has taken a dramatic step in its effort to bring children back to public schools, suing their own school district to try to force classrooms to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. The process is the first of its kind in California and possibly in the country, as school systems are under increasing pressure from parents and politicians to end online learning.
►Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will relax internal restrictions a little bit across the state, raising capacity limits from the current 25% to 35% and allowing restaurants to stay open after 10 pm, he announced on Wednesday. The executive order will take effect at 8 am on Friday.
► Pope Francis received his second dose of the vaccine on Wednesday. The 84-year-old pope gave his first injection on January 13.
►Dr. David Chokshi, New York City’s health commissioner, said the test was positive and is showing mild, “controllable” symptoms. “This is a reminder – if we need one – that COVID is still with us and we should all continue to wear masks, wash our hands, distance ourselves socially and stay home if we feel bad.”
► Japan has enacted legislation allowing officials to fine offenders for coronavirus orders. The country is struggling to slow the latest outbreak of infections amid growing uncertainty over the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, considered the key to hosting the Olympics this summer.
►The National Park Service will now require all visitors and staff to wear masks inside buildings and facilities and on land “when physical distance cannot be maintained.” This includes busy and narrow trails.
►How many people in your state and in the United States have received the COVID-19 vaccine so far? Check the USA TODAY vaccine tracker.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has 26.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 450,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: More than 104.2 million cases and 2.2 million deaths. Nearly 56 million doses of vaccines have been distributed in the United States and about 34 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we’re reading: Raymond James Stadium is not only the site of Super Bowl 55, but also a symbol of the pandemic.
Police and firefighters suspended after investigation of Eventbrite vaccine system
Two Florida officials will be suspended for 30 days each in connection with a municipal investigation into the use of the Eventbrite vaccine registration system, government officials announced on Wednesday.
Marco Island’s police chief, Tracy L. Frazzano, and fire rescue chief Christopher Byrne, are accused of providing the link to make an online appointment with a family member before the city publishes the link in January 20th. An investigation concluded that Frazzano gave access to her husband, William Frazzano, 65, something Byrne did not report.
Florida’s vaccination system got off to a rough start in December, when the governor allowed people aged 65 and over to stay ahead of essential workers, even though many health workers in Florida were waiting for their injection. Florida residents age 65 and older continue to struggle to get an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine because demand for the vaccine is far outstripping the supply.
– Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Marco Eagle
Yankee Stadium to open mass vaccination site for COVID-19
Yankee Stadium will open as a COVID-19 mass vaccination site from Friday to serve Bronx residents in an effort to strengthen equity in the distribution of the vaccine in New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the governor Andrew Cuomo said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
15,000 consultations will be available on site during its first week, which will coincide with efforts to publicize Bronx residents about vaccine safety and scheduling appointments.
The Bronx has the highest number of hospitalizations and deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in the five neighborhoods, according to city data, and its population is predominantly black and Latin.
“It is about justice and the defense of the neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19,” said de Blasio. “It is quite clear that the black, Latin and poor communities were the hardest hit by COVID, and the Bronx is no exception,” added Cuomo.
– Ryan W. Miller
Head of CDC: New cases, hospitalizations on a ‘consistent downward trajectory’
New infections and hospital admissions continue to decline and the United States now appears to be on a consistent downward trajectory for both, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Wednesday. But she warned that the proliferation of variants could reverse these trends. Walensky also acknowledged that daily deaths continue to increase.
“Although deaths continue to increase, the pace appears to be slowing down,” she said. “The recent decline in hospitalizations gives us hope that the number of deaths is expected to start decreasing in the coming weeks.”
For the first time since November 13, the United States reported less than 1 million new cases of coronavirus in a seven-day period. The weekly total peaked at more than 1.7 million a few weeks ago. Johns Hopkins University data shows 989,974 new cases in the seven-day period ending on Tuesday. Still, at that rate, 98 Americans were informed positively every minute.
Dr. Anthony Fauci will not attend your Super Bowl party on Sunday
Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning America to “just hide” instead of gathering for the Super Bowl parties on Sunday.
President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor said during TV interviews on Wednesday that now is not the time to host observation groups because of the possibility that guests may be infected with the coronavirus and make others sick. The NFL capped attendance at the game in Tampa at 22,000, citing the pandemic and coronavirus orders across the city. Fauci says that the best thing people can do is watch the game on TV at home with the people in their home.
“You don’t want to party with people you haven’t had much contact with,” he told NBC’s “Today” program. “You just don’t know if they’re infected, so as difficult as it is, at least this time, just be quiet and cool.”
People who smoke are given priority to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
As more Americans eagerly await their turn to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, people are finding that smokers are one of the priority groups for vaccination. The revelation drew frustration on social media, but a study published last week in the scientific journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who smoke or have smoked in the past are more likely to be hospitalized or die of COVID-19.
“I could see why people thought it would be unfair,” said Dr. Samuel Kim, a thoracic surgeon at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. “But people who smoke are generally at greater risk of becoming ill when they develop COVID-19.” Read more here.
– Adrianna Rodriguez
LAPD threatens to arrest if protesters again disrupt the mass vaccination site
After protesters halted vaccinations at COVID-19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last week, local police said on Tuesday that any further protests would result in “immediate and quick” arrests.
“It is my expectation and guidance that … individuals are to be arrested, summoned and their actions to be stopped,” said Deputy Michel Moore during a virtual meeting of the Police Commission, according to the Los Angeles Times. “This advance is a means of ensuring that the lines will remain open, that the vaccination sites will be cleared.”
The stadium, one of the country’s biggest vaccination sites, was temporarily closed on Saturday because dozens of protesters blocked the entrance. However, no vaccination appointment has been canceled and the site has not been closed permanently, according to Moore.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article was originally published in USA TODAY: COVID news: AstraZeneca vaccine; second dose; new infections; papa