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John Bacon
| USA TODAY
COVID-19 and double mask: Dr. Fauci and other experts evaluate
Senior officials have used a double mask, but does the extra layer really help to slow the spread of COVID-19?
Team video, USA TODAY
Vaccination sites across the Northeast are reopening on Wednesday after a winter storm hit the region, throwing up to a meter of snow in some areas.
In New York, New Jersey and at least three New England states, many COVID-19 vaccination appointments for Monday and Tuesday have been canceled due to the weather.
“The safety and well-being of our state’s vulnerable populations is our highest priority,” said New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Jake Leon, reported the Portsmouth Herald, part of the USA Network TODAY.
In the meantime, the Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it will begin distributing doses of the COVID-19 vaccine directly to retail pharmacies in an effort to streamline vaccinations across the country.
COVID-19 killed more than 445,000 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:
►The head of health in Brittany says that a new study showing that a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca provides a high level of protection for 12 weeks supports the government’s strategy of postponing the second injection so that more doses can be administered to more people.
► Australian regulators said in a statement on Tuesday that they had decided not to set any maximum age limits for the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, despite reports of dozens of deaths among elderly people in Norway.
►A single injection of the AstraZeneca / Oxford University vaccine reduced coronavirus transmission by 67% and provided substantial protection against COVID-19 for at least three months, according to preliminary data from three trials revealed on Tuesday.
►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.
►A new study found that the cleaner air from the pandemic block warmed the planet a little in 2020, especially in places like the eastern United States, Russia and China.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has 26.4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 446,700 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: More than 103.8 million cases and 2.2 million deaths. Nearly 52.6 million doses of vaccine have been distributed in the United States and 32.7 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we’re reading: 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.
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 in a very positive way very minute.
Deaths in the week ending Tuesday were 21,633, dropping below 22,000 for the first time since 9 January. But for almost a month, America averaged at least 3,000 deaths a day, a rate worse than the human cost of the 9/11 attacks every single day. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that the United States lost 22,000 people in last year’s flu season; America lost that many people to the coronavirus each week, several weeks in a row. The United States reported 100,930 COVID-19 deaths in 2021 alone.
– Mike Stucka
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 direction that … individuals are to be arrested, to be summoned and their actions to be stopped,” said Deputy Michel Moore during a virtual meeting of the Police Commission, according to 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.
Andrew Yang, the businessman who became a candidate for president and now runs for mayor of New York, had a positive test for COVID-19, he announced on Tuesday. Yang said he had tested negative recently this weekend, but later received a quick test with a positive result, he tweeted on Tuesday. “I’m showing mild symptoms, but on the other hand, I’m feeling good and in a good mood,” tweeted Yang.
Yang said he was quarantined. Among New York mayoral candidates, he is among the most prolific face-to-face militants in a dispute that was otherwise forced to go online because of the pandemic.
– Ryan Miller
The Biden administration will begin distributing doses of the COVID-19 vaccine directly to retail pharmacies in an effort to streamline vaccinations across the country. White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said the program will begin with about 1 million doses sent to 6,500 pharmacies starting next week. The number of pharmacies could reach every 40,000.
“This will provide more places for people to receive vaccines in their communities,” said Zients. “And it is an important component for the equitable distribution of vaccines.”
Zients said 10.5 million doses will be distributed to states this week, a 5% increase from last week and a 22% increase in weekly doses since President Joe Biden took office on January 20.
Contributing: The Associated Press