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USA TODAY is following the news regarding COVID-19 as a pair of vaccines join the US fight against a virus that has killed nearly 390,000 Americans since the first reported death in February. Continue to refresh this page for the latest updates regarding the coronavirus, including who receives vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, as well as other news from the USA TODAY Network. Subscribe to our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates directly to your inbox, join our facebook group or scroll through our detailed answers to reader questions for everything you need to know about the coronavirus.
In the headlines:
► President-elect Joe Biden is expected to share more details on Friday afternoon on his $ 1.9 trillion spending program that aims to accelerate the distribution of coronavirus vaccines and provide economic relief caused by the pandemic. The overall proposal includes a $ 20 billion investment in a national immunization program, $ 1,400 in stimulus checks and increasing UI supplements to $ 400 per week. More here.
► From Friday, the United Kingdom bans arrivals from South America following evidence of a new variant of the coronavirus in Brazil.
► The coronavirus pandemic is expected to reduce the life expectancy at birth of Americans by more than a year, according to a study by the University of Southern California and Princeton University published on Thursday. The life expectancy of black and Latin populations is expected to decrease by 30 to 40% more than white populations.
► Disneyland announced that it would end its annual passport program on Thursday, at the same time offering refunds to 2020 pass holders after COVID-19 barred visitors from accessing the theme park for most of the year.
► Texas has distributed over a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Governor Greg Abbott said Thursday as the state ramps up mass vaccination efforts as hospitals grapple with record numbers of patients .
► A false rumor that additional doses of vaccine were available had people lining the sidewalks and cars filling the roads in New York City. And more than 100 people have taken to the Bay Area sites, despite not being vaccinated qualified, after an error with the California vaccination portal, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
► A study in Nevada released on Wednesday indicates that about a third of the state’s residents are unlikely to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 23.3 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 388,500 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: over 93 million cases and 1.99 million deaths.
📘 What we read: U.S. health officials are urging Americans to ask their doctors about monoclonal antibodies for treatment of COVID-19. But is it too little, too late? Learn more here.
CDC model projects nearly half a million deaths from COVID-19 by February
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that the country will soon reach a grim milestone as it will continue to record the most daily deaths from COVID-19 than at any other time during the pandemic.
The agency’s weekly ensemble forecast projects that 16,200 to 29,600 new deaths from COVID-19 will likely be reported in the week ending February 6, reaching up to 477,000 total deaths by that date.
The forecast set is made up of 39 different models from across the country that are combined into a global forecast to predict deaths from COVID-19 over the next four weeks.
NIH Updates Guidelines For Using The Parasitic Pill In The Treatment Of COVID-19
The National Institutes of Health announced Thursday that they are revising their warning against taking ivermectin – a pill to treat parasites, commonly found in dog heartworm medications – as coronavirus remedy or prevention for pets or people.
Ivermectin hit social and mainstream media in April after it was mentioned in studies, but the US Food and Drug Administration had warned against its use. Now, an NIH panel of experts is revising those warnings, saying there is insufficient data to recommend whether or not ivermectin is used for the treatment of coronaviruses.
But don’t go out and buy heartworm medication for dogs just yet – ivermectin, the panel added, is not FDA approved for the treatment of a viral infection. Although the drug is currently under investigation as a potential treatment for COVID-19, the panel said it “cannot draw firm conclusions about the clinical efficacy or safety of ivermectin. for the treatment of COVID-19 “.
President-elect Joe Biden’s COVID plan predicts 100 million shots in first 100 days
President-elect Joe Biden wants Americans to receive 100 million COVID-19 vaccines in the first 100 days of his administration, an ambitious goal to reverse the slow start of the vaccine rollout in the country.
Biden offered few details on how his administration would achieve the ambitious timetable during a speech Thursday night on his proposed $ 1.9 trillion economic recovery plan. He plans to share more details on his vaccination plan on Friday.
“This will be one of the most difficult operational efforts that we have ever undertaken as a nation,” Biden said. “We will have to move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated, create more places where they can get vaccinated, mobilize more medical teams to get vaccinated in people’s arms.”
Biden is offering $ 20 billion for a national immunization program with states, local government and tribes and will include community vaccination centers and mobile vaccination units to reach remote areas.
– Ken Alltucker
Researchers Discover New Variants of U.S. COVID-19 Virus
Research teams from two universities announced on Thursday that they had found a new variant of COVID-19.
A research team from Southern Illinois University has discovered a new variant of the COVID-19 virus that is specific and dominant in the United States, adding to the growing list of mutations such as those found in the United Kingdom and South Africa. South, the university said in a statement.
“It’s here. We found it,” said Keith Gagnon, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UES. “It’s really local and widespread, and we’re the first to characterize it.”
It could be more easily transmitted than other variants, and its impact on vaccines is uncertain, the university said.
Additionally, scientists at Ohio State University have discovered a new variant of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The new variant carries a mutation identical to the strain in the United Kingdom, but it is likely that it appeared in a viral strain already present in the United States.
Contribute: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID: Biden Relief Plan 1,400 Checks; Disney Ends Passports – Updates
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