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COVID-19 has killed more than 418,000 Americans in less than a year and infections have continued to rise despite the introduction of a pair of vaccines at the end of 2020. USA TODAY follows the news. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Subscribe to our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox, join our facebook group or scroll through our detailed answers to reader questions.
The United States passed 25 million cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, but an influential coronavirus model indicates the true number is likely much higher.
About 17% of people in the United States, or more than 50 million people, have been infected with the coronavirus, researchers at the University of Washington estimate. They warn that the United States probably only identifies about half of COVID-19 cases.
The model estimates that the United States will report an additional 168,000 deaths from COVID-19 by May, bringing the total to 569,000 deaths. During this period, at least 40 states will have high or extreme stress on hospital beds, and 46 will have high or extreme stress on critical care capacity, depending on the model.
Authorities in California are investigating the death of a person hours after being vaccinated.
In the headlines:
►The Chicago Teachers Union said on Sunday that its members voted to challenge the order to return to class amid concerns about COVID-19. District officials, who wanted 10,000 K-8 teachers and other staff to return to school on Monday, said the return would be delayed by two days to allow discussions to continue.
►The National Park Service has closed the Washington Monument until further notice “to protect staff and visitors from the spread of COVID-19”. The monument had already been closed since Jan. 11 due to security concerns surrounding the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the NPS said.
►Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force under President Donald Trump, told CBS News “Face the Nation” that she “always” thought of leaving work. “I mean, why would you want to do this to yourself every day?” she said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.
►The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated their vaccination guidelines to say that the second dose of a two-dose vaccine can be given up to 6 weeks after the first.
📈 The numbers of the day: The United States has more than 25 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 418,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: over 99 million cases and 2.1 million deaths.
📘 What we read: Eager medical students help accelerate vaccine rollout in US: “We’ll be history.”
Repressed demand could lead to increased spending
The economy’s struggles during the pandemic could ease as vaccines slowly take hold, financial experts say. As consumer confidence returns, so will spending as pent-up demand kicks in. “This has been the experience of all previous economic downturns,” said an emerging trends report from management consultant McKinsey & Co. A key difference this time around is suppressed economic activity in many areas of services and Hobbies.
“The rebound is therefore likely to focus on these businesses, especially those with a community element,” the report said, citing leisure travel as an area that could recover quickly and much faster than corporate travel. business.
– Russ Wiles, Republic of Arizona
UK Minister of Health: Vaccines may be less effective on COVID variants
Coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against new variants of the disease emerging in South Africa, Brazil and other parts of the world, the British Minister of Health warned on Sunday. Matt Hancock also told Sky News that the current rules are helping “bring down business” but that the country is “a long, long, long way from being low enough” to end the lockdowns.
“We have to have a precautionary principle that says don’t bring these new variants back to the UK,” Hancock said. He said the government is conducting a vaccine trial on the South African variant to study its response to inoculation, and is concerned about the development of new variants elsewhere.
Californian dies hours after receiving vaccine
Authorities in Placer County in California are investigating a death that occurred hours after the victim was vaccinated. The Placer County Sheriff said the person tested positive for COVID-19 in late December and received a COVID-19 vaccine several hours before the individual died on Thursday. Several local, state and federal agencies are investigating the case, the sheriff’s department said in a statement. No further details have been released.
“Any report concerning the cause of death is premature, pending the outcome of the investigation,” the statement said.
Dr Anthony Fauci said people with COVID-19 should wait 90 days after infection before getting vaccinated to avoid interference with the infection’s “natural antibodies”. Dr. Dean Blumberg, an infectious disease specialist at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, told KTLA-TV in Los Angeles that the “vast majority” of serious allergic reactions to the vaccine occur 15 to 30 minutes after vaccination. Blumberg said that while the death occurred several hours later, it is probably not the severe allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, that concerns us.
Michigan’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are on hiatus
Michigan’s sports department is shutting down for two weeks due to confirmed cases of a highly contagious variant of COVID-19 first detected in Britain. The shutdown will affect all sports, including the school’s nationally ranked men’s and women’s basketball teams. The State Department of Health and Human Services issued the warrant after positive COVID-19 tests for several people linked to the sports department. The 11th-ranked women’s basketball team was scheduled to play at home against Purdue on Sunday. The seventh-ranked men’s basketball team was not supposed to play until Wednesday at Penn State.
“We need to do everything we can to minimize the spread among student-athletes, coaches, staff and student-athletes in other schools,” said athletic director Warde Manuel.
– Orion Sang, David Jesse, Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press
Nevada man charged with fraud, securing $ 2 million in COVID aid
Federal prosecutors have charged a Nevada man with fraudulently securing approximately $ 2 million in federal coronavirus assistance for small businesses to purchase luxury vehicles and condominiums in Las Vegas. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nevada charged Jorge Abramovs with bank fraud after allegedly seeking funding from at least seven banks from April to June 2020. The complaint says a financial analysis determined that Abramovs spent the money for personal luxury items, including a 2020 Bentley Continental. GT Convertible for over $ 260,000 and a 2020 Tesla Model 3 for around $ 55,000.
Dr Deborah Birx says she ‘always’ considered quitting PM task force
Dr Deborah Birx, who served as coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force under President Donald Trump, said she had “always” considered quitting her post. “I mean, why would you want to do this to yourself every day?” she said in an interview clip shared on CBS Face the Nation’s Twitter page.
“I had to ask myself every morning: is there something that I think I can do that would be helpful in responding to this pandemic?” she said. “And when it got to a point where I couldn’t, I wasn’t going anywhere – and it was like right before the election – I wrote a very detailed communication plan of what was to happen the next day.” of the election and how it was needed. be executed. And there were a lot of promises that would happen. “
When asked if she felt the election was a “virus communication factor,” Birx said yes. The interview should be broadcast in full on Sunday. Birx said last month that she planned to help the incoming administration for a “period of time,” but would then retire.
– Grace Hauck
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 Updates: US Passes 25 Million Cases; Michigan basketball
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