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Biden decides to make all adults eligible for COVID vaccine by April 19
Despite the vaccine rolling out, Biden warns the coronavirus is still dangerous.
Associated Press, USA TODAY
Nearly half of new coronavirus infections nationwide are occurring in just five states – a situation that is prompting the federal government to consider changing the way it distributes vaccines by sending more doses to hot spots.
New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey together reported 44% of the nation’s new COVID-19 infections, or nearly 197,500 new cases, in the last available seven-day period, according to public health agency data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. . The total number of infections in the United States in the same week was over 452,000.
The high concentration of new cases in states that make up 22% of the US population has prompted some experts and elected officials to ask President Joe Biden’s administration to send additional doses of the vaccine to these locations. So far, the White House has shown no signs of changing its policy of distributing vaccine doses among states based on population.
Also in the news:
► California plans to abandon its tiered system and open the state on June 15 if vaccine supply remains stable and coronavirus measures continue to decline. Day-to-day operations will be permitted and businesses will open with “common sense risk reduction measures,” Secretary of State for Health and Human Services Dr Mark Ghaly said.
► No ocean-going cruise ship has taken off with passengers from a US port in the past year. But it changes. Norwegian Cruise Line announced on Tuesday that it plans to officially return to service at the end of July with crossings to Europe and the Caribbean – but passengers and crew will need to be “100% vaccinated” two weeks before boarding. .
►President Joe Biden has announced that he is increasing his call for all American adults to become eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine until April 19, almost two weeks earlier than his original May 1 target.
📈 The numbers of the day: The United States has more than 30.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 556,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: over 132 million cases and 2.8 million deaths. At least 219 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed in the United States and 168 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we read: Why are children doing better than adults against COVID-19? Their innate immune response could stop the virus sooner, according to a new study. Read the full story.
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About 80% of teachers, school staff and educators have received at least their first vaccine against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The percentage came from a CDC survey completed by 13,000 education staff and 40,000 child care workers across the country.
The CDC said it has tracked more than 7 million doses given to the group, which were prioritized in early March in hopes of reopening schools across the United States.
“Our efforts to ensure that teachers, school staff and educators were vaccinated in March paid off and paved the way for safer in-person learning,” said Rochelle Walensky, CDC director. “The CDC will build on the success of this program and work with our partners to continue to expand our immunization efforts, as we work to build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.
Brazil and Argentina have broken their own grim records of COVID-19 infections and deaths as the rest of the world continues their race to vaccinate as more and more variants spread.
Brazil – where the most contagious P.1 variant was discovered – on Tuesday had its deadliest day on record with 4,195 deaths from the disease over a 24-hour period. More than 330,000 people have died in the country from COVID-19.
Argentina also broke its infection record, registering 20,870 new cases of COVID-19 in one day. The total number of confirmed cases in the country is over 2.4 million.
Contribute: The Associated Press
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