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COVID-19 has killed more than 425,000 Americans 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.
With more students returning to school this week, evidence from the United States and other countries indicates schools can operate safely with precautions and should open as soon as possible to receive in-person instructions, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .
In an article published Tuesday in JAMA Network, researchers wrote that wearing masks and maintaining social distance have been shown to be effective in limiting the transmission of the coronavirus in schools, but activities such as indoor sporting events can promote spread and should be reduced.
“The preponderance of available evidence from the fall semester was reassuring,” the three researchers wrote. “There is little evidence that schools have contributed significantly to increased community transmission.”
Still, returning student populations may be even more at risk than they were in the fall – not to mention their surrounding communities, where research has suggested larger epidemics in college towns.
In the headlines:
►Longtime NBA writer Sekou Smith, known for his basketball insight and friendly demeanor, died of COVID-19 on Tuesday. He was 48 years old.
►Eli Lilly announced that its cocktail of monoclonal antibodies reduces hospitalizations by 70% for patients at high risk of COVID-19.
►Alaska and Kentucky detected the first known cases of the variant coronavirus in their states identified last year in the UK, officials said on Tuesday. The diagnoses bring the total of states reporting cases of the variant to 25.
►The global total of coronavirus cases exceeded 100 million on Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard. The United States, with just over 4% of the world’s population, accounts for more than 25% of infections and nearly 20% of deaths.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 25.4 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 425,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: over 100.2 million cases and 2.15 million deaths. About 44.4 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed in the United States and 23.5 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we read: Luck, foresight and science: How an unannounced team developed a COVID-19 vaccine in record time.
Paramedic of the year accused of stealing vaccines
A Florida county paramedic has been charged with stealing COVID-19 vaccines intended for first responders. Joshua Colon, 31, was arrested after confessing to intentionally stealing three doses of Moderna vaccine and then forging documents in an attempt to cover up his actions, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Grady Judd said Colon told authorities he stole the vaccines earlier this month at the behest of his supervisor, Captain Tony Damiano, who was researching the vaccine for his elderly mother. Damiano, who is under investigation, has been deployed to California to help with the pandemic response, Judd said.
“He might as well surrender,” Judd said of Damiano. “You can run, but you can’t hide. The deal is over.”
– Sara-Megan Walsh, The Ledger
Biden hopes the majority of the population will be vaccinated by the fall
President Joe Biden has announced that he will increase the minimum weekly vaccine supply to states over the next three weeks by 16%, to 10 million. Biden is in the process of making a deal to purchase an additional 200 million doses, which would give the United States a total of 600 million ordered doses of the two-dose vaccines. That’s enough to immunize 300 million Americans and more than enough for the nation’s roughly 260 million adults. Biden said he expects the new supply to be fully delivered by mid-summer and the majority of the population to be vaccinated by the end of the summer or early in the summer. ‘autumn.
Antibody cocktail could be a game-changer for high-risk patients
While vaccines may help slow the COVID-19 pandemic over the coming months, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced on Tuesday that its treatments may help save lives in the meantime. The Indianapolis-based drug giant says its cocktail of monoclonal antibodies cuts hospitalizations by 70% for high-risk patients. A monoclonal antibody mimics one of the natural antibodies that the immune system uses to fight the virus. Former President Donald Trump as well as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani all received monoclonal antibodies shortly after their diagnosis of COVID-19.
– Karen weintraub
High risk: Schools often ignore public health guidelines for classroom learning
Many school districts and states running in-person classes have ignored recommendations from public health officials or written their own questionable safety rules – creating a powder keg where COVID-19 can get sick and kill. An analysis of federal and state data revealed more than 780 complaints covering more than 2,000 public and private schools from kindergarten to grade 12. Among the complaints: employees reported sick children coming to school, students and teachers without masks within six feet of distance, and administrators downplaying dangers from the virus and punishing teachers who spoke out .
“The response to the virus has been politicized,” said Dr. Chandy John, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases at Indiana University School of Medicine. “There is a willingness to ignore the data and the facts and go with whatever you hear on the internet or from political leaders who have no scientific knowledge.”
– Laura Ungar, Kaiser Health News
January is already the deadliest month for the pandemic in the United States
The 4,087 deaths from COVID-19 reported on Tuesday – the fourth highest day in pandemic history – have already made January the deadliest month in the pandemic, according to USA TODAY analysis of university data Johns Hopkins. In the first 26 days of January, the United States reported 79,261 deaths. The total number of deaths in December, which was the deadliest month, was 77,486 deaths in December. At this rate, January could end with around 94,500 reported deaths.
Some states have been devastated. California’s previous worst month was 6,772 deaths in December, but the state has already reported 12,282 deaths in January. January is already the deadliest month for 15 other states: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
– Mike Stucka
Oklahoma Department of Health sues company for promising N95 masks
The Oklahoma Department of Health ordered more than 2 million N95 masks in March from a Tulsa piano bar owner who promised he could get the coveted PPE from China in large quantities and quickly.
They ordered the masks from Casey Bradford’s brand new company, PPE Supplies LLC. On the second order, they even paid him half upfront – $ 2.125 million – after promising delivery in 10 days.
The Oklahoma Department of Health sued Bradford and PPE Supplies LLC in Oklahoma County District Court on Tuesday. Health officials received less than 10,000 masks from PPE Supplies and only $ 300,000 from the bond, according to the breach of contract lawsuit. The Department of Health is looking to get the rest of its money back – $ 1.825 million, plus interest. He also seeks punitive damages for “fault”.
“Bradford intentionally and willfully misrepresented the facts to the plaintiff which prompted him to enter purchase orders and advance a deposit,” the lawsuit alleges.
– Nolan Clay, the Oklahoman
Double masking ‘makes good sense’, says Dr Anthony Fauci
Double masking was in the spotlight last week at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, where several senior officials and celebrities were pictured wearing two masks.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, says it’s probably more effective at preventing the spread: “So if you have a physical coating with one diaper you put on another, that’s it. makes perfect sense that it probably is. be more efficient, “Fauci told” NBC News’ TODAY “on Monday.” This is the reason why you see people doing double masking or doing a version of an N95. “
The same goes for a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Matter in July, which found that wearing two masks could increase protection against viral particles by 50% to 75%. This not only added an extra layer of protection, but also made the mask fit snugly around the face, said study author Dr Loretta Fernandez.
Americans’ renewed interest in double-masking also comes when variants that appear to be more contagious emerge from the UK, South Africa, Brazil and California.
– Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY.
Contribute: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID news: CDC; reopening of schools; Eli Lilly; Biden; vaccine; Fauci
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