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Here is what is happening on Wednesday with the coronavirus pandemic in the United States:
THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY
– A number of states report shortages of vaccines, and tens of thousands of people who have managed to get first-dose appointments are having them canceled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about half of the 31 million doses distributed to states by the federal government have been administered so far. Only about 2 million people have received the two doses needed for maximum protection against the virus.
– President Joe Biden signs series of executive actions which overturn his predecessor’s orders on immigration, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic. Biden demands the use of masks and social distancing in all federal buildings, on federal lands, and by federal employees and contractors. Biden also orders the government to join the World Health Organization.
– The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes to an agency that was sidelined during the pandemic. Dr Rochelle Walensky, 51, an infectious disease specialist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, arrives at the CDC this week as the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus surpasses 400,000 and the largest campaign vaccination program in the country of history is encountering confusion and delays.
THE FIGURES: The United States averages 201,000 new cases and about 3,000 deaths every day. The death toll in the country since the start of the pandemic now stands at around 403,000 people.
QUOTE: “It’s so incredibly, unimaginably sad that so many people have died that could have been avoided.” – Cliff Daniels, director of strategy at the Southern California Methodist Hospital, near Los Angeles, after the U.S. death toll surpassed 400,000.
ICYMI: California officials are pinning their hopes on President Joe Biden as they fight to get coronavirus vaccines and to stem an outbreak of infections that has invaded hospitals and mortuaries. The San Francisco Department of Public Health says it is likely he will run out of vaccine on Thursday. Los Angeles County is starting to vaccinate people 65 and older despite the scarcity.
ON THE HORIZON: Biden took office as 46th President of the United States His ambitious first 100-day plan includes an initiative to accelerate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to Americans and push through a relief program in the event of a $ 1.9 trillion pandemic.
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Find the full PA coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
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