After being sworn in as president, Biden called Covid-19 a “once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country,” during his inaugural address. “We will move forward with speed and urgency, as we have a lot to do in this winter of peril and great opportunity,” he added, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overall forecast United States predicted 100,000 more deaths. in the next weeks.
Biden’s urgency to reverse the pandemic came to fruition later in the day by signing a series of executive orders that ended the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO); re-established the National Security Council’s Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense (an office emptied by the Trump administration); and masks required on federal property.
Regular White House briefings made a comeback after ending in April when Trump suggested that injecting disinfectant could be a cure for the coronavirus (it isn’t, don’t). New press secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday that “truth and transparency” are back in the briefing room, and the White House will fight disinformation by giving accurate information to the American people “even when it is difficult to understand. hear”.
She added that the White House will demand daily tests for Covid-19, N95 masks for staff and strict social distancing requirements – in an effort to model good behavior during a pandemic. The president “also asked us to be role models for the American people,” she said, in stark contrast to Trump and his administration, who largely ignored the government mask and social distancing recommendations.
Dr Anthony Fauci, who remains as Chief Medical Advisor, represented the United States at a WHO virtual meeting on Thursday, where he thanked the health body for leading the global response to Covid -19. He also announced that the United States would resume its regular engagement with the organization and meet its financial obligations. Today, Biden will also tackle the overwhelming threat of the pandemic, signing more orders to bring the pandemic under control.
“Healthier days lie ahead,” promised new CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky in her first statement, but getting there will require rapid testing, surveillance and vaccination for Covid-19. “We must also face the long-standing public health challenges of social and racial injustice and inequality that have demanded action for far too long,” she said.
YOU ASKED. WE HAVE ANSWER
Q: How many people have been vaccinated in the United States so far?
A: More than 16.5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, or about 46% of the 36 million doses distributed, according to data released yesterday by the CDC. At least 2.1 million people have received the required two doses, the data shows.
Wednesday’s figures mark a significant increase in the share of doses administered out of the total distributed. Previously, this share had remained below 40%. However, a note on the CDC’s Covid Data Tracker site states that the agency is “fine-tuning the way the number of doses dispensed is reported,” which could affect that calculation.
The deployment of the US vaccine has not gone smoothly, with the country lagging behind several other countries in its Covid-19 vaccination efforts, according to a recent CNN analysis of government data. Sources with first-hand knowledge of the new administration’s work related to Covid told CNN that one of the biggest shocks Biden’s team had to digest during the transition period was what they saw as an absence Trump’s total vaccine distribution strategy, even several weeks after the vaccines were approved for use in the United States.
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WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY
Studies suggest that vaccinated people are protected against new variants of Covid-19
New research published this week provides reassuring evidence that people vaccinated against the coronavirus are protected against new, emerging variants. Two teams tested two of the new variants against blood drawn from people who had received the full two-course dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, reports Maggie Fox.
While mutations in the new virus variants – one first seen in Britain and the other first identified in South Africa – allowed them to evade some of the induced immunity by vaccination, it was far from a complete escape, the two teams reported separately.
Recalling last year, China announces travel restrictions ahead of Lunar New Year
China’s National Health Commission has announced a series of domestic travel restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 as the country braces for massive movements of people to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Millions of Chinese migrant workers planning to return to the countryside are now required to show a negative Covid test result within seven days of leaving. People in medium and high risk areas are discouraged from traveling together.
It comes as Chinese authorities on Wednesday reported 144 new cases of Covid-19 across the country, including 18 imported infections. All residents of Beijing’s Daxing District have been banned from departing since Wednesday due to the increased number of cases.
California officials say suppliers can resume Moderna vaccine from a specific lot after a break
California health officials have given providers permission to resume administration of Moderna vaccine “immediately” from a specific batch after stopping earlier this week due to possible allergic reactions. This comes as most measures of coronaviruses improve in the state, which has been the epicenter of the virus in the United States. But the severity of the cases in the state and the death toll remain high.
California added 22,403 new cases on Wednesday, which is well below the state’s average daily count of around 38,000, but also reported 694 new Covid-19-related deaths on Wednesday – the second-highest toll in one day to date. And with a limited supply of the coronavirus vaccine, state epidemiologist Erica Pan said it might take four to five months to get all Californians over 65 vaccinated.
ON OUR RADAR
- Zimbabwe’s Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo – known to appear on state television in 2017 to announce the army takeover of late President Robert Mugabe – has died after catching Covid.
- Amazon wasted no time in reaching out to newly installed US President Joe Biden to prioritize his essential workers in his administration’s vaccine distribution plans. The company also offered to help Biden’s pledge to vaccinate 100 million Americans in the first 100 days.
- Quarantined Australian Open tennis stars urged not to feed mice in hotel rooms after world 28th Yulia Putintseva uncovers an infestation.
- The number of North Korean deserters entering South Korea fell in 2020. This is likely due to the pandemic.
TOP TIP
Anosmia – a condition known as “odor blindness” or loss of smell – is a common symptom of Covid-19 (and other viruses) and can severely affect the ability to taste, as the senses are intertwined. And while most people regain their sense of smell or taste within days to weeks, experts say some may not regain their sense of smell after months.
For example, Kaya Cheshire is still missing 90% of her sense of smell since she contracted a mild case of Covid-19 last July. At the suggestion of her doctor, Cheshire recently began “scent training”, using strong-smelling things like roses, lemons, cloves, garlic, eucalyptus and mints to retrain his brain. Find out how Covid-19 survivors altered their meals due to anosmia.
PODCAST OF THE DAY
“We wanted science to save us. But it cannot save us from our own human nature.” – CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta
A year ago this week, a man walked into a Washington state clinic, becoming the first patient to test positive for Covid-19 in the United States. Gupta looks back on the painful lessons of this tragic year. Listen now.
