Super Bowl maskless parties; 200 variant cases Florida
On the identical day as internet hosting Super Bowl LV, Florida on Sunday grew to become the primary state to report 200 variant COVID-19 cases, in response to a USA TODAY evaluation.
The regarding information comes as public health officials across the nation are bracing for a possible surge in coronavirus cases if Americans failed to take heed of warnings to not collect for Super Bowl events.
The recreation itself was performed earlier than 22,000 masked followers, a lot of them vaccinated well being care staff, on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ stadium, however videos on social media after the sport confirmed revelers in Tampa, many maskless and ignoring social distancing guidance, celebrating within the streets.
The nation now has 699 identified cases of virus variants, up from 618 on Thursday. Cases of the extremely contagious variants have greater than doubled since Jan. 27.
Florida holds about 29% of the identified variant cases within the nation, and now has extra variant cases than your complete nation had Jan. 23. Each of Florida’s identified cases is of B.1.1.7, often known as the U.Ok. variant, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says could be the predominant version in the United States next month.
On Sunday evening, the United States additionally reported that B.1.135, often known as the South African variant, reached Virginia. The different 5 identified cases are in Maryland and South Carolina. And the P.1 variant, often known as the Brazilian variant, had been present in Oklahoma. The different two identified cases are in Minnesota.
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In the headlines:
►The United States on Sunday reported fewer than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases, one of many lowest data in three months, a USA TODAY evaluation of Johns Hopkins University knowledge exhibits.
►Pfizer expects to almost minimize in half the period of time it takes to supply a batch of COVID-19 vaccine from 110 days to a median of 60 because it makes the method extra environment friendly and manufacturing is constructed out, the company told USA TODAY.
►President Joe Biden said “it genuinely is a national emergency” when requested throughout a CBS News interview about kids out of the classroom and ladies dropping out of the workforce on account of the pandemic. “It’s time for schools to reopen safely,” he added.
►Researchers in Britain say a brand new examine of two,000 individuals signifies the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine provides minimal protection against mild or moderate disease from the South Africa variant of the coronavirus. The examine, which didn’t assess the vaccine’s effectiveness in stopping extreme illness, raises severe issues in regards to the efforts to stem the pandemic largely by inoculations. South African officers mentioned they’d postpone the nation’s rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine whereas they examine the findings.
►Some California church buildings opened their doorways to worshippers after the state revised its pointers following a Supreme Court ruling that lifted a ban on indoor providers.
►China on Monday reported no new native infections of COVID-19 for the primary time since Dec. 16, including hope that its newest efforts to stamp out outbreaks have been working, Reuters reported.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has greater than 27 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 463,400 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The world totals: More than 106 million cases and a couple of.31 million deaths. More than 59.2 million vaccine doses have been distributed within the U.S. and about 41 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we’re studying: Fatigue, fever and shedding the sense of style or scent are generally identified signs of COVID-19. A British researcher has documented other maladies linked to the coronavirus, and so they’re not nice.
US stories 88K new cases; first week of February deadlier than all of June
The 88,044 new COVID-19 cases reported within the United States on Sunday might have been a low marker for latest months, but it surely nonetheless averages greater than a case per second, a USA TODAY evaluation of Johns Hopkins University knowledge discovered.
The nation hadn’t reported fewer than 100,000 cases in a day since Nov. 2, aside from Christmas Day, when some states did not report numbers.
In the week ending Sunday, the United States reported 819,050 cases, about half the speed reported a month earlier. But final month’s disastrous spike in cases led to a surge in deaths. The nation has been averaging about 3,000 reported deaths per day for a month, and within the week ending Sunday, the United States reported 22,121 deaths.
That first week of deaths in February is bigger than the variety of deaths reported in all of June.
– Mike Stucka
Chicago colleges to reopen this week; San Francisco reaches deal; NYC reopening center colleges
Chicago colleges are set to reopen this week after a tentative settlement was labored out with the lecturers’ union over COVID-19 security protocols, probably averting a strike within the third-largest college district within the nation.
Under the attainable deal, which nonetheless requires approval by the Chicago Teachers Union, pre-Ok and particular teaching programs would return Thursday and different teams can be staggered. Kindergarten by fifth grade college students would return to high school March 1 and center schoolers every week later. No return date has been set for top schoolers.
Elsewhere, the unions that symbolize San Francisco college district staff mentioned Sunday that additionally they have tentatively agreed to a deal that may permit public colleges to reopen, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
And in New York City, center colleges are to reopen Feb. 25, bringing 62,000 extra college students again to the classroom after shuttering in November.
Pfizer expects enhance in effectivity will relieve bottlenecks in vaccine rollout
Pfizer expects to almost minimize in half the period of time it takes to supply a batch of COVID-19 vaccine from 110 days to a median of 60 because it makes the method extra environment friendly and manufacturing is constructed out, the corporate informed USA TODAY.
As the nation revs up its vaccination applications, the rise may assist relieve bottlenecks brought on by vaccine shortages.
“We call this ‘Project Light Speed,’ and it’s called that for a reason,” mentioned Chaz Calitri, Pfizer’s vice chairman for operations for sterile injectables, who runs the corporate’s plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. “Just in the last month we’ve doubled output.”
The elevated velocity and capability will not be sudden, mentioned Robert Van Exan, president of Immunization Policy and Knowledge Translation, a vaccine production consulting firm.
– Elizabeth Weise
Dr. Fauci: Not sufficient time to check influence of delaying second dose
The nation’s high infectious illness skilled mentioned Sunday that it might not be prudent to delay second doses of COVID vaccines as a result of it might take too lengthy to examine the influence.
From “a theoretical standpoint” it might be good to know the sturdiness of 1 dose, he mentioned. But the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been completely examined for a second dose in three weeks and 4 weeks, respectively, he mentioned.
“The amount of time that it will take, the amount of people you would have to put into the study – by that time, we will already be in the arena of having enough vaccines to go around anyway,” Fauci mentioned on NBC News’ Meet the Press. “What we have right now, and what we must go with, is the scientific data that we’ve accumulated, and it’s really very solid.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
