Biden to send millions of masks; vaccine for all by August

The world’s COVID-19 vaccine makers are quickly ramping up manufacturing and expressed optimism Tuesday that the U.S. can have ample provide to vaccinate each American who desires it by the tip of July, as President Joe Biden has stated.

Representatives of the drug firms additionally stated they’re engaged on alterations to the vaccines to fight variants if mandatory.

John Young, chief enterprise officer at Pfizer, stated at a listening to earlier than the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that his firm can have supplied 120 million doses by the tip of March and attain 300 million by the tip of July. That’s sufficient of the two-dose routine for 150 million Americans, and Young stated the corporate is working to guarantee security and effectiveness for kids.

“We are conducting studies in patients between 12 to 15 years of age and hope to soon begin studies in children under the age of 11,” Young stated.

Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, stated his firm additionally hopes to be ship 300 million doses by the tip of July. And Richard Nettles, Johnson & Johnson’s vice chairman of medical affairs, stated if his firm wins Food and Drug Administration authorization for emergency use, J&J hopes to provide 100 million doses of its single-dose vaccine by the tip of June.

Also within the information:

►States will obtain about 14.5 million doses of vaccine this week, marking an almost 70% enhance in distribution of doses over the past month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated Tuesday. Psaki additionally stated governors have been advised Tuesday that the quantity of doses despatched immediately to pharmacies will enhance by about 100,000 this week.

►The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is looking for higher COVID-19 vaccine entry for poor nations, saying, “More than 210 countries are yet to administer a single dose.”

►British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to slowly ease a nationwide lockdown have boosted optimism that journey restrictions might be eliminated in time for the summer time vacation season. TUI, the U.Ok.’s largest tour operator, stated Tuesday that bookings elevated six-fold Monday, the corporate’s busiest day in additional than a month.

►Health officers in Texas have been optimistic that vaccine distribution would get back on track by the tip of the week. Last week’s energy disaster prompted transport delays, canceled appointments and destroyed greater than 900 doses of the vaccine throughout the state. 

📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has greater than 28.2 million confirmed coronavirus instances and 502,400 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The international totals: More than 112 million instances and a couple of.48 million deaths. More than 82.1 million vaccine doses have been distributed within the U.S. and about 65 million have been administered, according to the CDC.

📘 What we’re studying: Why get COVID-19 vaccination when you nonetheless have to put on a masks? It beats getting sick, health experts say.

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Biden administration to send millions of masks all through the nation

President Joe Biden, who has requested all Americans to put on masks in the course of the first 100 days of his time period to restrict unfold of the coronavirus, stated Tuesday his administration intends to send millions of face coverings to individuals all through the nation quickly.

Biden confirmed the plan throughout a digital roundtable dialogue with 4 Black important employees, saying, “We’re probably going to be sending out an awful lot of masks around the country very shortly, millions of them.”

He didn’t provide particulars concerning the timing or the kind of masks into account.

California stimulus bundle with $600 funds consists of undocumented immigrants

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a coronavirus relief package Tuesday that features $600 one-time funds for 5.7 million state residents with low-to-moderate incomes. The $7.6 billion bundle, paid for by a $15 billion windfall of higher-than-expected tax receipts, additionally goals to help small companies.

Low-income undocumented immigrants dwelling in California who’ve a person taxpayer identification quantity might be eligible for the $600 funds. They have been among the many individuals most impacted by the financial downturn introduced on by the pandemic and are usually not eligible for federal stimulus checks or unemployment insurance coverage. 

“Those that have been left behind in the federal stimulus, California is not going to leave you behind,” Newsom said.

2,400 vaccine doses wasted in Tennessee

Tennessee’s most populous county won’t be allowed to allocate COVID vaccines after more than 2,400 doses went to waste there over the last month. Instead, city officials in the county seat of Memphis, along with hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, will handle the distribution.

The state Department of Health opened an investigation over the weekend into a report that recent winter storms caused 1,000 doses to be thrown away in Shelby County, but Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said the problems were far more widespread.

Piercey said issues dating back to Feb. 3 included multiple incidents of spoiled doses, an excessive vaccine inventory, insufficient record-keeping and a lack of a formal process for managing soon-to-expire vaccines. A federal investigation is also expected.

Many would give up sex for chance to travel, Trivago poll finds

We knew Americans are desperate to travel again – but we didn’t know just how desperate until now: 38% of Americans polled by Trivago said they’d give up sex for a year if they could resume traveling immediately. For Brits, the number was even higher: 40%. Nearly half of the Americans polled said they’d give up their jobs, too.

More than half of the respondents said they’d adopted a new hobby during the pandemic, and once it’s all over, about two-thirds said they’d probably choose a vacation related to that hobby.

The travel accommodation platform surveyed 2,000 Britons and Americans over the course of a week in early January.

– Jayme Deerwester

COVID-19 vaccine envy: It’s not just Meghan McCain of ‘The View’

Two months into the vaccine rollout, most Americans still don’t know the gleeful feeling that comes with getting a first dose. Public health officials warned it would take time to vaccinate everyone who desired it, but most people didn’t expect the confusion and inconsistencies that have marred vaccination programs. They likely couldn’t prepare for the feeling of watching as some people near a return to normal while they continue to wait.

Meghan McCain, co-host of “The View,” directed her frustration at Dr. Anthony Fauci and has taken social media warmth for it. But she would not nook the market for vaccine envy, specialists say.

“Whenever you have got a bit bit of hope, after which it is dashed, you are going to both get depressed or offended or resentful,” said therapist Steven Stosny. “And generally you are going to blame it on one other particular person, regardless that it is the system that is actually inflicting the stress.” Read more here.

‘Saturday Night Live’ draws fire for joke about Israeli vaccination program

Saturday Night Live is getting criticized for a joke about Israel’s COVID vaccination program.

Israel allows anyone over 16 access to shots and has vaccinated almost half its population. SNL’s “Weekend Update” anchor Michael Che joked that, “I’m going to guess it’s the Jewish half.”

Palestinians dwelling within the West Bank and Gaza Strip, managed by Israel, are usually not included within the statistics and have little entry to vaccines. Israel maintains the territories are accountable for their inhabitants’s well being care.

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt was amongst these taking problem with Che’s humor. Greenblatt cited “factual inaccuracies,” accusing Che of “playing into an anti-Semitic trope.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci says politics has contributed to COVID dying toll

Political divisions in America are partly to blame for pushing the nation’s COVID-19 dying toll over 500,000, Dr. Anthony Fauci stated Tuesday. Fauci, talking on CNN, declined to name out former President Donald Trump particularly however stated months of downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic by political leaders discouraged mitigation efforts equivalent to masks sporting and social distancing promoted by public well being specialists.

“You are trying to signal the country to really buckle down and address the kinds of mitigation strategies we put forth,” stated Fauci, a prime well being adviser to President Joe Biden. “And signals come saying, ‘This isn’t so bad, we’re in pretty good shape …’ That was not helpful.”

Fauci stated it was painful to hear individuals calling the pandemic “fake news” whereas hospitals have been overrun with virus sufferers. “I mean, how could you possibly say that when people in your own state, your own city, your own county are dying?” Fauci stated.

Community well being facilities counted on to vaccinate low-income sufferers

The Biden administration is concentrating on group well being facilities, which serve about 30 million sufferers nationwide, as vaccine distribution hubs. Two-thirds of these sufferers reside at or under poverty degree, half are racial or ethnic minorities and most are uninsured or on Medicaid. 

Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, chair of the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, introduced earlier this month the administration will start transport doses to 250 facilities, no less than one in every state or territory. 

At the Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative, Chief Operating Officer Janice Robinson stated greater than 3,000 sufferers are on ready lists for a shot all through the community’s 17 group well being facilities. 

“We don’t have enough,” Robinson stated. “This will definitely make a change.”

– Nada Hassanein

Woman dies after contracting virus from lung donor

A lady who died after undergoing a double lung transplant on the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor is the primary identified particular person to contract COVID-19 from donor lungs, in accordance to a brand new case report printed within the American Journal of Transplantation. 

The case is uncommon, and represents “the worst-possible scenario” to play out in a pandemic that has killed half one million Americans, stated Bruce Nicely, chief medical officer of Gift of Life Michigan, the state’s federally designated organ and tissue restoration program. Nicely famous that Gift of Life Michigan was not concerned on this donation. The transplant occurred in late October.

“To my knowledge, this is the first, and actually the only, documented transmission of COVID-19 to a recipient” from donated organs, Nicely stated.

– Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press

Contributing: The Associated Press

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