President Joe Biden expressed optimism on Tuesday that the US vaccine launch would exceed expectations, even though a massive winter storm was disrupting efforts to get vaccines to be given this week.
Biden wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, “Before taking office, I set a big goal of managing 100 million rounds in the first 100 days.” “With the progress we’re making, I think we’re not just going to get there, we’re going to break it.”
Experts consider Biden’s goal conservative by experts who have argued that vaccines should be manufactured, shipped and pricked more quickly so that vaccines become readily available by spring. Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that it would be “open season” for all Americans who want a vaccine by April.
But the timeline remains unclear because the startup was marred by a shortage of supplies, forcing vaccination sites to close and leading to long lines and thousands of people on waiting lists. Biden has also previously said that most Americans will not be vaccinated until the end of the summer.
On Tuesday, it was a winter storm that led to icy roads, power outages and dangerously low temperatures across much of the country. Traffic congestion from coast to coast And delays in vaccine shipments to Florida and Texas.
Jared Moskowitz, director of the Florida Department of Emergency Management, said the state has been alerted that shipments are being delayed. It was not clear how many doses would be affected and when the deliveries would resume. Texas health officials, due to receive more than 400,000 additional vaccine doses this week, are not expecting deliveries until at least Wednesday. And vaccine appointments in cities Houston And the Austin The cancellations are expected to take place again Tuesday due to the severe winter weather.
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In the titles:
Chinese authorities say it is Suppression of vaccine-related crimes. Prosecutors there agreed to arrest 70 suspects involved in 21 vaccine-related fraud, according to the prosecutor’s office. One case involved 58,000 fake vaccine doses using regular saline that brought in $ 3 million in sales.
President Joe Biden is Extending the ban on foreclosures To obtain three-month federally subsidized mortgage loans and expand the Mortgage Relief Program to provide relief to families grappling financially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rulers Biden ask For more information on how the federal government distributes COVID-19 vaccines to local pharmacies and community health centers in their states.
â–º On Monday, the World Health Organization authorized the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The move will help boost supplies to millions of people around the world through the United Nations’ anti-COVAX efforts, which aim to help vaccinate poor countries.
San Francisco is the latest city in California to temporarily shut down a mass vaccination site due to a vaccine shortage, to join Los Angeles in halting vaccinations amid a national shortage, even as new federal state vaccination sites open.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 27.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 486,000 deaths. According to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: More than 109.2 million cases and 2.4 million deaths. More than 70 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the United States and approximately 52.8 million doses. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
📘 What we read: There is no “giant nationwide campaign” to raise awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Why? Experts say there is a better way.
A shortage of injections plagues Japanese vaccination efforts
Japan is scrambling To secure special syringes To maximize the number of vaccine shots used from each Pfizer vial of vaccine amid concerns of millions of doses being wasted. Japan, with a population of 126 million, has a deal for 144 million doses that could vaccinate 72 million people. But without special injections, the numbers could drop by more than 15%. The government, which is still hoping to host the Summer Olympics that begins in late July, is asking medical equipment manufacturers to increase production of low-dead space syringes. Nepro Corp said it plans to increase its monthly capacity.
“We are receiving a request from the Ministry of Health and we need to take some steps,” Nibro said in a statement to Japan Today. “But this is not something we can do overnight. There are another four to five months before we can sharply increase our activity.”
NBA sets protocols for the All-Star game despite the stars’ reaction
The National Basketball Association revealed Health and Safety Protocols for All-Star Rest In a note to teams, including All-Star Game Protocols, March 7. The game has not been officially announced, and LeBron James is among the high-profile players who have expressed their displeasure at the idea of ​​an all-star match being held amid a pandemic.
All players are required to undergo a COVID-19 test while the league takes a break from March 5-10. Players participating in All-Star events – be it game, dunk competition, or three-point shooting – must travel to Atlanta on March 6 via private transportation, and participation is based on negative re-tests on March 6 and March 7.
– Jeff Zilgate
Experts fear a fourth increase this spring
COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations are declining across the country, but experts speak in terrible terms what would happen if Virus variants are allowed to circulate this spring. The United States saw a spike in cases this past spring, especially in the Northeast, last summer in the South, and from November to January almost everywhere. With the nation’s death toll from COVID-19 approaching half a million, public health experts said they fear the prospect of a fourth wave. Three state legislatures have lifted mask mandates in recent days, and New York and Massachusetts have eased restrictions on restaurant seating in time for Valentine’s Day.
“It’s as if we’re doing our best to help the virus rather than stop it,” said Teodora Hatziwano, a virologist and associate professor of research at The Rockefeller University in New York City.
– Karen Weintraub
Governor Andrew Cuomo defends the New York response in nursing homes
After boasting of forging a winning battle plan against COVID-19, Cuomo faces a critical moment after an aide admitted to withholding nursing home data from the public after receiving a federal investigation. The fallout from the scandal is mounting as lawmakers press bipartisan for further investigation into the Como administration’s response to COVID-19, citing The series of revelations that lifted the veil of secrecy On the true number of Coronavirus deaths in nursing homes in New York, which exceeded 13,000 residents compared to 8,700 previously reported.
US Rep. Antonio Delgado, DN.Y, wrote Sunday on Twitter: “Thousands of New Yorkers have lost their families in nursing homes due to COVID-19, a pain exacerbated by the inability to rest their loved ones in their last hours.” “They deserve answers and accountability.”
Meanwhile, Como It launched a protracted defense on Monday, Conflicting state officials should have released the nursing home data earlier, but have struggled to do so due to the epidemiological workload and politicized federal investigation by the Justice Department under former President Donald Trump.
David Robinson, New York State Team
Emergency visits decreased last year, but overdoses: Experts blame COVID-19
Many Americans stayed away from the emergency room when the nation was locked down for fear of contracting COVID-19 in hospital. While this resulted in a general decrease in emergency department visits, A recent study It shows that weekly trips to the emergency room due to drug overdoses were higher in 2020 compared to 2019.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied more than 180 million emergency visits from December 30, 2018 to October 10, 2020, and found that the weekly numbers for all drug overdoses were 45% higher in 2020 compared to 2019., according to the study published On February 3 in the JAMA Journal of Psychiatry. Opioid overdoses, specifically, have increased by about 29% compared to what they were before the pandemic.
When the COVID-19 lockdown measures were implemented in March 2020, overall visits to the emergency room decreased by nearly 43% compared to the same timeframe in 2019. However, drug overdoses saw only a slight decrease from March 29 to April 11, around 4% compared to 2019, before increasing again.
“The emergency department visits to drugs and opioid overdoses did not decrease in a similar fashion to other emergency department visits is particularly convincing,” the study authors said, indicating an increased overdose burden during the pandemic.
Adriana Rodriguez
Contribution: James Cole, USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau; The Associated Press.
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