More than 100,000 people have died from Covid-19 since January 1, according to JHU data

More than 100,000 people have died from Covid-19 so far this year, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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WENATCHEE, WA – JANUARY 26: A pharmacist prepares COVID-19 vaccines for patients arriving at the Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee, Washington, on January 26, 2021. As Washington opens several mass vaccination sites this week, government Jay Inslee has announced that 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered into the state. (Photo by David Ryder / Getty Images)

Since January 1, the U.S. has reported a total of 100,317 deaths in Covid-19, bringing the total number of reported deaths in the U.S. to 446,689 by the start of the pandemic by Tuesday night.

The first Covid-19-related death occurred on February 29, 2020 in Washington state. Later in the spring, two earlier deaths in California were posthumously confirmed as Covid-19.

The data from JHU show that the US had more Covid-19 deaths than any other country. Brazil counted more than 200,000 deaths. Mexico, India and the United Kingdom have all reported more than 100,000 deaths.

There are now more vaccinations than reported cases

The number of people who received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine is now greater than the number of U.S. Covid-19 cases reported during the entire pandemic.

According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 26.3 million cases have been reported in the past year.

And in less than two months, more than 26.4 million doses of vaccine have been administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But that does not mean the pandemic is gone. This is why:

• The number of coronavirus infections could be four times higher than the number of cases actually reported, researchers say. In mid-January, the CDC estimated that the U.S. had actually seen 83.1 million Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. “Even after adjusting for underreporting, there remains a significant gap between the estimated proportion of the population infected and the amount infected to achieve herd immunity,” the researchers wrote.

• New, highly contagious variants spread across the US and threaten to re-infect people who already had the coronavirus.
• Only about 1.84% of the U.S. population received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine. And it will take at least a few months for most Americans to be vaccinated.

As part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, chains CVS and Walgreens will begin administering vaccines from next week. The White House has listed 21 national pharmacy chains that will participate in the first phase of the program.

While CVS and Walgreens are vaccinated in some states using state supplies, this is the first time that CVS and Walgreens have received the vaccine directly from the federal government.

‘This does not appear to be good news for vaccine efficacy’

While viruses mutate all the time, some variants in particular are of concern to scientists:

The B.1.1.7 strain first identified in the UK, which is up to 70% more transmissible than others

– The B.1.351 strain first identified in South Africa, which may slightly reduce the efficacy of the vaccine

The P.1 strain first detected in Brazil, which presumably sparked a revival of the Covid-19 in the country

All three of these variants have been found in the US, and the B.1.1.7 strain has been detected in at least 32 states.

Johnson & Johnson’s chief scientific officer, dr. Paul Stoffels told Richard Quest, CNN, on Tuesday that the world should vaccinate as many people as possible to limit the number of coronavirus variants.

“If we do not get the pandemic under control soon, variants will start popping up and it will emerge, and it will result in more vaccinations every year,” Stoffels said. “The mission is to get the virus under control so that it can not mutate, and it can not grow and create new versions.”

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has not yet been approved, but the company said it would ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for permission to use it this month.

Scientists have now discovered a mutation in at least 11 samples of the B.1.1.7 strain that could potentially escape antibody protection, according to a report Monday from Public Health England.

The mutation, called E484K, was already part of the genetic signature of variants linked to South Africa and Brazil.

A new laboratory study found that antibodies from vaccinated humans were less effective at neutralizing a synthetic virus resembling samples of B.1.1.7 that developed an E484K mutation.

“This does not appear to be good news for vaccine efficacy,” said Joseph Fauver, an associate researcher in epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health.

According to experts, this news may mean that the B.1.1.7 strain, which is already known to be transmissible, may be somewhat resistant to protection by vaccines, or more likely to cause reinfection among people who were previously infected.

Previous studies suggest that E484K may be the main reason why certain vaccines seem less effective in South Africa. Laboratory research has also shown that antibodies are less able to bind and neutralize ear proteins due to the mutation.

Similarly, dr. Anthony Fauci told Chris Hayes of MSNBC on Tuesday that officials should keep an eye on the variants as it could become a problem if they become dominant.

“One of the wildcards Chris, that we need to keep an eye on, is the mutations, the mutants that are there, because if they become dominant, it can lead to a new upsurge, but the best way to prevent them from becoming dominant is. reducing public health measures, ”Fauci said.

However, Fauci said that “if” Americans double public health measures and continue to vaccinate, the country should still see a downward trend.

Former FDA Scientist: Stop Using Covid-19 Recovery Plasma

A former adviser to the Biden Transition Team said the US should stop using recovery plasma to treat the coronavirus because it could help the virus develop into new and potentially more dangerous variants.

Recovery plasma – taken from the blood of Covid-19 survivors – simply does not work well and allows the virus to continue to replicate and develop in the bodies of patients, said Dr. Luciana Borio, a longtime bio-defense consultant for U.S. administrations, said. .

“As a complementary measure to reduce the chance of the virus developing more mutations that could evade the immune system, I would urge the US Food and Drug Administration to issue the Emergency Response Authorization (EUA) it issued last year for recovery plasma. Borio said in a written testimony submitted to the House Energy and Commerce Committee before Wednesday’s hearing.

Last August, the FDA issued an emergency permit for repair problems for the treatment of Covid-19, saying that the known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.

“We already know that this therapy collectively does not help patients with COVID-19. But by using it in conditions where it does not work, we provide the virus with a roadmap that can help it develop mutations involving the natural and vaccine caused immune responses even faster, ”wrote Borio, who is currently vice president at strategic investment firm In-Q-Tel.

“Recovery plasma has been used in more than 150,000 patients despite NIH (National Institutes of Health) recommendations that its use be restricted to randomized controlled trials, and now the possibility of its indiscriminate use is more selective pressure on the virus and speeds up the day when vaccines become less effective, ‘says Borio, who is also a former acting chief scientist for the FDA.

Pfizer will deliver 200 million vaccine doses two months earlier than planned

The manufacturer of one of the two vaccines currently being administered in the US confirmed on Tuesday that it will deliver 200 million doses to the US by the end of May.

Pfizer would originally deliver the 200 million doses by July 31. But CEO Albert Bourla said last week he expects the company’s production to be two months ahead.

“In the US, we promised to offer 100 million doses by the end of the first quarter, and we will now be able to supply 120,” Bourla said last week.

“The same is with the second quarter. We planned to give it up to 200 million doses at the end of the second quarter, actually at the beginning of the third. At the moment, we will be able to provide the 200 million doses two months earlier. . ‘

The Biden administration has announced that it will buy another 100 million doses of the company.

Pfizer said it had supplied 20 million doses to the U.S. as of Sunday.

Both the Pfizer vaccine and the vaccine manufactured by Moderna require two doses, spaced 21 days and 28 days apart.