Even as the U.S. and other countries continue their COVID-19 vaccination programs, infections worldwide are increasing faster than ever.
A record 5,363,616 new cases were reported in the week ending Saturday, according to a U.S. TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. At this rate, almost nine cases are reported every second. The growth in cases is being driven by an incredible increase in India, which is now reporting more than 1.5 million infections. Just a month ago, it was about 200,000.
The United States, which is eligible for vaccination for all adults in Brazil and Turkey on Monday, is the other country to report more than 400,000 cases a week. The US TODAY analysis shows that India is the four countries responsible for most new cases.
COVID-19 deaths are still below the peak of more than 100,000 per week. About 83,000 weekly deaths are now reported, a rate of about eight people dying every minute.
– Mike Stucka
Also in the news:
► The Government of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, says that her state can see a decrease in infections after leading COVID-19’s daily business rate for weeks. State health officials said Friday that the average positive rate of seven days has fallen to 17.1% in recent days, but it has remained above a December high of 14.4%.
► The U.S. reported that 32% of adults were fully vaccinated and that more than 50% of the U.S. adult population received at least one vaccine dose, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
►Pfizer / BioNTech says they will supply another 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to the European Union this year. The EU executive commission used an option to purchase the additional doses, bringing the total number of shots to be delivered to the EU to 20 million in 2021.
►Chicago Public Schools, the third largest district in the country, reopened on Monday for the first time since education was completely cut off more than a year ago.
📈 Today’s numbers: According to Johns Hopkins University data, the U.S. has more than 31.7 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 567,600 deaths. The global total: more than 141.7 million cases and 3 million deaths. According to the CDC, nearly 264.5 million doses of vaccine were distributed and 211.5 million were administered.
📘 What we read: She contracted COVID-19. Monoclonal antibodies may have saved her life. Read the full story.
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FDA stops production of J&J vaccine at troubled Baltimore plant
The Food and Drug Administration has ordered a halt to production of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a Baltimore plant, raising questions about the company’s ability to deliver the 100 million doses it received by June. to the U.S. government.
Last week, the FDA inspected the Baltimore plant of Emergent BioSolutions Inc., the J&J contractor, whose quality control problems destroyed 15 million doses of single vaccine. On Friday, the agency asked Emergent not to start manufacturing again and to quarantine all the vaccine material produced there.
Johnson & Johnson said it intends to meet its 100 million dose commitment – it has delivered about 18 million – and that it is “premature to speculate on the possible impact it will have on the timing of our vaccines. can have. “
The use of the J&J vaccine has been suspended nationwide to study the possible link with rare but dangerous blood clots.
All American adults are now eligible for vaccine
Every American adult is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
New Jersey, Massachusetts and Oregon were among a handful of states that on Monday opened the availability of vaccine for each adult, the deadline set by President Joe Biden. Now the White House has turned its attention to persuading Americans to get the sting.
“People, I have good news,” Biden said in a video on Twitter. “Everyone is eligible to get the vaccine from today. We have enough of it, you need to be protected and you need to protect your neighbors and your family again.
“Please get the vaccine.”
Worrying about getting a chance is normal, expected and can be solved with education and role models, experts say.
“People who have questions deserve to be answered. It’s fair and it depends on us,” said Dr Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic’s vaccination research group.
United Kingdom to ban travel from India, where increase in capital results in capital disruption
The UK bans most travel from India from Friday for fear of a new coronavirus variant. Residents of the UK will be admitted, but they must be quarantined for ten days. Health Minister Matt Hancock said 103 cases of the variant first identified in India, known as B.1.617, had been detected in the UK, most of which were related to international travel.
An explosive increase in infections has prompted authorities to impose a weekly shutdown in the Indian capital New Delhi to prevent the health system from collapsing. Indian officials have said they will have expansion of the vaccine for everyone over 18 from 1 May. India is a major producer of vaccines, but the crisis has forced it to delay the export of shots abroad. The country administered 120 million doses to its nearly 1.4 billion population.
The virus is now spreading faster in India than at any other time of the pandemic, said Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistician at the University of Michigan, who detected infections in the second most populous country in the world. India’s 15 million plus business falls second in the world behind the USA’s 31.6 million.
Israel closer to normal: mandate for outdoor mask lifted, schools reopened
Israel has lifted a mandate for outdoor masks and fully reopened its education system in the latest easing of restrictions after its mass vaccination.
About 56% of the population in Israel is fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times database, the highest percentage in the world. The number is significantly higher – 81% – for those over 16, the age limit for the Pfizer vaccine.
New daily infections in Israel have dropped from about 10,000 a day in January to less than 200, and hospitalizations are minimal. The use of masks in public spaces inside is still necessary.
The vaccination of Johnson & Johnson will possibly be lifted this week, says Fauci
Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that the suspension of the use of the one-and-again vaccine Johnson & Johnson would probably be lifted by Friday.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that “you do not want to jump in front of yourself and decide that you know the full spectrum of these, which is one of the reasons why they stopped and hopefully we will know by Friday. ‘
Fauci, who also conveyed his message to NBC’s “Meet the Press”, said he doubted whether the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would “just cancel” the J&J vaccine and only the dual-dose vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna.
“Everything is on the table,” Fauci said. “My estimate is that we will use it in some form. I very much doubt if they are just canceling it. I do not think it will happen. I do think that there will probably be a warning or restriction or risk assessment.”
States began using Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine last week after federal health officials recommended a break ‘out of caution’ due to rare but dangerous blood clots.
France starts international travel next month
France will begin lifting travel restrictions on international travel with the United States and other non-European countries from next month, French President Emmanuel Macron told CBS News.
Macron told ‘Face the Nation’ that officials in Paris are developing a way for ‘French, European citizens but also American citizens’ who are being vaccinated to travel more freely by this summer. Macron said he had spoken to the White House about possible plans to lift some travel restrictions between France and the US, although the talks were still in their early stages.
Macron said the trip would be ideal “for U.S. citizens who have been vaccinated, with a special passport,” suggesting that a so-called vaccination certificate or passport would be required to travel in France.
– Matthew Brown
Contributing Contributions: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared TODAY on the US: COVID news, updates: new infections set record; all US adults are eligible