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John Bacon
| USA TODAY
Northeast is hammered by winter weather
According to AccuWeather, this winter storm could break records for snowfall in New York City.
USA TODAY, Wochit
The rollout of vaccines in California, Washington State and elsewhere is worrying health leaders, who warn that doses unfairly given to wealthy or influential people could lead to critical supplies being scrapped in the COVID-19 battle.
The Washington State Health Department said in a statement Monday that “VIP scheduling, reserving doses for unfair or exclusive access, and similar practices are prohibited and will not be tolerated.”
The Seattle Times reported that three medical systems in the region provided special vaccine access to major donors or foundation members. Two of the hospital organizations acknowledged that they had made a mistake in prioritizing influential people.
The health department announcement says that if a vaccine provider is giving injections in an unfair way, “we can reduce or discontinue allocations to that provider.”
In California, a few key workers – teachers, first responders, and food and agricultural workers – remain next in line for the shots. But after that, the state will mainly expand eligibility by age, probably people 50 and older. The goal: to accelerate a chaotic vaccine rollout that consistently leaves California behind many other states in levels of distribution, even though it has given roughly 3.3 million vaccinations as of Monday.
Other states are grappling with the same issues, emerging during a troubled time when vaccine sites in the Northeast are closing as a blizzard engulfs the region, causing blizzards and triggering emergency statements.
COVID-19 has killed more than 443,000 Americans and infections have continued to increase despite the introduction of a few vaccines in late 2020. USA TODAY is following the news. Please keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates in your inbox, join our Facebook group or browse our in-depth answers to reader questions.
In the headlines:
►Tourists will not run with the bulls for the second year in a row in July at the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, Spain. “An international festival like San Fermín, which will bring millions of people to Navarre, will not be possible,” said Navarre regional president María Chivite on Tuesday.
►The order from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requiring people to wear a face mask when traveling on airplanes and other transit went into effect Monday evening. The order applies to travelers traveling to, within or outside the US
► Giving COVID survivors just one dose of the vaccine would not negatively impact their antibody levels, but would release many urgently needed vaccine doses, a study suggested Monday.
►The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday that vaccine sites will be considered “sensitive sites” and will not be targeted by immigration and customs enforcement officials, except in “extraordinary circumstances”.
►While nursing home residents and their caregivers are considered a top priority for COVID-19 vaccination, only 38% of nursing home staff accepted shots when they were offered, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed Monday.
📈 Today’s figures: According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 26.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 443,000 deaths in the US. The global totals: more than 103 million cases and 2.24 million deaths. According to the CDC, nearly 50 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the US and 32.2 million have been administered.
📘 What we read: Studies suggest that up to 80% of people with COVID-19 symptoms experience reduced or complete loss of smell or taste. Most survivors come to their senses within a few weeks. But some don’t, and researchers say they might do without them for the rest of their lives. Read the full story.
District of Columbia Public Schools went to court on Monday for a temporary restraining order against the Washington Teachers’ Union to avoid a work stoppage that could delay the reopening of some schools for personal learning. On Monday, in-person learning was supposed to begin in town, but winter weather delayed opening. Schools opened two hours late to personal students on Tuesday. The union has scheduled a press conference on Tuesday morning to discuss its position.
In Chicago, school district officials extended distance learning on Monday for another two days and called for a “cooling off period” in negotiations with the teachers’ union, citing progress but not fully agreeing on COVID-19 security plans for return to schools. More than 60,000 students and about 10,000 teachers and staff in K-8 were scheduled to attend school for the first time since March last Monday, as part of the district’s gradual reopening plans during the pandemic.
The US government says it will not make immigration enforcement arrests at vaccination sites around the country, except in “extraordinary circumstances.” In a statement Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said vaccine sites are considered “sensitive sites” and will not be the target of immigration and customs enforcement officials. DHS says it encourages everyone “regardless of immigration status” to get vaccinated if they qualify under local regulations.
ICE has previously included health care facilities and churches among the sensitive locations where arrests would generally not take place.
Some pregnant women remain unsure about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, as safety data is sparse and health authorities’ guidelines are vague and in some cases conflicting. But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, said on Monday that about 10,000 pregnant women in the US have been vaccinated since the Food and Drug Administration approved two vaccines and so far there are “no red flags.”
“We have vaccinated many pregnant women, the FDA has followed them and will continue to monitor them,” he said during a media roundtable at the IAS COVID-19 conference: Prevention. “Even though we don’t have good data on it, the data we collect so far on it doesn’t have any red flags.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say that the decision in consultation with her health care provider is up to the mother. Fauci said on Monday that the agency is sticking to that recommendation.
– Adrianna Rodriguez
With people of color dealing with disproportionate rates of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, health equality leaders are calling for better tracking of health data to highlight racial inequalities. A lack of data masks the transparency of vaccination rollouts, health equality researchers say, and the data shortage hurts the most vulnerable. So far only 16 states are releasing the number of vaccinations by race and ethnicity, and the data is incomplete.
In a White House press conference on Monday, COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Chairman Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith also identified the need for better race and ethnicity data on vaccinations. After summarizing the higher death rates and hospital admissions among people of color, such as black, Latino, and Native American Indians, she said she was “concerned” about “lagging behind” in data collection on race and ethnicity while the vaccine was rolled out.
“As of January 30, we are missing 47% of race and ethnicity data on vaccinations,” said Nunez-Smith. “Let me be clear: we cannot guarantee a fair vaccination program without data to guide us.”
– Nada Hassanein
Contributions: Associated Press