NBC News -
December 31, 2020
The nation’s foster care system has been especially overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic, with experts and state agencies saying more children are entering the system, and fewer families are willing to take them in for fear of spreading Covid-19. Chicago has seen a 33 percent increase in the number of children in foster care. In Texas, children in foster care have reportedly contracted Covid-19 at nearly double the rate of the general population.
ProPublica -
December 31, 2020
While every American hospital was stretched by the pandemic, the VA’s lack of an effective system for tracking and delivering supplies made it particularly vulnerable, according to a recent examination by the federal Government Accountability Office. When the pandemic hit, the agency relied on a few big contractors to supply everything from N95 masks to needles to isolation gowns. Those few big contractors fell victim to a global shortage of masks. And the VA had no reliable tracking system to tell officials what hospitals have, what they need or what was expired.
13-WMAZ -
December 30, 2020
13WMAZ -
December 30, 2020
AP -
December 30, 2020
The first reported U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant that’s been seen in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday. The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver in Elbert County and has no travel history, state health officials said. Elbert County is a mainly rural area of rolling plains at the far edge of the Denver metro area that includes a portion of Interstate 70, the state’s main east-west highway.
CBS News -
December 30, 2020
Frustration is building with the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. The Trump administration had pledged 20 million doses of the vaccine by year's end, but so far, not even 3 million shots have been given and just over 11 million doses have been shipped. President-elect Joe Biden suggested Tuesday that the Trump administration has overpromised and under-delivered. Mr. Biden noted that at the current pace, it would take years to vaccinate the country against COVID-19. Mr. Biden vowed to accelerate the pace of vaccinations and boost Americans' confidence in the shots once he is sworn in next month.
NPR -
December 30, 2020
Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, who won a runoff earlier this month to represent Louisiana's Baton Rouge area, died Tuesday from complications of COVID-19. Letlow was set to be sworn in as U.S. representative for the state's northeastern 5th congressional district on Jan. 3.
CNBC -
December 30, 2020
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked an attempt by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to unanimously approve a House-passed bill to increase direct payments in the coronavirus relief package to $2,000 from $600. McConnell later introduced a bill that would boost the size of the checks, repeal Section 230 legal liability protections for internet platforms and create a commission to study election issues.
TIME -
December 30, 2020
A December study from the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice (NCCCJ), a nonpartisan criminal justice group, reveals that the infection rate has been three times higher in the prison population compared to that of the general public, while the mortality rate has been double. At least 275,000 incarcerated people have tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 1,700 have died. The true toll is likely to be higher still, as data sets are inconclusive due to a lack of consistency across states in sharing prison and jail data.
CBS News -
December 30, 2020
Another company is recalling hand sanitizer because it may contain methanol, a possibly toxic substance also known as wood alcohol, lengthening the FDA’s list of disinfections to avoid. Separately, an oral rinse is also being recalled because it may be contaminated with a bacteria particularly dangerous for those infected with COVID-19, the FDA said. Shane Erickson Inc. is recalling three brands of hand sanitizer because it may contain methanol, substantial exposure to which can result in nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizures, coma, damage to the nervous system or death, according to the recall notice posted by the FDA.
NPR -
December 30, 2020
An estimated 3 million students may have dropped out of school learning since March, according to Bellwether Education Partners, a national nonprofit that focuses on underserved youth. The group's study cited a lack of Internet access, housing insecurity, disabilities and language barriers as major obstacles to attending virtual classes during the pandemic.