AP -
December 18, 2020
In some states, more than half of prisoners have been infected, according to data collected by The AP and The Marshall Project. As the pandemic enters its 10th month — and as the first Americans begin to receive a long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine — at least 275,000 prisoners have been infected, more than 1,700 have died and the spread of the virus behind bars shows no sign of slowing.
TIME -
December 18, 2020
As COVID-19 has forced people to avoid crowds and work from home, transit hubs across the country have seen their profits from ridership fares tank. Rail ridership in Washington, D.C. has plummeted 86% since 2019; daily ridership on New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) subways is down 67 to 72%; … These declines have fueled extreme budget shortfalls, forcing transit authorities to slash routes and delay scheduled expansions—decisions that, experts say, could impair mass transit for the next decade.
NBC News -
December 18, 2020
Private ambulance companies will receive a sizable sum of federal aid after facing a fiscal cliff since the beginning of the pandemic, putting the nation's ability to respond to 911 calls at risk. The Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday that it would provide $24.5 billion from the Provider Relief Fund to more than 70,000 health care providers nationwide, including EMS services.
NPR -
December 17, 2020
The U.S. on Wednesday reported the highest number of new cases of the coronavirus and the most COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began. As of 1:30 a.m. Thursday, more than 3,600 Americans died Wednesday from complications of the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University … Data from the COVID Tracking Project revealed more than 230,000 new coronavirus infections and showed 113,090 Americans were hospitalized with the virus — a number that's been on the rise since Dec. 6.
AP -
December 17, 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday, following a week when he has met with numerous European leaders. The French and Spanish prime ministers are among those self-isolating because they had recent contact with him. Macron took a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared” and will self-isolate for seven days, the presidency said in a brief statement. It did not detail what symptoms Macron experienced or any treatment he might be receiving.
Reuters -
December 17, 2020
A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. FDA is expected to endorse emergency use of Moderna Inc’s coronavirus vaccine during a meeting on Thursday, as the nation prepares to roll out a second vaccine. The panel vote on whether the vaccine’s benefits outweigh its risks is likely to come some time after 3 pm ET (2000 GMT), with an FDA authorization expected as soon as Friday.
Yahoo! Finance -
December 17, 2020
A worrying number of Americans filed new jobless claims last week, underscoring the strain to the labor market as rising COVID-19 cases set off another wave of stay-in-place restrictions that have begun to dampen business activity. … This week’s report showed a seconds straight week that new jobless claims came in at more than 800,000, following a seven-week streak of new claims below that level.
STAT -
December 17, 2020
Facebook has overhauled its approach to harmful Covid-19 health misinformation, announcing major changes that would send a much stronger message to users who have interacted with harmful falsehoods about the virus. … Previously, the social media platform had opted to send users generalized messages informing them that they had interacted with misinformation. But experts said it would be more effective to immediately correct false posts with specific details on why they are inaccurate, an approach that the research suggests can tamp down more sustainably on rampant misinformation in the long run.
NPR -
December 17, 2020
The common fingertip devices that measures oxygen in the blood can sometimes give misleading readings in people with dark skin, according to a report Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine. These devices, called pulse oximeters, are increasingly finding their way into people's homes, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, this is not just a concern for medical personnel using professional-grade devices.
NBC News -
December 17, 2020
Pence, who is the head of the White House coronavirus task force, is hoping to "promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people," the White House said in a statement on Wednesday. His wife, Karen Pence, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams will receive the vaccine at Friday's event, set to take place at the White House. Biden meanwhile is expected to receive the vaccine as soon as next week, a transition official tells NBC News.
NPR -
December 17, 2020
According to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse, undergraduate enrollment this fall declined by 3.6% from the fall of 2019. That's more than 560,000 students, and twice the rate of enrollment decline seen last year. Most of that decline occurred at community colleges, where enrollment fell by more than 10%, or over 544,000 students.
PEOPLE -
December 17, 2020
After thousands of minks at fur farms in Wisconsin, Michigan and Utah died due a series of coronavirus outbreaks in October, the USDA has found the first known case of COVID-19 in a non-captive wild animal: a Utah mink.
AP -
December 16, 2020
The first home test for COVID-19 that doesn’t require a prescription will soon be on U.S. store shelves. U.S. regulators Tuesday authorized the rapid coronavirus test, which can be done entirely at home. The announcement by the FDA represents another important — though incremental — step in efforts to expand testing options. Regulators granted emergency use for a similar home test last month, but that one needs a doctor’s prescription. … Initial supplies of the over-the-counter test will be limited. Australian manufacturer Ellume said it expects to produce 3 million tests next month before ramping up production over the first half of 2021. A company spokesperson said the test will be priced around $30 and be available at pharmacies and for purchase online.
Reuters -
December 16, 2020
Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine appeared set for regulatory authorization this week after U.S. FDA staff endorsed it as safe and effective in documents released Tuesday. … the government is counting on the Moderna shot to help fulfill its promise to inoculate 20 million this month. An FDA decision on whether to issue a so-called emergency use authorization for the Moderna vaccine will be made after a panel of outside advisers meets Thursday. The FDA typically follows the advice of the panel, but is not required to do so.
AP -
December 16, 2020
Hundreds more hospitals around the country began dispensing COVID-19 shots to their workers in a rapid expansion of the U.S. vaccination drive Tuesday, while a second vaccine moved to the cusp of government authorization. A day after the rollout of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus shots, the FDA said its preliminary analysis confirmed the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. A panel of outside experts is expected to recommend the formula on Thursday, with the FDA’s green light coming soon thereafter.
AP -
December 16, 2020
After a punishing fall that left hospitals struggling, some Midwestern states are seeing a decline in new coronavirus cases. But the signs of improvement are offset by the infection’s accelerating spread on both coasts. States including Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska have seen decreases in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 over the past couple of weeks. All, however, are still experiencing an alarming number of deaths and hospitalizations because of the earlier surge of cases.