Yahoo! Finance -
February 25, 2021
Weekly unemployment claims fell far more than expected last week, as the slow labor market recovery held up even as harsh winter weather compounded with the coronavirus pandemic over the past several weeks.
Fox News -
February 25, 2021
[In guidance] posted on Feb. 19, the CDC said adults 65 years of age and older — one of the first groups eligible to receive the jab — should be aware that COVID-19 vaccines are "free of charge" for those living in the U.S. "If anyone asks you to pay for access to vaccine, you can bet it’s a scam," the CDC said in the guidance. … Though the vaccine is free of charge, "your vaccination provider may bill your insurance for administering the vaccine," the CDC noted. "No one can be denied a vaccine if they are unable to pay this cost."
Pew Research -
February 25, 2021
[A] majority of U.S. adults (59%) say K-12 schools that are not currently open for in-person instruction should wait to reopen until all teachers who want the coronavirus vaccine have received it. By comparison, 40% say these schools should reopen as soon as possible, even if many teachers who want the vaccine haven’t received it. About six-in-ten Americans (61%) now say K-12 schools that are not currently open for any in-person instruction should give a lot of consideration to the possibility that students will fall behind academically when deciding whether to reopen. In July 2020 [it was] 48%.
AP -
February 25, 2021
Not waiting for more federal help, states have been approving their own coronavirus aid packages, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to help residents and business owners devastated by the the pandemic’s economic fallout. Maryland and California recently moved forward with help for the poor, the jobless, small businesses and those needing child care. New Mexico and Pennsylvania are funneling grants directly to cash-starved businesses. North Carolina’s governor wants additional state aid for such things as bonus pay for teachers and boosting rural internet speeds…
NPR -
February 25, 2021
The federal government will distribute some 25 million masks to more than 1,300 community health centers and 60,000 food pantries and soup kitchens across the country, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said at a briefing. The White House said in a press release that the masks will be available between March and May, and are expected to benefit some 12 to 15 million Americans.
AP -
February 24, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine makers told Congress on Tuesday to expect a big jump in the delivery of doses over the coming month, and the companies insist they will be able to provide enough for most Americans to get inoculated by summer. By the end of March, Pfizer and Moderna expect to have provided the U.S. government with a total of 220 million vaccine doses, up sharply from the roughly 75 million shipped so far. … That’s not counting a third vaccine, from Johnson & Johnson, that’s expected to get a green light from regulators soon.
The New York Times -
February 24, 2021
A variant first discovered in California in December is more contagious than earlier forms of the coronavirus, two new studies have shown, fueling concerns that emerging mutants like this one could hamper the sharp decline in cases over all in the state and perhaps elsewhere. In one of the new studies, researchers found that the variant has spread rapidly in a San Francisco neighborhood in the past couple of months…
TODAY -
February 24, 2021
The pandemic outlook in the U.S. continues to improve, with confirmed COVID-19 cases falling for the sixth consecutive week and deaths having declined for the past three weeks. But spring break is on the horizon, bringing with it a potential uptick in travel, which has public health experts concerned about the consequences if people don't remain vigilant.
Reuters -
February 24, 2021
“I believe you’re going to be hearing more of the recommendations of how you can relax the stringency of some of the things, particularly when you’re dealing with something like your own personal family, when people have been vaccinated,” Fauci said, adding he expected the new guidance “pretty soon.”
CBS News -
February 24, 2021
Johnson & Johnson expects to fall far short of its commitment to deliver 10 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine by the end of February, with under 4 million to be ready to ship after a hoped-for emergency use authorization from the FDA. The disclosure of the shortfall by Johnson & Johnson is the first public measure of exactly how far the drug company has fallen behind its production goals.
NBC News -
February 24, 2021
Under the Constitution, the powers of the federal government are far-reaching but not all-encompassing. States have always retained control over public health and safety, from policing crimes to controlling infectious disease, including distribution of coronavirus vaccines that Washington helped create and whose supply it controls.
11ALIVE -
February 24, 2021
11ALIVE -
February 24, 2021
The Newnan Times-Herald -
February 24, 2021
WGXA News -
February 24, 2021
AP -
February 23, 2021
After a year that has darkened doorways across the U.S., the pandemic surpassed a milestone Monday that once seemed unimaginable, a stark confirmation of the virus’s reach into all corners of the country and communities of every size and makeup. … Experts warn that about 90,000 more deaths are likely in the next few months, despite a massive campaign to vaccinate people.