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COVID-19 News from Around the Web

The US reports highest single-day death toll as CDC offers grim forecast for the end of the month
CNN - January 7, 2021
As the US reported its highest single day of Covid-19 deaths, the CDC warned the overall toll could exceed 430,000 by the end of the month. The US reported 3,865 coronavirus deaths Wednesday, bringing the overall toll to 361,123 people in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, the number of people who have been infected reached more than 21.2 million, according to the data.
CDC reports more allergic reactions to Covid-19 vaccines, but cases remain few
STAT - January 7, 2021
Twenty-nine people in the US have developed anaphylaxis after being vaccinated against Covid-19 since the vaccine rollout began, health officials reported Wednesday, with cases occurring after vaccination using both the Pfizer-BioNTech and the Moderna vaccines. The CDC said at present it looks like anaphylaxis cases are occurring at a rate of about 5.5 per 1 million vaccine doses given, though the agency cautioned that figure may change as the vaccination effort continues. The allergic reactions do not change CDC’s recommendations on who can be vaccinated against Covid-19, with senior officials stressing that the risk of severe illness and death from the disease still outweighs the risk of developing anaphylaxis after vaccination.
Governors scramble to speed vaccine effort after slow start
AP - January 7, 2021
With frustration rising over the sluggish rollout of the vaccine, state leaders and other politicians around the U.S. are turning up the pressure, improvising and seeking to bend the rules to get shots in arms more quickly. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday that the government will allow more drugstores to start giving vaccinations to speed up the process. If health workers aren’t lining up fast enough, he said, it is OK to expand eligibility to lower-priority groups.
Scientists are monitoring a coronavirus mutation that could affect the strength of vaccines
STAT - January 7, 2021
As scientists try to track the spread of a new, more infectious coronavirus variant around the world — finding more cases in the United States and elsewhere this week — they are also keeping an eye on a different mutation with potentially greater implications for how well Covid-19 vaccines work. The mutation, identified in a variant first seen in South Africa and separately seen in another variant in Brazil, changes a part of the virus that your immune system’s antibodies get trained to recognize after you’ve been infected or vaccinated.
Jobless claims: Another 787,000 Americans filed new unemployment claims last week
Yahoo! Finance - January 7, 2021
New jobless claims unexpectedly steadied below 800,000 at the turn of the new year but still held at a historically elevated level, as the labor market struggled to regain traction amid the ongoing pandemic. … Continuing claims, measuring the total number of Americans still receiving state unemployment benefits, were expected to have improved only trivially to 5.2 million in the last full week of December, in another sign of weakening momentum in the labor market recovery.
Where Is It Safe To Reopen Schools? New Research Offers Answers
NPR - January 7, 2021
Since the beginning of this pandemic, experts and educators have feared that open schools would spread the coronavirus further, which is why so many classrooms remain closed. But a new, nationwide study suggests reopening schools may be safer than previously thought, at least in communities where the virus is not already spreading out of control.
AAP Outlines Principles Guiding School COVID-19 Policies
HealthDay - January 7, 2021
In an updated guidance document from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), key principles outlining school safety during the COVID-19 pandemic are presented. Researchers provide guidance to support communities, local leadership in education and public health, and pediatricians collaborating with schools to create policies for safe schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Red Cross Issues Call for More Blood Plasma to Treat COVID Patients
HealthDay - January 7, 2021
The Red Cross is especially asking those who have recovered from COVID-19 to give blood because more donors are needed to help hospital patients. … People can schedule an appointment to give blood by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or activating the Blood Scheduling Skill for Amazon Alexa.
Thousands of health care workers sickened by coronavirus, worsening crisis in L.A. County hospitals
KTLA-5 - January 7, 2021
More than 2,200 people who work at hospitals in L.A. County tested positive for the virus in December alone, constituting roughly a third of all hospital infections reported during the pandemic. Whereas in previous months nursing homes and outpatient clinics suffered the most illnesses, besieged hospitals and their beleaguered workers have been hit hardest by the winter surge.