Global case count passes 100 million
Next vaccine likely ready for FDA review within three weeks; President Biden announces new deals with vaccine makers to boost supply, and CDC says most schools can reopen safely.
The global tally has passed 100 million cumulative COVID-19 infections, with more than 25 million of those in the United States. The USA’s death toll is nearly 425,000.
The U.S. government says vaccine makers will be delivering 12-18 million doses per week by the end of March, and the single-shot J&J vaccine could add to the supply within weeks.
Paying subscribers will soon get an early look at a special report that I have been working on that looks at one aspect of how abandoning pre-existing pandemic and emergency plans muddled parts of the U.S. response.
Johnson & Johnson’s CEO says data from its COVID-19 vaccine trial will be available next week. That means that it could go to the FDA for possible Emergency Use Authorization within the next three weeks. The U.S. government has already funded production of more than 100 million doses of the single-shot vaccine.
The White House says the government has reached deals with vaccine makers to increase the supply by 50% — 200 million additional doses — by the end of summer.
The president also said that states will get three weeks’ notice of how many doses they will get, a major increase from the 4-7 days that had been provided.
French drug company Sanofi agreed to manufacture vaccine for Pfizer/BioNTech to help with the global supply.
The CDC now says most schools can operate safely with appropriate COVID-19 precautions such as masks and distance between people. It published a new “tool kit” for educators.
The tally of COVID-19 cases traced to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol keeps growing. Now, six members of Congress, more than 150 National Guard members and more than three dozen DC and Capitol police officers are among the infected.
Feels like a lot is happening, doesn’t it? Got questions? Comments? Your feedback is most appreciated.