50 ★ States
ALABAMA Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama is requiring that students living on campus be tested for the coronavirus, officials said. The tests must happen within seven days of their arrival, no later than Jan. 19. The spring semester begins Jan. 13.
ALASKA Anchorage: Residents 65 and over will be able to start receiving COVID-19 vaccinations next week, state health officials said.
ARIZONA Phoenix: The state on Wednesday reported a triple-digit number of COVID-19 deaths for the second day in a row along with more than 7,200 new cases and another record high of virus-related hospitalizations. Arizona has the worst coronavirus diagnosis rate in the country, with 1 of every 119 people in the state being diagnosed in the past week.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: The state on Tuesday adjusted its rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine as the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals continued setting records. Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the state will move police, firefighters and other first responders to the first phase of vaccines being administered. He said the state is also adjusting the second phase to include people 70 and older, rather than only 75 and older.
CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: The state is so swamped by the pandemic that it has ordered hospitals with room to accept patients from others that have maxed out on intensive care beds.
COLORADO Denver: The Colorado Department of Transportation estimates it will receive $150 million from the pandemic relief bill Congress passed late last year. The state Transportation Commission on Monday approved a proposal to spend stimulus funds on more than a dozen projects, Colorado Public Radio reports.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: Greeted by hundreds of protesters, lawmakers on Wednesday officially convened what will be a highly unusual and possibly contentious legislative session that’s expected to mostly take place in the virtual world because of the pandemic. Many protesters voiced concern about a legislative effort to eliminate the religious exemption from required vaccinations for schoolchildren.
DELAWARE Dover: Gov. John Carney is urging public school officials to resume hybrid instruction mixing both remote and in-person learning next week after recommending last month that classroom instruction be put on hold because of the pandemic.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: D.C. reported 316 new coronavirus cases and five deaths Wednesday, WUSA-TV reports. It was the first time in two weeks the city had reported more than 300 cases in a day.
FLORIDA Fort Lauderdale: About 1,700 South Florida teachers who’ve been working remotely during the pandemic have been ordered to return to campus when the semester begins Monday. Some teachers say they are living in fear as principals and Broward County school administrators each say the other is responsible for approving remote work, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
GEORGIA Savannah: The city is canceling its nationally renowned St. Patrick’s Day events for the second year in a row, citing the pandemic.
HAWAII Honolulu: The state has announced it’s suspending all surfing competitions because of concerns about COVID-19.
IDAHO Boise: Vaccinations for 130,000 front-line health care workers and long-term care residents should be finished by the month’s end, Gov. Brad Little said Tuesday. The Republican said the timeline for the first round of vaccinations depends on Idaho continuing to receive vaccine from the federal government.
ILLINOIS Chicago: The state will make vaccinations available to residents 65 and older in the next inoculation phase, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday, as Illinois neared 1 million total infections.
INDIANA Indianapolis: The state reported 6,214 new coronavirus cases Wednesday and 80 deaths, as the weekly update of Indiana’s county metrics map depicted an even redder state in terms of viral spread.
IOWA Des Moines: The number of Iowans with COVID-19 who have died has surpassed 4,000, with the state reporting 61 more deaths Wednesday.
KANSAS Topeka: Republican legislators and the state’s GOP attorney general said Tuesday that privacy is key, as lawmakers prepared to decide whether to rewrite a law that allows people exposed to COVID-19 to refuse to disclose their close contacts to health officials. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly argues that provisions allowing people to opt out of contact tracing “served no purpose.”
KENTUCKY Louisville: Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio said Tuesday that the pace of the vaccine rollout in the state and how many doses the district receives will affect how soon in-person classes resume. He said last month that a best-case scenario would see in-person classes resume for preschool through third grade students at some point in February.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: A subdued Carnival season began Wednesday after the pandemic put an end to the crowd-heavy balls and street parades that draw thousands of people to the city every year.
MAINE Portland: The state plans an online registry for COVID-19 vaccinations, aiming to reduce lines and cut the risk of exposure, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It would also let people fill out paperwork in advance, he said.
MARYLAND Annapolis: Gov. Larry Hogan announced steps Tuesday to speed up vaccinations against COVID-19 to “get more shots into more arms.” He also said any facility that has not administered at least 75% of its total first doses may have future allocations reduced.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Northeastern University became one of the first U.S. colleges to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The 88 people who got doses included clinical and nonclinical health care workers doing direct COVID-19-facing care, police and first responders.
MICHIGAN Lansing: The state will begin issuing vaccines to seniors and front-line workers such as teachers and police next week, officials said Wednesday, while announcing accelerated access for people who are at least 65 years old.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Bars and restaurants can resume limited indoor service starting Monday, Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday. He also loosened restrictions on youth sports, gyms, entertainment venues and churches.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The State Department of Health reported 38 new coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, topping the 5,000 mark since the pandemic began.
MISSOURI Kansas City: A group of medical professionals is leading an effort to persuade Black residents in the metro area to overcome skepticism and get the COVID-19 vaccine.
MONTANA Helena: A lawmaker’s decision to block residents from testifying before a state Senate committee via videoconferencing didn’t last long Tuesday before the chairs of all Senate committees decided to allow such testimony amid the pandemic.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: A new, more contagious coronavirus strain that has been discovered in five states is probably in Nebraska too, but officials haven’t yet confirmed its presence, the state’s chief medical officer said Wednesday. Dr. Gary Anthone said the state’s public health lab is purchasing its own equipment to test for the mutated virus.
NEVADA Las Vegas: The city’s unemployment rate is the highest in the nation among big metropolitan areas, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The COVID19 pandemic has essentially transformed Las Vegas from a global destination to a regional gambling hub dependent on drive-in business. With the closure of The Strip and other businesses, Las Vegas’ jobless rate jumped to 34%. Visitation is down to levels the state hasn’t seen since 1993.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: Police officers and firefighters are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: O’Reilly Automotive Stores Inc. said it will pay $79,200 in penalties to the state for violating a public health order to limit the spread of COVID-19.
NEW YORK New York: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan Wednesday to offer COVID-19 vaccines to most of the city’s police officers, only to have Gov. Andrew Cuomo say an hour later that the officers aren’t yet eligible for them.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: The state’s top public health official said Tuesday that most nursing home workers are refusing to take COVID19 vaccines being offered. North Carolina has been one of the slowest states in the nation to get doses into peoples’ arms.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: State health officials said Wednesday that hospitalizations due to the coronavirus dropped from 93 to 85 in the past day, with 13 patients requiring treatment in intensive care units. But the per capita death count compared to the rest of the country moved up from sixth- to fifth-highest based on data compiled Tuesday by the COVID Tracking Project.
OHIO Columbus: About 35 doses of COVID-19 vaccine expired after a Lawrence County nursing home overestimated the number needed and left pharmacists scrambling to get shots into arms.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Registration began Wednesday for residents to be notified when they are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination, according to the state health department, which reported a record oneday increase in deaths. Those who register at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov will be emailed when an appointment is available, the agency said.
OREGON Portland: State health officials had a goal of administering 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2020 but as of Tuesday had only administered 51,283. Now, Gov. Kate Brown has set a new goal of 12,000 vaccinations per day within the next two weeks.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Pennsylvania’s Farm Show Complex is usually bustling with activity in the days leading up to the event. But this year the arenas and exhibit halls are quiet. With the exception of some baby ducks, they’ll stay quiet throughout the show that opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 16, being held virtually amid the pandemic.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: State health officials said Tuesday that several hundred people not currently eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 attempted to get inoculated with the help of eligible people who improperly shared their confidential appointment registration links. The state took down links and canceled hundreds of appointments this week after discovering the problem.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: After being rebuked in court for trying to spend his share of federal COVID-19 money on private school tuition grants, the governor wants to spend the money on early childhood education, job training and tutors for foster children instead. Gov. Henry McMaster announced Tuesday how he will spend about $20 million of the $48 million set aside for him to spend at his own discretion.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: State health officials on Wednesday confirmed six new deaths due to complications from the coronavirus, after two straight days with no fatalities.
TENNESSEE Nashville: State officials set up an online tool to help people figure out when they’ll be eligible for the vaccine at covid19.tn.gov.
TEXAS Austin: Coronavirus cases are exhausting the availability of intensive care unit beds in parts of Texas as hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients continue to soar to record levels, state health statistics showed Tuesday. Hospitalizations set their ninth straight record by topping 13,300 on Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. All intensive care unit beds in the Abilene and Bryan-College Station areas are full. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo tweeted that the Houston region officially topped the state’s hospitalization threshold triggering COVID-19 reopening rollbacks.
UTAH Salt Lake City: People waving Trump flags and largely ignoring coronavirus safety rules rallied at the Utah Capitol on Wednesday as violent clashes broke out between supporters of the president and police in Washington. Most Utah protesters were not wearing masks or abiding by social distancing guidelines.
VERMONT Montpelier: The association representing hospitals across the state says uncertainty about the amount of COVID-19 vaccine they will receive is prompting delays in administering those doses.
VIRGINIA Williamsburg: Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in a reversal of pandemic-era trends, is keeping its gates open during the winter for the first time since it opened 45 years ago, park officials said. The theme park is looking at ways to rethink its operations by hosting smaller, limited-capacity special events, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
WASHINGTON Olympia: Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday announced a regional economic reopening plan, with some COVID-19 restrictions on entertainment and individual fitness training being eased next week.
WEST VIRGINIA Fairmont: The Marion County Chamber of Commerce is working on a project to attract remote or self-employed workers to move there, news outlets report. The pandemic has changed how many people work, offering more flexibility in where they can live, officials said.
WISCONSIN Milwaukee: More than 5,000 people have died from COVID19 since the pandemic began. Wisconsin hit the milestone Wednesday, reporting the most recent 1,000 deaths in just 25 days. It took about five months for the first 1,000 state residents to die from COVID-19.
WYOMING Gillette: Lawmakers will consider a proposed $100 million public education funding cut when they meet this winter. Wyoming has been struggling with a steep decline in revenue from fossil fuel industries due to low prices and the pandemic. The virus has resulted in less travel and lower demand for oil worldwide.