HIGHLIGHT: NORTH CAROLINA
Raleigh: Amid a lack of strict requirements, residents of neighboring states are able to come into North Carolina for a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services – even as demand greatly outpaces supply during a sluggish start to inoculating hospital workers and people 75 and older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week ranked North Carolina the nation’s sixth slowest per capita in administering doses received from the federal government. The state is still working to vaccinate some hospital workers and has just started inoculating people 75 and up in several counties.
ALABAMA Montgomery: A hotline for COVID-19 vaccination appointments has been overwhelmed with calls after Alabama announced Friday that it will begin giving the shots to people 75 and older, as well as first responders, later this month. The Department of Public Health pleaded with people not to call unless they’re part of an eligible group.
ALASKA Anchorage: Some teachers have asked the city’s school district to delay a return to in-person instruction until they are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The state’s plan for vaccinating essential workers has teachers 50 years and older in tier 2, teachers under 50 with two or more high-risk health conditions in tier 3, and all other educators in tier 4.
ARIZONA Phoenix: A COVID-19 vaccination site opens Monday at the stadium that is home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals as the state with the worst diagnosis rate in the U.S. moves to expand vaccine availability.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: Lawmakers return to the Capitol on Monday for a legislative session overshadowed by the pandemic that has killed thousands in the state. Arkansas is tied with South Dakota for the secondlargest outbreak in a state legislature.
CALIFORNIA San Diego: San Diego County is opening what it calls a “vaccination superstation” that aims to inject up to 5,000 health care workers daily, officials said Friday.
COLORADO Denver: The state’s goal is to have 70% of residents ages 70 and up vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of February, Gov. Jared Polis said Friday. Local health officials are frustrated about the lack of clear guidance in the distribution and vaccine disparities. They’re also fielding complaints and worries from older residents confused about how to get a vaccine appointment, the Colorado Sun reports.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: The first round of vaccination clinics held at the state’s 210 nursing homes was completed Friday – a milestone that comes as skilled nursing facilities battle a second wave of infections.
DELAWARE Dover: Democratic Gov. John Carney signed a revised emergency order Friday lifting a 10 p.m. curfew on restaurants and bars.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center reported a COVID19 case Sunday, prompting a temporary closure for cleaning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, WUSA-TV reports.
FLORIDA Fort Lauderdale: Data from the Centers for Disease Control shows Florida has nearly half the known cases in the United States of a mutated and likely more contagious strain of the coronavirus.
GEORGIA Atlanta: Georgia ranks last among states for the share of available COVID-19 vaccines it has administered, but Gov. Brian Kemp said some hospitals have failed to report all the shots they’ve given.
HAWAII Honolulu: State House Speaker Scott Saiki plans to introduce legislation to establish statewide COVID-19 travel rules to reduce confusion for residents and tourists. The Democrat said he also likely would introduce legislation to lower the penalty for not wearing a mask in public to a citation or violation, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports.
IDAHO Boise: Two Democratic state lawmakers filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court against the Legislature and the Republican House speaker contending the Statehouse is unsafe for them and others with chronic health conditions because coronavirus precautions are being ignored.
ILLINOIS Springfield: State public health officials on Sunday reported 4,711 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 81 deaths.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Gov. Eric Holcomb will have a low-key start to his second term Monday as the pandemic looms over the state. His oathtaking ceremony Monday will largely be a virtual event.
IOWA Des Moines: Visitors to the Statehouse will not be required to wear masks, and employees will not be required to disclose if they have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to safety protocols released ahead of Monday’s start of the 2021 legislative session.
KANSAS Mission: State prisons ravaged by COVID-19 are set to be prioritized for vaccinations next – frustrating news for some lawmakers but welcome by inmates’ families and activists.
KENTUCKY Louisville: The state is dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases caused at least partly by people getting together during the holidays despite warnings, officials said Friday. The share of test results that came back positive was 26.4% in the latest week, compared with 18.9% in the week before, a USA TODAY Network analysis of COVID Tracking Project data shows.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: Tulane University has been designated as a COVID-19 vaccine provider, allowing it to receive doses directly from manufacturers so it can provide the vaccine to those in the university community who are eligible.
MAINE Portland: The number of new COVID-19 infections and deaths soared to new heights, officials said Friday. The Maine Center for Disease Control reported 41 deaths and 782 infections, both daily records in the state.
MARYLAND Ocean City: Worcester County public schools will return to in-person learning Jan. 19 for small groups of students even as the county’s coronavirus positivity rate remains well above that of the state.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: The state is preparing to launch a pooled testing program in schools that aims to expand monitoring for COVID-19 and encourage schools to remain open with students attending in person. Pooled testing can test larger batches of people at a lower cost. Ten swabs are placed in a single tube and shipped for testing. If the tube comes back negative, all 10 individuals are presumed negative for the coronavirus. If it comes back positive, the 10 who contributed swabs are tested individually.
MICHIGAN Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday strongly encouraged all K-12 schools to offer inperson instruction by March 1 or earlier, but she stopped short of requiring it, saying face-to-face classes should at least be an option.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Health officials have confirmed five cases of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus in the Twin Cities area.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday that the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is not going fast enough, and officials are working behind the scenes to “eliminate roadblocks” so more people can get inoculated quickly.
MISSOURI St. Louis: As coronavirus cases surge, public health officials are thankful the flu has remained largely in check. Missouri’s influenza report shows that by Dec. 26, 681 people had tested positive for influenza, the fewest by that time of year in at least the past six flu seasons, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. There has been just one confirmed influenza death in the state since October. In comparison, 3,730 people have died from COVID-19 in Missouri since October.
MONTANA Helena: Legislative leaders are highly recommending but not requiring face coverings for people participating in the Legislature. Despite a positive test for committee chair Republican Sen. Jason Ellsworth, the GOP majority among House and Senate leadership rejected a mask mandate Friday, as Ellsworth noted remote participation in the sessions is allowed.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: Gov. Pete Ricketts said Friday that he’s reasonably satisfied with the state’s distribution of COVID-19 vaccines despite a slowdown last month but urged residents to remain patient and expect some logistical delays.
NEVADA Las Vegas: Funeral homes and the county coroner are prepping for a post-holiday spike in COVID-19 deaths by adding storage space – including refrigerated trailers with special shelving – for corpses.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Hanover: Half of the student body at Dartmouth College will be back on campus by Jan. 18, but most undergraduate classes will still be taught remotely. Provost Joseph Helble said confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Grafton County are 10 times higher than they were in October.
NEW JERSEY Rockaway: Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday toured what’s being called a vaccine megasite at a former Sears store in Morris County where health officials hope to vaccinate more than 2,000 people a day. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said the goal is to finish vaccinating health care workers and essential workers – more than 3 million people – by May. Ultimately, the state’s goal is to vaccinate 70% of the population, or about 4.7 million people, within six months.
NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: The state is moving ahead with COVID19 vaccine distribution, expanding eligibility Friday to people 75 and older as well as residents with underlying medical conditions. State officials said last week that New Mexico is among leading states on vaccination rates.
NEW YORK Albany: Faced with mounting criticism over the slow pace of the vaccine rollout, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that, starting this week, the state will allow a much wider swath of the public to get inoculated, including anyone age 75 or older.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford was in quarantine Friday with his family after his wife tested positive for the coronavirus, and he will not be able to fulfill his role of presiding over the Senate as the 2021 legislative session is getting underway.
OHIO Columbus: New coronavirus cases leaped in the state in the week ending Saturday, rising 12.6% as 56,304 cases were reported.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: A judge has extended a temporary restraining order allowing bars and restaurants across the state to stay open past an 11 p.m. curfew issued in November by Gov. Kevin Stitt in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
OREGON Salem: Hundreds of people received COVID-19 vaccines Friday at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in a mass vaccination. This week, the operation will be stepped up with the Oregon National Guard called up by Gov. Kate Brown to support the mission. “The goal is to vaccinate 250 people per hour,” Brown said.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: The state on Friday released an updated vaccine plan that makes more people eligible for shots in the initial phases of the rollout. Health care workers and nursing home residents remain at the front of the line, followed by people 75 years and older and “essential workers” such as police officers, grocery store clerks and teachers.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: The state’s coronavirus response will not be affected by Gov. Gina Raimondo’s imminent departure to join President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet, Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee promised Friday. McKee said he’s committed to retaining many of the top officials and experts Raimondo has tapped.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: As other states trim expenses and borrow money amid the economic fallout of the pandemic, Gov. Henry McMaster is already looking to shore up the state’s rainy day fund with $500 million for a future crisis. The state has avoided dipping into its reserve fund for any pandemic-related purposes, using federal dollars instead.
SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: The Legislature will convene Tuesday while trying to avoid coronavirus infections. A handful of cases surfaced among lawmakers after they gathered for Gov. Kristi Noem’s budget address last month, and the Statehouse is notorious for breeding what’s known as the “Capitol crud,” a hacking cough that seems to spread among lawmakers and lobbyists every year.
TENNESSEE Nashville: Officials are launching a statewide online scheduling system in the coming days for COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
TEXAS Austin: Health officials in Austin and Travis County announced plans Saturday to open space in the Austin Convention Center for COVID19 patients as hospitalizations across Texas set a record high for the 13th consecutive day.
UTAH Salt Lake City: New Gov. Spencer Cox unveiled a plan Friday to ramp up vaccine distribution amid a post-holiday surge in new cases. The Republican governor said he will issue an executive order requiring facilities to allocate their doses the week they are received and have local health departments manage distribution, with an expectation of administering 50,000 doses a week.
VERMONT Montpelier: The state ranks second in the nation in the pace of receiving and administering COVID-19 vaccines per 100,000 people, Human Services Agency Secretary Mike Smith said Friday.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Some local health departments will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines this week for portions of the general public.
WASHINGTON Seattle: The Washington State Department of Health announced Friday that all eight regions will remain in the first phase of a new COVID-19 recovery plan until Jan. 18.
WEST VIRGINIA Keyser: The Mineral County Health Department reported late last week that active coronavirus cases in the county took a steep downturn in just 24 hours as the health department and other entities worked to administer vaccines to health care workers, nursing home residents and employees, and county school employees age 50 and older.
WISCONSIN Madison: A state committee looking into COVID-19 shots says it might open vaccinations to people 70 and up and limited groups of essential workers once most health workers and nursing home residents are immunized. But some disagreed on whether to add group home residents and prison and jail inmates, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.
WYOMING Cheyenne: Health officials say the exterior doors of the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department were vandalized with fake blood, a few days after a protest was held at the state Capitol against public health orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic.