Variants sweep across nation, in more states
Menacing coronavirus variants are sweeping across the nation even as new cases of the original virus are dropping quickly.
The United States reported 1,932 variant cases through Tuesday night, up 49% from a week earlier. The variants appear to spread more easily, dodge some immunities and treatments, or both.
They remain, however, a very small percentage of all cases.
The B.1.351 variant first detected in South Africa was reported over the last week in Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, New York and Tennessee for the first time. On Sunday, South Carolina said it had two cases of that variant; on Tuesday, it reported 21 cases. The variant is a concern because experts warn it might spread more readily than the original virus and might reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines.
The U.S. has more than 28.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 503,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 112 million cases and 2.49 million deaths. More than 82.1 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and about 65 million have been administered.
NYC reopening schools for middle schoolers
New York City will reopen public schools to middle school students on Thursday, providing in-classroom learning for another 62,000 students whose parents opted out of remote education. About a quarter of the district’s 1 million students will be back in schools, many for five days a week.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that he hopes to have an announcement on reopening high schools in the next few weeks.
School reopening has prompted clashes between teachers and administrators over safety provisions. The mayor said the district is adhering to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including universal and correct use of masks, physical distancing, hand washing with sanitizer “everywhere,” clean and well-ventilated spaces and contact tracing when infections are discovered, he said.
Fauci: CDC to ease rules on vaccinated people
Dr. Anthony Fauci says a new, eased guidance for people who have been vaccinated should be coming soon from the CDC. The White House’s chief medical adviser told CNN the update will focus particularly on people in the same family who have been vaccinated. Easing the rules is nothing new: Two weeks ago, the agency said fully vaccinated people didn’t have to follow quarantine rules.
“If I’m fully vaccinated, and my daughter comes in the house, and she’s fully vaccinated,” Fauci said. “Do we really need to have the stringent public-health measure that we would if it was a stranger who was not vaccinated?”
HHS releasing more immigrant children
The Department of Health and Human Services has drastically cut its capacity for immigrant children because of the pandemic. Nearly all its 7,100 beds for the kids are full. Meanwhile, Border Patrol agents are apprehending an average of more than 200 children crossing the border without a parent per day.
The Biden administration is working to expedite the release of children to their relatives in the United States. HHS on Wednesday authorized operators of long-term facilities to pay for some of the children’s flights and transportation to the homes of their sponsors.
An internal memo sent Wednesday and obtained by The Associated Press authorizes facility operators to use government funding for transport fees “in the event that a sponsor is not able to pay fees associated with commercial airfare, and a child’s physical release would be otherwise delayed.”
Other top headlines
• CVS and Walgreens drugstores will start vaccinations in more states Thursday. CVS Health Corp. says it will add stores in six states, including Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Walgreens said it will expand into California, Oregon and Virginia, among other states.
• British scientists have found viruses similar to the strain that causes COVID-19 can survive on commonly worn fabrics for up to three days. The study by De Montfort University tested a model coronavirus on polyester, polycotton and 100% cotton. The results suggested polyester posed the highest risk.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday acknowledged sharing vaccines with several countries that have given favors to Israel in the past. Israel faces international criticism for not doing more to share its vast stockpile of vaccines with Palestinians in the territories it controls.
• More than 2,400 doses of vaccine in Tennessee’s Shelby County, which includes Memphis, went to waste while local officials sat on tens of thousands of shots that they thought had already gone into arms, the state’s top health official said. Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said the problems were widespread and date back to Feb. 3.