50 States
ALABAMA Montgomery: In partnership with Auburn University Montgomery, 600 COVID-19 vaccines will be provided to Montgomery Public Schools employees Friday. ALASKA Bethel: Alaska tribes will receive more than $1 billion from the most recent $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief bill. The tribes can take as long as three years to spend these funds, unlike a similar bill that was passed in 2020, which had a shorter deadline, KYUK-AM reports. ARIZONA Phoenix: Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday signed legislation giving businesses, nursing homes and others a broad shield from COVID-19related lawsuits, making Arizona the latest state to limit liability. ARKANSAS Little Rock: Active coronavirus cases continued to decrease Monday as the state reported five new deaths from COVID-19. CALIFORNIA Sacramento: Despite promises from Gov. Gavin Newsom to build an “army” of contact tracers to contain the coronavirus, a new audit says the state mustered less than half the number promised. But even if the staffing goals were met, it would not have been enough. The target was based on an assumption that California would average 5,000 new coronavirus infections a day. But the state averaged 25,000 per day from late November to the end of December. COLORADO Denver: State health department officials said they would explore the possibility of COVID-19 vaccine passports. Live events in Colorado have already begun to open up. Red Rocks Amphitheatre will reopen later this month with a 2,500person capacity.
CONNECTICUT Manchester: Several school districts across the state have been forced to close or stop in-person learning for a day because educators called in sick with side effects from their COVID-19 shots after clinics. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: All D.C. residents 16 and older will become eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine April 19, WUSA-TV reports. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the expansion in a tweet Monday, a day before a White House official said President Joe Biden expects all U.S. adults to be eligible by that date. FLORIDA Orlando: Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed back aggressively Tuesday against a “60 Minutes” report that suggested he initially made a deal to distribute COVID-19 vaccines at Publix Super Markets pharmacies because the company made a donation to his political action committee. The Republican governor warned of unspecified “consequences” over the report that aired Sunday night on CBS, which stood behind the story. GEORGIA Atlanta: The state has hit a milestone of administering more than 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Brian Kemp said Monday. HAWAII Honolulu: The state’s vacation rental market has outperformed hotels in occupancy rates in every month since October. Vacation rental owners across the state have said the higher demand was prompted by pandemic-related attitude shifts that prioritize space and seclusion for getaways, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Other operators have said the pandemic-induced reduction in some hotel services, such as daily housekeeping, decreased the service gap between homes and vacation rentals, according to the newspaper. IDAHO Boise: The state will receive nearly $21 million in federal funds to encourage people to get COVID-19 vaccines and to improve access among racial and ethnic minorities. ILLINOIS Chicago: An indoor event at a bar in rural Illinois triggered 46 cases of the coronavirus, the hospitalization of a resident of a long-term care facility and a school shutdown, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Monday.
INDIANA Indianapolis: The state is getting $60.8 million in federal funding to support efforts to get minority populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic vaccinated against COVID-19.
IOWA Ames: Iowa State University wants to get as many of its students as possible vaccinated against COVID-19 before the end of the semester, and mass vaccinations will start April 19, ISU leaders told the campus community Tuesday.
KANSAS Topeka: Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday that she has no plans to have the state issue vaccine passports, which are designed to help inoculated residents travel, shop and dine out more freely. Kelly said she’s concentrating on making sure people get tested for the coronavirus and vaccinated for COVID-19. KENTUCKY Lexington: U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell downplayed a new infusion of federal relief for his home state’s government, questioning the need Monday and calling Kentucky’s $2.4 billion from the Democraticbacked package a “bonus.” Gov. Andy Beshear pushed back, saying the aid will stimulate job growth and upgrade infrastructure. “Do you want a long, difficult recession that hurts Kentuckians, that has more people jobless? Or do you want to invest, create jobs and sprint out of this pandemic instead of stumble?” he said at a news conference. LOUISIANA New Orleans: The state’s labor department sent more than $405 million in state and federal unemployment benefits to people who don’t appear to have been eligible for them as the coronavirus pandemic devastated the economy, the state Legislative Auditor’s Office said in a report Monday.
MAINE Augusta: Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said Monday that the state has updated its pandemic guidelines to allow for more attendance at town meetings next month, raising the limit to 75% of permitted occupancy May 24. MARYLAND Annapolis: All residents 16 and up are now eligible to get vaccinated at mass vaccination sites, Gov. Larry Hogan announced. MASSACHUSETTS Boston: A sharpeyed hospital worker is being credited with spotting a shipment of tens of thousands of counterfeit N95 surgical masks that could have potentially put the health of front-line medical workers at risk, officials said Monday.
MICHIGAN Detroit: Alongside her 19-year-old daughter, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got her first COVID-19 vaccine shot Tuesday, touting it as the most effective way to protect people and to return Michigan to normalcy. She urged parents to ensure their high school- and college-age kids are inoculated, too. MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday launched an outreach campaign aimed at vaccinating workers in front-line industries in the coming weeks. The campaign begins this week with workers at restaurants, bars and breweries. MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The state has now administered 1.32 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to residents, according to the health department. MISSOURI Columbia: The University of Missouri is planning to have full-capacity, in-person classes and activities on the Columbia campus for the fall semester, university officials announced Tuesday. MONTANA Bozeman: Gov. Greg Gianforte has shown mild systems after testing positive for the coronavirus over the weekend.
NEBRASKA Omaha: More than 120,000 residents were vaccinated against COVID-19 last week, up from roughly 106,000 the week before. The state has opened up eligibility to everyone 16 and up, but health officials in Lancaster County are still prioritizing older residents. NEVADA Henderson: U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto on Monday encouraged people to shop on the state’s health insurance exchange to determine if they can get cheaper coverage thanks to the new federal coronavirus relief law.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Warner: Those who attended events at Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts around Easter are being asked to get tested for the coronavirus after an outbreak infected at least 16 people. NEW JERSEY Trenton: Many residents with the most severe disabilities are regressing physically and mentally because the therapy, socialization and training programs on which they depend have been closed for more than a year, with the state unfairly barring them from needed services under COVID-19 rules, according to families, advocates and some lawmakers.
NEW MEXICO Carlsbad: The state has reported that oil and gas production increased by more than 10% last year compared to 2019 even as demand for fuel dropped during the coronavirus pandemic.
NEW YORK New York: Residents over age 16 can sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations starting Tuesday, a major expansion of eligibility as the state seeks to immunize as many people as possible. The State University of New York also announced plans to offer vaccines to tens of thousands of college students before they head home for summer. NORTH CAROLINA Nags Head: The ferry service that carries passengers to the Outer Banks is facing a shortage of deck hands, seamen and captains. The Virginian-Pilot reports Jed Dixon, deputy director of the North Carolina Ferry Division, said the pandemic prevented an annual job fair that typically helps recruit enough employees.
NORTH DAKOTA Fargo: More than 20 North Dakota State University nursing and pharmacy students are volunteering to help “Protect the Herd” during on-campus COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
OHIO Columbus: A group representing Asian American neighbors of Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said Monday that he and his family have agreed to meet with them to discuss their concerns about his recent tweet that referred to the coronavirus as the “Wuhan virus.” They want to use the meeting to express how his words affected them during a time when there is an uptick in attacks against members of the Asian American community. OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The Choctaw Nation on Monday announced plans to provide COVID-19 vaccines to the general public and to partner with a new national database, Dr. B, that puts people on standby to receive unused doses.
OREGON Salem: All residents 16 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine April 19, Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday morning. PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Fewer state residents are getting tested for the coronavirus, making it harder to detect and counter a potential fourth wave, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said Tuesday.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Brown University on Tuesday joined a growing number of colleges that will require students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning for in-person classes next fall.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: The state is getting a $47 million federal boost to its COVID-19 vaccination programs, particularly in minority communities.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Gov. Kristi Noem marked the occasion of the state opening vaccines to adults 16 and older Monday by receiving her first dose. The governor, who has taken a mostly hands-off approach to restrictions during the pandemic, has encouraged people to get inoculated, saying she is “trusting people to do the right thing.”
TENNESSEE Nashville: A phone line that offers mental health support has added an option to talk via text messaging. The state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services says the Emotional Support Line for Pandemic Stress now lets people call or text 888-642-7886 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT daily.
TEXAS Austin: Gov. Greg Abbott used his executive power Tuesday to ban state government and some private entities from requiring “vaccine passports” to access services.
UTAH Salt Lake City: A new law blocks the state’s government from requiring people to get COVID-19 vaccines, but companies can choose to use so-called vaccine passports to determine who has been inoculated. The law also blocks state colleges and universities from requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students and employees. Private schools can still require them.
VERMONT Montpelier: Gov. Phil Scott on Monday condemned the “racist response” to his administration’s decision to make members of ethnic minorities eligible for COVID19 vaccines before residents of other races. He said his office, the state Health Department and vaccine providers have recently been subjected “to vitriolic and inappropriate comments in social media and other forums” over the decision. “And it is evidence that many Americans, and many Vermonters, still have a lot to learn about the impacts of racism in our country and how it has influenced public policy over the years,” he said in a statement.
VIRGINIA Verona: The tide of coronavirus cases at Middle River Regional Jail has dwindled after a winter of managing a serious outbreak, with the facility now beginning to vaccinate inmates.
WASHINGTON Seattle: The City Council has voted to give free legal representation to renters facing eviction. Advocates say the legislation is a small investment that will help people stay in their homes and forestall the more expensive consequences of homelessness, The Seattle Times reports.
WEST VIRGINIA Morgantown: West Virginia University will return to in-person commencement ceremonies for 4,500 graduating students in May. Four separate ceremonies will be held May 15-16 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, WVU said in a news release.
WISCONSIN Madison: The COVID-19 vaccination center at the Alliant Energy Center will be able to increase the number of doses delivered by 2,100 a week thanks to new staffing support from the federal government starting Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers announced. The site will become the third in Wisconsin run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.
WYOMING Casper: The state’s unemployment rate ticked up in February, reversing a downward trend that tracked last year’s easing of coronavirus-related public health orders.