Covid 19 live updates: Officials remember a lost year and offer hope for what’s ahead
Here are some significant developments:
- Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter are featured in the series of public service announcements. Former president Donald Trump does not appear in them. The effort began in December, when Trump was still in office, said Ben Dorf, a vice president at the Ad Council.
- Congress approved a sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which includes $1,400 for most Americans, extends enhanced unemployment benefits and offers relief for low-income families. Biden signed the bill into law on Thursday afternoon, ahead of his prime-time address.
- Danish and Norwegian authorities said they have suspended the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as a precautionary measure, citing concerns over potential side effects, even as the European regulator found no evidence that the vaccine is unsafe.
- The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus has plummeted across the United States, as the nation’s vaccination effort continues ramping up. More than 62 million people have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
- More than 528,000 people have died of the coronavirus in the United States, but the weekly average of new cases has fallen 11.5 percent while daily reported deaths have fallen 23.4 percent.
Source: WP
