The U.S. once again crossed a somber COVID threshold much faster than any country in the world.
Less than a year after the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, the U.S. recorded its 500,000th death Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard. That’s more than twice the COVID-19 fatalities registered in Brazil, which ranks second on the list.
President Joe Biden commemorated the half-a-million lives lost at a Monday evening ceremony in the White House, drawing on his own experience with heartbreak to personalize the unfathomable tragedy while exhorting Americans to wear masks and take other steps to prevent spread of the virus. He pointed out the death toll from the pandemic is higher than  the number of U.S. service members killed in battle during World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined.
“The people we lost were extraordinary. They spanned generations,” Biden said. “Born in America, emigrated to America. Just like that so many of them took their final breath alone in America. As a nation, we can’t accept such a cruel fate. While we’re fighting this pandemic for so long, we have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow.”
The U.S., with about 4% of the world’s population, has recorded 25% of the COVID-19 cases and 20% of the fatalities. The endless hours of toiling amid death and suffering have taken a heavy toll on health care workers, who are exhausted and frustrated with those who won’t follow public health guidelines aimed at curbing transmission of the virus.
“Don’t clap, don’t give me baked goods,’’ emergency room doctor Eric Cioe-Peña says in response to people thanking him for his efforts. “I don’t need any of that. I need you to wear a mask and not get COVID.’â€
Even as the nation reaches what Dr. Anthony Fauci has called a “terribly historic milestone,’’ there are signs of better days ahead. Not only have infections, hospitalizations and deaths been dwindling since a post-holiday spike in January, but two highly effective vaccines are finding their way into millions of American arms, and another one might be authorized soon.
It is a race against time, though, because coronavirus variants are spreading across the country and threaten to touch off another surge of cases.
As the vaccination effort continues, public health officials are preaching vigilance and continued adherence to well-known mitigation measures – masking, social distancing, hand washing and avoiding large gatherings – hoping to avoid yet another COVID landmark.
Also in the news:
â–ºThe White House COVID-19 response team said all the vaccine doses delayed by last week’s winter storms will be distributed by midway through this week, starting with 7 million Monday. Team members also said that despite the precipitous drop in cases this month, infection levels remain above last summer’s peak and life won’t return to normal for quite some time. “There are things, even if you’re vaccinated, that you’re not going to be able to do in society,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
â–ºThe House is focusing this week on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Democrats in Congress aim to pass the whole proposal by mid-March, and it currently includes a new round of checks for Americans, renewal of the Paycheck Protection Program and an extension of a federal boost for unemployment benefits.
â–ºFor every American who dies of COVID-19, an average of nine family members are left mourning. That adds up to 4.5 million grieving relatives in the U.S. Here’s the story of one such family.Â
► California lawmakers on Monday cleared the way for 5.7 million people to get at least $600 in one-time payments, part of a state-sized coronavirus relief package aimed at helping those with low-to-moderate incomes weather the pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he will sign the bill into law on Tuesday.
â–ºUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday that white supremacy and neo-Nazi movements were a “transnational threat†that are “engaged in a feeding frenzy of hate” and have exploited the pandemic to gain support.
►The number of patients in California hospitals with COVID-19 has fallen below 7,000, a drop of more than a third over two weeks, state health officials said. The story is similar in Texas, where state data on Sunday showed the lowest number of hospitalizations (7,146) since mid-November.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 28.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 500,200 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 111.7 million cases and 2.47 million deaths. More than 75.2 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and about 64.2 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
📘 What we’re reading:Â Millions of kindergartners have opted out of public school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what happens now.
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Britain plans to slowly emerge from COVID-19 lockdown
Britain unveiled its plan for unwinding one of the world’s strictest COVID-19 lockdowns Monday. American public health officials were watching closely as the more transmissible COVID-19 variant originally identified in the UK continues spreading in the U.S.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the slow rollback, beginning March 8 with children in England returning to class and people being allowed to meet a friend outside. Shops, hair dressers, outdoor eating and drinking at pubs and restaurants will follow on April 12.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes that by April, B.1.1.7 – the more transmissible COVID-19 variant originally identified in Britain – is likely to be the dominant one within American borders. The U.S. is now reporting more than 1,687 cases of coronavirus variants that can spread more easily, dodge some treatments and immunities, or both.
A steady decline in U.S. coronavirus cases that has brought levels back to where they were in late October could be threatened by the “rapid take-off of B.1.1.7.,” said Trevor Bedford, an epidemiologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, in a Twitter thread Thursday.Â
There is evidence that the B.1.1.7 variant “will reach 50% frequency in the U.S. perhaps by late March,” he said.Â
CDC study: Teachers, not students, are infection drivers in schools
Amid the national debate about reopening schools during the pandemic, a new study suggests teachers may be more likely to transmit the virus than students.
The paper released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looks into nine COVID-19 transmission clusters in elementary schools in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta in December and January. In one of them, 16 teachers, students and relatives of students at home were infected.
In eight of the nine clusters there was probable teacher-to-student transmission, the study found, and in four instances a teacher was the first documented case. A student was the first case only once, and in the other four the originator was not clearly established. Two clusters saw teachers infect each other during in-person meetings or lunches, then a teacher infecting students.
All the clusters involved “less than ideal physical distancing†because of space limitations, the authors wrote, with students often less than 3 feet apart, although plastic dividers were placed on desks.
The CDC has said schools can safely reopen even if teachers are not vaccinated for COVID-19 as long as mitigation measures are implemented.
Joe Biden tweaks PPP to give small businesses better access to loans
A federal program that provides loans to businesses to help them stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic is undergoing some changes to allow more money to be directed at small businesses that need it most.
President Joe Biden announced several revisions on Monday to the Paycheck Protection Program, which Congress approved last year as part of a nearly $2 trillion COVID-relief bill.
“Small businesses are the engines of our economic progress,” Biden said. “They’re the glue in the heart and soul of our communities. But they’re getting crushed.”
Some 400,000 small businesses have shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic. While the Paycheck Protection Program delivered urgent relief to many, “a lot of these mom-and-pop businesses got muscled out of the way by bigger companies who jumped in front of the line,” Biden said.
To address those concerns, Biden announced that only businesses with less than 20 employees will be allowed to apply for the program over a 14-day period that begins Wednesday. Some 98% of small businesses have less than 20 employees, and the 14-day application period will allow lenders to focus on serving them, administration officials said.
– Michael Collins
Non-English speakers struggle to get COVID-19 vaccine across US
More than two months after the first coronavirus vaccine shots were distributed in the United States, many states and local governments are providing limited vaccine information in languages other than English. Language and cultural barriers have made it difficult for many people of color, immigrants and non-English-speaking communities to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Experts said more targeted outreach – including door knocking, visits to front-line workers at their place of employment, streamlined registration sites and language translation services at vaccination sites – is needed to overcome misinformation and educate communities that long have been plagued by inequities in the U.S.
– Cristina Silva
Contributing: The Associated Press
