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U.S. COVID-19 cases surge to highest level in two weeks

German firm BioNTech said it was on track to manufacture 2.5 billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine this year with US partner Pfizer
German firm BioNTech said it was on track to manufacture 2.5 billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine this year with US partner Pfizer

Midwestern states are being hit the hardest, particularly in Michigan and Minnesota, with new cases linked to the UK’s B.1.1.7 variant, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Friday.

“And in both of these states, there is concern about transmission in youth sports, both club sports as well as sports affiliated in schools,” Walensky added.

“What is happening in Michigan and Minnesota is similar to what we are seeing across the country: increasing reports of cases associated with youth sports,” Walensky said at a White House Covid-19 news briefing Friday, per CNBC News.

The CDC director also highlighted an uptick in Covid-19 cases and emergency room visits among younger adults, most of whom have not yet been vaccinated.

Bloomberg is reporting that the U.S. recorded another 962 deaths on Friday, down for the second day in a row. The U.S. recorded 4 million vaccine doses on Friday, as the pace picked up again after the Easter and Passover holidays, according to its Vaccine Tracker.

Johnson & Johnson vaccines
Even as the U.S. is continuing to vaccinate as many people as possible, Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine will be extremely limited until federal regulators approve production at the Baltimore manufacturing plant with a pattern of quality-control lapses, the White House’s pandemic response coordinator said on Friday, according to the New York Times.

Vaccine allocations to various states are expected to plunge by 86 percent next week – a blow to governors across the country who were depending on the vaccine supplies. However, Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, the other two federally authorized vaccine manufacturers, could make up some of the shortfalls, say federal officials.

“The last thing we wanted to hear about was we’re getting fewer vaccines,” Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a Republican, told reporters Friday. “We were hoping to ramp up as they’ve been promising.”

In a statement, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, a Democrat, said, “We will not be able to get as many shots into New Yorkers’ arms as we would like.” He added, “As has been the case since the beginning of our vaccination effort, the X factor is supply, supply, supply.”

Doses of Johnson & Johnson next week will drop severely in states: California will fall from 572,700 to 67,600 doses, Texas from 392,100 to 46,300, Florida from 313,200 to 37,000, and Virginia from 253,400 to 27,900.

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We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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