Regional health officials have warned that bottlenecks in vaccine distribution are slowing the ambitious national program to provide shots to tens of millions of Americans in the weeks ahead.
Clinics from New York to Texas have complained that they don't know how many doses they will receive each day, with confirmation often coming at the last minute.
The problems mirror those seen across European Union nations, several of which have complained of a restricted number of vaccines compared to the numbers needed.
There have now been 25.7 million confirmed Covid-19 cases in the U.S. — but new cases are down 23 percent compared to the same figure two weeks ago.
- Map of U.S. hot spots and worldwide Covid-19 cases.
- Tracking surges in states across the country this winter.
- Map of travel restrictions and which states have a mask mandate.
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Russians flee Putin's crackdown as Ukraine invasion reshapes Moscow's future
With Russia cracking down on dissent and being hit with more international sanctions than Iran and North Korea, some fear a new “Iron Curtain” may be closing as Putin leaves his country deeply isolated both culturally and economically from a scornful world.
“We were very scared,” said Aglaia, a student and activist who managed to get a rare plane ticket Thursday with her family to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, one of the few nearby places where Russian flights aren’t banned. “We just had this feeling of deep, deep sadness — but also mixed with anger.”
Read more here.
Russia snubs U.N. court hearings in case brought by Ukraine
Ukraine pleaded with the United Nations' top court Monday to order Russia to halt its devastating invasion, saying Moscow is already committing widespread war crimes and “resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare” in its 12-day-old military onslaught.
Russia snubbed the International Court of Justice hearings and its seats in the Great Hall of Justice remained empty.
On a lawn outside the court's headquarters, the Peace Palace in The Hague, a protester placed colored candles spelling out the words: “Putin Come out.”
Ukrainian representative Anton Korynevych told judges at the International Court of Justice: “Russia must be stopped and the court has a role to play in stopping it.”
Ukraine has asked the court to order Russia to “immediately suspend the military operations” launched Feb. 24 “that have as their stated purpose and objective the prevention and punishment of a claimed genocide” in the separatist eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
A decision on Ukraine’s request is expected within days.
Vladimir Putin attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall to mark the Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow on Wednesday.
A military truck drives down a street outside Donetsk, in territory controlled by pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine, late Tuesday.
CDC mandates masks on public transportation
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday night that mask-wearing will be required on all on all public transportation beginning Monday night.
The mandate issued by CDC division director Martin S. Cetron was made after President Joe Biden issued an executive order Jan. 21 that called for "immediate action" on mask-wearing for "all forms of public transportation."
It applies to all public commercial transportation — planes, trains, boats and buses — and to transportation hubs, such as air terminals, train stations, subway stations, seaports and bus depots.
It also covers ferries, subways, taxis and ride-hail vehicles, the CDC said. Operators and transportation workers must wear masks, too.
Arizona reports first cases of U.K. variant
Arizona on Friday joined 30 other states that have detected a Covid-19 variant first seen in the United Kingdom and which is believed to be more transmissible.
The Arizona Department of Health Services said the variant, B.1.1.7, has been confirmed in three test samples. It's the first detected cases in the state.
That variant has been now found in 31 states, including Arizona, according to the state health department announcement and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is tracking detected cases on its website. There have been more than 400 cases of that variant reported in the nation.
The U.K. variant is believed to be more transmissible. UK scientists earlier this month reported evidence that it could be associated with an increased risk of death, but more studies are needed to confirm if that is the case, the CDC says.
Public health officials have stressed that there is much uncertainty around the conclusion it could be more deadly.
U.K. variant detected near Seattle
A more contagious strain of the coronavirus, B.1.1.7, has been detected in King County, Washington, public health officials announced Friday evening.
King County is home to Seattle, an early Covid-19 hotspot.
Public health officials called the development “worrisome, but not surprising” because the variant spreads more quickly than others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously said it expects B.1.1.7 to become the predominant strain in the U.S. by March.
"As the virus gets better at spreading, we must get better at fighting it," the public health department tweeted. "Double down on what we know works: masks, distance, ventilation, testing, and hand hygiene."
The variant, which originated in the United Kingdom, has also popped up in neighboring Snohomish and Pierce counties.