MEXICO CITY — Mexico has acquired its first shipment of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
Some 200,000 doses arrived to Mexico City’s worldwide airport late Monday night time aboard a British Airways flight from Moscow. Officials plan to make use of the doses to start vaccinating seniors within the capital’s most marginalized boroughs on Wednesday. Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard confirmed their arrival through Twitter.
Mexico acquired its first shipment of vaccines from Pfizer in mid-December, however turned to Sputnik V in January when different anticipated vaccine shipments have been delayed. Sputnik too arrives later than initially anticipated. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke with Russia President Vladimir Putin in late January.
In early February, Mexican regulators gave Sputnik V emergency approval and the federal government signed a contract to convey 400,000 doses to Mexico in February. It was unclear when the following shipment of Sputnik would arrive.
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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
— Researchers in Scotland say its COVID-19 vaccination program has brought about hospitalizations to plummet
— British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to put out plan to ease coronavirus restrictions however pubs, gyms and hairdressers to remain closed for weeks
— Russia’s vaccine rollout picks up pace however consultants say the marketing campaign continues to be shifting slowly
— Elementary colleges and kindergartens reopen in over half of Germany’s 16 states
— Every Democratic vote is required on $1.9 trillion COVID-19 reduction invoice, however minimal wage and different points will pressure selections
— Follow all of AP’s pandemic protection at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine president will reject suggestions to additional ease coronavirus quarantine restrictions throughout the nation till a delayed vaccination marketing campaign kicks off, his spokesman mentioned.
President Rodrigo Duterte additionally rejected a plan to renew face-to-face college courses in some pilot areas till vaccinations, which have been set again by delays within the arrival of preliminary batches of COVID-19 vaccine, have been launched, presidential spokesman Harry Roque mentioned.
The scheduled supply on Tuesday of 600,000 doses from Sinovac Biotech Ltd. was postponed anew after the China-based firm failed to instantly safe an emergency-use allow from Manila’s Food and Drug Administration. Sinovac bought the authorization Monday.
Top financial officers have requested Duterte to contemplate additional easing quarantine restrictions within the nation beginning in March to bolster the financial system, which has suffered one of the worst recessions within the area, and stave off starvation. But Duterte rejected the suggestions.
“The chief executive recognizes the importance of re-opening the economy and its impact on people’s livelihoods,” Roque mentioned however added that the president “gives higher premium to public health and safety.”
The Philippines has reported greater than 563,000 confirmed instances of COVID-19 infections and greater than 12,000 deaths, the second highest in Southeast Asia. The authorities has confronted criticisms for failing to instantly launch a large vaccine marketing campaign for about 70 million Filipinos.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers on Monday cleared the way in which for five.7 million folks to get at the least $600 in one-time funds, half of a state-sized coronavirus reduction bundle aimed toward serving to lower-income folks climate what they hope is the final legs of the pandemic.
The state Legislature handed the invoice by a large margin on Monday, shifting quicker than their counterparts in Congress who’re additionally contemplating one other spherical of stimulus checks for the nation.
Gov. Gavin Newsom mentioned he’ll signal it into regulation on Tuesday. People who’re eligible for the cash ought to get it at between 45 days and 60 days after receiving their state tax refunds, in line with the Franchise Tax Board.
People with low to average incomes will probably be eligible to get the cash. That contains individuals who declare the California earned earnings tax credit score on their tax returns and, typically, folks making $30,000 or much less per yr.
Immigrants who pay taxes utilizing a person taxpayer identification quantity and make $75,000 a yr or much less after deductions would additionally get the cash. People who obtain help from state packages benefiting low-income households and people who find themselves blind and disabled are additionally eligible.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom says extra vaccines are headed to California’s huge Central Valley, an agricultural area that’s been hit exhausting by coronavirus.
In the small farming metropolis of Arvin on Monday, Newsom mentioned that 11 cellular clinics will open within the area later this week. The services are designed to vaccinate folks, principally farmworkers, who don’t have transportation to bigger vaccination websites or can’t navigate the state’s on-line signup portal.
He says the state can be sending 34,000 further vaccine doses there from a pharmacy that wasn’t utilizing them shortly sufficient.
The shift in allocations comes as California strikes past inoculating well being care employees to incorporate meals and farm employees and academics.
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SEATTLE – Seattle Public Schools is delaying a return to the classroom for its youngest college students through the coronavirus pandemic by at the least per week as a result of it has but to succeed in an settlement with the academics’ union.
In an announcement Monday the district mentioned it had not but negotiated new working circumstances with the Seattle Education Association. Previously the district had hoped to start some in-person studying on March 8. That is now delayed till at the least March 8.
Last week Gov. Jay Inslee urged extra colleges to speak in confidence to in-person instruction, saying the web classroom expertise wasn’t sufficient for a lot of.
Seattle is the state’s largest district, with about 50,000 college students. The district had hoped to offer dad and mom the choice to have preschool, kindergarten, first grade and particular training college students return for some classroom instruction.
The Seattle academics’ union mentioned it desires particular language on COVID-19 security protocols put in writing. The union mentioned it was working to succeed in an settlement shortly, “but we’re unwilling to cut corners on safety precautions in order to meet arbitrary deadlines.”
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JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi noticed a steep decline in COVID-19 vaccinations final week as a number of drive-thru vaccination websites have been closed as a result of of freezing temperatures and icy roads.
The state Department of Health mentioned Monday that 32,540 vaccinations got within the state through the week that ended Saturday. That is down from 106,691 the earlier week, which was Mississippi’s busiest week for the vaccinations to this point.
The division mentioned it’s mechanically rescheduling appointments that needed to be canceled at 21 drive-thru websites, and persons are being notified by textual content or e mail.
More folks than traditional are being scheduled for COVID-19 vaccinations within the state this week, and a few appointments will probably be through the weekend. The Health Department is asking folks to reach at the least quarter-hour earlier than their scheduled time and to be affected person.
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WASHINGTON __ President Joe Biden referred to as the U.S. topping of the edge of 500,000 deaths blamed on the coronavirus a “truly grim, heartbreaking milestone.”
Biden is urging Americans to withstand turning into “numb to the sorrow” and “viewing each life as a statistic.” He says the folks misplaced have been “extraordinary.”
Biden additionally touched on the non-public tragedy he’s skilled in shedding his first spouse and child daughter in a automotive collision, and later shedding an grownup son to mind most cancers.
Biden tells the nation’s he is aware of it’s exhausting however that “to heal, we must remember.”
He spoke earlier than holding a second of silence within the White House and welcoming the general public to affix.
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HOUSTON — Authorities in Houston are opening an enormous vaccination heart that may serve an estimated 126,000 folks over the following three weeks.
The federally funded website will absolutely open Wednesday at Houston’s NRG Park, close to the house stadium of the NFL’s Houston Texans. Staff will distribute first doses seven days per week for 3 weeks, then transition to second doses.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s chief elected official, says authorities will prioritize individuals who stay in areas hardest hit by the coronavirus. Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner say their staffs have recognized ZIP codes the place folks have been most affected and lack the identical entry as different locations to medical care.
The website opens as Texans recuperate from a devastating winter storm that killed at the least 35 folks and left thousands and thousands with out energy and water. While Houston and different cities have lifted boil orders on ingesting water, many individuals are nonetheless affected by damaged pipes and shutoffs of methods.
Says Hidalgo, “It’s been trauma after trauma, and people deserve some good news, some hope.”
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WASHINGTON– Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson says it will likely be in a position to present 20 million U.S. doses of its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine by the tip of March, assuming it will get the greenlight from federal regulators.
J&J disclosed the determine in written testimony forward of a Congressional listening to on Tuesday trying on the nation’s vaccine provide. White House officers cautioned final week that preliminary provides of J&J’s vaccine can be restricted.
The firm reiterated that it’ll have capability to supply 100 million vaccine doses to the U.S. by the tip of June. That provide will assist authorities officers attain the aim of having sufficient injections to vaccinate most grownup Americans later this yr. On a world scale the corporate goals to supply 1 billion doses this yr.
U.S. well being regulators are nonetheless reviewing the security and effectiveness of the shot and a call to permit its emergency use is anticipated later this week. J&J’s vaccine can be the primary within the U.S. that requires solely a single shot.
Currently accessible vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna require two doses spaced a number of weeks aside. Executives from each corporations and two different vaccine makers can even testify at Tuesday’s listening to.
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WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration mentioned Monday that it received’t require big, months-long research if COVID-19 vaccines finally want tweaking to higher match a mutating virus — small, quick research will suffice.
The vaccines now being rolled out do nonetheless shield towards completely different variants of the virus, the FDA pressured. But viruses mutate continually, and a few new variations are beginning to elevate considerations. So FDA issued new pointers for vaccines — in addition to for virus checks and coverings — on steps that corporations can begin taking to prepare.
“We’re trying to be prepared in advance,” mentioned Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s vaccines chief.
Already main producers have began updating their vaccine recipes if regulators finally resolve that’s mandatory.
Marks mentioned the wanted checks would come with a couple of hundred folks reasonably than 1000’s, and will take simply two or three months. Volunteers would obtain experimental doses of the tweaked vaccine after which have their blood checked to see if it revved up the immune system about in addition to the unique vaccines do.
Marks mentioned the hope is that if vaccines should be up to date, they’d work broadly sufficient to cowl each the unique virus and a brand new mutant model — reasonably than requiring a mixture shot like flu vaccines. Having to make a number of varieties of vaccine after which mix them would put a higher pressure on already stretched manufacturing capabilities.
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WASHINGTON — The White House now says it expects to catch up by mid-week on deliveries of coronavirus vaccine doses that have been delayed by extreme climate.
Officials had mentioned on Friday that they anticipated catching up by the tip of this week. Some 6 million doses have been delayed by snow and icy circumstances.
But White House coronavirus response coordinator Andy Slavitt is attributing the improved timeline to an “all-out, round-the-clock” effort.
Slavitt says pharmaceutical distributor McKesson ran prolonged shifts over the weekend to pack vaccines with workers volunteering to work within the center of the night time to organize shipments. UPS additionally participated.
Slavitt says 7 million doses — a mixture of these delayed by climate and the common distribution — have been being delivered Monday consequently of these and different efforts.
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BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota’s Republican-led House endorsed a measure Monday that may prohibit state or native governments from mandating face coverings.
Representatives accepted the measure 50-44. The invoice additionally prohibits “making use of a face mask, shield, or covering a condition for entry for education, employment, or services.”
The invoice now goes to the Senate.
Bill sponsor GOP Rep. Jeff Hoverson and others argued there was no proof that masks work to sluggish the unfold of the coronavirus they usually questioned the federal government’s position in mandating them.
The state well being officer, backed by Gov. Doug Burgum, imposed a masks mandate in November after months of refraining from such an order, hoping to stem a coronavirus surge that had been among the many worst within the U.S. and threatened to overwhelm the state’s hospitals.
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HARTFORD, Conn. – A serious change to Connecticut’s vaccination schedule was introduced Monday, with the state persevering with with a principally age-based system to make the rollout easier after seeing the challenges different states have confronted in vaccinating important employees and other people with underlying well being circumstances.
“The lesson learned here from all these other states is, complexity is the enemy of equity and speed, which makes it the enemy of public health,” Max Reiss, spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont, advised The Associated Press.
Beginning March 1, anybody aged 55 to 64 will probably be allowed to get a COVID-19 vaccine. That group will probably be adopted by folks 45-54 on March 22; 35-44 years on April 12; and everybody else 34 years and youthful on May 3.
Lamont beforehand mentioned he would launch particulars this week about which important employees and other people with underlying medical circumstances may quickly start signing up for vaccinations.
Currently, solely folks ages 65 and older and medical employees are eligible. The earlier group eligible for the vaccine included folks 75 years and older.
Lamont mentioned Friday he would launch a listing on Monday of the actual medical circumstances that may make folks eligible.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma opened its second section of coronavirus vaccinations on Monday, offering inoculations to public college academics and workers and to adults of any age with sicknesses that make them inclined to the virus.
“Our goal is to make sure that every Oklahoma teacher and staff member who wants the COVID-19 vaccine can get it by spring break” in mid-March, mentioned well being commissioner Dr. Lance Frye at a vaccination clinic in Norman.
More than 681,000 Oklahomans had been vaccinated as of Friday, in line with the state well being division, and an estimated 60,000 extra vaccinations have been administered through the weekend, mentioned deputy well being commissioner Keith Reed.
State colleges superintendent Joy Hofmeister mentioned she expects a excessive share of public college workers to just accept the vaccine.
“Teachers have been clamoring for the prioritization of having the vaccine,” Hofmeister mentioned.
There have been 419,853 coronavirus instances and 4,203 deaths resulting from COVID-19 in Oklahoma for the reason that pandemic started, the state well being division reported.
