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China calls for U.S. visitors to show negative COVID-19 tests

People inside the Beijing International Airport in June. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images

China will demand that passengers taking direct flights from the U.S. provide negative coronavirus test results within 72 hours before takeoff starting Sept. 15, China’s U.S. embassy said in a statement.

Why it matters: The requirement is among the latest restrictions Beijing has imposed on the U.S. The Chinese government prevented U.S. airlines from resuming flights to China in June, and the Trump administration banned Chinese passenger airlines from flying to the U.S. in retaliation.

Details: Those who are traveling in any country the Chinese government has listed as requiring a screening must provide negative results as well.

  • People who transit in the U.S. ahead of a flight to China will be asked to submit health declarations to airlines or hold a green health code, per the statement.

Go deeper

Orion Rummler
Dec 13, 2020 - Health

States brace for budget cuts in order to distribute COVID-19 vaccines

Shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine being loaded onto a plane in Lansing, Mich., Sunday. Photo: Rey Del Rio/Getty Images

Some states expect to make cuts to essential parts of their budgets — like education, transportation and health care — in order to pay for coronavirus vaccine distribution, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: States say they need billions that they don't have to set up vaccination clinics, ensure storage capacity, organize community outreach and hire medical workers.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Axios
Updated 21 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

  1. Health: CDC director defends agency's response to pandemic — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden readies massive shifts in policy for his first days in office.
  3. Vaccine: Fauci: 100 million doses in 100 days is "absolutely" doable.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again.
  5. Tech: Kids' screen time sees a big increase.
  6. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Rebecca Falconer
Dec 13, 2020 - Health

In photos: U.S. health care workers on the pandemic front lines

Health care worker Demetra Ransom comforts a patient in the COVID-19 ward at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 4. Photo: Mark Felix/AFP /AFP via Getty Images

The first truckloads of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine were set to leave a Michigan manufacturing plant Sunday for distribution across the U.S., offering hope that a mass rollout will alleviate the strain on hospitals and medical staff.

The big picture: Coronavirus hospitalizations are soaring, and surging U.S. case numbers surpassed 16 million Saturday. Some 3 million vaccine doses are being distributed this week. Health care workers are being prioritized for inoculations. NIAID director Anthony Fauci stressed to Axios there's still a fair way to go, with 75%–80% of Americans needing to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.

See photos (<1 min. read)Arrow