Nearly 7 in 10 Americans in a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday said they support President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.
Why it matters: 37% of Republicans polled said they backed Biden's plan — which comes after GOP attempts to negotiate the price tag of the relief bill down to just over $600 billion and lower direct payments to Americans.
The Biden administration would really prefer that people "lay low" on Super Bowl Sunday.
Why it matters: This is the first national event that features multi-family gatherings since New Year's, with growing concerns about the COVID-19 variants.
The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against its own school district on Wednesday to try to reopen schools as the coronavirus pandemic persists, City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced.
Why it matters: The suit alleges that San Francisco school board’s reopening plan violates a California mandate requiring districts to adopt a clear procedure “to offer classroom-based instruction whenever possible” during the pandemic.
The first federally organized mass coronavirus vaccination sites are expected to open in Oakland and Los Angeles, California, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Although cases and hospitalizations are dropping in the state, coronavirus deaths remain steady. The state has reported over 3.3 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic — the most of any state in the U.S., per Johns Hopkins data.
The NBA will begin requiring players to wear KN95 or KF94 masks in all instances where masks are required (i.e. on the bench during games).
Why it matters: Many Americans are still grabbing the most available or comfortable masks, but not necessarily the most effective ones. Having the NBA's most visible stars wearing them could help send a message.
Several big cities have had to retool their vaccine distribution after wealthier, white residents poured into systems that were supposed to prioritize the lower-income communities of color hit hardest by the pandemic, The New York Times reports.
The big picture: People who have can take away from work, have the time to navigate reservation systems and busy phone lines, and who have reliable transportation have all had a leg up — even though those largely aren't the communities where the coronavirus is doing the most damage.
The coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. has been chiefly driven by young and middle-aged people, while killing mostly older people.
Driving the news: Adults aged 20-49 were responsible for the vast majority of virus transmission last year, even after schools reopened in the fall, according to a new study published in Science.
More than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to about 6,500 pharmacies across the U.S. beginning Feb. 11, the White House said Tuesday.
Why it matters: Local, national and supermarket pharmacies have an existing customer base, user portals and other established resources when it comes to mass flu and shingles immunization protocols. The federal government hopes this will expand access and speed up the vaccination process.
Russia's Sputnik V vaccine demonstrated nearly 92% efficacy against symptomatic cases of COVID-19 and provided complete protection against severe cases, according to a peer-reviewed analysis of a large clinical trial published in the medical journal the Lancet. The vaccine also appears to be safe.
The 2021 Australian Open, which begins Monday, will be the most normal sporting event the world has seen in nearly a year.
Driving the news: Up to 30,000 spectators a day will be allowed to attend the two-week event, Victoria state sports minister Martin Pakula said this weekend.
Race and ethnicity data were spotty during the first month of coronavirus vaccinations, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: Collecting accurate demographic data will become more important as vaccines become available to the general public, where the pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on Black and Hispanic Americans.
Transgender health needs, long neglected by the medical establishment, could get a needed assist from tech, as a pair of startups that focus on hormone treatment and other services today announce fresh venture funding.
Why it matters: Transgender and non-binary people can face enormous barriers to health care, from a scarcity of facilities that provide gender-affirming care to insurance company denials and outright discrimination.
Some of the same problems that have plagued the coronavirus vaccine rollout could also make it harder for people to get the second dose of the vaccines.
Why it matters: The two vaccines authorized so far both require two shots to reach the full potential of their protection, and those second shots need to happen within a specific window of time —putting extra pressure on a system that’s already struggling to work out its kinks.
Americans are deeply worried about new strains of the coronavirus — prompting some to double-mask and many to temper expectations about life getting back to normal — according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
The big picture: Fears have eased substantially around sending children back to school, our national survey found. But there's growing anxiety about the virus changing and the implications for the nation's health, economy and society.
A massive uncontained bushfire has destroyed at least 30 homes in the Perth Hills, Western Australia, officials told the Australian Broadcasting corporation Tuesday.
Why it matters: Per state Premier Mark McGowan, "Right now WA is battling two different kinds of emergencies — a dangerous fire emergency and a COVID-19 lockdown emergency." He said there are "threats to lives and homes" from the wildfire.
