China’s failure to share info and supply entry to worldwide public well being specialists within the early levels of the pandemic fueled the worldwide disaster, Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned Sunday.
“I think China knows that in the early stages of COVID, it didn’t do what it needed to do,” Blinken mentioned on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And one result of that failure is that the (virus) got out of hand faster and with, I think, much more egregious results than it might otherwise.”
Blinken mentioned the pandemic revealed the necessity for a “stronger global health security system to make sure that this doesn’t happen again” to make sure that the world can mitigate public well being crises. Blinken mentioned the World Health Organization have to be strengthened and reformed, and that “China has to play a part in that.”
Also within the information:
►Ashley Allen, of Brooklyn, turned some heads when she not too long ago turned unwell with COVID-19 — three weeks after receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Allen, 31, advised the New York Post she suffered a persistent dry cough and relentless fatigue. Experts say vaccines aren’t utterly efficient however ought to ease signs for individuals who get contaminated.
►A masks mandate for the general public in Tulsa is anticipated to finish April 30, in keeping with Mayor G.T. Bynum. Bynum mentioned non-public companies are allowed to require masks and restaurant and bar workers should additionally proceed sporting a masks.
►New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu obtained his COVID-19 vaccine Saturday on the state’s mass vaccination web site on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The Republican, driving an orange convertible, obtained the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine in his left arm. He by no means obtained out of the car, and he gave a thumbs-up afterward.
►The Supreme Court on Friday shot down a California regulation limiting religious worship in a 5-Four vote. This is the newest in a sequence of rulings wherein the justices have discovered pandemic rules violate the First Amendment’s protections of faith.
►Iran started a 10-day lockdown Saturday amid a fourth wave of coronavirus infections. Shops are closed and places of work are restricted to one-third capability in its capital, Tehran, and 250 different cities and cities with the very best positivity charges.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has greater than 31 million confirmed coronavirus circumstances and 561,000 deaths, in keeping with Johns Hopkins University knowledge. The international totals: More than 135 million circumstances and greater than 2.9 million deaths. More than 230 million vaccine doses have been distributed within the U.S. and 183 million have been administered, in keeping with the CDC.
📘 What we’re studying: Women report extra negative effects from the COVID-19 vaccine than males. Health experts explain why.
USA TODAY is monitoring COVID-19 information. Keep refreshing this web page for the newest updates. Want extra? Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox and join our Facebook group.
Deliveries of Johnson & Johnson vaccine to drop sharply this week
States will see a pointy decline in deliveries of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine this week as the corporate struggles to fulfill its manufacturing timeline. The federal authorities is planning to ship lower than 800,000 doses this week, down from 5 million that had been deliberate. California mentioned it expects to see a 90% lower within the vaccine. The firm has struggled to win federal certification for a contract manufacture in Baltimore after 15 million doses of J&J’s vaccine have been ruined on the plant final month.
Double-shot vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer proceed to move, and White House pandemic advisers say they hope J&J’s points may very well be resolved by month’s finish.
Nearly 40% of Marines decline COVID vaccine
Nearly 40% of United States Marines who’ve been supplied the COVID-19 vaccine have declined it, according to the Pentagon. Of the 123,500 Marines which have had entry to the vaccine, 75,500 Marines are both totally vaccinated or have solely obtained one dose whereas about 48,000 have declined it, Communication Strategy and Operations Officer Capt. Andrew Woods advised USA TODAY.
“We fully understand that widespread acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine provides us with the best means to defeat this pandemic. The key to addressing this pandemic is building vaccine confidence,” he mentioned, confirming a statistic first reported by CNN.
Woods mentioned the Navy and Marine Corp have been working to make sure that troopers have correct details about the security of the vaccine and need to encourage folks to get it.
– Sarah Elbeshbishi
FEMA’s funeral help program launches Monday
Starting Monday, the the Federal Emergency Management Agency will accept applications for its funeral assistance program. The company will provide a most of $9,000 per funeral and a most of $35,500 per software. To be eligible for help, the dying will need to have occurred within the U.S. and occurred on account of COVID-19. , The applicant have to be a U.S. citizen, nationwide or certified resident.
– Ben Yoder, Des Moines Register
More schools, universities say they may require COVID-19 vaccinations
First it was Rutgers and Cornell. Then Notre Dame. Now Duke. The record of faculties and universities that may require COVID-19 vaccinations for brand spanking new and returning college students to attend in-person courses continues to develop as Duke introduced a coverage that may cowl all undergraduate, graduate {and professional} college students.
“We know that widespread vaccination will be the only way to facilitate a return to normal and robust campus life,” Duke President Vincent Price said in a statement on the university’s website.
Brown in Rhode Island, Northeastern in Boston, Nova Southeastern University in Florida and Fort Lewis College in Colorado have additionally adopted the precedent set by Rutgers in New Jersey and Cornell in New York.
Contributing: The Associated Press
