Chicago schools deal; Super Bowl parties; Fauci; 2nd doses

Public well being officers throughout the nation are bracing for a attainable surge in coronavirus circumstances if Americans fail to take heed of warnings to not collect for Super Bowl events Sunday.

The sport itself shall be performed earlier than 22,000 masked followers, lots of them vaccinated well being care employees, on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ stadium. Experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been amongst many well being officers warning Americans to collect with associates over Zoom, not over bowls of guacamole of their residing rooms, lest the events turn out to be superspreader occasions throughout the nation.

“I’m worried about Super Bowl Sunday, quite honestly. People gather, they watch games together. We’ve seen outbreaks already from football parties,” mentioned Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “So I really do think that we need to watch this and be careful.”

State leaders had been additionally on alert.

“Watching the Big Game today?” tweeted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “Celebrate smart and be safe. We are seeing our positivity & hospitalizations decline thanks to the dedication of all NYers. We can’t undo that progress.”

COVID-19 has killed greater than 462,000 Americans, and infections have continued to mount regardless of the introduction of a pair of vaccines late in 2020. USA TODAY is monitoring the information. Keep refreshing this web page for the most recent updates. Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox, join our Facebook group or scroll through our in-depth answers to reader questions.

Well value studying: Frank Martinez and his spouse, Masako, had been “inseparable” till they each contracted COVID-19. They had been being handled in separate hospital rooms, however two nurses brought them together for a date night. 

In the headlines:

►Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is mourning his spouse of 56 years, Patricia Healey, who died Thursday at 85 after contracting COVID-19. Humperdinck, 84, introduced in a social media submit that his household was “heartbroken over the loss of my darling wife.”

►Inmates at a St. Louis jail set fires, broke out windows and threw things from fourth-floor windows Saturday within the newest disturbance over coronavirus considerations and restrictions which have restricted visits and stalled courtroom proceedings, officers mentioned.

►New coronavirus circumstances are on the decline within the United States following staggering post-holiday peaks final month, however experts say it’s too early for new COVID-19 vaccines to be having an impact. 

? Today’s numbers: The U.S. has greater than 26.9 million confirmed coronavirus circumstances and greater than 462,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The world totals: More than 105.9 million circumstances and a couple of.3 million deaths. More than 59.3 million vaccine doses have been distributed within the U.S. and about 39 million have been administered, according to the CDC.

? What we’re studying: Cutting, bribing, stealing: Some people get COVID-19 vaccines before it’s their turn.

Chicago has tentative deal for reopening schools

The nation’s third-largest college district seems nearer to reopening lecture rooms.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot mentioned Sunday that “our children will be returning to in-person learning this week” after a tentative agreement was worked out with the teachers’ union over COVID-19 safety protocols, potentially averting a strike.

Under the possible deal, which still requires approval by the Chicago Teachers Union, pre-K and special education programs would return Thursday and other groups would be staggered. Kindergarten through fifth grade students would go back to school March 1 and middle schoolers a week later. No return date has been set for high schoolers.

The union and district have been arguing for months over a plan to gradually reopen the roughly 340,000-student district, and talks broke down in recent days. The major issues included widespread vaccinations for teachers, metrics to gauge school infections and accommodations for teachers who have a person in their household who’s more susceptible to the coronavirus.

Fauci: Not enough time to study impact of delaying second dose

The nation’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday that it would not be prudent to delay second doses of COVID vaccines because it would take too long to study the impact. From “a theoretical standpoint” it would be good to know the durability of one dose, he said. But the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been thoroughly tested for a second dose in three weeks and four week respectively, he said.

“The period of time that it’s going to take, the quantity of individuals you would need to put into the examine – by that point, we are going to already be within the area of getting sufficient vaccines to go round anyway,” Fauci said on NBC News’ Meet the Press. “What we’ve got proper now, and what we should go along with, is the scientific knowledge that we have accrued, and it is actually very strong.” 

Pressure rises to reopen schools, but many teachers unconvinced

Parents across the nation, many of whom relied on schools to care for their children while they worked, are frustrated and angry that remote instruction has gone on so long. Lawmakers are increasingly joining their calls to get kids into classrooms, citing the loss of worker productivity and parents’ concerns about the emotional and academic effects on children. President Joe Biden has pledged to open most schools within his first 100 days in office – if Congress provides funding and if states and cities adopt safety steps. But many teachers remain unconvinced it is safe.Read more here.

Terminally unwell selecting to die at residence

More terminally ill patients – both with COVID-19 and other diseases – are opting to die at home rather than face the terrifying scenario of saying farewell to loved ones behind glass or during video calls. National hospice organizations are reporting that facilities are seeing double-digit percentage increases in the number of patients being cared for at home.

“What we are seeing with COVID is certainly patients want to stay at home,” said Judi Lund Person, the vice president for regulatory compliance at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “They don’t want to go to the hospital. They don’t want to go to a nursing home.”

Census timing could save New York a House seat despite 44k COVID deaths

Virus deaths won’t be reflected in the 2020 census, a step that will have an impact on where congressional seats get apportioned, experts say. The important reference date for answering census questions was April 1, soon after U.S. deaths began. New York state, which has had about 44,000 deaths, is expected to lose a House seat because of population shifts, but it could have lost two if the census date was later, said Kimball Brace, a redistricting expert at Election Data Services. The Census Bureau releases apportionment numbers by April 30.

Iowa governor lifting mask requirements effective Sunday

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will lift the state’s limited mask requirement on Sunday, along with the social distance and other limitations she had in place for businesses and social gatherings.

Her latest coronavirus emergency proclamation, issued Friday afternoon and effective 12:01 a.m. Sunday, instead “strongly encourages Iowans, companies and organizations to take affordable public well being measures in line with steering from the Iowa Department of Public Health,” Reynolds’ spokesperson Pat Garrett said.  

Since mid-November, Reynolds, a Republican, has required Iowans two years of age and older to wear masks if they were in indoor areas and spent 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of a person not in their households. The rule carried several exceptions. Her previous proclamation also required social distancing between groups at bars, restaurants, casinos, fitness centers and other establishments, as well as at social gatherings and sporting events. 

– Ian Richardson, Des Moines Register

California adds mass vaccination sites despite short supply

California is including mass inoculation websites even as the shortage of coronavirus vaccine has local officials restricting who gets shots, with Los Angeles County saying it would restrict new vaccinations to make sure second doses can be found to these already in line for them.

Santa Clara County and the San Francisco 49ers said Friday they will open California’s largest vaccination site at Levi’s Stadium early next week. It eventually will be capable of injecting up to 15,000 people a day.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, announced troops will start arriving in a little over a week to run a new site at California State University, Los Angeles, opening Feb. 16. Other federal employees will head to a second 6,000-shots-a-day site at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Contributing: The Associated Press