Here’s what’s happening Thursday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.:
THE NUMBERS:
VACCINES: More than 64.0 million people, or 19.3% of the U.S. population, have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 33.8 million people have completed their vaccination, or 10.2% of the population.
CASES: The seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in the U.S. decreased over the past two weeks from 68,370 on Feb. 24 to 56,239 on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
DEATHS: The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. decreased over the past two weeks from 2,096 on Feb. 24 to 1,436 on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
STATE VACCINATION RATES: The percentage of population that received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the CDC: New Mexico (26.9%); Connecticut (26.6%); Alaska (26.1%). States with the lowest rates: Alabama (16.1%); District of Columbia (15.4%); Georgia (13.9%).
THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY
— President Joe Biden signed into law the $1.9 trillion relief package he says will help the U.S. defeat the coronavirus and nurse the economy back to health.
— Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter rolled up their sleeves to get shots for public service announcements urging Americans to get vaccinated. Obama says he’s looking forward to hugging his mother-in-law Marian Robinson on her birthday in July.
— State governments are drawing up big plans for their share of COVID-19 relief bill. The package includes $195 billion for states. Democratic and Republican governors suddenly have a way to pay for big, expensive undertakings that have long languished on their to-do lists.
QUOTABLE: “Fans, due to unforeseen circumstances, the game tonight has been postponed.” — Mario Nanni, Oklahoma City Thunder public-address announcer on March 11, 2020, when the NBA was the first major sports league to stop play because of the coronavirus.
ICYMI: Research shows women can die from pregnancy-related conditions up to a year after giving birth and 3 in 5 deaths are preventable. The COVID-19 relief plan gives states the option of extending Medicaid coverage to women with low to modest incomes for a full year after childbirth.
ON THE HORIZON: Will the coronavirus ever go away? It may linger but pose less of a threat over time. Smallpox was eradicated because people developed lasting immunity after getting sick or vaccinated.
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