Vaccine woes in Deep South; Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead federal vaccine effort. Get the latest.

Associated Press, CNN

ATLANTA (AP) — The coronavirus vaccines have been rolled out unevenly across the U.S., but four states in the Deep South have had particularly dismal inoculation rates that have alarmed health experts and frustrated residents.

In Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina, less than 2% of the population had received its first dose of a vaccine at the start of the week, according to data from the states and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As in other parts of the country, states in the South face a number of challenges: limited vaccine supplies, health care workers who refuse to get inoculated and bureaucratic systems that are not equipped to schedule the huge number of appointments being sought. Read more:

Here’s an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage.

  • President-elect Joe Biden has picked a former Food and Drug commissioner to lead vaccine science in his drive to put 100 million shots into the arms of Americans in his administration’s first 100 days and stem the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The coronavirus vaccines have been rolled out unevenly across the U.S., but four states in the Deep South have had particularly dismal inoculation rates that have alarmed health experts and frustrated residents.
  • At the current rate of daily fatalities, the US death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic may surpass 400,000 before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Wednesday.
  • Retail sales fell for a third straight month as a surge in virus cases kept people away from stores during the critical holiday shopping season.
  • U.S. industrial production rose 1.6% in December, a third straight monthly gain, but remains below its pre-pandemic level.
  • Elvis Presley’s Graceland is now offering online tours for fans around the world, including those who can’t travel to the Tennessee tourist attraction during the coronavirus pandemic.

For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers and answers to commonly asked COVID-19 questions.

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Virus by the numbers

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COVID-19 FAQs

Categories: Breaking News