Moderna vaccine’s public review underway; Congress hammering out final details of relief bill

Associated Press, CNN

WASHINGTON (AP) — A second COVID-19 vaccine moved closer to joining the U.S. fight against the pandemic Thursday as government advisers convened for a public review of its safety and effectiveness.

It’s the next-to-last step for the vaccine developed by drugmaker Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The panel of physicians and medical researchers is expected to endorse it, followed by the Food and Drug Administration’s OK within hours or days.

The action would provide a boost to the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history that kicked off this week. More shipments of the first green-lighted vaccine, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, were going out Thursday, earmarked for health care workers and nursing home residents around the country. Read more:

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

  • The US on Wednesday reported record numbers for COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. More than 247,000 new cases were reported. More than 113,000 Americans are hospitalized with the virus, according to the COVID Tracking Project. And more than 3,600 deaths were added to the nation’s death toll.
  • As COVID-19 vaccinations roll out to more and more people, health authorities are keeping close watch for any unexpected side effects. On Tuesday, a health worker in Alaska suffered a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
  • The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose again last week to 885,000, the highest weekly total since September, as a resurgence of coronavirus cases threatens the economy’s recovery from its springtime collapse.
  • French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19, the presidential Elysee Palace announced on Thursday.
  • Two people are dying of COVID-19 every hour in California’s most populous county as the state set daily records for newly reported cases and deaths and hospitals struggle to keep up with the surge of coronavirus patients.
  • Large parts of southern England will be placed under the country’s strictest coronavirus restrictions from this weekend, Britain’s health secretary said Thursday, as infections and hospital admissions continue to surge in those areas.

For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers.

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Virus by the numbers

Categories: Breaking News