Authorities announced Thursday that two people in South Carolina were diagnosed with a more infectious strain of the coronavirus first detected in South Africa. This is the first time the variant has been reported in the US
Also Thursday, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report that found the state could have underestimated up to 50% of COVID-19 deaths of residential residents. New York experienced the first major outbreak of coronavirus last spring and residences were especially affected.
More than 430,000 people have died and more than 25.7 million cases have been reported in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic, according to NBC News.
Here are the latest coronavirus updates from the United States and elsewhere:
Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine provides strong protection against COVID-19, was less effective against the new variant
Johnson & Johnson says its vaccine appears to protect against COVID-19 with just one shot. It’s not as strong as some two-shot rivals, but it can still be useful for a world that needs more doses.
The results released Friday show that the single vaccine was 66% effective overall in preventing moderate to severe disease and much more protective against the most severe symptoms.
The vaccine worked better in the United States compared to South Africa, where it faced a harder mutated virus. The company says it will file an application for emergency use soon in the United States and then abroad.
Read the full story here.
The “COVID language” may be another symptom of the virus, a British researcher suggests
There may be another addition to the growing list of possible strange symptoms of the new coronavirus: “COVID tongue.”
A British researcher who is helping to track the warning signs of COVID-19 is reporting more cases of infected people complaining of tongue discoloration, enlargement and other mouth problems, NBC News reports.
“Seeing a growing number of covid tongues and strange mouth ulcers. If you have a weird symptom or even just get tired and stay home! “Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, he tweeted this month.
He believes that more than a third of patients with COVID-19, 35%, have non-classic symptoms of the disease during the first three days, so it is important to draw attention to rashes, toes covids and other warning signs that “are not ignored,” He wrote.
Spector did not respond to any requests for comment, but other researchers have also reported symptoms of tongue and mouth related to the new coronavirus.
Read the full story at NBCNews.com
NJ Hospital gave first COVID vaccines to donors, relatives of executives: report
According to a published report, some of the first people to receive COVID-19 vaccines at a New Jersey medical center were the relatives of top hospital executives and some of their administrators and donors.
The shootings were administered by Hunterdon Medical Center in December and early January, at a time when only front-line health workers and long-term care center residents were eligible, NBC New York reports.
A record of vaccine recipients, obtained by New Jersey 101.5 FM, indicated that the shots had gone to two longtime donors at the hospital and at least seven spouses and two adult children of medical directors, administrators or executives. of the health network. The radio station said it received the record by a whistleblower, which it did not identify.
Some of the recipients were in their twenties, an age group that probably wouldn’t qualify for the vaccine for many months.
A hospital spokesman said donors and board members had no preference over eligible staff or people at risk who were available, but who received the vaccine when eligible recipients could not be located instead. lose vaccine doses.
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