JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa says it will import 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to inoculate the country’s health workers. This is South Africa’s first announcement of the purchase of a COVID-19 vaccine as its cases soar.
As the U.S. grapples with record hospitalizations and deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic, a crucial vaccination rollout campaign is being impeded by inconsistent messaging and myriad state strategies as a new variant of the virus drives up infection rates, according to public health experts.
As Americans were transfixed by the spectacle of the Capitol under siege, the coronavirus continued to sweep across the United States.
Officials reported at least 3,963 new coronavirus deaths in the United States on Wednesday, a new single-day record, though delayed recording because of the holidays might have played a role. The daily death toll in New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania also set records.
Some states also reported single-day case records, while Illinois became one of five states that have now recorded their millionth case since the pandemic began.
New York’s governor threatened to fine hospitals if they don’t use their allotment of COVID-19 vaccine fast enough. His South Carolina counterpart warned health care workers they have until Jan. 15 to get a shot or move to the back of the line. California’s governor wants to use dentists to vaccinate people.
With no robust system to identify genetic variations of the coronavirus, experts warn that the United States is woefully ill-equipped to track a dangerous new mutant, leaving health officials blind as they try to combat the grave threat.
The variant, which is now surging in Britain and burdening its hospitals with new cases, is rare for now in the United States. But it has the potential to explode in the next few weeks, putting new pressures on American hospitals, some of which are already near the breaking point.
CVS and Walgreens are currently administering the vaccine in long-term care facilities in 49 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Around 35,000 long-term care facilities have partnered with Walgreens, and nearly 8,000 with CVS.
The companies, which run the nation’s largest pharmacy chains but also offer other offsite pharmacy services, have an agreement with the federal government to vaccinate U.S. nursing home residents through a voluntary program.
CVS said most of the residents and staff will be fully vaccinated within three to four weeks of the first visit, depending on the vaccine they receive.
In addition to nursing homes, CVS said it will vaccinate residents and staff at assisted-living facilities, with nearly 31,000 such centers partnering with the company.
