US hits 500,000 deaths; Britain lockdown; Biden PPE loans

On Feb 22, 2021

The U.S. once again crossed a somber COVID threshold much faster than any country in the world.

Less than a year after the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, the U.S. recorded its 500,000th death Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard. That’s more than twice the COVID-19 fatalities registered in Brazil, which ranks second on the list.

President Joe Biden will hold a moment of silence and a candle-lighting service Monday evening at the White House to mark the enormous loss of life.

The endless hours of toiling amid death and suffering have taken a heavy toll on health care workers, who are exhausted and frustrated with those who won’t follow public health guidelines aimed at curbing transmission of the virus.

“Don’t clap, don’t give me baked goods,’’ emergency room doctor Eric Cioe-Peña says in response to people thanking him for his efforts. “I don’t need any of that. I need you to wear a mask and not get COVID.’”

Even as the nation reaches what Dr. Anthony Fauci has called a “terribly historic milestone,’’ there are signs of better days ahead. Not only have infections, hospitalizations and deaths been dwindling since a post-holiday spike in January, but two highly effective vaccines are finding their way into millions of American arms, and another one might be authorized soon.

It is a race against time, though, because coronavirus variants are spreading across the country and threaten to touch off another surge of cases.

As the vaccination effort continues, public health officials are preaching vigilance and continued adherence to well-known mitigation measures – masking, social distancing, hand washing and avoiding large gatherings – hoping to avoid yet another COVID landmark.

Also in the news:

►Congress returns this week to focus on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Democrats aim to pass the whole package by mid-March, and it currently includes a new round of checks for Americans, renewal of the Paycheck Protection Program and an extension of a federal boost for unemployment benefits.

►For every American who dies of COVID-19, an average of nine family members are left mourning. That adds up to 4.5 million grieving relatives in the U.S. Here’s the story of one such family.

►United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday that white supremacy and neo-Nazi movements were a “transnational threat” that are “engaged in a feeding frenzy of hate” and have exploited the pandemic to gain support.

►The number of patients in California hospitals with COVID-19 has fallen below 7,000, a drop of more than a third over two weeks, state health officials said. The story is similar in Texas, where state data on Sunday showed the lowest number of hospitalizations (7,146) since mid-November.

►White House press secretary Jen Psaki said about 2 million of the 6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses delayed by last week’s winter weather were delivered over the weekend. As for the rest, “We expect to rapidly catch up this week,” Psaki said Sunday on ABC.

? Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 28.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 500,071 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 111.6 million cases and 2.47 million deaths. More than 75.2 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and about 64.2 million have been administered, according to the CDC.

? What we’re reading: Millions of kindergartners have opted out of public school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what happens now.

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