The Biden administration on Friday announced it is running ahead of its initial vaccination goal, with an average of 1.2 million shots a day administered over the previous seven days. Biden said earlier in the week he’s hoping to get to 1.5 million vaccinations a day.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson said Friday data from its late-stage trial in the U.S. and seven other countries showed its one-shot vaccine had an overall 66% effectiveness in preventing moderate to severe illness.
Because of its single dose regimen, the J&J vaccine has been described as a “game-changer” in the campaign against the coronavirus pandemic. And the vaccine doesn’t need to be kept frozen, allowing it to be distributed through normal vaccine supply chains without the need for new, expensive equipment.
The European Union’s drug regulator on Friday authorized AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in all adults despite concerns that not enough data exist to prove it works in older people. On Thursday, Germany’s vaccination advisory committee said in a draft recommendation that the vaccine should only be given to people aged 18-64 for now.
►Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is calling on the state to stop hospital systems from giving special COVID-19 vaccine access to donors, board members or other connected community members following reports of several area hospital systems doing so. She also called for the state to reallocate vaccines to community health clinics that serve low-income communities of color
►This Kentucky couple did everything together for 56 years. Then one of them died alone of COVID-19.
►Arizona’s Department of Health Services reported the United Kingdom strain was confirmed in COVID-19 tests from three people. The agency is working with other public health agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to monitor the situation.
►Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced stricter restrictions on travelers in response to new, likely more contagious variants of the novel coronavirus — including making it mandatory for travelers to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense when they arrive in Canada and suspending airline service to Mexico and all Caribbean destinations until April 30.
►’I have cried. I have begged. I have yelled’: Couples clash over COVID-19 as men do not take the virus as seriously as women and are less likely to follow safety measures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
? Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 25.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 436,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 102 million cases and 2.2 million deaths. About 48.4 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 26.2 million have been administered, according to the CDC.
? What we’re reading: COVID-19 side effects? Pain relievers like Tylenol and Advil are “perfectly fine” – but only after vaccination, experts say.
