New COVID-19 cases in U.S. fall for fifth week in a row The United States last week reported a 23% drop in new cases of COVID-19 and a 16% fall in the number of people hospitalized with the virus, with both figures declining for a fifth week in a row. Reuters Staff U.S.

(Reuters) - The United States last week reported a 23% drop in new cases of COVID-19 and a 16% fall in the number of people hospitalized with the virus, with both figures declining for a fifth week in a row.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00306-8/fulltext

The COVID-19 pandemic is unlikely to end until there is global roll-out of vaccines that protect against severe disease and preferably drive herd immunity. Regulators in numerous countries have authorised or approved COVID-19 vaccines for human use, with more expected to be licensed in 2021. Yet having licensed vaccines is not enough to achieve global control of COVID-19: they also need to be produced at scale, priced affordably, allocated globally so that they are available where needed, and widely deployed in local communities.

In this Health Policy paper, we review potential challenges to success in each of these dimensions and discuss policy implications. To guide our review, we developed a dashboard to highlight key characteristics of 26 leading vaccine candidates, including efficacy levels, dosing regimens, storage requirements, prices, production capacities in 2021, and stocks reserved for low-income and middle-income countries. We use a traffic-light system to signal the potential contributions of each candidate to achieving global vaccine immunity, highlighting important trade-offs that policy makers need to consider when developing and implementing vaccination programmes. ...

A new study identifies seven U.S. virus variants with the same worrying mutation.

As Americans anxiously watch the spread of coronavirus variants that were first identified in Britain and South Africa, scientists are finding a number of new variants that seem to have originated in the United States — and many of them may pose the same kind of extra-contagious threat.

In a study posted on Sunday, a team of researchers reported seven growing lineages of the coronavirus, spotted in states across the country. All have gained a mutation at the exact same spot in their genes.

CDC director: Too early for states to roll back mask mandates “It's encouraging to see these trends coming down but they're coming down from an extraordinarily high place,” Rochelle Walensky said. Jesse Naranjo POLITICO

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Sunday said it was too premature for state officials to roll back mask mandates, arguing that while coronavirus metrics were trending down, cases and deaths were still too high.

Tight supply creates reluctance over federal vaccine sites OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Biden administration's plan to open 100 vaccination sites by the end of the month was initially embraced by governors and health officials, who considered it a much needed... AP NEWS

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Biden administration’s plan to open 100 vaccination sites by the end of the month was initially embraced by governors and health officials, who considered it a much needed lifeline to get more Americans inoculated against the coronavirus.

White House says it's not looking to require COVID-19 tests before The White House says it’s not currently looking to require passengers to get COVID-19 tests before domestic flights. Jordan Williams TheHill

The White House says it’s not currently looking to require passengers to get COVID-19 tests before domestic flights.