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A poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 15% of Americans will certainly not and 17% will probably not get the COVID-19 vaccine. Experts say the poll is discouraging as the U.S. tries to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus. Substantial skepticism still exists more than a month after the vaccination drive began, according to The Associated Press. Leading infectious disease scientist, Anthony Fauci, estimates 70% to 85% of the U.S. population must get the vaccine to stop the virus. The recent findings of new contagious variants of the virus makes getting vaccinated much more important. Studies have shown that any harmful side effects from a vaccine almost always materialize within 45 days. Clinical trials involving thousands of people were monitored for 60 days after the last dose.

The Biden administration announced plans to boost the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to states by 5% over the next week. Since President Joe Biden took office, the U.S. has seen increased vaccine distributions by 28%, or 11 million more doses per week, according to NBC News. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeffrey Zients applauded the work of the vaccine manufacturers for producing the high number of doses and added that the president has plans to use the Defense Production Act to get additional manufacturing equipment to Pfizer in order to further increase production.

Dr. Peter Ben Embarek from the World Health Organization said on Tuesday that the coronavirus was extremely unlikely to have leaked from a lab in Wuhan. Embarek said the virus likely jumped from animals to people. "The introduction through an intermediary host species is the most likely pathway and one that will require more studies and more specific targeted research,” Embarek said in a press conference. The theory of the virus originating from a lab will not warrant future study due to the extreme unlikelihood, according to NBC News. Wuhan was the original site of the coronavirus when it first started spreading in 2019. China has continued to face heavy criticism due to allegedly downplaying the severity of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday that two masks are better at slowing the coronavirus spread than just one, but health officials haven't recommended it to everyone yet. A lab experiment was conducted by spacing two artificial heads 6 feet apart and checked how many covid-sized particles were transferred between them. Wearing a surgical or cloth mask blocked around 40% of the particles while wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask blocked 80%, according to The Associated Press. When both were wearing two masks, 95% of particles were blocked. One limitation of the study was researchers only used one brand of surgical masks and one kind of cloth mask, so further research has to be done to see if the findings work with other products. The CDC has said wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask can tighten the gaps around the edge of a mask that can let virus particles in.

Salesforce and other tech companies in Silicon Valley are changing the way they allow employees to work. According to a blog post forum the cloud computing company, the business said they will allow employees to choose one of three categories that dictate how often they want to return to the physical office to work in person, once it’s safe to do so. The three categories are flex, fully remote or office-based. The company said it expects most employees to choose the flex option, meaning they would come into the office one to three days per week, according to The Verge.

Other companies such as Facebook and Microsoft have announced permanent work-from-home policies with the exception for rare situations or work events. Salesforce chief people officer Brent Hyder wrote in the blog post that the company must adapt its culture to the employee experience, saying that “it no longer makes sense to expect employees to work an eight-hour shift and do their jobs successfully.”

Just like seasonal flu shots, people may receive a new COVID-19 vaccine each year, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky said on Tuesday. Speaking to CNBC, Gorsky highlighted the virus mutations for that potential need, saying that each time the virus mutates, “it’s almost like another click of the dial… another mutation that can have an impact on its ability to fend off antibodies…”

Multiple other health and infectious disease experts have also said that the coronavirus has a high likelihood of becoming an endemic disease, one that remains present in communities at all times despite lower levels.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows about 10% of Americans have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, 9.8 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against the virus. Vaccine shipment is expected to ramp up in the coming months to help bring the vaccine to more Americans after supply challenges have slowed vaccinations across the country. Some states have halted phase progression of the COVID-19 vaccine until March due to the severe shortage, according to CNN. Weekly vaccine supply is expected to get a boost weekly, the Biden administration said Tuesday.

For the third straight day, the United States saw fewer than 100,000 new coronavirus cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. This marks the first streak of at least three such days since late October for the nation. Infection rates are also on the steady decline in India, Russia and the United Kingdom, other countries ranked in the top five for most total cases.

For a broader look the global totals, watch the video below.

From the start of spring training, Major League Baseball players, as well as other on-field staff, will be required to wear electronic tracing wristbands or face discipline for violations. “Every covered Individual must wear a Kinexon contact tracing device at all times while in club facilities and during club directed travel and while engaged in team activities, including group workouts and practices,” a 108-page operations manual manual says, according to The Associated Press. “Repeated failure to wear the devices or repeated failure to return the devices to the Kinexon device docking station may be a basis for discipline,” the manual reportedly says. The manual states violations of the MLB or club codes of conduct or of spring training home quarantine “are subject to potential discipline, including but not limited to suspension or forfeiture of salary for days spent away from the club while in mandatory self-isolation or quarantine resulting from the violation.”

San Francisco and other U.S. cities and counties are trying to ensure they target certain ZIP codes to vaccinate people in largely Black, Latino and working-class communities that have taken a big hit from COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. Across the nation, states are struggling to distribute vaccines equitably as officials try to define what equity means, the Associated Press reported. Officials are debating what factors get someone to the head of the line: those in poverty, communities of color, their job or if they have a disability. In California, which has prioritized seniors and health care workers, Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced a federal partnership for mass vaccination sites in Oakland and east Los Angeles, saying the locations were chosen to target working-class “communities that are often left behind.”

Natchez, Mississipi, is offering remote workers $6,000 to move to the area, buy a home and stay for at least a year, UPI reports. The city’s Shift South program is offering remote workers a one-time payment of $2,500 followed by a $300 monthly stipend for a year if they move to the city and buy a house worth at least $150,000, according to Mayor Dan Gibson. The workers will also be required to establish primary residency in Natchez. Currently, 30 slots are available for applicants who are employed as remote workers in the United States. Natchez is located on the Mississippi River, around 90 miles southwest of the state’s capital, Jackson, with a population of around 15,000.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced New York's entertainment venues may possibly be allowed to start reopening with the use of extensive COVID-19 testing. Coronavirus restrictions that have forced closures since March have devastated the live theater industry, including Broadway. The government would likely impose a cap on audience sizes, require every person to provide a negative COVID-19 test before entering and require proper air ventilation systems in theaters, CNBC reported. “Would I go see a play and sit in a playhouse with 150 people? If the 150 people were tested, and they were all negative, yes, I would do that,” Cuomo said during a press briefing. “I think reopening with testing is going to be the key.”

President Joe Biden will take his first official trip as President next week when he arrives in Wisconsin for a TV town hall hosted by CNN. According to The Associated Press, citing CNN, Biden will participate in the socially-distanced and invitation-only event on Tuesday night. Biden has primarily stuck to virtual events and television interviews as a way to mitigate the risk of getting infected with COVID-19 since he took office last month.

A California man tested positive for the coronavirus three weeks after receiving his second vaccine, and health experts are warning this situation could become more common with the emerging variants. Gary Michael of Lake Forest received a COVID-19 test on Saturday at Mission Hospital, which he was visiting for an unrelated health issue when the result came back positive. “They told me that yes, I’m positive with coronavirus and they went through my symptoms and the precautions of what I should do as far as quarantine,” Michael said.

“I think I’ve heard of 6 or 7 independent cases in the last three weeks of people vaccinated with different timelines who have been vaccinated, who have tested positive. I think we’re going to continue to see that more and more,” Dr. Tirso del Junco, the Chief Medical Officer for seven Southern California hospitals, told CNN, the news source adding this was why doctors have urged people to continue wearing masks regardless of whether or not they had been fully vaccinated. “We’re going to truly understand the effectiveness and how long these vaccines are effective, number one. Number two, as soon as we started the vaccination program is when we started hearing about these mutant strains,” del Junco said. “We have three aggressive mutant strains now that people are talking about, and that’s long after we started this vaccination process.”

Watch the video here:

Europe’s oldest person, Lucile Randon, who took the name Sister Andre after joining a Catholic charitable order in 1944, will celebrate her 117th birthday this week after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier in the year. On Jan. 16, the French nun tested positive for the virus in her retirement home in Toulon, southern France, though displayed no symptoms, Reuters reports. She was isolated from the other residents. “We consider her to be cured,” David Tavella, spokesman for the Saint Catherine Labouré retirement home. “She is very calm and she is looking forward to celebrating her 117th birthday on Thursday.” Sister Andre, who was born on Feb. 11, 1904, is the second-oldest living person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group’s World Supercentenarian Rankings List. The oldest living person in the world is Japan’s Kane Tanaka, who turned 118 on Jan. 2.

Portugal will extend an intense COVID-19 lockdown despite a recent drop in the country's infection rate, according to The Associated Press. Portugal's infection rate peaked on Jan. 29 with a 14-day average of nearly 1,700 cases per 100,000 residents. That has since dropped to 980 per 1000,000 since the lockdown took effect on Jan. 15, the AP reported. “While the measures are producing results, it’s clear that the current lockdown will have to be extended at least through February, and then we’ll reassess it,” Health Minister Marta Temido said, according to the AP. About 10.3 million live in Portugal, making it one of the smallest countries in Europe. It has reported more than 770,500 cases and more than 14,500 deaths through the entirety of the pandemic.

After a deep freeze swept across the Netherlands, solidifying canals and freezing lakes, Dutch authorities are trying to balance upholding social distancing rules with widespread anticipation to ice skate. The country is currently enduring a strict lockdown, the night-time curfew having recently been extended to last until March 3 as new, reports of more contagious variants of the coronavirus grow across the Netherlands, according to the Dutch government. The lockdown is also encouraging citizens to stay at home and keep contact with others to a minimum. The prospect of a long-distance skating race in the province of Friesland being held for the first time since 1997 given recent the deep freeze looks to be something of dreams at this point, though Prime Minister Mark Rutte weighed in on Monday that the Dutch should make the most of the conditions while they last. “Enjoy this beautiful weather and the ice,” Rutte said, according to The Associated Press. “But do that within the COVID-19 rules.”

A joint WHO and China team investigating the origins of COVID-19 concluded their work Tuesday, though found no new insights. Liang Wannian, head of the Chinese contingent, said that transmission from animals was likely, but the host of the virus “remain to be identified,” according to AFP Bureaus. Liang, supported by WHO foreign expert Ben Embarek added that there was “no indication” that the virus was circulating in Wuhan before December 2019 when the first official cases were recorded. Embark also shot down the controversial theory of the virus leaking from a lab, calling it “extremely unlikely.”

After its abbreviated 60-game season in 2020 prompted some new rule changes, Major League Baseball has decided to keep some of those rules as it finalizes health protocols for its upcoming season. Seven-inning doubleheaders and runners starting extra innings at second base will return for the 2021 season, The Associated Press reported. One rule change in 2020 that is not being carried over to 2021 is keeping the designated hitter in both the National League and American League. "During a season with the possible delays from COVID, I think the seven-inning and runner on second rules will help any teams make up for lost time," Arizona catcher Stephen Vogt told the AP. "I would love to get back to traditional baseball ASAP, but I like them for the 2021 season." More than 40 games were postponed due to COVID-19 cases in the 2020 season, forcing 56 doubleheaders around the league, according to the AP's report. The 2021 regular season is set to begin April 1.

The U.S. government is considering a new order that would require negative COVID-19 test results for domestic air travel, according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "There's an active conversation with the CDC right now," Buttigieg told Axios, as reported by CNN. The discussion comes after a CDC rule that went into effect at the end of January which requires negative coronavirus tests for international travelers, US citizens and residents entering the United States. The U.S. Travel Association does not support a testing requirement for domestic air travelers, according to CNN. The group called mandatory testing for domestic travelers "impractical," noting that there aren't defined ports of entry and that such a measure could "divert scarce public health resources away from other priorities."

FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2020 file photo, American Airlines ticket agent Henry Gemdron, left, works with a customer at Miami International Airport during the coronavirus pandemic in Miami. American Airlines’ stock rose earlier this week during market volatility around struggling companies, and now the airline is using the opening to sell up to $1.1 billion in new shares. American said Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, that it reached agreement with lenders including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup on the offering. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Parents in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. are saying that remote learning and school closures are taking a toll on the mental health of the students. “I think he lost a purpose. Kids, like most humans, need a purpose. They need something to get up and do and be responsible,” Deanna Caputo told AFP of her son. While the CDC has released guidelines for schools to safely reopen amid the ongoing pandemic, many teachers’ are pushing back against the idea of going back to the classrooms.

The Washington Teachers’ Union released a statement on Feb. 2, noting that while teachers also want to go back to in-school learning, they want to return when they are assured that the buildings are safe. “Let’s be very clear: We are not trying to stand in the way of reopening. We are mirroring the fear we’re hearing in communities and doing our best to work through that fear to make sure that when school buildings reopen, all school staff and students can be confident that the critical safeguards — a metric for closure, testing, ventilation, cleaning, PPE and accommodations — are in place, and funded, so that we can meet the needs of our students,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “Having our kids in the class, it does come with risk, but it is not what’s going to endanger my kid in the long term and hurt his health in the long term. It’s the not-being-in-school that does that,” Caputo said.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Secretary Pete Buttigieg will quarantine for 14 days after a member of his security detail tested positive for COVID-19. Buttigieg was tested for coronavirus earlier on Monday, however the virus was not detected, nor has he showed any symptoms, Reuters reported. Buttigieg received the first dose of the vaccination in recent weeks, and will receive the second dose when his quarantine is over.

Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:

• Confirmed cases: 106,455,846

• Fatalities: 2,324,794

• Recoveries: 59,364,980

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced indoor dining in New York City will be allowed to reopen at 25% capacity starting Friday. The statewide positivity rate is 4.2% with 8,448 new cases and 114 deaths, Cuomo announced on Monday. For vaccines, CNN said New York has 5,000 distribution centers ready for additional vaccine supply, “we have more distribution than we have product on the shelves.”

Epidemiological and technological advancements used in the production of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines could be used in the fight against HIV, sickle cell disease and possibly cancer, health experts hope. The vaccines use messenger RNA, or mRNA, to send genetic instruction to an individual’s cells in order to trigger the production of coronavirus antibodies. Professor Drew Weissman from the University of Pennsylvania recently spoke to the magazine MIT Technology Review and expressed hope that mRNA could be used in other diseases to train the body to defend itself, specifically mentioning the aforementioned diseases. In a recent breakthrough, Weissman targeted mRNA particles to end up inside bone marrow, which could be used to treat sickle cell disease by sending it new instructions to creating normal red blood cells instead of diseased cells, according to Sky News.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is now warning against the possibility of delaying the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine to give more people the first shot earlier on, NBC News reported. Some top health experts in the U.S. have suggested prioritizing first doses over second doses of the vaccine — using what would be many peoples second dose and giving them out as first doses. The topic has been a growing area of discussion as vaccines remain in short supply, but Fauci said he believes vaccination rates will continue to increase. “What we have right now, and what we must go with, is the scientific data that we’ve accumulated. And it’s really solid,” Fauci said. “You can do both, you can get as many people in their first dose at the same time as adhering, within reason, to the timetable of the second dose. It would be great to have the study, but I don’t think we could do it in time.”

Despite the average vaccine development time taking 10 years, multiple coronavirus vaccines have been created within one year. At least four vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson — appear to be effective in preventing coronavirus deaths and offer some sort of protection from serious illness, Axios reported. The coronavirus vaccine may be a “stunning scientific achievement for the world … unprecedented in the history of vaccinology,” according to Dan Barouch, an expert on virology and vaccines at Harvard that worked on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Despite the apparent success, the variant of the virus first identified in South Africa has thrown vaccine makers for a loop, as many are saying their product are not as effective against the variant. According to the news outlet, the problem with the growing worries surrounding the vaccine is not with the vaccine itself but instead with the rate of vaccination. Vaccinating as many people as possible will prevent more variants of the virus mutating. “Once the history of this is written, they are going to be referred to as some of the greatest achievements of science,” Zeynep Tufekci, a University of North Carolina sociologist, said. “It’s the kind of thing you would have national celebration and fireworks and church bells ringing and all of that.”

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would still not wear a face mask after his recovery from coronavirus. In his first news conference since testing positive for COVID-19, reporters asked if he would wear a mask to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. “No, no,” the president said. “Additionally, according to what the doctors say, now I’m not contagious.” According to Reuters, the popular president is a strong advocate of free speech and has shunned face masks throughout the pandemic. Following the president’s positive diagnosis, some Mexicans said they thought he could have avoided getting infected had he worn a mask and respected social-distancing measures more.

For the first time since mid-December, China reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, according to data released by the country. The National Health Commission added that 16 new cases of asymptomatic patients were recorded. However, the country does not classify those as confirmed cases, Reuters reported. China, which was the original epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, has seen 89,706 cases and 4,636 deaths from the pandemic.

The first major tennis championship of 2021 got underway un Melbourne, Australia, on Monday. This year's Australian Open is beginning three weeks later than normal as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and the required quarantine periods that were in place for athletes arriving from around the world. A restricted number of fans are being allowed on a daily basis this year at Melbourne Park, AFP reports. Practice rounds were temporarily halted last week after a hotel employee tested positive for the virus. The state of Victoria, where Melbourne is located, has reported more than 20,000 cases since the pandemic began, more than any other part of the country. Watch the video below for more.

The 2022 World Cup will be played in stadiums operating at 100% capacity, Qatari organizers insisted this week. The World Cup, which will be played in the Middle East for the first time ever, is scheduled to begin on Nov. 21, 2022 and Yasir al-Jamal, one of the lead organizers of the tournament, said the gradual capacity percentage increase for sporting events in the country is currently scheduled to allow 100% capacity by next fall, AFP reported.

Qatar is currently hosting the Club World Cup and has instituted a number of measures, including banning fans from traveling outside the country, to curb transmission. The arenas for the games, which are capped at 30% capacity, will two of the locations for next year’s World Cup, along with multiple other stadium construction projects that Jamal insisted wouldn’t be delayed due to the pandemic.

As experts continue to better understand the drivers of coronavirus transmission, zoologists are arguing that climate change may be another element to blame for the pandemic spread. According to a recently published study by researchers from the University of Cambridge, the increase of temperatures and atmospheric CO2 likely created a suitable environment in the Yunnan Province of China for many of the bat species that introduced 100 new coronavirus to the region. The study analyzed vegetation shifts in the province and nearby regions in Myanmar and Laos, suggesting that the climate changes broadened the preferred habitats of the bats carrying the virus, according to UPI.

On top of the climatological changes, study author Robert Bryer said human activities in natural habitats have also created “more opportunities for contact between humans and pathogen-carrying wildlife, which drives transmissions.”

As the result of a recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, houses of worship in California were able to hold indoor services again this past weekend. According to The Associated Press, the Supreme Court ruled against California's COVID-19 health orders on Friday, after multiple churches had argued the restrictions violated their religious liberty. However, the justices did say that California can continue to limit attendance to 25% of a building's capacity while also restricting singing and chanting inside, the AP said. Despite that, a pastor who runs one of the churches who filed a lawsuit against the state, said his congregation will defy the ban on singing. “Fifty percent of worship is singing. We’re gonna sing no matter what,” said Che Ahn, the senior pastor Harvest Rock and Harvest International Ministry, located in Pasadena.

British Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News that the U.K. has no plans to introduce vaccine passports for citizens. Calling such regulations “discriminatory,” Zahawi said there were several reasons for the government’s pushback on such a move, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent reminder to Parliament that vaccines aren’t being mandated.

“That’s not how we do things in the U.K.,” Zahawi said on BBC One. “We do them by consent, we yet don’t know what the impact of vaccines on transmission is and it would be discriminatory.”

Watch the video below for Zahawi’s full remarks.

After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in their home stadium, crowds of fans packed the streets of downtown Tampa and the area surrounding the stadium to celebrate the title. Many of the fans who were celebrating were not wearing masks, defying an order that had been implemented by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor who signed an executive order requiring face masks to be worn, even while outdoors. On Monday, Castor described her frustration with the lack of people wearing masks. “It is a little frustrating because we worked so hard,” Castor said, according to The Tampa Bay Times. Watch the video below for scenes of the rowdy celebration.

On a grim day in which the United States surpassed the 27 million total case mark, the country also had reason for hope. For the first time since Christmas, the U.S. recorded less than 100,000 new cases, with 88,044 infections reported on Sunday, the lowest daily increase in over three months according to Johns Hopkins University.Before Sunday, the nation hadn't seen a day below 100,000 cases since Christmas, when 96,729 infections were recorded, a number which is likely far fewer than reality due to the holiday.

For a look at the global data elsewhere throughout the world, watch the video below.

At the current vaccination rate, it will take seven years for the world to return to normal after the pandemic, Bloomberg suggests. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said 70% to 85% of the population will need to be vaccinated in order for things to return to normal, but not every country is vaccinating at the same rate. The highest vaccination rate in the world is held by Israel, which is on track to reach 75% in two months. The U.S. is anticipated to reach 75% vaccination by January 2022. Despite this, vaccination rates outside of Western countries are significantly slower, and it could take the entire world seven years to reach that threshold for vaccination. The data from Bloomberg is based on the time it takes to vaccinate everyone with a two-shot vaccine, but the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine that is still in clinical trials could accelerate the vaccination process globally.

South Africa has put rollout of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on hold after new data has come out suggesting it does not provide substantial protection against the coronavirus variant first discovered in South Africa. The country’s Health Minister Zweli Mkhize made the announcement on Sunday, The Hill reported. South Africa originally intended to roll out doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday but will instead use doses from Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. “The AstraZeneca vaccine will remain with us ... up until the scientists give us clear indications as to what we need to do,” Mkhize said.

Here are the latest global coronavirus numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:

• Confirmed cases: 106,040,016

• Fatalities: 2,314,558

• Recoveries: 59,132,271

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a warning on Friday against posting photos of vaccination cards to social media. According to the FTC, vaccination cards include the recipients full name, date of birth, location where the vaccine was administered and the dates each dose was given. This personal information could be used for identity theft. “Identity theft works like a puzzle, made up of pieces of personal information. You don’t want to give identity thieves the pieces they need to finish the picture,” the FTC said. Identity thieves can open credit cards in a persons name, claim their tax returns and more. The FTC recommends to post photos of the bandaid where the vaccine was administered or the sticker that is given out to people who are vaccinated instead of posting a photo of the vaccination card to social media. 

Canadians hoping to go on a cruise will have to wait at least another year before setting sail. On Thursday, the Canadian government announced that cruise ships will not be permitted in Canadian waters until the end of February 2022 at the earliest, Fox News said. "Temporary prohibitions to cruise vessels and pleasure craft are essential to continue to protect the most vulnerable among our communities and avoid overwhelming our health care systems,” said Omar Algebra, Canada’s Minister of Transportation. Those found in violation of this order will face monetary penalties and potential jail time.

Japan is in the grips of its third wave of COVID-19 infections, and a new survey has found significant spread in the country since last summer. In December, 15,000 people in Tokyo were randomly tested for coronavirus antibodies. Of those tested, 0.91% were found to have antibodies in their system, a significant increase from the 0.1% that were found to have antibodies six months prior, according to Reuters. This data was collected shortly before Japan announced a state of emergency for most of the country, including Tokyo, which lasts until March 7. On Thursday, Japan surpassed 400,000 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, leading to nearly 6,300 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

All coronavirus test sites and vaccination locations were closed on Sunday by the Dutch regional health agencies after the country’s national meteorological institute declared a rare “Code Red” warning for the whole territory, according to CNN. “If you have an appointment for a test or vaccination on Sunday, do not come to the location,” a statement from GGD read, adding that 20,000 people with a testing appointment and 20,000 others with a vaccination appointment would be informed by telephone about the situation. The first major snowstorm to hit the country has disrupted rail and road traffic, according to reports from the country’s Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, CNN reported.

The government in Denmark plans to begin a digital coronavirus passport program for the citizens of its country once they have been vaccinated as a way to safely begin reopening the country. Through the use of an app, citizens in Denmark will be able to prove once they have been vaccinated, Euro News reported. The plans for the app rollout were announced by Denmark's finance minister, Morten Boedskov. ”There are also parts of Danish society that need to move forward. There is a business community that needs to be able to travel and therefore I am pleased to be able to announce today... a digital corona passport,” Boedskov said. The app is still in the development process but may be launched within the next few months. Many are looking at the new system as a gateway to reopen the travel, entertainment and hospitality industries within the nation.

A medical worker prepares a dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 in Sofia, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Bulgarians on Sunday received their first doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as the country is struggling to increase the number of inoculations to catch up with the other EU member nations. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Global air passenger traffic took an unprecedented 66% drop in 2020 due to the travel restrictions imposed over throughout the outbreak, AFP reported. Domestic passenger traffic dropped by 49% while foreign passenger traffic dropped by 76%. The travel restrictions sent global passenger traffic to just 5% of its normal level, causing airlines to park planes on runways due to not enough space. While traffic started to pick up during summer, travel was down by 70% in December, thus finishing out the year below average, MSN reported. Given the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, the prospects for recovery this year is slim, the International Air Transport Association also warned.

U.S. officials are asking people to avoid Super Bowl gatherings to steer clear of another surge of infections. "While the instinct may be to celebrate together, we cannot get cocky," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Saturday, according to CNN. "Enjoy the Super Bowl but don't do it with a large crowd of people in your house, in a place where it's cold and you don't have good ventilation. It's a perfect set-up to have a mini super-spreader event," Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC on Friday.

The coronavirus vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are known to cause some side effects, including soreness, muscle aches, fever and headaches, making some wonder if it is safe to take pain relievers to curb these side effects. “These symptoms mean your immune system is revving up and the vaccine is working,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taking some painkillers, such as ibuprofen, shortly after getting vaccinated could interfere with the immune response after getting vaccinated, but the extent of this is still unclear, The Associated Press reported. “If you don’t need to take it, you shouldn’t,” said Jonathan Watanabe, a pharmacist at the University of California, Irvine. Watanabe suggested that acetaminophen-based painkillers, such as Tylenol, would be a safer option than ibuprofen. “[It] is safer because it doesn’t alter your immune response,” Watanabe added. People that are concerned about what they should and shouldn’t do after receiving a vaccine should contact their doctor.

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers, provided by Johns Hopkins University:

• Confirmed cases: 105,714,997

• Fatalities: 2,307,092

• Recoveries: 58,834,276

Beginning on Feb. 15, people in New York state with underlying medical conditions will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. New York residents of any age that have an underlying condition will be eligible for the vaccine, according to NBC New York. The list of eligible conditions includes:

• Cancer

• Chronic kidney disease

• Pulmonary Disease such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), moderate to severe asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related pulmonary diseases

• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities such as Down Syndrome

• Heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, or hypertension

• Immunocompromised state due to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, use of immune-weakening medicines or something else

• Severe Obesity

• Pregnancy

• Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia

• Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus 

• Cerebrovascular disease

• Neurologic conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease or dementia

• Liver disease

The list also includes cancer and pulmonary diseases caused by 9/11. The list is based on conditions that could put a person at higher risk of moderate or severe illness or death from contracting the virus.

Inmates at the St. Louis City Justice Center in Missouri set fires, broke windows and threw things from the fourth floor windows on Saturday in response to the coronavirus restrictions in the facility. According to USA Today, the restrictions have put limits on visits and also delays court proceedings. It took hours for officers to get the riot under control, and one corrections officer was attacked and was treated in a hospital. He has since been released. “I imagine they are under the same amount of stress due to COVID restrictions like the rest of us are,” said Jacob Long, a spokesman for St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson. “Courts haven’t been hearing cases in the 22nd Judicial Circuit. Their family visits have been restricted. But also they are acting out and that is the current situation.”

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. are significantly underreported, according to a research team at Colombia University. The research team created an estimate of how many people got COVID-19 but never got tested, so their case was left unreported. According to the model created by the researchers the number of active cases on any given day is likely 10 times higher than what is reported, NPR reported. "The numbers amplify greatly," lead researcher and infectious disease specialist at Columbia University, Jeffrey Shaman said. "When we look at confirmed cases, we're really only seeing the tip of the iceberg.” According to the model, only one in 10 cases were being reported at the beginning of the pandemic due to a slower rate of testing. Over the last three months, Shaman said one in four infections are likely being reported. "There are a lot of people walking around with this virus who never know they have it," said Shaman. "Even the people who are ultimately swabbed and confirmed, they were contagious before they even had their symptoms."

Amazon's Alexa voice assistant is now able to tell people where the closest COVID-19 testing site is to them.With a newly added feature, Amazon’s Alexa is able to provide users with a list of the closest coronavirus testing sites and the distance to them. The feature can be used on a mobile phone or an Echo, but used on a device with a screen will show a list of testing sites with their distance relative to the person using it, CNBC reported. To use the feature, open the Alexa app, touch “tap to talk to Alexa” and ask “Where can I get tested for COVID-19?” The information comes from GSICorps and other sources including Yelp. If you are using an Echo without a screen, you can say “Alexa, call the first one.”

The clock is ticking down before the final game of the NFL season, and a positive COVID-19 test or being deemed a high-risk contact this close to kickoff would make a player ineligible to play on Sunday. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, no players on the Kansas City Chiefs or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tested positive during Friday’s round of testing. Additionally, the Chiefs' wide receiver Demarcus Robinson has been removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list, paving the way for him to play in Super Bowl 55. Robinson’s teammate Daniel Kilgore is still on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but could be cleared on Saturday as long as he continues to test negative.

The teams are also watching the weather forecast carefully with the chance for rain and thunderstorms in Tampa on Sunday. However, AccuWeather forecasters predict that the rain will clear the stadium in time for kickoff, which is set for 6:30 p.m. EST. Temperatures will be in the 60s throughout the game with a light breeze, although the field may still be a little slick from rain that falls earlier in the day.

In some school districts in the U.S., daily school attendance has dropped 2.3% for this academic year when compared to the data from 2019. The data, which came from PowerSchool and was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, encompasses 2,700 districts throughout the country which makes up over 2.5 million students. Both virtual learning and in-person classrooms were included in the data, Axios reported. According to PowerSchool, 75% of school districts included in the data saw a drop in attendance from September to November 2020, with an average of a 1.5% drop each month. School districts with virtual learning saw a bigger dip in attendance than schools that continued in-person.

Students carry sack lunches as they walk through a hall, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, at Elk Ridge Elementary School in Buckley, Wash. The school has had some students in classrooms for in-person learning since September of 2020, but other students who attend the school are still learning remotely. Sack lunches are served daily instead of traditional cafeteria food due to precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee visited the school Tuesday to observe classrooms and take part in a discussion with teachers and administrators about plans to further open in-person learning in Washington in the future. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Dentists with experience giving injections are now allowed to administer COVID-19 vaccines after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed an executive order Friday. The new order temporarily suspends state rules stipulating dentists can only prescribe or administer drugs for dental-related conditions and specifies dentists who wish to administer the vaccine can only do so as a volunteer at a Department of Health vaccination site, CNN reported. The American Dental Association says dentists are cleared to give the vaccine in multiple states, including Oregon and California. Approximately 20 states are considering recruiting non-traditional providers, including students, dentists, veterinarians and paramedics, a report released by the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy and National Governors Association in December cited.

On Tuesday, Zoom announced a new virtual receptionist feature for when people start to migrate back into offices after months of working from home amid the pandemic. The company came up with a way that allows people to check in with a receptionist without physical contact. The new feature shows Zoom is trying to remain innovative so it products remain valuable after people return to the office. The new add on, Kiosk Mode, starts at $499 per year per room and is part of Zoom Rooms, one of the company’s enterprise offerings. Visitors use the touchscreen monitor to call a receptionist who can then enable the visitor to enter the office space, such as by remotely unlocking a door. “The receptionist doesn’t need to be in office,” Harry Moseley, Zoom’s chief information officer, told CNBC in an interview on Monday. “They can be at their own home. They can be anywhere. They can actually be in a different country, and they can support multiple buildings.”

German drone start-up company, Wingcopter, has received fresh funding to offer coronavirus vaccine delivery in regions lacking good storage facilities or developed transport infrastructure. The company is working on a number of trial projects aiming to scale up operations to deliver vaccines to millions of people in countries such as Africa and Southeast Asia, Chief Executive Tom Pluemmer told Reuters. Pluemmer believes the pandemic to increase acceptance of unmanned aircraft and reshape logistics by transporting medical equipment and supplies quickly and safely while minimizing human contact. “COVID is now making it necessary to build it out fast, but once it’s there we will have a new type of infrastructure that could carry things like medication, blood, lab samples and even normal daily goods,” Pluemmer told Reuters on Monday.

The start of the coronavirus pandemic brought about significant changes to the everyday lives of people all around the globe, including what they were looking at throughout the day. According to a report from Eyesafe Nielsen, people across the U.S. spent more than 13 hours a day in front of a screen during March of 2020, an increase of 60 percent. This spike came at a time when people were remaining at home and either working in front of a computer screen or finding entertainment through television, smartphones and video games.

“We call it the computer vision syndrome, and it combines both eye strain from just staring at the computers which are right in front of you for all those hours, that 13 hours or more,” Dr. Christopher Starr, an ophthalmologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, told "CBS This Morning.” When looking at a screen, people tend to blink just half as often as normal, according to Starr, which can put an extra strain on the eyes. People that spend hours every day in front of a screen should take breaks every 20 minutes and look at distant objects for at least 20 seconds, according to Starr. "Taking breaks is important, and I think that's the real key here, not so much glasses or filters over your screens," he said.

Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers, provided by researchers at Johns Hopkins University:

• Confirmed cases: 105,485,261

• Fatalities: 2,301,169

• Recoveries: 58,685,196

With the NFL season almost in the rearview mirror, the league is offering its stadiums for health officials to use as mass vaccination sites. “The NFL and our 32 member clubs are committed to doing our part to ensure that vaccines are as widely available in our communities as possible,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter Thursday to President Joe Biden, according to CNBC. Goodell added that the league would coordinate with local, state and federal health officials to get the vaccinations sites up and running. Currently, there are seven NFL stadiums that are being used as vaccination sites, as well as several MLB stadiums.

The U.K. local elections will proceed as planned on May 6, but voters will need to bring their own pen. The government has cited a successful vaccine rollout and additional safety measures as its reasoning to continue with the elections, Reuters reported. On Friday, the government made the announcement that it has decided to go through with the election, and also announced that voters should bring their own pens to fill out ballots. “Democracy should not be cancelled because of COVID,” said Constitution Minister Chloe Smith.

Hilda Richards of Wrexham, U.K., has been through quite alot in her lifetime, including the Spanish Flu, and this week, she received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The 103-year-old initially hunkered down for two weeks at the start of the pandemic, but two weeks have turned into nearly a year. “I was stuck here,” Richards told the BBC. “It’s been a long, long fortnight.” Richards was a child when the Spanish Flu swept across the world, but survived and went on to become a nurse during World War II. After receiving the first dose of the vaccine, she said she “felt good,” the BBC said.

Biden administration officials said they will deploy 1,000 active duty troops to help with COVID-19 vaccinations later this month and use the Defense Production Act to increase supplies of vaccine, test and protective equipment, NBC News reported. In addition, the administration will be using the act to get Pfizer more supplies and equipment to increase production of its vaccine, make millions of at home COVID-19 tests available by the end of the summer and produce 1 billion surgical gloves a month in the nation by the end of the year. Military personnel are set to begin arriving in California within the next 10 days to assist at state vaccination sites, COVID-19 coordinator Jeffrey Zients said. More troops may be on the way, a U.S. military officer told NBC News, as the Pentagon is still weighing a broader request from FEMA for up to 100,000 troops.

The elderly in Florida are struggling to book vaccine appointments for themselves, so a 120-person volunteer group in the state has decided to band together to offer them a hand. The vaccination appointment system in Florida, which is an online system, can be poorly-organized and reliant on a solid understanding of technology, which many elderly people do not have, The Associated Press reported. “I realized how many barriers were in place which made lining up appointments very difficult,” said Jean Greenberg, 36, who is a member of the volunteer group who was inspired to join after she saw how difficult it was to book appointments for her parents and grandparents. “Unfortunately, there are many people in need.”

Katherine Quirk of Parkland, Florida, first established the South Florida COVID-19 Vaccination Info page on Facebook to be a place for seniors to go to get all the information they needed on how to sign up for vaccinations before the organizers of the page discovered it would just be easier for them to set up the appointments for seniors instead. “A lot of our seniors, when they are using their cellphones, you tell them to send you a photo or go to an app and they can’t,” Schwartz said. “It takes them more time. It’s just not their language.”

California plans to open two mass coronavirus vaccination sites to quickly ramp up the number of vaccines, NBC News reports. One center will be housed in the Oakland Coliseum where the Oakland Athletics baseball team plays and the other will be on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles. “These sites in California are just the beginning,” said Jeffrey Zients, President Joe Biden's lead coronavirus coordinator. “We are working with, in partnership, in states across the country to stand up new sites and will have more to say on that in the coming weeks.” Both locations are part of a planned 100 locations nationwide in a federal-state partnership. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide personal protective equipment and supplies, according to Newsom.

The U.K.’s goal of vaccinating 15 million people by Feb. 15 may become a reality with nearly 11 million already vaccinated as of Thursday, according to the BBC. This includes people that have only received one of the two required doses. The vaccine has been first offered to frontline health care workers, those over 70 years old and people that are at high risk of severe illness. The next target for the U.K. is to vaccinate everyone that is 50 or older by May, but Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that many things would “have to go right” to reach this goal. So far, nearly four times as many people have received the first dose of a vaccine than have contracted COVID-19. According to Johns Hopkins University, 3.9 million people in the U.K. have tested positive for the virus, leading to over 111,000 deaths.

The NHL season is off to a rocky start with 26 games postponed already due to COVID-19 protocols. On Thursday, the Colorado Avalanche became the latest team to be hit by the virus after forwards Tyson Jost and Gabriel Landeskog were placed on the NHL protocol list. The team’s training facility has been closed and the next four games have been postponed, according to a press release by the NHL. The Avalanche were supposed to face off against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, but that game was ultimately postponed due to coronavirus-related issues with the Wild. “The NHL is reviewing and revising the Avalanche regular-season schedule,” the league said in a statement. Barring any additional issues with COVID-19, the Avalanche will not take to the ice again until Sunday, Feb. 14 when they are scheduled to travel to Las Vegas to battle the Golden Knights.

On the heels of a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the U.S. only added 49,000 jobs in January, according to The Associated Press. The number was slightly below the 50,000 that economists had predicted, CNBC reported. Since the pandemic unfolded in the U.S. nearly a full year ago, almost 10 million jobs have been lost, the AP reported. “What you have is a lousy report that shows a stalling recovery,” Nela Richardson, chief economist at payroll processor ADP told the AP. In addition, the total unemployment rate dropped from 6.7% to 6.3% in January. That drop occurred because some people out of work obtained new jobs, but others who were unemployed stopped looking for new employment and were no longer considered unemployed, the AP said.

Despite a current coronavirus situation that remains challenging, France's Prime Minister said Thursday that he doesn't anticipate new lockdown restrictions for the beleaguered country. According to Reuters, Prime Minister Jean Castex said that the rate of infection had not significantly increased over the past two weeks. But hospitals around the country remained stressed. “We must stick with the current restrictions we already have in place ... but the situation today does not justify a new national lockdown,” he said in a press conference, according to Reuters. The prime minister also acknowledged that France has fallen behind other countries when it comes to vaccinations. The government is reportedly prioritizing the most vulnerable residents in nursing home communities before moving to the rest of the general public, according to Reuters. France has accumulated more than 3.3 million cases and reported more than 78,000 fatalities since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Sunday’s highly-anticipated matchup almost didn’t happen this year due to COVID-19, but after a few adjustments, the annual 'Puppy Bowl' is set to air as scheduled ahead of the Super Bowl. The 17th rendition of the Animal Planet special had to change locations this year so that social distancing guidelines could be followed. As a result, this year’s Puppy Bowl will be the biggest one ever, set inside of a hockey area in Glens Falls, New York, USA Today reported. “We're finally shooting in a real sporting venue, even though we are technically a fake sporting event," Dan Schachner, the event’s longtime "ruffaree,” said. "The scale of it is immense – it looks like a completely different show. It's a supersized version of 'Puppy Bowl,' even though we have fewer dogs." People that helped run the pre-taped special were tested regularly and wore masks while on set, USA Today said. Fans can tune into Animal Planet at 2 p.m. EST to watch teams Ruff and Fluff face off with the event wrapping up before the other big game kicks off in Tampa, Florida.

For the first time since the pandemic began, the daily death toll in the U.S. exceeded 5,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 455,000 deaths have been blamed on the virus in the U.S., nearly double that of Brazil, the country with the second-highest death toll with 228,795 coronavirus-related fatalities. As the number of fatalities spiked, the daily infections continued to follow a downward trend with 122,473 new cases of COVID-19, well below the peak in early January when more than 300,000 tested positive for the virus in a single day.

For a look at the global data, watch the video below.

Vials with a sticker reading, "COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

One week after releasing data showing that its coronavirus vaccine is about 66% effective against the coronavirus, Johnson & Johnson applied to the Food and Drug Administration for an emergency use authorization Thursday, according to CNBC. If approved, it would become the third vaccine available in the U.S. along with vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. However, unlike those two vaccines, which were approved in December, the J&J vaccine will only require one dose. “Today’s submission for Emergency Use Authorization of our investigational single-shot COVID-19 vaccine is a pivotal step toward reducing the burden of disease for people globally and putting an end to the pandemic,” J&J’s chief scientific officer, Dr. Paul Stoffels, said in a statement, according to CNBC. The FDA will reportedly discuss the emergency use authorization request at a meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on Feb. 26, CNBC said. Watch the video below for more.

The more contagious variant of the coronavirus continues to rise in the United States, threatening to become the dominant version in hot spots like Florida and California. Helix, a testing company that helped find variant cases around the U.S., has warned the strain could become the dominant one within a few weeks. The strain was first found in the U.K. late last year, according to CNN. It could become the dominant strain in the entire country by March and worsen the spread of the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The U.K. strain, named B.1.1.7, is more transmissible than previous ones but it is not known yet if it is more deadly. B.1.1.7 has been found in at least 80 countries worldwide.

Data analyzed by UK Biobank has discovered that many people that contract COVID-19 retain antibodies for a long period of time after recovering. Of nearly 1,700 blood samples from people that have had COVID-19, nearly 88% still had detectable antibodies six months later, the BBC reported. "Although we cannot be certain how [the presence of antibodies] relates to immunity, the results suggest that people may be protected against subsequent infection for at least six months following natural infection,” UK Biobank chief scientist Prof Naomi Allen said. Follow-up studies are planned to help determine how long antibodies can remain in someone’s body after being infected by COVID-19.

U.K. Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said there are already 4,000 variants of COVID-19 around the globe but vaccines should be able to cover them. Zahawi told Sky News that vaccines currently being rolled out should be effective against the evolution of the virus. Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Oxford-AstraZeneca are already looking into ways to improve the vaccine to ensure it remains effective, according to CBS News. Of the thousands of strains, only few have been deemed as more infectious, such as the U.K variant. Pfizer recently released lab data that showed evidence that its vaccine can prevent symptoms from the new variant from England.

A Wisconsin mother finally met her three-month-old daughter after beating COVID-19 and giving birth. Kelsey Townsend, from Poynette, Wisconsin, gave birth to her daughter Lucy while in a medically-induced coma and fighting the coronavirus, ABC News reported. For the first time since her birth, Townsend was able to meet her baby on Jan. 27 after being released from the hospital — three months after giving birth. Townsend was diagnosed with COVID-19 in October while she was 39 weeks pregnant. She gave birth to Lucy on Nov. 4 while still unconscious and spent the following 75 days on oxygenation machines and ventilators. "We're just so grateful and blessed to have everybody home, to have Kelsey home, and we can't wait to see what the future holds for us," husband Derek Townsend said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there are "no red flags" in coronavirus vaccine trials in people who are pregnant.While people who are pregnant were originally excluded from vaccine trials, more than 10,000 have been included in trials since Pfizer and Moderna received Emergency Use Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, Fox News reported. Fauci said that many of the pregnant people who were involved in the trials were also healthcare providers that were exposed to the virus. Last month, The World Health Organization discouraged the use of vaccines in people who are pregnant unless they had “an unavoidable risk high of exposure (e.g. a health worker)," where "vaccination may be considered in discussion with their healthcare provider.” Studies on the coronavirus vaccine in children will likely be available in the spring or summer of 2021, Fauci said.

A South Florida grocery store received backlash after a video revealed every customer and employee without a mask on. Oakes Farms Seed to Table Market in Naples, Florida, was caught this week disregarding COVID-19 guidelines by not enforcing mask wearing for employees or customers and violating social distancing protocols, NBC News reported. Alfie Oakes, the store’s owner, told “TODAY” that masks do not work and he does not believe the coronavirus has actually killed so many people in the United States. "That's total hogwash," Oakes said. "Why don't we shut the world down because of the heart attacks? Why don't we lock down cities because of heart attacks?”

Collier County, where the store is located, currently has a mask mandate in place. Oakes’ store has a sign out front that says customers with a medical condition can opt out of wearing a mask. "Those in our lovely government have ordered all persons entering indoor facilities to wear a mask. If you have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing a mask, you are exempt from this order. Due to HIPAA and the 4th Amendment we cannot legally ask you about your medical condition," it reads. "Therefore, if we see you without a mask, we will assume you have a medical condition and we will welcome you inside to support our business.” Collier County has reported over 27,000 cases of the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic and 413 deaths. County Commissioner Andy Solis said he is concerned that cases could continue to increase and overwhelm hospitals. "It's very disappointing and very concerning," he said.

The NHL has revised coronavirus protocols as 40 players remain on the COVID-19 list. One of these changes will be removing glass panels behind benches to allow better airflow. Players and coaches will be unable to go inside the arena until 1 hour and 45 minutes before a game starts, with an exception to those getting injury treatment, according to The Associated Press. Locker rooms must also be spaced out to allow 6 feet distancing between people. Four teams have been idled due to ongoing coronavirus outbreaks. In the first three weeks of the season, about 90 players have been put on the COVID-19 list and 22 games have been postponed.

The economic turmoil caused by the pandemic has triggered a shift for tourism companies in Turkey. According to AFP, tiny mobile homes that are made of wood and composite metal are becoming more popular. Rather than huge luxury hotels that draw huge crowds, some speculate that tourists may prefer something more private or minimalist in nature even beyond the pandemic. And people can take the homes wherever they please including on camping trips. Architect Pelin Dustegor told AFP that tourism companies are growing fond of the homes because of their low investment costs and potential to turn a profit. Especially compared to the high costs of maintaining a hotel. Dustegor said her firm had seen a dramatic increase in orders from clients in the tourism field. "We had just under 250 orders in all of 2019 and this shot up to 4,500 a month in 2020," Dustegor told AFP. "There has been tremendous interest." The homes previously gained popularity in the U.S. following the 2008 financial crisis. Watch the video below for more.

An Iowa restaurant owner is selling his restaurant and karaoke bar for $1 due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus on his business. Lark & Owl in Iowa City suffered huge losses in 2020, resulting in a large rent debt, owner Li Zhang told Fox News. While the restaurant is being sold for just $1, the high cost of rent is making some hesitant to purchase the place. The cost of rent for the building is $5,000 a month and does not include payroll or any other expenses. Lark & Owl hasn't turned a profit since the coronavirus because it depended on its karaoke rooms which closed when the pandemic began. The restaurant first opened in August 2019.

A first of its kind study will mix two existing coronavirus vaccines, which if effective, can make the vaccine rollout much easier from a logistical standpoint. This new clinical trial in the U.K. will include the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, ABC News reported. Both of these vaccines require two doses. In the trial, participants will receive an initial shot of one of the vaccines, followed up by a booster shot of the other vaccine. “If we do show that these vaccines can be used interchangeably in the same schedule, this will greatly increase the flexibility of vaccine delivery, and could provide clues as to how to increase the breadth of protection against new virus strains,” said Matthew Snape, associate professor in pediatrics and vaccinology at the University of Oxford.

The number of unemployment claims across the United States reached 779,000 for the weekend ending Jan. 30, a number that fell short of the 830,000 estimated by economists with Dow Jones. That 779,000 is now the lowest seen since Nov. 28, but it remains well above the number of weekly unemployment applications prior to the pandemic. The prior week had over 800,000 new claims, according to CNBC. The total number of people receiving benefits also fell sharply to 17.8 million, which is a decrease of around 500,000. Illinois saw the largest drop in claims with a decline of 55,000. The unemployment rate is expected to stay steady at 6.7%.

A survey that was conducted in 15 countries by YouGov and Imperial College London’s Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) has found that people are slowly gaining confidence in the coronavirus vaccines that are being distributed around the globe. Back in November, only 40% of respondents said that they would be willing to get vaccinated. That has since climbed to a little over 50%, Reuters reported. Of the 15 countries that were involved in the survey, the U.K. had the highest rate of participants willing to get inoculated at 78%. Meanwhile, Japan and Singapore were at the bottom of the list with a majority of participants saying that they were not willing to get vaccinated right now. “As vaccines will play a vital role in controlling the pandemic, leaders must act now to help more people understand the benefits of being vaccinated against COVID-19 and make sure that no one is left behind,” said David Nabarro, the co-director of the IGHI.

On Friday the mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium will open, offering 15,000 appointments available during the first week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced. “Our efforts to target vaccinations by locations with higher positivity rates have been working to not only keep the infection rate down, but to help ensure equity in our vaccine distribution process, and opening a mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium — the Bronx’s most iconic landmark — is the perfect solution to helping this borough get vaccinated and defeat COVID once and for all.” According to the New York Post, the city is targeting 33 neighborhoods to boost vaccination rates.

The Kansas City Chiefs avoided a COVID catastrophe from the hands and clippers of an infected barber this week. Twenty players on the team, including star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, were in line for a haircut from the barber that tested positive. When the positive test was discovered, the Chiefs immediately pulled the barber from the room, according to ESPN. Backup center Daniel Kilgore was in the middle of a cut when the results came in and was eventually placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, along with wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, for being close contacts with the barber, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Both players could return in time to play in Sunday’s Super Bowl if they test negative for five consecutive days.

Registered Nurse Rita Alba taps the air out of a syringe before vaccinating a patient at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination site at the Bronx River Community Center, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

On Wednesday, the CDC announced that more than 27 million Americans have received at least the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine developed by either Pfizer and Moderna. This includes nearly 6.5 million people who have also received the second dose, a follow-up shot for the vaccine to achieve maximum efficacy. The number of vaccines distributed since December has now exceeded the number of people who have contracted COVID-19 in the U.S., which stands at 26.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The gap between inoculations and infections will continue to grow as more than 1 million people are receiving a vaccine every day, while daily infections have averaged a little over 100,000 over the past week.

The United States hit another fatality threshold late Wednesday, topping the 450,000 death mark from COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Behind the U.S., Brazil has seen the second-most deaths with 227,563 and Mexico ranks third with 161,240. Despite daily infection totals in the U.S. steadily falling from its peak in later December, high fatality totals have continued, with over 3,900 new coronavirus deaths recorded in the U.S. on Wednesday.

For a look at the global data, watch the video below.

A tragic car accident in March 2020 left 19-year-old Joseph Flavill in a coma for nearly a year in a U.K. hospital. After 10 months, Flavill finally awoke from his coma with no knowledge of COVID-19, the BBC reported. “If we go back a year, gosh, you know we’d only just heard of COVID at that time,” Flavill’s aunt Sally Smith told the BBC in an interview. “Joseph wouldn’t have any understanding of what’s happened to the world over the past year.” His family has been slowly explaining to him what has happened around the world in recent months, but they cannot visit him due to coronavirus-related restrictions at the hospital and is only allowed to hold a video chat with him one time per day. Although he has only recently learned about the virus, Flavill has already been infected twice. Even after a dramatic accident and two infections, Flavill is slowly improving. “It’s what we’ve been hoping for every day during lockdown,” his aunt said.

Early last March, the 2019-2020 ski season unexpectedly came to a halt in Italy, when the country became the first in the Western world to be impacted by the coronavirus. Since then, the ski resorts have yet to reopen, despite a record amount of snow that has fallen in some places. Some neighboring countries have started to allow skiing again, such as Switzerland who allowed lifts to be open with restrictions, according to The Associated Press. The ski industry pulls in about 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) each year and employs about 15,000. The early ending to last year's season caused a 20% revenue loss. Cortina d'Ampezzo, a northern Italian town, has had record amounts of snow this season, but they remain closed.

A new coronavirus law was passed in Japan this week, strengthening the amount of enforcement on restriction violations around the country. People testing positive for the coronavirus and refusing hospitalization will be fined up to 500,000 yen ($4,800), according to AFP. The country remains under strict lockdowns with just six months to go until the Summer Olympics are expected to begin. Despite the heavy lockdowns in Japan, no enforcement has been made until the new laws were passed this week. Bars and restaurants in areas under a state of emergency will be fined 300,000 yen if they don't close by 8 p.m. for the day.

Starting on Friday, restaurants and gyms across New Jersey will be able to expand indoor capacity limits to 35%, which is 10% more than what was previously allowed. Gov. Phil Murphy said in a news conference Wednesday that the 10 p.m. indoor service limit will also be lifted. Indoor bars will remain prohibited as it creates a danger to spreading the virus due to the close proximity of people and bartenders, according to WPVI in Philadelphia. The capacity limit increase also impacts indoor entertainment and recreation. Hospitalizations are down across the state, falling about 20% in the last three weeks.

Schools across the country have gone virtual this academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it may be safe for some to reopen even before vaccinations are widely available. “There is increasing data to suggest that schools can safely reopen and that safe reopening does not suggest that teachers need to be vaccinated,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, according to CNBC. “Vaccinations of teachers is not a prerequisite for safely reopening schools.” However, schools that do reconvene for in-person instruction must still follow guidelines to prevent outbreaks, including proper social distancing and for everyone in the building to wear a mask. The latest COVID rescue plan released by the Biden administration includes $170 billion for schools and universities so that they can reopen safely and be able to follow the proper guidelines, according to CNBC.

Preliminary matches at the Australian Open have been halted after an employee at a Melbourne hotel where many players are staying tested positive for the coronavirus, The Associated Press reported. The tournament, the first Glam Slam tennis event of 2021, is scheduled to begin Monday, Feb. 8. But for now, players are being told to isolate at their hotels until they test negative, the AP said. "We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing as quickly as possible," Tennis Australia said in a statement, according to the AP. Daniel Andrews, the premier of the Australian state of Victoria, said in a Wednesday night press conference that "At this stage, [there was] no impact on the tournament proper." According to the AP, everyone in Melbourne is being required to wear masks even while indoors. Of the more than 900 deaths reported in Australia due to COVID since the pandemic began, more than 800 of those were from Victoria.

A second wave of coronavirus infections in Nigeria has caused nationwide oxygen shortages, Reuters reports. Hospitals in the nation’s capital, Abuja, have come close to running out, and demand in Lagos, the center of the country’s outbreak, has increased sevenfold since autumn. Demand for cylinders in Lagos went from around 70 per day early last year to as high as 500 daily from November, Lagos State Health Commissioner Akin Abayomi told Reuters. Declan Eugene, an oxygen dealer whose company, Feligene Global Enterprises, supplies hospitals in Abuja, told Reuters the oxygen became “very scarce” during November when demand soared, though supply had improved this year as more plants work at full capacity. For more details, watch the video below.

China plans to provide 10 million COVID-19 vaccines to developing nations around the world through the COVAX initiative. The World Health Organization requested that China distribute the vaccines to developing countries to fill shortages that are predicted to run into March, according to The Associated Press. A large number of doses have already been shipped by China to developing countries. More than 30 nations have had coronavirus vaccines donated from China. COVAX was made to ensure low and middle-income countries would be able to get enough vaccines for their residents through the help of wealthier nations.

With Super Bowl 55 kicking off this weekend, top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says people should "just lay low and cool it," when it comes to parties for the big game. During a TV interview on Wednesday, Fauci warned that now isn't the time for people to come over and watch the game with others. The possibility for a super spreader event increases with the more parties that occur, according to The Associated Press. Big events have been a cause of concern due to how fast the virus could spread at watch parties. “You don’t want parties with people that you haven’t had much contact with,” Fauci told NBC's Today show. Only 25,000 people will be allowed to attend the big game on Sunday. Watch the video below for more.

The Denmark government will be working with businesses to develop a passport that will show if people have been vaccinated for the coronavirus or not. The passport will allow citizens to travel and serve as another way to help ease restrictions. Finance Minister Morten Boedskov said the digital passport will be ready in three or four months, according to The Associated Press. "It is absolutely crucial for us to be able to restart Danish society so that companies can get back on track," Boedskov said in a news conference. Danish citizens will be able to see an official confirmation on if they have been vaccinated or not through the health website by the end of February. Similar digital passports are being planned and developed around Europe, including one called CommonPass which would help passengers travel safely to other countries.

A frontline nurse receives a dose of the Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, at the Cotahuma Municipal Hospital in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is 91.6% effective against symptomatic cases of COVID-19 and reportedly 100% effective against severe and moderate disease, according to CNN. The findings were based on an interim analysis of the vaccine's Phase 3 trial results and were published on Tuesday in the medical journal The Lancet. The data was based on more than 19,800 trial participants. Of those, nearly 15,000 received two doses while around 4,900 were given a placebo, according to CNN. Watch the video below for more.

When the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 55 on Sunday, they'll do so in front of a sizable, but smaller-than-normal crowd. The NFL said that 25,000 fans will be in the stands at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, along with 30,000 cardboard cutouts. Last year's Super Bowl in Miami had more than 62,000 fans in attendance. The NFL said that 7,500 of those fans will be vaccinated health care workers. The decision to hold fans "was in accordance with public health officials, including the CDC, the Florida Department of Health, and area hospitals and health care systems," NFL.com reported.

The weather for Sunday in Tampa is shaping up to be unsettled. Some wet weather is forecast for earlier in the day, and AccuWeather meteorologists say rain could hang around into the evening hours. The weather will also turn cooler with temperatures starting the day in the 70s and decreasing into the 60s as the evening progresses.

The current AccuWeather forecast for Sunday evening at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. (AccuWeather)

With more than 3,500 fatalities recorded across the U.S. on Tuesday, the nationwide death toll continued its climb toward 450,000. There is a glimmer of hope, though, as the daily number of new cases continued a downward trend. More than 114,000 new cases were reported across the country on Tuesday. Texas, California and Florida continued to be the states where the highest numbers of new infections were reported. For a closer look at the data surrounding the spread of the coronavirus nationwide and globally, watch the video below.

Retail pharmacies will begin getting direct shipments of coronavirus vaccines next week, expanding points of access for Americans to receive shots, CNN reported. The program is set to begin on Feb. 11 at approximately 6,500 stores that will receive a total of 1 million doses before eventually expanding, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said in a briefing. "Millions of Americans turn to their local pharmacies every day for their medicines, flu shots, and much more. And pharmacies are readily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy," Zients said. The administration also announced it is increasing the weekly allocation of vaccines going to states, tribes and territories by an additional 5%, bringing the weekly total of vaccines purchased per week a minimum of 10.5 million. The White House listed 21 national pharmacy chains including Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the federal supply to New York will increase to 20% for the next three weeks. Given the overall increase to the state's supply, localities will now have the flexibility to add restaurant workers, taxi drivers, and developmentally disabled facilities to the 1B vaccine prioritization group. "We're in a footrace to vaccinate the entire eligible population while continuing to keep the infection rate low," Cuomo said. "We have much more distribution in place than we have supply, and as soon as we have more doses from the federal government we can get those shots in the arms of New Yorkers as quickly and fairly, while continuing to make sure the communities hardest hit have access to and trust in the vaccine.”

Nearly 1 in 5 residents in the Navajo Nation have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, NPR reported. The Navajo Nation was hit especially hard by the virus, NPR reports, having the highest per capita infection rate in the U.S. during March. Now, the nation is lifting a strict weekend curfew in an effort to expand COVID-19 vaccination efforts. As of Jan. 29, the Diné, the people who make up the Navajo Nation, received a combined total of 64,713 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, according to the Navajo Area IHS, via the Office of the President and Vice President. About 47,455 of those doses have been administered, including some for second doses. However, Navajo Nation President Jonathan New told NPR’s All Things Considered that mud and snow is starting to hinder travel in some areas, adding a new challenge in getting people to return for their second dose.

NYC mayoral candidate and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang announced Tuesday he has tested positive for COVID-19. Late Tuesday morning, Yang announced over Twitter that even after testing negative as recently as over the weekend, a COVID rapid test delivered a positive result. While he’s experiencing mild symptoms, he added that he otherwise felt well and in good spirits as he quarantines until he can get back out onto the campaign trail. Multiple polls have shown Yang to be leading in the late-June Democratic Party, with a narrow lead over Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, NBC New York reports.

Meatpacking plants are now being investigated by a U.S. House subcommittee for the deaths of over 250 employees due to the coronavirus. Rep. James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina who is the chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, sent letters to Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods and JBS USA requesting documents, as well as to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. "Public reports indicate that under the Trump Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) failed to adequately carry out its responsibility for enforcing worker safety laws at meatpacking plants across the country, resulting in preventable infections and deaths," Chairman Clyburn wrote to the agency. According to Clyburn, the previous administration issued eight citations and less than $80,000 in penalties for 569 infections and 270 deaths.

Sales of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine could reach up to $15 billion in 2021, possibly more if Pfizer signs additional supply contracts, the company said Tuesday. According to AFP, Pfizer projected full-year 2021 sales of between $59.4 billion and $61.4 billion — meaning a fourth of the pharmaceutical giant's total sales would come from the vaccine. Pfizer stated that the forecast reflects “a continued recovery in macroeconomic and healthcare activity throughout 2021 as more of the population becomes vaccinated against COVID-19.”

A propose to delay the start of the Major League Baseball season was rejected by the MLB players association, meaning the league will start spring training and the regular season as scheduled. Spring training is scheduled to start Feb. 17 and Opening Day is slated for April 1. The league originally proposed a 154-game schedule that would start camp on March 22 and Opening Day in late-April. The deal would also expand the playoffs from 10 to 14 teams and adding the designated hitter to the National League, according to ESPN. The proposal was turned down because players thought the proposal would give commissioner Rob Manfred too much expansive power to cancel games. Discussions between the league and players association have been ongoing for months.

Captain Sir Tom Moore, the World War II veteran who had raised almost 39 million pounds (about $53 million) for National Health Service (NHS) charities earlier during the coronavirus pandemic by walking 100 laps around his garden for his 100th birthday, has died after testing positive for coronavirus. “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear father, Captain Sir Tom Moore. We are so grateful that we were with him during the last hours of his life; Hannah, Bennie and Georgia by his bedside and Lucy on FaceTime,” Moore’s daughters, Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira, said in a statement, The Guardian reported. Moor was admitted to Bedford hospital on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19 last week and having recently been treated for pneumonia. Statements from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Queen of England, the NHS and others have expressed their condolences to the family as well as thanks to the veteran.

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been canceled for the second time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. On Jan. 29, California’s Riverside County released a public health order canceling the festival along with the Stagecoach Festival, both of which had originally been scheduled for April. This marks the second time that Coachella has been canceled due to the virus. In 2020, Coachella had originally postponed the event from March to April to October before canceling it entirely come June. “If COVID-19 were detected at these festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk,” the order states.

Tests on some samples of the Kent variant of the coronavirus, which has been spreading across the United Kingdom, has shown a mutation already seen in other variants from South Africa and Brazil. The mutation, called E484K, may reduce vaccine effectiveness, but the current ones in use should still work, experts have said, according to BBC. Dr. Julian Tang, a virus expert at the University of Leicester, described the finding to BBC as “a worrying development, though not entirely unexpected.” He added it was important for people to follow the lockdown rules to drive down new cases of the virus and prevent opportunities for it to mutate further. “Otherwise not only can the virus continue to spread, it can also evolve,” he said.

Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and backup center Daniel Kilgore for Kansas City have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after both came in close contact with someone with the coronavirus, according to ESPN. The move marks the first coronavirus-related issue ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl. Since the two have been only listed as having been in close contact, they could still play in the game if they test negative for the virus for five consecutive days. “The problem is you’re fighting the invisible man,” Kansas City coach Andy Reid told ESPN. “It gets you when least expected, and we’re seeing that in everything. It’s an unfortunate thing.”

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidelines on how to enjoy the Super Bowl while preventing the spread of the coronavirus.The guidelines include recommending that people gather virtually or with the people solely in your household to watch the game is the safest way to celebrate this year. For people who risk a small gathering of people outside of their household, the CDC states that viewing parties outdoors will be safer than indoors — though residents in the Northeast may need to monitor the weather as another snowstorm may be on the horizon this coming weekend. 

The CDC’s recommendations for virtually celebrating the Super Bowl include:

• Wearing clothing or decorating your home with your team’s logo or colors

• Making appetizers or snacks at home and sharing the recipe with your friends and family outside the household

• Start a group text with other fans to talk about the game while watching

Britain has started a door-to-door COVID-19 testing program for 80,000 people on Tuesday in an effort to slow the spread of the new, highly infectious strains of the virus. While Britain has found a variant originating from within the nation, dubbed the U.K. variant, the one Reuters highlights as the concern is the so-called South African variant. Public Health England said it identified a total of 105 cases of the South African variant since Dec. 22, according to Reuters, and in an effort to contain new outbreaks, residents in eight areas of the country will now be tested for coronavirus symptoms. Overall, the targeted area covers about 80,000 people. “It’s concerning — it’s deeply concerning,” junior education minister Michelle Donelan told Sky News, Reuters reported. “It’s still a very perilous stage of the virus and we’ve got these new variants spreading.”

Without a large crowd on hand this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow shortly before 7:30 a.m. eastern time and made his official prediction. Phil saw his shadow, which means there will be six more weeks of winter. It was a quiet Groundhog Day in the western Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney this year thanks in part to the pandemic. The event, like so many others this past year, was held in a virtual format. Even if large crowds were allowed, many would have likely encountered travel trouble due to the nor'easter. Surrounding areas of western Pennsylvania saw varying snowfall totals from the storm. Davis, Pennsylvania, located southwest of Punxatawney had 14.3 inches. In Timblin, located west of Punxsutawney, about 5 inches of snow fell.

The scene at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., on the morning of Feb. 2, 2021. (AccuWeather / Trish Gates)

The NHL announced on Monday that New Jersey Devils games through the end of the week have been postponed after four players on the team tested positive for COVID-19. In addition, the “team’s training facilities have been closed to all players on the club’s active roster, effective immediately, and will remain so until further notice” as the franchise deals with the outbreak, the league said. The NHL is in the process of adjusting the team’s schedule in light of the postponements. The Devils’ next game was scheduled to be played Tuesday evening in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. The Devils already had several players on the league’s COVID protocol list, and, according to WPIX, the players on the list now include Mackenzie Blackwood, Travis Zajac, Connor Carrick, Aaron Dell, Andreas Johnsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Michael McLeod, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, and Pavel Zacha.

Rapid at-home coronavirus tests will become available to the American public this year. On Monday, the White House announced that it is purchasing 8.5 million rapid tests for individuals to administer at home for instant results. The tests will not require a prescription, The Washington Post reported. The White House’s $231.8 million contract with test manufacturer Ellume will allow the Australian company to increase production and create a manufacturing facility within the United States. On Dec. 15, Ellume’s test became the first rapid over-the-counter coronavirus test to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The tests will be $30 each. “The cost will come down only if we get to that mass production and scale,” Andy Slavitt, President Biden’s senior adviser for COVID-19 response.“We know there are efforts to create even lower cost and more innovative approaches and we welcome those.”

The Colosseum in Italy was able to reopen on Monday after the nation relaxed coronavirus regulations that restricted bars, restaurants and museums. Despite the World Health Organization discouraging the relaxing of restrictions for Italy by saying it would be premature, the nation’s government made the decision to announce the easing of restrictions on Friday. Rome, where the Colosseum is located along with many other hotspots for tourism, is in “yellow,” meaning museums can remain open only during weekdays. The Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel also reopened after an-88 day closure — the longest one since World War II.

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