All things CoronaVirus

[wgdsr]

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03563-z

just consider it a very large clinical trial.

[Bart]

So is the “demand” issue that the demand will outpace vaccine supply or demand will be far below the promised 100M mark?

With so many Drs and Medical Workers balking at taking the vaccine and wanting the more facts before being guinea pigs, the latter is certainly possible.

You keep saying this. Do you have a source? I used the googles and found a smattering or news articles but no where in them do I find the actual denominator we are working with. Is it different for Dr's rather than nurses, cna's PT's OT's and what not? they are all considered the medical field. I am actually very curious as to this. Thanks.

Small sample size but in SWMBO's department of roughly 100, including techs, Doc's, RN's....only 4 opted out. Three were immuno complromised and 1 just did not want to go ahead with it.

[kramerica.inc]

So is the “demand” issue that the demand will outpace vaccine supply or demand will be far below the promised 100M mark?

With so many Drs and Medical Workers balking at taking the vaccine and wanting the more facts before being guinea pigs, the latter is certainly possible.

You keep saying this. Do you have a source? I used the googles and found a smattering or news articles but no where in them do I find the actual denominator we are working with. Is it different for Dr's rather than nurses, cna's PT's OT's and what not? they are all considered the medical field. I am actually very curious as to this. Thanks.

Small sample size but in SWMBO's department of roughly 100, including techs, Doc's, RN's....only 4 opted out. Three were immuno complromised and 1 just did not want to go ahead with it.

It appears to be all of the above in the medical field.

The terms "Many" and "Most" opting out is used quite often.

From the AP:

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... afe383f6af

The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots.

It is happening in nursing homes and, to a lesser degree, in hospitals, with employees expressing what experts say are unfounded fears of side effects from vaccines that were developed at record speed. More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be a guinea pig,” said Dr. Stephen Noble, a 42-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, who is postponing getting vaccinated. “At the end of the day, as a man of science, I just want to see what the data show. And give me the full data.”

Many others to peruse:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... us-problem

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/ ... 4b18df3c96

https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... ine-access

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/95271670 ... 9-vaccines

https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/around-30 ... -official/

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-1 ... nes-2021-1

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ma ... s-n1252617

https://apnews.com/article/north-caroli ... 0afeeeb301

[Bart]

So is the “demand” issue that the demand will outpace vaccine supply or demand will be far below the promised 100M mark?

With so many Drs and Medical Workers balking at taking the vaccine and wanting the more facts before being guinea pigs, the latter is certainly possible.

You keep saying this. Do you have a source? I used the googles and found a smattering or news articles but no where in them do I find the actual denominator we are working with. Is it different for Dr's rather than nurses, cna's PT's OT's and what not? they are all considered the medical field. I am actually very curious as to this. Thanks.

Small sample size but in SWMBO's department of roughly 100, including techs, Doc's, RN's....only 4 opted out. Three were immuno complromised and 1 just did not want to go ahead with it.

It appears to be all of the above in the medical field.

The terms "Many" and "Most" opting out is used quite often.

From the AP:

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... afe383f6af

The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots.

It is happening in nursing homes and, to a lesser degree, in hospitals, with employees expressing what experts say are unfounded fears of side effects from vaccines that were developed at record speed. More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be a guinea pig,” said Dr. Stephen Noble, a 42-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, who is postponing getting vaccinated. “At the end of the day, as a man of science, I just want to see what the data show. And give me the full data.”

Many others to peruse:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... us-problem

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/ ... 4b18df3c96

https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... ine-access

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/95271670 ... 9-vaccines

https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/around-30 ... -official/

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-1 ... nes-2021-1

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ma ... s-n1252617

https://apnews.com/article/north-caroli ... 0afeeeb301

Read all those prior to asking. None answer my question.

The number that the Kaiser foundation has is roughly 29%, in most of the articles.

I found this quote from the business insider article interesting: "Dr. Joseph Varon, a critical care doctor from Houston, has said that more than half of the nurses in his unit are objecting to getting inoculated for political reasons. "Most of the reasons why most of my people don't want to get the vaccine are politically motivated,""

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03563-z

just consider it a very large clinical trial.

Yep.

[kramerica.inc]

So is the “demand” issue that the demand will outpace vaccine supply or demand will be far below the promised 100M mark?

With so many Drs and Medical Workers balking at taking the vaccine and wanting the more facts before being guinea pigs, the latter is certainly possible.

You keep saying this. Do you have a source? I used the googles and found a smattering or news articles but no where in them do I find the actual denominator we are working with. Is it different for Dr's rather than nurses, cna's PT's OT's and what not? they are all considered the medical field. I am actually very curious as to this. Thanks.

Small sample size but in SWMBO's department of roughly 100, including techs, Doc's, RN's....only 4 opted out. Three were immuno complromised and 1 just did not want to go ahead with it.

It appears to be all of the above in the medical field.

The terms "Many" and "Most" opting out is used quite often.

From the AP:

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... afe383f6af

The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots.

It is happening in nursing homes and, to a lesser degree, in hospitals, with employees expressing what experts say are unfounded fears of side effects from vaccines that were developed at record speed. More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be a guinea pig,” said Dr. Stephen Noble, a 42-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, who is postponing getting vaccinated. “At the end of the day, as a man of science, I just want to see what the data show. And give me the full data.”

Many others to peruse:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... us-problem

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/ ... 4b18df3c96

https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... ine-access

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/95271670 ... 9-vaccines

https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/around-30 ... -official/

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-1 ... nes-2021-1

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ma ... s-n1252617

https://apnews.com/article/north-caroli ... 0afeeeb301

Read all those prior to asking. None answer my question.

The number that the Kaiser foundation has is roughly 29%, in most of the articles.

I found this quote from the business insider article interesting: "Dr. Joseph Varon, a critical care doctor from Houston, has said that more than half of the nurses in his unit are objecting to getting inoculated for political reasons. "Most of the reasons why most of my people don't want to get the vaccine are politically motivated,""

So getting to 100M in 100 days- With so many medical professionals opting out (and it being reported upon) is the "demand" issue reported in the first article too much demand for vaccine, or not enough?

My guess is they won't have 100M that want it in the first 100 days.

[foreverlax]

So is the “demand” issue that the demand will outpace vaccine supply or demand will be far below the promised 100M mark?

With so many Drs and Medical Workers balking at taking the vaccine and wanting the more facts before being guinea pigs, the latter is certainly possible.

You keep saying this. Do you have a source? I used the googles and found a smattering or news articles but no where in them do I find the actual denominator we are working with. Is it different for Dr's rather than nurses, cna's PT's OT's and what not? they are all considered the medical field. I am actually very curious as to this. Thanks.

Small sample size but in SWMBO's department of roughly 100, including techs, Doc's, RN's....only 4 opted out. Three were immuno complromised and 1 just did not want to go ahead with it.

It appears to be all of the above in the medical field.

The terms "Many" and "Most" opting out is used quite often.

From the AP:

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... afe383f6af

The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots.

It is happening in nursing homes and, to a lesser degree, in hospitals, with employees expressing what experts say are unfounded fears of side effects from vaccines that were developed at record speed. More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be a guinea pig,” said Dr. Stephen Noble, a 42-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, who is postponing getting vaccinated. “At the end of the day, as a man of science, I just want to see what the data show. And give me the full data.”

Many others to peruse:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... us-problem

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/ ... 4b18df3c96

https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... ine-access

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/95271670 ... 9-vaccines

https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/around-30 ... -official/

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-1 ... nes-2021-1

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ma ... s-n1252617

https://apnews.com/article/north-caroli ... 0afeeeb301

Read all those prior to asking. None answer my question.

The number that the Kaiser foundation has is roughly 29%, in most of the articles.

I found this quote from the business insider article interesting: "Dr. Joseph Varon, a critical care doctor from Houston, has said that more than half of the nurses in his unit are objecting to getting inoculated for political reasons. "Most of the reasons why most of my people don't want to get the vaccine are politically motivated,""

So getting to 100M in 100 days- With so many medical professionals opting out (and it being reported upon) is the "demand" issue reported in the first article too much demand for vaccine, or not enough?

My guess is they won't have 100M that want it in the first 100 days.

Why....

[kramerica.inc]

So is the “demand” issue that the demand will outpace vaccine supply or demand will be far below the promised 100M mark?

With so many Drs and Medical Workers balking at taking the vaccine and wanting the more facts before being guinea pigs, the latter is certainly possible.

You keep saying this. Do you have a source? I used the googles and found a smattering or news articles but no where in them do I find the actual denominator we are working with. Is it different for Dr's rather than nurses, cna's PT's OT's and what not? they are all considered the medical field. I am actually very curious as to this. Thanks.

Small sample size but in SWMBO's department of roughly 100, including techs, Doc's, RN's....only 4 opted out. Three were immuno complromised and 1 just did not want to go ahead with it.

It appears to be all of the above in the medical field.

The terms "Many" and "Most" opting out is used quite often.

From the AP:

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... afe383f6af

The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots.

It is happening in nursing homes and, to a lesser degree, in hospitals, with employees expressing what experts say are unfounded fears of side effects from vaccines that were developed at record speed. More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be a guinea pig,” said Dr. Stephen Noble, a 42-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, who is postponing getting vaccinated. “At the end of the day, as a man of science, I just want to see what the data show. And give me the full data.”

Many others to peruse:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... us-problem

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/ ... 4b18df3c96

https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... ine-access

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/95271670 ... 9-vaccines

https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/around-30 ... -official/

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-1 ... nes-2021-1

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ma ... s-n1252617

https://apnews.com/article/north-caroli ... 0afeeeb301

Read all those prior to asking. None answer my question.

The number that the Kaiser foundation has is roughly 29%, in most of the articles.

I found this quote from the business insider article interesting: "Dr. Joseph Varon, a critical care doctor from Houston, has said that more than half of the nurses in his unit are objecting to getting inoculated for political reasons. "Most of the reasons why most of my people don't want to get the vaccine are politically motivated,""

So getting to 100M in 100 days- With so many medical professionals opting out (and it being reported upon) is the "demand" issue reported in the first article too much demand for vaccine, or not enough?

My guess is they won't have 100M that want it in the first 100 days.

Why....

If the media is reporting (somewhat regularly) and in pretty much every region in the US- "MANY medical professionals opting out of Vaccine over concerns," what do you think the general population will do? BE more prone to get that vaccination, or not?

[wgdsr]

what we need are 2 things:
- genetric drift of the virus to not compromise our vaccines
- uptake from over 65s. and then over 55s.

over 65 that's 53 million people.
over 55 another 42.

we have already opened things up of course to other cohorts depending on the state involved, who knows what that total is.

but over the next 3-4 months, if we can get those 95 million mostly done (they are likely vaccine takers by poll) and we don't get unlucky on variants, our death rate drops like a stone. over 65s have been over 80% of our deaths, and 55-65 another 11-12%. many of those deaths under 55 have comorbitities, and they are likely in the lineup as well.

there are many other things that matter (continued spread if low inoculation of others, that possible drift, covid illness damage, higher spread if we "open up"), but to me getting the elder statesmen and women done is priority 1 for the next 3 months.

[njbill]

Thank you for referring to me as an “elder statesman.” Now start treating me as such.

[wgdsr]

Thank you for referring to me as an “elder statesman.” Now start treating me as such.

it's been awhile for you and me. maybe we've "matured".

[ggait]

but over the next 3-4 months, if we can get those 95 million mostly done (they are likely vaccine takers by poll) and we don't get unlucky on variants, our death rate drops like a stone.

Agree. Not full herd immunity, but taking a big chunk out of the deaths and hospitalizations.

Still need 200M shots. So a million a day (if we can actually do that) still takes until the end of summer.

[wgdsr]

but over the next 3-4 months, if we can get those 95 million mostly done (they are likely vaccine takers by poll) and we don't get unlucky on variants, our death rate drops like a stone.

Agree. Not full herd immunity, but taking a big chunk out of the deaths and hospitalizations.

Still need 200M shots. So a million a day (if we can actually do that) still takes until the end of summer.

ok... but it might be that we can only do 1 million shots per day, for any number of reasons. production, resource breakdown, uptake. but that's just some number.
the last 3 weeks we've gone from 363k/ day for the week, to 669/day for the week, to 777/day for the week (we may actually be over a million at this point or close, with 3-5 day lag numbers). and as of now, we're shipping 2 million per day. so if it never gets above 1 million vaccinated and there are no production issues, we'll then likely have access to an extra 200-225 million doses which we'd then sit in warehouses or pharmacies? and that's if we get zippy from jnj, azn or nvax. do you see that as a likely scenario?

any number of things can go wrong. right now, we're on the upswing of momentum. fairly soon, governors aren't going to have the cover of "we can't get any vaccine, the feds suck" if they have 30-50 million more shipped than vaccinated and don't start keeping pace with shipments. and i hear the feds are soon to be riding in to the rescue. let's hope so.

here's a good live tracker:
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covi ... tribution/
as i said earlier, there seems to be at least a 3 day lag on vaxxes administered, as giroir pointed out several weeks ago.

biggest issue will be non-takers after it's humming. april/may. june if kids are greenlighted. jnj up next.

[foreverlax]

So is the “demand” issue that the demand will outpace vaccine supply or demand will be far below the promised 100M mark?

With so many Drs and Medical Workers balking at taking the vaccine and wanting the more facts before being guinea pigs, the latter is certainly possible.

You keep saying this. Do you have a source? I used the googles and found a smattering or news articles but no where in them do I find the actual denominator we are working with. Is it different for Dr's rather than nurses, cna's PT's OT's and what not? they are all considered the medical field. I am actually very curious as to this. Thanks.

Small sample size but in SWMBO's department of roughly 100, including techs, Doc's, RN's....only 4 opted out. Three were immuno complromised and 1 just did not want to go ahead with it.

It appears to be all of the above in the medical field.

The terms "Many" and "Most" opting out is used quite often.

From the AP:

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... afe383f6af

The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots.

It is happening in nursing homes and, to a lesser degree, in hospitals, with employees expressing what experts say are unfounded fears of side effects from vaccines that were developed at record speed. More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be a guinea pig,” said Dr. Stephen Noble, a 42-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, who is postponing getting vaccinated. “At the end of the day, as a man of science, I just want to see what the data show. And give me the full data.”

Many others to peruse:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... us-problem

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/ ... 4b18df3c96

https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... ine-access

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/95271670 ... 9-vaccines

https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/around-30 ... -official/

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-1 ... nes-2021-1

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ma ... s-n1252617

https://apnews.com/article/north-caroli ... 0afeeeb301

Read all those prior to asking. None answer my question.

The number that the Kaiser foundation has is roughly 29%, in most of the articles.

I found this quote from the business insider article interesting: "Dr. Joseph Varon, a critical care doctor from Houston, has said that more than half of the nurses in his unit are objecting to getting inoculated for political reasons. "Most of the reasons why most of my people don't want to get the vaccine are politically motivated,""

So getting to 100M in 100 days- With so many medical professionals opting out (and it being reported upon) is the "demand" issue reported in the first article too much demand for vaccine, or not enough?

My guess is they won't have 100M that want it in the first 100 days.

Why....

If the media is reporting (somewhat regularly) and in pretty much every region in the US- "MANY medical professionals opting out of Vaccine over concerns," what do you think the general population will do? BE more prone to get that vaccination, or not?

All the docs I know are getting it....by the time I'm able to get it, I'll get it. 100m doses is only 50 million people

[wgdsr]

200 million doses is 100 million people. fingers crossed pfizer and moderna don't hit snags again in production.

[MDlaxfan76]

So is the “demand” issue that the demand will outpace vaccine supply or demand will be far below the promised 100M mark?

With so many Drs and Medical Workers balking at taking the vaccine and wanting the more facts before being guinea pigs, the latter is certainly possible.

You keep saying this. Do you have a source? I used the googles and found a smattering or news articles but no where in them do I find the actual denominator we are working with. Is it different for Dr's rather than nurses, cna's PT's OT's and what not? they are all considered the medical field. I am actually very curious as to this. Thanks.

Small sample size but in SWMBO's department of roughly 100, including techs, Doc's, RN's....only 4 opted out. Three were immuno complromised and 1 just did not want to go ahead with it.

It appears to be all of the above in the medical field.

The terms "Many" and "Most" opting out is used quite often.

From the AP:

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus- ... afe383f6af

The desperately awaited vaccination drive against the coronavirus in the U.S. is running into resistance from an unlikely quarter: Surprising numbers of health care workers who have seen firsthand the death and misery inflicted by COVID-19 are refusing shots.

It is happening in nursing homes and, to a lesser degree, in hospitals, with employees expressing what experts say are unfounded fears of side effects from vaccines that were developed at record speed. More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be a guinea pig,” said Dr. Stephen Noble, a 42-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon in Portland, Oregon, who is postponing getting vaccinated. “At the end of the day, as a man of science, I just want to see what the data show. And give me the full data.”

Many others to peruse:

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5 ... us-problem

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/ ... 4b18df3c96

https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... ine-access

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/95271670 ... 9-vaccines

https://nypost.com/2021/01/05/around-30 ... -official/

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-1 ... nes-2021-1

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ma ... s-n1252617

https://apnews.com/article/north-caroli ... 0afeeeb301

Read all those prior to asking. None answer my question.

The number that the Kaiser foundation has is roughly 29%, in most of the articles.

I found this quote from the business insider article interesting: "Dr. Joseph Varon, a critical care doctor from Houston, has said that more than half of the nurses in his unit are objecting to getting inoculated for political reasons. "Most of the reasons why most of my people don't want to get the vaccine are politically motivated,""

So getting to 100M in 100 days- With so many medical professionals opting out (and it being reported upon) is the "demand" issue reported in the first article too much demand for vaccine, or not enough?

My guess is they won't have 100M that want it in the first 100 days.

Why....

If the media is reporting (somewhat regularly) and in pretty much every region in the US- "MANY medical professionals opting out of Vaccine over concerns," what do you think the general population will do? BE more prone to get that vaccination, or not?

All the docs I know are getting it....by the time I'm able to get it, I'll get it. 100m doses is only 50 million people

Me too, all the docs I know are getting it...but most of those work in Baltimore, educated at Hopkins etc...not exactly the same maybe as that quote about nurses in Texas not getting it for 'political reasons'

[cradleandshoot]

Thank you for referring to me as an “elder statesman.” Now start treating me as such.

I know I would like to but I still can't get past the lawyer thing. I know soooooo many good lawyer jokes, I bet you have heard them all, probably after cashing the retainer check.

[SCLaxAttack]

My anecdotal information is the same as many of yours. In this little southeast corner of NC vaccinations seem to be well received. News report last night said appointments to get vaccines are filling up less than two hours after time slots are released to the public. My best friend in my neighborhood, a 72 yr old diehard Trump fan, yesterday afternoon finally got an appointment scheduled after incessantly calling the county health department since last Thursday when he received an email that he was eligible for an appointment.

I’d approximate I’ve spoken to around 100 people on this topic. Only one has said he’s unsure about taking it when it becomes available to him. His wife thinks he’s crazy.

My parish priest passed away on Sunday morning, having found out he had it Thanksgiving weekend and being in the hospital since early December.

Yesterday I received a notice from my college’s lax alumni group that the parents of a player who graduated in 2014 both passed - his mother on Dec 12, his father on Dec 18.

Get vaccinated.

[wgdsr]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspecu ... on-delays/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/johns ... li=BBnb7Kz

good news, bad news. prelim results on safety and developing anti-bodies for jnj vaxx looks v good (see link 1 to nejm study) we'll see on illness prevention maybe soon enough.

without giving a full explanation, jnj had plans to start out very slow with production, and now that's delayed. maybe substantially. tho they do mention they may be caught up by april, which looks like it was in their plans to be the big 1st month anyway. tbd.

the fda took approx one month for pfizer and moderna approval, and i suspect something there or shorter here. read they've been updating all along to fda on safety where moderna and pfizer was not so much, for whatever reason. so maybe approval late feb, with no vaccine to give out.

[CU88]

There have been 24,254,284 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 401,777 people have died (Johns Hopkins). The United States has conducted 282,867,081 tests and distributed 31,161,075 vaccine doses, with 13,595,803 people initiating vaccination (U.S. CDC). Worldwide, there have been 96,255,312 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 2,059,566 deaths. At least 53,160,043 people have recovered from the virus.

U.S. Surpasses 400,000 Covid-19 Deaths

On Tuesday, almost exactly a year after its first confirmed case of the virus, the United States passed 400,000 Covid-19 deaths (Johns Hopkins, WSJ, NBC). The first U.S. case was reported on January 21, 2020. Since then, more than 24 million U.S. cases and more than 95 million global cases have been confirmed. The death toll in the U.S. is much higher than anticipated at the onset of the pandemic, with inadequate control measures contributing to the rapid spread of the virus and the rate of fatalities increasing over the winter months. Now, health officials are focused on vaccinating as many people as possible as the virus continues to spread in all regions of the country. New cases and hospitalizations declined over the weekend, with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday possibly contributing to a decrease in testing.