Advertisement

VP Harris sets example, Bow Wow apologizes, vaccine shortages: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Fans rush onto University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after the University of Alabama won the College Football Playoff on Jan. 11.
Fans rush onto University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after the University of Alabama won the College Football Playoff on Jan. 11.

Tuscaloosa: No community spikes in coronavirus infections related to last week’s celebration of the University of Alabama football team’s national championship have been reported at local hospitals. But Mayor Walt Maddox said Tuesday the situation could change in the coming days. New arrivals at DCH Health System hospitals have remained fairly level since the daily inpatient totals soared above 100 in early December, according to the latest data from City Hall. “Although it’s not going down, it’s not going up precipitously,” Maddox said, “and certainly we’ll take that bit of good news.” Outside of Monday’s count of 31, the number of those arriving at DCH Health System hospitals suffering from the coronavirus has averaged about 20 per day for the past week. In that span, DCH had admitted 154 new COVID-19 patients while discharging 176 who had recovered. Among those admitted, 36% are from within the Tuscaloosa city limit.

Alaska

Anchorage: A grant program established to help restaurants struggling under the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is reaping rewards for the businesses and those consuming their goods. The Restaurant Rescue program aims to keep restaurants busy while feeding residents in need, Alaska Public Media reported Monday. Virus health restrictions over the past year helped slow the spread of the coronavirus, but many businesses had to limit operations and some closed altogether. The leisure and hospitality industry accounted for more than a third of the state’s 2020 job losses. The program, a partnership between the United Way of Anchorage, the Alaska Hospitality Retailers Association and the Municipality of Anchorage, was established in October through a grant from the Alaska Community Foundation and the state Department of Health and Social Services. United Way President and CEO Clark Halvorson said 16 restaurants benefiting from the program have delivered more than 41,000 meals to community members.

Arizona

Tucson: An inmate who was hospitalized with COVID-19 has died. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the 70-year-old inmate died Monday. Deputy James T. Allerton said the sheriff’s department is not releasing the inmate’s name yet but said he had long-term preexisting medical conditions. The inmate had been in medical isolation at the county jail in Tucson since testing positive on Dec. 30. He was hospitalized Jan. 10 for more treatment and evaluation. Allerton said the inmate had been in jail since December 2018 on charges of probation violation, child molestation, sexual abuse and kidnapping.

Arkansas

Booneville: The Booneville School District has had 33 cases of COVID-19 throughout the school year and had to close two schools for four days during November. Of the 33 cases, 21 were students and 12 were staff, said Glenn Parrish, the schools’ director of communications. There are four active cases in the district at this time among the 1,158 students, Superintendent Trent Goff said. The high school closed Nov. 10 to Nov. 13, and the junior high school from Nov. 17 to Nov. 20, Parrish said. Goff said the closings were because there weren’t enough staff members in the buildings and not enough substitutes available. At the junior high, Principal Josh Walker said his school was low on janitorial and cafeteria staff, which forced the move to virtual learning. This is the biggest problem that Walker said he’s having. “Getting substitutes has been a challenge this year,” Goff said.

California

Sacramento: The state’s top epidemiologist told health care providers to stop using a batch of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine after a “higher than usual” number of people had apparent allergic reactions at a San Diego vaccination clinic. Dr. Erica Pan said Sunday that “out of an extreme abundance of caution,” providers should stop using the doses until federal, state and company officials finish an investigation. California has received about 330,000 doses from the Moderna lot in question – about 10% of all the vaccine, both Moderna’s and Pfizer’s, that have been distributed across the Golden State, officials said. The apparent allergic reactions occurred at San Diego County’s drive-through mass vaccination site at Petco Park, said California Department of Public Health spokesman Darrel Ng. A “higher than usual” number of patients who received the vaccine appeared to be suffering from allergic reactions. Their symptoms were severe and required medical attention, Pan said. No other cluster of issues, or individual issues, have been reported with the Moderna batch, lot 041L20A, which was distributed to 287 medical providers across the state, officials said. The batch arrived in California between Jan. 5 and Jan. 12.

Colorado

Denver: The state’s public health department sent notices Sunday to hundreds of providers directing them not to require government IDs or other documentation for people getting inoculated against the coronavirus. The directive is aimed at ensuring noncitizens and others who might not have an ID are included in the vaccination drive. Ignoring it could cause medical facilities and local health agencies to lose access to vaccines, Scott Bookman, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s COVID-19 incident commander, warned in the letter to the state’s 459 providers. “Whether you are a U.S. citizen or not, we are all in this together. If you would like a vaccine, you will be able to get one according to what vaccine phase you are in,” Bookman wrote in the letter, the Denver Post reported. Bookman said requiring IDs could also be a barrier for people experiencing homelessness, who have a disability or are on the margins of society and unable to get an ID. Health care providers are now authorized to vaccinate members of the general public 70 and older. They can ask a person’s name, date of birth and address, but officials recommend they operate on an “honor system” with regard to people’s ages rather than asking to see an ID. The state’s goal is to give vaccines to 70% of residents 70 and older by the end of February.

Connecticut

New Haven: Without nearly enough COVID-19 vaccines arriving for everyone eligible to receive them, Connecticut will prioritize its oldest residents for the first shots, Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday. Under a new tiered approach, the governor said people over 75 can schedule vaccinations now, to be followed likely in early February by people between the ages of 65 and 74. It will likely be late February or early March before they can be scheduled for front-line essential workers and people with medical conditions that increase their risk of severe illness from the virus. Some 1.4 million people in Connecticut are technically eligible for vaccines under Phase 1B but Lamont, a Democrat, said the state is scheduled to receive only about 45,000 doses of the vaccine weekly. The Department of Public Health on Tuesday notified school districts, local health departments, and vaccine providers that vaccination appointments for Friday or later should be canceled unless they are for people over the age of 75 or who were eligible to receive the vaccine as part of Phase 1A.

Delaware

Dover: A state lawmaker said he plans to introduce a measure that would establish a task force to study how prison officials are handling the coronavirus pandemic. The Delaware State News reported that Rep. Sean Lynn, D-Dover, said he hopes the measure will alleviate complaints and concerns he has received over the past 10 months. “I would really like to kind of get to the bottom of various and myriad health care issues present in the Department of Correction,” Lynn said Monday. Lynn shared emails from attorney Steve Hampton who has represented inmates. Hampton’s emails alleged that inmates are kept in buildings lacking heat and are denied medical care. The attorney also said inmates have no access to the commissary. Correction Commissioner Claire DeMatteis denied those claims. She described them as containing a “litany of falsehoods. However, she also said that the agency “has never sugarcoated the immense challenge of mitigating the threat of the global COVID-19 pandemic in a correctional system.” Officials said 12 inmates have died from COVID-19, 11 of which had serious underlying health conditions.

District of Columbia

Washington: As D.C. data showed disparities between COVID-19 case concentrations and vaccine administration, the United Medical Center nurse who vaccinated Vice President Kamala Harris hopes to encourage her patients to get the vaccine, WUSA-TV reported. United Medical Center primarily serves wards seven and eight in D.C., which has seen some of the highest numbers of coronavirus cases throughout the pandemic. “Most of the people who live there are poverty-stricken,” UMC nurse manager and Walden Masters of Nursing student Patricia Cummings said. “They do not seek health care in a timely fashion. They do not indulge in primary prevention, so by the time they come to us, they are extremely sick.” Cummings said it’s a community that can feel overlooked. So, to have the vice president choose to get vaccinated at UMC sent her patients a clear message. “It was extremely significant and helpful in encouraging the southeast D.C. community to embrace the vaccine, but I believe that the community felt cared for or thought of by her actions in choosing United Medical Center,” Cummings said. “Wards 7 and 8, where UMC is located and affiliated with, has been one of the hardest-hit communities in D.C., so with her choosing UMC, it certainly, I believe, empowered the community.”

Florida

Tallahassee: As officials ramped up vaccinations against the coronavirus, concern spread over a new, more contagious variant that could be gaining a foothold in the state. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Florida had 46 confirmed cases of the more transmissible strain of COVID-19 as of Sunday, eclipsing California with 40 confirmed cases at last count. The strain was first detected in the United Kingdom in December and has begun spreading globally. Early evidence seems to indicate the new strain is no more lethal than earlier strains that sickened nearly 24.2 million in the U.S. and killed more than 400,000. “This new strain is more contagious, and that means more people will get infected,” said Dr. Frederick Southwick, a professor of medicine and a specialist in infectious diseases at the University of Florida. “If we had a problem, we’re going to have more of a problem now.”

Georgia

Atlanta: After spending more than a month in a Cayman Islands prison for breaking COVID-19 quarantine rules, a metro Atlanta teenager is back home, according to Channel 2 Action News. Skylar Mack, 18, of Loganville arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday, where she reunited with her mother, the news station reported. Mack and her boyfriend, Vanjae Ramgeet, were charged after Mack broke the county’s strict 14-day quarantine rules to watch Ramgeet, 24, participate in a water sports competition. She removed a location tracking device from her wrist in order to attend the November event. The duo was initially sentenced to pay a $2,600 fine and complete 40 hours of community service after their violations, but an appeals judge issued a stricter sentence. Mack and Ramgeet, who both pleaded guilty, were sentenced to four months in prison, which was later reduced. Ramgeet, a Cayman resident and professional jet-ski racer, was also released from prison last week, according to the island newspaper The Cayman Compass. Mack is not allowed back on the island as long as the borders remain closed because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Prosecutors submitted a motion Tuesday to dismiss charges against U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams after he was cited for being in a closed park during Hawaii’s summertime spike in coronavirus cases. Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said in a statement that a motion was submitted to the court to dismiss charges against Adams and his aide, Dennis Anderson-Villaluz, for violating an emergency COVID-19 order in August. A judge will review the motion and make a determination on whether the charges should be dropped. Adams was in Hawaii to help with testing amid an alarming surge in cases. Adams was discovered by an officer in Oahu’s Kualoa Regional Park taking photos at a time that all beach parks were closed to prevent large gatherings and curb the spread of the disease. According to the citation, Adams told the officer he was visiting Hawaii to work with the governor on COVID-19 and didn’t know parks were closed. Adams was granted a government exemption from requirements that travelers to Hawaii quarantine for 14 days because he was helping the state, his attorney, Michael Green, said. Green spoke to Adams after the motion to dismiss was submitted Tuesday. “He was thrilled,” Green said. Green had filed a motion to dismiss the charges earlier this month. He said he had heard from many people who were concerned about the charges.

Idaho

Boise: The number of Idaho National Guard soldiers helping with the state’s coronavirus response will increase from 250 to 400 to help with vaccine distribution, Gov. Brad Little said Tuesday. The Republican governor also announced new grants for health care providers to more quickly administer the vaccine across the state. “The safe and efficient administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in Idaho is my number one priority,” Little said in a statement. Enrolled vaccine providers can use the grants to increase staffing, purchase needed equipment and supplies, and improve vaccine access for hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations. Grant amounts will be based on the number of doses provided. “Since the start of vaccine distribution in our state, Idaho has had a strong safety record, and we will continue to make safety a priority as we work to accelerate the administration of doses,” Little said.

Illinois

Springfield: The state’s seven-day average positive coronavirus test rate dropped to 5.7% on Tuesday, the lowest it has been since Oct. 23. The rate peaked at 13.2% on a rolling average as of Nov. 13, and the entire state entered strict Tier 3 mitigations on Nov. 20. Since then, the positivity rate has been on a continual downward trend except for the two weeks following Christmas Day, when it rose from just below 7% to more than 8.5% before beginning to fall again. Hospitalizations for the disease continued on a gradual downward arc, as well, decreasing for the eighth week in a row as of Sunday night after peaking the week ending Nov. 22. There were 3,335 people reported hospitalized for COVID-19 in Illinois as of Monday night; there were 3,473 people hospitalized on average each night for the seven days prior. That marked a 7% decrease from the week prior and a 43% drop from its peak the week ending Nov. 22. Deaths related to COVID-19 have significantly dropped this week, although those numbers fluctuate daily and are lagging indicators of disease spread. The Department of Public Health reported another 33 deaths Tuesday after reporting 50 Monday and 29 on Sunday.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Gov. Eric Holcomb touted Indiana as rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic and called during the annual State of the State speech Tuesday night for the Legislature to support a new regional development program to spark that recovery. Holcomb prerecorded the speech earlier Tuesday before it was broadcast on television and online, rather than before the typical joint session of the General Assembly. He chose the virtual option in light of coronavirus precautions and security concerns over possible protests across the country related to Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. Holcomb focused much of his nearly half-hour speech on state initiatives responding the COVID-19 pandemic. He paused for about 10 seconds marking a moment of silence for the more than 9,000 Indiana residents who have died from the illness over the past 10 months, saying “It’s impossible to calculate the far-reaching ripple effect of the personal and community loss of lives and livelihoods.”

Iowa

Sioux City: The number of deaths in Northwest Iowa attributed to COVID-19 grew by two on Tuesday, public health officials announced. The new deaths came with one in Sioux County, where the number increased to 57, and one in Clay County, where the death toll rose to 20. Those deaths were reported in statistics from the Iowa Department of Public Health. There was no information on the genders or ages of the people who died. In Woodbury County, the number of positive coronavirus cases since the pandemic began 11 months ago increased to 12,985, or up by 19 from Monday, as virus cases continue to trend downward. The number of Woodbury County deaths remained at 175. On Tuesday, a total of 41 patients who tested positive for the coronavirus were hospitalized at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center or UnityPoint Health–St. Luke’s, according to the Siouxland Public Health Department. Of those patients, 33 were hospitalized for treatment of the virus.

Kansas

Topeka: Four nurses at a rural health department in Kansas are refusing to administer any COVID-19 vaccines, citing the fast development and production of the shots. Coffey County Public Health Administrator Lindsay Payer said the nurses made their own decisions and expressed their concerns one-by-one. She called the vaccine documents concerning. “I strongly feel that if people want this vaccine, they should receive it. Absolutely,” Payer said. “But just like it’s their choice to receive it or not, I feel like it should also be my choice to give it or not.” None of the nurses, including Payer, feel “comfortable” administering a vaccine that has gone through a speedy testing process with new technology, the Kansas City Star reported. Studies involving tens of thousands of people found that the two vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S. are nearly 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 illness. The studies discovered no major safety problems, although the vaccines do come with a caution about rare, serious allergic reactions. That’s why people are supposed to be observed for 15 minutes after the injection so any adverse reactions can be treated promptly. But because rare side effects sometimes can’t be detected until vaccines are given to millions of people, multiple systems now are tracking recipients’ health so authorities can rapidly investigate any reported problems and determine if they’re related to the shots. So far, the vaccines have been given to more than 10 million people in the U.S. with no additional warnings issued.

Kentucky

Frankfort: As Kentucky ramps up its vaccination effort, demand continues to outpace supply, Gov. Andy Beshear warned Tuesday. “The supply that we’re going to get next week is already 30,000 doses underneath our ability of what we can put in someone’s arm in just a seven-day span,” he said. As of Tuesday, Kentucky has administered roughly 82% of doses designated for its state immunization program, and roughly a third of doses in the Long Term Care Facilities Program. Once more doses are available, Beshear said, more people will be able to schedule vaccine appointments at the state’s drive-thru centers, and the immunization program can expand access to the vaccinations to everyone through the third tier, which includes people 60 and older, anyone older than 16 with high-risk medical conditions and anyone deemed an essential worker. Dr. Steven Stack, Kentucky’s public health commissioner, addressed concerns about vaccine wait times and urged Kentuckians to be patient as they await the vaccine. He anticipates that most K-12 staff will have access to the vaccine by the first week of February.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: The state’s chief public health officer Tuesday warned hospitals, pharmacies and clinics that they should not be steering their COVID-19 vaccine doses solely to their own patients, saying the state has received reports of such favoritism. Dr. Joe Kanter with the Louisiana Department of Health sent a memo to the vaccine providers that cautioned any found to be discriminating in favor of their patients and denying vaccine appointments to nonpatients could face penalties. “To the extent that such discrimination is occurring, it must immediately cease,” Kanter wrote to the health facilities. He reminded that coronavirus vaccine providers “are subject to after-action audits, and adverse action could be considered if improper discrimination by a provider is determined to have occurred.” The vaccine providers could face financial penalties, limits on future vaccine allocations, legal actions or other response if found continuing to discriminate in its distribution, said health department spokesperson Aly Neel. The state has control over licensing of health facilities and steers billions of dollars, through the Medicaid program and other health initiatives, to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.

Maine

Orono: Rural Piscataquis County violated the state’s open meeting law when it adopted a resolution that misled the public about the coronavirus pandemic, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine said Wednesday. The County Commission’s resolution objected to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ pandemic executive orders. Public health authorities in the state, including Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah, have characterized the statement as full of errors about the pandemic. The resolution made a discredited claim that face coverings cause pneumonia and respiratory disease, causing “far worse devastation to the populace than the virus itself.” The ACLU of Maine said the resolution was also adopted in secret, which is against state rules. A request for comment was left with The Piscataquis County Commission.

Maryland

Annapolis: Gov. Larry Hogan highlighted his $1 billion virus relief proposal and tax cuts Tuesday in his annual budget proposal for the next fiscal year. Hogan outlined only highlights of his budget plan to the General Assembly during a news conference. The administration was scheduled to releaser its entire budget proposal Wednesday. The Republican governor’s top priority this session is his pandemic relief proposal. It includes payments of up to $450 for individuals and $750 for families that have claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit. Hogan also is proposing ending local and state income taxes on unemployment benefits. The plan includes allowing Maryland restaurants and small businesses to keep up to $12,000 of sales tax over the next four months.

Massachusetts

Boston: The state on Tuesday designated Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, as its next COVID-19 mass vaccination site. Starting Feb. 1, the ballpark will begin administering 500 vaccines a day by appointment and will soon ramp up to providing 1,000 vaccines a day to eligible residents in Phase One priority groups under the state’s vaccination plan, state officials said. CIC Health will operate the site, with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as the medical director. The site is expected to stay open through the beginning of baseball season in early April. The state’s COVID-19 Command Center is also working with Boston officials to identify and set up a longer-term vaccine site in the city. The decision follows the opening this week of Gillette Stadium as the state’s first mass vaccination site. The site is expected to work up to administering more than 1,000 vaccinations a day, and soon after, 5,000 vaccinations a day for those eligible under Phase One, including first responders.

Michigan

Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday unveiled a $5.6 billion plan to fight and recover from the coronavirus pandemic, proposing the use of billions in federal relief and $575 million in surplus state funds. The request was set to go to Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature on Wednesday, less than a month after Congress and President Trump enacted additional COVID-19 aid that will flow through states and fund priorities such as vaccine distribution, testing, tracing, higher food assistance benefits and new rental assistance. A major facet of the Democratic governor’s proposal would allocate $300 million in state dollars – nearly $2 billion when federal funding is counted – to help K-12 schools offer the option of in-person instruction by March 1 and to address pandemic-related learning loss. Districts with higher numbers of disadvantaged students or those with disabilities would receive more money.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: A COVID-19 vaccine registration website crashed Tuesday as newly eligible seniors tried to make appointments to get some of the few doses just made available to the group. The state began taking appointments at noon for a limited supply of 12,000 doses now available to seniors, teachers and child care workers at nine sites statewide. The call center received more than 83,000 calls, and the website experienced 2,000 hits per second, at one point peaking at 10,000 hits per second as Minnesotans aged 65 and older tried to schedule an appointment. State officials said 6,100 appointments had been booked as of 2 p.m. People reported long waits and error messages on the registration website. State health officials said half of the 12,000 doses are reserved for seniors and half will go to teachers and child care workers. Minnesota is getting 60,000 doses from the federal government per week.

Mississippi

Jackson: More than 100,000 people in Mississippi have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and officials are taking further steps to administer the state’s supply of shots more efficiently, Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday. “There is no higher priority and we’re acting accordingly,” Reeves told a news conference. “We’re not where we need to be and we’ve got a long way to go. With 100,000 Mississippians vaccinated, we’ve got hundreds of thousands more to do in the coming weeks and months.” Inoculation rates in Mississippi have lagged far behind most of the U.S., according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Reeves insisted Monday that health officials are making changes to speed things along. The state’s website for making vaccine appointments has been upgraded to handle increased traffic, and more people are answering calls from those booking by phone, he said. Meanwhile, state officials are working to free up more shots for the general population aged 65 and older by getting several thousand doses from nursing homes that received more than they needeed, Reeves said. If individual providers don’t use at least 65% of their weekly dose allocation, their share of the following week’s supply will go to others in the state.

Missouri

St. Louis: Some Missourians who received unemployment insurance payments during the coronavirus pandemic are now being told they have to pay back the money. Marissa Crozier told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that unemployment insurance kept her afloat after she was laid off as a costume designer for St. Louis Community College’s theater program, and after her costume work for the Muny and Opera Theatre of St. Louis vanished because of the pandemic. She went back to work at the college in August and then got a surprise letter from the Missouri Division of Employment Security saying she had been ineligible for the jobless benefits and needed to repay nearly $8,000. Crozier said she isn’t sure why she was deemed ineligible. It could be months before the state hears her appeal because of a backlog of cases. Missouri now said it paid benefits in error to many people like Crozier, and the state is seeking repayment. Jim Guest of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, a nonprofit legal clinic working with many people appealing state unemployment repayment demands, said applicants were not “trying to game the system.” “They were people applying for benefits they believed they were entitled to,” he said. Talks are underway among leaders of the House, Senate, Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s office and the Missouri Department of Labor to address the situation.

Montana

Helena: The state is moving into the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Gov. Greg Gianforte said Tuesday, but the supply is still limited and not all counties are immediately offering shots to all those who are newly eligible. Those who can receive the vaccine in the second phase are people 70 and over; those 16 to 69 with a high-risk medical condition; and Native Americans and other people of color older than 16 who might be at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications. “Focusing on the most vulnerable Montanans in our vaccine distribution will save lives,” Gianforte said in a statement. “Thanks to the hard work of our local health jurisdictions and health care workers, Montana’s most vulnerable now have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.” Montana’s vaccine supply still depends on the federal supply and allocations, officials said. Most county health departments are asking people to make appointments for vaccines online and to monitor the websites for information on future availability. In Lewis and Clark County, 900 drive-through vaccine appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday were quickly reserved last week by residents 70 and older. Cascade County plans to have an online portal open Thursday to schedule drive-through appointments for those 70 and older, but not those 16 to 69 with underlying health issues. The county has 1,500 doses to distribute next week.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The state’s campaign to vaccinate people for the coronavirus is further along in some rural parts of the state. At least a half-dozen health districts across the state have started giving vaccines to seniors living outside long-term care facilities, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. Officials in Lincoln and Omaha are still working to vaccinate health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Health districts based in Scottsbluff, Grand Island, Kearney, Dakota City and Burwell have started to vaccinate older residents of the areas they serve. State health officials have said they expected the campaign to progress at different rates throughout parts of Nebraska. Overall, the state has administered 109,526 of the 192,078 doses of the vaccines it has received so far. Officials said Tuesday that more than 75,000 of the state’s roughly 90,000 health care workers have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and shots have been administered at 428 long-term care facilities.

Nevada

Las Vegas: School teachers, college professors and child care workers have been added to the sign-up list for COVID-19 vaccinations in the Las Vegas area, officials said. The Southern Nevada Health District on Monday added “front-line community support” workers for eligibility, including employees in the food, shelter, court and social services, and essential public transportation sectors. It said people can schedule appointments for inoculations. In Las Vegas, Reno and other parts of the state, the list already included hospital and public health workers, long-term care staff and assisted living residents, public safety and security employees, college students and people 70 and over. The Washoe County Health District’s current priority group includes public and private school educators and child care. Officials expect to notify some 1,800 seniors by email that they can receive COVID-19 vaccines this week.

New Hampshire

Concord: The state Department of Health and Human Services has updated its instructions to health care providers about registering medically vulnerable patients for the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination under “Phase 1b” begins Tuesday, with registration starting Friday, for residents age 65 and older, those with certain medical conditions, residents and staff of facilities for people with developmental disabilities, corrections officers and health care workers not previously vaccinated. Residents age 65 and older should register to be vaccinated at one of the state’s fixed site clinics by visiting https://vaccines.nh.gov or by calling 2-1-1. There are different processes for those with medical conditions, according to a health alert message issued Sunday. When vaccine supply is limited, the Division of Public Health Services recommended that providers prioritize within the eligible group. For example, vaccinating those who are 75 and older before those aged 65-74 or vaccinating those with more medical conditions before those with fewer.

New Jersey

Trenton: The state has the infrastructure set up to start vaccinating more people against COVID-19 but doesn’t have the supply of shots to meet demand, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday. Murphy, a Democrat, said the state has opened two-thirds of the mass vaccination sites across the state, with more set up at CVS and Walgreens under a federal partnership, but the number of vaccines coming in each week is just over 100,000. That’s short of the 470,000 needed to meet demand, according to Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli. So far, New Jersey has administered about 388,000 doses of the vaccine. That amounts to about 3.9% of the state’s population. Overall, the country has seen about 10.6 million vaccinations, or 3.2% of the population, according to figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: A recent decrease in statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations is not enough to ease up on mask wearing, social distancing or other measures aimed at curbing spread, top officials with New Mexico’s largest health care providers said Tuesday. The number of people hospitalized in New Mexico because of the virus was just over 640 on Tuesday, slightly higher than the day before but still one of the lowest levels in months. But hospital officials described the recent decrease as more of a plateau, saying modeling suggests they could continue to see increases through February. In northwestern New Mexico, officials said coronavirus-related hospitalizations have not let up. Hospitals elsewhere remain at capacity with patients who need care for other medical emergencies. CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe has seen somewhat of a decrease in patients in its specialized COVID-19 unit. Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Gonzales said that has allowed the hospital to open up parts of that unit to serve other patients.

New York

New York City: A federal judge has rejected convicted pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli’s second request to be let out of prison early, showing skepticism about his claim in court papers that mental health issues have weakened his immune system and made him more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus. U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto said in a 12-page ruling on Friday that Shkreli again failed to demonstrate extraordinary and compelling factors that would require a sentence modification, such as release under home confinement rules designed to move vulnerable inmates out of institutions during the pandemic. Matsumoto, the same judge that ruled against Shkreli in May, said the 37-year-old presented no evidence to support his claims and that a mental health practitioner who evaluated him found him to be stable. Matsumoto also rejected the argument that Shkreli should be let out because coronavirus-related lockdowns were impeding his ability to communicate with the attorneys representing him in a civil lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission. Matsumoto noted that Shkreli recently had a two-hour Zoom session with his attorneys, as well as several phone calls up to an hour in length. Shkreli’s attorney, Benjamin Brafman, declined to comment.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The state Department of Public Safety announced on Wednesday it has received about 1,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for inmates and prison staff. “The staff have worked so hard for so long with hope and prayer for a better day down the road,” said a statement from Todd Ishee, the state’s commissioner of prisons. “Now the vaccine is arriving at our prisons, and we can see a way to a future without this awful virus controlling so much of our lives. This is an important step.” An additional 300 doses allocated for the prison system are expected to arrive this week. Some staff members have been vaccinated through local health departments. The limited supply of 1,000 doses will go to prison health care staff administering the vaccine, staff working with infected inmates or in housing units where offenders have tested positive for the virus and inmates 75 years or older. Prison officials said inmates between the ages of 65 and 74 will be vaccinated next, based on the available supply of doses. Four prisons are serving as regional delivery hubs for distribution. Members of North Carolina’s National Guard will work at least through Friday at Central Prison in Raleigh to vaccinate local staff members.

North Dakota

Bismarck: State Sen. Terry Wanzek, R-Jamestown, said he has contracted COVID-19. The 63-year-old senator said he took a rapid test Monday and immediately left the Capitol after a test-taker told him about the positive result. Wanzek said he doesn’t believe he has had any close contacts in the Legislature and has been wearing his mask. The senator shared the news remotely during the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. Wanzek will quarantine at home for 10 days, KQDJ reported. North Dakota lawmakers are required to wear face coverings in the House and Senate chambers and other shared spaces. But some lawmakers regularly eat lunch together in the Capitol cafeteria without masks. Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, tested positive for the coronavirus following the Legislature’s three-day organizational session in December, which he called a “petri dish” for infection. He has fully recovered.

Ohio

Columbus: Nearly all Ohio school districts have told the state they plan to return to in-person learning in some form as of March 1, meaning efforts to vaccinate thousands of school employees will begin Feb. 1, Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday. The governor said 96% of districts indicated they would follow either hybrid models – home some days, in school others – or full-time in-person classes. School districts will work either with pharmacies or local health departments for vaccinations, which could happen at schools or some other centrally located place. Local Educational Service Centers will confirm plans with districts this week. The Ohio Federation of Teachers supports the goal of returning to school March 1 but said it shouldn’t be a condition for vaccination. The union said it’s not confident employees could receive the first vaccine by then, let alone both required doses, and worries employees still might not be fully vaccinated in time. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it can take one to two weeks after the second shot to be protected. Ohio begins vaccinating people 80 and older this week, with plans to offer the vaccine to people 75 and older next week and 70 the week after that. The governor said prison inmates in those age groups will be included.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: The State Department of Health said Wednesday it is seeking volunteers to help at vaccination sites in the state. DHS’ Medical Reserve Corps is searching for medical and nonmedical volunteers to give vaccinations, handle registration and perform other tasks at PODS, or points of dispensing sites, at more than 50 locations in the state. “This is a huge, unprecedented effort to vaccinate the majority of our population of nearly 4 million Oklahomans. We need as much help as we can get from our community to make it possible,” said reserve corps coordinator Lezlie Carter. Oklahoma has administered 242,093 vaccinations, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 30,919 to people who have now received the required two doses of vaccine.

Oregon

Portland: The Department of Education on Tuesday issued updated guidance for the return of in-person learning, which includes a requirement that schools provide on-site COVID-19 testing. The guidance is the most recent push for students to return to school. Earlier this month, Gov. Kate Brown set a Feb. 15 goal for returning more students to the classroom, with a focus on elementary students. “It’s absolutely critical that we return Oregon students to in-person instruction as quickly as possible,” Brown tweeted. “The educational, social, emotional, mental, and physical health of so many students is tied to their schools and to the personalized support that educators provide.” Before winter break, less than 10% of Oregon’s estimated 580,000 students were receiving some form of in-person instruction, according to data from the Department of Education. At the start of the year, Brown gave local school districts the power to decide when to return students to in-person learning. Updated advisory metrics now allow for in-person classes for elementary students at higher levels of community case rates than previously recommended. A new requirement is that schools provide on-site COVID-19 testing for symptomatic students and staff members and for those who have had a known exposure to a positive case.

Pennsylvania

Brighton Township: Heritage Valley Health System will begin offering a mass vaccination program for the more than 35,000 Beaver County residents age 65 and older to become inoculated against COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 2,394 Beaver County residents had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including 343 residents who received both doses, according to state data. Suzanne Sakson, spokeswoman for Heritage Valley Health System, said the health system is scheduled to receive doses of the Moderna vaccine, which does not require special storage and requires 28 days between doses. Sakson said that registration will open for the vaccine later this week on the health system’s website, heritagevalley.org. Those registered will be sent a link to electronically schedule the date and time of both the first and second doses of the vaccine.

Rhode Island

Providence: Gov. Gina Raimondo has signed an executive order allowing retired teachers to return to the classroom while continuing to collect their full pensions, a move meant to help alleviate a shortage of substitutes exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic prompted many teachers to retire or work remotely because of health protocols. In the fall, the state started a substitute teacher recruitment program and called on retirees to resume teaching. The order signed late last month waives the existing requirement that a retired teacher’s state pension be paused if they work for more than 90 days in the year. State Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green told WPRI-TV on Tuesday the pension pause was a “barrier” to getting retirees to return to the classroom. The order requires school districts to inform the Employees’ Retirement System of Rhode Island that a retiree is needed because of the pandemic and is not being employed past June 25. Under the order, any retired teaching or administrative staff hired by a school district will not be entitled to additional retirement.

South Carolina

Spartanburg: The state Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 3,567 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 56 new deaths statewide on Wednesday. The agency also reported 93 new probable cases. Of the 14,331 COVID-19 test results reported to DHEC, 24.9% were positive. Spartanburg County had 790 new confirmed cases and the most confirmed cases of the state’s 46 counties. Spartanburg, which accounts for 6.2% of the state’s population, accounted for 22.1% of the new cases. Greenville County had 742 new confirmed cases. The most populated of the state’s 46 counties, Greenville accounts for 10.2% of the state’s population according to Census Bureau estimates, and it accounted for 20.8% of the confirmed and probable cases reported Wednesday.

South Dakota

Spearfish: More than 20% of South Dakota children have missed routine vaccinations since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country. The numbers are in line with a national trend that shows significant decreases in the number of vaccinations administered in 2020, according to a recent study by Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The national data showed that children across the country missed approximately 9 million vaccines, or at least 26% of the recommended doses. According to the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association, 40% of parents and legal guardians reported that their children missed vaccinations during the pandemic. The first vaccines were missed when COVID-19 swept the nation last spring. The second dropoff occurred in August 2020, when students who would ordinarily be receiving shots to prepare for the school year discovered instead that they would be remote learning at home. Dr. Rose Oakley, a pediatrician with Monument Health in Spearfish, said though it is difficult to gauge exact percentages of vaccines distributed locally, because the families who do not seek vaccines, the report does not surprise her. Oakley said the drop in regular visits and vaccinations worries her because children who are not vaccinated miss out on a crucial period for protection against diseases, some of which can be life-threatening. Oakley cited meningitis (an infection of fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord), and epiglottitis (a condition that occurs when cartilage surrounding the wind pipe swells and blocks air flow to the lungs) as two main examples.

Tennessee

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Memphis, tested negative for the coronavirus on Monday but he has been advised by the attending physician of the U.S. Congress to quarantine.
U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Memphis, tested negative for the coronavirus on Monday but he has been advised by the attending physician of the U.S. Congress to quarantine.

Memphis: U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Memphis, is under self-quarantine after he came into close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus, his office said Tuesday. Kustoff tested negative for the virus on Monday but he has been advised by the attending physician of the U.S. Congress to quarantine, he said in a statement. Kustoff said he is working remotely. His office did not identify the person with whom he came into contact. Kustoff won a third term representing the 8th District in west Tennessee in November. His district includes suburban Memphis and parts of more than a dozen mostly rural counties.

Texas

Houston: Rapper Bow Wow apologized after Houston’s mayor called him out for attending a crowded gathering at a city nightclub during a weekend packed with concerts as Texas continues to grapple with the coronavirus. Mayor Sylvester Turner took to Twitter on Sunday to let the rapper, whose real name is Shad Gregory Moss, know that the city was monitoring a football watch party Bow Wow was expected to attend. “Other bars/clubs that are operating as restaurants, beyond capacity and social distancing requirements, please expect visits,” Turner tweeted. Bow Wow also sounded off on Twitter to share his grievances, saying he wasn’t paid to appear and that he was there for a friend’s birthday party. “Safe to say the mayor of houston hates my guts. I cant believe i get the blame for a whole weekend,” Bow Wow tweeted Monday morning. “I apologize if i did anything wrong. I love the city of houston.” Turner made clear that he doesn’t dislike Bow Wow and said the pandemic is not the time for concerts. News outlets reported Bow Wow was seen Friday night in club Cle Houston among a maskless crowd, though the rapper said on Twitter that he sang only one verse, then “went back to my section and simply put my mask BACK on.” Clubs in Houston are allowed to operate at 50% capacity.

Utah

Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged its members to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s their turn, while announcing Tuesday that eight top leaders and most of their wives received their first doses. Church President Russell M. Nelson, 96, and the others are over the age of 70. Utah’s plan has shifted to getting seniors vaccinated after first delivering shots to health care workers and first responders. The faith acknowledged that people must make their own decisions, but encouraged members to get vaccinated in a news release Tuesday. “As appropriate opportunities become available, the church urges its members, employees and missionaries to be good global citizens and help quell the pandemic by safeguarding themselves and others through immunization,” the church said. Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor to Nelson and a member of a top governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve, was among those getting the vaccine. The 88-year-old said he’s hopeful the widespread distribution of vaccines will help the world “get ahead of this awful pandemic.”

Vermont

Montpelier: Thousands of Vermont teachers want to be included in the state’s next phase of vaccinations. More than 3,800 teachers and school staffers had signed an online petition by Wednesday morning. “We the undersigned, petition Governor Phil Scott of Vermont to prioritize the COVID-19 vaccination for K-12 teachers and school staff, in accordance with the CDC and Federal guidelines,” the petition stated, according to the Burlington Free Press. Scott and Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine have said that they feel that teachers do not need to be prioritized because there is no evidence of community spread within Vermont schools, the newspaper reported. Surveillance COVID-19 testing in schools is monitoring school exposure, state leaders have said. But petitioners said that the opt-in surveillance testing of teachers doesn’t give a complete picture of the impact of the coronavirus on schools.

Virginia

Petersburg: A record number for single-day reports Sunday of new COVID-19 cases statewide was reflected locally, as every Tri-City area locality recorded their highest numbers since the pandemic began. According to the Virginia Department of Health, Petersburg and Hopewell hit triple digits – Petersburg with 180 and Hopewell with 134. Colonial Heights reported 78 cases Sunday, Prince George County had 68 and Dinwiddie County 51. In a statement, the Department of Health attributed the sharp increases to get-togethers over the holidays. Despite the high number of case reports, there were no new hospitalizations or deaths attributed to COVID-19 over that 24-hour period.

Washington

Seattle: As the state struggles to bolster its vaccination distribution efforts, the Department of Health on Tuesday began reporting its most updated vaccination numbers on its online COVID-19 data dashboard. The dashboard, launched months ago, updates Washingtonians every day on the state’s latest number of COVID-19 cases, deaths, hospitalizations, tests and other information. On Tuesday night, vaccination data was added to the list. As of Monday night, 294,386 doses had been given, with a seven-day average of 14,064 per day. The state’s goal is to reach 45,000 vaccine doses per day, Gov. Jay Inslee said Monday, promising to add new vaccination sites, mobilize thousands of workers and make everyone 65 and over immediately eligible. But The Seattle Times reported there is pushback from the health community to Inslee’s plan for meeting the new goal. Instead of waiting for vaccines to arrive before making appointments, providers should operate on the assumption that more supplies are coming and cancel appointments if necessary, Inslee said. In King County, the state’s most populous and home to Seattle, 109,120 doses have been administered. Pierce County, home to Tacoma, has given the second-highest number of shots with 33,845, according to state health officials.

West Virginia

Charleston: West Virginia’s speedy coronavirus vaccination drive was facing a roadblock on Tuesday as state leaders said they didn’t receive an expected increase in doses this week. With 99.6% of first doses on hand already administered, officials are clamoring for the federal government to send more vaccines. “Here we are with no vaccines,” said Republican Gov. Jim Justice, fretting that other states have doses sitting unused. “We’ve got them all in people’s arms and we’ve done exactly what we should have done. … I think performance ought to be rewarded.” He said the state hasn’t received a promised 25,000 additional doses this week on top of its usual weekly allocation, which is about 23,000. In West Virginia, 7.4% of its 1.78 million population has received at least one of two doses, according to the latest state data, the highest among the 50 states. It has earned praise for having finished offering first doses to all nursing homes through more than 200 rural, small-town pharmacies, which have continued the fast pace to vaccinate teachers and other essential workers. Justice said that vaccine eligibility would immediately open for people age 65 and over, lowering it from 70, in line with recent new guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevent. Even though the state has few doses to give, the governor said he didn’t want federal officials to potentially hold back doses over noncompliance.

Wisconsin

Madison: The COVID-19 vaccine would have to be available to the general public by mid-March, rather than June as state health officials estimated, under a bill from the Republican chairman of the Wisconsin Assembly Health Committee. The measure, up for a public hearing Wednesday, grows out of criticism from Republican lawmakers about distribution of the vaccine from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration. Evers and the state’s health leaders have defended the rollout, saying how quickly people can be vaccinated is limited by the number of doses being sent by the federal government. The bill is unlikely to become law. It has to pass the Senate and Assembly, and be signed by Evers, before taking effect. Several other GOP-authored proposals have been introduced in the Senate that would likely also face an Evers veto. Those measures would prohibit employers and the government from mandating vaccinations; prevent health officials from closing churches; require schools to be open in person unless a two-thirds majority of the school board votes every two weeks to remain virtual; and forbid giving prison inmates priority for vaccinations.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: Lawmakers have advanced legislation that would change how the state regulates home-scale wind and solar power. The bill endorsed by a legislative committee Tuesday would repeal Wyoming’s net-metering rules for how homeowners with their own power-generating systems sell electricity for others to use. If approved by the full Legislature and signed into law, the bill would task the Wyoming Public Service Commission with setting up a new system that would no longer require utilities to buy excess power generated by home-scale systems, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. The change would keep utility rates fair for people without home-scale renewable energy, said supporters of the bill endorsed by the Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions. Opponents argued the bill would endanger Wyoming’s home-scale renewable energy industry by removing incentives to install wind and solar systems.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 50 States