Covid live updates: Oxford says AstraZeneca vaccine works against UK variant; U.S. added jobs in January

People who have had Covid and recovered can “afford to wait a little bit” to get the vaccine, but should ultimately get it, Dr. Saad B. Omer, a fellow and spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and director of the Yale Institute for Global Health, tells CNBC Make It.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who have had Covid get the vaccine, “due to the severe health risks associated with Covid-19 and the fact that reinfection with Covid-19 is possible.” People can wait three months after infection to be vaccinated, the CDC says.

Anecdotal reports suggest that some Covid survivors experience side effects from the first dose of the Covid vaccines. “That makes complete sense, and shows you that the immune system is really responding to [the virus] in a much more vigorous way,” Dr. David Wohl, an infectious disease physician at the University of North Carolina, tells CNBC Make It.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said vaccination remains safe in people who have had Covid, during a Twitter Q&A Thursday.

—Cory Stieg

Travelers who try to flout the federal mask mandate could face fines of up to $250 the Transportation Security Administration said. The Biden administration this week started requiring travelers to wear masks at airports, on planes, on buses, ferries, trains and in rideshares.

Airlines have required that travelers over the age of 2 wear masks since last spring but labor unions pushed for federal rules to give the policies more weight.

The TSA says it would recommend fines of up to $1,500 for repeat offenders.

—Leslie Josephs

French luxury goods giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has told employees of its newly acquired U.S. jeweler Tiffany that they must return to the office starting March 1, The Wall Street Journal reported.

LVMH said Tiffany’s staff must return to the office two days a week, people familiar with the matter told the Journal.

The order to return to work isn’t specific to Tiffany employees. LVMH has instituted a two-day-a-week policy for workers at its other brands, including Louis Vuitton and Dior, as well as its staff in France, according to the Journal.

Read the complete Journal story here.

Democrats cleared a hurdle toward passing their $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package without Republican support.

The Senate passed a budget resolution to set up the reconciliation process, which enables Democrats to pass an aid bill with a simple majority in the chamber. Vice President Kamala Harris had to break a tie after a party-line vote in the evenly split Senate.

Once the House approves an identical budget measure, Democrats can move forward with writing the rescue legislation. They aim to pass a bill before March 14, when a $300 per week federal jobless benefit and programs expanding unemployment insurance expire.

President Joe Biden, who has negotiated with a group of Republican senators, hopes to win GOP votes for the package. Many Republicans are wary of more spending after Congress passed a $900 billion relief bill in December.

The Democratic proposal calls for $1,400 direct payments, a $400 per week unemployment benefit through September, $20 billion for Covid-19 vaccine distribution, $30 billion for rent and utility assistance and $350 billion in state, local and tribal support, among other provisions.

—Jacob Pramuk