The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:
Global cases: More than 112.64 million
Global deaths: At least 2.49 million
U.S. cases: More than 28.33 million
U.S. deaths: At least 505,899
About 45 million people have received one or more shots of the Pfizer or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, equal to 13.6% of the U.S. population, according to CDC data. On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s staff endorsed Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine for emergency use, a key step in getting a third vaccine to market in the U.S.
—Nate Rattner
Vaccine passports are being considered, prompting many to sound the alarm
A nurse prepares to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the McLeod Health Clarendon hospital in Manning, South Carolina, Feb. 17, 2021.
Micah Green | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Health experts and civil liberty organizations are deeply concerned about the prospect of coronavirus vaccine passports.
It comes at a time when the U.S., the U.K. and the European Union, among others, have said they will consider whether to introduce a digital passport that will allow citizens to show they have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, clinical epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London, told CNBC via telephone that vaccine passports could inadvertently be used to provide “false assurances” to holidaymakers.
“I can see that they might be useful in the longer term, but I have several concerns about them being considered at this point in time when I think the scientific evidence doesn’t support them. And there are lots of ethical concerns about them that I think are legitimate,” Gurdasani said.
Meanwhile, Liberty, the U.K.’s largest civil liberties organization, has said: “These so-called passports claim they would ensure those who can prove they have coronavirus immunity can start to return to normal life. Which raises the question — what happens to everyone else?”
—Sam Meredith
Black women bear the brunt of financial pain from pandemic, CNBC + Acorns survey finds
One-quarter of U.S. adults have tapped into their emergency savings or borrowed money from a family or friend since the start of the pandemic, according to a new CNBC + Acorns Invest in You survey conducted by SurveyMonkey.
It is people of color who have taken the biggest hit, particularly Black women. Nearly 40% of Black females took from their savings or borrowed money, compared to 28% of Hispanic women and 27% white women.
A majority of Americans also need another stimulus payment from the government.
Almost one-third, or 29%, said they are counting on it to get by, and an additional 24% said they need it but don’t think it will happen, the survey found. Fully 50% of Black Americans and 40% of Hispanics are counting on it, while 57% of Black women said the same. Another 24% of Blacks and Hispanics need it but don’t believe it will occur.
The survey was conducted between Feb. 1-8 among a national sample of 6,182 adults.
—Michelle Fox and Sharon Epperson
Initial weekly jobless claims improved last week, totaling 730,000 first-time filings, as U.S. Covid cases slow and the vaccine rollout picks up steam.
Economists polled by Dow Jones expected claims to total 845,000 for the week.
The readout is still substantially higher than pre-pandemic levels, when fewer than 200,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits each week on average. Still, 730,000 marks one of the lowest prints of the Covid era.
—Sara Salinas
No end in sight for travel restrictions in Europe as leaders worry over variants
Looking to holiday in Greece or Spain? You could be waiting some time.
European leaders are expected to say on Thursday that all non-essential travel needs to remain restricted as the Covid health situation remains “serious” across the continent, according to a document seen by CNBC.
European leaders are worried about lifting restrictions at a time when Covid variants have become dominant in many member states.
“For the time being, non-essential travel needs to be restricted,” they are expected to say, according to the document.
—Silvia Amaro
Pfizer and BioNTech are testing a booster shot for their Covid vaccine
Pfizer and BioNTech are testing a third dose, or booster shot, of their Covid vaccine in an effort to better understand how the drug interacts with virus variants.
The companies have said they expect the two-dose vaccine to be effective against virus strains first detected in South Africa and the United Kingdom, but the additional study could mean a more robust immune response to mutations if it becomes needed.
“The rate of mutations in the current virus is higher than expected,” Pfizer Chief Scientific Officer Mikael Dolsten told Reuters in an interview.
“It’s a reasonable probability that we would end up with regular boosts. And for potent vaccines, it may be that you need to do a strain change every few years, but not necessarily every year.”
—Sara Salinas
Moderna completes enrollment for trial testing Covid vaccine in kids age 12 and up
A Moderna (COVID-19) vaccine is seen at the LA Mission homeless shelter on Skid Row, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 10, 2021.
Lucy Nicholson | Reuters
Moderna has completed enrollment of 3,000 participants in a clinical trial testing its Covid-19 vaccine in kids between ages 12 and 17.
Moderna’s vaccine has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for use in people who are 18 years old and older. Clinical trial studies testing the vaccine in kids, whose immune systems can respond differently than adults, still need to be completed.
The company also said its study testing young children between ages 6 months and 11 will begin in the “near term.”
–Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
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