The daily death toll from coronavirus infection in the United States returned to the 3000-plus level after a gap of 10 days.
With 3230 new deaths reporting in the last 24 hours, the total U.S. COVID-19 fatalities rose to 505890, as per Johns Hopkins University’s latest data.
73392 new cases of coronavirus infections were reported in the country in the same period, taking the national total to 28334981.
A total of 54,118 COVID patients are currently admitted in the U.S. hospitals, according to COVID Tracking Project. Out of this, 11,026 patients are admitted in Intensive Care Units.
More than 20 million Americans, or 6.4 percent of the total U.S. population, have so far been fully vaccinated, according to the U.S. collaborative volunteer-run effort to track the pandemic.
Average test positivity rate has fallen to the lowest level in several months. Out of 1.46 million people tested for the virus, only 4.84 percent were diagnosed with the disease.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that the single-shot coronavirus vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson has “known benefits” in reducing both symptomatic and severe illness from coronavirus infection.
After verifying data submitted by Belgian company Janssen, which is owned by Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. regulator said its vaccine meets requirements for emergency use authorization.
FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet on Friday to recommend authorization to the FDA. If the decision is positive, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will become the third Covid-19 vaccine to be authorized in the U.S. It is reportedly considered a cost-effective alternative to the Pfizer and Moderna shots.
A Columbia University Medical Center research report says that a worrying new coronavirus variant has been found in New York City and elsewhere in the Northeast.
Another study has found that Covid-19 antibodies developed from a previous infection could significantly lower the risk of a person becoming re-infected. “The main takeaway is that being antibody positive after natural infection is associated with partial protection against a new infection,” said Dr. Douglas Lowy, who was an author of the study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged to proceed “wisely and carefully” before reopening public places to avoid a third wave of Covid-19 outbreak.
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