Current Events in February 2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 26,446,439 (26,330,506)

Total U.S. deaths: 447,737 (443,923)

Total global cases: 104,043,420 (103,572,661)

Total global deaths: 2,258,460 (2,243,638)

Democrats push ahead on $1.9 trillion relief bill

Congressional Democrats have served notice that they plan to go it alone, passing a $1.9 trillion aid package for consumers and businesses without support from Republicans. The Senate voted along party lines, 50-49, to open debate on a 2021 budget resolution.

Passing the package as part of the budget resolution would allow approval with only a simple majority. Otherwise, it would require 10 Republicans to vote in favor of it.

On Monday, 10 senate Republicans met with President Biden to discuss their proposal for a smaller package costing $900 billion. Democrats have dismissed that as too small.

Vaccines to be shipped directly to retail pharmacies

In an effort to speed up the rollout of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, the White House has announced that it will begin sending shipments of the vaccine directly to retail pharmacies to administer to the public. The change in policy will take place next week.

"Millions of Americans turn to their local pharmacies every day for their medicines, flu shots, and much more,” said White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zient. “Pharmacies are readily accessible in most communities, with most Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy." 

The program replaces a direct shipment to states to administer the vaccine. It will begin rolling out on February 11 at 6,500 stores nationwide.

Study shows one dose of AstraZeneca vaccine is effective

To make sure it could vaccinate the maximum number of people with limited vaccine supplies, the British government administered just one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the first people receiving it. That turned out to be an effective strategy.

Researchers at Oxford University fay the vaccine was 76 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 symptoms for three months. In fact, the rate of effectiveness got higher with a longer interval between the first and second doses.

“Vaccine efficacy after a single standard dose of vaccine from day 22 to day 90 post-vaccination was 76 percent ... and modeled analysis indicated that protection did not wane during this initial 3 month period,” the study found.

Companies are working on a vaccine against variants

Health officials are still trying to roll out the vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna, but GlaxoSmithKline, partnering with CureVac, is working on a vaccine to counter new variants of COVID-19.

“Through this new exclusive co-development agreement, GSK and CureVac will contribute resources and expertise to research, develop, and manufacture a number of novel mRNA vaccine candidates, including multi-valent and monovalent approaches,” the companies said in a press release. 

The companies said they hope to offer broader protection against a variety of different SARS-CoV2 variants and to enable a quick response to new variants potentially emerging in the future. They hope to have the vaccine available for distribution in  2022, subject to regulatory approval.

Study: Young people are the biggest COVID-19 spreaders

Vaccination efforts are currently targeting seniors, who are considered most vulnerable to COVID-19. But a new British study suggests that vaccinating much younger people might slow the spread of the virus faster.

The study, conducted by a team at Imperial College of London, found that young adults between the ages of 20 and 49 are responsible for most of the spread of the virus. The researchers found that they accounted for about 72 percent of the new cases that occurred after schools reopened in October.

“We find adults aged 20-49 are a main driver of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States and are the only age groups contributing disproportionally to onward spread, relative to their population size,” Imperial College’s Dr. Melodie Monod said.

Around the nation

• Connecticut: Gov. Ned Lamont has lifted some COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants and houses of worship. With both virus cases and hospitalizations trending lower, houses of worship can now hold up to 50 percent capacity with no limit. The curfew for restaurants has also been extended.

• Tennessee: Health officials say vaccinations are now open to residents 70 years old and older, but it will probably take the entire month of February to inoculate everyone who is eligible. Officials say there are about 300,000 Tennessee residents in that age category.

• Nevada: U.S. officials say Nevada is another state that has administered the vaccine efficiently. So far, it has administered 76.7 percent of the COVID-19 vaccine doses it has received from the federal government, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may recommend wearing two masks to fight COVID-19. 

In Fauci’s opinion, double-masking may help curb the migration of the more contagious variants of the coronavirus.

Are two masks better than one?

The key word in all of this is that the CDC “may” make a two-mask recommendation as it relates to the new COVID-19 strains. Getting to that “may” no doubt came as a result of Fauci having waffled a bit about the subject of one mask or two. 

In an interview with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie, Fauci said "If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective, and that's the reason why you see people either double masking or doing a version of an N95."

Then, days later on CNN, he softened his posture a bit. "The CDC does not recommend that you should wear two masks, nor does the CDC recommend that you have to wear an N95 mask. They just say, 'The most important thing is get everybody to wear a mask,'" Fauci stated. 

Fauci’s comments may have led to a pow-wow between him and the CDC. At a Washington Post event on Tuesday, Fauci said he and the CDC discussed the matter the day before. However, the agency didn’t feel confident that it had sufficient data to make any formal recommendation.

In the CDC’s latest guidance on masks, the agency seems to lean into the double protection, suggesting that masks have “two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric.” The CDC also weighed in about the average person wearing N95 masks. It said the general public should not choose masks that are “intended for health care workers, including N95 respirators or surgical masks.”

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Cambridge has found that teaching kids about empathy can benefit them creatively. 

According to their findings, kids’ creative and intellectual abilities improved when empathy was a focus point in school. This shows that addressing students’ needs beyond the scope of the curriculum can be beneficial to them both in the classroom and in everyday life. 

“We clearly awakened something in these pupils by encouraging them to think about the thoughts and feelings of others,” said researcher Dr. Helen Demetriou. “The research shows not only that it is possible to teach empathy, but that by doing so, we support the development of children’s creativity and their wider learning.” 

The benefits of prioritizing empathy

To better understand the importance of teaching kids how to be empathetic, the researchers conducted a year-long study that included 13- and 14-year-olds in a Design and Technology (D&T) program at two London schools. One school integrated lessons about empathy into the curriculum, and all of the students were assessed for creativity at the start and conclusion of the school year. 

Ultimately, learning about empathy was an important component of bolstering kids’ creativity and their overall engagement with academics. The researchers found that the students who had learned about empathy in school had stronger creative pursuits, and they were also more likely to be open-minded when compare to the students who had received more standard, curriculum-based lessons. 

Interestingly, the researchers learned that male and female students responded a little differently to the empathy lessons. Young girls had improved by more than 60 percent when it came to understanding others’ perspectives, while the boys who had empathy training were nearly 65 percent better at expressing their emotions. 

“When I taught Design and Technology, I didn’t see children as potential engineers who would one day contribute to the economy; they were people who needed to be ready to go into the world at 18,” said researcher Bill Nicholl. “Teaching children to empathize is about building a society where we appreciate other’s perspectives. Surely that is something we want education to do.” 

Surge in creativity

It’s also important to note that the children who received the empathy interventions had scored 11 percent lower on the creativity assessments at the start of the study; however, after learning more about emotions, thoughts, and feelings, the students’ creativity scores surged to be nearly 80 percent higher than the other group. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that more educational leaders take these findings into consideration. Instilling students with empathy skills has been found to help them become more well-rounded human beings, which is invaluable to the growth and development process. 

“This is something that we must think about as curricula, in general, becomes increasingly exam-based,” said Dr. Demetriou. “Good grades matter, but for society to thrive, creative, communicative, and empathic individuals matter too.” 

Visa has laid out plans to develop a suite of software applications so that banks can enable cryptocurrency trading and allow consumers to purchase and sell Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies at traditional banks. 

Visa is partnering with South Dakota startup Anchorage Trust Company, which recently became the first cryptocurrency company to receive a federal charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Anchorage will act as the “digital custodian” of cryptocurrencies purchased at Visa’s banking partners.

The first bank to take Visa up on its offer and integrate its services into its own is First Boulevard, the self-described “Unapologetically Black, digitally native bank, building generational wealth for Black America.”

Why this is important to Visa

While cryptocurrency is both confusing and alluring to most consumers, its prices keep shooting upward. This has forced bankers and traders to sit up and take notice, and the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) is trying to get a grip on crypto’s growing popularity in order to protect consumers.

During the company’s recent earnings call, Visa chief executive Al Kelly described Bitcoin as "digital gold" and said cryptocurrencies are "not used as a form of payment in a significant way at this point."

To Kelly, it’s purely a numbers game -- one that he feels will prove itself to be a safe bet long term.

"Our strategy here is to work with wallets and exchanges to enable users to purchase these currencies using their Visa credentials or to cash out onto our Visa credential to make a fiat purchase at any of the 70 million merchants where Visa is accepted globally," Kelly said. 

Kelly’s team has already shored up important cryptocurrency platforms. In the earnings call, he said that 35 of the leading digital currency platforms and wallets have already chosen to issue Visa. Those 35 platforms represent 50 million Visa credentials. 

“The next leading network has a fraction of that,” Kelly claimed. “And it goes without saying, to the extent a specific digital currency becomes a recognized means of exchange, there's no reason why we cannot add it to our network, which already supports over 160 currencies today.”

As the pandemic wears on, Apple is testing a new way to let iPhone users unlock their phones without having to remove their face mask in public. 

The company is testing a new iOS 14.5 feature that allows people to get past their device’s face recognition security tool if they are also wearing an unlocked Apple Watch. 

“iPhone can use your Apple Watch to unlock when Face ID detects a face with a mask,” Apple said. “Your Apple Watch must be nearby, on your wrist, unlocked, and protected by a passcode.” 

Consumers must opt in

Users will be able to opt into the feature by going into "Settings" and then navigating to "Face ID & Passcode.” Once enabled, mask-wearers with an unlocked Apple Watch can look at their iPhone and the phone will be unlocked. Users will hear a buzz when the device has successfully been unlocked, and they can also re-lock their iPhone from their Apple Watch.

This is the second update that Apple has introduced to address changing consumer needs during the pandemic. Last spring, the tech giant released iOS 13.5 and made it easier to skip the Face ID prompt while wearing a mask by automatically displaying the passcode entry screen.

The latest version of iOS 14.5 is currently being beta tested by the public.

The Biden administration has announced that it will begin shipping COVID-19 vaccines directly to 21 of the nation’s pharmacies (a group of 6,500 stores) beginning February 11. 

"This will provide more sites for people to get vaccinated in their communities, and it's an important component to delivering vaccines equitably," Jeffrey Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said during a media briefing Tuesday. 

The first stores to be sent vaccine doses will be located in areas where residents have been hit hardest by the pandemic, according to the Washington Post. The idea behind sending vaccines straight to pharmacies is rooted in the belief that pharmacies may be more familiar and easier to navigate than websites run by public health departments, especially for older Americans. 

"This pharmacy program will expand access in neighborhoods across the country so you can make an appointment and get your shot conveniently and quickly,” Zients said.

Getting vaccines to more Americans

Initially, many pharmacies will not have or will have “very limited supply” of vaccines, Zients said. But eventually, 40,000 locations will get the vaccines. He didn’t provide a timeline for when the pharmacy program would be widened to include that many locations. 

During the first phase of the pharmacy program, one million doses will be sent to pharmacies in locations where residents have had the highest prevalence of severe illness and death from COVID-19. 

“We are doing everything we can to effectively vaccinate individuals across the country,” Zients said.

Getting kids to consistently make healthy choices can be difficult for many parents, and now a new study is showing that a child’s diet can have lasting impacts into adulthood. 

According to researchers from the University of California at Riverside, what kids eat during childhood can affect their health as they grow and develop. They learned consuming a lot of sugar or fat during childhood can affect gut health for years down the road. 

“We studied mice, but the effect we observed is equivalent to kids having a Western diet, high in fat and sugar and their gut microbiome still being affected up to six years after puberty,” said researcher Theodore Garland. 

Long-term effects on gut health

For the study, the researchers divided mice into four groups based on different diet and exercise routines. The mice were either fed a traditionally healthy or unhealthy diet, and some were given access to exercise while others had no option of physical activity. The mice kept these routines for three weeks before returning to their regular diet and exercise habits, and the researchers monitored the mice’s gut health for more than three months post-experiment. 

The researchers learned that both diet and exercise played a role in the mice’s gut health beyond the length of the experiment. When the gut is functioning properly, there is a mix of bacteria that all contribute to the body’s overall health and wellness; however, for the mice that were given the unhealthy diet in early life, there was very little diversity in the gut later on. 

While diet had the biggest impact on the mice’s gut health long-term, the researchers learned that exercise also played a role. The variety of bacteria found in the gut was greater when the mice exercised, but it was the greatest when mice both exercised and followed a healthy diet. 

These findings are important when thinking about healthy development. The researchers explained that the risk of disease increases when there is an imbalance of bacteria in the gut.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says at least 70- 85 percent of the population will need to have received the full two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine before the U.S. can regain some sense of normalcy. 

The vaccine rollout program has gotten off to a relatively slow start, with less than 2 percent of Americans (6 million people) having received both doses of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); about 26.4 million people have received their first shot.

But Fauci told CNN on Tuesday that he’s hopeful that those numbers will be achieved by the end of the summer to the beginning of fall. 

"Having said that," he added, "there is an absolute 'but' in that. And the 'but' is that we have to address the variants."

Mutating virus

Toward the end of 2020, a new COVID-19 variant was detected in the U.K. Since then, the variant -- called the B.1.1.7 strain -- has made its way to the U.S. Experts say it’s important to remain vigilant in order to mitigate the spread of the variant and prevent a surge in cases. 

The mutated version of COVID-19 has been found to be more contagious than the prevailing strain, but it isn’t believed to be less responsive to vaccines. Both Moderna and Pfizer have said they are confident that their vaccines will be effective in preventing B.1.1.7. 

Fauci says the most effective way to stop the new variant from spreading is to continue heeding the advice of public health officials and to plan to get vaccinated as soon as possible. 

"The only way a virus mutates (is) if it can replicate. So if you vaccinate people and double down on public health measures and keep the level of viral dynamics low we will not have an easy evolution into mutations," he said. "That's something that people really need to understand."

"The way you stop those mutations: Get vaccinated and abide by the public health measures," Fauci said.

After a record fourth quarter -- a record year, really -- Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO of the company he founded as an online book store 27 years ago. He won’t be going far, however, since he will stay on as executive chairman of the company. Andy Jassy, head of Amazon’s cloud services subsidiary AWS, will assume the job of CEO later this year.

Bezos announced his new role late Tuesday in an email to employees. He explained that he will focus his attention in the future on innovations in both Amazon products and services.

“Invention is the root of our success,” Bezos wrote. “We’ve done crazy things together, and then made them normal. We pioneered customer reviews, 1-Click, personalized recommendations, Prime’s insanely-fast shipping, Just Walk Out shopping, the Climate Pledge, Kindle, Alexa, marketplace, infrastructure cloud computing, Career Choice, and much more.”

A mark of success, he said, is innovations becoming normal, with consumers taking them for granted. When that happens, he said an innovator should take it as a compliment.

Today, Amazon is the largest online retailer in the U.S. and has gained dominant positions in other industries as well. In addition to its leading role in providing cloud services through AWS, Amazon produces movies and TV series for its Prime video service.

It has moved into the supermarket space with its acquisition of Whole Foods. It has also started its own delivery service to go head-to-head with Fed Ex and UPS. It currently employs well over 1 million people worldwide.

Record fourth quarter

The Bezos announcement overshadowed Tuesday’s release of Amazon’s financial results for the fourth quarter of 2020, which set records. The company produced record revenue of more than $125 billion as it continued to benefit from the surge in online shopping during the pandemic.

The company reported a profit of more than $14 a share, more than twice what Wall Street analysts had forecast. That was also a record.

Amazon’s rapid growth has attracted the attention of government regulators. The U.S. Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, and international regulators have opened investigations to determine whether Amazon engages in anticompetitive behavior.

An October report from the House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee concluded that Amazon exerts “monopoly power,” and regulators recommended a legislative remedy. At the time, Amazon said it welcomed the scrutiny.

Even though sales of electric vehicles (EV) have been tepid so far, at least one industry source believes 2021 will be the year the technology goes mainstream.

Automotive publisher Edmunds predicts electric vehicle sales will reach their highest level on record this year after making up just 1.9 percent of retail sales last year. Edmunds experts predict that percentage could nearly double this year.

"After years of speculation and empty promises, 2021 is actually shaping up to be a pivotal year for growth in the EV sector," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' executive director of insights. "We're not only about to see a massive leap in the number of EVs available in the market; we're also going to see a more diverse lineup of electric vehicles that better reflect current consumer preferences.”

That’s because so far, most electric vehicles have been sedans. Americans, however, have a strong preference for trucks and SUVs. And it doesn’t hurt that governments are encouraging drivers to go electric.

Push from Washington

“Given that the new presidential administration has pledged its support for electrification, the U.S. is likely to see incentive programs targeted at fostering the growth of this technology further," Caldwell said.

Tesla gets most of the attention among EV carmakers, but Edmunds reports there are lots of other choices. It expects there to be 30 EV models from 21 brands on the market this year, compared to 17 vehicles from 12 brands in 2020. 

What may be more important, there will be a greater diversity of EV models. Car shoppers will be able to choose between 11 cars, 13 SUVs, and six trucks in 2021. Last year’s lineup included only 10 cars and seven SUVs.

Ford and General Motors are in the midst of a pivot to EVs. Last week, GM announced that it would phase out all of its gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. 

‘Like forked lightning’

Later this year, Ford will introduce an EV version of its iconic Mustang but in an SUV configuration. It says dealers are already taking orders.

“At the first-ever Detroit auto show, Henry Ford said he was working on something that would strike like forked lightning,” Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Company said in December. “That was the Model T. Today, the Ford Motor Company is proud to unveil a car that strikes like forked lightning all over again. The all-new, all-electric Mustang Mach-E. It’s fast. It’s fun. It’s freedom. For a new generation of Mustang owners.”

Ford also is introducing an EV version of its F-150 pickup truck, one of America’s best-selling vehicles.

Cox Automotive recently reported research indicating that two in five pickup truck shoppers are considering buying an electric truck within the next two years. The study showed that younger truck buyers are more likely to be open to an electric pickup truck.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 283 model year 2020 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility and Lincoln Aviator vehicles.

The vehicles contain windshield washer fluid that was contaminated with brake fluid.

A washer system contaminated with brake fluid can reduce the driver's ability to clear the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush out the washer system, replacing the washer bottle neck, washer pump assembly, fluid level sensor and the front and rear wiper blades.

Dealers will also inspect and repair the vehicle's paint and exterior components if affected free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin March 8, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21C01.

Victory Innovations of Twinsburg, Ohio, is recalling about 432,000 Victory Innovations and Protexus Electrostatic Sprayers sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The sprayer’s rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack can overheat and melt, posing a risk of the product catching fire and/or exploding.

The firm has received 37 reports of the lithium-ion battery pack overheating, catching fire or exploding, some of which resulted in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Victory Innovations and Protexus-branded cordless handheld and backpack electrostatic sprayers used to disinfect surfaces.

They come with a nozzle, nozzle wrench, tank, lithium-ion battery pack and a battery pack charger. The Victory Innovations cordless sprayers have a green and white exterior. The Victory Innovations logo appears on the front or the side of the green and white sprayers and model VP-20A or VP-20B appears on the battery pack.

The Protexus logo appears on the front or the side of the black and white sprayers and model PX20A or PX20B appears on the battery back. Battery packs on recalled units have visible screw heads and a case with no parting lines.

The spayers, manufactured in China, were sold at chemical and cleaning supply distributors nationwide and online at Amazon.com, SupplyWorks.com (Home Depot Pro Institutional) and Staples.com from January 2016, through November 2020, for between $100 and $150.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled sprayers, remove the battery pack and dispose of it in accordance with local laws for disposal of lithium-ion batteries, and contact Victory Innovations for a free replacement battery pack, including shipping.

Consumers may contact Victory Innovations toll-free at (888) 674-2482 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET), by email at ES-Sprayerbatteryrecall@stericycle.com or online at https://www.es-sprayerbatteryrecall.expertinquiry.com/ for more information.

Braun Corporation is recalling 1,258 model year 2018-2021 Braun-modified Honda Odyssey vehicles.

The fuel tank assembly installed by Braun may be susceptible to overfilling into the charcoal canister. If the charcoal canister fills with a sufficient amount of fuel, fuel may leak out.

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

What to do

Braun will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles. If evidence of a fuel leak is present, a new fuel tank assembly and a new Honda charcoal canister will be installed free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin March 10, 2021.

Owners may contact Braun customer service at (800) 488-0359.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, all U.S. airlines have lined up to require that passengers wear masks onboard flights. Effective Tuesday, February 2, that all changed. A new federal mandate from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says that anyone flying somewhere in a plane, riding on a bus or a train, or taking a taxi or rideshare from point A to point B must wear a face covering. 

The TSA’s action will also support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Emergency Order requiring that individuals wear masks on conveyances and at stations, ports, or similar transportation hubs. 

Step-by-step requirements for air travelers

For air travelers in particular, the new rule goes a bit further. It requires passengers to mask-up onboard all flights that touch down in the U.S., within all U.S. airports, and at TSA checkpoints.

The TSA laid out the full slate of musts it’s requiring air travelers to adhere to:

Where the rule starts: It doesn’t matter if a traveler checks in at security with an airport Travel Document Checker (TDC) or by submitting checked baggage for screening; all passengers who “appear” to be over the age of 2 must properly wear a face mask throughout the entire security screening process. 

Proving who you are: The security officer at the TDC will ask travelers to temporarily lower their mask to verify their identity. 

If you’re not wearing a mask: If a traveler approaches the TDC without a mask, they will be asked to wear or obtain one to proceed. What happens if you don’t? That appears to depend on how you react when you’re confronted. 

“If you replace your mask right away, you might get off with a verbal warning,” determined ThePointsGuy’s Zach Honig in his review of the new rule. “If you don’t, you may be removed from the airport and banned from the airline. If the situation escalates, you might be looking at steep fines, or criminal penalties, if law enforcement becomes involved.”

How the TSA defines “face covering”: The TSA -- acting in accordance with the CDC Order -- says that “face masks should cover the nose and mouth and fit snugly against the sides without gaps. Masks can be either manufactured or homemade and should be a solid piece of material without slits, exhalation valves, or punctures. While medical masks and N-95 respirators fulfill CDC and TSA’s requirements, face shields and/or goggles are not an acceptable substitute for the use of a mask; however, they may be used in addition to an acceptable mask.”

Exceptions: There’s not much wiggle room in the mandate for those who are looking for an exemption. At present, the only exceptions detailed by the CDC are for:

• Travelers under the age of two;

• Travelers who are vomiting, but only until the vomiting stops;

• Travelers who are experiencing shortness of breath;

• Travelers who have a disability defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act; and

• Travelers who simply can’t breathe without supplemental oxygen and are wearing an oxygen mask.

Those are the basic rules. However, there are lots of ifs, ands, or buts that the CDC details on its website and that carriers -- meaning airlines or public transportation companies -- may require in addition to the basics. 

Anyone planning to travel domestically or internationally -- via any mode of transportation -- would be smart to double-check for any updates from the CDC, as well as the transportation provider they’ll be using, prior to taking their trip.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 26,330,506 (26,194,662)

Total U.S. deaths: 443,923 (441,409)

Total global cases: 103,572,661 (103,090,224)

Total global deaths: 2,243,638 (2,230,829)

Moderna proposes more vaccine per vial

Moderna, one of two pharmaceutical companies trying to keep up with demand for the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, has proposed filling vials with more of its vaccine. It says that would ease bottlenecks that have occurred in manufacturing and distribution.

Currently, each vial of the vaccine contains 10 doses. Moderna said it could easily increase that to 15 doses but would have to get permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is allowing distribution of the vaccine under an emergency use authorization (EAU).

"Moderna would need to have further discussions with the FDA to assure the agency's comfort with this approach before implementing," the company said.

U.K. variant mutates again

The first mutation of the coronavirus was discovered in the U.K. Now, scientists say the variant of the original virus appears to have undergone another mutation.

The BBC reports that it’s not unexpected that variants are appearing or that they will continue to change -- all viruses mutate as they make new copies of themselves to spread and thrive.

The BBC quotes Dr.Julian Tang, a virus expert at the University of Leicester, as saying the finding is "a worrying development, though not entirely unexpected."

Biden urged to reject GOP stimulus compromise

President Biden’s meeting with 10 Republican senators on Monday produced lots of smiles, but it remains to be seen if it produces a bipartisan agreement on additional coronavirus aid and stimulus. The two sides are very far apart.

Democrats are backing a $1.9 trillion package that pays all individuals $1,400, provides billions of dollars to state and local governments, and raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The 10 Republicans back a plan to spend $900 billion.

Democrats in Congress have urged Biden to reject a GOP compromise, believing they have the necessary votes to pass the massive spending plan as part of a budget resolution that would require only 51 votes.

Airlines celebrate federal mask rule

Since early in the pandemic, domestic airlines have required both passengers and crew to wear masks in airports and onboard aircraft. But there have been isolated cases of passengers defying airline rules.

Now those rules have the force of the federal government behind them. The Biden administration’s mask mandate for all forms of public transportation took effect today, and violators could face fines.

“We recently got good news when President Biden signed an executive order mandating face masks across interstate travel, including airports and aircraft,” Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told employees. “This adds a layer of protection for our people who have been integral in enforcing our mask policy.”

Catholic schools mostly remain open despite COVID-19

The pandemic, now in its 11th month, has been hard on public schools. Many had to pivot to online learning or, at best, a hybrid of electronic and classroom instruction.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Catholic schools have largely been the exception, with most continuing to provide classroom instruction where it has been allowed. Because of that, there was a migration last year by many students from public to Catholic schools.

“The science is clear that there is no substitute for in-person learning, especially for poor and minority children most at danger of falling behind,” Tom Carroll, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Boston, told The Journal. “Across the nation, the Catholic school approach is to stay open wherever we are allowed.”

Around the nation

• Louisiana: An audit of state government agencies has concluded that they had no policies in place to allow employees to work from home when the pandemic hit 11 months ago. The audit found that agencies had inadequate equipment, connectivity problems, and insufficient automation of their processes.

• Colorado: State health officials are reducing Colorado's COVID-19 restrictions by easing the threshold that allows counties to remain in certain color-coded levels of coronavirus restrictions. The proposed changes would change the Denver area to “yellow,” loosening many business-capacity rules.

• Minnesota: While many states struggle with vaccine shortages, state health officials say they have obtained 35,000 doses of the vaccine. They say the shots will be administered to seniors at 100 locations around the state.

Face masks have become one of consumers’ best tools to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. This recent need for protective equipment has led many people to start choosing between reusable and disposable face masks. 

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from RMIT University is exploring how disposable masks can be recycled to benefit the environment. While many consumers might have reservations about single-use masks because of the environmental impact, researchers have found that they can actually be recycled and later used to make roadways. The team says this would help reduce landfill waste while utilizing the materials in new ways. 

“We know that even if these masks are disposed of properly, they will go to the landfill or they’ll be incinerated,” said researcher Jie Li. “The COVID-19 pandemic has not only created a global health and economic crisis, but has also had dramatic effects on the environment. If we can bring circular economy thinking to this massive waste problem, we can develop the smart and sustainable solutions we need.” 

Finding a second use for face masks

The researchers came to their conclusions after they shredded face masks and mixed them with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), which is the sturdy base of roadways underneath asphalt. They learned that not only was this process feasible, but it was also beneficial to both the construction process and the environment. 

The shredded face masks provided added stability and strength to the concrete mixture and helped it hold up against all water, engineering, and strength tests. 

Currently, nearly seven billion disposable face masks are used and discarded each day. With this experiment, the researchers learned that reusing face masks in the road-building process would recycle nearly three million masks per kilometer of road. In terms of waste reduction, this process would eliminate more than 90 million tons of landfill waste with each kilometer of road. 

The researchers were excited by the success of this study, and they hope to continue doing more work in this area in the future. Recycling disposable face masks for construction projects opens up a ton of opportunities for other sustainability efforts. 

“This initial study looked at the feasibility of recycling single-use face masks into roads and were thrilled to find it not only works, but also delivers real engineering benefits,” said researcher Dr. Mohammad Saberian. “We hope this opens the door for further research, to work through ways of managing health and safety risks at scale, and investigating whether other types of PPE would also be suitable for recycling.” 

Researchers say COVID-19 could eventually become a virus that crops up and abates seasonally, similar to the flu. 

In a study published recently in the journal Evolutionary Bioinformatics, Illinois researchers said COVID-19 cases and mortality rates showed a strong correlation with temperature and latitude across 221 countries. 

The research suggests that the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) could behave similarly to many other coronaviruses, which tend to circulate more widely during the fall and winter. 

That hypothesis was introduced by researchers and public health officials early in the pandemic, but it didn’t have a significant amount of data to back it up at the time. Now, researchers have had enough time to analyze global data and conclude that the disease may turn out to become seasonal. 

"One conclusion is that the disease may be seasonal, like the flu. This is very relevant to what we should expect from now on after the vaccine controls these first waves of COVID-19," said lead author Gustavo Caetano-Anollés, a professor at the C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The research team that carried out the study said the SARS-CoV-2 virus genome appears to be mutating in a way that has connections to climate and seasons.

"Our results suggest the virus is changing at its own pace, and mutations are affected by factors other than temperature or latitude. We don't know exactly what those factors are, but we can now say seasonal effects are independent of the genetic makeup of the virus," Caetano-Anollés said in a statement.

More research needed 

The researchers added that further research is needed before it can be concluded that COVID-19 rates will ebb and flow with the seasons. The team said that people’s immune systems -- which are affected by temperature and nutrition -- could also influence COVID-19 trends. In the winter months, people tend to fall short in getting enough vitamin D, the authors said. 

"We know the flu is seasonal and that we get a break during the summer. That gives us a chance to build the flu vaccine for the following fall," Caetano-Anollés said. "When we are still in the midst of a raging pandemic, that break is nonexistent. Perhaps learning how to boost our immune system could help combat the disease as we struggle to catch up with the ever-changing coronavirus."

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have been dealing with elevated stress levels. Some studies have found that stress over finances and grocery store supplies have become more common, and others have highlighted the importance of consumers adopting healthy coping skills.

Now, a new survey conducted by researchers from the American Psychological Association has found that many adults across the country are currently dealing with the highest stress levels since the start of the pandemic. 

“Nearly a year into the pandemic, prolonged stress persists at elevated levels for many Americans,” said researcher Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “As we work to address stressors as a nation, from unemployment to education, we can’t ignore the mental health consequences of this global shared experience. Without addressing stress as part of a national recovery plan, we will be dealing with the mental health fallout from this pandemic for years to come.” 

What’s contributing to heightened stress?

The researchers surveyed over 2,000 Americans aged 18 and older to determine what is stressing people out on a daily basis and how it is contributing to their overall wellness.

The ongoing severity of the pandemic continues to be a major source of stress for many consumers. Eighty percent of survey respondents cited the pandemic as a current catalyst for stress. 

However, it was the political state of the country that was the biggest source of stress for the study participants. More than 80 percent of participants were concerned about the future of the country, and nearly three-quarters of participants were stressed about general political instability. This was an issue across the board, regardless of political affiliation; more than 80 percent of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents reported feeling worried about what’s to come politically. 

Additionally, the participants reported that unity is more important to them than any other political agenda. Ninety percent of all survey respondents said they hope the future is built on a foundation of integrity and common ground. 

Ways to combat stress

The researchers are worried about consumers’ mental health moving forward because the large majority of participants reported persistent feelings associated with anxiety, anger, and sadness. While everyone handles stress in their own way, recent studies have found that there are some tried and true methods that can be beneficial to consumers during this time. 

Spending time outdoors when possible can help consumers clear their minds, and pets have also been found to be mood boosters. Rather than spending a ton of time on social media or checking the news, the researchers recommend engaging in mindfulness activities, like breathing exercises or yoga.