The coronavirus variant identified in South Africa has reached the US with two cases diagnosed in South Carolina, the state reported. The cases were not related, and neither person had a known history of travel.
New York City is starting to see the logjam on vaccines ease up slightly, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
New York may have had twice as many coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes than the official count of more than 8,700 reflects, state Attorney-General Letitia James said.
Germany cast doubt on the effectiveness of AstraZeneca’s shot for the elderly. The European Union is poised to tighten rules on the export of vaccines, risking a major escalation in the global battle to secure access to the life-saving shots. Irish officials said the UK variant isn’t more deadly than other strains.