(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Freeze warning in effect for the South; warmer temps expected this weekend
After a week of historic and disastrous snow and ice in the South, over 180,000 customers are still without power in Texas and over 111,000 are in the dark in Mississippi Friday morning.
A hard freeze warning is in effect in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, where temperatures are in the teens and 20’s Friday morning.
Two C-17 military transport aircraft will be heading to Galveston and Corpus Christi, Texas, to deliver supplies, a senior defense official told ABC News Thursday evening. The official said the aircraft will mainly be used to deliver water. Most of Jackson, Mississippi, is currently without water and city officials say there’s no timeline on when it will be restored. The city will begin water distribution at several sites Friday.
There is some relief on the horizon, however. The freeze will finally lift Friday afternoon and the South is expected to see temperatures rise to the 50’s and 60’s this weekend.
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections, deaths and vaccinations.
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 110,416,754
Global deaths: 2,443,846. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 493,120.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192
Total patients recovered globally: 62,205,508
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 27,896,955 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 493,120. California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 48,259.
U.S. total people tested: 336,330,183
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,512,088 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks second in the world after England, which has 3,577,705 cases. Texas is third, with 2,578,564 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million.
Latest reported COVID-19 vaccination numbers in the United States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a total of 73,377,450 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. Of those, 57,737,767 doses have been administered, with 41,021,049 people receiving one or more doses, and 16,162,358 people receiving two doses. The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, which are the two most prevalent in the U.S., each require two doses to be effective.
Pfizer launches COVID-19 vaccine trial in pregnant women
Pfizer and BioNTech have announced a new trial to evaluate the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant women.
That vaccine, along with Moderna’s, are the two mRNA vaccines currently available in the United States after being granted Emergency Use Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.
Pregnant women were excluded from the first clinical trials, meaning there’s limited data in this group. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says getting vaccinated is a personal choice for anyone who is pregnant, and recommends people speak to their health care providers if they have questions about relative risks.
Dr. Anna Durbin, professor of international health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told ABC News, “These trials will provide important data on the safety and [effectiveness] of the vaccines for pregnant women. These data weren’t collected during the Phase 3 trial and will build confidence for the use of these vaccines in women who are pregnant.”
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