(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
President Biden calls for nationwide immunization eligibility by May 1
On the first anniversary of World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic, President Biden on Thursday night used his first primetime address to declare he’s directing all U.S. states, territories and tribes to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine no later than May 1st. The White House COVID-19 Response Team says accelerated vaccination efforts will enable prioritized vaccinations to be far enough along by end of April that all eligibility restrictions for vaccinations can be lifted by May 1st. The president said, “if we do our part, if we do this together…by July the 4th, there’s a good chance you, your family and friends” will be able to have a cookout…in small gatherings.”
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will also host an event in the White House Rose Garden today at 2:30 p.m. ET to celebrate passage of the American Rescue Plan. Biden was initially scheduled to sign the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill into law today, but instead signed it Thursday afternoon. The White House said some Americans can expect to begin seeing $1,400 relief checks in their bank accounts by this weekend, with most Americans receiving them by the end of the month. The bill also includes an extension of supplemental unemployment benefits through September 6.
Breonna Taylor killed one year ago Saturday
Louisville, Kentucky is preparing for crowds and demonstrations Saturday, the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death. Street closures near Jefferson Square Park, which has been the epicenter of demonstrations over Taylor’s police shooting death, go into effect today through Sunday. Taylor, a 26-year-old Black EMT, was shot and killed as she slept in her bed while Louisville, Kentucky police officers were executing a no-knock warrant at her apartment March 13, 2020. No officers were charged in her death in the subsequent grand jury investigation. Taylor’s death fueled worldwide protests and continues to be the subject of a federal investigation.
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: 118,689,552
Global deaths: 2,631,949. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 530,829.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192
Total patients recovered globally: 67,213,579
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 29,286,650 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 530,829. California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 55,160.
U.S. total people tested: 368,778,521
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,614,852 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks second in the world after England, which has 3,713,743 cases. Texas is third, with 2,716,112 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 131,131,470 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. Of those, 98,203,893 doses have been administered, with 64,071,674 people receiving at least one dose and 33,863,127 people fully vaccinated, representing 19.3% and 10.2% of the total U.S. population, respectively. The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines each require two doses to be effective. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires a single dose to be effective.
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