(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Opening statements in Derek Chauvin trial to begin today
Opening statements are scheduled to begin today in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, charged in the killing of George Floyd. Chauvin faces three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis, where the trial is being held, is heavily fortified with barriers and fencing. The trial will be broadcast live.
Fifteen jurors have been selected, 14 of which will be seated today, with two of them serving as alternates. Presiding Judge Peter Cahill insisted on the 15th juror as a backup in the event one of the others should fail to appear today. Of the 14 expected to be seated, eight self-identify as white and six as people of color, including four who self-identify as Black. There are five men and nine women.
Chauvin is accused of murdering George Floyd during an arrest on May 25, 2020, when Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Three other officers involved in Floyd’s death face trial in August. Video of Chauvin’s knee held on Floyd’s neck, as Floyd repeatedly declared “I can’t breathe,” ignited protests worldwide and triggered an ongoing national conversation on both race and police use of force with people of color in the U.S.
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: 127,275,912
Global deaths: 2,785,296. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 549,335.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192
Total patients recovered globally: 72,194,988
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 30,262,694 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 549,335. California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 58,949.
U.S. total people tested: 388,603,313
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,660,713 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks second in the world after England, which has 3,789,899 cases. Texas is third, with 2,782,837 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 180,646,465 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. Of those, 143,462,691 doses have been administered, with 93,631,163 people receiving at least one dose and 51,593,564 people fully vaccinated, representing 28.2% and 15.5% 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.
US will see 550,000 COVID-19 deaths this week
The United States is on track to see 550,000 reported COVID-19 deaths in the next few days. As of Monday morning, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University put the total number of people in the U.S. who had died from the virus at 549,335 since the first reported case in the U.S., in January 2020. Although reported daily deaths have continued to trend downward, now counted in the hundreds rather than thousands, it’s likely the 550,000 threshold will be crossed in the next 48 hours. The U.S. reported 500,000 COVID-19 deaths just 36 days ago, on February 22. Experts continue to advise that the number of COVID-19 deaths, like the number of total cases, is likely underreported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest forecast predicts a total of 558,000 to 578,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. by the week ending April 17.
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