(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Latest weekly unemployment claims higher than expected
A total 719,000 applications for unemployment were filed in the week ending March 27, according to data released Thursday morning by the U.S. Department of Labor. That number is worse than expected and an increase from the pandemic-low applications recorded last week, numbers that were themselves revised down from 684,000 to 658,000. There are currently 18,213,575 people claiming unemployment through all government programs. There may be some good news Friday, when the monthly jobs report will be released and is expected to show that anywhere from 675,000 to one million or more jobs may have been created.
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: 129,015,662
Global deaths: 2,818,170. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 552,073.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192
Total patients recovered globally: 73,195,043
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 30,461,066 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 552,073. California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 59,274.
U.S. total people tested: 392,363,238
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,668,745 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks second in the world after England, which has 3,800,722 cases. Texas is second in the U.S., with 2,792,138 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 195,581,725 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. Of those, 150,273,292 doses have been administered, with 97,593,290 people receiving at least one dose and 54,607,041 people fully vaccinated, representing 29.4% and 16.4% 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.
CDC says 150 million+ COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered
The United States has passed a significant landmark in the fight against COVID-19, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting more than 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered. The total number as of Thursday morning is 150,273,292. People age 65 and older, judged to be the group most vulnerable to infection, is the most-vaccinated demographic, with a reported 50.8% fully vaccinated, and 73.5% having received at least one vaccine dose. The percentage of the total U.S. population that’s received at least one dose is 29.4%, with 16.4% fully vaccinated. President Biden last week pledged that during his first 100 days in office, the U.S. will administer 200 million COVID-19 vaccines, double his initial pledge of 100 million in 100 days, a goal that was attained the week before, on his 58th day in office.
Pfizer-BioNTech says data show vaccine 91.3% effective six months after full immunization
Pfizer-BioNTech announced Thursday that their COVID-19 vaccine remains 91.3% effective in preventing infection up to six months after immunization. The pharmaceutical company says it followed 927 “confirmed symptomatic cases” in participants in its Phase III trial to make the determination. It also says the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing severe disease, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 95.3% effective in preventing severe disease as defined by the Food and Drug Administration. Pfizer-BioNTech says it will formally submit its findings to the FDA soon in order to secure full authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine; currently, it’s being distributed under an Emergency Use Authorization.
COVID-19 the third leading cause of death in US in 2020
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020. The agency’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report shows the virus’ mortality rate in 2020 was approximately 375,000, putting it third after heart disease, with 690,000 deaths, and all cancers, with 598,000 deaths. As of Thursday morning, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University put the total number of reported COVID-19 fatalities in the U.S. at 552,073. The CDC currently forecasts a total of 565,000 to 585,000 COVID-19 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 will be reported by the week ending April 24.
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