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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 26 January 2021

U.S. virus numbers drop, but race against new strains heats up

vaccine and the mutating zona have shown similar Rivers said she is concerned
virus. The government's top improvements during the that the more contagious
infectious-disease expert, same period. variants of the virus could
Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the On Monday, California lift- lead to a deadly resur-
improvement in numbers ed regional stay-at-home gence later this year.
around the country ap- orders in favor of county- "I think we were on track to
pears to reflect a "natural by-county restrictions and have a good — or a bet-
peaking and then plateau- ended a 10 p.m. curfew. ter, at least — spring and
ing" after a holiday surge, The shift will allow restau- summer, and I'm worried
rather than the arrival of the rants and churches to re- that the variants might be
vaccine in mid-December. sume outdoor operations throwing us a curveball,"
The U.S. is recording just un- and hair and nail salons she said. Nationwide,
der 3,100 deaths a day on to reopen in many places, about 18 million people,
average, down from more though local officials could or less than 6% of the U.S.
than 3,350 less than two maintain stricter rules. population, have received
Faces of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority weeks ago. New cases are Elsewhere, Minnesota at least one dose of vac-
employees who died of COVID-19 are displayed at Fulton Street averaging about 170,000 school districts have be- cine, including about 3 mil-
station, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021, in the Manhattan borough of a day after peaking at al- gun bringing elementary lion who have gotten the
New York. most 250,000 on Jan. 11. students back for in-person second shot, according
Associated Press
The number of hospitalized learning. Chicago's school to the Centers for Disease
By JONATHAN DREW and past couple of weeks but COVID-19 patients has fall- system, the nation's third- Control and Prevention.
MICHAEL KUNZELMAN are still running at alarm- en to about 110,000 from a largest district, had hoped Only slightly more than half
Associated Press ingly high levels, and the high of 132,000 on Jan. 7. to bring teachers back of the 41 million doses dis-
Coronavirus deaths and effort to snuff out COVID-19 States that have been Monday to prepare for stu- tributed to the states by the
cases per day in the U.S. is becoming an ever more hot spots in recent weeks dents to return next month, federal government have
dropped markedly over the urgent race between the such as California and Ari- but the teachers union has been injected into arms, by
refused. Illinois announced the CDC's count.
that that more counties will The virus has killed over
be able to offer limited in- 419,000 Americans and in-
door dining. fected more than 25 mil-
"I don't think the dynamics lion, with a widely cited Uni-
of what we're seeing now versity of Washington mod-
with the plateauing is sig- el projecting the death toll
nificantly influenced yet -- will reach about 569,000 by
it will be soon -- but yet by May 1.
the vaccine. I just think it's And health experts have
the natural course of pla- warned that the more con-
teauing," Fauci told NBC's tagious and possibly more
"Today." deadly variant sweeping
Ali Mokdad, a professor of through Britain will proba-
health metrics sciences at bly become the dominant
the University of Washing- source of infection in the
ton, said that a predicted U.S. by March. It has been
holiday surge was reduced reported in over 20 states
by people traveling less so far. Another mutant ver-
than expected, and an sion is circulating in South
increase in mask wearing Africa.
in response to spikes in in- The more the virus spreads,
fections has since helped the more opportunities it
bring the numbers down. has to mutate. The fear is
Caitlin Rivers, an epidemi- that it will ultimately render
ologist at the Johns Hopkins the vaccines ineffective.
Center for Health Security, To guard against the new
said too few people have variants, President Joe
been vaccinated so far for Biden on Monday add-
that to have had a signifi- ed South Africa to the list
cant impact on virus trends. of more than two dozen
She said she can't predict countries whose residents
how long it will take for the are subject to coronavirus-
vaccines' effects to be re- related limits on entering
flected in the numbers. the U.S.q