As new coronavirus cases and virus-related deaths drop across the United States, the nation is now facing another challenge in its battle against the pandemic: new virus variants.
On Monday, Minnesota reported the first known case of the coronavirus Brazil P.1 variant in the U.S. Another variant first detected in the United Kingdom has been circulating in the U.S. for weeks, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, believes it will become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March. Fauci is urging Americans to remain vigilant.
The U.S. surpassed 25 million confirmed coronavirus cases over the weekend, according to a tally by NBC News. The nation has also seen more than 422,000 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
Here are the latest coronavirus updates from the U.S. and elsewhere:
Closed Borders, Hotel Quarantines: What the Australian Gov't Did to Help Beat COVID-19
As most of the world copes with surging COVID-19 cases, there is one country that's getting back to a normal way of life: Australia. Yusuf Omar of Hashtag Our Stories looks at ten key things the Australian government did to help the country beat COVID-19.
Negative COVID Test Requirement for International Flights to US Goes Into Effect
Starting Tuesday, anyone flying to the U.S. will need to show proof of a negative test for COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirement expands on a similar one announced late last month for passengers coming from the United Kingdom.
The new measure is designed to try to prevent travelers from bringing in newer forms of the virus that scientists say can spread more easily. The CDC order applies to U.S. citizens as well as foreign travelers.
The new restrictions require air passengers to get a COVID-19 test within three days of their flight to the U.S., and to provide written proof of the test result to the airline. Travelers can also provide documentation that they had the infection in the past and recovered.
Airlines are ordered to stop passengers from boarding if they don’t have proof of a negative test.
Relative of Virus Victim Asks to Meet WHO Experts in Wuhan
A relative of a coronavirus victim in China is demanding to meet a visiting World Health Organization expert team, saying it should speak with affected families who allege they are being muffled by the Chinese government.
China approved the visit by researchers under the auspices of the U.N. agency only after months of negotiations. It has not indicated whether they will be allowed to gather evidence or talk to families, saying only that the team can exchange views with Chinese scientists.
“I hope the WHO experts don’t become a tool to spread lies,” said Zhang Hai, whose father died of COVID-19 on Feb. 1, 2020, after traveling to the Chinese city of Wuhan and getting infected. “We’ve been searching for the truth relentlessly. This was a criminal act, and I don’t want the WHO to be coming to China to cover up these crimes.”
Zhang, a Wuhan native now living in the southern city of Shenzhen, has been organizing relatives of coronavirus victims in China to demand accountability from officials. Many are angry that the state downplayed the virus at the beginning of the outbreak, and have attempted to file lawsuits against the Wuhan government.
The relatives have faced immense pressure from authorities not to speak out.
Vaccine Tourism on the Rise as Wealthy International Tourists Eye an Opportunity in the US
Shortly before the COVID-19 vaccine made its debut last month in the United States, an Indian travel agency called Gem Tours & Travels announced it was registering customers for an exciting new package: a four-day trip from Mumbai to New York City with a coronavirus shot thrown in for about $2,000, NBC News reports.
"Vaccine tourism," Nimesh Shah, the company's business development specialist, called it.
Just how many Indians signed up for such a vaccination junket to the U.S. was not immediately clear because neither Shah nor anyone from Zenith Holidays responded to several emails from NBC News or an inquiry posed via the registration form.
But the very idea that somebody with money but no immediate access to the scarce COVID-19 vaccine could fly to another country to get a shot was raising both outrage and ethical questions.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com
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