The nation's seven-day COVID-19 case average is down 47.5 percent since peaking Jan. 12, reports The COVID Tracking Project.
Four more updates:
1. The House of Representatives passed a budget resolution Feb. 4 that gives Congress the option to fast-track President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, reports AHA News. The Senate is expected to pass a similar budget resolution and the House will vote again on that version.
2. Johnson & Johnson filed for emergency use authorization of its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine Feb. 4. If authorized, the drugmaker could start shipping the vaccine by early March, according to The New York Times.
3. Americans who identify as LGBTQ have more self-reported underlying health conditions that could put them at greater risk of experiencing severe COVID-19 infection compared to heterosexual people, according to a Feb. 5 CDC report. The agency said including sexual orientation and gender identity data as part of COVID-19 surveillance efforts could help identify disparities in infection rates and adverse outcomes among sexual and gender minority populations.
4. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued a new mask mandate Feb. 3 about an hour after the state Legislature voted to repeal his previous order, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The new emergency health order requires masks in indoor public spaces.
Snapshot of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Cases: 26,680,536
Deaths: 455,882
Counts reflect data available as of 9:00 a.m. CST Feb. 5.