COVID-19 death averages are trending downward in every major U.S. region, reports The COVID Tracking Project.
Four more updates:
1. The federal government will begin shipping doses of COVID-19 vaccines to community health centers next week, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said Feb. 9, according to CNBC. The government plans to send vaccines to at least one federally qualified community health center in each state. One million doses will be divided among 250 health centers in the coming weeks.
2. A new combination antibody drug from Eli Lilly received emergency approval from the FDA Feb. 9. The authorization allows bamlanivimab and etesevimab to be administered together for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and some children who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19.
3. A new study published Feb. 9 in Cell debunks the theory that childhood colds prevent COVID-19, reports The New York Times. The theory suggested children are less vulnerable to COVID-19 because they have antibodies from other coronaviruses that cause the common cold. However, an analysis of the live virus and more than 400 blood samples revealed no evidence that antibodies from other seasonal coronaviruses affect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
4. California surpassed New York for having the largest COVID-19 death toll Feb. 9, reports The New York Times. However, when accounting for population, California has a lower death rate than 31 states and Washington, D.C., according to the Times.
Snapshot of COVID-19 in U.S.
Cases: 27,193,849
Deaths: 468,217
Americans receiving at least one vaccine dose: 32,867,213
Counts reflect Feb. 9 and Feb. 10 data from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University and the CDC.