Today marks one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
Since then, life in the United States has drastically changed. From remote work and school schedules to new ways to attend events and church services, COVID-19 has altered how we live. And some of the changes could go on long after the virus is gone.
Since the first case in January 2020, the U.S. has suffered a devastating loss – nearly 530,000 deaths, along with 29 million cases. And now virus variants are creeping across the nation, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows.
There are signs of both hope. Vaccinations are picking up speed, and the U.S. is once again reporting less than one COVID-19 death per minute, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. And the U.S. reported fewer than 400,000 new coronavirus cases in the week ending Wednesday, a level not seen since mid-October.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has described the nation as being at a “critical nexus” in the pandemic. The decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths shows signs of stalling as variants are circulating. At the same time, she said, measures that have been taken to stop the pandemic are “now too often being flagrantly ignored.”
“Fatigue is winning,” she said.
Also in the news:
►The Biden administration has arranged to purchase an additional 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine — enough when added to vaccines from other sources to provide the nation with…
