Coronavirus: With the new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus detected in Colorado and California, scientists fear it has already gained a toehold in the U.S. The variant’s arrival also makes it all the more important that Americans receive vaccinations in great numbers, and more quickly, scientists said.
Officials from Operation Warp Speed, the federal effort to accelerate vaccine development and distribution, said that the U.S. vaccination campaign is off to a slower-than-expected start.
Around 2.6 million Americans have received their first dose, the C.D.C. said, far short of the goal of 20 million by the end of 2020.
The British government will use its initial vaccine supply to give as many people as possible a first dose, rather than holding back half the supply for second doses. The approach expands the number of people who can be quickly inoculated, but it could make the shots less effective.
China’s government said that it had approved a homegrown virus vaccine after an early analysis of clinical trial results showed that it was effective.
The New York Times