Coronavirus Watch: Where's the new stimulus deal?
It's been weeks of negotiations, and Americans are still wondering: Where's the new stimulus package?
Republicans and Democrats might reach a deal this week, but they're still far apart on many issues, the biggest being the $600 weekly unemployment benefit that expired Friday.
It's Wednesday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here is the most significant news of the day, as of 1:30 p.m. ET:
- Vaccine update: Johnson & Johnson has a $1 billion agreement to supply 100 million doses of its vaccine candidate to the U.S. government. And Biotech giant Moderna said it expects to fully enroll 30,000 volunteers in the crucial Phase 3 study of its COVID-19 vaccine next month.
- More than 500 inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex Tucson Whetstone Unit have tested positive for COVID-19, authorities said.
- The cruise industry has voluntarily extended its pause on operations in U.S. waters until "at least" Oct. 31, a month past the date the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's "no-sail" order is set to expire
- One of the first school districts to reopen in Georgia confirmed its first COVID-19 case a day after they opened for the 2020-21 school year. Elsewhere in the state, school districts that began in-person classes Monday with mask-optional policies face more questions about safety protocols after on-campus pictures showed students packed shoulder-to-shoulder.
- Chicago Public Schools, meanwhile, are joining a lengthening line of major school systems that will start the academic year fully online.
- Florida update: Florida has become the second state to confirm more than 500,000 cases of COVID-19.
Today's numbers: The U.S. has more than 4.7 million confirmed cases and more than 157,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Worldwide, cases have surpassed 18.6 million with more than 702,000 deaths. See the numbers in your area here, and check out where cases are rising here.
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– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck