Coronavirus Watch: Lawmakers closing in on $900B stimulus deal

Lawmakers are closing in on a roughly $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus deal that may include another round of stimulus checks and other much-needed benefits, according to a source familiar with negotiations not authorized to speak on the record.

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. John Thune told reporters he believed stimulus checks of $600 or $700 were part of discussions, saying to "double that for family and kids." The unemployment benefit under discussion was about $300 per week, he said. Read more.

It's Wednesday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news that you need to know:

• The leaders of the government’s Operation Warp Speed said Wednesday that two million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine are set to be delivered next week. And starting as soon as Friday in Ohio and Connecticut, residents of long-term care facilities will also begin vaccinations, said Gen. Gus Perna, who is heading the logistics of the vaccine distribution efforts.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized the nation's first home COVID-19 test that doesn't need a lab or medical provider's prescription. The test, made by Australia-based Ellume, can deliver results in about 15 minutes and will cost about $30.
• California has ordered an additional 5,000 body bags and stationed mobile morgues to hospitals in the hardest-hit counties, including Los Angeles and San Diego, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.
• Cases have declined in the past few weeks in some Midwestern states, including Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska. Hospitalizations and deaths, however, are still on the rise due to an earlier surge of cases.
• Ronald Begay was one of the first health care workers on the Navajo Nation to receive the Pfizer vaccine at Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility on Monday. Navajo Area Indian Health Service officials distributed 3,900 doses of the vaccine to several health care facilities.
• More young adults died during pandemic than previously thought. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that 76,000 Americans between the ages of 25 and 44 died from COVID-19 from March through July – nearly 12,000 more than expected based on prior seasonal trends.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported over 16.7 million cases and over 304,000 deaths. Globally, there have been over 73.6 million cases and nearly 1.6 million fatalities. See the numbers in your area here, and check out where cases are rising here.

What do you want to know about the vaccine? Read our Q&A here and send us your vaccine questions through this online form. Is it true that Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial participants developed facial paralysis?

A 53-page FDA briefing last week noted that there had been four cases of Bell's palsy – a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles – among the vaccinated group and none among the placebo group. However, the trial ruled there was "no clear basis upon which to conclude a causal relationship" between the vaccine and the occurrence of Bell's palsy.

Doctors say this is not cause for panic. While it may sound scary, experts say Bell’s palsy is more common and less severe than people think. Want more information? We fact check the claims here and talk to doctors about what it means here.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck