Coronavirus Watch: Researchers announce discovery of US variants
Researchers say they've discovered two new variants of COVID-19 that originated in the United States.
A research team at Southern Illinois University announced they discovered a new U.S. variant, calling it "home-grown and widespread." Ohio State University scientists say they discovered a new variant of SARS-Cov-2 that carries a mutation identical to the strain in the United Kingdom, but it likely arose in a virus strain already present in the United States.
It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know today, as of 2 p.m. EST.
- More adolescents are needed for Moderna's vaccine trial, and the shortage could potentially delay the vaccine being authorized for the age group, federal officials said.
- Many Americans think the second stimulus check was much needed – 55% of those surveyed feel that their financial stability depended on receiving a second check, a new Credit Karma/Qualtrics survey showed.
- While millions wait to receive Pfizer's vaccine, the drug company has raised prices on 193 name-brand drugs this month.
Numbers check: The U.S. marked another high in daily COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, when Johns Hopkins University data record 4,400 fatalities in a single day. That was followed up by more than 3,900 deaths reported Wednesday.
The current death toll, sitting at just over 386,000, is closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in World War II – about 405,000. Keep track of daily data on the national and state level right here.
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– Jay Cannon, Paste BN, @JayTCannon on Twitter.