A syringe is filled with a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the Berks Community Health Center in Reading, Pennsylvania, on January 6. Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle/Getty Images
Pennsylvania is loosening its Covid-19 vaccination requirements under Phase 1A, the state department of health announced Tuesday.
Effective Tuesday, anyone over the age of 65 and those aged 16 to 64 with "serious medical conditions that make them more at risk for severe illness" can take the vaccine.
Some of those conditions include cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe obesity, according to the state’s vaccine rollout plan. Pennsylvania is still currently in Phase 1A.
The wider vaccination eligibility comes as the health department reported 5,341 new Covid-19 cases and 77 virus-related deaths. That brings the statewide cumulative totals to 777,186 and 19,467, respectively.
So far, 477,929 vaccine doses have been administered, according to the health department.
Earlier Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden tapped the state’s health secretary, Rachel Levine, to serve as assistant health secretary at the Department of Health and Human-Services. If confirmed, Levine would be the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the US Senate.
Note: These numbers were released by the state’s health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
1:06 p.m. ET, January 19, 2021
West Virginia governor to states that have vaccines they cannot administer: "We'll take the crumbs"
From CNN’s Amanda Watts
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice speaks during a press conference on January 19. West Virginia Governor's Office
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is encouraging residents to call lawmakers and urge them to send more vaccines to his state.
“Here's what I want you to say, I want you to say, ‘We need your help, we're the oldest and most chronically ill state, we have got to get bumped up,” Justice said during a Tuesday news conference. “We need you. We need you right now, to push in every way we possibly can, to get more vaccines in West Virginia and we’ll get them in somebody’s arm.”
Justice said he hates to say it, but “with some of these states, they're not going to get it done. They're not. They're going to stumble around just like they have been and hide behind something and give some political gobbly goop and everything,” he said.
“But if West Virginia could just get the crumbs, that they're missing or they're just throwing off their plate, we’ll take the crumbs, too. We deserve the meat and potatoes, but we'll take the crumbs,” he said.
He added: “We'll take the crumbs and get more and more people vaccinated.”
11:43 a.m. ET, January 19, 2021
Scotland extends its lockdown until at least mid-February
From CNN's Sarah Dean
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks during a session at the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh, on January 19, Russell Cheyne/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced the country will remain in lockdown until at least mid-February.
Sturgeon, speaking during a briefing at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, said the current "level 4" restrictions, which include the closure of schools and nurseries, would be reviewed on Feb. 2. At that point a phased return to schools may be outlined although she warned it was too soon to say how or when.
Although overall Covid-19 cases are declining in the country, they remain at a high level, with 30% more people in hospitals now than in the peak in April last year and there's been a 90% increase in intensive care unit cases from Jan. 1.
Scotland recorded 1,165 new cases in the past 24 hours, which is a decrease of 264 from the previous day.
At least 1,989 coronavirus patients are currently in hospital, 150 in intensive care unit, with 71 deaths reported in the last 24 hour period.
11:23 a.m. ET, January 19, 2021
New York City expected to run out of vaccines by Thursday, Mayor says
From CNN's Sheena Jones
Health workers wait for patients to administer Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines at the opening of a new vaccination site at Corsi Houses in Harlem, New York on January 15, 2021. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images
New York City is set to run out of vaccines by Thursday if the state doesn’t receive more doses, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.
The mayor added as the city is vaccinating people "faster and faster," the city needs more doses.
At least 455,737 people have been vaccinated across New York City, de Blasio said.
New York has 92,000 doses left from the "first doses" received, and officials are expecting another 53,000 doses coming in today, de Blasio said.
"If we don’t get more vaccine quickly we will have to cancel appointments," de Blasio said.
"Get us the vaccine," de Blasio added.
10:34 a.m. ET, January 19, 2021
Head of Italian Medicines Agency expresses "grave concern" over Pfizer vaccine delays
From CNN's Valentina Di Donato in Rome
A resident of the Anni Azzurri elderly care home in Rome receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as part of the coronavirus vaccination campaign by healthcare workers of Asl Roma 1 on January 8, 2021. Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
The director general of the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) Nicola Magrini expressed "grave concern" over delays of the Pfizer vaccine.
“The Pfizer delay is of grave concern. It was all communicated at the last minute, if it's just a week's delay the consequences may not be so serious," Magrini said Tuesday on Italian radio station 'Radio Capital'.
"We can define it as a small slowdown,” Magrini added.
AIFA's President Giorgio Palù told CNN that the agency doesn’t directly purchase the vaccine as that falls in the remit of the Health Ministry and the extraordinarily-appointed Italian Covid-19 Commissioner. “AIFA doesn’t work on supply and distribution, we can only say we hope more vaccines arrive,” Palu said.
Some background: Last week, Pfizer announced shipments from its vaccine facility in Puurs, Belgium, would be temporarily reduced as it scales up to produce two billion Covid-19 vaccine doses in 2021.
The pharmaceutical company announced Friday that they will resume their original schedule to deliver the coronavirus vaccines to the European Union, starting the week of Jan. 25.
10:30 a.m. ET, January 19, 2021
Biden adviser says variants could turn the pandemic into a situation "unlike anything we’ve seen yet"
From CNN's Naomi Thomas
Michael Osterholm, a coronavirus adviser to President-elect Joe Biden and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said on CNN’s New Day Tuesday, that he worries that in the coming weeks, the coronavirus pandemic will turn into something unlike anything seen before, and most people don’t realize that yet.
“We’re going to suddenly see these variants come to play that based on the experience we’ve seen in Europe, in particular, South Africa, these variants can substantially increase the number of cases,” Osterholm said.
“I worry desperately in the next six to 12 weeks we’re going to see a situation with this pandemic unlike anything we’ve seen yet to date,” Osterholm said. “And that is really a challenge that I don’t think most people realize yet.”
When asked by CNN’s Alisyn Camerota if there was anything that the Biden administration could do to prevent this, Osterholm said the first step is “to get people to understand: This will happen, we are going to see a major increase in cases, the challenge is how many.”
Secondly, he said “we can’t make the vaccine go much faster than it is right now,” adding that while he knows the Biden administration will do everything it can to move vaccine out, other actions are needed now.
“The difference is going to be, are we going to react now or later,” Osterholm said. Like other places, he said that the US will take “dramatic steps” to deal with the variants, but “the question is how soon will we do it? Do we put the brakes on after the cars wrapped around the tree, or we try to put the brakes on before we leave the intersection?”
“That’s the challenge,” he said. “I just don’t know if we’re really prepared to even have that discussion yet.”
10:01 a.m. ET, January 19, 2021
US should stay focused on preventing Covid-19 cases, not changing travel restrictions, Biden adviser says
From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas
Travelers wait in line to check in for a flight at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) amid a COVID-19 surge in Southern California on December 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images
Michael Osterholm, a coronavirus adviser to President-elect Joe Biden and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said on CNN’s New Day Tuesday the focus needs to stay on preventing Covid-19 cases in the United States – and he wouldn’t change any current coronavirus-related travel restrictions.
“At this point, I wouldn’t change anything that we’re talking about in terms of restrictions, let’s take a look at them and see what’s really meaningful,” Osterholm said, following a move by President Donald Trump to lift coronavirus-related travel restrictions imposed on Brazil and parts of Europe.
Osterholm said that the focus has to stay on preventing cases linked to currently high rates of new cases and hospitalizations.
“Keep our eyes focused on the ball, which is what’s happening right here in the United States now,” he said.
Some background: On Monday, the White House released text of a new executive order by Trump that would lift coronavirus-related travel restrictions imposed on Brazil and much of Europe starting on Jan. 26.
However, the incoming Biden administration said that the order would not be implemented, with incoming press secretary Jen Psaki tweeting, “with the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel.”
Psaki added, “On the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26. In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of Covid-19.”
9:22 a.m. ET, January 19, 2021
Nepal bans passengers from UK after variant cases emerge
From CNN's Sugam Pokharel in Kathmandu
Covid-19 positive swab samples are pictured at the Bidh lab in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 18. Prabin Ranabhat/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Nepal has reported the first known cases of the new Covid-19 variant first identified in England in three passengers who recently arrived from the UK, the country's health ministry says.
The swab samples of the three travelers, who arrived in Nepal earlier this month, were sent to a World Health Organization lab in Hong Kong — and the results confirmed the new variant, the ministry said in a statement.
Following the detection, Nepal has banned all passengers originating from or transiting through the UK from entering the country until further notice, its home ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The small South Asian country has so far reported a total of 267,992 Covid-19 cases and 1,969 deaths, according to the latest government data.
9:07 a.m. ET, January 19, 2021
Storm grows around Australian Open as tennis authority refutes claims players are infected with Covid-19
From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney
Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley is pictured speaking to the media in January 2020, in Melbourne, Australia. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
The controversy surrounding the upcoming Australian Open continues to grow as Tennis Australia’s chief executive Craig Tiley denied that any players from the tournament have tested positive for Covid-19, hours after the Victorian government said two players had confirmed cases earlier in the day.
Tiley told reporters at a press conference Tuesday that of seven confirmed cases from three chartered flights into Melbourne, one was a flight attendant and the rest were part of player entourages. Tiley said he could not comment on the statement from the government and acknowledged that several players had shown viral shedding suggesting they had been previously infected.
Players arriving in the Australian state of Victoria have been placed into a 14-day quarantine ahead of their grand slam matches. Most have been allotted five hours each day to go out and train in strict bio-secure bubbles, but 72 players have been unable to leave their hotel rooms and cannot practice, under strict quarantine rules after passengers on their flights tested positive for Covid-19.
As a result some athletes have expressed frustration at the situation they have found themselves in and raised concerns that those who are allowed out could have an unfair advantage.
Tiley also addressed accusations from some players who have said risk of strict quarantine was not properly communicated prior to departure for Australia. He said event organizers were in touch with players’ groups frequently and the idea that they didn’t know about quarantine policies is “simply not true.”
The tournament director believes some players may have had different experiences in the pandemic and had brushed off the reality of what quarantine would be like as they hadn’t experienced one themselves.
When asked about accommodations being made for the 72 players under hard lockdown, Tiley said Tennis Australia has “great deal of empathy to supporting them.”
“I don’t know exactly what that means yet but we’ll definitely look at scheduling, practice courts, practice times, courts where they practice, availability of time and they will have the priority.”
Australia has allowed 1,270 foreigners to enter the country to participate in the event in the face of some of the world’s most stringent arrival policies. Last year, the Victoria state capital Melbourne -- the second-most populous city in Australia -- was plunged into a brutal lockdown for 111 days.
Aware that many are looking to the Australian Open as a preview of the potential logistical challenges for hosting large-scale international sporting events in the middle of a pandemic, Tiley said, “I don’t think any of us grasped the difficulty of managing such a mammoth task in delivering this."
“I think we’ll provide a lot of intelligence for the Olympic games,” he said of the logistics for athletes.
“If we pull this off, I’m a lot more confident in the Olympic games being able to happen too.”
