By Zahid Mahmood, Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton and Hannah Strange, CNN
Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, January 28, 2021
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4:10 a.m. ET, January 27, 2021
Peru locks down 10 regions due to "extreme" Covid-19 threat
From CNNE's Gerardo Lemnos
A doctor checks an X-ray of a Covid-19 patient at a home on the eastern outskirts of Lima, Peru on January 22. Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images
Peru will lock down 10 regions, including the capital Lima, from January 31 to February 14, President Francisco Sagasti announced on Tuesday.
Metropolitan Lima and the Lima region, Callao, Ancash, Pasco, Huánuco, Junín, Huancavelica, Ica and Apurímac will be locked down after being classed under "extreme" Covid-19 risk.
Residents in those regions will be allowed out of their homes for one hour per day under the restrictions.
Interprovincial land and air transport services have been suspended, according to Sagasti.
"This requires confinement, that is, quarantine," the President explained in a message to the nation.
Another nine regions of the country are at "very high" risk level, and the rest are at "high."
3:57 a.m. ET, January 27, 2021
Analysis: Biden sets bold timeline for a return to normal life
Analysis from CNN's Stephen Collinson
President Joe Biden's pledge that there will be sufficient Covid-19 vaccines for 300 million Americans by the end of summer represents a bold and politically risky response to criticism that his pandemic plan lacks ambition.
In effect, the President is putting a date on a return of a semblance of normal life -- with no guarantee that he can deliver.
If the President succeeds, Tuesday may be remembered as a key turning point in a pandemic exacerbated by the former Trump administration's disastrous response. Should he fall short, the credibility of his new presidency will take a serious hit, that would not only prolong the crisis into another fall and winter but would also hamper his ambitious program on other key issues.
In a show of presidential power six days into his term, Biden sought to galvanize the action of federal, state and local governments into the kind of unified, national effort that had up until now been lacking during this once-in-century crisis.
Signs that there is finally a federal government that is not in denial and has a coherent plan could give businesses, from cruise lines to restaurants, the capacity to plan ahead -- a crucial factor in the recovery of the economy from its pandemic stasis.
And Biden's aggressive, daily, actions designed to combat the pandemic since taking office may also inject a sense of urgency on Capitol Hill as Republicans question the need for a rescue package that is vital to speeding up vaccinations.
Health workers wait to receive a vaccine for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Naypyidaw, Myanmar on January 27. Thet Aung/AFP/Getty Images
Myanmar will begin its Covid-19 vaccination rollout to frontline health care workers and volunteers on Wednesday, according to state media outlet Global New Light Myanmar, citing the country's Health Ministry.
Myanmar received 1.5 million doses of the Covishield/AstraZeneca vaccine on January 22.
The nationwide rollout will start on February 5 for government workers and the general public, Global New Light reported. The program will prioritize higher-risk individuals and those in areas more prone to infection.
Myanmar has a population of more than 54 million people, according to United Nations data.
3:16 a.m. ET, January 27, 2021
Nearly half of Americans eager for coronavirus vaccine, survey finds
From CNN's Maggie Fox
Syringes filled with the Covid-19 vaccine await to be administered at the Kedren Community Health Center in Los Angeles, California on January 25. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
Close to half of Americans say they are eager to get a coronavirus vaccine or have already gotten one, according to a January survey published Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The survey of more than 1,500 adults found that 41% want the vaccine and 6% have already gotten at least one dose.
That’s considerably higher than the 34% reported in December, said KFF, which studies health policy.
In the new survey, 31% said they would like to wait and see how the vaccine works for others before they get one themselves. Some 7% will only get one if “required to do so for work, school or other activities,” while 13% said they would “definitely not” get it.
And of course, politics plays a role.
“While vaccine enthusiasm increased for both Democrats and independents, it has not shifted among Republicans, who remain the most resistant, with 33% saying they will definitely not get the vaccine or will get it only if required to do so for work, school or other activities,” Kaiser said in a statement.
The survey also looked into what might motivate people to take the vaccine.
Some 57% of those surveyed would be more likely to get vaccinated if told the vaccines are highly effective in preventing illness, and 54% said they would be more likely to get vaccinated if told it was the quickest way for life to return to normal.
Just under half, 46%, were impressed by hearing millions of people have been safely vaccinated, and 45% were motivated by being told we need people to be vaccinated to get the US economy back on track.
3:00 a.m. ET, January 27, 2021
Thailand reports more than 800 new Covid-19 cases amid mass testing drive
From CNN's Kocha Olarn in Bangkok
Thailand on Wednesday reported its second highest number of daily Covid-19 cases after a mass testing drive in the kingdom's hardest-hit province.
Thailand’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced 819 total new infections on Wednesday, including 808 local transmissions.
The new cases are from a mass testing program being carried out in Samut Sakhon province -- the origin of Thailand’s most recent wave, the CCSA said.
Wednesday's figures raise the national total to 15,465 cases, including 76 deaths.
2:22 a.m. ET, January 27, 2021
China has given more than 22 million doses of coronavirus vaccines
From CNN’s Beijing bureau
People queue to receive vaccines against the coronavirus at a temporary vaccination center in Beijing, China on January 8. STR/CNS/AFP/Getty Images
China has administered more than 22.7 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, a health official said on Wednesday ahead of next month’s Lunar New Year holidays.
“At present, we are carrying out vaccination in various places for key groups with a relatively high risk of infection,” said Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, during a news conference. Those groups include workers in border protection, health care, transport and social services, he said. “Overall, the work is still progressing in a smooth and orderly manner,” Zeng said.
China aims to inoculate 50 million people with homegrown Covid-19 vaccines before February’s Lunar New Year celebrations.
Since July, China has been administering domestically produced vaccines to people considered “high-risk” groups under an emergency use program.
1:55 a.m. ET, January 27, 2021
Man fined $35,000 for breaking home quarantine 7 times
From CNN's Lilit Marcus
A Taiwanese man has been fined $1 million New Taiwan Dollars ($35,000) for repeatedly breaking his home quarantine.
The unnamed man, who lives in Taichung in central Taiwan, was doing a home quarantine in his apartment building after returning from a business trip to mainland China and violated it at least seven times, according to local media.
According to TTV News, the man left his apartment building seven times in just three days to go shopping, get his car fixed and more. He reportedly got into an altercation with one of his neighbors when they confronted him about leaving his home during quarantine.
The Taichung local government confirmed that the man returned home on January 21. Taiwan's regulations require quarantining for 14 days.
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen denounced it as "a serious offense" and added that the man "must be given severe punishment."
CNN to host town hall with Biden's Covid-19 team on Wednesday
CNN is hosting a town hall with President Joe Biden's Covid-19 team on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith will join CNN's Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a CNN global town hall on coronavirus.
What questions do you have for President Biden's Covid-19 team? Send them here.
1:36 a.m. ET, January 27, 2021
US reports more than 142,000 new Covid-19 cases
From CNN's Joe Sutton in Atlanta
The US reported 142,511 new Covid-19 cases and 3,990 virus-related deaths on Tuesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
That raises the national total to at least 25,439,570 confirmed infections and 425,199fatalities.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
Vaccine distribution: At least 44,394,075 vaccine doses have been distributed and at least 23,540,994 shots administered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
