February 6 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Steve George and Tara John, CNN

Updated 0458 GMT (1258 HKT) February 7, 2021
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1:55 p.m. ET, February 6, 2021

New York state has administered 91% of its vaccine doses, governor says

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph

A health care worker administers a dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in Garden City, New York, on January 30.
A health care worker administers a dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in Garden City, New York, on January 30. Johnny Milano/Bloomberg/Getty Images

New York state has administered 111,316 doses of the coronavirus vaccine over the past 24 hours, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Saturday afternoon.

Cuomo called for additional vaccines to be delivered, as the state has administered 91% of the doses received from the federal government and “is capable of reaching many more New Yorkers than the current supply allows,” he said.

“New York's health care distribution sites have received 1,768,135 first doses and already administered 91% or 1,602,686 first-dose vaccinations and 78% of first and second doses,” Cuomo said, adding that the eighth week of allocation of vaccines from the federal government continues to be delivered this week.

2:03 p.m. ET, February 6, 2021

Florida bill would allow parents to have kids repeat a school grade due to pandemic disruption

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

A classroom at Layer Elementary School in Winter Springs, Florida, is seen during a media preview on August 10, 2020.
A classroom at Layer Elementary School in Winter Springs, Florida, is seen during a media preview on August 10, 2020. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto/Getty Images

A Florida lawmaker is looking to address the so-called “Covid slide” in education by introducing a bill that would allow parents to let their children repeat a grade. 

The bill would let parents for kids in grades kindergarten through eighth-grade file a request before June 30 to repeat the academic year, “without anyone asking any questions,” Florida state Sen. Lori Berman told CNN.

Studies show that students’ academic performance — particularly for Black, Hispanic and poor students — has suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Berman called the bill “a method of last resort.”

“It’s a really serious decision, and we’re going to try to give parents information so that they can make this choice, that is a one-time choice based on the pandemic and will be pretty much irreversible once they make that decision,” she said. 

Watch:

12:23 p.m. ET, February 6, 2021

Biden highlights the importance of his pandemic relief plan in new video

From CNN’s Allie Malloy

President Joe Biden speaks to Michele, a woman who lost her job due to the pandemic.
President Joe Biden speaks to Michele, a woman who lost her job due to the pandemic. The White House

In his first “fireside chat” video, President Biden spoke to a woman who lost her job due to the pandemic, offering her solace but also using the interaction to highlight the importance of his Covid-19 relief plan. 

“Working is a part of who you are. Like my dad used to say, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about your respect. It’s about your place in the community,” Biden told the woman, who was identified in the video as Michele from California. “I’ve been saying a long time the idea that we think we can keep businesses open and moving and thriving without this pandemic is just a nonstarter. We’re putting together a plan that provides for emergency relief to people who are in desperate need now."

In the video, Michele said she was laid off for the first time in her life this July and wrote a letter to Biden to tell him how she felt and shortly after she received the phone call from him. 

Biden also spoke about getting 100 million shots in his first 100 days to which Michele excitedly said she “finally” got her parents appointments.  

Some background: The White House announced Friday plans to bring back the tradition of weekly presidential addresses to the American people, continuing in the tradition of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside chats.

"This is a time-honored tradition in the country of hearing from the President in this way, from FDR's Fireside Chats to Ronald Reagan establishing the weekly presidential radio address," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday. "President (Joe) Biden will continue that tradition, and we expect it to take on a variety of forms."

 

 

10:24 a.m. ET, February 6, 2021

Netherlands surpasses 1 million Covid-19 cases

From CNN’s Arnaud Siad and Mick Krever

The Netherlands has passed the mark of a million confirmed Covid-19 since the pandemic began, according to numbers by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) on Saturday.

RIVM reported 4,130 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total since the pandemic started almost a year ago to 1,001,826.

9:25 a.m. ET, February 6, 2021

1 year after the first known US coronavirus death, over 450,000 families will never see a loved one again

From CNN's Holly Yan

When Patricia Dowd passed away last February, no one knew it was from Covid-19.

She was 57 and very active, her brother said. Dowd had come down with flu-like symptoms but didn't qualify for a Covid-19 test because they were scarce and restricted at the time.

On February 6, Dowd died suddenly after her heart ruptured.

Months later, a tissue sample and testing helped confirm her death was caused by Covid-19 -- marking the first known Covid-19 death in the US.

In the year since, more than 450,000 other families have suffered the shock and devastation of losing a loved one to coronavirus.

Here are some of their stories:

6:32 a.m. ET, February 6, 2021

How Dubai is paying the price for letting in tourists

From CNN's Zeena Saifi, John Defterios and Melanie Swan

Take a passing glance at Dubai, and you may think life is back to normal. In recent weeks, the bustling city has been a sparkling attraction for tourists, especially from Europe, trying to escape the brutal winter and strict coronavirus lockdowns.

But as tens of thousands of visitors flocked there during its peak year-end season, the virus inevitably caught up with the city despite precautions aimed at limiting its spread. Cases began to rise, nearly quadrupling since November.
Even as Covid-19 gained a stronger foothold, the images out of Dubai -- particularly from the Instagram feeds of influencers or celebrities -- painted an image of a wide-open winter sun paradise.

For those back home in countries such as the UK, where most people are being told they cannot travel abroad because of the risk to health, these pictures caused consternation, drawing criticism of those enjoying themselves.

Read the full story:

How Dubai is paying the price for letting in tourists
RELATED

How Dubai is paying the price for letting in tourists

Zeena Saifi, John Defterios and Melanie Swan, CNN

6:22 a.m. ET, February 6, 2021

States are looking to help their vulnerable communities as vaccine distribution ramps up

From CNN's Madeline Holcombe

A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in the Bronx borough of New York, on February 5.
A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination site in the Bronx borough of New York, on February 5. Angus Mordant/Bloomberg/Getty Images

As officials make strides to improve accessibility to Covid-19 vaccines in the United States, some states are turning their focus to the underserved and vulnerable communities that have not yet been eligible for protection.

Though coronavirus vaccine administration is not at President Joe Biden's hoped-for level of 1.5 million per day, the US has gotten closer with an average of 1.3 million new shots a day.
Until now, the sluggish pace of distribution had most states' demand for vaccines exceeding their supply as they raced to protect their first-priority populations, usually healthcare workers and older Americans.

Now New York, with about 75% of hospital workers inoculated, may become the first state to offer vaccine access to people with the simultaneous presence of two or more medical conditions, no matter their age. The governor's office listed cancer, chronic kidney disease, pulmonary disease and heart conditions as some of the comorbidities and underlying conditions that the state will use to determine eligibility for the Covid-19 vaccine.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo also said Friday that the state is now vaccinating those in the prison system along the same guidelines as the general public.

And in Texas, the Houston Health Department said Friday that it will prioritize "vulnerable populations" and "underserved communities" as it receives additional vaccine allotments.

When it comes to reaching the underserved, such as people who are homeless, those without insurance and migrant workers, local pharmacies and health centers are a better option than trying to "reinvent the wheel" with mass vaccination sites, Adm. Brett Giroir said in a radio interview aired Friday.

Read the full story:

4:01 a.m. ET, February 6, 2021

Reopening of schools emerges as complex flashpoint for Biden administration

Analysis from CNN's Maeve Reston

A classroom sits empty on Emily Griffith campus in Denver, Colorado on December 15, 2020.
A classroom sits empty on Emily Griffith campus in Denver, Colorado on December 15, 2020. Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post/Getty Images

US President Joe Biden's team is promising new guidance on school reopenings next week. But even as more Covid-19 vaccine shots go into arms two and half weeks into his administration, there is growing impatience and frustration among parents about the biggest question looming over their lives: when their children can get back in the classroom.

The issue of school reopenings emerged as a central flashpoint this week as the anger that many parents and teachers are feeling is spilling into courtroom battles and potentially headed toward the picket line in Chicago, home to the third-largest school district in the country. Biden has said he wants to open the majority of K-8 schools within his first 100 days, and Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the CDC will provide more advice on how they can safely do so next week.

But reopening policies and the readiness of campuses to usher children back through their doors currently vary wildly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction -- a legacy of the Trump administration's decentralized approach to managing Covid-19. And the ability of schools to reopen hinges on the coronavirus transmission rate in each locality -- meaning that the CDC's advice next week is unlikely to offer anxious parents any immediate, one-size-fits-all answers that bring clarity to when their lives will get back to normal.

Even after Biden set his 100-day goal for reopening, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said achieving that goal "may not happen because there may be mitigating circumstances."

Read the full story here:

2:24 a.m. ET, February 6, 2021

At least 26,808,328 cases in US and at least 459,403 deaths

According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been at least 26,808,328 cases of coronavirus and at least 459,403 deaths in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic.

On Friday, Johns Hopkins University reported 128,114 new cases and 3,522 new deaths.

At least 58,380,300 vaccine doses have been distributed and at least 36,819,212 doses of vaccine have been administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.