March 12 coronavirus news

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed language from its guidance this week referencing a three-month limit to fully vaccinated people being able to skip quarantine after a coronavirus exposure.

Previously, the agency said on its website that fully vaccinated people could skip quarantine after a Covid-19 exposure if they were within three months of their final vaccine dose. They must also remain asymptomatic.

Fully vaccinated means at least two weeks have passed since receiving a final dose of Covid-19 vaccine, whether that is two shots of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

CNN has reached out to the agency for comment.

CDC announced its first iteration of these guidelines a month ago. At the time, a spokesperson told CNN that the guidance mirrored what the agency had recommended last year for people who had become infected with Covid-19 in the last 90 days. She noted the agency wasn't suggesting vaccines were expected to wear off after 90 days, and that the CDC was continuing to evaluate that timeline as it got more information.

On its website, CDC notes that guidance for fully vaccinated people "will be updated and expanded based on the level of community spread of SARS-CoV-2, the proportion of the population that is fully vaccinated, and the rapidly evolving science on COVID-19 vaccines.”

The quarantine exemption does not apply to people who live in "non-healthcare congregate settings” such as prisons or group homes, even if they are vaccinated.

The Treasury Department confirmed the first batch of payments under the American Rescue Plan are being processed today and that some could be delivered this weekend.

CNN has previously reported that $1,400 stimulus checks will start going out this weekend. 

The Treasury Department said further payments to millions of Americans will go out in the coming weeks.

AstraZeneca expects to ask the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize its Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in March or early April, sources with knowledge of the company's ongoing clinical trial told Reuters.

The company's phase 3 clinical trial completed enrollment in January and includes more than 32,000 volunteers, the sources said. They said at least 150 people in the trial have had Covid-19, and that the data will be used to determine the vaccine's efficacy.

AstraZeneca declined to confirm the dates, telling CNN in a statement: "The US phase III study results are necessary for the FDA’s evaluation of an EUA request for our vaccine. We expect data from our US Phase III trial to be available soon, in the coming weeks, and we plan to file for emergency use authorization shortly thereafter."

In February: Ruud Dobber, an AstraZeneca executive vice president and president of the company’s biopharmaceuticals business unit, told congressional lawmakers the company would have 30 million doses of its two-shot vaccine available in the beginning of April, which could be released "instantly" if the vaccine is authorized.

He said 50 million doses would be available to the US at the end of April – a figure AstraZeneca reaffirmed to CNN on Friday.

Biden administration Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said Friday that the US has a “small inventory” of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, in the event it is authorized.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has announced that he is ordering school districts in his state to provide an in-person instruction option by April 5.  

"By April 5, all students in grades kindergarten through [6th grade] must have the opportunity to engage in an on-site hybrid model of instruction, and by April 19, all other K through [12th grade] students must be provided a hybrid model of instruction," Inslee said on Friday during a news conference. 

“More than half of our schools have returned to some form of in-person instruction, but there are still hundreds of thousands of students who have not had access to in-person learning,” the governor tweeted on Friday.

Citing concerns over the rise in mental health issues with children, he tweeted, “Now is the time for all schools to return to in-person learning.”

However, Inslee said that he will still require all schools to offer both in-person "and a remote learning option for those who prefer to remain in remote learning mode.”

More than 101 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, according to data published Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The tally includes doses administered since the first shot on December 14, 2020.

More than 2.9 million more doses were reported administered since yesterday, marking a new daily record. The seven-day average of reported doses administered is about 2.3 million.

Overall, the CDC reports that 101,128,005 doses have been administered – about 76% of the 133,337,525 doses delivered.

More than 1 in 10 people in the US – about 35 million people – are now fully vaccinated, and about 1 in 5 people – nearly 66 million people – have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.

Note: Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day reported.

President Biden touted his $1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus bill, saying it “changes the paradigm” for workers in the United States. 

“For the first time in a long time, this bill puts working people in this nation first,” Biden said in remarks during a Rose Garden speech today.

The President said that “we’ve seen time and time again” that trickle-down economics does not work.

The American Rescue Plan represents a rebuilding of the working class, “the backbone of this country,” he added.

Biden added that he views the legislation as “only the beginning” of his administration’s efforts, and there is more work to be done. 

“We're not finished yet. Conditions can change. The scientists have warned us about new variants of this virus, and the devil is in the details of implementing this legislation,” he said.

Watch his speech:

President Biden highlighted portions of his administration’s massive $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, particularly the impact it will make on families, during an event at the White House's Rose Garden this afternoon.

More on the bill: The bill provides direct payments worth up to $1,400 per person to married couples earning less than $160,000, heads of households earning less than $120,000 a year and individuals earning less than $80,000 a year.

Individuals earning less than $75,000 will receive the full $1,400. Married couples earning less than $150,000 a year will receive $2,800 — and families with children are eligible for an additional $1,400 per dependent. Heads of households earning less than $112,500 a year will also receive the full $1,400 plus another $1,400 per dependent.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are holding an event alongside Democratic leaders at the White House's Rose Garden to celebrate the passage of their administration’s massive $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill.

Biden signed the legislation into law yesterday, and stimulus payments will start going out to millions of Americans as soon as this weekend.

"To the members of the House and Senate, thanks for making this happen," Biden said in his remarks. "You made it happen. As I said, I served 36 years in the Senate and I know how hard it is to pass major consequential legislation, particularly when we only have such minor and small majorities in both houses."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Biden's leadership and thanked Democrats who worked on the bill. 

Harris also used her remarks to thank Biden for his leadership, saying he "had a purpose" and "had faith" that the American people would support the plan.

"Americans will see what we did here. What you did, Mr. President. And they will feel the impact of this bill for generations to come," Harris said. "Because of you, Mr. President, help has arrived, and on behalf of our nation, thank you."

Key features of the relief package include:

The President and other top officials will promote the coronavirus relief package next week by hitting the road on what the White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the “Help is Here Tour.”

In a prime-time address last night, Biden said he will direct US states to open vaccine eligibility to all adults by May, a step he said could allow for small Independence Day gatherings on July 4.

Watch the moment:

CNN's Betsy Klein contributed reporting to this post.

France approved Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose coronavirus vaccine on Friday, a spokesperson for the French National Authority for Health confirmed to CNN.

The move comes just a day after the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Janssen received conditional marketing authorization from the European Medicines Agency.

It is the fourth coronavirus vaccine to get approval from the French health authority, following Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

France, along with other nations in the European Union, has faced criticism for the slow rollout of its vaccine campaign. 

As of Thursday, more than 4 million people in France had received at least a first injection, while more than 2 million have gotten a second injection.