Category: Corona Virus

Thousands of airline jobs are now saved because of the nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief plan.

Last month, 13,000 American airline employees were warned about furloughs, but the airlines CEO says those notices can be torn up now that they are getting a financial boost.

The American Rescue Plan includes $15 billion for airlines. It also extends the payroll support program through September.

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Thousands of Airline Jobs Saved by Coronavirus Relief Plan - 9 & 10 News - 9&10 News

Four additional cases of a coronavirus variant first detected in Brazil have been found in Alaska, state health officials said.

Two of the cases were from Anchorage and two from Eagle River, officials announced Wednesday.

One case of the variant had previously been detected in Alaska, but officials last month said additional cases were likely given the person in that case had not recently traveled outside Alaska and did not have a clear source of infection, Alaska Public Media reported.

As of Tuesday, 15 cases of the variant had been reported in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But experts have said those numbers likely dont reflect the true number of cases, given limited capacity for the complicated laboratory work required to detect individual strains.

Officials in Alaska have said a consortium of state and university scientists has provided a good picture of what versions of the virus are circulating in the state. They also have said vaccinations are important to keep variants from spreading more widely.

The less COVID we have circulating, the less variants there are, said Dr. Anne Zink, the states chief medical officer.

Alaska previously recorded two cases of a variant first detected in the United Kingdom.

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Additional cases of coronavirus variant first detected in Brazil have been found in Alaska - Anchorage Daily News

Like most in Riverside County, I am encouraged to see the number of COVID-19 cases declining and the availability of vaccinations increasing. It is beginning to enter my brain that a return to normalcy may not be too far off.

I am fortunate being able to work from home and having a house to live in. I do telehealth sessions via Zoom with my clients, and many are beginning to talk about the prospect of re-entering shops, restaurants and going back to work or school. At the beginning of this now year-long pandemic, most were chomping at the bit to return to work or school. Recently, Ive been seeing a hesitancy, almost a reluctance or fear, regarding a return to a previous lifestyle.

I understand its hard to flip a switch and convince yourself that suddenly its OK to be around others and view them as people, not vectors. I have patients young and old asking me if its odd or unusual that they arent excited about going back to their old lives. Quickly, they add, its not complacency about being at home thats not the right word. And it would be unfair to characterize their tentativeness as being adjusted to a new normal. They lack any frame of reference most of us do.

As a psychotherapist, what I see after a year is people being settled into this COVID-19 routine. There has been so much change over the past year the pandemic, a highly charged presidential election that continues to reverberate, many people just want routine. Not change, not excitement, but good old-fashioned routine.

Therapists are big on pointing out that kids also need routine; too often, its soothing effects are not mentioned in the same sentence as it is with those out of high school.

I used to fantasize about zip-lining or climbing a sheer cliff with a rope and cleats, but for now, its fine with me to sit in my La-Z-Boy and watch mindless TV shows that have nothing to do with whats going on in the news. The more banal or predictable the better. Shows that dont require a lot of concentration or put me on an emotional roller coaster. I still curse my son for telling me to watch Your Honor with Bryan Cranston (spoiler alert: its perhaps the most depressing show ever made).

Psychologically, it has taken most of us a while to get used to being hyper-vigilant about going outside, and it likely will take an equal amount of time to reacclimate, let our guard down and hug again.

So, I tell my clients who are students, that they arent odd or off because of ambivalence regarding returning to school. As I explain to my adult clients when they express similar uncertainty, it does not mean they will be forever hermits, living underground.

Our collective psyches have taken a huge hit, and its important to view that with compassion. There are elements of PTSD in most of us having weathered a once-in-a-century pandemic. As with any trauma, healing takes time.

Mitchell Rosen is a licensed therapist with practices in Corona and Temecula. Catch up with previous columns atwww.pe.com/author/mitchell-rosen. Email rosen@mrosenmft.com.

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Mitchell Rosen: Given our coronavirus-altered lives, healing will take time - Press-Enterprise

Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day's latest updates. Sign up here.

Texans age 50 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning March 15, state health officials announced Wednesday.

Expanding to ages 50 to 64 will continue the states priorities of protecting those at the greatest risk of severe outcomes and preserving the states health care system, said Imelda Garcia, Department of State Health Services associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and chair of the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel.

The move to expand eligibility to a new category of Texans labeled 1C means that vaccine availability is ramping up across the state. However, appointments may continue to be hard to find, as the number of eligible recipients outnumbers the vaccine supply. Before the Wednesday announcement, between 10 million and 13 million people more than one-third of Texas population were already eligible, according to state health officials.

Previously, doses of the vaccine were limited to front-line health care workers, long-term care residents and staff, people 65 year old and older or at least 16 with a qualifying health condition. Last week, teachers and child care workers also became eligible, after President Joe Biden's administration directed states to prioritize school employees.

To date, nearly 7 million doses of the vaccine have been administered across Texas and more than 4.5 million people have received at least one dose, according to state data. In total, about 8.5% of the Texas population has been fully vaccinated.

In recent weeks, service workers, including grocery store and restaurant staff, have been advocating to be included in the next round of eligibility after spending nearly a year on the front lines of the pandemic.

Claudia Zapata, representative for the ATX Restaurant Organizing Project, said in a statement that she is disappointed and angry but not surprised that service workers were not given priority access to the vaccine.

The announcement comes on the same day that the statewide mask mandate ends, further stoking fear about the virus' spread among those in the industry. On Monday, service workers gathered outside the Texas Capitol to protest the decision to roll back safety restrictions and demand that they be given access to the vaccine.

Federal recommendations suggest all essential workers not included in phases 1A and 1B be included in this next phase, though Texas has previously strayed from that advice.

Currently, Texas is offering vaccines to front-line health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, Texans who are 65 and older, and people who have a qualifying health condition and are of a certain age, depending on which vaccine they get. You can find a list of some of those conditions here. As of March 15, Texans 50 and older are eligible for vaccines.

Check with your local health care provider or public health department. The vaccine will be available at more than 80 vaccination hubs across the state and some pharmacies, clinics and hospitals. Most providers are also requiring Texans to register for appointments to get the vaccine to minimize traffic flow. The state has a map of providers that are offering the vaccine here.

Weve heard from many Texans who have had this experience. There are simply far more eligible Texans who want vaccine doses right now than there are doses available. It will be months until the vaccine is broadly available to everyone. Until then, its best to keep checking with providers, wait until you are eligible if you are not yet and continue to wear a mask when youre out in public and practice social distancing.

Yes. Although some Texans have expressed hesitancy toward the vaccine, health experts and public officials widely agree that the vaccine is safe. Pfizer and Moderna reported their vaccines are 95% and 94% effective, respectively, at protecting people from serious illness, and while no vaccine is without side effects, clinical trials for both Pfizer and Moderna show serious reactions are rare.

The short answer is yes. Health experts still dont know how long natural immunity lasts after someone gets COVID-19, but evidence suggests it does not last very long.

Texas is still far from herd immunity the level at which a sufficient proportion of the population is immune to COVID-19 to stop its spread. Experts estimate that between 70% and 80% of Texans will need to be vaccinated to cross that threshold. That amounts to nearly 100% of adults in the state.

The announcement of the expanded vaccine eligibility comes on the same day that the statewide mask mandate ends. The mandate was first implemented by Gov. Greg Abbott last July. On Monday, service workers gathered outside the Texas Capitol to protest the decision to roll back safety restrictions and demand that they be given access to the vaccine.

Abbott hinted about the vaccine announcement during a press conference last week, when he announced he was rescinding the mask mandate and allowing every business including restaurants, bars, retail stores and sports stadiums to operate at 100% capacity. Abbott cited a number of key COVID-19 metrics, including a decline in new hospitalizations and the statewide positivity rate, as evidence that Texas is "in a far better position now."

In the nearly three months since Texas received its first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine, supply has steadily increased. There are now three approved vaccines in the U.S. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, which both require two doses, and Johnson & Johnson, which requires one dose.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and state emergency management officials have also begun running mass vaccination sites aimed at underserved communities in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. The sites are NRG Stadium in Houston, AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Fair Park in Dallas.

Concerns remain about equitable access to the vaccine. State Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, expressed frustration on Wednesday with the low vaccination rate among communities of color on which the pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll.

"I feel kind of that you broke my heart and broke your promise to me," Miles told Garcia, chair of the EVAP, during a state Senate Health and Human Services Committee meeting.

The increasing number of vaccinated Texans has meant, for some, a return to some semblance of normalcy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday announced that fully vaccinated people can visit safely with other vaccinated people and with small groups of unvaccinated people. But the CDC cautioned that COVID-19 still poses a grave public health risk, and urged everyone including vaccinated people to continue to wear masks and keep physical distance in public.

State health officials estimate that the vaccine will be available for the general public later this spring. Biden earlier this month said that the U.S. would have enough supply of the COVID-19 vaccine for every adult by the end of May.

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Texas coronavirus vaccine eligibility expands to those age 50 and older - The Texas Tribune

NASHVILLE, Tenn (WKRN) As Nashville makes significant strides to putting the coronavirus behind us, many are still hesitant on being vaccinated.

Dr. Alex Jahangir, the head of the Metro Coronavirus Task Force told News 2 that he understands vaccine hesitancy, but the more one waits to be vaccinated, the longer it will take for us all to get back to life pre-COVID.

The longer it takes to get a majority of us vaccinated, the longer it takes for us to put this thing behind us, the more people that will die in the meantime, so its really important for us to get vaccinated, Dr. Jahangir explained.

Nashville residents have stepped up, he said, showing an overwhelming response to getting the vaccine. Today, the number of vaccines distributed outnumbering those who have had the virus.

We have 113,000 Nashvillians that have received at least one dose of vaccine and 91,000 Nashvillians have become effected with COVID-19, so now we are at a tipping point where more people have received the vaccine than have been infected so this gives me hope that we are at a really good place moving forward, said Dr. Jahangir.

Looking ahead, he said there are only more opportunities to come. On Wednesday, the system briefly crashed as those eager to be vaccinated signed up fornext Saturdaysevent at Nissan Stadium where an additional 10,000 people will be vaccinated. All of the slots were taken within 2 hours.

That will make a huge impact, said Dr. Jahangir. Just on Monday, 11,000 Nashvillians signed up for our Music City Center [event] so Im really excited Nashvillians are signing up.

From availability to current phases, find vaccine information for every Tennessee county using News 2s Vaccine Tracker map.

Dr. Jahangir says there are lots of other options outside of city sites to get the vaccine, too.

Medical centers, Walmart, Kroger, varied qualified healthcare systems all have availability.

However, not everyone is jumping on board so quickly, only about 16 percent of Nashvilles population has been vaccinated.

I think vaccine hesitancy, as people are calling it is I understand, but what I would ask people to do is to learn about the vaccine and find out why they are hesitant, said Dr. Jahangir.

He urges people to do their research on credible sites like the CDCs where there is a section of common vaccine myths and facts, as well as a list of links to additional credible sources.

Up to this point, I have not seen any major, major side effects that give me a pause about the vaccine, any of the vaccines.

He said if we keep up at this rate, the end of the coronavirus is in sight.

I think if we can just do this for a few more months, I really believe by early Summer we will be at a place where it will be the Nashville you and I knew growing up, and it will be the Nashville we knew about a year ago, and I feel so comfortable making that statement.

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Vaccine hesitancy will slow Nashvilles progress to move past Coronavirus - WKRN News 2

The restriction rollback would push the city into a "modified phase 3," but it would still lag behind the rest of the state.

NEW ORLEANS Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that New Orleans would ease COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, as vaccination numbers rise in New Orleans while new cases fall.

The mayor made the announcement at a Wednesday press conference, where she will speak alongside Health Department Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno.

The restriction rollback pushes the city into a "modified phase 3," similar to the rest of the state.

Restaurants and businesses will be allowed up to 75% occupancy under the new guidelines. Religious services will also be opened up to 75% capacity, as long as mask mandates are followed.

Gatherings of up to 75 people indoors and 150 people outside will also be allowed.

Live entertainment will be allowed in the city again in businesses following State Fire Marshal requirements.

Avegno cautioned that the guidelines for live music were nuanced and detailed, and encouraged business owners to read up on them before attempting to book musicians.

"The numbers are what they are because people have been doing the right thing. we have been putting in the work," Cantrell said.

For the upcoming St. Patrick's Day weekend, there will be no parades and block parties are prohibited, she added.

Avegno said New Orleans, with one of the largest populations of African-American residents in the country, is still at high risk from coronavirus because of the secondary conditions known to make the virus more deadly being prevalent in the Black community.

But despite Black residents making up more than 60% of the city, fewer than 50% of the vaccinations distributed so far in the city have been to Black patients.

"We are hustling to get vaccines to arms," Avegno said. "It is about removing barriers and providing education."

She said that New Orleans led vaccination numbers in the country, with 12% of Orleans Parish having at least started the vaccination process. That's a long way off from the 75% vaccination level that experts recommend for "herd immunity," but it's still a promising sign.

Even after the city and the surrounding state reach a 75% vaccination rate, it won't be as though COVID-19 never happened.

"That doesn't mean that we're never going to have another case of coronavirus again," Avegno said. "We're not trying to get to zero."

New Orleans saw 27 new cases reported Tuesday, with an infection rate of 0.75. The city uses 50 cases per day as a watermark for whether the virus is being contained, and an infection rate under 1.0 is considered good because it indicates the virus is dying off and not spreading through the population.

Gov. John Bel Edwards moved Louisiana back into Phase 3 of reopening last week.

Among the changes put in place outside of Orleans Parish, people are now able to sit at a bar to drink without ordering food. Standing at or gathering around a bar will still be banned for now.

Live music is also allowed indoors, but if anyone is singing or playing a wind instrument, capacity will be reduced from 75 percent to 50 percent. Everyone must be seated.

Conferences and conventions can begin again, but only with permission.

Small outdoor events, such as school fairs, are allowed to resume with crowd limitations. Larger festivals or events will need permission from the state.

Local areas can have more restrictions than the state, but they can't have less. The city of New Orleans has often had tighter restrictions than the rest of the state.

WWL-TV will carry Mayor Cantrell's press conference live on WWLTV.com and our social media channels on March 10 at 11 a.m.

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New Orleans moves to 'modified phase 3' with 12% of the city vaccinated - WWLTV.com

Updated at 6:41 p.m. to include state data.

Dallas County added 21 more COVID-19 deaths and 557 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, one year after the county reported its first positive case of the virus.

The latest victims were in their 50s and older and include 16 men and five women. Eight were from Dallas, five from Garland, two each from Balch Springs and Mesquite, and one each from Combine, Farmers Branch, Richardson and Sunnyvale. All had underlying health conditions.

County Judge Clay Jenkins noted in a written statement that Wednesdays report marked the one-year anniversary of the first reported positive COVID-19 death in Dallas County. He said he was thankful for the resiliency of the people of Dallas County and North Texas over the last year, and he urged people to get vaccinated.

Disregard politicians who conflict with local and national health leaders, Jenkins said. Help one another and show grace toward your fellow man whether he agrees or disagrees with you.

Of the new cases announced Wednesday, 270 were confirmed and 287 were probable. The numbers bring the countys overall case total to 285,332, including 248,495 confirmed and 36,837 probable. The death toll is 3,201.

Health officials use hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and emergency room visits as key metrics to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the county. In the 24-hour period that ended Tuesday, 303 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 388 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 389,642 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 218,133 10.8% of the countys population 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Wednesday that people 50 and older will be eligible for the vaccine starting Monday. The decision to prioritize age is based on data showing the vast majority of coronavirus-related deaths occur in older Texans, officials said.

Across the state, 4,863 more cases were reported Wednesday, including 4,410 new cases and 453 older ones recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 225 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 44,875.

Of the new cases, 3,104 were confirmed and 1,306 were probable. Of the older cases, 227 were confirmed and 226 were probable.

The states case total is now 2,699,589, including 2,330,216 confirmed and 369,373 probable.

There are 4,556 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 991 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Tuesday, 6.03% of patients in the hospital region covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area were COVID-19 patients below the 15% threshold the state has used to define high hospitalizations.

The seven-day average positivity rate statewide for molecular tests, based on the date of test specimen collection, was 7.28% as of Tuesday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 3.25%. A molecular test is considered more accurate and is sometimes also called a PCR test; an antigen test is also called a rapid test. Gov. Greg Abbott has said a positivity rate above 10% is cause for concern.

According to the state, 4,695,684 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 2,541,063 11.3% of the states population 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County reported two deaths and 448 cases Wednesday.

The victims were an Arlington man in his 50s and a Bedford woman in her 70s. Both had underlying health conditions.

Of the new cases, 333 were confirmed and 115 were probable. The numbers bring the countys case total to 246,077, including 208,632 confirmed and 37,445 probable. The death toll is 3,030.

According to the county, 314 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Wednesday.

According to the state, 284,989 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 181,654 11.4% of the countys population 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

The state added three deaths and 280 cases to Collin Countys totals Wednesday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 216 were confirmed and 64 were probable. The numbers bring the countys case total to 84,589, including 70,835 confirmed and 13,754 probable. The death toll is 754.

According to the county, 188 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 175,306 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 105,813 13.1% of the countys population 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

Denton County reported zero deaths and 616 cases Wednesday.

The newly reported cases bring the countys case total to 68,852, including 51,465 confirmed and 17,387 probable. The death toll is 431.

According to the county, 51 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 122,878 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 86,552 12.3% of the countys population 16 and older are fully vaccinated.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has taken over reporting for these other North Texas counties. In some counties, new data may not be reported every day.

The latest numbers are:

Excerpt from:

Dallas reports 21 coronavirus deaths, 557 cases on anniversary of countys first reported COVID-19 case - The Dallas Morning News

(WIVB) Coronavirus has flipped the sports world on its head over the past year.

It started on March 11 when NBA star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 prior to Utahs game in Oklahoma City.

The league immediately suspended their season. That was just the first domino to fall.

Life as we know it has changed and that transcends sports, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

Bettman and the NHL were one of the first leagues to press pause.

On March 12, 2020, the Sabres were in Montreal getting ready to take on the Canadiens when the league hit the brakes on the season. The Sabres didnt take the ice that night and their season came to an end with 13 games remaining. The team didnt play another game until January 14, 2021, nearly 10 months later.

Weve also been paying attention to whats going on around us both in the world at large and the sports world, MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said.

One day after the UB Womens Basketball team played their MAC Tournament game in Cleveland, the conference commissioner pulled the plug on the tourney and that was the beginning of the end for college sports. COVID wiped out the spring season leaving local athletes defeated.

This is a sport Ive been playing since I was three years old and now it could be over, we dont know so, it was tough for me all day yesterday, I went home and I cried some more, Canisius Senior Pitcher Kyle Warner said.

Aprils NFL Draft was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas in 2020 but instead happened far from the bright lights of Sin City.

The sun didnt shine on Buffalos boys of summer.

The Bisons season was also canceled in June but there would eventually be baseball in Buffalo.

In late July, Major League Baseball found its way to Buffalo. The Blue Jays couldnt play games in Toronto so they made Sahlen Field their home for the season.

Unimaginable, I said to a few people if you would have submitted this as a movie script it would have been turned down because its not believable enough, theres no way that can happen, Mike Buczkowski, President of Rich Baseball Operations said.

Fall and winter sports were next in the line of fire. In early August the MAC postponed the upcoming football season.

Theres a lot of questions out there concerning this virus and still a lot of answers to be had, UB Athletic Director Mark Alnutt said last August.

College football would eventually find a way to return to the field. UB played a shortened six game regular season schedule that started in November.

Not even the greatest athletes in the world are immune to COVID concerns. Josh Allen found out on August 23. The Bills quarterback tested positive but it was later discovered to be a false-positive.

I get a call 6:00 in the morning say that I tested positive its nothing you want to hear but I felt fine, Allen said.

The Bills opened the season on September 13. What would normally be a packed, raging stadium filled with fans, was empty and silent.

Head Coach Sean McDermott said, we miss our crowd immensely we could have used their help yesterday but we know theyre out there watching and pulling for us.

The college basketball season also got off to a delayed start and there were several pauses along the way but the NCAA has started conference tournaments and is closing in on March Madness.

We focused mostly on professional and college sports for this story, but the impact on high schools was huge. At this level it wasnt about money, but about memories. And while the pros and college will eventually get right financially, but the memories for Western New York high schoolers are gone for good and thats unfortunate.

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Coronavirus has flipped the sports world on its head over the past year - WIVB.com - News 4

Meanwhile, The United Center mass vaccination site opened Tuesday morning amid confusion after a one-hour delay in starting appointments led to more than a hundred people waiting on the sidewalks, some cheerfully and others less so.

People who live in Chicago or suburban Cook County who didnt already snag appointments were left with uncertainty after Mayor Lori Lightfoot and health officials said they would have to wait longer for additional information on when online sign-ups would resume. Though city officials promised to unveil more information on how non-Chicagoans can sign up again, they did not provide updates. Heres the latest on whos eligible.

Heres whats happening Tuesday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

(Updated): 7:15 p.m.: United Center opens as COVID-19 mass vaccination site despite early confusion: We are now a live clinic

A federally run mass vaccination site at the United Center opened an hour behind schedule Tuesday morning amid widespread confusion over ever-shifting guidelines for who is eligible to receive coronavirus inoculations at the facility, announced with much fanfare 10 days earlier as a new option for residents across Illinois who qualify due to age, occupation or medical condition.

The delay in opening led to more than a hundred people standing wrapped around two blocks, with some chatting about who they know who has been vaccinated and others frantically flagging down a volunteer to ask whether they were going to miss their appointments. A security guard strode beside the crowd, urging people to stand 6 feet apart.

Even as immunizations got underway, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and other officials did little during a news conference at the site to bring clarity to a situation muddled by the last-minute decision over the weekend to close appointments to residents outside Chicago and Cook County after an initial sign-up period for anyone age 65 or older.

Hours later, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said that instead of reopening the United Center site to residents outside Chicago and Cook County, the state would redirect the remaining portion of its doses allocated to the site 10% of the roughly 336,000 doses expected to be administered to federal mobile vaccination teams, targeting hard-hit communities in the rest of the suburbs and other parts of the state.

The change in eligibility for the United Center was made over concerns from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that not enough Chicago residents were getting appointments, undermining a common goal of equitable vaccine distribution to communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

Chicago and Cook County residents who werent among the more than 53,000 people whod booked an appointment as of late Tuesday morning will have to wait a little longer for additional information on how to sign up, though Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady later said city residents should keep checking Zocdoc.com for appointments that become available due to cancellations.

The city and county, meanwhile, will be doing targeted outreach to encourage people in some of the communities with the highest coronavirus infection and death rates to sign up for the vaccine. In Chicago, those efforts will be focused on five ZIP codes on the South and West sides: 60608, 60619, 60620, 60649 and 60652.

An announcement about how suburban Cook County residents will be able to sign up for future appointments at the United Center is expected later this week, Cook County Health spokeswoman Caryn Stancik said in a statement.

The citys share of the doses 60% of the total allocated to the United Center will be made available to people 65 and older, front-line workers in essential industries and those who qualify under state rules based on preexisting health conditions, with the exception of smokers. The city, which gets its own vaccine supply from the federal government, has not opened up its other vaccination sites to people under 65 with underlying health conditions a point of contention with the state.

Despite the confusion, several people who had landed an appointment and were in line Tuesday morning said that although the logistics at the United Center werent perfect, the arrival of their appointment day was a cause for celebration as the anniversary of Pritzkers stay-at-home order last March nears. They said their shots would symbolize the start of a true spring and summer this year, speaking with wide-eyed optimism about plans to reunite with family and leave the house.

6:25 p.m.: Will County committees recommend hiring equity manager to assist with vaccine rollout

Some Will County Board members want to hire an equity manager to ensure the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

The boards diversity and inclusion committee and public health and safety committee together endorsed the proposal Tuesday, sending it to the county board for a possible vote March 18.

The equity manager, proposed by a coalition of community based organizations representing Latino and Black communities, would fall under the Will County executives office but work with the county health department. A job description will be available for review before the county board vote.

In recent weeks, the health department has come under fire for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine roll out. In a memo to county officials last week, a coalition of 12 community based organizations said the health department failed in essential equity practices since the beginning of the pandemic and pushed for change.

2:45 p.m.: Nebraska, Texas moved up Chicagos emergency travel order as 9 states bumped down to lighter restrictions

Travelers heading to Chicago from Nebraska and Texas will be subject to additional coronavirus mitigations under this weeks update of the citys emergency travel order, which also removed restrictions from nine states.

Starting Friday, Nebraska and Texas will move up from the citys yellow tier to the orange one, according to a Tuesday Chicago Department of Public Health news release. Travelers coming from the latter tier, which will include 24 states and Washington, must quarantine for 10 days or test negative for coronavirus no more than 72 hours before arriving. People can avoid either requirement if they have been fully vaccinated at least two weeks earlier.

California, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wyoming will move down to the yellow tier that will include 25 states and Puerto Rico, according to CDPH.

The orange category includes states or territories that have a seven-day rolling average above 15 daily cases per 100,000 residents, while yellow states are under that threshold.

2 p.m.: The power of mRNA, the threat of mutations and the difficulty of the last mile things weve learned about COVID-19 at the year mark

When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, even some of the most informed people knew little about coronaviruses and far less about SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that was upending the world as we knew it.

But a prolonged global threat to commerce, lifestyles and millions of human lives has a way of focusing minds. Just six months into the pandemic, there was much we all learned, as scientists across the world turned their focus to the disease and shared their discoveries. People started tossing around terms such as airborne particles, social distancing and superspreaders.

That was just the beginning. Since then, weve learned a great deal more. Some of that new knowledge inspires hope, even as other emerging facts continued to fuel apprehension amid growing pandemic fatigue.

Many public health experts believe the light at the end of the tunnel is real, if the world remains vigilant about taking precautions, tracking cases and getting vaccines into arms. But even those optimists concede they are worried about the viruss evolution and the possibility it will learn to evade the immune responses already triggered by infection or inoculation.

2 p.m.: Schools across central Lake County opting for return to full-time, in-person learning

School districts in central Lake County are heading toward having students inside classrooms buildings full-time as positive COVID-19 cases continue to drop locally, nationally and statewide.

Many of the school districts making strides toward an option of full week of have been in hybrid learning for several months. The group of districts with current plans to return to a full-time schedule include Mundelein High School District 120, Libertyville School District 70 and Hawthorn School District 73.

Community High School District 128 voted Monday night to move forward with offering a full-time option beginning April 5.

During the March 2 meeting SD128 Superintendent Prentiss Lea said the change is being added as an option for parents interested in having their child return to in-classroom instruction full-time. Parents who want to continue with hybrid or all-remote instruction will be able to do so, district officials said.

In this scenario, anybody that has a choice that they love right now youre good to go, Lea said.

12:43 p.m.: Half of Illinois residents 65 and up have now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, state officials say

Half of Illinois residents age 65 and over have now received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, state public health officials reported on Tuesday.

Officials said 75,372 doses were administered on Monday, bringing the statewide total to 3,463,150. The state has averaged 92,180 vaccinations over the last seven days, officials said.The number of Illinois residents who have been fully vaccinated receiving both of the required shots reached 1,194,320, or 9.37% of the total population.

Also Tuesday, officials reported 16 additional cases of the coronavirus variant originating from the United Kingdom, for a total of 85, and one additional case of the variant from South Africa, for a total of two. Officials previously identified one case of the Brazilian variant.

The strains spread more easily and quickly than others, posing the threat of reinfections and the possibility of another resurgence of the disease, though studies so far suggest current vaccines offer some protection against the variants as well as prevent severe illness.

The daily count of new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases was 1,510, and there were 16 additional fatalities. The total number of known infections in Illinois since the pandemic began is 1,201,027, and the statewide death toll is 20,781.

Tuesdays new cases resulted from 53,445 tests. The seven-day statewide positivity rate for cases as a share of total tests was 2.3% as of Monday.

As of Monday night, 1,177 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID-19, with 263 patients in intensive care units and 132 patients on ventilators.

12:25 p.m.: Naperville mayor wants to set up short- and long-term clinics to administer COVID-19 vaccinations

Napervilles mayor says hes committed to getting the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of more Naperville residents, and would like to host events similar to the mass vaccination clinic held in Aurora Monday.

Mayor Steve Chirico said hes been working with private institutions to create a one- or two-day vaccine clinic where hundreds of people can be vaccinated in addition to a long-term operation that might be available over multiple weeks and provide 100 vaccines a day.

What the mayor is proposing would not be hosted by a governmental agency so Chirico said he needs to get the process approved by state and federal authorities, and that takes time.

Nothing is inked yet, he said.

He understands how weary people have become searching for a location to receive a vaccine, he said.

Its frustrating. I get it, Chirico said. We will get something soon.

12:15 p.m.: 1,510 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19, 16 new deaths reported

Officials announced 1,510 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 16 additional fatalities on Tuesday, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 1,201,027 and the statewide death toll to 20,781 since the start of the pandemic.

There were 53,445 tests reported in the previous 24 yours and the seven-day statewide positivity rate as a percent of total test is 2.3%.

11:30 a.m.: Cubs can fill Wrigley Field at 20% capacity to start the season a walk before you run approach with bigger hopes

The Chicago Cubs achieved step one in the quest to have fans back in Wrigley Field.

Now their focus shifts to safely implementing the details they presented to the city. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday the Cubs and White Sox can have a 20% capacity at their respective stadiums.

For the Cubs, that equates to 8,274 fans per home game. President of Baseball Operations Crane Kenney told the Tribune on Tuesday that the team asked for a higher capacity, but the city and state wanted to take a walk before you run approach, which Kenney said the Cubs are completely in agreement with.

Successfully navigating the first homestand is a key to reaching a higher stadium capacity. After opening the 2021 season with six home games, the Cubs embark on a six-game road trip before returning to Wrigley on April 16. That two-week window should reveal whether there have been any incidents of transmission.

Gates will open 90 minutes before first pitch, but tickets will have assigned entry times and gate locations to mitigate foot traffic and maintain adequate spacing in and around the ballpark. There also are going to be 20 designated zones within Wrigley, which will have their own concession stands and bathrooms. Despite not being at full capacity, all concession stands and bathrooms will be open to ensure social distancing throughout the ballpark.

The remote parking lot at DeVry University will not be available to start the season as a safety measure but could return at some point during the season.

11:03 a.m.: Parents angered by bullying at school board meetings come to the defense of Indian Prairie district officials

When Marian Banks spoke at Mondays Indian Prairie District 204 School Board meeting, it was not to scold administrators and elected officials for their handling of back-to-school plans but to apologize to them.

It has been extremely frustrating, disappointing and baffling to witness the behavior and hurtful comments of some trying to bully and threaten the board into making rash decisions, Banks said.

The majority of those who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting said the same thing, voicing support for how the district has set up the hybrid schedule under which parents who want their children in school can have them to attend on a part-time basis.

At previous meetings, a large number of parents have been critical of the districts failure to return students to school full time, saying the half-day schedule which expanded from two days to four this week was insufficient and harming children academically and socially/mentally.

We have every right to exercise our voice and concern, but when that advocacy turns rude, disrespectful and threatening, that is a problem, said Banks, president of the nonprofit Parents Advocating for Greater Enrichment of Students organization.

I do not want the board thinking or feeling that everyone shares those sentiments ... many of the parents understand the complexities this situation presents, she said.

10:21 a.m.: Glenview residents 65 and older can sign up Tuesday afternoon for mass vaccination event at Glenbrook South

Glenbrook High School District 225 and Glenview officials are teaming up with Jewel-Osco Thursday to host a COVID-19 mass vaccination site for area educators and community members.

Glenview residents ages 65 and older can sign up for the event starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the village. Appointments can only be placed over the phone by calling 847-802-8602, and those who sign up will need to provide their name, address, date of birth, phone number and email.

Appointments will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, and the phone line will remain open until all spots are full, according to officials.

We expect a high volume of calls, so if you receive a busy signal or error message, please wait a few minutes and try again, reads a message on the Glenview village website announcing the registration.

The mass vaccination event will take place Thursday at Glenbrook South High School, 4000 West Lake Avenue. Attendees will receive the first dose of the Moderna vaccine that day and a second dose April 8, so they must be available on both dates, village officials said.

Omelan Kluchnyk, 70, is first in line to enter the United Center mass vaccination site before it opens on March 9, 2021. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

9:45 a.m.: United Center opens as COVID-19 mass vaccination site: We are now a live clinic.

Omelan Kluchnyk, 70, was first in line, having arrived at 6:30 a.m. after a short commute from Ukrainian Village. His 8 a.m. appointment would not start until about 9 a.m., however because of unspecified delays. Dozens of people stood after him for two blocks, some chatting about who they know who has already gotten vaccinated, others frantically flagging down a volunteer to ask whether they were going to miss their appointments.

I feel great as long as we get our shots, Kluchnyk said, smiling despite grumpier demeanors from other people waiting in line.

The United Center site will be the biggest COVID-19 vaccination center in the state, with a goal of 6,000 vaccines per day. The site will be open seven days a week for eight weeks.The 6,000 doses per day that the United Center site will provide are in addition to the doses that the city and state are already receiving. The doses provided at the center will be the Pfizer vaccine, and people will also receive an appointment for their second dose at the center after receiving their first.

7:01 a.m.: Officials to preview United Center mass vaccination site

Gov. J.B. Pritzker will join federal and local officials, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot and acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Robert Fention, Tuesday morning at the United Center to give a news conference about the mass vaccination center there.

Pritzker and other officials, including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, were to give an update on the vaccination site as its scheduled to begin its soft opening Tuesday morning. The site is designed to be able allow the distribution of 6,000 COVID-19 vaccination shots a day.

Following confusion over the weekend about who is eligible to receive vaccinations at the United Center when eligibility was limited to Chicagoans, city Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Monday more information on when other Illinois residents will be able to go to the United Center should be shared Tuesday. Chicago Tribune staff

6:30 a.m.: Parents from 9 school districts to hold rally in downtown Naperville demanding students return to the classroom

Parents from nine school districts angered their children have not returned to school on a full-time basis are planning a rally in downtown Naperville Sunday that could attract as many as 400 or more people.

The event is to begin at the corner of Webster Street and Douglas Avenue, and the group will walk to the Free Speech Pavilion at the Riverwalk, across from the Nichols Library, organizers said.

Guest speakers will include Paul Vallas, former Chicago Public Schools CEO; state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Louisville, whos running for governor; and Amy Jacobson, radio talk show host for WIND (560 AM). Some school board and municipal candidates in the April 6 election will also be in attendance.

The school districts are pretty much aligned with not having a plan to bring back kids five days a week, said Sara Forster, a Naperville District 203 parent and one of the people organizing the rally. So we decided it was time to have an event.

6 a.m.: With teachers vaccines up and COVID-19 cases down, some high schools eye plan for near-total reopening.

Volatile parent protests and the dizzying demands of COVID-19-era learning may soon be relegated to the history books at one of Illinois largest high school districts, where officials said Monday that all students with the exception of those whose families demand an exemption will return to school buildings for daily, in-person instruction on April 5.

Were hoping we can start doing almost everything we would in a normal year, said Superintendent David Schuler of Arlington Heights-based Township High School District 214. The reopening will usher in the return of many cherished high school traditions, tentatively including in-person graduation ceremonies for the senior classes.

We picked an April 5 return date because by then, it will be 14 days out from all of our employees having received the second dose of the vaccine, Schuler said, adding that masks will still be required, as well as social distancing to the greatest extent possible.

What is yet to be determined is how many students at District 214s six high schools Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove, Prospect, Hersey, Wheeling and Buffalo Grove will seek an exemption and request remote learning, which the Illinois State Board of Education is asking that schools provide as an option through the remainder of the current school year. Students can seek a medical or household exemption, the district said.

Statewide, as of March 5, only around 356,000 Illinois students are attending school fully in person, with more than 1.3 million enrolled in hybrid plans. An additional 214,000 pupils are still all remote.

Among those still learning remotely full time are the thousands of high school students in Chicago Public Schools. While many suburban secondary schools have resumed or are expanding classrooms offerings, as of Monday, high school students are the only ones in CPS who have not yet been given an in-person option. CPS sixth to eighth graders who chose to return did so for the first time Monday, preceded by some special education and preschool through fifth grade. Officials still aim to reopen high schools this spring and announced Friday they would survey parents on their preferences.

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