The Biden administration’s White House COVID-19 task force held its first virtual briefing Wednesday, promoting its efforts to expedite vaccinations while warning that the nation could surpass 500,000 deaths within weeks.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the agency predicts 479,000 to 514,000 pandemic deaths will have been reported by Feb. 20. Almost 4,000 deaths and more than 140,000 new infections were reported Tuesday alone.

“Our case rates remain extraordinarily high and now is the time to remain vigilant,” she said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reiterated that vaccines appear to be effective against emerging variants, adding that the U.S. is working with companies to develop new antibody treatments that will be effective as newer strains evolve.

President Joe Biden said this week he expects the majority of the U.S. population can be vaccinated by summer's end or early fall. Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response, warned that despite ramping up the manufacture and distribution of vaccines, "it will be months before everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one."

In the headlines:

►Some people who have received the Moderna vaccine are reporting what has become known as “COVID arm,” a red rash at the injection spot that sometimes gets itchy. There's no indication that it's dangerous and usually it goes away in a few days, doctors say.

►Eli Lilly announced that its monoclonal antibody cocktail cuts hospitalizations by 70% for high-risk COVID-19 patients.

►Alaska and Kentucky have detected their states' first known cases of the coronavirus variant identified last year in the United Kingdom, officials said Tuesday. The diagnoses raise the total of states reporting cases of the variant to 25.

The U.S. has more than 25.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 428,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 100.7 million cases and 2.16 million deaths. About 44.4 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 23.5 million have been administered, according to the CDC.

January already deadliest month for pandemic in US

The 4,087 deaths from COVID-19 reported Tuesday, the fourth-highest day in the pandemic – have already made January the deadliest month in the country, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the first 26 days of January, the United States reported 79,261 deaths. The total number of deaths in December, which had been the most deadly month, was 77,486 deaths.

Some states have been ravaged. California's previous worst month was December with 6,772 fatalities, but the state has already reported 12,282 dead in January. This is already the deadliest month for another 15 states: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Millions for vaccine research were misused over a decade, special counsel says

Millions of dollars allocated by Congress for vaccine research and preparation for public health emergencies were misappropriated by the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which says the funds were instead spent on expenses that included legal services, salaries of unrelated personnel and the removal of office furniture.

The OSC says President Joe Biden and Congress have been informed of the decade-long misuse of funds intended for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, known as BARDA. The findings came out of an investigation conducted by the HHS inspector general after a whistleblower complaint.

"The report reveals that the practice of using BARDA funds for non-BARDA purposes was so common, there was even a name for it within the agency: 'Bank of BARDA,''' a release from the OSC says.

The practice, which was carried out under the administrations of both President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump, violated one law and possibly a second one, the OSC release said.

"I urge Congress and HHS to take immediate actions to ensure funding for public health emergencies can no longer be used as a slush-fund for unrelated expenses,” Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner said.

Antibody cocktail could be game changer for high-risk patients

While vaccines may help slow the COVID-19 pandemic over the next months, drug company Eli Lilly announced Tuesday that its treatments can help save lives in the meantime. The Indianapolis-based drug giant says its monoclonal antibody cocktail cuts hospitalizations by 70% for high-risk patients.

A monoclonal antibody mimics one of the natural antibodies the immune system uses to fight off the virus. Former President Donald Trump as well as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani all received monoclonal antibodies shortly after they were diagnosed with COVID-19. (Source: USA Today)

Story Date: January 28, 2021