The pandemic now looks very different depending on where you are in the United States. While some states have seen the crisis start to dissipate, a spring wave of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations is crashing across 38 states, according to a Washington Post analysis of federal data. Michigan may be the worst of the hot spots: The state reported an average of 46 deaths a day Wednesday, compared with 16 a month earlier.
The tide is turning on the availability of coronavirus vaccines in the United States, with the country on track to have hundreds of millions of excess doses by July. That surplus will come as many nations in the developing world face a years-long wait to vaccinate most of their population and approach herd immunity. The Biden administration so far has resisted mounting pressure to give its extra vaccine to other countries or share its vaccine technology.
Administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is still paused after a federal advisory committee said it wanted more information about a possible connection between the vaccine and a rare and serious type of blood clot. The officials vowed to revisit the topic within 10 days because of the urgency of making a decision about the shot. The advisory panel members said they need more data about the risks, cause and frequency of the blood clots before they vote on whether to recommend the vaccine again, limit its use to certain age groups or continue the broader stoppage.