INFORMS Open Forum

Hello,

Please find the COVID-19 update for January 13th below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Thank you,

Ashley Smith

INFORMS Members In The News (1/13/20)

• US shifts to speed COVID shots as cases and deaths rise (WRAL)

          Member: Julie Swann

• Other voices: State must do better on vaccine rollout (Salisbury Post)

          Member: Julie Swann

• Georgia vaccinations lag behind most states (11 Alive)

          Member: Pinar Keskinocak

• Times Article Inspires Food Distribution Partnership with L.A. Regional Food Bank (Los Angeles Times)

          Member: Chris Tang  

• Our Turn | The state of COVID-19 in the state of Illinois (The News-Gazette)

          Member: Sheldon Jacobson

• More Vaccine Supplies Are Being Released. It's a Gamble. (Barrons)

          Member: Chris Tang & Ho-Yin Mak
 

Federal Policy Update                       

• The Small Business Administration announced that they would begin accepting applications for the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program beginning this Friday.
• More than 10 million residents have received their first coronavirus vaccination shot.

• Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Moncef Slaoui has submitted his resignation in order to hand over vaccination efforts to President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus response team.

  

State Update                                           

• Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina are the six states lagging behind the most in vaccination distribution according to the latest data from the CDC, having administered less than 2,000 shots per 100,000 residents.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced that the state would open vaccinations to residents 65 and older.
• As of today, Texas has officially become the second state to record more than 2 million coronavirus infections since the beginning of the pandemic last year.

• New York City officials are preparing a plan to utilize Yankee Stadium as a mass coronavirus vaccination site.

 

 Global Response

• World Health Organization Director Mike Ryan called upon wealthy nations to share coronavirus vaccine doses with poorer countries in order for the global vaccine inequity gap to be bridged.
• Switzerland is tightening Covid-19 restrictions starting Monday. Further restrictions will include the closing of all non-essential shops, extension of closure of restaurants, sports sites and hotels, mandatory work-from-home requirements where possible, and all indoor and outdoor gatherings will be limited to five or less people.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin is ordering his government to vamp up vaccination efforts and launch a mass-vaccination effort starting next week.
• The Vatican has begun administering Covid-19 vaccines.
• Germany is tightening its restrictions for incoming travelers beginning on January 14^th, with visitors required to present a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country. They will also have to prove that they have not contracted the virus by being tested within 48 hours of arriving in Germany.
• The Turkish government granted emergency approval for the Sinovac Biotech vaccine from China.
• Japan has declared a state of emergency for 7 more districts including Osaka, Hyogo Kyoto, Aichi, Gifu, Fukuoka and Tochigi prefectures until February 7^th.
• Armenian president Hasmik Petrosyan has been hospitalized with severe symptoms of COVID-19.
• Cuban officials are closing schools in the 34 hard hit municipalities including much of Havana to cure surges in Covid-19.

 

Economic Update

• U.S. stocks were on the volatile today, with the three indices closing with mixed results. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 0.43% and the S&P 500 by 0.23%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.03%.

  

Latest Impact Data

• In the United States: Over 23,530,709 cases and 392,463 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
• Worldwide: Over 92,608,914 cases and 1,982,998 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.

 

In the News     

• SBA to reopen Paycheck Protection Program on January 15^th (The Hill)
• States Confront Challenge of Vaccinating Expanded Pool of People (The New York Times)
• Extra Shots Pose Quandary for Vaccination Sites (The Wall Street Journal)
• New York pleads for more COVID-19 vaccine as daily U.S. death toll hits record (Reuters)
• Flawed vaccine rollout will create more politicization (Politico)

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Ashley Smith
Public Relations Specialist
INFORMS
Catonsville MD
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