Good evening,
Please find today's COVID-19 Update for January 19th below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
INFORMS Members In The News
INFORMS Member: Sheldon Jacobson
INFORMS Member: Anna Nagurney
INFORMS Member: Julie Swann
INFORMS Member: Julie Swann
INFORMS Member: Tinglong Dai
INFORMS Member: Tinglong Dai
INFORMS Member: Tinglong Dai
INFORMS Member: Tinglong Dai
Federal Policy Update
▪ President Donald Trump announced that he would lift coronavirus-related restrictions for travelers from the Schengen Area of Europe, China, the United Kingdom, Iran, Ireland and Brazil – effective on January 26th. However, incoming President-elect Joe Biden has emphasized that he would reverse this action.
▪ A group of 26 Senate Democrats – led by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) – wrote a letter to President-elect Biden, requesting that he invoke the Defense Production Act immediately in order to increase the production of critical medical supplies and personal protective equipment.
▪ Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller announced that the United States has administered approximately 35.8 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine thus far. Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden has maintained that he would deliver 100 million doses of the vaccine in the first 100 days of his administration.
▪ Incoming Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen stressed the need for more coronavirus stimulus funding during her Senate confirmation hearing today, calling for more funds for small business support and other programs – emphasizing that the U.S. "needs more aid to distribute the vaccine, to reopen schools, to make sure unemployment insurance checks still go out, and more."
State Update
▪ New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) urged the federal government to provide more relief to states, emphasizing that New York could be facing a deficit as high as $15 million.
▪ The state of California is the first state in the U.S. to surpass 3 million total coronavirus cases. This means that approximately 1 in every 13 Californians have been infected throughout the pandemic.
▪ New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio (D) cautioned that the city is approximately two days away from running out of coronavirus vaccine doses. He stated that "this is not the way it should be" – adding that the city "has the ability to vaccinate a huge number of people, but we need enough of the vaccine to do it."
▪ Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis announced that the county will now begin to administer vaccinations for residents 65 years and older.
Global Response
▪ Incoming Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken announced that the Biden administration would be planning to join the World Health Organization's Covax Vaccine Initiative, stating that "ensuring that the vaccine is equitably distributed around the world is something we're going to take on."
▪ German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Germany's coronavirus restrictions would be tightened and extended – closing all non-essential stores and restricting movement in the hardest-hit areas until February 14th.
▪ The Indian Foreign Ministry announced that the country would be shipping coronavirus vaccine doses beginning on January 20th to several South Asian countries, including: Bhutan, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Seychelles, and Myanmar.
▪ Hong Kong has extended its social distancing measures and a ban on dine-in experiences after 6 PM – effective until next week.
▪ New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that all travelers entering the country are required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, unless they are entering from Australia, Antarctica, or the Pacific Islands. However, this is merely a supplementary action, as two weeks of quarantine would still be mandatory.
▪ The Scottish government announced that they would extend their lockdown until mid-February, adding that schools would also remain closed until then.
▪ Slovenian Premier Janez Jansa announced that the country is expecting to receive 3.23 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine in 2021.
Economic Update
▪ U.S. stocks were on the rise today, with the three indices closing with gains. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 1.53%, the S&P 500 by 0.81% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.83%.
Latest Impact Data
▪ In the United States: Over 24,757,235 cases and 410,720 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
▪ Worldwide: Over 96,452,239 cases and 2,060,995 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.
In the News
▪ U.S. coronavirus death toll passes 400,000 as Biden prepares to take office (Politico)
▪ Yellen Makes Case for Sweeping Stimulus Package in Face of GOP Skepticism (The Wall Street Journal)
▪ Biden will join WHO-backed vaccine initiative (The Hill)
▪ Coronavirus Is Surging: How Severe Is Your State's Outbreak? (NPR)
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Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org------------------------------