US treasury secretary says direct payments may start as early as tonight
From CNN s Kevin Liptak
Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin said direct payments to Americans may begin to be deposited as early as tonight.
These would be the $600 payments included in the Covid-19 relief package President Trump signed on Sunday evening.
Read Mnuchin s tweet:
Colorado identifies first known case of UK Covid-19 variant in the US
From CNN s Lauren Mascarenhas
Colorado health officials announced the nation’s first known case of the Covid-19 variant originally discovered in the United Kingdom Tuesday.
The Covid-19 variant B.1.1.7 was identified in a Colorado man in his 20s, with no travel history, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Tuesday. Polis said the man is in isolation in Elbert County, and will remain in isolation until cleared by health officials.
9:11 p.m. ET, December 22, 2020
UK scientists say new virus strain likely more transmissible and may impact children more than other variants
From CNN s Amy Cassidy in Glasgow, Zamira Rahim and Naomi Thomas
Scientists from the UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) say they are now “highly confident” the new variant of coronavirus is more infectious than others, with a “hint” that it could be more transmissible in children.
According to NERVTAG, the new variant which is believed to have originated in southeast England could be around 71% more transmissible than other variants.
“As of last Friday, we felt we had moderate confidence because the data was coming in, but some of the analysis had been done very quickly,” Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the University Oxford and chair of NERVTAG, said during a virtual news briefing on Monday.
Congress just passed a Covid-19 stimulus package. Tell us what you think about it. Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Congress passed a bipartisan Covid-19 relief package Monday night.
We want to know what you think about it.
Does this package address your immediate financial concerns? If not, what additional funding should Congress include? Tell us what kind of relief is most important to you and your families right now.
Leave your comments in the text box below, and we may feature some.
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Senate minority leader spoke to Biden this morning about need for more stimulus
From CNN s Lauren Fox
Senate minority leader spoke to Biden this morning about need for more stimulus
From CNN s Lauren Fox
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a news conference at the US Capitol Building on December 20 in Washington, DC. Ting Shen/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, said that he spoke to President-elect Joe Biden and they agreed that the stimulus bill that passed yesterday is just the beginning of what is needed.
Schumer said at a news conference in New York on Tuesday that he expects that Biden will begin working toward another stimulus package in January or February of 2021.
Pfizer working to get details of reported allergic reaction to vaccination in Alaska, company says
From CNN’s Jacqueline Howard and Maggie Fox
Pfizer is working to find out more about a report that a health worker in Alaska suffered an allergic reaction to its vaccine Wednesday.
“We don’t yet have all the details of the report from Alaska about a potential serious allergic reactions but are actively working with local health authorities to assess,” a Pfizer spokesperson told CNN.
“We will closely monitor all reports suggestive of serious allergic reactions following vaccination and update labeling language if needed,” she added. “The prescribing information has a clear warning/precaution that appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always be readily available in case of a rare anaphylactic event following the administration of the vaccine.”