US pharmacy chain Rite Aid to begin Covid-19 vaccinations on Friday
From CNN s Samira Said Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Rite Aid pharmacies will begin on Friday administering Covid-19 vaccines in seven US states and jurisdictions as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, the drug store chain said in a press release Thursday.
Chris Savarese, Rite Aid director of public relations, said at launch the store expects to receive 116,300 doses for about 1,200 Rite Aid locations, which is about 100 doses per participating store. Initially, vaccine appointments will still be difficult to schedule at any provider. However, we expect to see availability of the vaccine improve over time, Heyward Donigan, Rite Aid president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
More than 940 reported cases of concerning variants in the US, CDC says
CNN Health’s Michael Nedelman
At least 944 cases of coronavirus strains first spotted in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the United States, according to data updated Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The vast majority of these cases, 932, are the more contagious variant known as B.1.1.7, which was originally detected in the UK. This variant has been found in 34 states, including 343 cases in Florida, 156 in California and 59 in New York.
In addition, there are nine cases of a strain initially seen in South Africa, called B.1.351 six in Maryland, two in South Carolina and one in Virginia.
Updated 10:08 a.m. ET, January 9, 2021
What you need to know
The US reported more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths in a single day for the first time during the pandemic, Johns Hopkins University data showed.
The UK has introduced mandatory coronavirus testing for all international arrivals and extended a southern Africa travel ban to curb a new Covid-19 variant.
China has locked down Shijiazhuang,
a city of 11 million people in Hebei province, in an effort to contain the country s worst coronavirus flare-up in months.
Australia s Greater Brisbane has entered a three-day lockdown to stop the spread of the UK strain of Covid-19.
First case of UK variant found in Georgia, state s health department says
From CNN’s Jamiel Lynch
The first case of the UK Covid-19 variant has been identified in Georgia, according to a release from the state Department of Health. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is announcing Georgia’s first case of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, the same variant discovered in the U.K. and in several other countries and U.S. states, the department said in a news release.
The variant was discovered during analysis of a specimen sent by a pharmacy in Georgia to a commercial lab, the release said. The resident is an 18-year-old man with no travel history who is currently isolating at home.