February 14 coronavirus news

Additional evidence suggests that the B.1.1.7 Covid-19 variant, first identified in the UK, is linked to more severe disease, researchers say.

The UK’s New and Emerging Respiratory Viral Threat Advisory Group (NERVTAG) analyzed data from more than 10 existing studies, concluding in a report on Friday that the variant is linked to more hospitalizations and deaths.

The additional evidence bolsters the group’s earlier report, released in January, suggesting the variant may be linked to more severe disease.

The researchers say they now have increased confidence in their findings because the4 new analysis includes a wider range of data, and they were able to control for some outside factors.

How deadly is the variant? The B.1.1.7 variant may be associated with more severe disease -- but the "absolute risk of death per infection remains low,” the researchers said.

But the variants will likely be less forgiving if people let up on masking and social distancing, since a more contagious strain alone could lead to more cases and therefore more deaths.

In January, the CDC said that it was working with UK researchers to review their mortality data related to the virus variant. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that at least 981 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been found in 37 states. Over a third of those are in Florida, where it’s estimated that one in 10 coronavirus cases may be due to the variant.

New Zealand is imposing a three-day lockdown in its most populous city beginning Sunday, after three new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases were reported on Saturday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the lockdown for Auckland, home to 1.5 million people, during a news conference on Sunday. The lockdown will end at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday.

Under the lockdown: All Auckland residents, including students, must stay home except for essential outings. Ardern also asked all businesses to switch to non-contact services, such as takeaway instead of dining in. 

The rest of New Zealand will also be raised to Level 2 social distancing measures, where mask-wearing is mandatory on public transport and there is a cap of 100 people on gatherings.

Family tests positive: The three local cases reported are a mother, father and daughter from the same South Auckland household, according to Director-General of Health Dr. Ashley Bloomfield.

There is another close-contact member of the family that is also waiting for their test results. 

The high school that the daughter attends, Papatoetoe High School, will be closed Monday and Tuesday following the girl's positive test. A pop-up testing site will be available for students at the school.

All four family members are moving to the Auckland quarantine facility Sunday, Bloomfield said. 

New Zealand has been largely successful in containing the virus, and has reported a total of 1,974 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began.

The United States reported 82,178 new Covid-19 cases and 3,313 related deaths on Saturday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

That raises the national total to at least 27,574,201 cases and 484,200 related deaths.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

At least 69,883,625 vaccine doses have been distributed and at least 50,641,884 doses have been administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

See CNN's live tracker here.

China slammed the United States on Sunday, after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan released a statement questioning the World Health Organization's investigation into the start of the pandemic.

Sullivan's statement: On Saturday, Sullivan had released a statement calling on China to "make available its data from the earliest days" of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Sullivan wrote that the Biden administration has "deep concerns about the way in which the early findings of the COVID-19 investigation were communicated and questions about the process used to reach them."  

New York state’s Covid-19 average positivity rates have dropped below 4% for the first time since late November, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a press release Saturday.

The state’s seven-day rate is currently 3.9% -- the lowest since November 29 and down 51% from a post-holiday peak in early January.

The state’s daily positivity rate is 3.46% -- the lowest since November 25, Cuomo said.

6,888 New Yorkers are currently hospitalized with Covid-19, marking the lowest number of hospitalizations since Christmas Day, state data shows. 

The state reported 11 new cases of the UK variant, bringing the total to 70 variant cases across New York, Cuomo said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use Friday’s virtual G7 summit to call for global cooperation in the battle against the “common foe” of coronavirus.

The virtual meeting, hosted by the UK, will also include leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the US, European Commission and European Council. It will be President Joe Biden’s first major international engagement.

At the meeting, Johnson will discuss how countries can work together to provide equitable vaccine distribution and rebuild post-pandemic, according to a statement Saturday.

The statement added that Johnson will call for greater global cooperation "that brings an end to the nationalist and divisive politics that marred the initial response to coronavirus.”

The UK will also hold the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council in February, with Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab using the chairmanship “to galvanize international action on coronavirus, climate change and conflict.”

More than 600,000 Americans will have died from Covid-19 by June 1, according to the latest forecast from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

The model predicted a death toll of 614,503 Americans -- down slightly from the previous forecast released last week, which projected 631,000 deaths.

Warmer weather and wider vaccination could help drive transmission down between now and August, according to the IHME. 

More than 50 million doses of vaccine have been administered nationwide, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And if 95% of Americans started wearing masks in the next week, 34,000 lives could be saved.

The UK variant: Spread of the B.1.1.7 virus variant, first identified in the UK, could complicate any potential decline. At least 981 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been found in 37 states, the CDC said this week.

The team said it had factored in the expected variant spread into its projections for this forecast. In the worst-case scenario, US deaths could reach 645,000 by June 1.

Other factors: Progress could also be reversed if people let their guards down, said IHME.

The United States has administered more than 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, according to data published Saturday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

The CDC reported that 50,641,884 total doses have been administered so far -- about 72% of the 69,883,625 total doses delivered nationwide.

More than 37 million people have now received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and more than 13 million people have been fully vaccinated, CDC data shows.

Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day reported.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he agreed with comments by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Friday that vaccinations and new treatments could make Covid-19 “another illness we have to live with, like we do flu” by the end of the year.

Johnson also said he was feeling “optimistic” ahead of a planned announcement on February 22 of his road map for England to exit lockdown -- but added that “we have to be cautious.”

Asked about the scheduled February 22 announcement, when details of how the lockdown will be eased are expected to be outlined, Johnson replied that he will "be trying to set out as much as I possibly can in as much detail as I can, always understanding that we have to be wary of the pattern of disease.” 

The UK government is hoping to meet its target of offering Covid-19 vaccinations to 15 million people in the most vulnerable groups by Monday, February 15. To date 14 million people in the UK have had their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Here's some context: There have been more than 4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

In March last year, the UK government said it was hopeful the country could cap its coronavirus deaths at 20,000. But more than 116,500 have died, according to figures from JHU -- and the country has one of the highest number of confirmed deaths in the world, proportionate to population.