WV and National Disaster News - February 26, 2021

• A Team of WVU scientists are actively studying and fighting COVID-19 variants (WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, Pa.)
• Confirmed cases take small jump, vaccinations near 10% of Mountain State population (MetroNews-Radio)
• VIDEO: How West Virginia became a leader in coronavirus vaccinations (The Washington Post)
• People are waiting weeks to get the call for the COVID vaccine in W.Va. (WCHS-TV)
• Marion Co., West Virginia, Health Dept. holds vaccination clinic for local African American community (The Exponent Telegram)
• Harrison County Schools provides final round of second vaccines for teachers (The Exponent Telegram)
• Community members aid in Raleigh County vaccination efforts (WVVA-TV)
• Cars line up for COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Parkersburg (WTAP-TV)
• COVID numbers continue their decline in West Virginia; more vaccines needed (WOWK-TV)
• ANALYSIS: Eastern Panhandle counties among lowest vaccinated in the state, but why? (The Journal)
• AEP | Power restored to 93% of customers after winter storms (WSAZ-TV)
• Wayne mayor plans ahead even as recovery continues (MetroNews-Radio)
• More than 5,100 in W.Va., 1,300 in Kentucky without power (WCHS-TV)
• City of Huntington releases plan for removing winter storm debris (WCHS-TV)
• All Cabell County schools to return five days of in-person learning (WCHS-TV)
• Fayette County schools will conduct in-school instruction five days a week (WVVA-TV)
• WV Daily COVID Update and Stats for February 26, 2021 (WVDHHR)

• Tocilizumab in Hospitalized Patients with Severe Covid-19 Pneumonia (New England Journal of Medicine)
• Another Covid-19 surge hangs in the balance. This is how experts say we keep it from becoming reality (CNN)
• 2 US Navy ships in Middle East facing COVID-19 outbreaks (ABC News)
• DOD Officials Provide COVID-19 Response Update (Defense.gov)
• CDC study finds nursing home residents who appear to have recovered from Covid were reinfected with an even worse case (CNBC)

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Allows More Flexible Storage, Transportation Conditions for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (FDA News Release)
• COVID updates: Pfizer explores ways to fight new variants; 20 million Americans are fully vaccinated (CNBC)
• 50 Million COVID-19 Vaccines Administered in US (VOA News)
• More Americans say they plan to get COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible: Poll (ABC News)
• Biden defends vaccine rollout as he marks 50 million vaccinations (Washington Post)

• FDA advisers to consider third possible Covid-19 vaccine Friday (CNN)
• Fauci says he expects vaccine supply to increase soon with Johnson & Johnson approval (NBC News)
• FDA to meet tomorrow about J&J emergency use authorization (ABC News)
• Dr. Fauci: Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Is ‘Nothing But Good News’ (TODAY)

Vaccine Equity

• Vaccination ‘passports’ may open society, but inequity looms (AP News)
• Some older Virginians unsatisfied with access to COVID-19 vaccine: VIDEO (WAVY10)
• Marion Co., West Virginia, Health Dept. holds vaccination clinic for local African American community (The Exponent Telegram)
• Vaccine lotteries and personal appeals: The medically vulnerable find their priority status slipping away (Washington Post)

Weather

• Series of storms to deluge 1,000-mile-long swath of US (AccuWeather)

• Stitt Thanks Biden, Urges Oklahomans to Report Storm Damages (US News)
• Biden to exercise empathy skills in Texas visit after storms (AP)
• Last Week’s Winter Storms Could Cost Texans $200B To $300B (CBS)
• 9 East Texas counties added to governor’s major disaster declaration (KTRE-9)

• US Shifts State Grant Focus to Extremism, Cyberthreats (US News)
• DHS to combat domestic violent extremism with $77 million from FEMA (ABC)