A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 105 million people worldwide and killed over 2.3 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Here's how the news developed this week. All times Eastern.
Feb 05, 2021, 11:16 AM EST
US announces deployment of over 1,000 troops to help with vaccinations
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration announced Friday that 1,110 active-duty military personnel will be deployed across the country to assist with COVID-19 vaccinations.
The announcement was made during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C.
The troops, sourced from across the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, will be split up into five teams of 222 personnel that will be assigned to support five COVID-19 vaccination centers run by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a fact sheet on the initiative released by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
FEMA and the U.S. Department of Defense will jointly determine when the troops are no longer needed for vaccination support, according the fact sheet.
ABC News' Matt Seyler contributed to this report.
Feb 05, 2021, 10:51 AM EST
US Senate approves budget resolution to pass $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package
The U.S. Senate approved a budget resolution early Friday morning that would allow for the passage of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package without the threat of a filibuster from Republican lawmakers who oppose it.
U.S. President Joe Biden (second from right) and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-V.T., (left), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democratic senators to discuss his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 3, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Stefani Reynolds/Pool/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris broke a 50-50 tie in the Senate by casting a vote in favor of the Democratic measure, which was approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The resolution now goes back to the House for final approval.
Biden has said he hopes to garner Republicans' support for his sweeping COVID-19 relief package, billed as the American Rescue Plan, though Democrats are working to push it through Congress with or without the GOP.
Feb 05, 2021, 9:41 AM EST
Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine effective against UK variant, researchers say
University of Oxford researchers said Friday that the COVID-19 vaccine they developed with British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca remains effective against a new, more contagious variant of the novel coronavirus currently circulating in the United Kingdom.
A preprint of ongoing work to assess effectiveness of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine shows that the existing version has similar efficacy against the so-called B117 variant to previously circulating variants. The preprint also describes recent analysis showing that the vaccination "results in a reduction in the duration of shedding and viral load, which may translate into a reduced transmission of the disease," according to a press release from the university.
Pharmacist Minhal Master prepares a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination site, staffed by pharmacists and pharmacist assistants, at the Al-Abbas Islamic Centre in Birmingham, England, on Feb. 4, 2021.
Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images
"Data from our trials of the ChAdOx1 vaccine in the United Kingdom indicate that the vaccine not only protects against the original pandemic virus, but also protects against the novel variant, B117, which caused the surge in disease from the end of 2020 across the UK," Andrew Pollard, professor of pediatric infection and immunity at the University of Oxford and chief investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial, said in a statement.
The B117 variant was first identified last September in Kent, England, and has since spread to dozens of other countries.
"We are working with AstraZeneca to optimize the pipeline required for a strain change should one become necessary," Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford and chief investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial, said in a statement. "This is the same issue that is faced by all of the vaccine developers, and we will continue to monitor the emergence of new variants that arise in readiness for a future strain change."
Feb 05, 2021, 8:11 AM EST
Ghana's Parliament reduces sessions due to COVID-19 outbreak
The Parliament of Ghana will reduce its sessions to twice a week after dozens of lawmakers and legislative staff tested positive for COVID-19.
Addressing lawmakers on the floor Thursday, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin said at least 15 members of Parliament and 56 staffers have tested positive for COVID-19 so far. They have been asked to self-isolate while steps are being taken to have members of their household tested as well.
There are still 48 members of Parliament who have yet to be tested, according to Bagbin.
Members of Parliament of Ghana interact during a break form electing a new leader of parliament in Accra, Ghana, on Jan. 7, 2021.
Nipah Dennis/AFP via Getty Images
Starting next week, Ghana's Parliament will only sit on Tuesdays and Thursdays in an effort to control the spread of the virus. Only the lawmakers and staffers who are needed on those days will be allowed inside the building, Bagbin said.
Schools reopened across the West African nation in January, following a 10-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. But as COVID-19 infections rise again, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on Sunday reimposed a ban on social gatherings.
Ghana has confirmed at least 63,883 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including 390 deaths, according to the latest data from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
