A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 106 million people worldwide and killed over 2.3 million, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Feb 09, 2021, 2:03 PM EST
Biden administration to send vaccines directly to community health centers
The Biden administration will start sending vaccines directly to community health centers across the country as early as next week, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said at a press briefing with Health Equity Task Force Chair Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith.
US Air Force Technical Sargent Kyle Trengo prepares to administer a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the Talbot County Community Center in Easton, Md., Feb. 5, 2021.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
The administration's goal is to reach 250 community health centers and at least one in every state, Nunez-Smith said.
The administration plans to issue 1 million doses during this initial phase: 500,000 first shots and 500,000 second vaccine shots.
Marna McKenzie of Sebastapol, 90, receives a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from Lacey Ernst, event operations administrator, during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for seniors 75 and over at the Rohnert Park Community Center on Jan. 27, 2021 in Rohnert Park, Calif.
San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
FEMA mobile units will also be going directly to these hardest-hit communities, Zients said. Earlier this week, FEMA announced that it had finalized a contract for 30 mobile vaccination units expected to begin next week.
ABC News’ Matthew Vann contributed to this report.
Feb 09, 2021, 1:36 PM EST
New variants discovered in UK
A variant found last week in Bristol, England, has now been discovered in Manchester.
The Manchester City Council announced Monday night that four cases were found in two unconnected households. Testing is underway in the Manchester area to track the variant.
Separately, a new mutation was found in Liverpool.
Public Health England said it has a high degree of confidence that the vaccines will work against variants.
ABC News’ Zoe Magee contributed to this report.
Feb 09, 2021, 1:15 PM EST
Teacher union: 'CDC standards still aren't being met'
As some students from Nashville to North Carolina return to the classroom, National Education Association President Becky Pringle says the in-person learning standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "still aren’t being met."
A group of young students walk through the hall as they are distanced on the first day back to in-person learning at Crieve Hall Elementary School, Feb. 9, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.
Josie Norris/The Tennessean via USAToday Network
"Most schools, especially those attended by Black, brown, indigenous, and poor white students have severely outdated ventilation systems and no testing or tracing programs to speak of," Pringle said in a statement. "It’s time to fund proven mitigation strategies -- and it’s far past time for every governor to prioritize educator vaccinations."
Teacher Michelle Voskov uses a swab to collect a specimen when she arrived at work, at Temple Beth Shalom in Needham, MA on Jan. 21, 2021. Absent any state/federal testing plan, a temple member took it upon herself to set up a surveillance pool testing program for the after-school workers. It has now expanded to the students as well as workers from nearby childcare programs who are also desperate for testing. It allows them to safely continue in person programs.
Boston Globe via Getty Images, FILE
In Chicago, 25,000 public school teachers will begin voting Tuesday night on a proposal for returning to classrooms, ABC Chicago station WLS reported.
ABC News’ Sophie Tatum contributed to this report.
Feb 09, 2021, 12:57 PM EST
Athletes to be tested for COVID-19 every 4 days at Tokyo Olympics
Athletes will be tested for COVID-19 at least once every four days during their stay in Tokyo at the pandemic-delayed Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to a "playbook" released by organizers Tuesday.
Over the past week, Olympics organizers have released different playbooks for each group of key stakeholders that outline COVID-19 protocols and rules of conduct for before, during and after the Tokyo Games, which are slated to open July 23. The playbook released Tuesday, which is aimed at athletes and team officials, warns that individuals could be kicked out of their events if they break protocols.
In addition to regular testing at the Games, athletes and team officials must take a COVID-19 test approved by the Japanese government within 72 hours of the departure time of their flight to the country, show proof of that negative test upon arrival and be prepared to take another test at the airport. Athletes will be barred from competing at the Games if they test positive for COVID-19.
The Olympic rings are seen on display at the Odaiba waterfront in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 2, 2021.
Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images
Athletes and team officials will only be permitted to leave the Olympic and Paralympic Village, or other designated accommodation, to carry out the activities detailed in their "14-day activity plan," according to the playbook. They are not allowed to visit gyms, tourist areas, shops, restaurants and bars, among other places.
The playbook also asks athletes and team officials to keep two meters away from others and avoid "unnecessary forms of physical contact such as hugs, high-fives and handshakes."
The 2020 Summer Olympics were supposed to kick off in the Japanese capital last year on July 24. But in late March, amid mounting calls to delay or cancel the upcoming Games, the International Olympic Committee and Japanese organizers announced that the event would be held a year later due to the pandemic. They have been outwardly staunch in their determination to go forward with the Games ever since, even as Japan -- and much of the world -- face a resurgence of COVD-19 infections.
