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WHO experts said it's more likely the virus jumped to humans from an animal.

Last Updated: February 9, 2021, 3:46 PM EST

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.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
Feb 09, 2021, 3:46 PM EST

Grocery, meatpacking workers call for hazard pay, vaccine priority

Grocery store and meatpacking workers said they still feel just as vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 now as they did at any point during the pandemic. In an organized call, the United Food Commercial Workers union called for hazard pay and that food service workers be prioritized for the vaccine.

PHOTO: Butchers at Old Fashion Country Butcher process meat as they work to meet increased demand due to COVID-19 related shortages on May 21, 2020 in Santa Paula, Calif. The separation of work stations means fewer people on production lines.
Butchers at Old Fashion Country Butcher process meat as they work to meet increased demand due to COVID-19 related shortages on May 21, 2020 in Santa Paula, Calif. The separation of work stations means fewer people on production lines. Butchers at Old Fashion Country Butch follow strict wellness checks daily and follow the standard federal safety procedures.
Brent Stirton/Getty Images

PHOTO: Supermarket workers protest in front of a Food 4 Less store in Long Beach, Calif., Feb. 3, 2021, after owner Kroger closed two supermarkets rather than pay workers "hazard pay" for their continued work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Supermarket workers protest in front of a Food 4 Less supermarket in Long Beach, Calif., Feb. 3, 2021, after a decision by owner Kroger to close two supermarkets rather than pay workers an additional $4.00 in "hazard pay" for their continued work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

At least 137 grocery workers and 132 meatpacking workers have died from COVID-19, according to the call.

Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that front-line essential workers, like grocery store employees, should be prioritized for the vaccine. But not every state has done so and union officials said their workers still can't get the vaccine even when it's being offered at the pharmacy in the store where they work every day. 

"What is inexplicable, given the threats and the risks that these essential workers face and the fact that a new report, it shows only 13 states currently prioritize access for food workers, which puts our food supply at risk,” said UFCW President Marc Perrone.

ABC News’ Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.

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.

PHOTO: 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 at the Rohnert Park Community Center on Jan. 27, 2021 in Rohnert Park, Calif.
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."

PHOTO: 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. Without state/federal testing plan, a temple member took it upon herself to set up a testing program.
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.

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