Thread by @LizSzabo

@WHCOVIDResponse is holding another live briefing. I'll be live tweeting. @KHNews

Live @JeffZients: 13.5 million doses going out this week. On track to have vaccines for 300 million Americans by July. 700 federal personnel to be vaccinators. 1000 members of military will support community vaccination sites.

Live @JeffZients: Covid vaccines will be available at community centers, high school gyms, churches, stadiums, pharmacies.

Live @JeffZients: We've almost doubled number of vaccines administered in four weeks. "There is path out of this pandemic."

Live @JeffZients: "We will do everything we can as a federal government to defeat this virus. But it will take all of us, doing our part."

Live: @cdcdirector: Cases have decreased 22%, to average of more than 86K a day. 21%decreased in hospital admissions, 7700 cases per day. Deaths down only marginally. "We remain in the midst of a serious pandemic."

LIVE: Variants could jeopardize our progress, @CDCDirector says.
1277 cases of B.1.1.7 variant across 42 states, including a case of the E484K substitution, previously found in the UK. This mutation can make vaccines less effective.

LIVE @cdcdirector: Dr Fauci just published an editorial in @JAMA_current on variants. "I am concerned, too," said @CDCDirector, who notes that masks, social distancing help protect you from variants.

LIVE @CDCDirector "Fewer cases means fewer opportunities for the variants to spread." CDC doesn't recommend routine use of N95s for general public. Regular, properly fitted masks with 2 or more layers are fine.

FAUCI LIVE: "The looming question" about vaccines is whether vaccines prevent transmission. @modernatx and @pfizer will run tests to see if vaccinated people who get infected have less virus in nasopharynx.

LIVE "Is there a relationship between viral load and transmission?" In HIV, absolutely yes. The lower the viral load the lower the risk of transmissibility.

FAUCI LIVE. Spanish article 2-8in @TheLancet showed direct correlation between coronavirus and risk of transmission. "Higher viral loads, good transmissibility," he said.

FAUCI LIVE: Israeli study found markedly diminished viral load in those who were vaccinated compared to those who were infected without vaccine. Israel gives 78 doses per 100 ppl, compared to 16 doses per 100 people in the US

FAUCI LIVE: "The scientific data is showing vaccines are important not only for the individual... but it also has very important public health implications" for spread. "When your turn to get vaccinated comes up, get vaccinated."

LIVE: National testing coordinator Carole Johnson says federal govt investing $1.6 billion in testing for schools and underserved communities, others. This is a pilot until Congress provides more money.

LIVE: National testing coordinator Carole Johnson said they're spending $200 million to triple the level of genetic sequencing to scan 25,000 samples a week.

LIVE: National testing coordinator Carole Johnson says we still face shortage of testing supplies including pipette tips. $815 million will go to domestic manufacturing capacity so we don't continue to have shortages. Says fed govt still needs Congress to provide more $$

LIVE @JeffZients: "We need to make a significant investment" in testing. "It can take way too long to get a test."

LIVE @JeffZients: Americans who lost health insurance during pandemic can go to healthcare.gov until May 15 to sign up for coverage from Affordable Care Act.

Where will $200 million for genomic sequencing go? Carole Johnson said we need geographic diversity when collecting samples to scan them for genetic variants. @CDCDirector said they're partnering with academic, commercial labs.

@CDCDirector says 54 million covid shots have been given, 5% of Americans vaccinated with both shots. Vaccines are not responsible for the drop in cases, which was caused by holiday celebrations and travel.

LIVE: @JNJNews only has a few million doses now, but their contact says they'll have 100 million doses by June, probably closer to June, says @JeffZients. Working with company to accelerate delivery schedule.

@WHCOVIDResponse says "the weather is having an impact on distribution and deliveries" of covid vaccines.

@CDCDirector addresses issue of reopening high schools. "We have to be a little more carefully with our high school kids bc they act differently than younger kids." Harder to "cohort" high schoolers into pods.

@CDCDirector notes that high schoolers more likely to get infected/become ill with covid than little kids, note that older teens respond to virus more like adults.

@JeffZients again makes case for Congress to provide more money, because it's much more expensive to run smaller class sizes, use more school buses, in order to socially distance school kids.

FAUCI said he doesn't have any mortality estimates for models of school reopening. @CDCDirector said when covid comes into school, it comes into school from community, not spreading in school.

FAUCI. "It's rather impractical" to expect all teachers to be vaccinated before opening schools, but says teachers should be considered essential personnel and get prioritized for vaccination.

Fauci: "It's really what is going on in the community that is the risk to teachers." "When you see infections in the school setting, it is really reflective of what is going on in the community... not a superspreader event in schools."

That's the end of today's @WHCOVIDResponse briefing. Expect another at 11 a.m. ET Friday.