Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have fallen more than 40% over the last two weeks and more than 70% since the January peak.
Here's what to know about the pandemic in the U.S. this week: nyti.ms/3qDZtov
The number of people dying of Covid-19 remains extraordinarily high and the U.S. is likely to reach 500,000 total deaths in the coming days. But reports of new deaths are starting to slow. nyti.ms/3qDZtov
Dangerous weather in Texas and other states forced testing and vaccination sites to close. Still, about 12% of people in the country have received at least one vaccine dose, and about 5% are fully vaccinated. nyti.ms/36paF0p
The 11 states with the highest rates of recent coronavirus cases are all on the East Coast.
New York and New Jersey are adding cases at rates higher than every state except South Carolina. nyti.ms/3t9CxiQ
See more on the current outbreak in the U.S. here: nyti.ms/2NqRNaK
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After a year of racial reckonings, Carnival would have brought a much-needed release for revelers around the world. Instead, the pandemic canceled many of these celebrations. We asked would-be partyers about what they missed most. nyti.ms/2NkhRVi
Carnival’s history is long. In the late 1700s, French colonists in Trinidad began hosting masquerade balls that the enslaved population was banned from attending. Undeterred, the enslaved peoples hosted their own festivals. nyti.ms/2MaNKPk
Annual celebrations like J’Ouvert in Brooklyn, Caribana in Toronto and Notting Hill Carnival in London are outgrowths of the celebrations in Trinidad, Antigua, Barbados and the Dominican Republic. nyti.ms/2NPocYl
As federal prosecutors unveil charges in the assault on the Capitol, they've highlighted two militant groups — the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys — as having done the most premeditation. nyti.ms/3scVe3I
The groups differ in their focus and tactics, but conspiracy charges indicate that members of both may have worked together. Of the 22 people charged with conspiracy crimes, 18 were known to have ties to one of those two groups. nyti.ms/2ZEUrw6
More than a third of the militants were also known to have military experience, a far higher proportion than in the crowd as a whole. Of the 31 group members who have been charged so far, at least 11 had a military record. This may have been intentional. nyti.ms/2ZEUrw6
An unfathomable toll is nearing in the U.S. — the loss of half a million people to the coronavirus.
Each death has left untold numbers of mourners. And each death has left an empty space in communities across America. nyti.ms/2ZEJhYe
The virus has reached every corner of America, devastating dense cities and rural counties alike.
In New York City, one in 295 people have died of the virus. In Lamb County, Texas, where 13,000 people live, one in 163 people has died of the virus. nyti.ms/2ZEJhYe
Some families have moved away from the places that are so painfully entwined with memories.
Karlee Greer recently left the house where her father, Michael Horton, passed away. nyti.ms/2ZEJhYe
When could the U.S. see the end of the pandemic? A model shared with The New York Times by @PHICORteam sheds some light.
It takes into account:
— Current rate of vaccinations
— Estimates of total infections
— How quickly the virus spreads nyti.ms/3qDYLI7
These and other factors affect when the U.S. could reach herd immunity — when the virus no longer spreads rapidly through the population.
This chart shows when the U.S. could cross the herd immunity threshold, estimated to be from 60% to 90%. nyti.ms/3qDYLI7
The “total immunity” line in the chart is only an estimate because it is impossible to know how many people have been infected. What is more certain is the “fully vaccinated” line, which could put the U.S. in the herd immunity range several months later. nyti.ms/3qDYLI7
Some of California’s small business owners are pushing to recall Governor Gavin Newsom after their enterprises were ravaged by the state’s lockdowns. nyti.ms/37wBmk5
California was one of the earliest states to go into lockdown last spring, and it is now emerging from a second lockdown. That stop-start-stop has created a groundswell of anger toward Newsom that is increasingly fueling a movement to recall him. nyti.ms/37wBmk5
Nearly 40,000 small businesses closed in California by September — more than in any other state since the pandemic began, according to a report compiled by Yelp. Half had shut permanently, far more than the 6,400 that had closed permanently in New York. nyti.ms/37wBmk5
Some Texas politicians incorrectly blamed frozen wind turbines and renewable energy for the power outages across the storm-worn state.
The fact is that Texas generates most of its power from natural gas and coal. nyti.ms/3saekY9
Natural gas, the top source of electricity in Texas, was hit hardest during the storm.
During the blackouts, the power grid lost roughly five times as much power from natural gas as it did from wind or nuclear power outages. nyti.ms/3saekY9
As natural gas plants were going offline, demand for electricity hit a winter record high, rivaling the demand seen during some of the state's hottest summer days.
ERCOT, which oversees the power grid in Texas, reported that demand surpassed its planned worst-case scenario.