The way it works is simple -- people can upload a document proving they were vaccinated to their Apple Wallet or Google Pay.
Then places like movie theaters, schools, or businesses can view it to allow people inside. Some airlines are already accepting the digital pass instead of a negative test.
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Here are more of today's headlines:
1 year since first COVID case in US
The first known U.S. case involved a 35-year-old man who had traveled to Wuhan, China to visit family and returned to Washington State on Jan. 15, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. Four days after returning, he went to an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County with a cough and what felt like a fever. The clinic and the Washington Department of Health collected samples and notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the CDC confirmed he had COVID-19 a day later, on Jan. 20.
NJ mayor pleads with new president for more vaccine doses
The mayor of one of New Jersey's larges cities is wasting no time calling on the new Biden administration to distribute more vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh made the plea Wednesday morning to new President Joe Biden for more vaccines for the state of New Jersey. With hundreds of people lining up to get immunized, the city is running low on the vaccine.
NY hospitalizations up slightly
The number of patients in New York hospitals bumped up slightly, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. Hospitalizations were at 9,273, up by 37 from the day before.
More than 2,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrive in Rockland County
The Rockland County Department of Health announced Wednesday the delivery of 2,100 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for this week. Of these doses, 700 have been designated for eligible individuals in priority phase 1b that fall within the essential worker category. The state has mandated that local health departments vaccinate only essential workers, including police, firefighters, teachers, college professors, and grocery store workers. Appointments are required, and those receiving the vaccine must attest to being an essential worker in New York State to register for an appointment. The rest of the doses are earmarked for residents 65 and older.
NYPD halts first doses of COVID vaccine
The NYPD has halted first dose vaccinations due to a supply shortage.
"Effective immediately, due to a statewide shortage, the department will temporarily cease the first dose of distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine," per an internal message distributed to officers.
The department started vaccinating officers Monday, and vaccinated 12,000 officers in the first four days alone. Officers who already got the first shots will be able to get their second shots three weeks afterward.
NYC vaccine shipment delay
Mayor Bill de Blasio said that Moderna's vaccine deliveries have been delayed. New York City has vaccinated 494,596 people so far for COVID-19. The mayor is requesting from the federal government the ability to use second doses as first doses. "We have had to reschedule 23,000 New Yorkers, and tell them that they will not be able to get that appointment due to lack of supply," de Blasio said.
Andrew Yang in quarantine
Andrew Yang, who launched an aggressive campaign with multiple public events daily since announcing a mayoral run, will be campaigning virtually for the next eight days after a member of his campaign staff tested positive. Yang has tested negative and is not experiencing any symptoms. But he will not rejoin the campaign until he receives a negative PCR test after eight days.
CT announces tiered approach to phase 1B vaccine appointments
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced the tiered approach to Phase 1b will proceed as follows:
-Scheduling now: Individuals over the age of 75
-Scheduling next (likely early February): Individuals between the ages of 65 and 74
-Scheduling soon (likely late February or early March): Frontline essential workers and individuals with underlying medical conditions who have an increased risk for severe illness
NJ extends public health emergency for another 30 days
Governor Phil Murphy Tuesday extended the public health emergency in New Jersey for another 30 days. The governor said New Jersey has built the capacity for an aggressive vaccination push, with four mega-sites open and two more coming online soon. As far as county-run and community-based sites, 130 are open and 100 to come online soon.
US surpasses 400,000 deaths from COVID
The US death toll from COVID-19 tops 400,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The current coronavirus death toll sits at 400,022.
18 family members get COVID-19 after holiday gathering in Pennsylvania
A family's holiday party in Pennsylvania turned out to be its own superspreader event. It was on Dec. 26 that 55-year-old Darlene Reynolds woke up with a scratchy tickle in her throat. This was one day before she was planning to have family members come over from as far as Canada for a holiday gathering.
"I had no fever because I kept checking it - no fever, no fever, no fever. I said, 'I'll keep a distance since I have a tiny little cough,'" said Reynolds. The next day, family members arrived for the party. Soon, she said, people started getting sick.
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