Vaccine, financial relief near as coronavirus ravages U.S. health, economy (updated)

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09/12/2020 14:35

(Adds Manchin, Azar comments)
    By Andrea Shalal and Andy Sullivan
    WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Economic relief and a vaccine
drew nearer to reality on Wednesday to counter a coronavirus
pandemic that has ravaged the U.S. economy and killed 286,487
people with year-end holiday gatherings expected to fuel another
surge in infections.
    The U.S. House of Representatives was set to vote Wednesday
on a one-week stopgap funding bill that will buy more time to
reach a deal on COVID-19 relief, with separate aid packages of
more than $900 billion on the table.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IO25V
    Help is urgently needed as the United States reported an
average of 2,259 deaths and 205,661 new cases each day over the
past week.
    Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said he expected
Democrats and Republicans to work out most of the details on
Wednesday.
    "You're going to see 90% of the bill today," Manchin told
CNN.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nW1N2HQ03G
    Part of the congressional debate involves aid to state and
local governments. In addition to millions of job losses in the
private sector, state and local governments have laid off nearly
700,000 workers this year, according to U.S. government data,
equal to 8.4% of the workforce.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IN2PS
    Schools alone are facing a shortfall of up to $246 billion,
or 18% of projected spending, over the next two years, according
to Michael Griffith, a senior researcher at the Learning Policy
Institute.
    In the former manufacturing hub of Schenectady, New York,
the city government raised property taxes and trash-collection
fees while the school board laid off 423 teachers, janitors and
other workers, even with only 16% of grade-schoolers found to be
proficient in math last year.
    "These kids are struggling. They were struggling before
COVID, and everybody looks past them," social worker Lindsey
Esposito said. 
    Vaccinations could start as soon as this weekend, possibly
taking pressure off a healthcare system buckling under a record
104,200 hospitalizations.
    Pfizer Inc  PFE.N  cleared another hurdle on Tuesday when
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released documents that
raised no new red flags over the safety or efficacy of the
vaccine it developed with Germany's BioNTech SE.  22UAy.DE 
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IO0Z6
    A panel of outside advisers will meet on Thursday to discuss
whether to recommend FDA emergency use authorization (EUA) of
the Pfizer vaccine.
    FDA approval could come as soon as Friday or Saturday with
the first U.S. injections happening on Sunday or Monday, Moncef
Slaoui, chief adviser to the Trump administration's Operation
Warp Speed vaccine development program, told Fox News on
Tuesday. 
    Britain became the first Western nation to begin mass
inoculations with the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IO0DJ
    The United States badly needs a new tool given that so many
Americans refuse to wear masks or avoid crowds.
    In Arizona, one of 14 states without a mask mandate, health
officials on Tuesday reported over 12,000 new coronavirus cases,
nearly double the previous record.
    Alabama and Ohio also notched a record high number of cases,
according to a Reuters analysis. 
    Experts and officials have expected a surge following the
Thanksgiving holiday when many Americans traveled to be with
family and friends. That cycle could be repeated following
year-end holiday gatherings.
    In the meantime, President-elect Joe Biden is preparing to
succeed departing President Donald Trump on Jan. 20.
    Even though Trump has refused to concede and is attempting
to overturn the Nov. 3 election, Health and Human Services
Secretary Alex Azar vowed to make sure the Biden team gets all
it needs to advance vaccine distribution.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nW1N2HQ03F    
    "We will ensure a full, cooperative, professional
transition," said Azar, who told CNN he has met with the Biden
transition team. "I'm going to do anything I need to do to make
sure no balls are dropped in terms of protecting the American
people."

    <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
GRAPHIC-COVID-19 global tracker    https://tmsnrt.rs/34pvUyi
GRAPHIC-Where coronavirus cases are rising and falling in the
United States    https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR
U.S. FDA staff backs Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine data   
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IO0Z6
'Go for it,' says grandmother who got world's first Pfizer COVID
vaccine in Britain     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2IO13D
INSIGHT-As pandemic lifelines expire, Americans in housing free
fall     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IN25O
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
 (Reporting by Andy Sullivan, Andrea Shalal, Susan Cornwell,
Maria Caspani, Anurag Maan, Peter Szekely and Mohammad Zargham;
Writing by Daniel Trotta
Editing by Nick Zieminski and Steve Orlofsky)
 ((daniel.trotta@reuters.com))