Things to Know: States push their own relief packages

Things to Know: States push their own relief packages

SeattlePI.com

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Here’s what’s happening Wednesday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.:

THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY:

— States not willing to wait for pandemic financial relief from the federal government have taken matters into their own hands. Maryland and California recently approved help for small businesses, the poor, the jobless and those needing child care. New Mexico and Pennsylvania are also funneling grants directly to cash-starved businesses. The spending shows that many states have proved unexpectedly resilient during the pandemic. And it has provided fuel for critics who say they don’t need another massive infusion of cash from Congress. The Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion relief plan would send hundreds of billions of dollars to state and local governments.

— An analysis by U.S. regulators says Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine provides strong protection against severe COVID-19. The report Wednesday confirmed that overall the vaccine is about 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19. On Friday, a panel of experts to the Food and Drug Administration will debate if the evidence is strong enough to recommend the long-anticipated shot. The FDA is expected to make a final decision within days. If the FDA clears the J&J shot for U.S. use, it won’t boost vaccine supplies significantly right away. Only a few million doses are expected to be ready for shipping in the first week.

— The predominantly Latino cities of Central Falls, Rhode Island, and Chelsea, Massachusetts, have been among their states’ hardest-hit communities in the pandemic. Rhode Island has opened up vaccinations to all Central Fall residents 18 or older, and city officials say they’re on pace to inoculate most residents by the summer. Massachusetts, meanwhile, hasn’t done the same for Chelsea or...

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