CDC chief wants to ‘give people a break’ from mask wearing once transmission rates improve: COVID-19 updates – USA TODAY

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COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths are all declining and federal health officials could ease guidance on masks soon, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, speaking at a White House briefing on COVID-19,said her agency was assessing data and "will soon put guidance in place" thatencourages prevention measures while protecting public health and hospitals.

The CDC recommends indoor masking in areas with substantial or high transmission. Thatincludes 97% of U.S. counties, Walensky said.

"We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better," Walensky said. "And then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen."

Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, provided an update on the Biden administration program to ship free coronavirus tests to American households.Fifty million orders 200M tests have been shipped, he said.

Also in the news:

Vaccination before contracting the coronavirus appears to diminish the chances of developing symptoms of long COVID among those who get infected, according to six of eight studies examined by the UK's National Security Agency.

A judge blocked Boston Mayor Michelle Wu from imposing a COVID-19 vaccination mandate on certain classes of firefighters and police officers.

The Biden administration is telling Congress that it needs an additional $30 billion to press ahead with the fight against COVID-19, officials told the Associated Press onTuesday.

Today's numbers:The U.S. has recorded more than 78 millionconfirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 928,000 deaths,according toJohns Hopkins University data.Global totals: More than 417million cases and over 5.8million deaths. More than 214million Americans 64.5% are fully vaccinated,according totheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.

What we're reading:Research during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown Americans are enjoying the health benefits of being outdoors more than ever butoutdoor recreation is still largely dominated by white Americans, and nearly all other races continued to lag, or even stopped getting outdoors during the pandemic in disproportionate numbers.

Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more?Sign up forUSA TODAY's freeCoronavirus Watch newsletterto receive updates directly to your inbox andjoin ourFacebook group.

The U.S. is reporting fewer than 1 million new coronavirus infections per week for the first time in two months, with the seven-day average dropping from about 453,000 two weeks ago to about 136,000 Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

The declining numbers in cases, hospitalizations and deaths are prompting more governments, businesses and sports and entertainment venues to start lifting restrictions, allowing for more of asense of normalcy than the country has enjoyed in months.

In Philadelphia, a vaccination requirement for indoor dining was removed Wednesday, and in Seattle proof of vaccination atrestaurants, bars, theaters and gyms will no longer be necessary starting March 1.In Salt Lake City, the arena that's home to the Utah Jazz will stop requiring fans to show proof of vaccination or a negativeCOVID-19 test to attend games, effective Feb. 25.

Several states that had indoor mask mandates, including California and New York, have rescinded them, although local officials and businesses can impose their own requirements.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the U.S. -- where nearly 75% of adults are fully vaccinated -- is "moving in the right direction,'' while still urging caution.

We all share the same goal to get to a point where COVID-19 is no longer disrupting our daily lives, a time when it wont be a constant crisis rather something we can prevent, protect againstand treat, Walensky said.

California removed its mask mandate for indoor public places Wednesday, but two of its three largest cities will still require face coverings.

The state allows local health officials to impose stricter measures, and Los Angeles County -- home to its namesake city -- and Santa Clara County -- where San Jose is located -- have opted to keep masking in place.The city of Palm Springs and Mendocino County are doing likewise.

Statewide, masks are still required in certain settings, such as indoors at K-12 schools, at transportation hubs and inpublic transit.

L.A. County did make an accommodation Wednesday by lifting anoutdoor mask mandate as its rate of coronavirus infections dropped sharply and hospitalizations dwindled by 29% compared to the previous week.

We remain very encouraged by the steady declines that are seen across so many of our metrics, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrersaid, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Vaccine maker BioNTech unveiled a plan Wednesday for modular manufacturing facilities that could dramaticallyboost production of vaccines and medicines in Africa. The German firm's "BioNTainers" are shipping containers equippedwith state-of-the-art production technology. Eachfacility would require about a dozen containers and could provideup to 50 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine each year, the companysaid. Other medicines and vaccines also could be produced at the sites.

The company said the containers could be available later this year,although it could take another year for mass production to be fully underway.BioNTech has drawn criticismfor refusing to suspendpatentsso other manufacturers could make the vaccine more widely available in developing nations.

Today represents a momentous day for Mother Africa," said Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo. "Another step in the process towards self-reliance has been taken."

Ottawa Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said new emergency measures could result in protest "no-go" zones around monuments and legislatures to help quell three weeks of chaos in Canada's capital city.Police Chief Peter Sloly was ousted amid criticism overhis handling of trucker-inspired protests against COVID-19 measures.

The protests have spread across much of Canada. The Ambassador Bridge recently reopened after a blockade halted traffic between Detroit and Ontario for a week. But this week several protestersarrested in connection with a blockade at the bordercrossing between Coutts, Alberta, and Montana face charges of conspiracy to commit murder against Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers.

Even as the latest COVID surge recedes, doctors and patientadvocates warn that the virus could leave a new epidemic in its wake: millions more cases of the rare, mysterious condition known aschronic fatigue syndrome.

Researchers increasingly see parallels between chronic fatigue syndrome, which affects 1.5 million Americans, andlong COVID, the barrage of symptoms including exhaustion, persistent pain and cognitive impairment that can lingerfor months in some patients.

The connection between the two disorders is still being studied, but some research suggests the pandemic could more than triple the prevalence of chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME.

Whileresearchinto COVID's long-term impact is still in its infancy, there's evidence thatone in 10 infections may develop symptoms of chronic fatigue. That would equate to about 7.7 million cases in the U.S.

Gene Myers, NewJersey.com

Starting Thursday,vaccinated guests willno longer need to mask upindoorsacross most ofWalt Disney WorldandDisneyland. Face coveringswill still be required for all guests ages 2 and olderon enclosed Disney transportation at both resorts, such asshuttles and monorails.

We expect guests who are not fully vaccinated to continue wearing face coverings in all indoor locations, including indoor attractions and theaters, Disney World's website said. However, guests arenot required to provide proof of vaccination.

There will be no vaccination, testing or masking requirements at theCoachellaValley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival when theyreturnin April to theEmpire Polo Clubin Indio, California, organizers announced.

Britt Kennerly and Eve Chen

The New Jersey state Supreme Court rejected a last-minute appeal by the state's largest police union to block Gov. Phil Murphy's vaccine mandate for workers in high-risk settings, meaningmore than 11,000 county and state corrections officers have until Wednesday to show proof of vaccination or risk losing their jobs.

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote that the New Jersey Policemen's Benevolent Associationdid not deserve a stay pending appeal because it had not shown that its claimrested on settled law orhad a reasonable probability of success, or that relief was consistent with the public interest, among other things.

The high court's ruling extinguishesthe union's hope that a judge would step in toblock Murphy's mandate, which requires that workers in high-risk environments, including hospitals and jails, get the COVID-19 vaccine or face discipline.

Steve Janoski, NorthJersey.com

Instructional aidesmay continue to substitute teachin multiple classrooms once Iowa's emergency pandemic proclamation expires this week after lawmakers met Tuesday to approve an emergency rules change.Iowa public schools were worried that the expiration ofGov. Kim Reynolds' public health disaster proclamationthis week would worsen their staffing shortages since the proclamation relaxed the rules for some school staffing, like allowing the aidesknown as paraeducators to substitute teach in multiple classrooms.

The rule allows paraeducators with substitute teaching authorizations to work as a substitute in multiple classrooms with emergency permission if the school shows a documented need for them to fill that role. Normally, paraeducators' work involves assisting teachers in the classroom, and theyare only authorized to substitute teach if they are assigned to a specific special education classroom.

Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register

Contributing: The Associated Press

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CDC chief wants to 'give people a break' from mask wearing once transmission rates improve: COVID-19 updates - USA TODAY