US House clear1.9 trillion dollar corona relief package

The US House of Representatives passed an enormous $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Saturday, hailed by Democrats as a critical step in funnelling new funding towards vaccinations, overburdened local governments, and millions of families devastated by the pandemic. “After 12 months of death and despair, the American recovery begins tonight,” congressman Brendan Boyle told the House chamber before lawmakers approved the package on a 219-212 vote.

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved emergency use nod to Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot vaccine after approval by its independent experts.The FDA told the company it will “rapidly work towards finalisation and issuance of an emergency use authorisation”, which is expected over the weekend. Pfizer and Moderna’s are the other two jabs in use in the US since December. Both are two-dose vaccines. In large clinical trials, the J&J vaccine's efficacy against severe disease was 85.9 percent in the United States, 81.7 percent in South Africa, and 87.6 percent in Brazil. The company has announced it aims to deliver 20 million doses by the end of March, with 100 million by June -- though the US is pushing to expedite that timeline.