(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Derek Chauvin trial jury selection begins today
Jury selection begins today in the Minneapolis murder trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer accused of killing George Floyd during an arrest on May 25, 2020. Fortified fencing, barbed wire and concrete barricades have been erected around the courthouse and police stations in Minneapolis in preparation for the trial, in anticipation of possible protests and unrest. Floyd’s death — which occurred after Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, during which time Floyd repeatedly protested that he couldn’t breathe – sparked international outcry and protests against racism and police brutality. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. A panel of appeals court judges ruled Friday that the trial judge must also consider reinstating a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin that the judge dismissed last fall. Three other officers involved in Floyd’s death face trial in August.
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections, deaths and vaccinations.
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 116,911,000
Global deaths: 2,594,813. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 525,035.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192
Total patients recovered globally: 66,193,102
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 28,999,540 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 525,035. California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 54,225.
U.S. total people tested: 359,724,291
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,599,689 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks second in the world after England, which has 3,694,339 cases. Texas is third, with 2,695,653 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million.
Latest reported COVID-19 vaccination numbers in the United States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a total of 116,363,405 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. Of those, 90,351,750 doses have been administered, with 58,873,710 people receiving one or more doses, and 30,686,881 people receiving two doses. The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, which are the two most prevalent in the U.S., each require two doses to be effective.
COVID-19 relief bill passed by Senate, heads to House for Tuesday vote
Following its 50-49 passage by a divided Senate Saturday, President Biden’s 1.9-trillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package, dubbed the American Rescue Plan, heads back to the House for final congressional approval Tuesday, where it’s expected to pass. Though some Democrats were frustrated by the compromises that were made to assuage more moderate members of the party, including reducing the weekly unemployment benefits that were included in the House version of the bill, President Biden declared, “I don’t think any of the compromises have in any way fundamentally altered the essence of what I put in the bill in the first place.” The president is eager to sign the bill into law this week before current federal unemployment benefits expire on March 14. The package also includes an extension of supplemental unemployment benefits through September 6, and a new round of relief payments for Americans struggling with the pandemic’s ongoing economic impact.
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