promoearn: We can stop the fourth wave

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

We can stop the fourth wave

Tuesday, February 16

A man is inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at La Colaborativa in Chelsea, Massachusetts on February 16, 2021. - Chelsea, with a population of close to 40,000 people, is one of the hardest hit cities in the United States by Covid-19 with close to 8,000 infected people and over 200 deaths from the virus. The community is made up of close to 70 percent Latino or Hispanic people and also retains a large undocumented population. East Boston Neighborhood Health Center is working with La Colaborativa to vaccinate any person in the community that wants to be vaccinated and is working to get the message out in multiple languages. Signs are outside the building in Spanish and English. La Colaborativa is all ready an established institution in the community for helping and empowering immigrants in the city. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 0 ORIG FILE ID: AFP_9368HE.jpg

States will receive their biggest boost in coronavirus vaccines yet. And Mardi Gras celebrations are toned down amid COVID-19. It's Tuesday's news.

An über-contagious fourth wave of coronavirus is looming. The week's deadly cold snap shows no sign of letting up. And anyone else feel jealous that NASA's Perseverance gets to just up and leave Earth?

It's Alex, officially fed up with Mother Nature. Shall we talk news?

But first, what would you do for a COVID-19 vaccine? This 90-year-old Seattle woman walked 6 miles through the snow.

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Not a wave we're interested in riding

COVID-19 isn't done with us. Though infection and hospitalization rates are falling nationwide, public health experts dread the possibility of a fourth wave . More contagious variants of the virus have all arrived in the USA, and one first identified in the United Kingdom is likely to be dominant here by the end of next month. "It's like we're trying our best to help the virus rather than stopping it," said Theodora Hatziioannou, a virologist and research associate professor at Rockefeller University. The two available vaccines appear to be effective against these variants, Hatziioannou said. However, the variants are likely to make targeted drugs such as monoclonal antibodies less effective. Now is the time, experts said, to double-down on precautions and finally bring the virus under control.

•	America has a history of medically abusing Black people. No wonder many are wary of COVID-19 vaccines.

The weather outside really is frightful

An unrelenting winter weather pattern showed no signs of letting up Tuesday as it left a trail of destruction, outages and subzero temperatures across dozens of states. At least 15 people have died as a result of a series of storms that moved from coast to coast this weekend, including three killed in a tornado that tore through a seaside North Carolina town. In Texas, millions of people remain without power. Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that the state's National Guard had been deployed to conduct welfare checks and help bring people to one of the 135 warming centers. And it's not over yet: Another winter storm with snow and ice is forecast to pummel the South and Midwest on Wednesday.

•	Why is it so cold? How the polar vortex brings record low temperatures and winter storms.
•	How often should I start my car and let it idle in cold weather? Answer: Don't.

Ice and snow blanket parts of Odessa, Texas, on Feb. 15.

Jacob Ford, AP

What everyone's talking about

•	States will receive their biggest boost yet in coronavirus vaccine doses this week, the White House told governors.
•	Eleven days after a crash involving then-Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid sent a 5-year-old into a coma, Ariel Young is awake, her family said.
•	"I think there is a guilt": Biden wants to (finally) end the war in Yemen.
•	Surprise! Reba McEntire reveals her crazy cameo in "Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar."
•	Pandemic lockdowns gave young people freedom to explore gender identities.

Amy Cooper won't face charges for incendiary 911 call

Charges were dismissed Tuesday against Amy Cooper, the white woman who called police on a Black bird-watcher in Central Park last May . Prosecutors said she completed a psycho-education and therapy program focused on racial equity. Cooper faced a misdemeanor charge of falsely reporting an incident to police after prosecutors said she twice called 911 claiming that Christian Cooper threatened and tried to attack her. Prosecutors announced in July that they were pursuing charges in the Cooper case.

Real quick

•	Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson dies after 2019 pancreatic cancer diagnosis. He was 62.
•	Mardi Gras celebrations toned down after last year's revelry may have led to COVID-19 spike in New Orleans.
•	"Do I look tired?": Kenan Thompson goes bicoastal, as a sitcom dad and "SNL" master of impressions.
•	After mass closures and too little support, post-pandemic child care options will be scarce.
•	President Biden supports a 9/11-style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on Capitol.

T-minus 48(ish) hours to Mars

Despite having bridged a gap of nearly 300 million miles between Earth and Mars since its launch in July, NASA's Perseverance rover still has seven perilous moments ahead . Thursday, the car-size rover and its descent equipment will kick off an autonomous series of operations designed to slow the approach from 12,100 mph to just 1.7 mph. The fiery, seven-minute atmospheric entry and touchdown is handled entirely by Perseverance's suite of onboard technologies. And get this: Jezero Crater, the site selected for its scientific potential, is easily the most dangerous site NASA has ever tried to land a rover. The payoff – potentially gleaning answers about the origins of life itself – is worth it.

•	Mars rover landing will be a nerve-wracking "seven minutes of terror." Here's how it works.

The Mars Perseverance rover is set to land after a 204-day journey.

USA Today

A break from the news but not tax season

•	Working from home during COVID-19? Here's what that means for your tax returns.
•	Taxes Q&A: When is the filing deadline for 2020 taxes? Will I owe taxes on coronavirus relief checks?

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.