The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines being deployed to fight the coronavirus pandemic are robustly effective in preventing infections in real-life conditions, according to a federal study released Monday that provides reassurance of protection for front-line workers in the United States. In a study of about 4,000 health-care personnel, police, firefighters and other essential workers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the vaccines reduced the risk of infection by 80 percent after one shot. Protection increased to 90 percent following the second dose. The vaccines are safe and effective with 126 million doses administered in the U.S. and zero (0) reports of patient deaths due to the vaccine.
Effective, available vaccines are important because a year after becoming the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, New York and New Jersey are back atop the list of U.S. states with the highest rates of infection. Even as the vaccination campaign has ramped up, the number of new infections in New Jersey has crept up by 37% in a little more than a month, to about 23,600 every seven days. About 54,600 people in New York tested positive for the virus in the last week, a number that has begun to inch up recently. The two states now rank No. 1 and 2 in new infections per capita among U.S. states. New Jersey has been reporting about 647 new cases for every 100,000 residents over the past 14 days. New York has averaged 548.
CSSE is reporting 30,335,188 positive cases in the U.S. and 550,121 deaths. DOH reported 2,047,379 confirmed cases in Florida today, with 33,247 deaths.
And, finally some coronavirus finance information. An estimated 40% of the 126 million households in the United States have children under the age of 18, or 50 million households. The Tax Policy Center reports that an estimated 90% of the 50 million households (45 million) will qualify for the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) per the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The new CTC could pay $300 per month per child under age 6 and $250 per month per child between ages 6-17 beginning 7/01/21. Please consult a tax expert for details. Allianz states that American consumers spent $2.81 trillion on foreign imports of goods and services in calendar year 2020. American consumers are forecasted to receive $800 billion in the form of stimulus payments, unemployment benefits and child tax credits through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and then turn around and spend $360 billion of the $800 billion on foreign imports from the American Rescue Act funds. Chinese companies are predicted to sell Americans $60 billion of the $360 billion.
