“I’m quite confident that we will be in a position within the next three weeks or so to be vaccinating people at the range of 1 million a day or in excess of that,” he told reporters, clarifying that he was referring to 100 million shots, not necessarily 100 million people, since some of the vaccines require more than one shot.
Biden said the key factors in ramping up vaccinations are having enough vaccine, having enough syringes and other necessary equipment and having enough people administering them. He said his administration is working to produce additional vaccinators — people who can administer the vaccine.
“I think with the grace of God, the goodwill of the neighbor and the creek not rising, as the old saying goes, I think we may be able to get that to 1.5 million a day, rather than 1 million a day,” he said.
Biden’s announcement came the same day that officials for Pfizer and Moderna said it will take time to scale up manufacturing for their vaccines.
Moderna President Dr. Stephen Hoge relayed that vaccine makers have an obligation to maintain quality and consistency as they scale up capacity.
“That’s the frustrating thing about scaling up,” Hoge said.
The increase in vaccinations will not necessarily move the target timeline for getting vaccines to anyone in the US who wants one.
The President said that he thinks anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get it by this spring, a target date similar to one set under the Trump administration.
Biden’s commitment to ramp up coronavirus vaccinations comes among a larger list of efforts discussed the White House on Monday to address the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden signed a presidential proclamation on Monday reinstating the travel restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic for individuals traveling to the United States from the Schengen Area in Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil and South Africa.
And speaking to reporters, Biden also referenced the importance of creating a forum where Americans “can show up, stand in line, and get their vaccine without having to stand in line for eight hours — being able to pick up the phone, call the pharmacy and get your name on the list(.)”
But the new efforts come amid ongoing confusion and urgent concerns across different states over the country’s coronavirus vaccine supply and distribution.
Earlier Monday, New York City Health Commissioner David Chokshi told CNN that the city “does not have enough doses” of Covid-19 vaccine to “be able to meet the demand we know exists among New Yorkers.”
Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, said Florida’s capacity far outweighs the amount of vaccine they have been given by the federal government. And Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker similarly said that the state is “setting up the capacity to administer far more doses, then we are currently receiving or projecting to receive from the (federal government).”
Over the last two days, both Biden’s top spokeswoman, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said they did not know the what the current coronavirus vaccine supply levels are. Both blamed the Trump administration for the problem.
But speaking to press on Monday, Biden claimed that his administration does know how many coronavirus vaccines are available in the US. However, he did not disclose any concrete numbers.
“(W)e are optimistic that we will have enough vaccine. And in very short order. As you know, we came in office without knowledge of how much vaccine was out being held in abeyance are available. Now that we’re here, we’ve been around a week or so, we now have that,” Biden said. “And we’ve gotten commitments from some of the producers that they will in fact produce more vaccine in a relatively short period of time and then continue that down the road.”
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
Millions of users of the dating site MeetMindful got some unpleasant news on Sunday. ZDNet reported that the hacker group ShinyHunters, the same group who leaked millions of user records for the company that listed the “Camp Auschwitz” shirts, has dumped what appears to be data from the dating site’s user database. The leak purportedly contains the sensitive information of more than 2.28 million of the site’s registered users.
According to ZDNet, the 1.2 gigabyte file was shared as a free download “on a publicly accessible hacking forum known for its trade in hacked databases.” It included troves of sensitive and identifiable user information, including real names, email addresses, city, state, and ZIP code details, birth dates, IP addresses, Facebook user IDs, and Facebook authentication tokens, among others. Messages, however, were not exposed.
The outlet, which included screenshots of the file posted to the hacker forum as well as a small sample of the data exposed, highlights that not all the leaked accounts include the user’s full details. Nonetheless, it stated that the information leaked could be used to link individuals’ dating profiles to their real-world identities. The hacking forum where the data was posted has been viewed more than 1,500 times. Per the outlet, it is still available for download.
ZDNet said it was informed of the leak by a security researcher, who it did not name, earlier this week. It added that it had contacted MeetMindful on Thursday to ask for a comment on the matter but had not received a response for days.
G/O Media may get a commission
Gizmodo has also gotten in touch with MeetMindful to ask it about the reported hack. We’ll make sure to update this blog if we hear back.
According to its Crunchbase profile, MeetMindful is a dating site platform for “people who are into health, well-being, and mindfulness.” It was founded in 2013, is based in Denver, Colorado, and is still active.
Here’s where it starts to get a little strange, though. The site’s listedsocialmedia channels have been inactive for months, which is interesting considering that major dating apps have been growing during the pandemic. I mean, don’t they want to encourage their users to date (safely)? From the outside, the service seems like dead zone. Who knows though, it could be all the rage inside the site itself.
It is unclear whether MeetMindful has notified its users of the incident. If it’s true, users need to know so that they can be on the lookout for suspicious activity and change logins and passwords if necessary. Bottom line: Get moving.
There are many questions surrounding Covid-19 vaccines, one of which is whether vaccines can be mixed and matched. Veuer’s Johana Restrepo has more.
Buzz60
COVID-19 has killed more than 417,000 Americans in less than a year, and infections have continued to mount despite the introduction of a pair of vaccines late in 2020. USA TODAY is tracking the news. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter for updates to your inbox,join our Facebook group or scroll through our in-depth answers to reader questions.
The United States on Sunday surpassed 25 million cases of COVID-19, but an influential coronavirus model says the true number is likely much higher.
About 17% of people in the U.S., or upward of 50 million people, have been infected with the coronavirus, researchers at the University of Washington estimate. They warn the U.S. is likely only identifying about half of COVID-19 cases.
The model estimates the U.S. will report another 168,000 COVID-19 deaths before May, bringing the total to 569,000 deaths. In that period, at least 40 states will have high or extreme stress on hospital beds, and 46 will have high or extreme stress on ICU capacity, according to the model.
In California, authorities are investigating the death of a person hours after being vaccinated.
In the headlines:
►The National Park Service announced the Washington Monument is closed until further notice “as a measure to protect staff and visitors from the spread of COVID-19.” The monument had already been closed since Jan. 11 because of security concerns around President Joe Biden’s inauguration, NPS said.
►Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force under President Donald Trump, told CBS News “Face the Nation” she “always” thought of quitting the job. “I mean, why would you want to put yourself through that every day?” she said in an interview scheduled to air Sunday.
►Larry King, the Brooklyn-bred man who became cable TV’s most well-known talk-show host, died Saturday. He was 87. King had been hospitalized with COVID-19.
►The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on vaccinations Friday to say the second dose of a two-shot vaccine can be administered up to 6 weeks after the first.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 25 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 417,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 98.8 million cases and 2.1 million deaths.
📘 What we’re reading: Eager medical students are helping speed up US vaccine rollout: ‘We will be a part of history.’
Californian dies hours after receiving vaccine
Authorities in California’s Placer County are investigating a death that came hours after the victim was vaccinated. The Placer County Sheriff said the person had tested positive for COVID-19 in late December and was administered a COVID-19 vaccine several hours before the individual died on Thursday. Multiple local, state, and federal agencies are investigating the case, the sheriff’s department said in a statement. No additional details were released.
“Any reports surrounding the cause of death are premature, pending the outcome of the investigation,” the statement said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has said people who had COVID-19 should wait 90 days after infection before they get vaccinated to prevent interference with “natural antibodies” from the infection. Dr. Dean Blumberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Davis Children’s hospital, told KTLA-TV in Los Angeles that the “vast majority” of severe allergic reactions to the vaccine occur 15-30 minutes following immunization. Blumberg said if the death happened several hours later, it is “probably not the severe allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, that we worry about.”
Michigan’s nationally ranked men’s, women’s basketball teams on ‘pause’
The entire University of Michigan athletic department is pausing after several positive tests for the new COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate. The state Department of Health and Human Services issued the mandate after positive COVID-19 tests for several people linked to the athletic department. The entire department could be in quarantine for two weeks, the school said.
The 11th-ranked women’s basketball team was set to play at home against Purdue on Sunday. The men’s tennis team was hosting a tournament while women’s tennis was in Atlanta. The men’s gymnastics event at Nebraska was also postponed. The seventh-ranked men’s basketball team wasn’t supposed to play until Wednesday at Penn State.
“We must do everything we can to minimize the spread among student-athletes, coaches, staff, and to the student-athletes at other schools,” athletic director Warde Manuel said.
Nevada man charged with fraud, obtaining $2M in COVID aid
Federal prosecutors have charged a Nevada man with fraudulently obtaining about $2 million in federal coronavirus relief aid meant for small businesses to buy luxury vehicles and condominiums in Las Vegas. The U.S. attorney’s office in Nevada accused Jorge Abramovs of bank fraud after he allegedly applied for funding to at least seven banks from April to June 2020. The complaint said a financial analysis determined Abramovs spent the money on personal luxury items, including a 2020 Bentley Continental GT Convertible for more than $260,000 and a 2020 Tesla Model 3 for about $55,000.
Dr. Deborah Birx says she ‘always’ thought of quitting WH task force
Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force under President Donald Trump, says she “always” thought of quitting the job. “I mean, why would you want to put yourself through that every day?” she said in an interview clip shared to the CBS Face the Nation Twitter page.
“I had to ask myself every morning: is there something that I think I can do that would be helpful in responding to this pandemic?” she said. “And when it became a point where I couldn’t, I wasn’t getting anywhere – and that was like right before the election – I wrote a very detailed communication plan of what needed to happen the day after the election and how that needed to be executed. And there was a lot of promise that that would happen.”
Asked if she felt the election was a “factor in communication about the virus,” Birx said yes. The interview is expected to air in full on Sunday. Birx said last month that she planned to help the incoming administration for a “period of time” but would then retire.
– Grace Hauck
Second vaccine dose can be given up to 6 weeks later, CDC says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on vaccinations Friday to say the second dose of a two-shot vaccine can be administered up to six weeks after the first. The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna require two doses, given three weeks and one month apart, respectively. But second shots can still be administered beyond that timeframe, up to 42 days after the first, the CDC said Friday. There’s no data on doses administered after that time.
The agency also said a person may receive a different vaccine for the second shot only in “exceptional situations” where the first-dose vaccine is unknown or unavailable. Clinical trials did not evaluate the safety or effectiveness of interchanging vaccines.
Larry King dies at 87 after being hospitalized with COVID-19
Larry King, the Brooklyn-bred man who became cable TV’s most well-known talk-show host, died Saturday. He was 87. King had been hospitalized with COVID-19. He passed away Saturday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Ora Media, a production company King founded with Mexican media mogul Carlos Slim.
In December, King was sent to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with COVID-19. He was moved to the ICU on New Year’s Eve and was receiving oxygen but moved out of the ICU in early January and was breathing on his own, said David Theall, a spokesman for Ora Media, said at the time.
– Gary Levin
Contributing: Joel Shannon and Jordan Culver, USA TODAY
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Smash hit multiplayer game Among Us got a surprise release on the Nintendo Switch last December following an indie showcase and ever since it’s been at the top of the eShop charts. It’s only £3.89/$5.00 if you haven’t already picked it up.
According to SuperData, the game is estimated to have already sold a whopping 3.2 million copies on the Switch eShop in the same month and was also apparently the highest-earning version:
“Among Us player numbers fell from their November peak, but the game was still 2.8 times as popular as the next most-popular game, Roblox. The title also launched on Nintendo Switch in December. This edition sold 3.2M copies and was the highest-earning version of the game for the month.”
If you’re one of the many people who have already bought the game on Switch, there’s plenty to anticipate – with developer Innersloth currently working on the new Airship map with the plan to release it at some point early this year.
Were you one of the estimated 3.2 million who have purchased Among Us on Switch last month? Tell us in the comments.
Fox Business Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Saturday night’s Powerball jackpot was estimated to be at least $20 million, according to the game’s official website.
Here are Saturday’s winning numbers: 5, 8, 17, 27, 28 with the Powerball number 14 and the Power Play of 3X.
Saturday’s Powerball drawing is the first since Wednesday, when a ticket sold in Maryland allowed its owner to claim a $731.1 million prize.
That ticket was sold at Coney Market, a convenience store in Lonaconing, in Allegany County, according to The Associated Press. It marked the first Powerball jackpot win in more than four months, the AP reported.
MEGA MILLIONS $1 BILLION TICKET SOLD IN MICHIGAN, SMALLER PRIZES WON ELSEWHERE
A ticket for the U.S. lottery Powerball sits on a counter in a store on Kenmare Street in New York City, Feb. 22, 2017. (Reuters)
Wednesday’s huge Powerball jackpot was followed Friday by a massive $1 billion Mega Millions prize.
That Mega Millions winning ticket was sold in Novi, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, according to the AP.
The winning Mega Millions ticket was purchased at a Kroger grocery store, the news outlet reported. It was the first Mega Millions winner since Sept. 15, when someone in Wisconsin bought a winning ticket.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
Mega Millions and Powerball are both played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is offered in Puerto Rico.
NEW YORK (WABC) — Johnson & Johnson says it plans to have enough vaccines for 100 million Americans by April.
Right now, the vaccine is undergoing a large scale trial to make sure it’s safe and effective.
Doctor Anthony Fauci says Johnson & Johnson is close to seeking an emergency use authorization from the FDA.
This vaccine only requires one shot and does not need to be stored at as cold of temperatures as others.
What to know about coronavirus: Tracking COVID-19 availability and progress in NYC New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Coronavirus by zip code – New York City Do you have coronavirus symptoms?
Here are more of today’s headlines:
Former Mets skipper Davey Johnson hospitalized with COVID Former New York Mets manager Davey Johnson has been hospitalized in Florida with COVID, according to Mets PR. The former manager led the Amazins to their last World Series title in 1986.
Thinking of Davey Johnson who is in a Florida hospital bed battling Covid. His leadership, determination and spirit led the @Mets to the 1986 championship. No one will battle Covid like him. We are pulling for you, Davey.
— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) January 22, 2021
High-risk sports could resume in NY in February High-risk sports can restart in New York State on Feb. 1 if local health departments approve. This includes basketball, wrestling, hockey, volleyball, football and lacrosse. However, whether or not they resume will rely on factors such as if there have been more cases of the more transmissible COVID variant, the local rates of COVID positivity and the ability to monitor and enforce compliance. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says that schools can resume sports in the county.
2 more vaccine mega sites open in NJ All six of the New Jersey’s COVID-19 vaccine mega sites are now open, with residents lining up Friday at two new locations in East Rutherford and Atlantic City. This as the state announced they have successfully vaccinated 500,222 residents in a little more than a month. Sites at the Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment Complex and Atlantic City Convention Center were both fully booked, but more appointment times are expected to be added based on availability.
UK chief scientist says new COVID-19 variant may be more deadly, more research needed There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday — though he stressed that the data is uncertain. Patrick Vallance told a news conference that “there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant.” He said that for a man in his 60s with the original version of the virus, “the average risk is that for 1,000 people who got infected, roughly 10 would be expected to unfortunately die.”
“With the new variant, for 1,000 people infected, roughly 13 or 14 people might be expected to die,” he said.
Researchers developing face mask sticker that can detect COVID-19 in droplets Researchers at UC San Diego’s School of Engineering are working on a potential game changer in the fight against COVID-19. Researchers are looking into a new type of test that could detect the virus on your face mask. The test can be worn as a sticker on your mask. The sticker includes a little dye and works just like an at-home pregnancy test. As someone wears the sticker on the mask throughout the day, it collects droplets. After a few hours, it can detect COVID-19 molecules from your breath.
Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19 Dave Chappelle tested positive for the coronavirus just before his comedy show scheduled for Thursday, forcing his upcoming appearances to be canceled, a spokeswoman said. Chappelle was expected to perform Thursday through Sunday at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. Those shows have been canceled and Chappelle is quarantining, his representative Carla Sims said in a statement. The comedian is asymptomatic. Chappelle had been performing socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June, and moved his shows to Austin during the winter, Sims said. Rapid testing for the audience and daily tests for Chappelle and his team were implemented.
NJ vaccinates 500,000 The state of New Jersey has vaccinated 500,222 residents in a little more than a month, Governor Phil Murphy announced on Friday. He also added that two COVID patients in the state were found to have the more aggressive strain first found in the UK.
NY hospitalization rate of increase is slowing The rate of increase of patients being admitted to New York hospitals for treatment for COVID-19 is slowing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. Cuomo called it “good news,” but cautioned that the more contagious variants discovered in other parts of the world remain a threat and could cause cases to spike again. COVID hospitalizations stood at 8,846, down from 9,055 the day before and has now dropped by more than 400 over the past two days.
Today’s update on the numbers:
Total COVID hospitalizations are at 8,846.
Of the 268,001 tests reported yesterday, 15,144 were positive (5.65% of total).
Sadly, there were 165 fatalities. pic.twitter.com/0ewehBN9XM
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 22, 2021
NYC and state could run out of vaccines Friday 93% of the state’s vaccine supply now exhausted, both the city and the state are on pace to run out of vaccines. There are 300,000 shots waiting in storage for second doses. The city is now considering giving them as first doses for those still waiting and backfilling the supply and delaying by a few weeks the second shot for those who already gotten the first.
Top 7 COVID vaccine questions answered You had questions about COVID-19 vaccines and 7 On Your Side is getting you answers from doctors on the front line of the pandemic.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
Positive COVID-19 cases by zip code – New York City
New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Do you have coronavirus symptoms? Where to get tested in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut WATCH: Eyewitness to a Pandemic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
NEW YORK (WABC) — Johnson & Johnson says it plans to have enough vaccines for 100 million Americans by April.
Right now, the vaccine is undergoing a large scale trial to make sure it’s safe and effective.
Doctor Anthony Fauci says Johnson & Johnson is close to seeking an emergency use authorization from the FDA.
This vaccine only requires one shot and does not need to be stored at as cold of temperatures as others.
What to know about coronavirus: Tracking COVID-19 availability and progress in NYC New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Coronavirus by zip code – New York City Do you have coronavirus symptoms?
Here are more of today’s headlines:
Former Mets skipper Davey Johnson hospitalized with COVID Former New York Mets manager Davey Johnson has been hospitalized in Florida with COVID, according to Mets PR. The former manager led the Amazins to their last World Series title in 1986.
Thinking of Davey Johnson who is in a Florida hospital bed battling Covid. His leadership, determination and spirit led the @Mets to the 1986 championship. No one will battle Covid like him. We are pulling for you, Davey.
— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) January 22, 2021
High-risk sports could resume in NY in February High-risk sports can restart in New York State on Feb. 1 if local health departments approve. This includes basketball, wrestling, hockey, volleyball, football and lacrosse. However, whether or not they resume will rely on factors such as if there have been more cases of the more transmissible COVID variant, the local rates of COVID positivity and the ability to monitor and enforce compliance. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says that schools can resume sports in the county.
2 more vaccine mega sites open in NJ All six of the New Jersey’s COVID-19 vaccine mega sites are now open, with residents lining up Friday at two new locations in East Rutherford and Atlantic City. This as the state announced they have successfully vaccinated 500,222 residents in a little more than a month. Sites at the Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment Complex and Atlantic City Convention Center were both fully booked, but more appointment times are expected to be added based on availability.
UK chief scientist says new COVID-19 variant may be more deadly, more research needed There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday — though he stressed that the data is uncertain. Patrick Vallance told a news conference that “there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant.” He said that for a man in his 60s with the original version of the virus, “the average risk is that for 1,000 people who got infected, roughly 10 would be expected to unfortunately die.”
“With the new variant, for 1,000 people infected, roughly 13 or 14 people might be expected to die,” he said.
Researchers developing face mask sticker that can detect COVID-19 in droplets Researchers at UC San Diego’s School of Engineering are working on a potential game changer in the fight against COVID-19. Researchers are looking into a new type of test that could detect the virus on your face mask. The test can be worn as a sticker on your mask. The sticker includes a little dye and works just like an at-home pregnancy test. As someone wears the sticker on the mask throughout the day, it collects droplets. After a few hours, it can detect COVID-19 molecules from your breath.
Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19 Dave Chappelle tested positive for the coronavirus just before his comedy show scheduled for Thursday, forcing his upcoming appearances to be canceled, a spokeswoman said. Chappelle was expected to perform Thursday through Sunday at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. Those shows have been canceled and Chappelle is quarantining, his representative Carla Sims said in a statement. The comedian is asymptomatic. Chappelle had been performing socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June, and moved his shows to Austin during the winter, Sims said. Rapid testing for the audience and daily tests for Chappelle and his team were implemented.
NJ vaccinates 500,000 The state of New Jersey has vaccinated 500,222 residents in a little more than a month, Governor Phil Murphy announced on Friday. He also added that two COVID patients in the state were found to have the more aggressive strain first found in the UK.
NY hospitalization rate of increase is slowing The rate of increase of patients being admitted to New York hospitals for treatment for COVID-19 is slowing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. Cuomo called it “good news,” but cautioned that the more contagious variants discovered in other parts of the world remain a threat and could cause cases to spike again. COVID hospitalizations stood at 8,846, down from 9,055 the day before and has now dropped by more than 400 over the past two days.
Today’s update on the numbers:
Total COVID hospitalizations are at 8,846.
Of the 268,001 tests reported yesterday, 15,144 were positive (5.65% of total).
Sadly, there were 165 fatalities. pic.twitter.com/0ewehBN9XM
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 22, 2021
NYC and state could run out of vaccines Friday 93% of the state’s vaccine supply now exhausted, both the city and the state are on pace to run out of vaccines. There are 300,000 shots waiting in storage for second doses. The city is now considering giving them as first doses for those still waiting and backfilling the supply and delaying by a few weeks the second shot for those who already gotten the first.
Top 7 COVID vaccine questions answered You had questions about COVID-19 vaccines and 7 On Your Side is getting you answers from doctors on the front line of the pandemic.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
Positive COVID-19 cases by zip code – New York City
New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Do you have coronavirus symptoms? Where to get tested in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut WATCH: Eyewitness to a Pandemic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
The move comes after theNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday rejected Ford’s argument that this version of the airbags didn’t need to be replaced.
The recall centers on a defect in airbags made by Takata, a now-bankrupt Japanese manufacturer. Another version of the Takata airbag had a defect in the inflator that caused a number of the bags to explode, spraying shrapnel through the vehicle. In addition to the 18 deaths, more than 400 drivers or passengers have been injured, including being blinded or maimed.
Recalls linked to the Takata airbags began in 2014, and, in aggregate, ultimately became the largest auto recall in history. Prior to this week’s announcement, the US portion of the recall had already reached 67 million airbags in more than 40 million vehicles.
Although the Takata airbags used by Ford are a different but similar version from those involved in the previous recalls, safety regulators said they still pose a risk.
The NHTSA in November rejected a similar appeal by General Motors(GM), forcing the automaker to recall 7 million pickups and SUVs. The agency has also rejected an appeal from Mazda, but that covered only 5,800 US pickups that were built for the automaker.
Ford models included in the recall
The models covered by the recall include the 2007 to 2011 Ford Ranger, the 2006 to 2012 Ford Fusion, the 2006 to 2012 Lincoln Zephyr, the 2007 to 2010 Ford Edge and the 2007 to 2010 Lincoln MKX. The Mazda vehicles being recalled are the 2007 to 2009 B-Series pickup trucks.
Owners will be notified if their vehicle is included in the recall, or they can enter the VIN number on this site. Ford will repair the airbags, and vehicle owners will not be charged.
It will cost Ford $610 million to replace the airbags as a result of NHTSA’s decision. Because of Takata’s bankruptcy, Ford is shouldering all costs itself.
“Safety is always a top priority,” said Ford spokesperson Monique Brentley. “Unlike other Takata passenger-side airbag parts previously under recall, these driver-side airbags contain a moisture-absorbing [material] and perform differently. We believe our extensive data demonstrated that a safety recall was not warranted for the driver-side airbag. However, we respect NHTSA’s decision and will issue a recall.”
‘The severity of the consequence’
NHTSA officials, however, said the airbags become more subject to malfunction over time, and that the “severity of the consequences” to passengers and drivers when the inflators rupture was too serious. “What Ford presents here, while valuable and informative in certain respects, suffers from far too many shortcomings,” the agency wrote in its decision.
Someone in Maryland is suddenly $731 million richer.
A jackpot-winning Powerball ticket was sold at a convenience store in Lonaconing, Md., a down-on-its-luck former mining town in the virus-battered northwestern corner of the state. The ticket matched all six numbers during Wednesday evening’s Powerball drawing.
The $731.1 million jackpot is the fourth largest in Powerball’s 28-year history and the sixth largest lottery jackpot ever in the United States, Powerball announced on Thursday. The drawing was the highest the Powerball jackpot has been since March 2019, when it rose to $768 million.
Powerball did not immediately name the winner. Lottery winners in Maryland can choose to remain anonymous, and they have at least 182 days to claim the prize.
The winning ticket was sold at Coney Market, a convenience store that sells subs and pizza in Lonaconing, a small town — population 1,200 — in Allegany County, which has the most Covid-19 cases per capita in the state. About a quarter of the population of Lonaconing lives below the poverty line, according to census data.
“We were surprised and very happy,” Richard Ravenscroft, the store’s owner, said in an interview on Thursday. “We don’t know for who, but we are happy for somebody.”
The store will receive a $100,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling the winning ticket. The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing were 40, 53, 60, 68, 69 and a Powerball of 22.
According to Powerball, the winner can choose to have an estimated pretax annuity of $731.1 million paid in 30 payments over 29 years, or a lump sum of $546.8 million, also before taxes. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million.
Another national lottery closed in on a record jackpot this week: Before its drawing on Friday, Mega Millions estimates that its jackpot will reach $970 million, which would be the second-largest prize in the game’s history.
A lingering mythology holds that the winners of big jackpots become cursed after their strokes of good fortune.
One influential study in 1978 found that lottery winners were not any happier than their neighbors or more optimistic about the future. Other studies have countered the notion of the so-called lottery curse, suggesting that the winners’ general psychological well-being bounces back over time after cashing in the prize.
Mr. Ravenscroft, who has owned Coney Market for six years, said he wished the winner luck. “I really think that they have quite an opportunity, and I hope they use good judgment,” he said.
The Powerball jackpot was last hit in New York in the Sept. 16 drawing. Since then, there had been 35 games in a row without a jackpot winner until Wednesday.
The next drawing will be on Saturday, when the Powerball jackpot resets to $20 million.
LONACONING, Md. (AP) — The latest jackpot-winning Powerball ticket, worth $731.1 million, was sold in a struggling coal mining town whose biggest previous claim to fame was being the hometown of baseball Hall of Famer Lefty Grove.
Someone bought it at Coney Market, a convenience store in the Allegany County town of Lonaconing, the Maryland Lottery announced on Thursday. The store will get a $100,000 bonus for selling the ticket to the fifth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
It had been more than four months since anyone won the Powerball, allowing the game’s jackpot to grow so large. An even larger Mega Millions jackpot will be up for grabs Friday night.
Just who will collect the Powerball prize may never be known: Maryland is one of the states that allows winners to remain anonymous.
But keeping quiet about such a huge windfall could prove difficult if the ticket was bought by a local. Lonaconing (pronounced LOH-nah-koh-ning) is a town of about 300 families that’s well off the beaten track, with a poverty rate of more than 22 percent, well above the national average.
“We’re really happy for somebody,” Richard Ravenscroft, the store’s owner, told The Associated Press by phone. “I can’t wait to congratulate the person. I just hope whoever has won it uses it wisely and that other people benefit from it.”
The lottery ticket is a big win for a town that has a long history of losses, from the iron furnace that closed in 1855 to the glassworks that were shuttered in the early 1900s, to the coal-mining jobs that virtually disappeared after World War II. Periodic floods along Georges Creek have been devastating, and local streams carry acid from abandoned mines.
Ravenscroft said there is still some strip mining in the area, although that’s winding down because of environmental concerns, and the remaining factory, a pulp and paper company, shut down recently after going through a series of buyouts. Another company is coming in that plans to hire about 200 people to make something out of wood chips, he said.
Another positive headline came in 2001, when the town finally got a library after a local fundraising drive.
Coney Market, named for what locals call their town, is in a century-old building along Maryland’s Route 36, which was designated a Coal Heritage Route in an attempt to attract tourists. It draws its share of regulars, who can eat hamburgers and submarine sandwiches in a small seating area.
Ravenscroft wants to expand the store’s kitchen and serve real meals, like mashed potatoes and gravy. Perhaps the bonus can help with that.
Lonaconing’s previous biggest winner was Robert Moses Grove, known as Lefty Grove, who pitched 17 seasons in the big leagues, nine with the Philadelphia Athletics and eight with the Red Sox. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947, and died in 1975.
The Powerball jackpot came only a day after nobody won the $970 million Mega Millions prize, the third-largest prize in U.S. history.
Winning numbers for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing were: 40-53-60-68-69 and a Powerball of 22.
It was the first time both lottery jackpots topped $700 million. The biggest prize was a $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot won by three people in 2016.
No one had won either of the jackpots since mid-September, allowing the prizes to grow steadily for months. Such a long stretch without a winner is rare but also reflects the incredibly small odds of winning — 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball and 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions.
Maryland lottery director Gordon Medenica told the AP he’s not surprised when people overcome the odds and hit a giant jackpot, because thousands of people win smaller prizes after every drawing. The chances of winning something are about one in 25.
“The fact is, people win all the time. Clearly the focus is on the big jackpot and that’s what motivates people to play the game, but they come back and keep playing because there are so many other ways to win,” Medenica said.
The prizes listed are for winners who choose an annuity option, paid over 30 years. Most winners opt for cash prizes, which for Mega Millions would be $716.3 million and $546.8 million for Wednesday’s Powerball. After the Powerball win, the new jackpot has a $15 million cash value.
Prizes are subject to federal taxes, and most states take a cut as well.
Mega Millions and Powerball are played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is offered in Puerto Rico.
