\u25ba\u00a0The United Nations says the U.N.-backed program to provide COVID-19 vaccines to the world\u2019s most vulnerable people has delivered more than 36 million doses to 86 poor and developing countries to date.<\/p>\n
\u25baA top U.S. public health official says young people are driving the latest uptick in COVID-19 cases, as the increasing rate of vaccination in older Americans is preventing the most serious cases among seniors.<\/p>\n
\u25ba\u00a0The Nationals will begin their season Tuesday by hosting the Atlanta Braves after Major League Baseball postponed Monday’s opener of the teams’ three-game series because of a coronavirus outbreak that involves 11 of Washington’s players.<\/p>\n
\u25ba\u00a0The British government says all adults and children will be able to have routine coronavirus tests twice a week as a way to stamp out new outbreaks as the U.K. emerges from lockdown.<\/p>\n
\u25ba Vice President Kamala Harris promised a popular\u00a0vaccination site in her home state of California will remain open. The Oakland Coliseum was scheduled to stop administering vaccinations on Sunday after an eight-week contract with FEMA\u00a0but Harris told the San Francisco Chronicle the site would remain open.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udcc8 Today’s numbers:<\/strong>\u00a0The U.S. has more than 30.7\u00a0million confirmed coronavirus cases and 555,000\u00a0deaths,\u00a0according to\u00a0Johns Hopkins University data.\u00a0The global totals: More than 131.7\u00a0million cases and 2.8\u00a0million deaths. At least 207 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 167 million have been administered,\u00a0according to the CDC.\u00a0<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcd8 What we’re reading:<\/strong> \u00a0People across the country also spoke with USA TODAY about their emotions after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Here are their stories.<\/em><\/p>\n USA TODAY is tracking COVID-19 news. Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates. Want more?\u00a0Sign up for our Coronavirus Watch newsletter\u00a0for updates to your inbox and\u00a0join our Facebook group.<\/em><\/p>\n LPN Shannon Gordon, left, administers a dose of the Moderna vaccine to Rachel Sisemore, 21, on Monday at Saint Leo University, which is serving as host for the Florida Department of Health's COVID-19 vaccine distribution for East Pasco County. (Photo: Douglas R. Clifford, Tampa Bay Times via AP)<\/span><\/p>\n Walgreens has been administering the second dose of\u00a0Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine a week after federal guidelines say it is ideally delivered, but the chain will change its policy to come into line with the government’s recommendations.<\/p>\n While the extra time is not feared to be a problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the drugstore chain to follow its guidelines,\u00a0the New York Times reported\u00a0Monday.<\/p>\n Until now, Walgreens had been administering the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine four weeks after the first, the company confirmed Monday to USA TODAY.\u00a0Federal guidance is three weeks.<\/p>\n “We have been automatically scheduling patients\u2019 second doses to occur a minimum of 28 days following their first dose to ensure that no dose is administered earlier than the authorized intervals and patients are able to complete the series vaccination,” Walgreens spokesperson Rebekah Pajak said in an email.<\/p>\n The company is improving its scheduling system to allow people beginning this week\u00a0to set their second dose appointment at the three-week timeframe, Pajak\u00a0said.<\/p>\n \u2013 Nathan Bomey<\/em><\/p>\n California\u00a0now has the lowest coronavirus infection rate in the country\u00a0\u2014 months after the state saw a winter surge that made it the epicenter of the pandemic.<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom bragged on Twitter about the low infection rate. The Golden State is the only in the country with a rate under 2%, according to data released by Health and Human Services for the last week in March. The state saw a 1.7% positivity rate.<\/p>\n Los Angeles County, similarly, has seen drastic drops in the number of COVID cases after the area\u00a0\u2014 the most populous county in the entire country\u00a0\u2014 became overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases over the winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the start of the pandemic, California was applauded for its quick actions to curb the spread of the virus but the strict measures quickly became unpopular. The frustration grew over the winter when the state saw a sudden surge in cases. At one point, the state had a nearly 20% positivity rate. The grievances led to more supporters of\u00a0 recall effort against the governor.\u00a0<\/p>\n 1.2 million people have contracted COVID-19 in the state and more than 23,000 people have died.\u00a0<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/04\/05\/USAT\/d446bbc9-b576-485a-916d-bf930d6b29a9-AP21095654886303.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp\")
<\/p>\nWalgreens to switch second dose of Pfizer vaccine to CDC’s recommended timing<\/h2>\n
California, after seeing winter surge, now has lowest COVID rate in country<\/h2>\n