March 2 coronavirus news

President Biden said his administration would order states to prioritize educators in vaccination efforts in remarks from the State Dining Room Tuesday, announcing he was “using the full authority of the federal government” to direct states to move teachers and school staff to the front of the line.

Through the administration’s federal pharmacy program, which allows Americans to get vaccinated at their local pharmacy, Biden said his administration would prioritize educators starting next week for vaccine appointments in an effort to accelerate the reopening of schools.

“We can reopen schools, if the right steps are taken, even before employees are vaccinated,” Biden said, “But time and again, we've heard from educators and parents that have anxieties about that.”

Biden also acknowledged that not every educator would be able to get an appointment in the first week, “but our goal is to do everything we can to help every educator receive a shot this month, the month of March.”

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Country music start Dolly Parton announced she's received a Covid-19 dose in a tweet from her official account today.

Parton received the shot at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

The tweet, which featured a photo of the masked performer getting the vaccine, simply read, "Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine."

Last year, Parton gave a $1 million donation to Covid-19 research which was partly used to fund Moderna's then-promising Covid-19 vaccine.

President Joe Biden said that there will be enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May, thanks to ramped up production and the authorization of a third vaccine by Johnson & Johnson.

"About three weeks ago, we were able to say we will have enough vaccine supply for adults by the end of July. I'm pleased to announce today as a consequence of this stepped-up process that I've ordered and just outlined, this country will have enough vaccine supply – I'll say it again – for every adult in America by the end of May," he said on Tuesday.

He also announced a new partnership between Merck and Johnson & Johnson to speed up vaccine production. The federal government will be involved in the partnership and has invoked the Defense Production Act.

Biden said two of Merck's facilities will be converted into production facilities for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, adding that they will operate 24/7.

He also said he asked the Defense Department to provide logistical support.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud signed two public health orders today, revising mass gathering health orders in the state.

According to the new orders, events at banquet centers will no longer have a 300-person limitation, as long as they comply with other health orders. Wedding receptions, funeral repasts, proms, and other events will still be required to follow health orders such as masks wearing.

The second amended order, that provides mandatory requirements for youth, collegiate, amateur, club, and professional sports and for entertainment venues, includes changes such as setting the seated capacity limit for indoor sports and entertainment venues at 25%.

The maximum number of spectators that will be allowed in any outdoor sports and entertainment venue will now be 30% of fixed, seated capacity.

According to the governor’s office, both orders are effective starting at 12:01 p.m. today.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced on Tuesday a series of eased Covid-19 restrictions to take effect March 5, both in light of a forthcoming shipment of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines and improved positivity rates and cases.

Whitmer said Michigan has administered 2,269,495 Covid-19 vaccines so far. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said the state expects to receive 82,700 doses of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

However, Whitmer cautioned that after this week, they will receive far fewer doses as the company works to manufacture the doses simultaneously with distribution.

She also said Michigan is equitably distributing at least 50,000 shots per day to underrepresented groups, a metric the state has met for 16 days. Additionally, Khaldun said the state has vaccinated over 45% of its residents age 65 and over.

Here are some of the restriction changes:

The latest numbers: Khaldun said Michigan has had a 3.7% positivity rate over the last week. Inpatient hospitalizations remain down as well, at 3.9%, and both metrics are similar to where the state was in October, she said.

However, Michigan is still bracing with the introduction of the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus. So far, it has identified 422 cases of the variant, two-thirds of which have been associated with a correctional facility outbreak, Khaldun said. Other cases in the state are not traceable, though.

Note: These numbers were released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced the state is lifting their county mask mandates and allowing businesses to operate at full capacity starting tomorrow.

“Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our county mask mandates and businesses will be able to operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules. Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed. It is time!,” the governor said in a tweet.

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Latin America is increasingly relying on Russia and China for Covid-19 vaccines. Meanwhile, the White House said on Monday that President Biden is not considering sharing part of the US coronavirus vaccine supply with Mexico.

CNN's international correspondent Matt Rivers was live from Mexico City, answering your questions about the region's vaccine supply and distribution.

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Alaska has ordered 8,900 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson Vaccine, the state's chief medical officer, Anne Zink, tweeted Tuesday.

From that total, 3,000 vaccines will be allocated to Native American tribes for the Sovereign Nations Supplement, Zink explained in an email to CNN.

The state's Federal Pharmacy Partnership will also receive doses of the vaccine. 

"Currently, we can see that the federal pharmacy partnership has been allocated 1800 doses of J&J/Janssen for Alaska to start," Zink said. 

She noted that this number is separate and in addition to the 8,900 doses the state is expecting.

However, Zink noted that the exact time of arrival and administration of the doses is unknown.

CNN's Pete Muntean is in the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, speaking to individuals who just received their first Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine.

He spoke to 86-year-old Barbara Schmalenberger about her experience getting vaccinated today.

Schmalenberger told him why she had specifically been waiting for the Johnson and Johnson shot.

"It's better because it's one shot and also a very trusted name from clear back from when my children were babies, so it's just – something just kept telling me to wait on this," she said.

She said her journey to get vaccinated has been emotional.

“I called yesterday and I was on the phone with them a long time, I was crying because I was upset because I couldn't find out when I could get this shot and I wanted this shot. I didn't want to settle for anything else," she told CNN.

Schmalenberger also shared a message for people who may be reluctant to get a vaccine. 

"You need to get it because it protects you, with all these viruses and everything going around, people can't be what they want to be. They can't go out. They can't do things. I haven't been able to go out to dinner in a restaurant like I love to do and all of those things, and for your health you need to get it, but also, too, get the one that you're the most – you feel the best about, and I felt the best about this from day one," she said.

More about the vaccine: Johnson & Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine is the third Covid-19 shot authorized for use in the US. The US Food and Drug Administration authorized the vaccine Saturday, and it began to be administered across the country this week.

The vaccine, made by Janssen, ,J&J's vaccine arm, was found to be safe and effective, and it doesn't require special storage. The vaccine is authorized for people ages 18 and older.

CNN's Jen Christensen contributed reporting to this post.

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