U.S. COVIS-19 Overview, more states open vaccines to all, end restrictions

More states open vaccines to all, end restrictions; white students more likely to be inside classrooms: Live COVID-19 updates Experts are warning of a fourth surge of coronavirus cases as new variants spread rapidly through the U.S. Latest COVID-19 news. Elinor Aspegren and Adrianna Rodriguez USA TODAY

More states are lifting eligibility requirements for Americans to receive the coveted coronavirus vaccine, and COVID-19 cases are declining throughout the country, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Indiana, Texas and Georgia on Tuesday joined the majority of states in allowing all adults to receive coronavirus vaccines late this week or next week. Utah will open all eligibility on Wednesday.

However, with the lifting of eligibility requirements comes a lifting of business and masking restrictions. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb plans to end the statewide mask mandate and remaining COVID-19 business restrictions in two weeks. And many other states have already ceased restrictions.

It all comes as experts warn of a fourth surge as new variants spread rapidly through the United States.

In the last week alone, the U.S. has reported 2,926 new variant cases – more than the country reported in December, January and February combined, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Centers for Disease Control data shows.

►California state prisons will resume limited in-person visits with inmates April 10, more than a year after they were halted because of the coronavirus pandemic.

►The White House said 27 million doses of coronavirus vaccines will be distributed next week, more than three times the number when President Joe Biden took office just over two months ago. The U.S. is currently administering 17.5 million shots a week.

► People who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear masks at work in Anchorage, Alaska, when they are in their own workspace away from the public and unvaccinated colleagues, under an updated emergency order that took effect Tuesday.

The U.S. has over 29.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 543,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 124.3 million cases and 2.73 million deaths. More than 164.3 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 128.2 million have been administered, according to the CDC. ...

A large new study found Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody cocktail reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 in high-risk patients, the pharmaceutical company announced in a statement Tuesday.

Researchers looked at more than 4,000 recently diagnosed patients and found the two-antibody combo drug, called REGEN-COV, cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 70%, and also reduced the median recovery time from 14 days to 10....