U.S. Overview: CDC reports 618 variant cases across 33 states,other developments

The number of COVID-19 vaccines distributed in the U.S. is nearing 58 million, and the number of shots is slowly catching up.

Still, the threat of new variants looms, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting at least 618 cases of the coronavirus variants from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa across 33 states.

Concerned about the new variants, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late Thursday that it is developing guidance to help vaccine, drug and testing manufacturers adapt.

Existing vaccines, treatments and tests still work well, emphasized the FDA's acting commissioner Janet Woodcock. But now is the time to get ready for a future when they may not.

"We must prepare for all eventualities," she said in a call with reporters.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson requested emergency-use authorization from the FDA on Thursday for its single-dose vaccine, and 24 states now allow at least some teachers and school staff to get inoculated.

The CDC says schools can safely reopen even if teachers are not vaccinated, but districts have scrambled to distribute laptops and provide internet access so students can engage in schooling from home. Millions of students still lack the basic tools to participate in live lessons from home.

COVID-19 has killed more than 455,000 Americans, and infections have continued to mount despite the introduction of a pair of vaccines late in 2020. ...

►An estimated 631,000 Americans will have died from COVID-19 by June 1, according to the latest forecast from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

►Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued a new statewide mask order an hour after the Republican-controlled Legislature voted to repeal his previous mandate Thursday.

►The White House is studying a proposal to send masks to all Americans, a notion the Trump administration considered but discarded. "There are a range of options on the table to help protect more Americans from the coronavirus and encourage people to mask up,'' White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, adding that no decision has been made on the idea. ...

The Food and Drug Administration revised its recommendation for use of convalescent plasma as a COVID-19 therapy Thursday solely "for the treatment of hospitalized patients early in the disease course," based on studies reported since the treatment was issued Emergency Use Authorization in August 2020. ...