40. WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE SNOW THREAT. EMILY: SOUNDS GOOD, MIKE. THE CDC NOW REPORTS A 60% DROP NATIONALLY IN THE NUMBER OF NEW COVID CASES SINCE JANUARY 8. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. SHIRA DORON, THE HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER. GOOD TO SEE YOU. DR. DORON: YOU, TOO. EMILY: THAT바카라 게임 웹사이트�S A BIG DECLINE. HOW DOES MASSACHUSETTS COMPARE RIGHT NOW TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY? AND DOES THE DATA SHOW THAT COVID VACCINES ARE STARTING TO HAVE AN EFFECT? DR. DORON: MASSACHUSETTS SHOWS THIS SAME DECLINE AS THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, BUT WE HAVE NOT HAD ENOUGH OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC VACCINATED FOR THE 60% TO BE DUE TO VACCINATION, SO THE REAL CAUSES PROBABLY MULTIFACTORIAL. THE HOLIDAYS ARE BEHIND US. MAYBE PEOPLE ARE BEING MORE CAREFUL. THERE ARE THEORIES THAT WE MIGHT BE STARTING TO SEE AN EFFECT THAT COMES FROM THE SHEER NUMBER OF PEOPLE, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, WHO HAD COVID AND ARE NOW IMMUNE. BUT IT바카라 게임 웹사이트�S NOT THE TIME TO LET OUR GUARD DOWN. EMILY: GOOD TO KNOW. WE바카라 게임 웹사이트�VE HAD A LOT OF ENCOURAGING NEWS THIS WEEK ABOUT VACCINES. THE ONE FROM JOHNSON & JOHNSON IS CLOSE TO BECOMING THE THIRD VACCINE AUTHORIZED FOR USE IN THE U.S. WHAT바카라 게임 웹사이트�S DIFFERENT ABOUT IT? DR. DORON: WHAT IS GREAT ABOUT IT IS, FIRST, IT바카라 게임 웹사이트�S A ONE DOSE VACCINE. IT ONLY NEEDS STANDARD REFRIGERATION, NOT ULTRACOLD LIKE PFIZER AND MODERNA. A LOT OF THE LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS CAN BE ELIMINATED IF WE GET A NEW, DECENT SUPPLY OF THIS VACCINE, HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK. -- NEXT MONTH. EMILY: GOOD. WE ALSO GOT SOME NEW INFORMATION TODAY FROM ASTRA-ZENECA. THE COMPANY SAYS ITS VACCINE CANDIDATE APPEARS TO BE JUST AS EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE U.K. VARIANT AS IT IS AGAINST THE ORIGINAL STRAIN. WHAT DOES THAT MATTER? DR. DORON: WE WANT TO KNOW IF THE ROLLOUT WILL BRING US BACK TO NORMALCY AND WE HAVE THIS NEW WORRY THAT VARIANT STRAINS COU -- IT APPEARS LIKELY THAT EVEN IF THE U.K. STRAIN BECOMES PREDOMINANT IN THE U.S., EXISTING STRAINS WILL BE EFFECTIVE. THE VARIANT FROM SOUTH AFRICA DOES APPEAR TO BE BETTER AT EVADING IMMUNITY FROM INFECTION AND VACCINATION, SO WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP OUR EYE ON THAT ONE. EMILY: GOVERNOR BAKER SPOKE TODAY ABOUT THE HESITATION THAT PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT BEING VACCINATED? SO I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT A RUMOR THAT HAS SPREAD QUICKLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA. DO ANY OF THESE VACCINES CONTA A MICROCHIP OR A TRACKER OF SOME SORT THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN ACCESS? DR. DORON: DEFINITELY NOT. SOMETIMES I THINK MISINFORMATION SPREADS FASTER THAN THE VIRUS ITSELF. THAT바카라 게임 웹사이트�S W