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VIRUS TODAY: More hospital ICUs edge nearer a breaking point

Posted January 24, 2021 6:00 am

By The Associated Press

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2020, file photo, Dr. Rafik Abdou checks on a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles.U.S. hospital intensive care units in many parts of the country are straining under record numbers of COVID-19 patients. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) The Associated Press

Here's what's happening Sunday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.:

THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY

- Straining to handle record numbers of COVID-19 patients, hundreds of the nation's intensive care units are running out of space, supplies and staff. An Associated Press analysis of federal hospital data shows that since November, the share of U.S. hospitals nearing the breaking point has doubled. More than 40% of Americans now live in areas running out of ICU space - many of the facilities clustered in the South and West.

- The Chicago Teachers Union said its members voted to defy an order to return to the classroom over concerns about COVID-19, setting up a showdown with district officials. Chicago Public Schools, the nation's third-largest district, wanted roughly 10,000 kindergarten-through-eighth-grade teachers and other staffers to return to school Monday to get ready to welcome back roughly 70,000 students.

- A Sunday basketball game between the University of Michigan's 11th-ranked women's team and Purdue was one of several athletic events abruptly canceled after positive tests for the new COVID-19 variant among individuals linked to Michigan's athletic department. The state's Department of Health and Human Services issued a mandate on Saturday pausing all athletics at the school. The entire department could be in quarantine for two weeks.

THE NUMBERS: The U.S. is averaging more than 176,000 new cases and about 3,100 deaths each day. The nation's death toll since the start of the pandemic stands at about 418,000.

QUOTABLE: 'Å“Someone out there or someone inside was creating a parallel set of data and graphics that were shown to the president." - Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force, on grappling with COVID-19 deniers in the White House.

ICYMI: Louisiana has released a voluntary contact tracing application for mobile phones that can let people know if they've been around someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the launch of the COVID Defense mobile application Friday and encouraged its use.

ON THE HORIZON: The Miami Heat will use coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans who want to attend games. They've been working on the plan for months, and the highly trained dogs have been in place for some games this season where the team has allowed a handful of guests - mostly friends and family of players and staff. Starting this week, a limited number of ticket holders will be in the seats as well, provided they get past the dogs.

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Find AP's full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2021, file photo, a medical worker walks past a refrigerated trailer parked outside the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. U.S. hospital intensive care units in many parts of the country are straining under record numbers of COVID-19 patients. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center ran into shortages of take-home oxygen tanks, which meant some patients who could otherwise go home were kept longer, taking up needed beds. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2021 file photo, teachers Adrienne Thomas, left, and Irene Barrera, right set up their computers and materials for their virtual classes outside of Suder Montessori Magnet Elementary School in solidarity with pre-K educators forced back into the building in Chicago. The Chicago Teachers Union said Sunday, Jan. 24 that its members voted to defy an order to return to the classroom before they are vaccinated against the coronavirus, setting up a showdown with district officials who have said such a move would amount to an illegal strike.(Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) The Associated Press

FILE- In this Monday, Jan. 11, 2021 file photo, elementary 1 teacher Melissa Vozar sits outside of Suder Elementary in Chicago to teach a virtual class. The Chicago Teachers Union said Sunday, Jan. 24 that its members voted to defy an order to return to the classroom before they are vaccinated against the coronavirus, setting up a showdown with district officials who have said such a move would amount to an illegal strike. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2021, file photo, registered nurses Kyanna Barboza, right, tends to a COVID-19 patient as Kobie Walsh puts on her PPE at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. U.S. hospital intensive care units in many parts of the country are straining under record numbers of COVID-19 patients. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) The Associated Press

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