VIRUS TODAY: Vaccination efforts to end COVID-19 accelerate

The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks from 2,625 on December 20 to 2,637.4 on January 3. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the total number of deaths in the U.S. stands at more than 351,590. That’s as the campaign to vanquish the coronavirus is picking up speed around the world. Britain has begun dispensing the second vaccine in its arsenal. And India, the world’s second-most populous country, has authorized its fir