(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers about potentially contaminated food, lipstick and other products from Family Dollar stores in six southern states following a major rodent infestation at one of its distribution centers.
Live rodents, dead rodents in “various stages of decay,” rodent feces and urine, “evidence of gnawing, nesting and rodent odors,” dead birds and bird droppings were found inside a Family Dollar distribution center in Arkansas during an inspection January, according to the FDA.
More than 1,100 dead rodents were recovered from the Arkansas distribution center following a fumigation around that time, according to the agency. There is evidence this has been a persisting issue at the facility for far longer, the FDA said.
A review of the company’s internal records showed more than 2,300 rodents were collected between March 29 and Sept. 17, 2021, according to the FDA.
“No one should be subjected to products stored in the kind of unacceptable conditions that we found in this Family Dollar distribution facility. These conditions appear to be violations of federal law that could put families’ health at risk,” Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, Judith McMeekin, said in a statement.
Rodent contamination may cause salmonella and infectious diseases, which may pose the greatest risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people, the FDA said.
The FDA said products that originated from the distribution center were sold in over 400 Family Dollar stores in six states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
The products include “human foods (including dietary supplements (vitamin, herbal and mineral supplements), cosmetics (skin care products, baby oils, lipsticks, shampoos, baby wipes), animal foods (kibble, pet treats, wild bird seed), medical devices (feminine hygiene products, surgical masks, contact lens cleaning solutions, bandages, nasal care products) and over-the-counter (OTC) medications (pain medications, eye drops, dental products, antacids, other medications for both adults and children).”
Consumers are urged to not use any of these products if they were purchased after Jan. 1, 2021, and to contact the company regarding impacted products.
The FDA said it is working with Family Dollar to create a recall list and a website for more information.
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter was sentenced to 24 months and a fine of $1,000 on Friday, following her conviction in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
Potter will serve 16 months in prison and the remaining eight months on supervised release, a sentence far below what the prosecution sought. Judge Regina Chu acknowledged the sentence was a “significant downward departure” from sentencing guidelines.
“This is one of the saddest cases I have had in my 20 years on the bench,” Chu said when delivering the sentence. “Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically, but she never intended to hurt anyone.”
Chu said she received “hundreds” of letters in support of Potter, all of which she said she had read.
The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine, and for second-degree manslaughter it’s 10 years and a $20,000 fine.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Arbuey Wright, Daunte Wright’s father, described how upset he is with the sentence Potter was given.
“I walk out of this courthouse feeling like people are laughing at us because this lady got a slap on the wrist and every night we are still waiting around crying, waiting for my son to come home,” he said.
Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Wright family, said the judge’s comments at sentencing “showed a clear absence of compassion for the victim in this tragedy and were devastating to the family.”
“Today’s sentencing of Kim Potter leaves the family of Daunte Wright completely stunned. While there is a small sense of justice because she will serve nominal time, the family is also deeply disappointed there was not a greater level of accountability,” Crump said in a statement.
Before the sentencing, Katie Ann Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, delivered an emotional and tearful impact statement Friday, asking the judge to give Potter the maximum sentence.
“I will never be able to forgive you for what you have stolen from us,” she said, while addressing Potter during her statement. “You took his future.”
“My life and my world will never be the same,” she said.
In her statement, Katie Ann Wright said she would not be able to give Potter sympathy.
“How do you show remorse when you smile in your mug shot after being sentenced to manslaughter, after taking my son’s life?” she asked.
Katie Ann Wright told the judge that Potter left her family’s world with “so much darkness and heartache.”
She said that Potter never once said her son’s name, only referring to him as “the driver,” which she saw as dehumanizing her son, she said.
“I will continue saying your name until driving while Black is no longer a death sentence,” she said.
In a tearful statement, Potter tearfully apologized to the Wright family and responded to them calling her out for “never looking at them.”
“I didn’t feel like I had the right to look at any of you,” Potter said. “I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly.”
A Minnesota jury convicted Potter, 49, of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11, 2021, incident. She had pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Arbuey Wright told the court the killing of his son was because of Potter’s recklessness.
“She was a police office longer than my son was alive,” Arbuey Wright said during his impact statement.
“She also damaged my whole family’s heart. Nothing will be the same. Everything we do as a family ends in tears because all we have is memories left of our son,” he said.
Daunte Wright’s sister, Diamond Wright, also addressed the court, saying how difficult the loss of her brother has been.
“I never thought that my brother would be killed by the same people we are supposed to feel protected by,” Diamond Wright said. “I feel like I have been living in a complete nightmare.”
She had also asked the judge for the maximum sentencing.
“You can’t tell me this was an accident, it is in plain sight,” she said. “How come I have to see my brother in a metal container just to talk to him”
In a court filing on Tuesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office announced they sought 86 months, or seven years and two months, prison time for Potter. Sentences in the state are served concurrently, so Potter only would have served the higher sentence.
The prosecution had also asked that in the event the court sentences Potter to probation, that she serve at least one year in prison “to reflect the seriousness of Daunte Wright’s death,” and that the probation last at least 10 years, according to court documents.
Potter fatally shot Wright after initially pulling him over for an expired registration tag on his car. She then determined he had an outstanding warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge and tried to detain him, according to former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who resigned after the incident.
As officers tried to arrest him, Wright freed himself and tried to get back in his vehicle. That’s when, according to Potter’s attorneys, she accidentally grabbed her firearm instead of her stun gun and shot him.
Wright’s death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place at the time.
Potter took the stand on the last day of her trial, breaking down in tears and apologizing. “I’m sorry,” she said through sobs, “I didn’t want to hurt anybody.”
The jury deliberated for about four days before reaching a verdict on Dec. 23.
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter was sentenced to 24 months and a fine of $1,000 on Friday, following her conviction in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
Potter will serve 16 months in prison and the remaining eight months on supervised release, a sentence far below what the prosecution sought. Judge Regina Chu acknowledged the sentence was a “significant downward departure” from sentencing guidelines.
“I recognize there will be those who disagree with the sentence. That I granted a significant downward departure does not in in any way diminish Daunte Wright’s life. His life mattered. And to those who disagree and feel a longer prison sentence is appropriate, as difficult as it may be, please try to empathize with Ms. Potter’s situation,” Chu said.
Chu said she received “hundreds” of letters in support of Potter, all of which she said she had read.
“This is one of the saddest cases I have had in my 20 years on the bench,” Chu said when delivering the sentence. “Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically, but she never intended to hurt anyone.”
A surcharge of $78 will also be taken out of Potter’s prison wages. She already has a credit of 58 days served in jail while awaiting sentencing.
The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine, and for second-degree manslaughter it’s 10 years and a $20,000 fine.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Arbuey Wright, Daunte Wright’s father, described how upset he is with the sentence Potter was given.
“I walk out of this courthouse feeling like people are laughing at us because this lady got a slap on the wrist and every night we are still waiting around crying, waiting for my son to come home,” he said.
Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Wright family, said the judge’s comments at sentencing “showed a clear absence of compassion for the victim in this tragedy and were devastating to the family.”
“Today’s sentencing of Kim Potter leaves the family of Daunte Wright completely stunned. While there is a small sense of justice because she will serve nominal time, the family is also deeply disappointed there was not a greater level of accountability,” Crump said in a statement.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a statement said he accepts the judge’s decision and urged everyone to “accept her judgement.”
“I don’t ask you to agree with her decision, which takes nothing away from the truth of the jury’s verdict. I know it is hurtful to loved ones of Daunte Wright. I ask that we remember the beauty of Daunte Wright, to keep his memory in our hearts, and to know that no number of years in prison could ever capture the wonder of this young man’s life,” Ellison wrote.
“There is no cause for celebration: no one has won. We all have lost, none more than Daunte Wright and the people who love him. None of us ever wanted Kim Potter to recklessly pull the wrong weapon and kill Daunte Wright,” he said.
Before the sentencing, Katie Ann Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, delivered an emotional and tearful impact statement Friday, asking the judge to give Potter the maximum sentence.
“I will never be able to forgive you for what you have stolen from us,” she said, while addressing Potter during her statement. “You took his future.”
“My life and my world will never be the same,” she said.
In her statement, Katie Ann Wright said she would not be able to give Potter sympathy.
“How do you show remorse when you smile in your mug shot after being sentenced to manslaughter, after taking my son’s life?” she asked.
Katie Ann Wright told the judge that Potter left her family’s world with “so much darkness and heartache.”
She said that Potter never once said her son’s name, only referring to him as “the driver,” which she saw as dehumanizing her son, she said.
“I will continue saying your name until driving while Black is no longer a death sentence,” she said.
Afterward, Potter tearfully apologized to the Wright family and responded to them calling her out for “never looking at them.”
“I didn’t feel like I had the right to look at any of you,” Potter said. “I am so sorry that I hurt you so badly.”
A Minnesota jury convicted Potter, 49, of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11, 2021, incident. She had pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Arbuey Wright told the court the killing of his son was because of Potter’s recklessness.
“She was a police office longer than my son was alive,” Arbuey Wright said during his impact statement.
“She also damaged my whole family’s heart. Nothing will be the same. Everything we do as a family ends in tears because all we have is memories left of our son,” he said.
Daunte Wright’s sister, Diamond Wright, also addressed the court, saying how difficult the loss of her brother has been.
“I never thought that my brother would be killed by the same people we are supposed to feel protected by,” Diamond Wright said. “I feel like I have been living in a complete nightmare.”
She had also asked the judge for the maximum sentencing.
“You can’t tell me this was an accident, it is in plain sight,” she said. “How come I have to see my brother in a metal container just to talk to him”
In a court filing on Tuesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office announced they sought 86 months, or seven years and two months, prison time for Potter. Sentences in the state are served concurrently, so Potter only would have served the higher sentence.
The prosecution had also asked that in the event the court sentences Potter to probation, that she serve at least one year in prison “to reflect the seriousness of Daunte Wright’s death,” and that the probation last at least 10 years, according to court documents.
Potter fatally shot Wright after initially pulling him over for an expired registration tag on his car. She then determined he had an outstanding warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge and tried to detain him, according to former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who resigned after the incident.
As officers tried to arrest him, Wright freed himself and tried to get back in his vehicle. That’s when, according to Potter’s attorneys, she accidentally grabbed her firearm instead of her stun gun and shot him.
Wright’s death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place at the time.
Potter took the stand on the last day of her trial, breaking down in tears and apologizing. “I’m sorry,” she said through sobs, “I didn’t want to hurt anybody.”
The jury deliberated for about four days before reaching a verdict on Dec. 23.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 930,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.5% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 18, 8:40 am
Hawaii is only state without plans to lift mask mandates
Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has not announced intentions to end indoor mask mandates.
States across the country have moved to end masking requirements as cases of COVID-19 continue to drop.
Some governors have ended universal indoor and outdoor masking mandates, while others have lifted statewide face covering requirements for schools.
In a newsletter Wednesday, the Hawaii State Department of Education said there are no current plans to drop mask mandates in classrooms.
Three other states — California, Maryland and New York — as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, have also not announced end dates for their indoor school face covering mandates.
-ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Feb 17, 7:10 pm
New Mexico ends mask mandate
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that the state’s mask mandate for indoor areas is over, effective immediately.
Masks will still be required for some settings, “including hospitals, long-term care facilities and detention facilities.” School districts were allowed to determine if their mandates for classrooms would remain in effect, according to the governor’s office.
“Given the continued drop in hospitalizations and the lessening of the burden on our hospitals, it’s time to end the mask mandate. With vaccines, boosters and effective treatment options widely available, we have the tools we need to protect ourselves and keep our fellow New Mexicans safe,” Grisham said in a statement.
As of Thursday, 73.5% of eligible New Mexico residents were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Feb 17, 6:55 pm
North Carolina governor urges school districts to drop mask mandates
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged local officials and school districts to end their mask mandates next month.
Mask use indoors has not been universally required in North Carolina since last spring, when the Cooper ended statewide requirements. Each school district in the state has made their own masking requirements.
If COVID-19 trends continue to decline, the governor is encouraging all school districts to drop their mandates starting March 7.
“It’s time to focus on getting our children a good education and improving our schools, no matter how you feel about masks,” Cooper said at a news conference.
As of Thursday, 62.7% of eligible North Carolina residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos, Ben Stein and Leonardo Mayorga
Feb 17, 6:23 pm
Washington state to end mask mandate in March
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced that based on the state’s COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates, the mandate for masks in indoor settings would end March 21.
“We are approaching a place fairly shortly where we will not have to be wearing masks generally in these in these conditions,” he said during a news conference. “And we think this is both good for our health and our education of our children and the total reopening of our economy.”
Inslee added that businesses and schools would be allowed to issue their own mask mandate after March 21 if they choose to.
The governor also announced that the requirement for vaccine verification at large events will end on March 1.
ABC News’ Zach Ferber and Matt Fuhrman
Feb 17, 5:48 pm
California outlines endemic plan
Gov. Gavin Newsom and California health officials have released a plan to deal with COVID-19 once it becomes an endemic.
The plan, dubbed “SMARTER,” will focus on seven areas: shots, masks, awareness, readiness, testing, education and medicine.
Officials said that clear “on and off ramps” for future restrictions, such as mask mandates, will be created specifically for variants.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said case rates could determine future restrictions if the state faces a more deadly variant in the future, while hospital capacity could be the primary indicator if California faces a less virulent variant similar to omicron.
The state will publish a one- to two-page summary of the state’s current recommendations on COVID-19 in the next couple of days, according to Ghaly.
(MINNEAPOLIS) — Former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter will receive her sentence on Friday, Feb. 18 following her conviction in the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
A Minnesota jury convicted Potter, 49, of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11, 2021, incident. She had pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine and for second-degree manslaughter — 10 years and a $20,000 fine.
In a court filing on Tuesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office announced they are seeking 86 months, or 7 years and 2 months, prison time for Potter. Sentences in the state are served concurrently, so Potter would only serve the higher sentence.
The prosecution also asked that in the event the court sentences Potter to probation, that she serve at least one year in prison “to reflect the seriousness of Daunte Wright’s death,” and that the probation last at least 10 years, according to court documents.
Potter fatally shot Wright after initially pulling him over for an expired registration tag on his car. She then determined he had an outstanding warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge and tried to detain him, according to former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, who resigned after the incident.
As officers tried to arrest him, Wright freed himself and tried to get back in his vehicle. That’s when, according to Potter’s attorneys, she accidentally grabbed her firearm instead of her stun gun and shot him.
Wright’s death reignited protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S., as the killing took place just outside of Minneapolis, where the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd, was taking place at the time.
Potter took the stand on the last day of her trial, breaking down in tears and apologizing. “I’m sorry,” she said through sobs, “I didn’t want to hurt anybody.”
The jury deliberated for about four days before reaching a verdict on Dec. 23.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The City of Austin has agreed to pay a combined $10 million to two demonstrators who were injured during by police during the 2020 racial justice protests that took place in the city.
Two protesters, Justin Howell and Anthony Evans, were severely injured when police used “less-lethal” ammunition as a form of crowd control during protests that took place after the deaths of George Floyd and Michael Ramos, who was killed by an Austin Police officer, according to two civil lawsuits filed against the city.
Members of the Austin City Council voted Thursday to approve the settlements to Anthony Evans, who will be paid $2 million, and Justin Howell, who will receive $8 million, marking the largest settlement amount ever paid for a use-of-force case in Austin, ABC Austin affiliate KVUE-TV reported.
Howell was critically injured on May 31, 2020, when an officer shot him with “less-lethal” ammunition in downtown Austin, then-Police Chief Brian Manley told KVUE-TV the next day. Howell, who was a 20-year-old political science major at Texas State University at the time, suffered a fractured skull. He filed a civil lawsuit against the city in the Western District of Texas in August 2021.
Evans was peacefully protesting at the Austin Police Department headquarters on June 6, 2020, when he was hit with bean bags and foam bullets deployed by officers, KVUE-TV reported. Evans spent his 26th birthday undergoing surgery on his face, telling the station that his jaw looked like he “got hit by a car.” Evans underwent two surgeries, had a metal wire placed in his mouth for six weeks and now has a permanent titanium plate in his jaw, he told KVUE-TV.
Evans filed his lawsuit against the city in the Western District of Texas in October 2020.
In a statement to KVUE-TV, a City of Austin spokesperson said the city was settling lawsuits filed by two individuals who “suffered significant injuries” in the protests. The “significant dollar amounts” included in the settlement stem from the plaintiffs’ “need for ongoing and long-term care,” the spokesperson said.
“We have reviewed the totality of the circumstances surrounding the protests, and we believe it is in the best interest of these plaintiffs and the City of Austin to resolve these cases now,” the statement read. “We have other claims and lawsuits that have been filed as a result of injuries during the protests, and we will review each of those matters individually.”
Eleven Austin officers were disciplined for their actions during the protests after Manley completed his review of all known complaints and incidents involving officers during the demonstrations.
The Austin Police Department was not adequately prepared for the size of the crowd during the 2020 protests and did not anticipate the injuries that would occur from the “less-lethal” rounds, Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon said in a statement. The department now prohibits less-lethal ammunition for crowd control.
“I understand the Council’s decision to settle these two cases now, and our hearts go out to these two individuals who received serious injuries during the May 2020 protests,” Chacon said.
(NEW YORK) — Americans in at least 30 states are on high alert for snow, ice, flooding and tornadoes as storms sweep across the eastern half of the country.
They could bring damaging winds across the Deep South Thursday into Friday.
Excessive rain could lead to flooding across the Ohio Valley and the interior Northeast and ice jams are possible in the eastern Great Lakes.
Winter weather is expected from Wichita to Detroit. Half a foot of snow and icy conditions are expected through late Thursday.
A tornado watch is in place for Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi through 6 p.m. Central Time.
A few tornadoes are likely in addition to wind gusts up to 75 mph.
Very heavy rain and flood threats extend into Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
Heavy snow is falling Thursday afternoon from Wichita to Chicago, with over 9 inches of snow already reported in the Kansas City area.
Storms will continue across Tennessee and Mississippi Thursday evening and severe weather will stretch from Louisville to Nashville to Birmingham.
Heavy rain and flood threats will move east across the Ohio Valley and into the interior Northeast, from Cincinnati to Buffalo.
Chicago could potentially see between 1 to 4 inches of snow and 4 to 8 inches of snow in Detroit by Thursday night.
A storm moves into the Northeast late Thursday night through early Friday morning, with rain likely.
Heavy downpours are expected overnight, with possible thunder as the storm moves through the I-95 corridor in the early morning.
High wind warnings are in place along the coast from Long Island to Cape Cod, where gusts could exceed 60 miles per hour. The winds could cause damage and power outages by Friday morning.
Parts of the Denver metro area got more than a half a foot of snow overnight Wednesday into Thursday, causing slick roads and closing parts of I-70.
(CHICAGO) — Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability has released videos and documents related to the death of Irene Chavez, a woman who died in police custody last December.
The materials were released as part of an investigation by the civilian oversight agency looking into Chavez’s death.
According to police, the 33-year-old woman died after an “attempted suicide” on Dec. 18, 2021, at the 3rd District Police Station. The official cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office told ABC News.
Body camera video released by COPA shows Chavez being arrested hours before her death and transported to the police station.
According to the incident report and videos released by COPA, Chavez told officers that she is a veteran and suffers from PTSD.
Police said Chavez was taken into custody after her involvement in a bar fight at the Jeffery Pub Tavern and was belligerent during processing.
Chavez could be heard by police shouting in the holding cell, the report said. After about five minutes of silence, an officer went to check on her well-being by looking through the window. That’s when Chavez was found with her shirt wrapped around her neck and a “faint pulse,” the report said.
Video released by COPA shows officers performing CPR before Chavez was transported to the University of Chicago Hospital. According to COPA, Chavez was in “critical condition” at the time and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
COPA said in a statement that the agency has been in touch with Chavez’s family and provided them with documentation for viewing prior to the release of materials.
Chavez’s family is now demanding answers from police.
Iris Chavez, Irene’s sister, told reporters in December that police have not provided details surrounding her sister’s death and called for an investigation.
Iris Chavez started a GoFundMe page to support the family in covering costs related to her sister’s death and said that Irene was her only sister.
“When I say my heart is what one would call broken glass in a bag…MY absolute FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD and ONLY SISTER HAS PASSED AWAY,” she wrote on the page.
Chavez is one of two women to die in Chicago police custody within less than two months.
COPA is also investigating the death of London Marquez, 31, who died on Jan. 27. According to Marquez’s family, she was pregnant at the time of her death.
The investigation is ongoing and the cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Chicago police declined to comment and referred questions regarding both cases to COPA.
(NEW YORK) — As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.8 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 930,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
About 64.5% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Latest headlines:
-US daily cases drop from 807,000 to 134,000 in 1 month
-Study: People who survived COVID in 1st few months of pandemic had significantly higher risk of mental health problems
-Updated mask guidance from CDC could come next week
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Feb 17, 5:03 pm
California to roll out COVID ‘endemic’ plan
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday will announce the state’s “endemic” COVID-19 plan — a vague but flexible approach that will change based off the characteristics of new variants.
State officials said clear “on and off ramps” for future restrictions will be created for specific variants.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said case rates could be determinative for future restrictions if there’s a deadly variant, while hospital capacity could be the primary indicator if California faces a less virulent variant, similar to omicron.
The SMARTER plan focuses on seven areas: S – Shots; M – Masks “on and off ramps that are tailored for each unique virus strain”; A – Awareness; R – Readiness; T – Testing; E – Education; and R – Rx (Treatment).
State officials are expected to publish a one to two-page SMARTER summary of the state’s current recommendations on COVID-19 in the next few days. The document will be consistently updated so Californians can reference what the state’s current recommendations are.
ABC News’ Matthew Fuhrman
Feb 17, 4:46 pm
New Mexico ends mask mandate
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday the state’s mask mandate is ending, effective immediately, ABC affiliate KOAT-TV reported.
Private businesses and school districts can set their own mask rules, KOAT-TV said.
Feb 17, 12:20 pm
US daily cases drop from 807,000 to 134,000 in 1 month
In January, omicron sent U.S. cases surging to an unprecedented high, with over 807,000 daily COVID-19 cases at the nation’s peak. Exactly one month later, cases have plummeted to an average of 134,000 new cases per day, according to federal data.
Nearly every state is reporting declining case rates, but nearly 97% of U.S. counties are still reporting high transmission. Also, experts continue to caution that many Americans are taking at-home tests and not submitting their results, so case totals may be higher than reported.
Hospitalizations are also continuing to drop, according to federal data. The U.S. has 71,000 patients with COVID-19 currently in hospitals; during the mid-January peak, there were 160,000 hospitalized patients.
Fatalities — a lagging indicator — are slowly starting to fall. The U.S. is now averaging 2,100 COVID-19-related deaths each day, down by nearly 10% in the last week, according to federal data.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos
Feb 17, 9:55 am
Study: People who survived COVID in 1st few months of pandemic had significantly higher risk of mental health problems
A new study finds that people who survived COVID-19 during the first few months of the pandemic had a significantly higher risk of developing mental health disorders, including opioid use disorder, in the year after their COVID-19 diagnosis.
The study, published in The BMJ medical journal, evaluated medical records of nearly 154,000 COVID-19 patients in the Veterans Health Administration, comparing their experiences to a similar group of people that didn’t have COVID-19.
After recovering from COVID-19, people with no prior history of mental illness were more likely to develop anxiety, depression, opioid use disorder, neurocognitive decline, and sleep disorders.
In an accompanying editorial, one of the lead researchers of the study argued that the mental health consequences of COVID-19 should be treated seriously and society shouldn’t “gaslight or dismiss long covid as a psychosomatic condition.”
The study only looked at people who survived COVID-19 from March 2020 to Jan. 2021 — before vaccines were widely available. It’s not clear if these findings apply to people diagnosed with COVID-19 more recently.
(MINNEAPOLIS) — The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a powerful and emotional eulogy at Thursday’s funeral for Amir Locke, a 22-year-old who was shot and killed by Minneapolis police officers executing a “no-knock” search warrant.
Locke, who was fatally shot on Feb. 2, was not named in the “no-knock” warrant.
Body camera video showed officers executing the warrant and finding Locke, who didn’t live at the home, sleeping under a blanket on the couch. Locke was seen holding a gun as he sat up; he was shot less than 10 seconds after officers entered the room, still covered in the blanket.
Locke’s mother, Karen Wells, at the funeral said her son was “executed.”
“How dare you?” she said. “You’re not above the law.”
Locke’s parents vowed to fight for a law in their son’s name banning “no-knock” warrants and Sharpton promised to support Locke’s family, saying, “Amir was not guilty of anything but being young and Black in America.”
Sharpton drew a connection between the “no-knock” warrant and how many Black Americans have the last name that once belonged to their enslaved relatives’ masters.
“That’s why it didn’t matter that Amir’s name wasn’t on the warrant — ’cause we don’t have a right to a name in the eyes of some in this country. We are nameless suspects,” Sharpton said.
“We are no longer gonna be your nameless suspects,” Sharpton said. “Amir has a name. His name wasn’t on your warrant — but his name’s gonna be in your law book.”
Speaking to the officers, Locke’s aunt, Linda Tyler, said at the service, “You did have time to subdue him.”
“You had time to assess the situation … but you didn’t. So you don’t need further training — you need to be fired,” she said. “You ambushed my nephew, you took his life. And while he didn’t matter to you … he mattered to this whole family. He mattered to this community.”
Locke’s funeral was held at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis, the same church where a funeral was held last year for 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Wright was shot dead at a traffic stop by a Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer who claimed she mistook her gun for a Taser. The officer was found guilty of both first- and second-degree manslaughter and is set to be sentenced on Friday.
Locke’s shooting remains under investigation.
Relatives of George Floyd and Botham Jean, who were also killed at the hands of police, attended Locke’s funeral.
ABC News’ Adia Robinson and Kendall Ross contributed to this report.
