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COVID-19 Deaths Rising In 30 US States Amid Winter Surge

Associated Press

   NEW YORK - Coronavirus deaths are rising in nearly two-thirds of
   American states as a winter surge pushes the overall toll toward
   400,000 amid warnings that a new, highly contagious variant is taking
   hold.

   As Americans observed a national holiday Monday, New York Gov. Andrew
   Cuomo pleaded with federal authorities to curtail travel from countries
   where new variants are spreading.

   Referring to new versions detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil,
   Cuomo said: "Stop those people from coming here. '¦ Why are you
   allowing people to fly into this country and then it's too late?"

   The U.S. government has curbed travel from some of the places where the
   new variants are spreading -- such as Britain and Brazil -- and
   recently it announced that it would require proof of a negative
   COVID-19 test for anyone flying into the country.

   But the new variant seen in Britain is already spreading in the U.S.,
   and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that it
   will probably become the dominant version in the country by March. The
   CDC said the variant is about 50% more contagious than the virus that
   is causing the bulk of cases in the U.S.

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