Lead Photo: RN Melanie Albor vaccinates a resident at an affordable housing community on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 in Tracy, CA. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
RN Melanie Albor vaccinates a resident at an affordable housing community on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 in Tracy, CA. Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Read more
Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on the political, media + other going ons in Latin America and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today:
President Joe Biden said that the U.S. should have enough deliveries of coronavirus vaccines for all adults as early as the end of May, two months earlier than previously anticipated. As he announced that the pharmaceutical company Merck will help Johnson & Johnson’s produce its one-shot vaccine, he said he wants states to get all teachers at least one dose of one of the three vaccines to open schools by March. [AP]
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that he is lifting the state’s mask mandate and allowing businesses to open 100% beginning March 10. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves followed shortly. Both governors have alarmed scientists and experts, who have urged the country not to abandon safety measures at a time when coronavirus strains could still reverse decreasing infection rates in the U.S. [CNN]
The Senate officially confirmed Miguel Cardona as education secretary this week on a 64-33 vote, meaning the Puerto Rican official can get to work on education initiatives that include Biden’s plan to reopen schools during the coronavirus. Biden had said he wants a majority of elementary schools open five days a week within the first 100 days of his presidency. [NBC]
Many Texas farmworkers and laborers have been left with no or very little work following a cold snap that’s affected the harvest around the Rio Grande. Many are only working a few short hours after a winter storm hit the region, knocking out power and affecting water sanitation. [NBC News]
Brazil recorded more than 1,700 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday of this week, a number that marks the highest single-day toll of the pandemic Brazil has been struggling with a contagious variant and, unlike other countries with mass spread, hasn’t been able to lower its infection rate. [NYT]
Selena Gomez released the tracklist for her upcoming Spanish-language EP and shared that the features will include DJ Snake and Puerto Rican artist Myke Towers. She already released a Rauw Alejandro collaboration that will appear on the project. [Billboard Latin]
