Water shortages continue in the South

President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Texas on Saturday following a winter storm that disrupted power and water services across the state throughout the week. Icy temperatures burst pipes across the South during the past week, leading to a shortage of clean drinking water. Most of Jackson, Miss., had no running water on Friday, and a man died at an Abilene, Texas, health facility because low water pressure made medical treatment impossible. Texas has seen the most widespread water shortages. Authorities have blamed at least 69 deaths on coast-to-coast extreme winter weather.

Is the weather affecting the pandemic response? Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures have delayed the shipment of about 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Andy Slavitt, the White House coronavirus response adviser, said the delay didn’t spoil the shots and backlogged shipments should arrive in the next several days. The weather has also closed many vaccination sites along the East Coast.

Dig deeper: Read Dr. Charles Horton’s report on research suggesting an asthma medication could help people recover from COVID-19.

Editor’s note: WORLD has updated the report since its initial posting.