More than 1,500 people died of COVID-19 across the United States Monday, though the number of daily confirmed infections fell below 100,000 for the first time since November. Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says daily U.S. vaccinations — now averaging nearly 1.5 million shots per day — should continue to increase as spring approaches and more doses become available.

Dr. Anthony Fauci: “Get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can. That’s the best defense against the evolution of variants.”
Fauci rejected a call by one of President Biden’s coronavirus advisers to delay the second dose of two-dose vaccinations in order to get more people partially vaccinated sooner.

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the U.S. is considering a plan that would require all U.S. domestic airline passengers show a negative coronavirus test result before boarding flights. Buttigieg himself went into quarantine Monday after he reported close contact with a security guard who tested positive for coronavirus.