News in Numbers
The proportion of Americans who live in areas with only 15 percent of ICU beds available.
The number of states in which Walmart will begin providing COVID-19 inoculations starting next week. The retailer was already providing vaccinations in New Mexico and Arkansas, but will now expand into Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas. Walmart will also begin distributing vaccines in Chicago and Puerto Rico.
The number of jobs that Minnesota lost last month as new restrictions were placed on restaurants, bars and gyms. The state’s hospitality industry accounted for the majority of the loss, declining by 41,100 jobs.
The proportion of Americans who want lawmakers to pass legislation regarding social media companies’ content moderation policies, according to a new survey. Additionally, 65 percent of respondents believed that social media platforms had too much influence over U.S. politics and society.
The proportion at which election misinformation decreased after President Trump was suspended from his social media accounts. The research firm Zignal Labs reported that election fraud mentions dropped to 688,000 from 2.5 million after President Trump’s permanent suspension from Twitter.
The proportion of new U.S. electric grid capacity that will be carbon emission-free from power provided by solar, wind and batteries in 2021, according to new figures from the Energy Information Agency.
The proportion by which Delta Air Lines cut its operating revenue to help offset the financial damages of the coronavirus pandemic. This was the airline’s first annual loss in 11 years.
The amount that Google will be donating to cover the costs of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program applications for 500 immigrants.
The amount of Google’s COVID-19 Vaccine Counter-Misinformation Fund that will be used to fight misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine.
The estimated number of Americans who have received the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, which amounts to two percent of the nation’s population. Experts estimate as many as 85 percent need to be inoculated to achieve “herd immunity.”
The amount that Dominion Voting Systems is suing former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell for damages, resulting from her disinformation regarding the safety of the voting machines.
The number of new unemployment claims that were filed during the week ending on Jan. 2. 19.17 million people received some form of unemployment aid in mid-December, which is still ten times greater than the levels this time last year.
The amount that Amazon will spend creating or preserving 20,000 affordable homes in Virginia, Tennessee and Washington, the three regions near Amazon’s headquarters.
The proportion of Americans who support monthly stimulus checks of $2,000 during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many Americans are beginning to receive the $600 payments that were approved in the most recent stimulus package, some lawmakers don’t believe this is enough financial support and more needs to be done.
The number of fewer travelers that U.S. airports screened in 2020, a decrease of 61 percent from the previous year.
The amount of money allocated in the coronavirus relief package that will be put towards expanding broadband access. The allocation will involve broadband programs for low-income families, tribal lands and historically Black colleges and universities.
The number of days since President Trump declared the novel coronavirus a national emergency on March 13, 2020. Two weeks later on March 27, Trump signed the CARES Act into law which was the largest economic recovery package in history.
The estimated number of organizations, including several government agencies, that were impacted by the Russia cyberattack on SolarWinds, a third-party software contractor.
The number of federal prisoners in the United States who have tested positive for COVID-19, a rate that is approximately four times higher than for the general public. More than 1,700 have died due to the virus.
The estimated number of students that chose not to enroll in college classes this fall, a 3.6 percent decline as compared to last year’s enrollment. While undergraduate college enrollment has been in decline for the past decade, the pandemic has exacerbated the fall as many students can’t justify spending so much money for online classes.
The proportion of American adults who reported that their household found it somewhat or very difficult to pay for basic expenses, such as food, rent or car payments.
The amount that Iowa must return to the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund after misspending the money on a new computer system.
The increase in Michiganders who purchased new hunting licenses as compared to 2019. There has been a nationwide spike in hunting during the pandemic, as people have more time to invest into learning the skill and feel the need to be more self-sustaining.
The number of states plus the District of Columbia that are suing Facebook for predatory conduct.
The amount the Minneapolis City Council has voted to remove from the city’s police budget.
The amount that the University of Vermont Medical Center is losing each day from lost revenue and recovery costs since a late October cyberattack disrupted the center’s computer systems. The hospital’s CEO estimates that they are about 70 percent recovered from the attack.
The amount that the Federal Communications Commission has allocated to providing high-speed Internet to rural Louisianans over the next 10 years. A dozen companies won bids in Louisiana during the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, with Elon Musk’s SpaceX receiving $26.6 million to establish Internet for 29,171 locations across the state.
The estimated number of Americans who will face hunger by this year’s end, a 15 million increase from last year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate households across the nation.
The number of underused hotels that Oregon is buying for its Project Turnkey, which will convert hotels into shelters for as many as 2,000 people. The purchase will cost the state $65 million.
