The Scan

The New York Times reports that a new viral variant of concern has been identified in New York City.

CNN reports that a US Food and Drug Administration document says Johnson & Johnson's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine meets the requirements to receive an Emergency Use Authorization.

Researchers in France are developing a new, fast test for SARS-CoV-2 that initial testing indicates may be highly accurate, the Guardian says.

Bloomberg reports that vaccine developers won't have to conduct large trials of updated vaccines or vaccine boosters aimed at new viral variants.

Francis deSouza, the CEO of Illumina, calls for a global SARS-CoV-2 genomics surveillance network, according to the Financial Times.

The New York Times writes that the unfilled top spot at the US Food and Drug Administration is "glaring."

Reuters reports that no serious safety concerns have been identified in the first month of SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations in the US.

Researchers have cloned the endangered black-footed ferret, the New York Times reports.

DNA testing ties one coyote linked to three previous attacks to a new biting incident in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Two studies indicated that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have lower neutralizing antibody responses to the B.1.351 viral lineage, according to the Washington Post.

According to Politico, President Joe Biden is to nominate Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The AP reports that a bill introduced to the US House of Representatives would provide $1.75 billion to sequence SARS-CoV-2 samples to spot viral changes.