The CDC updated federal vaccine recommendations Jan. 21 to allow second COVID-19 doses from a different manufacturer in "exceptional situations," reports The New York Times.

Most Americans who haven't been vaccinated say they don't have enough information about where and when they'll be able to get vaccinated, according to Kaiser Family Foundation's latest COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey report published Jan. 22.

There is some evidence that the coronavirus variant first detected in the U.K. could be more deadly than the original strain, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Jan. 22, reports CNBC. 

Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health launched two major initiatives this week to vaccinate its local community against COVID-19.

Overall, 136 people have been hospitalized for the flu this season, according to the CDC's FluView report.

Average weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped 4 percent this week after increasing for 16 consecutive weeks, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project.

President Joe Biden signed 10 executive orders to combat COVID-19 spread Jan. 21 and shared a 198-page pandemic response plan Jan. 21, reports The Washington Post.

West Virginia has administered the highest percentage of COVID-19 vaccines it has received, according to the CDC's COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration data tracker.

California has the most COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the U.S., according to the COVID Tracking Project. 

As of Jan. 22, about 410,000 people in the U.S. have died after contracting COVID-19, according to The New York Times.

Vermont has the highest COVID-19 reproduction rate, while California has the lowest, according to rt.live.

The U.S. recorded 4,409 COVID-19 deaths Jan. 20, the highest daily death total since the pandemic began, according to data from The COVID Tracking Project.  

Mortality rates have differed greatly for Black and white populations in 30 major U.S. cities over the past decade, according to a study published Jan. 20 in JAMA Network Open.

Some physicians say doubling up on masks offers better protection against COVID-19, CBS Denver reports. 

President Joe Biden selected Anthony Fauci, MD, to head the U.S. delegation at the World Health Organization — a move that signifies the nation's reengagement with the organization and reverses the former administration's plan to withdraw, CNBC reported Jan. 20. 

Here are 12 recent updates about the different coronavirus variants: 

COVID-19 test positivity and outpatient visits decreased nationwide in the week ending Jan. 9, according to the CDC's latest COVIDView report published Jan. 15. 

The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu is changing its policies after identifying COVID-19 clusters in a cardiac unit of Queen Emma Tower and on the fourth floor of the Pauahi Tower, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Public health officials said a new COVID-19 variant is increasingly being identified in multiple counties across California and has been linked to several outbreaks in Santa Clara County, including one at Kaiser Permanente San Jose (Calif.) Medical Center, according to NBC Bay Area.

U.S. COVID-19 deaths surpassed 400,000 Jan. 19, reports The New York Times.