More Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine than have tested positive for the virus, an early but hopeful milestone in the race to end the pandemic.

As of Monday afternoon, 26.5 million Americans had received one or both doses of the current vaccines, according to data gathered by the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Since the first U.S. patient tested positive outside of Seattle a year ago, 26.2 million people in the country have tested positive for the disease, and 441,000 have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. has been administering shots at a faster daily rate than any country in the world, giving about 1.35 million doses a day, according to data gathered by Bloomberg. While the rollout stumbled in its early days, in the six weeks since the first shots went into arms almost 7.8% of Americans have gotten one or more doses, and 1.8% are fully vaccinated.

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More Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine than have tested positive for the virus https://t.co/QZHSpL3L8S

— Silvia Killingsworth (@silviakillings) February 1, 2021

A range of European churches have also voiced their concerns, including the Evangelical Lutheran church in Denmark, the Lutheran World Federation, the Roman Catholic Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, and the Conference of European Churches.

Innes said there was a worrying trend towards impinging on minority groups across Europe. “There is a wide sense of concern about this. I am genuinely concerned at what I detect to be a growth of an anti-liberal government legislation and freedom of religion threats in Europe as a whole.

“This is not an isolated incident. I do think that we need to be alert to the encroachment on our freedom to practice our religions. Little by little, minority groups are being treated with increasing suspicion.

“For example, in Switzerland our clergy have been informed that they can’t work part time, they can only work full time, because there is a suspicion at what they might be doing in the other half of their time. In France, minority religious groups are required to have their accounts subject to a particularly invasive investigation and to re-register as religious associations every five years.

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If this can even be debated in an enlightened country like Denmark, preachers should be worried. ⁦@Bishop_Europe⁩ https://t.co/1kv5inGP05

— Michael Sadgrove 🇪🇺 (@MichaelSadgrove) February 1, 2021

Over the summer, Angel and Diana decided to restart in-person services. They were determined to do it safely but didn’t know how.

“We didn’t have any guidelines from our local government on how to do this,” Angel said. “So, we kind of had to figure it out on our own.”

They chose to follow guidelines from neighboring Larimer County.

In mid-June, Mosaic Church began worshipping again in person at a greatly reduced capacity while continuing to stream services online. They removed every other row of chairs and asked people to leave space between families.

“We ask everybody to wear masks. We bought gallons of hand sanitizer,” he said. “We’re just trying to manage it the best we can.”

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A predominantly Latino church in Colorado has seen very high numbers of COVID-19 among congregants. They say their county has not gone far enough in implementing public health standards: https://t.co/TwWbApBSZX

— Weekend Edition (@NPRWeekend) January 30, 2021

Seven in ten (70%) U.S. adults say lowering health insurance premiums should be a high priority for President Joe Biden and his administration among key healthcare issues, followed closely by lowering drug costs (66%) and reducing the uninsured rate (63%). These results are based on a new study conducted by West Health and Gallup.

Democrats are more likely than Republicans to prioritize lowering health insurance premiums and the cost of prescription drugs, but majorities of both groups agree these cost reduction goals are high priorities. In contrast, 90% of Democrats (and 60% of independents) but only 30% of Republicans regard reducing the uninsured rate as a high priority. These results come at a time when 26% of adults report there has been at least one time in the prior 12 months that someone in their household did not pursue care due to the cost, matching levels measured in early 2019.

This survey was conducted by web from Dec. 15, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021, with 3,100 adults, ages 18+, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia via the Gallup Panel, a scientifically populated, non-opt-in panel of about 110,000 adults nationwide.

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In the latest research from West Health and Gallup, 70% of Americans say lowering health insurance premiums should be a high priority for the new Biden administration. https://t.co/qf1u9ielij

— GallupNews (@GallupNews) January 28, 2021

In an interview on BBC local radio on Wednesday, Dr Warner said that the nation ‘will obviously want answers to some of the pressing questions’ posed by the death toll so far but said it was also a day ‘to thank God for those who have kept us going’.

It came after the UK recorded a total of 100,162 deaths with Covid-19, becoming the first European nation to pass the grim milestone.

The Bishop paid tribute to NHS staff, those working in schools and universities, shopkeepers and workers and all those good neighbours who had stepped up to the plate to help others.

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Bishop of Chichester reflects as UK passes grim milestone of 100,000 Covid deaths #Chichester https://t.co/IzHVxF78GS

— PO News Hub (@PONewsHub) January 31, 2021

The sermon starts about 12:20 in.

Everliving God, we rejoice today in the fellowship of thy blessed servant Brigid, and we give thee thanks for her life of devoted service. Inspire us with life and light, and give us perseverance to serve thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end.

St Brigid of Kildare on this her feast, in the great east window of St Etheldreda, Ely Place, London by Joseph Nuttgens, 1952, replacing glass blown out by German bombs. pic.twitter.com/dfUmlaCDLm

— Simon Knott (@last_of_england) February 1, 2021

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that in whatever dangers we are placed we may call upon thy name, and that when deliverance is given us from on high we may never cease from thy praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Orvietohttps://t.co/wiTDTced4X pic.twitter.com/UxAqFXQojl

— Architecture Hub (@architecturehub) February 1, 2021

When I am afraid, I put my trust in thee. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust without a fear. What can flesh do to me?

–Psalm 56:3-4

pic.twitter.com/v5vjdbmR7R

— Sezgin Keskin (@sezginkeskin719) February 1, 2021