New variants of the novel coronavirus have been emerging all over the world. Some are more transmissible and potentially deadlier. And versions of the virus that are more contagious can actually end up causing more deaths than those with higher mortality rates.

It has been months since the first person received a COVID-19 vaccine, and hundreds of millions of doses have been distributed – but the distribution of vaccines has not been equal throughout the world.

BEFORE THE NEARLY 300,000 DEATHS, the widespread financial devastation, the isolation from loved ones and the fatigue of a daily disaster with no clear end, there was this: A tickle in a throat in Chicago. A woman’s sudden crash to the floor of her kitchen in the Bay Area. A playwright in Manhattan with three-quarters of a lung left in his chest, sensing doom and fleeing down the coast with his husband.

Cities and states across the nation are re-evaluating police policies as the demand for change continues to grow among citizens disturbed by the death of George Floyd. It's not just big cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Houston. Things are changing in places like Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with a population of a little over 130,000.

Map of protests across the United States What cities and towns have protested police violence against Black people? Click or tap the map below to find local coverage of protests and demonstrations near you.

A USA TODAY analysis of the age of COVID-19 cases in US shows that the the virus touches all age groups

Track coronavirus outbreaks across the US and in your state with daily updated maps and total cases.

When people ask how to protect themselves against the alarming spread of coronavirus COVID-19, one of the first suggestions from doctors is a common-sense one: Wash your hands – but do it the right way.