Coronavirus Watch: Variants, meet vaccine

As variants of the coronavirus continue to spread in the U.S. and around the world, Moderna issued encouraging news Monday that its vaccine protects against the emerging strains.

The company said its vaccine initiated an immune response to “all key emerging variants,” including B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, which were first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa, respectively. 

It's Monday, and this is Coronavirus Watch newsletter from the USA TODAY Network. Here's more news to know today, as of 1:30 p.m. EST.

• President Joe Biden was expected to announce international travel restrictions on Monday, a White House official told USA TODAY. Among the new restrictions, Reuters reported that a travel ban will be placed on South Africa, where a virus variant was first identified.
• It's possible that many American children won't get back in the classroom this school year. Teachers unions are wary about returning to in-person instruction and parents are complaining.
• Merck, a U.S. pharmaceutical giant, stopped developing two COVID-19 vaccine candidates after the company found "inferior" immune responses. But that's proof safety systems are working, experts say.
• Health officials in California on Monday lifted regional stay-at-home orders that had been in place in most of the state's counties, citing a decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations. 

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– Jay Cannon, USA TODAY Network and Wires Editor, @JayTCannon on Twitter