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Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week for the second week in a row, however the data does not suggest much improvement in the near future. New benefit claims reported by the U.S. Labor Department dropped to a seasonally adjusted 787,000 last week from 806,000 the previous week, Reuters reported. The reported numbers are on par with the data from just three months prior, when the U.S. was still battling the pandemic. Despite vaccine approvals across the globe creating a sense of hope for many that 2021 will not be as grim as the year prior, economists believe the next few months will still be difficult for many before things really start to improve. “While prospects for the economy later in 2021 are upbeat, the economy and labor market will have to navigate some difficult terrain between now and then and we expect claims to remain elevated,” Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said.
China authorized its first vaccine that was made within the country on Thursday for general use. The vaccine, made by Sinopharm, has already been given to many healthcare professionals and essential workers in the country, and will now be expanded to the general public, The Associated Press reported. The vaccine has been on the watchlist of many developing countries, along with the AstraZeneca vaccine approved by the U.K., as rich nations dominate the Pfizer and Modern vaccine supply. “This is very exciting that there is another vaccine and one that can be distributed in locations that don’t have the cold chain,” said Ashley St. John, an immunologist at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. “But at the same time we have to temper the excitement. We have to understand the long term efficacy, effect on transmission and effect on severe disease.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that his goal for the city is to get 1 million residents vaccinated by the end of January, a pace that would require outside cooperation and increased access to the vaccine, The Associated Press reported. The city has vaccinated 88,000 people since Dec. 14 and in order to reach its target, will aim to increase its weekly dosage capacity to 300,000 shots in January. Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokski also added that the city hopes to double its citywide vaccine access points to at least 250 sites.
Although most child-care facilities have reopened at 49% of their full capacity since stay-at-home orders, the child-care industry has yet to fully recover with about 27% remain closed, according to a recent report from Procare Solutions. Only about 73% of day cares, child-care centers, preschools, enrichment programs, in-home day cares and before/after-school care programs that closed earlier this year are back online, Procare reports via data from its 30,000 clients nationwide. Meanwhile, child-care providers that have reopened at half capacity have increased costs for cleaning supplies, sanitation protocols and personal protective equipment for staff and children, as well as additional staffing, CNBC reports. Approximately 56% of child-care providers surveyed in November report losing money by staying open, according to the latest survey from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Deliberate actions from one hospital worker in Wisconsin led to over 500 COVID-19 vaccines being destroyed after 57 vails containing the vaccine were intentionally taken out of the pharmacy refrigerator and left out overnight. According to CBS News, Advocate Aurora Health confirmed that the worker admitted to doing the act on purpose and an investigation is ongoing.
"We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic," Advocate Aurora Health said in a statement. "We are more than disappointed that this individual's actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine. This was a violation of our core values, and the individual is no longer employed by us."
Ukraine’s biggest ski resort Bukovel in the Carpathian mountains is fully booked as many have flocked there since other foreign resorts have been shut down due to coronavirus-linked restrictions across Europe. Unlike some European countries, Ukraine did not tighten restrictions on the movement of its residents within the country to curb the spread of the coronavirus over the Christmas and New Year season. However strict lockdown orders will be in force from Jan. 8-24. The resort had already been booked at 80% capacity through January, Bukovel’s management said. According to Reuters, a tourist from Kyiv, Anton Luzhnyh, said he used to go to France to ski but this year is different. “Why am I here? Because foreign ski resorts are closed. It is lockdown there. Maybe they will be reopened in February, then we will go there,” Luzhnyh told Reuters.
On Monday, the U.S. government began requiring all airline passengers arriving from the United Kingdom, including U.S. citizens, to test negative for coronavirus within 72 hours of departure. Now, the U.S. government may require a negative coronavirus test for more international travelers as early as next week, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters Wednesday. On Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other U.S. agencies talked with U.S. airlines about expanding the requirements, sources briefed on the call said. On Wednesday, the CDC released a statement stating “efforts are currently ongoing in the U.S. to assess the risk reduction associated with testing and other recommended preventative measures, determine what a feasible testing regime for air travel may look like, and gain some level of agreement on standards for a harmonized approach to testing for international air travel.”
For the first time in 25 years, the Buffalo Bills are headed to the post-season, and thanks to special permission granted by New York State, a handful of fans will be able to cheer on the Bills in person during the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. Between 6,000 and 7,000 tickets will be sold for the highly-anticipated game, but will only be available to season ticket holders, not the general public, the Buffalo Bills announced on Wednesday. After purchasing tickets, fans will need to show up at the stadium two or three days prior to the game to be tested for the coronavirus. Only those who test negative will be allowed into the stadium on game day and will still need to wear a face mask when in the stadium. “We are super excited for it,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said after the news broke. “I want to thank all the parties involved – the Pegulas, Gov. Cuomo and everybody else involved. Thank you so much."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says data suggests the new COVID-19 variant has been circulating person-to-person undetected in the United States.The nation’s first known case of the coronavirus variant B.1.1.7, which originally discovered in the United Kingdom, was found in Colorado on Tuesday. "Public health authorities in Colorado detected a variant that was first identified in the UK, in a person who reported no travel history, the lack of reported travel history suggests this variant has been transmitting from person to person in the United States," Dr. Henry Walke, Covid-19 incident manager, said during a briefing Wednesday, according to CNN.
Graphic shows a diagram of the COVID-19 virus.
Walke said that even though there is no evidence that this variant causes more severe symptoms, or increases the risk of death, it could lead to more cases and "put even more strain on our heavily burdened health care systems."Some researchers are now investigating when the original coronavirus strain arrived in the United States, and it might have been earlier than we think.
Held by grandmother Maria Ortiz, 11-year-old Star Estrada, center, wipes her tears after registered nurse Angela Coomds collected a nasal swab sample from her in a COVID-19 triage tent at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“To protect the world, we must ensure that all people at risk everywhere, not just in countries who can afford vaccines, are immunized,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday in a video message issued a day before the one-year anniversary of the first reported cases of the novel coronavirus in China. In the video, Tedros urged countries to take an active role in distributing vaccines beyond only those who could afford them and to “walk the last miles of this crisis together, helping each other along the way, from sharing vaccines fairly, to offering accurate advice, compassion and care.” He also urged nations to combat conspiracy theories and attacks on science that could in turn hurt people’s health and society at large. Tedros appealed for $4 billion to buy COVID-19 vaccines for distribution in lower and middle-income countries through the COVAX vaccine facility, according to Reuters.
Watch his speech here:
A member of the Colorado National Guard has been diagnosed with the new variant of the coronavirus while another Guard member is suspected of having it. The strain of the virus, which is seemingly more contagious, has led to case spikes in the United Kingdom, according to The Associated Press. Health officials said the confirmed case is a man in his 20s who hadn’t been traveling and is currently dealing with mild symptoms. The arrival of the variant has raised questions about how it arrived in the U.S., particularly due to the lack of a travel history in the first case.
“There is a lot we don’t know about this new COVID-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said, according to the AP.
An emergency room nurse in San Diego was administered the first of two doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Dec. 18, but six days later, he began to experience symptoms such as fatigue, chills and muscle pain. The nurse, identified as Matthew W., then tested for the coronavirus and the result came back positive, ABC News said. According to medical experts, this diagnosis is not a surprise since it takes time for the body to build up an immunity to COVID-19 following vaccination. "We know from the vaccine clinical trials that it’s going to take about 10 to 14 days for you to start to develop protection from the vaccine," Dr. Christian Ramers told KGTV. Additionally, the second dose of the vaccine is crucial to help the body build up immunity. "That first dose we think gives you somewhere around 50%, and you need that second dose to get up to 95%," Ramers said. To help the body build up immunity after receiving the vaccine, some health officials are urging people to abstain from alcohol as drinking alcohol can blunt the immune response, NewScientist reported. In Russia, scientists are telling people not to drink alcohol for at least three days after receiving the Sputnik V vaccine, the country’s first coronavirus vaccine. However, no warnings have been given concerning alcohol consumption and the vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.
Officials in California, who implemented the toughest stay-at-home orders in the nation earlier this month, announced that those orders will be extended indefinitely as the coronavirus pandemic worsens there. According to Reuters, the decision, announced by California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, was made due to the rising numbers of cases and hospitalizations, which aren’t expected to let up for weeks, at least. Ghaly said Los Angeles County has been hit so hard that some hospitals over the weekend were forced to send new patients to other facilities for treatment. He painted a dire picture of what is unfolding, saying that some hospitals in Southern California are on the verge of going into “crisis care,” with some already implementing some of the aspects of crisis care. According to Reuters, Ghaly told reporters "some hospitals in Southern California have put in place some practices that would be part of crisis care,” which in some cases includes considering “the effectiveness of certain treatments for certain patients who are unlikely to survive, or do well.” The stay-at-home orders require Californians to remain indoors except for only essential activities like doctors’ visits, shopping for groceries, exercising individually outdoors, and walking dogs. The measures were extended because health officials believe things will only be getting worse. “We could see the worst of it in early January,” Ghaly said. “And most of the hospital leaders I’ve talked to in Southern California are bracing for exactly that.”
The vaccine developed by AstraZeneca at Oxford University in England was given emergency-use approval on Wednesday, the government announced in a statement. According to The New York Times, the U.K. is the first country in the world to OK the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is the second drug approved there to inoculate against the coronavirus after Pfizer’s vaccine was approved earlier this month. In a statement, U.K. health officials said the decision to green light the vaccine “follows rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts” and that “the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.” The AstraZeneca vaccine also comes in two doses, each given 12 weeks apart. Health officials said, “With two vaccines now approved, we will be able to vaccinate a greater number of people who are at highest risk, protecting them from the disease and reducing mortality and hospitalization.” News of the approval comes after the U.K. tallied more than 53,000 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday.
Luke Letlow, an incoming Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana, died Tuesday night due to complications from COVID-19. Letlow was 41 and, according to The Associated Press, had no underlying health conditions that would put him at risk of a severe outcome from COVID-19. The news of Letlow’s death was delivered by Andrew Bautsch, a spokesperson for the congressman-elect. “The family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time,” Bautsch said in a statement, according to the AP. “A statement from the family along with funeral arrangements will be announced at a later time.” Letlow announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 just a week before Christmas, on Dec. 18. Five days later, he released a statement on Twitter informing constituents that he had been transferred from St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, Louisiana, to Ochsner-LSU Health in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the time, he was said to be in stable condition in the ICU there and receiving a regiment consisting of remdesivir and steroids as part of his treatment. He leaves behind his wife, Julia Barnhill Letlow, and two young children.
Letlow’s death drew mourning from many throughout the Louisiana political establishment, including Gov. John Bel Edwards who urged people to pray for Letlow’s family, saying, “I am heartbroken that he will not be able to serve our people as a U.S. representative, but I am even more devastated for his loving family.” He was set to be sworn into office in early January. Reacting to the news of Letlow’s death, Bill Cassidy, a Republican U.S. Senator from Louisiana, said, “It just, just, just, just brings home COVID can kill. For most folks it doesn’t, but it truly can. So, as you remember Luke, his widow, his children in your prayers, remember as well to be careful with COVID.”
The United Kingdom has never seen a week like this. The nation recorded over 53,000 new positive cases on Tuesday, shattering its previous single-day record set one just day earlier, on Monday. The U.K. is battling a war against a new variant of the virus that is considered even more contagious. Only five other countries have seen more total cases and only three other countries have recorded more fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic.
Elsewhere around the world, here are the latest updated totals according to statistics kept by Johns Hopkins University:
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Total cases: 82,083,787
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Total fatalities: 1,792,786
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Total recoveries: 46,471,189
The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department began delivering a second round of Economic Impact Payments on Tuesday. Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin said the direct payments of $600 to Americans may begin to be deposited as early as tonight. Paper checks will begin to be mailed tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 30. The IRS emphasized that there is no action required by eligible individuals to receive this second payment.
The nation’s first known case of the coronavirus variant B.1.1.7, which originally discovered in the United Kingdom, was found in Colorado on Tuesday, Colorado health officials announced. The variant was identified in a young Colorado man, with no travel history, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement, according to USA Today. The man is in isolation in Elbert County, and will remain in isolation until cleared by health officials, Polis said. “There is a lot we don’t know about this new Covid-19 variant, but scientists in the United Kingdom are warning the world that it is significantly more contagious,” Polis said. “The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all Covid-19 indicators, very closely.”
The Director of the department's microbiology program places a swab in a bag after performing a nasal test for coronavirus for a patient Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff are were both inoculated on Tuesday at United Medical Center in Washington, D.C., receiving the first of two dozes of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine. After being administered the vaccine, Harris said “that was easy” and that it was “relatively painless,” according to CBS News. “I urge everyone, when it is your turn, get vaccinated. It's about saving your life, the life of your family members and the life of your community,” Harris said. Last week, President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden were given the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at ChristianaCare Hospital in Newark, Delaware.
In Spain, where the vaccine against the coronavirus has begun being distributed free of charge, residents may find themselves on a ‘registry’ if they fail to receive the two-dose vaccine. According to lasexta.com, the country’s Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, said that receiving the vaccine is not mandatory, but individuals who reject the vaccine will be put on a list that will be shared with other European partners. “It is not a document to be made public,” Illa said of the registry. “And it will be done with the utmost respect for data protection.”
A nationwide Italian restaurant has seen a dramatic drop in profits this year, one of countless restaurants across the country that have taken a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic. Olive Garden, well-known for its bottomless soup, salad and breadsticks, has seen nearly a 20% drop in sales, according to CNBC. The restaurant chain does offer a $5 take-home meal, but this new offer has not been enough to offset the decline in profits. Additionally, Olive Garden has changed its menu to help save money and offset some of the loss in profits as the business tries to survive the pandemic.
The New York Attorney General is investigating if a health-care clinic fraudulently obtained coronavirus vaccine doses and distributed them to the public, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Cuomo said it’s unlikely to be the last case of alleged fraud associated with coronavirus vaccines, adding that fraud involving a valuable commodity is “almost an inevitable function of human nature.” CNBC reported Cuomo declined to give details of the investigation since it’s ongoing, but he noted that it involves the ParCare Community Health Network. “We want to send a clear signal to the providers that if you violate the law on these vaccinations, we will find out and you will be prosecuted,” Cuomo said Monday at a news briefing. “You’re going to see more and more of this. The vaccine is a valuable commodity and you have many people who want the vaccine.”
A nurse prepares a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine to administer to Belgium's Lucie Danjou, 101 years old, at the Notre Dame de Stockel care home in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. The vaccine, developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, was transported from a hospital in Leuven to the residential care home on Monday, as Belgium begins its vaccination program starting with the most vulnerable. (Johanna Geron, Pool via AP)
The two recently opened In-N-Out Burger's in Colorado are both experiencing a coronavirus outbreak with 80 staff members having tested positive for the virus. The fast-food chain debuted in Colorado on Nov. 20 with locations in Aurora and Colorado Springs. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is now calling them active outbreaks, according to The Denver Post. An outbreak is considered two or more cases linked to the same location or event. Outbreaks are active until four weeks have gone by without new cases. No customers have been linked to either outbreak and both restaurants remain open. Employees who tested positive and those in close contact are unable to return to work.
The United States saw another 168,817 positive cases of the coronavirus on Monday, increasing its world-leading total to 19,312,568 total infections since the beginning of the pandemic. The nation also saw 1,718 new deaths on Monday, the most in the world. The state of California has seen over 2 million total cases and continues recording dozens of thousands of cases each day, with over 34,000 new infections recorded on Monday and over 20,000 recorded every day since Dec. 3.
Elsewhere around the world, here are the latest updated totals according to statistics kept by Johns Hopkins University:
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Total cases: 81,392,589
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Total fatalities: 1,777,287
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Total recoveries: 46,106,404
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the regional three-week stay-at-home order for Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley is likely to be extended, CNN reported. The state is deploying additional staff to Los Angeles County to assist with cases and hospitalizations as the virus is challenging the health care system in the Southern California region, particularly in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties said Newsom. California will have received 1.76 million doses of the vaccine by the end of this week.
The race for European nations to vaccine their citizens has not gotten off to an easy start, with many issues already being reported. Officials in southern Germany reported on Monday that 1,000 doses of the vaccine needed to be thrown out after they had been improperly stored. In addition, Italian politicians believe that Germany received more than their fair share of vaccinations, Reuters reported. The issues involved in the E.U.’s vaccination route is due to the decision to obtain doses jointly rather than as separate nations, which has left them to lag behind other nations such as the U.S. and U.K. While the E.U. is expected to receive 12.5 million doses by Jan. 1, temperature controls have been a huge issue in keeping the vaccines safe as they arrive. The Pfizer vaccine requires that it be kept at minus 94 Fahrenheit during extended storage time. In Spain, some deliveries were halted after temperature control issues needed to first be resolved to safely distribute the vaccines. In addition, some German officials had to throw away some doses after the temperature control was brought into question. “There were doubts as to whether the cold chain was maintained at all times,” said Christian Meissner, district administrator in the Bavarian town of Lichtenfels. “BioNTech said that the vaccine was probably okay, but ‘probably okay’ is not enough.”
Despite many Pacific islands avoiding the worst in terms of COVID-19 infections, disruptions to the global supply chain caused by the pandemic have left them in desperate need for essential food imports. In addition to dwindling tourism numbers, food prices on the islands have skyrocketed as food shortages become a growing issue, The Associated Press reported. Local governments have resorted to creating initiatives that are meant to curb shortages, such as expanding fishing season and increasing seed distribution to allow more local resident to rely on their own food supplies. “We initially started with 5,000 seeds and thought we would finish them in nine months’ time. But there was a very big response, and we finished distributing the seeds in one week,” said Vinesh Kumar, head of operation for Fiji’s Agriculture Ministry. The initiative in Fiji offers vegetable seeds and saplings to residents, as well as the equipment needed to create their own gardens at home. Fiji resident Elisabeta Waqa is one of the many residents who have taken up creating a home garden after being left with no job and extra time at home during the pandemic. “When I started harvesting about two, three weeks later, that’s when I realized: My gosh, this is a hobby people have had for so long. I thought about just how much money I could save my doing this,” Waqa said. While she has since been able to return to work, Waqa now has her older children run the garden while she is away. “Now I save money on food, know where my food is coming from and just feel more secure about having food,” she said. “I don’t want to go back to the way things were before.”
Acapulco, Mexico, is taking additional measures to make sure COVID-19 regulations are being followed on its beaches — by having soldiers patrol the grounds. To make sure tourists are following COVID-19 guidelines, the city has taken up the help of armed soldiers to patrol beaches. Carmelo Hernandez, an American tourist, said he is concerned for the people who work and live in the city, as tourism seems to be down. “We used to come almost every year around this time, it’s a shame that many people are staying home and aren’t coming here to enjoy themselves,” Hernandez told AFP. “They had told us Acapulco was packed. Unfortunately, we arrived and tourism is very low.”
As coronavirus cases in the U.K. surge amid the discovery of a new variant of the virus that appears to be much more contagious, hospitals in Britain are struggling to manage the number of patients coming in. On Monday alone, 41,385 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the U.K., the first time the nation has surpassed 40,000 cases in one day, although testing rates are higher now than at any other point in the pandemic, The Associated Press reported. Dr. Nick Scriven, immediate past president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said he is concerned with how the rising cases will affect local hospitals. “With the numbers approaching the peaks from April, systems will again be stretched to the limit,” he said. Dr. Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said working in the hospital on Christmas Day was a “wall-to-wall COVID” experience. “The chances are that we will cope, but we cope at a cost,” Henderson said. “The cost is not doing what we had hoped, which is being able to keep non-COVID activities going.”
U.S. health officials say the new coronavirus mutation causing a new round of lockdowns in the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the globe must be taken "very seriously." However, it's not currently believed to be more likely to cause serious illness or be resistant to vaccines then the current strain, according to The Associated Press. “Does it make someone more ill? Is it more serious virus in the sense of virulence? And the answer is, it doesn’t appear to be that way,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci went on to say, while on CNN's State of the Union, that the general population would likely start getting immunized by late March or early April.
Another college football bowl game has been canceled after the Missouri Tigers withdrew from the 2020 Music City Bowl. The Tigers were slated to face the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Wednesday night game in Nashville, but pulled out after a rise in COVID-19 cases within the program forced the school to pause all team activities until Jan. 2, according to UPI. According to athletic director Jim Sterk, the outbreak stems from the team’s game on Dec. 19 against Mississippi State. “We are extremely disappointed to have our season end today," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said, according to UPI. "This is a remarkable group of players and men, and it has been an honor to coach them. This has been a very special team. We have overcome several challenges together during a season like no other. I am incredibly proud of this entire team and saddened that we will not have one more chance to get out and compete together."
As cases of the new variant of the coronavirus have begun popping up across many countries, Indonesia has banned all visitors for a two-week period. The country’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi, made the announcement on Monday, and said it will go into effect on Jan. 1. The only exception within the ban is for high-ranking government officials. Indonesia has already banned visitors from the U.K. because of the new variant and instated new regulations for visitors coming from Europe or Australia. According to Reuters, the healthcare system in Indonesia has been strained in recent weeks as hospitals are nearing capacity, with some being left with no choice but to add more beds.
A health worker collects a swab sample from a woman to test for COVID-19 in Jammu, India, Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. India's confirmed coronavirus cases have crossed 10 million with new infections dipping to their lowest levels in three months, as the country prepares for a massive COVID-19 vaccination in the new year. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
COVID-19 affects the sense of smell in most infected people in a different way than the common cold does. During a cold, a person's nose is stuffy and odor molecules are physically unable to reach smell receptors. The coronavirus is different because the loss of smell is caused by a signaling disruption due to the virus attacking cells behind the bridge of the nose. If someone loses their sense of smell, it's a good sign someone may have COVID-19. Recent analyses have suggested that if you had to pick one symptom, sudden loss of smell could be the single best predictor of COVID-19, according to CNN.
"Stop. Smell. Be well" is a project launched by Penn State University to raise awareness of this connection. Doing a daily smell test can easily be done by sniffing coffee in the morning or shampoo in the shower. However, smell checks will not catch every case of COVID-19 and individuals are still urged to get a test done if they feel like they may have the virus.
South Africa recorded over 9,000 cases on Sunday and over 30,000 over the course of the weekend to top the 1 million case mark, becoming the first country in Africa to reach the threshold, according to reported numbers kept by Johns Hopkins University researchers. The nation is in the midst of its second surge of cases since the beginning of the pandemic and saw its highest single-day case increase on Christmas Day with over 14,000 new infections reported.
Elsewhere around the world, here are the latest updated totals according to statistics kept by Johns Hopkins University:
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Total cases: 80,852,622
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Total fatalities: 1,766,194
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Total recoveries: 45,754,541
Merlin Pambuan, an intensive care unit nurse at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, California, was released from the hospital after battling the coronavirus for eight-months. Pambuan, 66, suffered severe illnesses in the spring which required sedation and being fed from a tube, according to Fox News. She came close to death many times but Pambuan pulled through and is able to walk and breathe on her own again. The past several months have included physical and respiratory therapy for her, being unable to walk after deep sedation. Pambuan was finally discharged on Monday, but will be required to be on supplementary oxygen.
Germany, Hungary and Slovakia became the most recent countries to begin vaccinations for COVID-19 after the European Union approved the vaccine created by Pfizer. The three countries began their vaccine rollout on Saturday, a day before other E.U. countries are scheduled to begin rollout themselves. Across the E.U., over 16 million cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed throughout the pandemic, Axios reported. In the first shipment of doses from Pfizer, most countries received less than 10,000 doses. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Saturday that the "vaccine is the decisive key to end this pandemic... it is the key to getting our lives back."
Failing grades have risen in schools across the U.S., mainly concentrated among low-income students of color, those who are still learning to speak English and those with disabilities. Students whose grades are suffering immensely may not have the chance to recover, including seniors whose graduation prospects are at stake. Some experts say grades should not even be issued because of the pandemic. “The idea of failing students right now seems pointless," said Tanji Reed Marshall of Ed Trust, a national nonprofit that seeks to close opportunity gaps in schools, USA Today reported. "Particularly if a student's ... 'lack of attendance' is due to no fault of their own."
Some companies and technology groups have started to develop smartphone apps or systems for individuals to upload details of their coronavirus tests and vaccination records that are shown in order to be able to enter concert venues, stadiums, movie theaters, offices, or even countries. The CommonPass app created by the group the Common Trust Network requires users to upload medical data such as a coronavirus test result or, eventually, a proof of vaccination by a hospital or medical professional, generating a health certificate or pass in the form of a QR code that can be shown to authorities. For travel, the app lists health pass requirements at the points of departure and arrival based on your itinerary. The group has already partnered with several airlines including Cathay Pacific, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, as well as hundreds of health systems across the United States and the government of Aruba. "You can be tested every time you cross a border. You cannot be vaccinated every time you cross a border," Thomas Crampton, chief marketing and communications officer for The Commons Project, told CNN Business.
Researchers have proven LED that emits ultraviolet light can quickly and efficiently kill coronavirus in less than 30 seconds. The study, which was published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, analyzed thedisinfection efficiency of UV-LED irradiation at different wavelengths or frequencies on a virus from the family of coronaviruses, Very Well Health reported. The wavelengths took less than 30 seconds to destroy more than 99.9% of the coronaviruses. The researches said that eventually the technology could be used in vacuums and air conditioners. “UV disinfection has been around for a while, but UV-LEDs are still very new, and so is their use,” lead study author Yoram Gerchman, PhD, a biochemist and professor at the University of Haifa and Oranim College in Isreal, tells Verywell. “Part of the problem is, the lower the wavelength, the more expensive and less efficient is the UV-LED, so there is much interest in the higher wavelength.”
This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. (NIAID/National Institutes of Health via AP)
Anyone working at a school in Ohio who comes in contact with the children, including teachers, staff, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and custodians, will be in the next group of people to receive the coronavirus vaccine, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced during his press conference on Wednesday. DeWine’s goal is to start the vaccinations mid-January in hopes of getting students back to school faster, CNN reported. Currently, 45% of all Ohio students are fully remote and 26% of students are in a hybrid model, or partially remote, DeWine said.
Six million residents in the U.K. woke up after Christmas celebrations to discover they were added to the growing list of regions required to follow Tier 4 restrictions due to the growing coronavirus pandemic. The new regions under Tier 4 were announced on Saturday, and requires gyms, movie theaters, hairdressers and most retail stores to close. London, the capitol of the U.K., has now been under Tier 4 for a week, NBC News reported. "Of course for many, this time of year will be tinged with sadness; some mourning the loss of those dear to them, and others missing friends and family members distanced for safety when all they really want for Christmas is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand," Queen Elizabeth said just one day before Tier 4 was expanded.
Deaths in the United States this year are expected to top 3 million for the first time ever, mainly in part due to the coronavirus. While the final death tally for 2020 will not be available for months, preliminary numbers have shown the U.S. is on track for more than 3.2 million deaths this year, which is 400,000 more than last year, according to The Associated Press. Each year, the annual number of deaths in the country has increased but never as sharply as its expected to this year. The massive rise in deaths this year is expected to be the largest single-year percentage leap since 1918, as a result of World War I and a flu pandemic. More than 318,000 Americans have died so far of the coronavirus and that number continues to grow before 2021.
An explosion at the world’s second largest hydroxychloroquine raw material factory in Taoyuan city, Taiwan, caught the building on fire and injured two people. The big explosion was heard with thick black smoke billowing from the factory immediately after the explosion on Dec. 20, Taiwan English News reported. Fire personnel found a 30-year-old foreign migrant worker suffered a third-degree burn on 80 to 90 percent of his body and was reported to be in ‘critical condition’. The second victim is a 40-year-old man who suffered burns on one hand. Both were sent to Chang Gang Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Antibodies in breast milk from across the country are being studied by researchers as a potential treatment for the COVID-19, News Center Maine reports. Brianna and Robbie Tosetti, of Gorham, Maine, brought home their newborn son, Jacob, in March when Brianna began to feel like she was getting a cold. Soon after, Tommy, their 4-year-old, came down with flu-like symptoms, while her husband had a fever, chills, a burning cough, “and at times was actually delirious,” News Center Maine reported. Despite being sick, Tosetti consistently nursed her baby, but he never got sick. Experts say breast milk provides antibodies that give babies a healthy boost and protects them against many infections. These antibodies may also fight against coronavirus infection if a baby is exposed.
Claudio Arakari, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, holds Soye her baby daughter born via a Ukrainian surrogate mother for the first time, after spending two weeks in quarantine, due to the coronavirus outbreak, in a hotel where the Biotexcom clinic, the country's largest surrogate operation, puts up clients, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
"I believe that's the reason why he didn't get sick because I was loving on him and kissing him, I had to hold my newborn," Robbie said. Brianna has been freezing one-ounce samples of her breast milk in hopes it will be part of a first of its kind national study that may lead to a breakthrough treatment for COVID-19. "The goal is to analyze a thousand different samples to really understand the response," Dr. Rebecca Powell said. Powell is an assistant professor of medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
The frequency of allergic reactions to the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is higher than what would be expected for other vaccines, the chief scientific adviser for Operation Warp Speed said according to a report. Dr. Moncef Slaoui said the last time he was updated on allergic reactions was Tuesday when there were six cases, and added that the data on COVID-19 immunizations is lagging behind the actual numbers, CNN reported. “That frequency, as it stood yesterday, is superior to what one would expect with other vaccines,” he said. On Monday, a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases official said the US is looking at why some people have suffered severe allergic reactions shortly after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Slaoui said discussions are underway between the vaccine makers and the National Institutes of Health to consider holding clinical trials of vaccines in very allergic populations, The New York Post reported.
On Saturday, Japan said it would temporarily ban non-resident foreign nationals from entering the country starting on Monday after several cases of the COVID-19 variant were recorded in the country, Reuters reported. The ban will take effect from Dec. 28 and remain through January, the government said. Japanese citizens and foreign residents will be allowed to enter but must show proof of a negative test 72 hours before departing for Japan and must quarantine for 14 days after arrival, the statement said.
The cost of the Tokyo Summer Olympics has gone up by 22%, according to figures presented by the local organizing committee, The Associated Press reported. The rescheduled summer games will now cost $15.4 billion rather than $12.6 billion. According to the AP, the $2.8 billion added cost is the result of the postponement and specifically involves renegotiating contracts and implementing measures to control the pandemic. The Tokyo Olympics are set to begin July 23. They will be followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 24.
Queen Elizabeth II acknowledged British heroes during COVID-19 in her annual Christmas message on Friday, trying to encourage hope on the holiday. “In [Britain] and around the world, people have risen magnificently to the challenges of the year, and I am so proud and moved by this quite indomitable spirit,” she said. “To our young people in particular, I say thank you for the part you have played.” She also hailed British nurses and health workers, adding that the nation owes them a debt of gratitude for their work on the front lines during the pandemic. But for many, she acknowledged, this time of year would also be difficult for those who had lost family members and friends to the virus. “If you are among them, you are not alone and let me assure you of my thoughts and prayers,” she said. Several members of the royal family have positive for the coronavirus disease the year, including Prince Charles and Prince William, UPI reported.
The U.S. government is now requiring all air passengers from the United Kingdom to present a negative COVID test, via PCR or Antigen test, no more than 72 hours before departure to the U.S. "The public health authorities in the United Kingdom recently announced the discovery of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2," the CDC said in a statement. "Viruses constantly change through mutation, and preliminary analysis in the U.K. suggests that this new variant may be up to 70% more transmissible than previously circulating variants." The CDC says passengers are required to get a viral test within three days before their flight from the U.K. and provide a test result to the airline. "If a passenger chooses not to take a test, the airline must deny boarding to the passenger," the CDC says.
In a Christmas Day address, Pope Francis urged authorities around the world to make COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone, and particularly those in need. "Vaccines for everybody, especially for the most vulnerable and needy,” Francis said, according to The Associated Press. He also said the vaccines were a "light of hope" for the world. Francis gave his address from inside the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, rather than outside of St. Peter's Basilica where typically tens of thousands would have gathered in St. Peter's Square to receive his Christmas blessing, the AP said.
Pope Francis celebrates Mass on Christmas eve, at St. Peter's basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (Vincenzo Pinto/Pool Photo via AP)
A 22-inch high-resolution display that is designed to look like an airplane window has become the latest in a wave of pandemic-era gadgets. Sky Scape is hoping to bring those working from home a view above the clouds. The product was developed by Joled Inc. and LandSkip Inc. in Japan. Sky Scape mimics an airplane ascending and descending through clouds throughout the day. The screen will be a subscription rental service and cost about $290 a month. This is one of many ways consumers have been satisfying their urge to fly safely. Earlier in the year, a flight to nowhere was sold out. The flight took off from Sydney, Australia, and passed over many landmarks around the country before landing back in Sydney. This flight had 150 passengers on board.
Chipotle Mexican Grill and other restaurants are hesitant about the legal implications of making the vaccine mandatory for workers, CNBC reports. Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol said the Chipotle will “strongly encourage” employees to receive a vaccine, but “as of right now, we’re not going to mandate it,” he told CNBC. Other chains that won’t require a vaccination include Cousins Subs, a Wisconsin-based sandwich restaurant that cited concerns about infringing employees’ medical rights. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended food service workers receive the inoculation behind the elderly and essential workers like mail carriers and bus drivers.
Nearly 4 in 10 Americans say they would “definitely” or “probably” not get a vaccine, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 12,648 U.S. adults from Nov. 18 to 29. Due to the results, the Department of Health and Human Services plans to spend $250 million on a national education campaign to build public trust in the vaccine. Widespread mistrust could be because the COVID-19 vaccine was researched and developed in just eight months, breaking the speed record of four years, CNBC said. Or it might because if anything goes wrong with the vaccine, the drugmakers that produced them have total immunity against lawsuits related to injuries resulting from the vaccine until 2024.
Interim Detroit Lions coach Darrell Bevell will be unable to coach Saturday due to being deemed a high-risk close contact to someone who has the coronavirus, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. This will be the first time an NFL head coach misses a game due to COVID-19 protocols. Wide receivers coach Robert Prince will replace Bevell for the game on Saturday. The NFL denied the Lions request to postpone the game. The team is scheduled to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday afternoon.
The Forgotten Harvest's partner food pantries in metro Detroit have seen an increase of people by 50% this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the amount of people in need have increased, monetary donations to the food bank have also increased and are on pace to top last year's number. This helped fund larger storage space and new mobile distribution sites for the food bank, according to Reuters. Over 20 million Americans now rely on unemployment benefits, with hunger and poverty levels rising. Food banks all over America are seeing an outpour of donations, with many donating for the first time. December is typically the most active time for charitable giving in the United States.
Oregon officials say a coronavirus superspreader action is likely the cause of two recent outbreaks in the state. A person went to work while knowingly being sick and later tested positive for the coronavirus, causing two separate outbreaks, according to CNN. The first outbreak resulted in seven deaths. The second outbreak caused hundreds of people to self-isolate, with over 300 people being placed in quarantine. Officials called it one of the most concerning issues being faced right now. People are urged to stay home if they are experiencing any symptoms and to follow safety protocols. Oregon has over 105,000 cases of the coronavirus and more than 1,300 deaths since the pandemic began.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 1 million Americans have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine which falls short of the 20 million goal set for the end of the year by the U.S. government. With a second COVID-19 vaccine approved, the biggest challenge is now getting it to 331 million people in the U.S. into the next year. In order to reach the 20 million goal set earlier in the year, the U.S. would have to vaccinate 2.1 million people per day until Dec. 31, according to CNBC. National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said if the government isn't able to meet the goal by the end of the year, he hopes the country will understand the logistical challenges of the vaccine.
On Wednesday, the number of cumulative cases of COVID-19 in California since the start of the pandemic surpassed 2 million, the first state to reach this benchmark. "We know that this emergency is our darkest day, maybe the darkest day in our city's history," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said, according to CBS News. Not only has California confirmed more cases than any other state in the U.S., but it has seen more cases than Italy, Spain or Germany, according to data gathered by Johns Hopkins University. Texas has the second-highest confirmed count of COVID-19 infections with around 1.65 million, followed by Florida with 1.2 million.
Registered nurse Romina Pacheco disinfects her powered air purifying respirator after tending to a patient in a COVID-19 unit decorated with Christmas stockings with nurses' names written on them at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
German soccer team Dynamo Dresden, which currently plays in the country's third tier of soccer, held a unique fundraiser recently to raise funds to help it survive amid a financial crunch caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The team sold more than 72,000 "ghost tickets" for $6.10, or about five euros for Tuesday's match against Darmstadt, according to The Associated Press. Fans were sent a commemorative ticket to keep amid a year in which spectators haven't been allowed inside the stadium's gates in Dresden since the winter. The number of tickets sold is double the capacity of the club's home stadium, the AP reported.
Those who are traveling to New York City could face a $1,000 fine if they are found in violation of the Commissioner’s Health order they will be required to sign when they arrive in the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced. “All travelers will receive a Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner’s Order to quarantine via certified mail,” he said. At least 10,000 cars have been stopped by officials already, the mayor said.CNN reports the sheriff’s deputy office will make a visit to the home of every single U.K. traveler arriving into New York City to make sure they are adhering to the mandatory travel quarantine, or they will be penalized, de Blasio said. “U.K. travelers will be personally served DOH commissioner’s order to quarantine by the sheriff’s office,” de Blasio said. Before this new order, New York City residents were subjected to $1,000 fines for not wearing face masks and violating social distancing rules.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the health officials in the state are conducting tests to ascertain whether the new COVID-19 strain that's spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom has infected any residents. Approximately all of the 4,000 tests performed so far have come out negative, but the CDC acknowledges the strain might have found its way to America. "Given the small fraction of US infections that have been sequenced, the variant could already be in the United States without having been detected,'' the agency wrote on its website.
After the nation reported its second-highest daily tally of COVID-19 cases, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is facing growing public pressure over his COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans, Reuters reported. Local media has criticized the government’s approach to securing vaccines as too relaxed, according to Reuters. Late Tuesday, Moon’s office said a public inoculation program would “not begin too late,” though the government has previously said vaccinations could start as early as February. Health authorities have also expressed concern over public perceptions that view the vaccination program as global competition, placing greater weight on confirming the safety of the shots. A poll by research firm Realmeter found that six in 10 South Koreans believe urgency should be prioritized over safety when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, Reuters reported.
After Congress passed the coronavirus stimulus package on Monday night, U.S. airlines have begun calling back 32,000 furloughed workers to meet a condition in the bill needed for the carriers to receive $15 billion in additional federal payroll support. The aid also requires airlines to agree to keep employees on the payroll through the end of March and restore certain routines, according to CNBC. The bill also calls for the airlines to provide backpay starting Dec. 1, and prohibits dividend payments and caps compensation. The process is still ongoing, as Trump has yet to sign the coronavirus relief bill and made a surprise request to lawmakers late Tuesday to increase the amount of direct payments to individuals and families. However, these employees will like only be called back “temporarily,” United CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart warned in a note to workers before the stimulus bill passed Congress. “The truth is, we just don’t see anything in the data that shows a huge difference in bookings over the next few months,” the United executives wrote. “That is why we expect the recall will be temporary.”
More than 803,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, down about 90,000 from the week prior, according to The Associated Press. The number of jobless claims remains much higher than pre-pandemic levels. Prior to the pandemic, which caused the economy to grind to a halt in March, a typical number for weekly jobless claims was about 225,000, the AP said. At one point the figure reached 6.9 million. The figures were released at a time when Congress is waiting for President Donald Trump to sign a new COVID-19 relief bill into law. The bill will provide for a weekly $300 in additional unemployment benefits from the federal government.
Two cases of a new COVID-19 strain linked to South Africa have been identified in the U.K., prompting the nation to announce restrictions on travel from the African country. The two instances were contacts of cases who had traveled to South Africa over the past few weeks, according to U.K. Health Minister Matt Hancock. “This new variant is highly concerning because it is yet more transmissible and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the U.K.,” Hancock said on Wednesday, the latter mentioned new strain referring to a different strain of the virus that had been recently discovered in Britain. The health minister notes that the actions taken include quarantining cases and close-contact cases found of the new strain in the U.K., implementing restrictions on travel from South Africa and asking anyone who has traveled to or been around someone who has traveled to South Africa to within the past two weeks to quarantine immediately. “We’ll be changing the law to get this legal effect imminently,” Hancock said. “Now, these measures are temporary while we investigate further this new strain.
Here are the important things to note:
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Most experts doubt that the U.K. variant will have any great impact on vaccines, according to The New York Times, although it isn’t yet possible to entirely rule out any effect.
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While there is concern over the transmissibility over the new strain from South Africa, experts are urging caution, saying that it would take years, not months, for the virus to evolve enough to render the current vaccines useless, according to The New York Times.
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Viruses mutate, and the technology used in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines -- which induces an immune response to only the spike protein carried by the coronavirus on its surface, essentially locking the virus out of cells -- are easier to adjust and update to keep pace with mutations than conventional vaccines, Trevor Bedford, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, told The New York Times.
Canada has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in the nation, the country's health department announced Wednesday. The news comes two weeks after the country authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, making it the second vaccine approved by Health Canada, the nation’s health department. The approval of Moderna means that vaccinations can now begin in the more northern, remote and Indigenous communities, which haven’t had access to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine since they lack the necessary freezer equipment to store the vaccine, CBC News reported. “This authorization is a critical step in ensuring a COVID-19 vaccine is available to all Canadians in all parts of the country,” Dr. Supriya Sharma said at the technical briefing in Ottawa on Wednesday. “Since many Canadians live outside major urban areas, this vaccine can be used in communities that haven’t had access to COVID-19 vaccines to date.” Sharma said the nation would receive up to 168,000 doses of the new vaccine before the end of December.
The Czech government extended its state of emergency and announced tighter restrictions on Wednesday after the country reported its fastest daily growth in infections since the beginning of November. The new restrictions would call for the closing of shops as the number of new COVID-19 cases began to escalate. “The Czech Republic will move to the top tier (of its epidemic system) with the highest risk from December 27,” Health Minister Jan Blatny told reporters. The Czech Republic, a member of the European Union, registered 10,821 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the fastest daily growth since Nov. 6, AFP reported. The escalation of these measures will mean shops selling non-essential goods will be shuttered and public gatherings restricted to two people, with a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.These measures will remain in place at least until Jan. 10, and the state of emergency will last at least until Jan. 22, AFP reported.
Dubai will begin distributing Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to its population for free starting Wednesday, the government announced. The move comes after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain began distributing a vaccine by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) to the public, Reuters reported. The UAE was the first country outside of China to distribute the Chinese vaccine to the public, stating earlier in December that it had 86% efficacy, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials. Dubai is planning on prioritizing vaccinating those most at risk in their first phase, including residents 60 years and above and individuals with chronic illness over the age of 18. The second phase will include front-line staff in public and private sectors, followed by vital-sector workers and then the general public.
The U.S. government has come to an agreement with Pfizer and German company BioNTech to secure additional doses of the drugmakers' coronavirus vaccine. According to The Associated Press, the companies said they expect to deliver an additional 100 million doses of the vaccine before July 31. Pfizer had already come to an agreement with the federal government for an initial installment of 100 million doses, the AP said. Pfizer's vaccine requires two doses per patient. The deal, which was announced Wednesday, is said to be worth nearly $2 billion. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said this additional supply will help give people confidence “that we will have enough supply to vaccinate every American who wants it by June 2021,” according to the AP.
FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2020, file photo, David Cheng, director of inpatient pharmacy, prepares the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in Los Angeles. After a punishing fall that left hospital struggling, some Midwestern states are seeing a decline in new coronavirus cases. But the signs of improvement are offset by the infection's accelerating spread on both coasts. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
French President Emmanuel Macron’s health is showing signs of improvement after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 17, his office announced on Wednesday. Since testing positive, he has been self-isolating at Versailles. Macron has said that although he will be working at a slower pace as he recovers, he will continue to address top-priority issues such as France’s response to COVID-19 and Brexit, Reuters reported.
Dr. Deborah Birx, a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force, will reportedly retire in 2021, she told Newsy. Birx, who said she has worked in the federal government since 1980, will reportedly work with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team for as long as she's needed before calling it a career. "I will be helpful in any role that people think I can be helpful in, and then I will retire. ... I only came into the White House to ensure that our COVID response could utilize whatever information I had from confronting epidemics around the globe," Birx told Newsy.
Birx, who has faced criticism at times throughout the pandemic, including recently for a trip she took to a vacation property in Delaware over Thanksgiving, told Newsy the pandemic has affected everyone, including her own family. Birx had said she only traveled to Delaware with immediate family members and for the purpose of winterizing her home, according to The Associated Press. "This experience has been a bit overwhelming. It's been very difficult on my family. I think what was done in the last week to my family, you know, they didn't choose this for me." There is no current date for Birx's retirement, according to Newsy.
The World Health Organization’s chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan told CNBC on Wednesday that although the vaccines are rolling out, it will still take time for most of the global population to receive them. “We are going to approach the beginning of the end, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Swaminathan said. “However, there’s still a tunnel we have to go through, and the next few months are going to be very critical.” She added that the vaccines available will initially protect a very small group of people — those who are most vulnerable and most at risk — before the vaccine is able to be distributed across the rest of the population. However, it would be months before that happens. “It’s going to take till the end of 2021 till we start seeing some level of population immunity coming up in some countries,” she told CNBC’s Street Signs Asia on Wednesday. “We have to keep our guard up, we have to do all the things that we know reduce the transmission and the chances of people getting ill from this,” she said, which would include public health measures and individual behavioral changes.
The 2020-21 NHL season is expected to begin next month without fans inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Despite fans staying home for Flyers games, Gritty, the team mascot, is looking to makes his return to the ice. Gritty started a Change.org petition to have the NHL let him cheer on the Flyers at the stadium. More than 10,000 fans have already signed the petition in less than 48 hours. The NHL did not include mascots in the return to play announcement made earlier this week.
A new study shows a commercially available hand-held device particle counter can be used to measure concentrations of coronavirus-causing virus particles in the air in indoor spaces. The particle counters can detect new coronavirus droplets invisible to the naked eye, the researchers said in the study published Tuesday by the journal Physics of Fluids. The technology can be used to evaluate indoor spaces for the risk of spreading coronavirus and assess cleanliness and ventilation, UPI reports. "The device we used can identify badly ventilated spaces," study co-author Daniel Bonn told UPI. Doing so can enable decisions such as "closing these spaces off" until they can be effectively cleaned, said Bonn, a science professor at the University of Amsterdam.
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