2020 ENDS!

December 31st #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

228,663 New U.S. cases
19,046 New India cases
56,003 New Brazil cases
19,927 New France cases
27,747 New Russia cases
55,892 New UK cases – ALL TIME HIGH
23,477 New Italy cases
32,486 New Germany cases
13,464 New Poland cases
1. 9,699 New Ukraine cases
12,159 New Mexico cases
31,249 New cases in California

Over 83.8 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.8 Million
U.S. Cases topped 20.4 million
Over 228K new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 83,809,705
Daily new cases: 746,674
Global deaths: 1,825,780 with 13,672 new deaths
Global recovered: 59,325,746
Mortality rate: 2.18%
Recovery rate: 70.79%

U.S. cases: 20,445,654
U.S. new cases: 228,663
U.S. deaths: 354,215
U.S. recovered: 12,125,806
U.S. Daily fatalities: 3,437

Texas cases: 1,776,304 with 17,175 new cases
Texas deaths: 28,227 – 329 Today
Dallas County cases: 193,318
Dallas County new cases: – 1,774
Dallas County deaths: 2,00 – 36 today

Today’s Headlines

December 31:

Vitamin D can help reduce coronavirus risk by 54%: Boston University doctor

[Boston Herald] Stop waiting for a miracle drug: A Boston University doctor says a sufficient amount of vitamin D can cut the risk of catching coronavirus by 54%.

“People have been looking for the magic drug or waiting for the vaccine and not looking for something this simple,” said Dr. Michael Holick, professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine.

Holick and his colleagues studied blood samples from Quest Diagnostics of more than 190,000 Americans from all 50 states and found that those who had deficient levels of vitamin D had 54% higher COVID positivity compared to those with adequate levels of vitamin D in the blood.

The risk of getting coronavirus continued to decline as vitamin D levels increased, the study, published in the Public Library of Science One peer-reviewed journal shows.

“The higher your vitamin D status, lower was your risk,” Holick said.

Many people are vitamin D-deficient because there are only small amounts in food, Holick said. Most vitamin D comes from sun exposure and many are deprived, especially during winter months.

But the sunshine vitamin is easy to find and relatively cheap in drug stores, and taking vitamin D pills comes at no risk. “It’s perfectly safe,” Holick said.

This supplement contains all the ingredients currently recommended to ward off this nasty virus, along with some other nice additions.

Taking supplements does NOT mean you should stop being VERY careful.

America’s Vaccine Rollout Is Already a Disaster

[NYMAG] It’s happening all over again. For months, Americans who despaired about the country’s coronavirus-suppression efforts looked desperately to the arrival of a vaccine for a kind of pandemic deliverance. Now that it has arrived, miraculously fast, we are failing utterly to administer it with anything like the urgency the pace of dying requires — and, perhaps most maddeningly, failing in precisely the same way as we did earlier in the year. That is, out of apparent, near-total indifference.

Almost as soon as the coronavirus arrived in the United States, public-health officials understood quite precisely the basic building blocks of a proper response: test, trace, isolate — in the three-beat mantra of those early months. There were, along the way, misunderstandings and miscalculations — about surface versus aerosol transmission, about mask-wearing, about the relative safety of outdoor socializing, among others. But the basic path was abundantly clear, as nearly every epidemiologist kept screaming, and yet the country failed spectacularly to walk down it. Within hours of receiving WHO guidance on January 13, scientists in Thailand began deploying a COVID-19 test, as the Washington Post recently recounted; it took the CDC 46 days to produce one that worked. By March 1, South Korea was administering 11,000 tests per day, a rapidly growing figure; in the U.S., a country about seven times larger, the number was 183. Early, low-end estimates suggested 500,000 to 700,000 tests each day were necessary to slow the spread of the disease, and high-end estimates ran to 3 million per day; the U.S. didn’t reach 700,000 daily tests until mid-June, and still hasn’t reached that threshold of 3 million per day. As recently as August, lab delays caused by pent-up demand meant it was taking so long to deliver results that the tests themselves were effectively meaningless.

…How badly are we doing? In September, President Trump promised 100 million vaccinations by the end of the year. As a country, we have only 40 million doses, and had aimed, according to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, to vaccinate 20 million by year-end. That’s bad enough. But we have administered only 2 million of those — barely 10 percent of the goal. At this rate, achieving sufficient vaccination to reach herd immunity and bring the pandemic to a close in the U.S. will take about seven years. In Israel, they are vaccinating about one percent of the population each day, meaning the full program of population-wide vaccination will be done by this March…

December 30th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

239,287 New U.S. cases
21,957 New India cases
55,853 New Brazil cases
26,457 New France cases
26,513 New Russia cases
50,023 New UK cases
16,202 New Italy cases
24,838 New Germany cases
12,780 New Poland cases
1. 7,986 New Ukraine cases
12,406 New Mexico cases
32,525 New cases in California

Over 83 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.8 Million
U.S. Cases topped 20.2 million
Over 239K new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 83,063,031
Daily new cases: 740,841
Global deaths: 1,812,108 with 15,816 new deaths – ALL TIME HIGH
Global recovered: 58,867,005
Mortality rate: 2.18%
Recovery rate: 70.87%

U.S. cases: 20,216,991
U.S. new cases: 239,287
U.S. deaths: 350,778
U.S. recovered: 11,998,794
U.S. Daily fatalities: 4,199 – ALL TIME HIGH

Texas cases: 1,759,131 with 19,715 new cases
Texas deaths: 27,898 – 314 Today
Dallas County cases: 191,544
Dallas County new cases: – 2,292
Dallas County deaths: 1,971 – 16 today

Today’s Headlines

December 30:

‘We are getting crushed.’ What’s behind the alarming rise in California’s Covid-19 cases

(CNN) Since the Thanksgiving holiday, California has faced a surge of Covid-19 infections unparalleled across the United States, leading to continued daily record highs in hospitalizations and deaths.

Bed capacity in intensive care units has plunged to nearly zero in vast portions of the state as patients rush into hospitals, which are struggling to manage strains on resources and personnel.

“We’re experiencing an explosive and very deadly surge,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said December 16.

State and local officials are continuing to enact lockdown and quarantine protocols for residents and visitors, even as the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine rollout has provided some long-term hope. Aggressive stay-at-home measures put forth throughout California two weeks ago have yet to slow the spread.

As the nation’s most populous state and home to approximately 1 in 9 Americans, California would understandably lead in a category such as total cases in a pandemic felt nationwide. However, it is the sheer volume of sick residents and the rate of increase that is particularly driving alarm.

On November 1, the seven-day average for new daily cases in California was 4,183. On December 29, it was 31,245.

…Yet the spike cannot be attributed to Thanksgiving alone. California cases were already beginning to rise earlier in November. State officials at the time directly tied it to Covid-19 fatigue, with more instances of private, indoor gatherings that can expose individuals to greater risk of infection.

“Unfortunately, the stories I hear from the patients, it’s all been the same story. People are just having Covid fatigue,” Dr. Thomas Yadegar, the ICU director at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, told CNN’s Paul Vercammen on December 18.

Yadegar explained his patients often described practicing social distancing and being mindful until Thanksgiving arrived, even going as far as checking symptoms and testing before meeting family…

‘Out of control’: Dr. Fauci on Covid-19 surge

CNN‘s Jim Sciutto speaks to Dr. Anthony Fauci about the growing coronavirus pandemic, where Fauci says January may be even worse than December.

Watch video

1st reported US case of COVID-19 variant found in Colorado

DENVER — The first reported U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant that’s been seen in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis announced Tuesday, adding urgency to efforts to vaccinate Americans.

The variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver in Elbert County and has no travel history, state health officials said.

Elbert County is a mainly rural area of rolling plains at the far edge of the Denver metro area that includes a portion of Interstate 70, the state’s main east-west highway.

Colorado Politics reported there is a second suspected case of the variant in the state according to Dwayne Smith, director of public health for Elbert County. Both of the people were working in the Elbert County community of Simla. Neither of them are residents of that county — expanding the possibility of the variant’s spread throughout the state.

The Colorado State Laboratory confirmed the virus variant, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified.

Scientists in the U.K. believe the variant is more contagious than previously identified strains. The vaccines being given now are thought to be effective against the variant, Colorado health officials said in a news release.

December 29th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

196,080 New U.S. cases
20,529 New India cases
57,605 New Brazil cases
11,395 New France cases
27,787 New Russia cases
53,135 New UK cases – ALL TIME HIGH
11,210 New Italy cases
15,960 New Germany cases
7,624 New Poland cases
6,988 New Ukraine cases
12,099 New Mexico cases
35,197 New cases in California

Over 82.3 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million
U.S. Cases topped 19.9 million
Over 196K new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 82,322,190
Daily new cases: 650,855
Global deaths: 1,796,292 with 14,787 new deaths
Global recovered: 58,331,524
Mortality rate: 2.18%
Recovery rate: 70.86%

U.S. cases: 19,977,704
U.S. new cases: 196,080
U.S. deaths: 346,579
U.S. recovered: 11,844,472
U.S. Daily fatalities: 3,397

Texas cases: 1,739,416 with 22,696 new cases – ALL TIME HIGH
Texas deaths: 27,584 – 271 Today
Dallas County cases: 189,252
Dallas County new cases: – 1,129
Dallas County deaths: 1,955 – 19 today

Today’s Headlines

December 29:

Wuhan’s infections may have been 10 times higher

(CNN) Nearly half a million residents in the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus first emerged may have been infected with Covid-19 — almost 10 times its official number of confirmed cases, according to a study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The study used a sample of 34,000 people in the general population in Wuhan — the original epicenter of the pandemic — and other cities in Hubei province, as well as Beijing, Shanghai, and the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan and Liaoning to estimate Covid-19 infection rates.

The researchers found an antibody prevalence rate of 4.43% for Covid-19 among residents in Wuhan, a metropolis of 11 million people. As of Sunday, Wuhan had reported a total of 50,354 confirmed cases of Covid-19, according to the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.

The study aimed to estimate the scale of past infections in a population by testing blood serum samples from a pool of people for coronavirus antibodies. Its findings are not taken to be final statistics of how many people in a given area have been exposed to the virus.

The Chinese CDC said the study was conducted a month after China “contained the first wave of the Covid-19 epidemic.” The prevalence rate outside of Wuhan is significantly lower, the study showed. In other cities in Hubei, only 0.44% of residents surveyed were found to have coronavirus antibodies.

Outside the province, antibodies were only detected in two people among the more than 12,000 residents surveyed.

The results of the study were revealed in a Chinese CDC post on social media Monday. It did not mention whether the study has been published in academic journals.

December 28th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

207,777 New U.S. cases
16,072 New India cases
32,605 New Brazil cases
2,960 New France cases
27,787 New Russia cases
41,385 New UK cases – ALL TIME HIGH
8,581 New Italy cases
14,872 New Germany cases
3,211 New Poland cases
4,385 New Ukraine cases
5,996 New Mexico cases
38,705 New cases in California

Over 81.6 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million
U.S. Cases topped 19.7 million
Over 207K new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 81,671,335
Daily new cases: 529,206
Global deaths: 1,781,505 with 9,621 new deaths
Global recovered: 57,797,388
Mortality rate: 2.18%
Recovery rate: 70.77%

U.S. cases: 19,781,624
U.S. new cases: 207,777
U.S. deaths: 343,182
U.S. recovered: 11,696,727
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,044

Texas cases: 1,715,594 with 18,880 new cases
Texas deaths: 27,313 – 126 Today
Dallas County cases: 188,123
Dallas County new cases: – 1,243
Dallas County deaths: 1,936 – 5 today

December 27th #COVID19 Status

U.S. numbers are significantly low due to lack of activity during this holiday. Expect this to be the case through the weekend.

Highest Growth Zones:

140,000 New U.S. cases
20,333 New India cases
8,479 New Brazil cases
8,822 New France cases
28,284 New Russia cases
32,340 New UK cases
8,937 New Italy cases
12,153 New Germany cases
3,842 New Poland cases
6,113 New Ukraine cases
6,217 New Mexico cases
23,079 New cases in California

Over 81.1 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million
U.S. Cases topped 19.5 million
Over 140K new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 81,142,129
Daily new cases: 424,395
Global deaths: 1,771,884 with 7,263 new deaths
Global recovered: 57,291,222
Mortality rate: 2.18%
Recovery rate: 70.61%

U.S. cases: 19,573,847
U.S. new cases: 140,000
U.S. deaths: 341,138
U.S. recovered: 11,495,875
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,217

Texas cases: 1,696,714 with 12,887 new cases
Texas deaths: 27,187 – 58 Today
Dallas County cases: 186,880
Dallas County new cases: – 6,074
Dallas County deaths: 1,931 – 6 today

Today’s Headlines

December 27:

The casualties of this year’s viral conspiracy theories

[BBC] — Conspiracy theories ripped through the internet this year, destroying relationships and endangering lives.

The flurry of online falsehoods about coronavirus began as soon as the pandemic hit.

Misleading pictures suggesting tanks were rolling down village streets and lists of false diagnostic tips were frantically forwarded on WhatsApp.

As luck would have it, I had just begun my job reporting on the impact of online disinformation.

With the help of a BBC team of experts, I got to work looking into the spread of one really viral post.

At first glance, the post seemed legitimate, because the information was attributed to a trusted source: a doctor, an institution, or well-educated “uncle”. It hopped across Facebook profiles around the world, translated into Italian, Arabic and a dozen other languages.

But along with useful information like “wash your hands”, it listed false cures and phony diagnostic tests.

One of the people most responsible for its online spread was an 84-year-old pensioner from Buckinghamshire.

Peter Lee Goodchild assured me that he did not intend to share bad information – but his version of the dodgy post accumulated more than 400,000 shares in early spring.

Have his online habits changed since he went super viral? Not a whole lot.

“Four times I’ve been pulled up by Full Fact or one of the others who vet Facebook to say ‘No that’s incorrect’ or ‘That wasn’t said’ or ‘That didn’t happen’,” Peter explained when I spoke to him later.

He told me he posts on Facebook now more than ever.

Peter may have had good intentions, and although some of the information in his viral post was wrong, it wasn’t critically dangerous.

That’s not always the case when it comes to online falsehoods. Our team found numerous links around the world between misleading and false posts online and serious real world harm.

False claims about 5G technology inspired arsons attacks on phone masts and assaults on telecommunications workers. We catalogued mass poisonings and overdoses of hydroxychloroquine – a drug that world leaders like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro falsely claimed cures or prevents Covid-19.

December 26th #COVID19 Status

U.S. numbers are significantly low due to lack of activity during this holiday. Expect this to be the case through the weekend.

Highest Growth Zones:

223,681 New U.S. cases
18,574 New India cases
17,246 New Brazil cases
3,093 New France cases
29,258 New Russia cases
34,693 New UK cases
10,405 New Italy cases
10,432 New Germany cases
4,878 New Poland cases
7,709 New Ukraine cases
4,974 New Mexico cases
56,830 New cases in California

Over 80.7 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million
U.S. Cases topped 19.4 million
Over 223K new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 80,717,733
Daily new cases: 510,578
Global deaths: 1,764,621 with 6,981 new deaths
Global recovered: 56,908,850
Mortality rate: 2.19%
Recovery rate: 70.50%

U.S. cases: 19,433,847
U.S. new cases: 223,681
U.S. deaths: 339,921
U.S. recovered: 11,410,501
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,658

Texas cases: 1,671,790 with 5,691 new cases
Texas deaths: 27,129 – 20 Today
Dallas County cases: 180,806
Dallas County new cases: – 1,388
Dallas County deaths: 1,925 – 4 today

Today’s Headlines

December 26:

Covid symptoms: What are they and how long should I self-isolate for?

The three main symptoms of coronavirus are a fever, a continuous dry cough, or a loss of smell or taste.

According to the UK National Health Service, anyone with these symptoms should get a Covid test and stay at home to help stop the virus from spreading.

But how do you know if you have Covid-19, or you are ill with something else? What do the symptoms feel like?

And how long do you need to self-isolate for exactly?

BBC health and science correspondent Laura Foster explains.

Watch Video – There are TWO back-to-back – watch BOTH

December 25th #COVID19 Status

Christmas Day

U.S. numbers are significantly low due to lack of activity during this holiday. Expect this to be the case through the weekend.

Highest Growth Zones:

98,840 New U.S. cases
22,350 New India cases
22,967 New Brazil cases
20,262 New France cases
29,018 New Russia cases
32,725 New UK cases
19,037 New Italy cases
18,411 New Germany cases
9,091 New Poland cases
11,035 New Ukraine cases
19,679 New Mexico cases – ALL TIME HIGH
21,797 New cases in California

Over 80.2 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million
U.S. Cases topped 19.2 million
Over 98K new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 80,207,155
Daily new cases: 475,655
Global deaths: 1,757,640 with 8,211 new deaths
Global recovered: 56,471,521
Mortality rate: 2.19%
Recovery rate: 70.41%

U.S. cases: 19,210,166
U.S. new cases: 98,840
U.S. deaths: 338,263
U.S. recovered: 11,257,711
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,197

Texas cases: 1,666,099 with 2,347 new cases
Texas deaths: 27,109 – 151 Today
Dallas County cases: 179,418
Dallas County new cases: – None Reported
Dallas County deaths: 1,921 – 17 today

December 24th #COVID19 Status

Christmas Eve

U.S. numbers are significantly low due to lack of activity during this holiday. Expect this to be the case through the weekend.

Highest Growth Zones:

194,174 New U.S. cases
23,914 New India cases
58,916 New Brazil cases
21,634 New France cases
29,935 New Russia cases – ALL TIME HIGH
39,036 New UK cases – ALL TIME HIGH
18,039 New Italy cases
26,418 New Germany cases
13,105 New Poland cases
11,490 New Ukraine cases
12,485 New Mexico cases
34,959 New cases in California

Over 79.7 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million
U.S. Cases topped 19 million
Over 194k new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 79,731,500
Daily new cases: 677,806
Global deaths: 1,749,149 with 11,800 new deaths
Global recovered: 56,128,897
Mortality rate: 2.19%
Recovery rate: 70.40%

U.S. cases: 19,111,326
U.S. new cases: 194,174
U.S. deaths: 337,066
U.S. recovered: 11,219,123
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,848

Texas cases: 1,663,752 with 7,093 new cases
Texas deaths: 26,958 – 242 Today
Dallas County cases: 179,418
Dallas County new cases: – None Reported
Dallas County deaths: 1,904 – 33 today

December 23rd #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

232,524 New U.S. cases
24,246 New India cases
46,657 New Brazil cases
14,929 New France cases
27,250 New Russia cases
39,237 New UK cases
13,908 New Italy cases
31,297 New Germany cases
12,358 New Poland cases
10,136 New Ukraine cases
11,653 New Mexico cases
44,598 New cases in California

Over 79 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million
U.S. Cases topped 18.9 million
Over 232k new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 79,053,694
Daily new cases: 691,738
Global deaths: 1,737,629 with 13,797 new deaths
Global recovered: 55,647,083
Mortality rate: 2.20%
Recovery rate: 70.39%

U.S. cases: 18,917,152
U.S. new cases: 232,524
U.S. deaths: 334,218
U.S. recovered: 11,101,833
U.S. Daily fatalities: 3,394

Texas cases: 1,656,659 with 20,672 new cases
Texas deaths: 26,716 – 255 Today
Dallas County cases: 179,418
Dallas County new cases: 2,512
Dallas County deaths: 1,871 – 18 today

December 22nd #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

210,912 New U.S. cases

23,886 New India cases

55,799 New Brazil cases

11,795 New France cases

28,776 New Russia cases

36,803 New UK cases

13,316 New Italy cases

22,495 New Germany cases

7,192 New Poland cases

8,513 New Ukraine cases

12,511 New Mexico cases

34,914 New cases in California

Over 78.3 million Global cases

Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million

U.S. Cases topped 18.6 million

Over 210k new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 78,361,956

Daily new cases: 645,710

Global deaths: 1,723,832 with 14,908 new deaths – ALL TIME HIGH

Global recovered: 55,123,207

Mortality rate: 2.20%

Recovery rate: 70.34%

U.S. cases: 18,684,628

U.S. new cases: 210,912

U.S. deaths: 330,824

U.S. recovered: 10,945,097

U.S. Daily fatalities: 4,052 – ALL TIME HIGH

Texas cases: 1,635,987 with 21,705 new cases – ALL TIME HIGH

Texas deaths: 26,461 – 300 Today

Dallas County cases: 176,906

Dallas County new cases: 1,853

Dallas County deaths: 1,841 – 12 today

December 21st #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

206,137 New U.S. cases
19,174 New India cases
25,621 New Brazil cases
5,797 New France cases
29,350 New Russia cases
33,364 New UK cases
10,869 New Italy cases
19,333 New Germany cases
4,633 New Poland cases
6,545 New Ukraine cases
5,370 New Mexico cases
43,102 New cases in California

Over 77.7 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.7 Million
U.S. Cases topped 18.4 million
Over 206k new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 77,716,246
Daily new cases: 546,855
Global deaths: 1,708,924 with 9,364 new deaths
Global recovered: 54,591,959
Mortality rate: 2.20%
Recovery rate: 70.25%

U.S. cases: 18,473,716
U.S. new cases: 206,137
U.S. deaths: 326,772
U.S. recovered: 10,802,496
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,903

Texas cases: 1,614,282 with 16,809 new cases
Texas deaths: 26,161 – 142 Today
Dallas County cases: 174,540
Dallas County new cases: 1,814
Dallas County deaths: 1,841 – 10 today

Today’s Headlines

December 21, 2020:

Countries cut UK off as Johnson holds crisis meeting on new coronavirus variant

(CNN)British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was due to chair an emergency meeting with ministers Monday after the announcement of a potentially fast-spreading new coronavirus variant prompted a chaotic border shutdown.

Alarm over the new variant, which was first identified in England, has resulted in British travelers being cut off from much of Europe and other parts of the world as countries imposed restrictions on travel from the UK.

France announced a temporary ban on all travel and accompanied freight on Sunday night, a potential disaster for UK exporters who rely on trade with Europe. The border closure exacerbated pre-Christmas delays, with trucks backed up from the port of Dover in the southeast of England, a key crossing point for hauliers.

Worse, the move has sparked fears that European exporters would be reluctant to send goods to the UK, for fear of not being able to return. The timing of the restrictions, just days before Christmas and the end of the Brexit transition period, raised concerns about food and medicine shortages in the UK at a critical time.

In the UK, Kent Police closed sections of England’s M20 motorway to “avoid gridlock” in the area surrounding the Eurotunnel. Operation “Stack” — a contingency plan that allows part of the highway to be allocated to parked trucks — has been put in place.

Covid-19: UK isolation grows as more countries ban travel

[BBC] — More countries have banned arrivals from the UK because of concerns at the spread of a new variant of coronavirus.

India is the latest state to suspend flights from the UK, joining Hong Kong, Canada, Switzerland and Germany.

On Sunday evening, France shut its border with the UK for 48 hours, meaning no lorries or ferries will be able to sail from the port of Dover.

The French government said on Monday it will establish a protocol “to ensure movement from the UK can resume”.

As queues grow in Kent, the prime minister is due to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee.

Norway, Belgium and the Irish Republic have also suspended flights from the UK. India will halt flights from Tuesday evening, until the evening of 31 December.

Austria is also set to bring in a ban, while Bulgaria has suspended flights to and from the UK from midnight. Unlike the short-term measures in many other nations, its ban lasts until 31 January.

European Union member states are currently meeting in Brussels to discuss a co-ordinated response.

Thailand had kept its coronavirus cases under control. Now it’s testing thousands as it battles a shrimp market outbreak

[CNN] — Thailand on Sunday began testing tens of thousands of people for coronavirus and extended curbs on movement, a day after locking down a province following the country’s worst outbreak yet.

The outbreak began at a shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, a province southwest of Bangkok and a center of the seafood industry that is home to thousands of migrant workers.

Four cases were reported there on Friday and that number had jumped to 689 by Sunday, the public health ministry said. Thailand had previously kept the epidemic in check, recording around 5,000 Covid-19 cases.

“Today is just the first stage,” Kiattiphum Wongrajit, the ministry’s permanent secretary, told a news conference. “Further results will show a lot more infections.”

He said up to 40,000 people would be tested in Samut Sakhon and nearby provinces, with over 10,000 tests to be conducted by Wednesday.

Migrant workers, mostly from Myanmar, lined up for testing on Sunday, along with some Thais. Most cases identified so far have been asymptomatic, health officials said.

Barbed wire surrounded the market on Sunday as authorities in Bangkok ordered all schools in three districts in the capital that have borders with Samut Sakhon, 45 kilometers (30 miles) away by road, to close until January 4.

The province is due to stay under lockdown and nighttime curfew until January 3, and Kiattiphum said the ministry expected to bring the situation under control in two to four weeks.

December 20th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

189,811 New U.S. cases
24,549 New India cases
25,445 New Brazil cases
12,799 New France cases
28,948 New Russia cases
35,928 New UK cases
15,102 New Italy cases
20,822 New Germany cases
8,590 New Poland cases
8,325 New Ukraine cases
6,870 New Mexico cases
41,801 New cases in California

Over 77.1 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 18.2 million
Over 189k new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 77,169,391
Daily new cases: 549,246
Global deaths: 1,699,560 with 7,788 new deaths
Global recovered: 54,088,483
Mortality rate: 2.20%
Recovery rate: 70.09%

U.S. cases: 18,267,579
U.S. new cases: 189,811
U.S. deaths: 324,869
U.S. recovered: 10,622,082
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,468

Texas cases: 1,597,473 with 10,572 new cases
Texas deaths: 26,019 – 109 Today
Dallas County cases: 172,726
Dallas County new cases: 1,143
Dallas County deaths: 1,831 – 8 today

Today’s Headlines

December 19, 2020:

New coronavirus variant: What do we know?

[BBC] The rapid spread of a new variant of coronavirus has been blamed for the introduction of strict tier four mixing rules for millions of people, harsher restrictions on mixing at Christmas in England, Scotland and Wales, and other countries placing the UK on a travel ban.

So how has it gone from being non-existent to the most common form of the virus in parts of England in a matter of months?

The government’s advisers on new infections have “moderate” confidence that it is more able to transmit than other variants.

All the work is at an early stage, contains huge uncertainties and a long list of unanswered questions.

As I’ve written before, viruses mutate all the time and it’s vital to keep a laser focus on whether the virus’ behaviour is changing.

Why is this variant causing concern?

Three things are coming together that mean it is attracting attention:

It is rapidly replacing other versions of the virus
It has mutations that affect part of the virus likely to be important
Some of those mutations have already been shown in the lab to increase the ability of the virus to infect cells

All of these come together to build a case for a virus that can spread more easily.

However, we do not have absolute certainty. New strains can become more common simply by being in the right place at the right time – such as London, which had only tier two restrictions until recently.

But already the justification for tier four restrictions is in part to reduce the spread of the variant.

“Laboratory experiments are required, but do you want to wait weeks or months [to see the results and take action to limit the spread]? Probably not in these circumstances,” Prof Nick Loman, from the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium, told me.

December 19th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

189,415 New U.S. cases
26,834 New India cases
49,243 New Brazil cases
17,565 New France cases
28,209 New Russia cases
27,052 New UK cases
16,305 New Italy cases
31,553 New Germany cases
11,245 New Poland cases
11,742 New Ukraine cases
12,129 New Mexico cases
36,929 New cases in California

Over 76 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 18 million
Over 189k new U.S. cases –

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 76,620,145
Daily new cases: 613,120
Global deaths: 1,691,772 with 10,693 new deaths
Global recovered: 53,747,151
Mortality rate: 2.21%
Recovery rate: 70.15%

U.S. cases: 17,888,353
U.S. new cases: 189,415
U.S. deaths: 323,401
U.S. recovered: 10,545,445
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,556

Texas cases: 1,586,901 with 14,307 new cases
Texas deaths: 25,910 – 247 Today
Dallas County cases: 171,583
Dallas County new cases: 1,723
Dallas County deaths: 1,823 – 13 today

Today’s Headlines

December 19, 2020:

Ventilator blast kills nine in Turkey

Nine people have been killed after an oxygen ventilator exploded at a hospital treating coronavirus patients in southern Turkey, officials say.

[BBC] — The blast caused a fire in the intensive care unit of the private Sanko University Hospital in Gaziantep, the local governor’s office said.

At least one of the patients died while being transferred to another hospital.

No injuries were reported in relation to the fire, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning and was quickly put out.

The victims were aged between 56 and 85, the hospital said in a statement.

An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the explosion.

New strain of Covid-19 can spread more quickly

London (CNN) Parts of Britain will go back into lockdown during Christmas after a newly identified strain of Covid-19 proved to spread more quickly than previous strains of the virus.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced a series of stricter coronavirus restrictions, tightening rules around household mixing that were due to be relaxed over Christmas in London and southeast England.

The PM broke the news Saturday that London and the southeast of England, where cases are surging, will go into Tier 4 restrictions, similar to a lockdown, on Sunday.

“The spread is being driven by the new variant of the virus,” Johnson said in a hastily called press conference. “It appears to spread more easily and may be up to 70% more transmissable than the earlier strain.”

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned Saturday that a newly identified variant of Covid-19 “can spread more quickly” than previous strains of the virus.

“This is now spreading very fast,” Johnson warned. “It is with a very heavy heart that I say we cannot continue with Christmas as planned.”

Johnson outlined that in areas under the toughest restrictions, there will be no possibility for household mixing over Christmas. In areas under Tier 3, mixing will now be restricted to Christmas Day.

As recently as this week, Johnson reiterated his pledge to relax rules over the Christmas period, allowing up to three households to mix for five days. But as of Saturday, the entire nation is being asked not to travel and those under the highest level of restrictions, will not be allowed to travel abroad except for work purposes.

According to Whitty, the new variant is responsible for 60% of infections in London, which have nearly doubled in the last week.

Earlier, he said “urgent work” is underway to establish whether the new strain, prevalent in the southeast of England, can cause a higher mortality rate.

“There is no current evidence to suggest the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments although urgent work is underway to confirm this,” Whitty said in a statement.

California’s Covid surge has no parallel across the U.S.

ICU bed capacity has plunged to nearly zero in vast portions of the state as patients rush into hospitals, which are struggling to manage strains on resources and personnel.

“We’re experiencing an explosive and very deadly surge,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said.

State and local officials are continuing to enact lockdown and quarantine protocols for residents and visitors,even as the Pfizer vaccine rollout has provided some long-term hope. While it may be too early to tell due to the virus’ long incubation time, aggressive stay-at-home measures put forth throughout California two weeks ago have yet to slow the spread.

On November 1, the seven-day average for new daily cases in California was 4,183. On Thursday, it was 38,774.

… Yet the spike cannot be attributed to Thanksgiving alone. California cases were already beginning to rise earlier in November. State officials at the time directly tied it to Covid-19 fatigue, with more instances of private, indoor gatherings that can expose individuals to greater risk of infection.

December 18th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

261,583 New U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH
25,378 New India cases
52,385 New Brazil cases
15,674 New France cases
28,552 New Russia cases
28,507 New UK cases
15,401 New Italy cases
31,553 New Germany cases – ALL TIME HIGH
11,010 New Poland cases
12,630 New Ukraine cases
12,248 New Mexico cases
49,593 New cases in California

Over 76 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 17.8 million
Over 261k new U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 76,007,025
Daily new cases: 724,227
Global deaths: 1,681,079 with 12,723 new deaths
Global recovered: 53,275,902
Mortality rate: 2.21%
Recovery rate: 70.09%

U.S. cases: 17,888,353
U.S. new cases: 261,583 – ALL TIME HIGH
U.S. deaths: 320,845
U.S. recovered: 10,394,286
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,917

Texas cases: 1,572,594 with 16,588 new cases
Texas deaths: 25,663 – 262 Today
Dallas County cases: 169,860
Dallas County new cases: 2,248
Dallas County deaths: 1,810 – 22 today

Today’s Headlines

December 18, 2020:

In the Stupidity Knows No Bounds Category:
In the cutting off your nose to spite your face category:
In the shooting yourself in the foot category:
In the Willful Ignorance category:

Houston doctor says half of the nurses in his unit don’t want COVID-19 vaccine for political reasons

[Fox News] — Health care workers were the first nationwide to receive the COVID-19 vaccine this week, but a doctor at Houston Memorial Medical Center said Wednesday that half of his unit’s nurses don’t want it, calling it a “political toy.”

“Yesterday I had a – not a fight – but I had a friendly argument with more than 50 percent of my nurses, in my unit, telling me that they would not get the vaccine,” Dr. Joseph Varon told NPR’s Steve Inskeep Wednesday.

“Of course I pushed the concept that people should get vaccinated, and I asked, ‘why not?’ And, you know, at the end of the day, like I have said before, coronavirus has become a political toy, and most of the reasons why most of my people don’t want to get the vaccine are politically motivated.”

Varon said that he and his staff will have access to the vaccine next week. Despite some hesitation, he said others are “very happy” and “actually kind of annoyed” that they didn’t make the first round of vaccination.

The first shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine contained about three million doses, with many more to come over the next weeks and months.

About 27% of those in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Tuesday, said they probably or definitely will not get the COVID-19 vaccine, even if it is free and deemed safe.

The number of Americans who said they probably or definitely will get it when it’s available now stands at 71%, an increase from 63% in September.

The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines begins distribution just as the U.S. reaches 16,716,777 confirmed cases and 303,773 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

December 17th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

234,252 New U.S. cases
28,375 New India cases
68,832 New Brazil cases
18,254 New France cases
28,214 New Russia cases
35,383 New UK cases – ALL TIME HIGH
18,233 New Italy cases
30,951 New Germany cases – ALL TIME HIGH
11,953 New Poland cases
12,047 New Ukraine cases
11,799 New Mexico cases
44,937 New cases in California

Over 75.2 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 17.6 million
Over 234k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 75,282,798
Daily new cases: 748,643 – ALL TIME HIGH
Global deaths: 1,668,356 with 13,130 new deaths
Global recovered: 52,852,602
Mortality rate: 2.22%
Recovery rate: 70.21%

U.S. cases: 17,626,770
U.S. new cases: 234,252
U.S. deaths: 317,928
U.S. recovered: 10,291,057
U.S. Daily fatalities: 3,351

Texas cases: 1,556,006 with 15,015 new cases
Texas deaths: 25,401 – 255 Today
Dallas County cases: 167,612
Dallas County new cases: 1,382
Dallas County deaths: 1,788 – 23 today

Today’s Headlines

December 17, 2020:

Japanese leader appears to flout virus guidelines as country grapples with record cases

Tokyo (CNN)Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has expressed “remorse” for attending a group dinner with celebrity friends in apparent breach of his own government’s coronavirus guidelines, as infection rates in the country continue to surge.

For weeks, Japanese health officials have urged citizens to reduce their daily activities, remain vigilant and only dine out in small numbers to curb a resurgent winter Covid-19 wave that has seen daily case numbers climb to their highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic.

But on Monday, Suga appeared to disregard those guidelines by attending a gathering with seven guests, who were all over the age of 70, at a high-end steak restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza district.

Addressing reporters at the Prime Minister’s residence on Wednesday, Suga said, “There was sufficient social distance with other participants, but I seriously remorseful for inviting the public skepticism.”

“We have been taking precautions, but the number of infections remains at a high level with 3,000 new infections confirmed in the last weekend. We are taking this very seriously. Experts pointed out the group dining has higher risks,” Suga said.

The COVID Vaccine Could Temporarily Paralyze This Body Part, FDA Warns

[NEWSBREAK] The COVID Vaccine Could Temporarily Paralyze This Body Part, FDA Warns. Less than a week after Pfizer’s highly effective vaccine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more good news came when the agency stated that it plans to approve another highly effective vaccine from pharmaceutical company Moderna as soon as the end of the week. But the FDA also met these announcements with a warning for doctors that the COVID vaccine from both companies could potentially cause a strange side effect: Bell’s palsy, which is temporary facial paralysis. Read on to see what the agency says about this issue, and for more on your inoculation, check out If You Cut the Line for the COVID Vaccine, It Could Have This Scary Effect.

California reports record number of new cases by an order of magnitude

[OBLIVIOTS] — Yesterday California set an all time high for new cases of OVER 61,000.

61,569 new cases in one day.

Recently California has been trending the low to mid 30k range per day.

DOUBLE the next highest state (Texas)

So here is a set of graphs from my spreadsheet in my Coronavirus Blog that compares Texas and California over time.

I’m sure you will find this interesting.

Californians should be VERY worried.

The problem counties in this order are:

Southern California:

Los Angeles Highest by far at 566,005 cases
San Bernadino
Riverside
San Diego
Orange
Kern

Northern California:

Sacramento
Santa Clara (Silicon Valley)

Yesterday was a banner day for case growth worldwide, as 727,572 new cases were reported. This is a ALL TIME HIGH by quite a bit.

719,776 was the previous high on December 11th, but we are generally trending in the mid 500k to low 600k per day range overall.

So posting over 700 THOUSAND new cases per day is getting dangerously close to posting ONE MILLION new cases in a day.

As it is, we are globally adding ONE MILLION CASES every TWO days now.

Let’s ALL be very careful out there.

Try not to be a statistic, OK?

December 16th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

248,739 New U.S. cases
18,164 New India cases
68,437 New Brazil cases
17,615 New France cases
26,509 New Russia cases
25,161 New UK cases
1. 17,568 New Italy cases
28,969 New Germany cases – ALL TIME HIGH
12,455 New Poland cases
10,622 New Ukraine cases
10,297 New Mexico cases
61,732 New cases in California – ALL TIME HIGH

Over 74.5 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 17.3 million
Over 248k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 74,634,155
Daily new cases: 727,572 – ALL TIME HIGH
Global deaths: 1,655,226 with 13,591 new deaths
Global recovered: 52,372,534
Mortality rate: 2.22%
Recovery rate: 70.27%

U.S. cases: 17,392,518
U.S. new cases: 248,739
U.S. deaths: 314,577
U.S. recovered: 10,170,735
U.S. Daily fatalities: 3,509 – ALL TIME HIGH

Texas cases: 1,540,991 with 20,953 new cases
Texas deaths: 25,146 – 256 Today
Dallas County cases: 166,230
Dallas County new cases: 2,438
Dallas County deaths: 1,765 – 25 today

December 15th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

200,957 New U.S. cases
26,401 New India cases
44,849 New Brazil cases
11,532 New France cases
26,689 New Russia cases
18,450 New UK cases
1. 14,839 New Italy cases
21,377 New Germany cases
6,874 New Poland cases
8,416 New Ukraine cases
11,228 New Mexico cases
35,384 New cases in California – ALL TIME HIGH

Over 73.8 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 17 million
Over 200k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 73,805,583
Daily new cases: 616,165
Global deaths: 1,641,635 with 13,735 new deaths – ALL TIME HIGH
Global recovered: 51,816,716
Mortality rate: 2.22%
Recovery rate: 70.21%

U.S. cases: 17,143,779
U.S. new cases: 200,957
U.S. deaths: 311,068
U.S. recovered: 9,871,663
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,979

Texas cases: 1,520,083 with 19,718 new cases
Texas deaths: 24,890 – 220 Today
Dallas County cases: 163,792
Dallas County new cases: 1,947
Dallas County deaths: 1,740 – 12 today

Today’s Headlines

December 15, 2020:

Deadliest place in America: They shrugged off the pandemic…

QUINTER, Kansas — Sitting in the front seat of a red pickup as wind-whipped sorghum husks fly down Main Street like snowflakes, Ivy Charles fingers the white surgical mask slipped down beneath her chin.

“He was a puzzle piece who can never be replaced,” she says, tears welling into her tired eyes. “He was supposed to get better. We weren’t expecting him to die.”

Just over a month ago, the now-rampaging coronavirus pandemic tore through this rural town of 1,000 and surrounding Gove County, killing 20 residents. Among them was Charles’ father, Edward “Mac” McElhaney, 78.

Here, where most everyone knows most everyone else, the pandemic has killed farmers and their wives. The town’s unofficial historian. The beloved grandmother whose sour cream chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting was always the talk of the party. The mom whose piano-playing still echoes in the heads of her friends.

And it has drained the hearts of the survivors. Those who feel guilty that they recovered. The ambulance workers battling to treat their own relatives. The exhausted doctor who watched nearly half his patients die.

“It was overwhelming and sad and you don’t think you have that many tears to shed,” says Charles, 46. “And you do.”

As of Thursday, coronavirus has killed a higher percentage of Gove County residents than any other county in the United States: One out of every 132 people has died.

Their intertwined stories illuminate the toll the pandemic has taken on communities across the country as emotional debates over how to control the infection have unfolded amid mounting losses.

Even today, mask-wearing remains controversial in Gove County, and friendships are being strained as authorities struggle to persuade their neighbors to follow basic public health guidelines, such as avoiding large gatherings.

December 14th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

205,555 New U.S. cases
21,791 New India cases
27,419 New Brazil cases
3,063 New France cases
27,328 New Russia cases
20,263 New UK cases
1. 12,025 New Italy cases
18,658 New Germany cases
4,896 New Poland cases
6,451 New Ukraine cases
5,930 New Mexico cases
29,643 New cases in California

Over 73.1 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 16 million
Over 205k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 73,190,418
Daily new cases: 543,772
Global deaths: 1,627,900 with 8,992 new deaths
Global recovered: 51,323,676
Mortality rate: 2.22%
Recovery rate: 70.12%

U.S. cases: 16,942,822
U.S. new cases: 205,555
U.S. deaths: 308,089
U.S. recovered: 9,871,663
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,630

Texas cases: 1,500,320 with 12,951 new cases
Texas deaths: 24,670 – 55 Today
Dallas County cases: 161,845
Dallas County new cases: 1,699
Dallas County deaths: 1,728 – 2 today

Today’s Headlines

December 14, 2020:

Yes, a Covid-19 vaccine has arrived. But here’s what NOT to do

(CNN) The country’s first Covid-19 vaccines could be administered as soon as Monday, after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine received green lights from the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Shipments of the vaccine are expected to arrive in all 50 states on Monday, with more on the way. It’s a monumental moment and achievement, given the new coronavirus emerged just a year ago.

But the pandemic isn’t over yet. Here are three things you shouldn’t do until things are under control.

Don’t rush to your doctor to get a vaccine

First things first: It will be months before most people can receive the vaccine, so be patient and don’t rush out to your doctor’s office or pharmacy in hopes of getting one right away.

It’s up to states to allocate their share of vaccines, but the CDC has recommended that frontline health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities get the vaccine first. Other high-priority groups include essential workers, emergency personnel and those with underlying health conditions that put them at a higher risk of complications or death.

For the next several months, the focus will be on vaccinating these individuals, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN last week. And it will likely be the spring when the vaccine becomes more widely available.

“I would project by the time you get to April, it will be … ‘open season,’ in the sense of anyone, even the non-high-priority groups, could get vaccinated,” Fauci said.

Pointing to the other vaccine candidates in clinical trials and under FDA review, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Axios last week there will be enough vaccines for any American who wants one by the end of the second quarter of 2021.

“We want to make this eventually so it’s as much like getting your flu vaccine as possible,” he said.

Jan Malcolm, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health, told CNN she thinks it’s a “great idea” for people to call their doctor’s office to find out what their plan might be for administering vaccines, but that information may not be readily available just yet.

FDA commissioner’s advice on taking the vaccine if you have allergies

[CNN] FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn spoke to CNN’s Jake Tapper about Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine as the first batch was shipped out across the US. Hahn advised Americans with allergies to read the vaccine’s product labeling on the FDA’s website to check for any components that might cause an allergic reaction.

Watch video

December 13th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

187,901 New U.S. cases
27,336 New India cases
21,395 New Brazil cases
11,533 New France cases
28,080 New Russia cases
18,447 New UK cases
1. 17,937 New Italy cases
17,891 New Germany cases
8,976 New Poland cases
9,176 New Ukraine cases
8,608 New Mexico cases
33,176 New cases in California

Over 72.6 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 16 million
Over 187k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 72,646,646
Daily new cases: 542,607
Global deaths: 1,618,908 with 7,408 new deaths
Global recovered: 50,864,816
Mortality rate: 2.23%
Recovery rate: 70.02%

U.S. cases: 16,737,267
U.S. new cases: 187,901
U.S. deaths: 306,459
U.S. recovered: 9,724,439
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,377

Texas cases: 1,487,369 with 8,542 new cases
Texas deaths: 24,615 – 101 Today
Dallas County cases: 160,146
Dallas County new cases: 1,810
Dallas County deaths: 1,726 – 4 today

Today’s Headlines

December 13, 2020:

US starts huge vaccine delivery operation

[BBC] The US public will start receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine from Monday after it was authorised for emergency use, officials say.

The first three million doses of the vaccine would be shipped “across all states” this weekend, said Gen Gustave Perna, who is overseeing distribution.

The vaccine offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 and was deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

On Saturday, the US recorded a daily toll of 3,309 Covid-related deaths.

The figure, reported on the Johns Hopkins University website, is the highest total in a single day anywhere in the world.

Coronavirus deaths have been rising sharply since November in the US.

Authorising the emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Friday, the FDA – which had come under intense pressure from the Trump administration to do so – said the move was a “significant milestone” in the pandemic.

A mass inoculation drive using doses of the same vaccine has already begun in the UK.

Loading process of first shipment of Pfizer vaccine has begun

[CNN] The loading process of the first shipment of Pfizer vaccine has begun at the Kalamazoo facility in Michigan. This first shipment of vaccine will be going to all 50 states.

Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of the federal government’s vaccine initiative Operation Warp Speed previously said he expected 145 sites across all the states to receive the vaccine on Monday, another 425 sites on Tuesday, and the final 66 sites on Wednesday, which will complete the initial delivery of the Pfizer orders for the vaccine.

Germany to go into lockdown over Christmas

[BBC] Germany is to go into a hard lockdown over the Christmas period as the number of deaths and infections from the coronavirus reaches record levels.

Non-essential shops will close across the country from Wednesday, as will schools, with children to be cared for at home wherever possible.

Chancellor Angela Merkel blamed Christmas shopping for a “considerable” rise in social contacts.

The latest figures showed 20,200 more infections and a further 321 deaths.

The new lockdown will run from 16 December to 10 January. Announcing the move after meeting leaders of the country’s 16 states, Mrs Merkel said there was “an urgent need to take action”.

Restaurants, bars and leisure centres have already been closed since November, and some areas of the country had imposed their own lockdowns.

Under the national lockdown, essential shops, such as those selling food, will stay open, as can banks. Outlets selling Christmas trees can also continue trading. Hair salons are among the businesses which must close.

December 12th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

253,065 New U.S. cases
30,354 New India cases
44,282 New Brazil cases
13,947 New France cases
28,137 New Russia cases
21,501 New UK cases
1. 19,902 New Italy cases
21,816 New Germany cases
11,499 New Poland cases
12,811 New Ukraine cases
12,057 New Mexico cases
29,214 New cases in California

Over 72.1 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 16 million
Over 253k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 72,104,039
Daily new cases: 666,711
Global deaths: 1,611,500 with 10,332 new deaths
Global recovered: 50,490,379
Mortality rate: 2.23%
Recovery rate: 70.02%

U.S. cases: 16,549,366
U.S. new cases: 253,908
U.S. deaths: 305,082
U.S. recovered: 9,644,325
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,332

Texas cases: 1,478,827 with 20,984 new cases – ALL TIME HIGH
Texas deaths: 24,514 – 216 Today
Dallas County cases: 158,336
Dallas County new cases: 2,111
Dallas County deaths: 1,722 – 8 today

December 11th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

256,065 New U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH
30,034 New India cases
52,770 New Brazil cases
13,406 New France cases
28,585 New Russia cases
21,672 New UK cases
18,726 New Italy cases
28,344 New Germany cases – ALL TIME HIGH
13,105 New Poland cases
13,514 New Ukraine cases
12,253 New Mexico cases
39,193 New cases in California – ALL TIME HIGH

Over 71.4 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.6 Million
U.S. Cases topped 16 million
Over 256k new U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 71,437,328
Daily new cases: 719,776 – ALL TIME HIGH
Global deaths: 1,601,168 with 12,820 new deaths
Global recovered: 49,636,688
Mortality rate: 2.24%
Recovery rate: 69.48%

U.S. cases: 16,295,458
U.S. new cases: 256,065 – ALL TIME HIGH
U.S. deaths: 302,750
U.S. recovered: 9,507,419
U.S. Daily fatalities: 3,058

Texas cases: 1,425,119 with 15,084 new cases
Texas deaths: 24,298 – 232 Today
Dallas County cases: 154,376
Dallas County new cases: NO DATA
Dallas County deaths: 1,694 – NO DATA today

December 10th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

219,351 New U.S. cases
34,666 New India cases
53,425 New Brazil cases
13,750 New France cases
27,927 New Russia cases
20,964 New UK cases
16,998 New Italy cases
28,179 New Germany cases – ALL TIME HIGH
13,750 New Poland cases
13,371 New Ukraine cases
11,897 New Mexico cases
31,983 New cases in California

Over 70.7 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.5 Million
U.S. Cases topped 16 million
Over 219k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 70,717,552
Daily new cases: 695,348 – ALL TIME HIGH
Global deaths: 1,588,348 with 12,575 new deaths
Global recovered: 48,162,714
Mortality rate: 2.25%
Recovery rate: 68.11%

U.S. cases: 16,039,393
U.S. new cases: 219,351
U.S. deaths: 299,692
U.S. recovered: 9,330,865
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,994

Texas cases: 1,410,035 with 13,483 new cases
Texas deaths: 24,066 – 245 Today
Dallas County cases: 154,376
Dallas County new cases: 2,088
Dallas County deaths: 1,694 – 23 today

Today’s Headlines

December 10, 2020:

A Guide to Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine

The first COVID-19 vaccine that’s likely to go into any American arms is Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine, which was designed and developed by the German biotech company BioNTech. Here, we give a rundown of basic facts about the vaccine and an overview of how it works.

Quick Summary

Vaccine name: BNT162b2

Design type: mRNA

Dose number: 2, 21 days apart

Efficacy: 95% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in adults without prior evidence of infection a week or more after receipt of the second dose.

Safety: No serious safety concerns reported. The shots, however, routinely elicit a fairly strong temporary reaction in many people that can include injection site pain, fatigue, headache and chills.

Expected dose availability: Worldwide, up to 50 million doses, or enough for approximately 25 million people, by the end of 2020, with up to 1.3 billion doses expected in 2021.

Expected timeline: First doses not available in U.S. until at least a few days after Dec. 10, when an advisory committee is meeting to review the company’s emergency use authorization submission to the Food and Drug Administration.

Operation Warp Speed involvement: No support for the trials or research and development, but the U.S. government inked a $1.95 billion deal in July as part of OWS to buy 100 million doses, with the potential to acquire up to 500 million more, assuming the vaccine is authorized.

Storage considerations: -70°C (-94°F) for long-term storage; after thawing, vaccine vials can be stored at refrigerator temperatures for up to five days.

Infected after 5 minutes, from 20 feet away

SEOUL — Dr. Lee Ju-hyung has largely avoided restaurants in recent months, but on the few occasions he’s dined out, he’s developed a strange, if sensible, habit: whipping out a small anemometer to check the airflow.

It’s a precaution he has been taking since a June experiment in which he and colleagues re-created the conditions at a restaurant in Jeonju, a city in southwestern South Korea, where diners contracted the coronavirus from an out-of-town visitor. Among them was a high school student who became infected after five minutes of exposure from more than 20 feet away.

The results of the study, for which Lee and other epidemiologists enlisted the help of an engineer who specializes in aerodynamics, were published last week in the Journal of Korean Medical Science. The conclusions raised concerns that the widely accepted standard of six feet of social distance may not be far enough to keep people safe.

The study — adding to a growing body of evidence on airborne transmission of the virus — highlighted how South Korea’s meticulous and often invasive contact tracing regime has enabled researchers to closely track how the virus moves through populations.

December 9th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

228,333 New U.S. cases
26,351 New India cases
54,203 New Brazil cases
14,595 New France cases
26,190 New Russia cases
16,578 New UK cases
12,755 New Italy cases
23,928 New Germany cases – ALL TIME HIGH
12,166 New Poland cases
12,585 New Ukraine cases
11,974 New Mexico cases
32,161 New cases in California – ALL TIME HIGH

Over 69.2 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.5 Million
U.S. Cases topped 15.8 million
Over 228k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 69,234,626
Daily new cases: 667,100
Global deaths: 1,575,773 with 12,643 new deaths
Global recovered: 47,985,810
Mortality rate: 2.28%
Recovery rate: 69.31%

U.S. cases: 15,820,042
U.S. new cases: 228,333
U.S. deaths: 296,698
U.S. recovered: 9,226,411
U.S. Daily fatalities: 3,300 – ALL TIME HIGH

Texas cases: 1,396,552 with 15,192 new cases
Texas deaths: 23,821 – 287 Today
Dallas County cases: 152,288
Dallas County new cases: 1,348
Dallas County deaths: 1,671 – 21 today

Today’s Headlines

December 9, 2020:

We Had the Vaccine the Whole Time

[NYMAG] You may be surprised to learn that of the trio of long-awaited coronavirus vaccines, the most promising, Moderna’s mRNA-1273, which reported a 94.5 percent efficacy rate on November 16, had been designed by January 13. This was just two days after the genetic sequence had been made public in an act of scientific and humanitarian generosity that resulted in China’s Yong-Zhen Zhang’s being temporarily forced out of his lab. In Massachusetts, the Moderna vaccine design took all of one weekend. It was completed before China had even acknowledged that the disease could be transmitted from human to human, more than a week before the first confirmed coronavirus case in the United States. By the time the first American death was announced a month later, the vaccine had already been manufactured and shipped to the National Institutes of Health for the beginning of its Phase I clinical trial. This is — as the country and the world are rightly celebrating — the fastest timeline of development in the history of vaccines. It also means that for the entire span of the pandemic in this country, which has already killed more than 250,000 Americans, we had the tools we needed to prevent it .

To be clear, I don’t want to suggest that Moderna should have been allowed to roll out its vaccine in February or even in May, when interim results from its Phase I trial demonstrated its basic safety. “That would be like saying we put a man on the moon and then asking the very same day, ‘What about going to Mars?’ ” says Nicholas Christakis, who directs Yale’s Human Nature Lab and whose new book, Apollo’s Arrow, sketches the way COVID-19 may shape our near-term future. Moderna’s speed was “astonishing,” Christakis says, though the design of other vaccines was nearly as fast: BioNTech with Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca.

Could things have moved faster from design to deployment? Given the grim prospects for winter, it is tempting to wonder. Perhaps, in the future, we will. But given existing vaccine infrastructure, probably not. Already, as Baylor’s Peter Hotez pointed out to me, “Operation Warp Speed” meant running clinical trials simultaneously rather than sequentially, manufacturing the vaccine at the same time, and authorizing the vaccine under “emergency use” in December based only on preliminary data that doesn’t track the long-term durability of protection or even measure the vaccine’s effect on transmission (only how much it protects against disease). And as Georgetown virologist Angela Rasmussen told me, the name itself may have needlessly risked the trust of Americans already concerned about the safety of this, or any, vaccine. Indeed, it would have been difficult in May to find a single credentialed epidemiologist, vaccine researcher, or public-health official recommending a rapid vaccine rollout — though, it’s worth noting, as early as July the MIT Technology Review reported that a group of 70 scientists in the orbit of Harvard and MIT, including “celebrity geneticist” George Church, were taking a totally DIY nasal-spray vaccine, never even intended to be tested, and developed by a personal genomics entrepreneur named Preston Estep (also the author of a self-help-slash-life-extension book called The Mindspan Diet). China began administering a vaccine to its military in June. Russia approved its version in August. And while most American scientists worried about the speed of those rollouts, and the risks they implied, our approach to the pandemic here raises questions, too, about the strange, complicated, often contradictory ways we approach matters of risk and uncertainty during a pandemic — and how, perhaps, we might think about doing things differently next time. That a vaccine was available for the entire brutal duration may be, to future generations trying to draw lessons from our death and suffering, the most tragic, and ironic, feature of this plague.

Allergy warning for Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine after UK health workers suffer reaction

London (CNN) People with a “significant history of allergic reactions” should not be given the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, UK health authorities said Wednesday, after two health care workers experienced symptoms after receiving a shot the day before.

The precautionary advice was given after the pair “responded adversely” following their shots on the first day of the mass vaccination rollout in the UK, National Health Service England said Wednesday.

The two staff members — who both carried an adrenaline auto injector and had a history of allergic reactions — developed symptoms of anaphylactoid reaction after receiving the vaccine on Tuesday. Thousands overall were vaccinated in the UK on Tuesday, NHS England told CNN on Wednesday.

“As is common with new vaccines the MHRA [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency] have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday,” said Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, in a statement. “Both are recovering well.”

December 8th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

222,663 New U.S. cases
32,067 New India cases
47,850 New Brazil cases
13,713 New France cases
26,097 New Russia cases
12,281 New UK cases
14,837 New Italy cases
18,319 New Germany cases
8,310 New Poland cases
10,811 New Ukraine cases
11,006 New Mexico cases
26,000 New cases in California

Over 68.5 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.5 Million
U.S. Cases topped 15.5 million
Over 220k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 68,567,526
Daily new cases: 628,531
Global deaths: 1,563,130 with 12,867 new deaths
Global recovered: 47,461,000
Mortality rate: 2.28%
Recovery rate: 69.22%

U.S. cases: 15,591,709
U.S. new cases: 222,663
U.S. deaths: 293,398
U.S. recovered: 9,087,069
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,955

Texas cases: 1,381,360 with 14,651 new cases
Texas deaths: 23,534 – 199 Today
Dallas County cases: 150,940
Dallas County new cases: 1,105
Dallas County deaths: 1,650 – 19 today

Today’s Headlines

December 8, 2020:

First Britons receive Covid-19 vaccine

Cardiff, Wales (CNN) The United Kingdom has become the first Western nation to begin vaccinating its citizens with a Covid-19 shot outside of clinical trials — a landmark moment in the coronavirus pandemic.

The first Briton to get the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine — 90-year-old Margaret Keenan — received the first of two doses at 6:31 a.m. local time on Tuesday at University Hospital in Coventry, less than a week after the UK became the first country to approve it.

Keenan, who turns 91 next week, said she felt “privileged” to be the first to get the shot.

“It’s the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year,” she said, according to a statement released by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

Keenan told UK media the shot was “fine, I wasn’t nervous at all,” calling it “wonderful, really.”

“This is for a good cause so I’m so pleased I had it done. This is a terrible, terrible disease so we do want rid of it,” she added.

Keenan advised others eligible for the vaccine to take up the offer: “I would say go for it,” she said. “If I can do it, well, so can you.”

May Parsons, the nurse who administered the first jab, said she was honored to be involved in the program.

Florida police raid home of former state Covid-19 data scientist

(CNN) Florida police raided the home of a former state coronavirus data scientist on Monday, escalating a feud between the state government and a data expert who has accused officials of trying to cover up the extent of the pandemic.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement executed a search warrant Monday morning at the home of data scientist Rebekah Jones, who was fired by the state Department of Health in May. The agency is investigating whether Jones accessed a state government messaging system without authorization to urge employees to speak out about coronavirus deaths, according to an affidavit by an agent working on the case.

Jones told CNN that she hadn’t improperly accessed any state messaging system and that she lost access to her government computer accounts after she was removed from her position.

About 10 officers with guns drawn showed up to her Tallahassee home around 8:30 a.m., Jones said. A video taken from a camera in her house, which she posted on social media, showed an officer pointing a gun up a stairwell as Jones told him her two children were upstairs. Jones said that the officer was pointing his gun at her 2-year-old daughter, 11-year-old son and her husband, who she said were in the stairwell, although the video doesn’t make that clear.

Officers also “pointed a gun six inches from my face” and took all of her computers, her phone and several hard drives and thumb drives, Jones said.

Gretl Plessinger, a spokesperson for the law enforcement department, said that agents knocked on Jones’ door and called her “in an attempt to minimize disruption to the family.” Jones refused to come to the door for 20 minutes and hung up on the agents, and Jones’ family was upstairs when agents did enter the house, Plessinger said. She didn’t respond to questions about why the officers drew guns.

December 7, 2020:

Most of California under strict new lockdown as cases surge

[BBC] Most parts of the US state of California are under a strict new lockdown, as Covid-19 continues to surge across the country.

The stay-at-home order affects around 85% of the state’s 40 million people. It will be in place for at least three weeks and cover the Christmas holiday.

Many businesses will be closed, and people will be banned from meeting anyone outside their household.

On Sunday, the US had a record number of people in hospital with Covid-19.

The country has seen a sharp rise in cases and Covid-related deaths in recent weeks, a surge that could be partly down to last month’s Thanksgiving holiday, when millions of Americans travelled around the US.

The new restrictions in California – the country’s most populous state – were triggered by intensive care capacity in hospitals shrinking.

The measures apply to the southern part of the state and its central valley, while other areas could follow within days. San Francisco has also gone into lockdown, with the mayor imposing a separate set of orders.

California’s lockdown in March, in which all non-essential businesses were closed, was seen as an early model for the US at the beginning of the pandemic.

What are the new restrictions?

Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered that when capacity at intensive care units in any of five regions of the state goes below 15%, that region will go into lockdown within 24 hours.

The stay-at-home orders triggered in this way will be similar to the far-reaching order issued for the state after the pandemic first hit in March, but with a few significant relaxations:

All retail stores are able to stay open, although only at 20% capacity, along with outside spaces such as parks and beaches
Gatherings are prohibited, and people are required to stay at home and minimise contact with other households
Bars, hair salons and indoor restaurants are closed

The lockdown will last for at least three weeks, and until ICU capacity goes above 15% again. Mr Newsom said the measures would help to “flatten the curve” and reduce the pressure on health services.

“We are at a tipping point in our fight against the virus and we need to take decisive action now to prevent California’s hospital system from being overwhelmed in the coming weeks,” he said last week.

December 7th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

209,517 New U.S. cases
27,107 New India cases
24,525 New Brazil cases
3,411 New France cases
28,142 New Russia cases
14,718 New UK cases
18,887 New Italy cases
15,161 New Germany cases
4,421 New Poland cases
8,641 New Ukraine cases
6,399 New Mexico cases
27,366 New cases in California

Over 67.9 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.5 Million
U.S. Cases topped 15.3 million
Over 209k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 67,938,995
Daily new cases: 546,706
Global deaths: 1,550,263 with 8,518 new deaths
Global recovered: 47,023,575
Mortality rate: 2.28%
Recovery rate: 69.21%

U.S. cases: 15,369,046
U.S. new cases: 209,517
U.S. deaths: 290,443
U.S. recovered: 8,982,246
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,537

Texas cases: 1,366,709 with 14,479 new cases
Texas deaths: 23,335 – 83 Today
Dallas County cases: 149,835
Dallas County new cases: 1,663
Dallas County deaths: 1,631 – 3 today

December 6th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

176,104 New U.S. cases
32,272 New India cases
26,363 New Brazil cases
11,022 New France cases
29,039 New Russia cases – ALL TIME HIGH
17,271 New UK cases
18,887 New Italy cases
14,750 New Germany cases
9,176 New Poland cases
11,590 New Ukraine cases
7,455 New Mexico cases
28,371 New cases in California – ALL TIME HIGH

Over 67.3 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.5 Million
U.S. Cases topped 15.1 million
Over 176k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 67,392,289
Daily new cases: 536,493
Global deaths: 1,541,745 with 7,192 new deaths
Global recovered: 46,581,935
Mortality rate: 2.29%
Recovery rate: 69.12%

U.S. cases: 15,159,529
U.S. new cases: 176,104
U.S. deaths: 288,906
U.S. recovered: 8,855,593
U.S. Daily fatalities: 1,091

Texas cases: 1,352,230 with 9,451 new cases
Texas deaths: 23,252 – 70 Today
Dallas County cases: 148,172
Dallas County new cases: 1,852
Dallas County deaths: 1,628 – 8 today

December 5th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

210,890 New U.S. cases
36,111 New India cases
42,226 New Brazil cases
12,923 New France cases
28,782 New Russia cases – ALL TIME HIGH
15,539 New UK cases
21,052 New Italy cases
17,812 New Germany cases
12,427 New Poland cases
13,825 New Ukraine cases
11,625 New Mexico cases
25,364 New cases in California – ALL TIME HIGH

Over 66.8 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.5 Million
U.S. Cases topped 14.9 million
Over 210k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 66,855,796
Daily new cases: 624,903
Global deaths: 1,534,553 with 10,096 new deaths
Global recovered: 46,235,859
Mortality rate: 2.30%
Recovery rate: 69.16%

U.S. cases: 14,983,425
U.S. new cases: 210,890
U.S. deaths: 287,825
U.S. recovered: 8,787,738
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,275

Texas cases: 1,342,779 with 11,263 new cases
Texas deaths: 23,182 – 205 Today
Dallas County cases: 146,320
Dallas County new cases: 1,675
Dallas County deaths: 1,620 – 16 today

December 4th #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

237,339 New U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH
36,638 New India cases
47,435 New Brazil cases
11,221 New France cases
27,403 New Russia cases
16,298 New UK cases
24,110 New Italy cases
23,541 New Germany cases
13,236 New Poland cases
15,131 New Ukraine cases
12,127 New Mexico cases
24,138 New cases in California – ALL TIME HIGH

Over 66.2 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.5 Million
U.S. Cases topped 14.7 million
Over 237k new U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 66,230,893
Daily new cases: 694,867 – ALL TIME HIGH
Global deaths: 1,524,457 with 12,542 new deaths
Global recovered: 45,899,406
Mortality rate: 2.30%
Recovery rate: 69.34%

U.S. cases: 14,772,535
U.S. new cases: 237,339 – ALL TIME HIGH
U.S. deaths: 285,550
U.S. recovered: 8,658,882
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,721

Texas cases: 1,331,516 with 14,059 new cases
Texas deaths: 22,977 – 248 Today
Dallas County cases: 144,945
Dallas County new cases: 906
Dallas County deaths: 1,604 – 19 today

December 3rd #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

221,255 New U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH
36,816 New India cases
50,866 New Brazil cases
12,696 New France cases
28,145 New Russia cases – ALL TIME HIGH
14,878 New UK cases
23,219 New Italy cases
22,910 New Germany cases
14,863 New Poland cases
14,496 New Ukraine cases
11,030 New Mexico cases
21,825 New cases in California – ALL TIME HIGH

Over 65.5 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.5 Million
U.S. Cases topped 14.5 million
Over 221k new U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 65,536,026
Daily new cases: 691,315 – ALL TIME HIGH
Global deaths: 1,511,915 with 12,569 new deaths – ALL TIME HIGH
Global recovered: 45,376,598
Mortality rate: 2.31%
Recovery rate: 69.24%

U.S. cases: 14,535,196
U.S. new cases: 221,255 – ALL TIME HIGH
U.S. deaths: 282,829
U.S. recovered: 8,561,427
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,964 – ALL TIME HIGH

Texas cases: 1,317,457 with 17,542 new cases
Texas deaths: 22,729 – 224 Today
Dallas County cases: 143,739
Dallas County new cases: 2,122
Dallas County deaths: 1,585 – 20 today

December 2nd #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

205,451 New U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH
35,254 New India cases
48,124 New Brazil cases
14,064 New France cases
25,345 New Russia cases
16,170 New UK cases
20,709 New Italy cases
20,171 New Germany cases
13,823 New Poland cases
13,141 New Ukraine cases
11,251 New Mexico cases
18,264 New cases in California

Over 64.8 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.4 Million
U.S. Cases topped 14.3 million
Over 205k new U.S. cases – ALL TIME HIGH

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 64,844,711
Daily new cases: 650,037
Global deaths: 1,499,346 with 12,517 new deaths
Global recovered: 44,611,170
Mortality rate: 2.31%
Recovery rate: 69.80%

U.S. cases: 14,313,941
U.S. new cases: 205,451 – ALL TIME HIGH
U.S. deaths: 279,865
U.S. recovered: 8,462,347
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,889 – ALL TIME HIGH

Texas cases: 1,299,915 with 17,247 new cases
Texas deaths: 22,505 – 211 Today
Dallas County cases: 141,617
Dallas County new cases: 1,640
Dallas County deaths: 1,565 – 16 today

Today’s Headlines

December 2, 2020:

White House coronavirus task force warns states: ‘We are in a very dangerous place’

Washington (CNN) The White House coronavirus task force issued extremely dire warnings to states in weekly reports this week, urging public health officials to circumvent state and local policies amid record high cases, hospitalizations and deaths, as well as fears of a surge upon a surge following Thanksgiving.

“The COVID risk to all Americans is at a historic high,” say the reports dated November 29, which were shared with states and obtained by CNN. They provide figures from previous moments in the pandemic for comparison.

“The national daily COVID incidence after Memorial Day, but before the summer surge, was fewer than 25,000 new cases/day and is now more than 180,000 new cases/day; COVID inpatients then were fewer than 30,000 but are now more than 90,000; fatalities have more than doubled,” the report says, concluding, “We are in a very dangerous place due to the current, extremely high COVID baseline and limited hospital capacity; a further post-Thanksgiving surge will compromise COVID patient care, as well as medical care overall.”

In a dramatic escalation, the task force, which has frequently pleaded in weekly reports with state officials to enact tighter mitigation measures, including mask mandates and indoor dining restrictions, urged public health officials to take matters into their own hands.

December 1st #COVID19 Status

Highest Growth Zones:

188,620 New U.S. cases
36,456 New India cases
52,248 New Brazil cases
8,083 New France cases
26,402 New Russia cases
13,429 New UK cases
19,347 New Italy cases
15,898 New Germany cases
9,113 New Poland cases
12,498 New Ukraine cases
8,819 New Mexico cases
16,893 New cases in California

Over 64.1 million Global cases
Global Deaths topped 1.4 Million
U.S. Cases topped 14.1 million
Over 188k new U.S. cases

Details, Details, Details…:

Global cases: 64,194,674
Daily new cases: 605,383
Global deaths: 1,486,829 with 12,909 new deaths
Global recovered: 44,441,249
Mortality rate: 2.32%
Recovery rate: 69.23%

U.S. cases: 14,108,490
U.S. new cases: 188,620
U.S. deaths: 276,976
U.S. recovered: 8,333,018
U.S. Daily fatalities: 2,644

Texas cases: 1,280,720 with 12,584 new cases
Texas deaths: 22,294 – 237 Today
Dallas County cases: 139,977
Dallas County new cases: 1,179
Dallas County deaths: 1,549 – 10 today