USA TODAY is tracking the news surrounding COVID-19 as a pair of vaccines join the US war against a virus that has killed nearly 335,000 Americans since the first reported death in February. Keep updating this page for the latest updates on vaccine deployment, including who’s getting the vaccines and where, plus other COVID-19 news across the USA TODAY network. Subscribe to our site Watch Coronavirus Newsletter To get updates directly to your inbox, Join our Facebook group Or scroll through Our in-depth answers to readers’ questions For everything you need to know about Coronavirus.
In the titles:
The United States will not close to vaccinating 20 million people by January 1, as many experts have predicted, but Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that “increasing momentum” next month will help the nation move closer to the initial estimates. But Fauci, in an interview with CNN, said that another increase in the holiday period means “we just have to assume (the epidemic) is only going to get worse.”
Home on monday Voted to increase relief stimulus checks for COVID-19 $ 600 to $ 2,000, as demanded by President Donald Trump when he signed the relief package into law on Sunday. The measure will now head to the Republican-controlled Senate as its future remains highly uncertain.
* Elected Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Imhoff are due to receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, transition officials said. CNN reported that Harris is expected to be vaccinated live in front of the camera.
► Hospital admissions due to the Coronavirus are increasing rapidly in Georgia, as health officials reported more than 4,000 hospitalizations on Monday. Georgia is now in the top 20 with the most new cases per person in the last 14 days as infection rates decreased in the Midwest and increased in the South.
Spain has surpassed 50,000 deaths while the country’s case rate has decreased by 14 days per 100,000 population. Health Minister Salvador Illa on Monday announced the state’s plans to collect and share information on residents who have decided not to get a COVID-19 vaccine with other European Union countries, The New York Times mentioned.
California State Secretary of Health and Human Services Mark Galley is likely to announce Tuesday that The stay-at-home application will be extended For another three weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday.
📈 Today’s numbers: The United States has more than 19.3 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and 334,800 deaths, According to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global totals: Over 81.2 million cases, 1.77 A million deaths.
Here’s a closer look at today’s top news:
Testing has decreased despite the increase in cases
With many testing centers closed for the holidays, the US conducted 1.5 million fewer COVID-19 tests in the week ending Monday than the previous week, according to USA TODAY’s analysis of COVID-19 Tracking Project data.
In total, 42 states reported fewer testing. In hard-hit Tennessee, the total number of tests was barely more than half of what it was a week ago. But the percentage of those testing positive increased from about 19.2% to 21.4%. On the other side of the scale, Washington state increased testing by a third compared to the previous week, but the rate of positive tests increased anyway.
– Mike Stuka
True or False: Optional SAT for college applications during COVID-19
Many families believe that students who find a way to take standardized exams will have an advantage in admitting the elite into college despite announcements by most schools that they are No need due to the epidemic. The title after the title documented students traveling long distances to take the SAT or competitor’s test, ACT, as places to take tests in person became increasingly unavailable. In the Facebook Paying for College 101 group, parents were wondering how “optional” the tests actually were.
“I think parents believe that test elective colleges when they reach out to students without test scores will be competing applicants,” said Debbie Schwartz, founder and operator of the Facebook group. “But there is still doubt about whether students who score on the test will have an advantage over a student who does not score for a test.”
– Chris Quintana
US and global equities set records after Trump signed a $ 900 billion aid package
Global stocks rose on Tuesday, as Japan’s Nikkei 225 index reached a 30-year high after President Donald Trump signed a $ 900 billion economic aid package. we. Stocks kicked off the last week of 2020 with further gains on Monday, pushing major US indices to record highs. The broad rally came as investors welcomed the package that also includes $ 1.4 trillion to fund government agencies, and averted the federal government shutdown that was to begin Tuesday.
The recent gains add to what has been a strong and record-breaking stock market in recent weeks amid cautious optimism that vaccinations against the Coronavirus will pave the way in the coming months for the economy to escape from the grip of the pandemic.
December is already the deadliest month for COVID-19
Johns Hopkins University data shows that December 25 is the time reported deaths from the coronavirus exceeded the April death toll of 60,738 people. With several days left in December, the record is now 64,953 as of Sunday. On average, this equates to a person dying in the United States every 36 seconds.
December was already a record month for new cases, although November was more than twice as bad as any other month. The United States broke the record recorded in November of 4.4 million cases on December 22, and it now stands at 5533230 cases reported in December so far. From previous increases the record number of cases was in the whole month of July, at 1.9 million; The United States crossed that mark in just 10 days.
– Mike Stuka
Contribution: The Associated Press
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