December 26 coronavirus news

A total of 331,116 Americans have died from Covid-19 as of 3 p.m. ET Saturday, according to the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 data tracker.

The US population is currently 330,753,142, according to Census.gov.

JHU recorded the first death from Covid-19 on Feb. 29 in Washington state. Two earlier deaths in California were posthumously confirmed to be from Covid-19 later in the Spring.

Here is a breakdown of how the death toll has progressed since then:

Meanwhile, a total of 9,547,925 vaccine doses have distributed and 1,944,585 first doses have been administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine tracking website.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday posted new guidance for people with certain underlying medical conditions who are at increased risk for more severe Covid-19.

Here are some key points from the guidance:

The CDC also says that people who get vaccinated should continue to practice Covid-19 prevention measures until it is known whether the vaccine prevents the spread of the virus.

National Football League’s Cleveland Browns announced on Saturday that a player has tested positive for Covid-19, and the team’s flight to New Jersey has been delayed due to contact tracing being conducted.

The team’s facility has been closed, and the team is holding meetings remotely. 

The Browns are scheduled to play the New York Jets on Sunday.

The team’s full statement can be found here.

The San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions both have 0% intensive care unit capacity, a news release from the California Department of Public Health said Saturday. 

Both regions, along with the Greater Sacramento and Bay Area region, remain under the Regional Stay at Home Order, according to the release.

A total of 30,375 new cases were reported Friday for a total of 2,072,665 cases statewide since the pandemic began, the release said.

The state’s seven-day positivity rate is 11.3% while the 14-day positivity rate is 12.1%, according to the release.

At least 379,681 new tests were reported Saturday for a total of 31,446,542 tests statewide, the release said. 

At least 23,983 people have died from Covid-19, according to the release.

Dozens of countries have banned travel from the UK in an effort to contain a new Covid-19 variant first reported in England.

In a statement on Saturday, the Japanese foreign ministry said the country will ban foreign nationals from entering the country starting Monday through the end of January after several cases of Covid-19 variant were recorded in the country.

The new mutation is being called VUI-202012/01 — the first “Variant Under Investigation” in the UK in December 2020. While scientists hunt for more information about the variant, its impact is already being felt, with dozens of countries imposing restrictions on travelers from the UK.

Here’s what we know so far about the Covid-19 variant:

What is a variant and why are officials concerned about this one? A variant occurs when the genetic structure of a virus changes. All viruses mutate over time and new variants are common, including for the novel coronavirus.

Like other variants, this one carries a genetic fingerprint that makes it easy to track, and it happens to be one that is now widespread in southeast England. That alone does not necessarily mean a variant is more contagious or dangerous.

But scientists advising the UK government have estimated that this variant could be up to 70% more effective at spreading than others. Peter Horby, chair of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), said Monday that experts “now have high confidence that this variant does have a transmission advantage” over other variants.

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that the changes to the variant include 14 key mutations, and that some of them “may influence the transmissibility of the virus in humans,” though it added that further laboratory investigations were needed.

Where did the variant originate and how has it taken hold? The new variant is believed to have originated in southeast England, according to the WHO. Public Health England (PHE) says backwards tracing, using genetic evidence, suggests the variant first emerged in England in September. It then circulated in very low levels until mid-November.

Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, said Saturday the variant was responsible for 60% of new infections in London, which have nearly doubled in the last week alone.

Multiple experts have also suggested that this new variant could have been amplified because of a superspreader event, meaning the current spike in cases could also have been caused by human behavior.

Is the new variant more deadly? There is no evidence as of now to suggest that the new variant is more deadly, according to Whitty and the WHO, though it is too early to tell.

Several experts have noted that in some cases, virus mutations that increase transmissibility are accompanied by a drop in virulence and mortality rates.

“As viruses are transmitted, those that allow for increased virological ‘success’ can be selected for, which changes the properties of the virus over time. This typically leads to more transmission and less virulence,” Martin Hibberd, professor of emerging infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told the SMC.

Learn more about the UK coronavirus variant here.

Nearly 2 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The CDC Covid Data Tracker says that as of 9 a.m. Saturday, 9,547,925 vaccine doses have been distributed and 1,944,585 doses have been administered. 

Totals of distributed doses and administered doses now include both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.

In an update on Wednesday, the CDC said at least 9,465,725 vaccine doses have been distributed and at least 1,008,025 doses of the vaccine have been administered.

Federal officials have said the number of people who have received their first vaccine dose is likely higher, and there are a number of reasons why doses distributed appears to be outpacing doses administered.

There are lags in data reporting, and while doses are considered distributed as soon as they leave a facility, administration doesn’t happen all at once.

Many hospitals are just setting up their vaccine processes, and are staggering vaccinations among staff and the federal effort to vaccinate people in long-term care facilities is only just getting underway.

With Christmas in the rear view mirror, public health experts are bracing for yet another surge in Covid-19 cases, similar to those seen after other US holidays in recent months.

“We’ve just seen these amplification events, and that’s what’s happened at the end of this year in the US,” said Erin Bromage, an associate professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

“We had Thanksgiving, we had Labor Day, we had Halloween, and each one of these events brought lots of people together and just gave the virus more fuel to move through the population,” Bromage said. “Christmas is going to do a similar thing.”

Despite warnings by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to postpone travel and stay home, more than 7.1 million people were screened at TSA checkpoints over the last week, according to the agency’s numbers.

Nearly 1.2 million people were screened at airports on Wednesday alone, an air travel record for the pandemic. While the number of travelers screened on Christmas Day — 616,469 people — represents just 23% of the total screened on the same day a year ago, the figure remains worrying for officials because it doesn’t signal the end of the holiday travel rush, but a lull before travelers begin to return home.

For weeks, health experts and officials have urged Americans to be safe this holiday season, and that guidance extends to New Year’s Eve, with the CDC urging revelers to celebrate at home or virtually. If they host an in-person celebration, the agency suggests staying outside, limiting the numbers of guests, making extra masks available and keeping background music low to avoid shouting.

Read the full story here.

The safest way to celebrate the new year during the pandemic is at home with the people you live with, or online with friends and family, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in guidance posted to its website on Wednesday.

For those that host a celebration, CDC suggests staying outside, limiting the number of guests, making extra masks available and keeping background music low to avoid shouting. 

When attending a celebration, the agency says masks should be worn indoors and outdoors and alcohol and drugs that can alter judgement should be avoided. 

“While it is possible that some people may receive COVID-19 vaccines before New Year’s Eve, continue taking steps to protect yourself and others for some time to come,” the CDC says.

CDC also suggests other activities, such as having a virtual celebration with loved ones, planning a New Year’s party for the people who live in a household, reaching out to friends, family and neighbors, watching live streamed fireworks or planning an outdoor activity. 

“It’s okay if you decide to postpone or cancel your gathering. Do what’s best for you,” the guidance says.

If celebrating with people outside of your household, CDC suggests wearing a mask – even under a scarf when outside – and staying at least 6 feet apart, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, washing hands, staying home if sick and getting a flu shot as soon as possible. 

Holiday travel may also increase a person’s chance of getting and spreading Covid-19, and CDC continues to recommend postponing travel.

There have been at least 18,771,885 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 330,345 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases.

So far today, Johns Hopkins has reported 15,525 new cases and 99 reported deaths. 

At least 9,465,725 vaccine doses have been distributed and at least 1,008,025 doses of the vaccine have been administered, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

Here’s a look at the states with the highest number of cases:

New testing requirements for travelers entering the US from the United Kingdom have not been implemented quickly enough to be effective against a reported Covid-19 variant in the UK, said Dr. Richina Bicette, medical director with the Baylor College of Medicine, on Saturday.

“It makes sense that for any place that’s experiencing a regional spike in cases that we put new measures in place,” Bicette told CNN. “But if they’re trying to make sure that the virus isn’t imported to the United States, these measures are going to have no effect on that whatsoever.”

“The CDC requirements don’t take place until Monday,” she said. “Until that time, there have been thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people that have traveled into the U.S. from the U.K. So there’s a high probability that the new variant is already in the United States and we just don’t know.”

Remember: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Thursday that passengers arriving in the United States from the United Kingdom must test negative for Covid-19 before departure, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Thursday.

Passengers will be required to have a negative PCR or antigen test within 72 hours of boarding their flight from the UK to the US. Passengers are also required to provide documentation of their laboratory results, either as a hard copy or electronic.

Airlines are required to confirm the test results before the flight, and passengers will not be permitted to board if they refuse a test or do not provide documentation.

The order is in response to a new coronavirus variant that is said to have originated in the UK and is potentially more transmissible. Since the discovery of the variant, more than 40 countries have restricted travel from the UK, and in some cases, also travel from other countries that have documented cases with the variant.

The number of known cases of the novel coronavirus globally surpassed 80 million on Saturday at 12:20 pm ET, according to data held by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

JHU reports the current number of known cases around the world is now at least 80,027,056. At least 1,753,313 have died globally.

The United States leads with the most deaths and the most confirmed cases worldwide. There are at least 18,771,885 coronavirus cases in the US and at least 330,345 have died. 

India, Brazil, and Russia following the US have the highest number of recorded coronavirus cases in the world.  

In terms of deaths, the US, Brazil, India, and Mexico have the highest Covid -19 related mortality rates.  

Here’s a look at the countries with the highest number of cases:

President-elect Joe Biden released a statement calling on President Trump to sign the Covid-19 relief bill that was passed by Congress, saying that any further delay has “devastating consequences.”

“It is the day after Christmas, and millions of families don’t know if they’ll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority,” Biden said in the statement. “This abdication of responsibility has devastating consequences.”

Biden continued: “And while there is hope with the vaccines, we need funding to be able to distribute and administer them to millions of Americans, including frontline health care workers. This bill is critical. It needs to be signed into law now.”

The President-elect said the latest Covid-19 bill is a “first step and down payment on more action that we’ll need to take early in the new year to revive the economy and contain the pandemic  — including meeting the dire need for funding to distribute and administer the vaccine and to increase our testing capacity.”

Some context: Though Congress has passed a $900 billion Covid relief package, millions of Americans are in danger of losing important benefits just after the holidays if Trump continues to refuse to sign the bill.

The legislation would extend two pandemic unemployment programs and provide the jobless with a $300 weekly federal boost through mid-March. It would send direct payments of up $600 per person. It would reopen the Paycheck Protection Program so that some of the hardest-hit small businesses can apply for a second loan.

The package, which would be the second-largest relief deal after the $2 trillion CARES Act that Congress approved in March, also would extend eviction protection and enhance food stamp benefits.

Over 3,100 new cases of Covid-19 are being reported in South Carolina today.

The numbers released by the South Carolina Department of Health are through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the state’s website. The 3,111 new cases reported today bring the state’s total to 266,678. 

The department of health is also reporting 74 new deaths related to Covid-19 for a total of 4,763. 

South Carolina reported over 3,000 new cases six times in the month of December so far.

Prior to December, the highest daily reported new case total was 2,321 on July 18, according to the state’s dashboard. 

Note: These numbers were released by the South Carolina Department of Health and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project

Even though vaccines are being administered across the United States, personal Covid-19 prevention measures are still important, Dr. Saju Mathew, a public health specialist, told CNN on Saturday.

“This is the most difficult part. You could have all the vaccines in the world and all of the wonderful therapeutics against this deadly virus. But what you have the least impact is on human behavior,” he said. “People are going to do what they want to do so what I’ve done is sort of change my messaging as a primary care physician to do more talking to people about risk reduction.”

Mathew said that those vaccines in use should still be effective against reported new variants of the Covid-19 virus, as the vaccines target a consistent physical part of the virus.

“Ultimately, the good news is even though there are 50 to 20 mutations, it hasn’t really affected the entire anatomy,” said Mathew. “I think the vaccines should work.”

A second round of stimulus payments that was included in a coronavirus relief package passed by Congress Monday night is now at risk if President Trump doesn’t sign the bill.

The deal provided for $600 checks but the President indicated on Tuesday he would like that amount increased to $2,000 per person.

House Republicans, however, on Thursday blocked Democrats from increasing the amount — leaving the entire package in jeopardy. Democrats have seized on Trump’s surprise objections to the bill in a bid to push Republicans to accept a higher amount for the stimulus checks — and Republican lawmakers are now in a difficult spot where they will be forced to decide whether or not they will defy the President.

Democrats vowed their effort isn’t over, promising to move to pass a bill to increase the stimulus checks to $2,000 with a full up-or-down vote on the House floor on Dec. 28.

Here are key things to know about the Covid-19 stimulus checks:

Who gets the money fastest: The payments do not go all out at once. Those whose bank information is on file with the IRS will likely get the money first because it will be directly deposited into their account. Others will receive paper checks or prepaid debit cards in the mail.

About 90 million people — more than half of those eligible — received their payments within the first three weeks of April after the March deal was signed. Most people had their money within two months.

Still, about 12 million eligible Americans were at risk of not getting the money at all because the IRS had no way to reach them. While most people received the money automatically, very low-income people who don’t normally file tax returns had to register online before November 21 to provide their address or bank account number.

IRS under pressure: If Congress keeps the eligibility requirements the same as they were for the first round of checks, the process may be nearly as easy as hitting a button. But it could complicate things if the parameters are changed —especially if Congress adds restrictions aside from income.

Additional checks may delay the start of the 2020 tax filing season. A second stimulus check means the agency will have to make changes to the tax return forms, some of which have already been sent to the printers.

Some background: In March, Congress provided individuals with $1,200 direct payments and couples with $2,400 plus $500 per child under the $2 trillion CARES Act.

As with that first round, the $600 payments included in the current legislation would start phasing out for individuals with adjusted gross incomes of more than $75,000, and those making more than $99,000 won’t receive anything. The income thresholds would be doubled for couples.

Read more about the Covid-19 stimulus negotiations here.

CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux, Phil Mattingly, Clare Foran and Kristin Wilson contributed reporting to this post. 

At least 9,465,725 vaccine doses have been distributed in the US and at least 1,008,025 doses of the vaccine have been administered throughout the country, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

In terms of cases and deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally, there have been at least 18,765,469 cases of coronavirus in the country and at least 330,302 people have died.

So far today, Johns Hopkins has reported 9,109 new cases and 56 reported deaths. 

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

Japan will ban foreign nationals from entering the country starting Monday through the end of January after several cases of the Covid-19 variant were recorded in the country, according to Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK.  

Japanese citizens and foreign residents can still enter, but they’re required to self-quarantine for 14 days, NHK reported.  

The move came after a new case of Covid-19 variant was confirmed on Saturday on a person who recently returned from the UK, NHK said.  

Five other travelers from Britain were also detected with the variant the previous day.  

Swedish health authorities have diagnosed a case of the new coronavirus variant in region of Sörmland, on the outskirts of Stockholm, according to a news release from the country’s Public Health Agency on Saturday. 

The person in question, who has tested for the new variant of the novel coronavirus, had traveled to Sweden over Christmas from the UK, where the new variant has been circulating. 

The person is not in need of hospital treatment at this stage and is following all necessary guidelines in order not to infect any others, the physician in charge of contact tracing, and infection control in the region of Sörmland, Signar Mäkitalo, explained, according to the statement.

Sweden has extended its travel ban on passengers arriving from the UK until Jan. 21, 2021. The restrictions were first announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ann Linde, in a tweet last week.

Though Congress has passed a $900 billion Covid-19 relief package, millions of Americans are in danger of losing important benefits just after the holidays if President Trump continues to refuse to sign the bill.

The legislation would extend two pandemic unemployment programs and provide the jobless with a $300 weekly federal boost through mid-March. It would send direct payments of up $600 per person. It would reopen the Paycheck Protection Program so that some of the hardest-hit small businesses can apply for a second loan.

The package, which would be the second-largest relief deal after the $2 trillion CARES Act that Congress approved in March, also would extend eviction protection and enhance food stamp benefits.

These are some of the programs that are at risk if the bill isn’t signed:

With two Covid-19 vaccines approved for emergency use and politicians, health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities rolling up their sleeves, but when will you be able to get the vaccine?

The answer depends on each person’s health, what they do for a living and where they live.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, Biden’s nominee for surgeon general, said he believes it may take until late spring to finish vaccinating high-risk populations, if all goes according to plan. That means mid-summer may be a “realistic” timeline for the general public to begin vaccinations, he told NBC.

Here’s what you need to know about getting a Covid-19 vaccine:

Who is getting vaccinated first?

When will the general public get the vaccine?

Who is an essential worker?

Who is making decisions at the state level?

Read more here.

Despite warnings from health officials to not travel this holiday season due to the pandemic, the Transportation Security Administration says it screened at least 616,469 people at security checkpoints across the United States on Christmas Day.

That’s just 23% of the people screened on the same day a year ago and half of the pandemic air travel record set on Wednesday.

This is a lull before numbers are expected to tick up again this weekend.

Travel experts tell CNN to expect that Sunday will be another big day for air travel, especially after several days of about a million people being screened daily in the lead-up to Christmas.

Chicago is among the cities across the country that could face roadblocks to vaccine access due to a lack of major pharmacy and grocery chains in their poorest Black and brown neighborhoods.

Public health experts identify these communities as “pharmacy deserts” — areas where a substantial number of residents have limited access to retail or independent pharmacies. The problem is largely found in areas with low income residents who have barriers to transportation.

Civil rights leaders and health advocates fear the disparity could leave underserved communities scrambling to figure out how to vaccinate everyone as the federal government says pharmacies will play a key role in vaccine distribution.

“It’s going to be a mad scramble particularly if this vaccine is seen as safe and effective,” said Rev. Marshall Elijah Hatch Sr., of New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church on Chicago’s west side. “It’s very difficult to imagine that there’s going to be some kind of egalitarian distribution. We are going to have to fight.”

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Nov. 12 that the US government was partnering with large chain pharmacies and networks that represent independent pharmacies and regional chains to expand access to future Covid-19 vaccines.

The list of pharmacies included CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and large grocery chains with pharmacies such as Walmart, Kroger, Costco and Publix.

“Pharmacy vaccinators are crucial public health partners for increasing access and convenience of Covid-19 vaccines,” HHS said in a news release. “By working with these partners, the federal government will rapidly expand access to Covid-19 vaccines.”

But relying on pharmacies to expand vaccine access could be challenging.

A study from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014 showed that pharmacy deserts — which were defined as a low-income community that either has low-vehicle access and is more than half a mile from a pharmacy or is more than a mile from a pharmacy regardless of vehicle access — were more prevalent in predominately Black neighborhoods in Chicago than in White ones.

Between 2000 and 2010, there was a 20% increase in the number of pharmacies in White communities, with no expansion in minority communities, the study found.

Read the full story here:

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 23: Workers talk residents through a COVID-19 self-test at a mobile COVID-19 testing site set up on a vacant lot in the Austin neighborhood on June 23, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The site is one of four mobile testing sites, two community-based sites and two first-responder-focused sites being implemented by the city. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Related article Their communities are deserted by pharmacies. Advocates fear this will lead to inequitable vaccine access

Australian golfer Greg Norman has been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to a post on his Instagram account.

The 65-year-old posted a photo of himself with medical equipment in the background, wearing a facemask with the logo of the NFL team Pittsburgh Steelers.

Norman won the 1986 and 1993 British Opens, spent over 300 weeks at the top of the world golf rankings and is nicknamed the “Great White Shark.”

In a post peppered with expletives, Norman said he wanted to “get this [virus] behind us never to experience it again.”

He had been quarantining at his home in Jupiter, Florida after developing mild symptoms earlier in the week although an earlier Covid-19 test taken on Tuesday had proved negative.

Norman competed in last week’s PNC Championship in Orlando with his son Greg Jr., finishing in a share of ninth place.

South Korea will require additional coronavirus tests for travelers from South Africa before they can be released from 14-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the country, the government said in a press release Saturday.

If a traveler from South Africa tests positive for the coronavirus, the government will conduct additional testing for the new variant spreading in the UK, the Disease Control and Prevention Agency added in the statement.

A similar variant to the one identified in the UK has been discovered in South Africa, where scientists say it is spreading quickly along coastal areas.

On Wednesday, South Korea suspended flights from the UK until December 31 due to concerns over the new variant. It also suspended the issuance of quarantine exemptions at South Korean consulates in the UK.

All travelers from the UK must undergo 14 days of quarantine and take an extra coronavirus test.

Four people in Madrid have been diagnosed with the Covid-19 variant detected in the UK earlier in the month, the health advisor for the region, Antonio Zapatero, said during a press conference on Saturday. 

According to Zapatero, one of the infected people arrived from the UK and was diagnosed on Thursday.

The three others are members of their family, who went to the hospital after exhibiting symptoms. 

“The situation of the confirmed patients is [not] serious,” Zapatero said, urging caution but also asking people to remain calm. 
“We know this variant is more transmissible, but it does not cause a more severe reaction.”
“There are other three suspected cases whose test results should be ready Tuesday or Wednesday,” Zapatero added.

The UK variant has an unusually large number of mutations – 14 changes and 3 deletions in its genetic code that impact the building blocks of its proteins, according to the US CDC.

Scientists advising the UK government have made a preliminary estimate that this variant could be up to 70% more effective at spreading than others. 

Beyoncé will offer $5,000 in grants to help people facing foreclosures or evictions due to the housing crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

People can apply for the grants beginning January 7, 2021, the singer announced on her website Tuesday. Grants will be sent out to the 100 people selected in late January.

“Beyoncé is continuing her heart of support and helping where needed most. Phase Two of the BeyGOOD Impact Fund will now help those impacted by the housing crisis,” a news release on the singer’s website reads.

“The housing moratorium is set to end on December 26th, resulting in mortgage foreclosures and rental evictions. Many families are impacted, due to the pandemic that resulted in job loss, sickness and overall economy downturn,” the release said.

An estimated 9.2 million renters who have lost income during the pandemic are behind on rent, according to an analysis of Census data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Read more:

Singer, Beyonce performs during the Kobe Bryant Memorial Service on February 24, 2020 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.

Related article Beyoncé to donate $500,000 to people impacted by the eviction crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin began 2020 with a surprise, sweeping his entire government aside on January 15 after unveiling a raft of constitutional reforms.

Observers were quick to read the fine print: The constitutional overhaul would reset the clock on presidential term limits, potentially extending Putin’s hold on power until 2036. A referendum was set for April, and Putin seemed to be coasting toward a presidency-for-life.

What followed instead was an annus horribilis for Russia, and perhaps Putin’s most challenging year to date.

As Covid-19 started to spread around the globe, Russia briefly appeared to be on the front foot. The country sealed its border with China, and Putin boasted that the virus was “under control,” thanks to what he described as robust early measures to halt the spread of the disease.

But that approach was little more than bluster and spin. Not long after the government announced a nationwide lockdown that began on March 28, it became clear the country was in the grip of a major public health crisis.

Read the full analysis here:

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses his annual press conference via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on December 17, 2020, amid the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic. (Photo by Alexey NIKOLSKY / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article Best-laid plans were derailed by 2020 and pandemic -- even for Vladimir Putin

Turkey will require a negative coronavirus test from air passengers entering the country from December 28, according to the Turkish health minister. 

Travelers entering via sea and land borders will also be required to present a negative PCR test result from December 30.

The test must be carried out within 72 hours of boarding, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a statement Friday.

The measures will be in effect until March 1, the statement said. 

In addition to the coronavirus test, Turkey will also require a mandatory home quarantine for people who have been in the UK, Denmark or South Africa in the previous 10 days, the statement said.

Those passengers will be required to get a coronavirus test on day 7 of their quarantine, and will be allowed to conclude their quarantine if they receive a negative result.  

Turkey has finalized a deal to obtain the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, Koca said in a tweet. The deal includes 550,000 doses to be delivered by early January and 4.5 million doses by the end of March, the tweet added.

Norway has extended its ban on direct flights from the United Kingdom until December 29, amid concerns about the new coronavirus variant spreading in Britain, according to a Ministry of Health spokesperson. 

Norway first imposed the flight ban on December 21. It also imposed additional coronavirus testing and tracing measures for travelers arriving from the UK, which will be in effect until January 10, according to a Ministry of Health statement.

“We must ensure that the strain of the virus that has been detected in the United Kingdom is prevented from spreading to Norway insofar as this is possible,” Health and Care Services Minister Bent Høie said in the December 21 statement. “This is in line with the advice we have received the Norwegian Directorate of Health.”

Japan detected 3,823 new coronavirus cases on Friday – setting a new daily record in the country for the third day in a row, the Ministry of Health said Saturday.

Japan also recorded 50 virus-related deaths Friday.

The country’s total Covid-19 caseload now stands at 214,259, with 3,165 fatalities.

On Friday, Tokyo also recorded its second-highest number of daily infections so far in the pandemic with 884 cases.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced testing requirements for travelers arriving from the UK, but research by the agency’s own scientists shows the rule may only have a small impact on the spread of the new coronavirus strain. 

Starting Monday in the UK, passengers must have a negative Covid-19 test within three days of boarding a flight to the United States. 

A CDC press release Thursday hailed the new changes. “Today, President Trump is taking another step to protect the health of the American people,” the statement said.

But according to researchers on the CDC’s Covid-19 response team, testing three days before a flight might not accomplish very much – only reducing the risk of spreading the virus by 5-9%.

Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, said the new requirement “is like putting up a chain link fence to keep out a mosquito.” 

The CDC’s order acknowledges that “testing does not eliminate all risk,” but when combined with other measures like self-monitoring for symptoms, masks and distancing, “it can make travel safer.” 

Read the full story:

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: Empty passenger waiting seats are pictured on October 20, 2020 at Heathrow Terminal 5 Airport in London, United Kingdom. The British government is being pressed to create a covid-19 testing system to ease restrictions on inbound and outbound travelers. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Related article CDC testing requirements for UK travelers are like 'a chain link fence to keep out a mosquito,' experts say

Cuba will require a negative coronavirus test from all travelers looking to enter the country from January 10, its Ministry of Public Health said in a statement Friday.

All arriving passengers will have to show a negative test carried out within 72 hours of traveling, the statement said.  

Upon arrival to the island, travelers will be required to get another coronavirus test, as required by the border protocols already in place.

Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday the measure is aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus since the country’s cases are mainly a result of passengers arriving from abroad.

Cuba reported its highest number of daily infections since the start of the pandemic on Wednesday with 217 cases, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

To date, Cuba has reported 10,900 cases of Covid-19 and 140 related deaths.

France has detected the country’s first confirmed case of the new coronavirus variant initially identified in the United Kingdom, health officials said Friday.

The infected person, a French citizen living in England, left London for the French city of Tours last weekend and was admitted to hospital on Monday, the French Health Ministry said in a statement.

“The person is asymptotic for Covid-19, is currently isolated at home and is doing well,” the statement said.
“The health authorities have carried out contact tracing of the health professionals who took care of the patient and have sought out his at-risk contacts, in order to place them in strict quarantine.”

South Korea detected 1,132 cases of Covid-19 on Friday, the country’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported Saturday.

Among the new cases, 1,104 were locally transmitted and 28 were imported. A total of 762 cases were reported in the Seoul Metropolitan Area.

On Thursday, South Korea recorded 1,241 coronavirus cases – the highest since the pandemic began.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has received his first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, state-run SPA news reported Friday.

The country’s Food and Drug Authority approved the registration of the vaccine earlier this month.

Saudi Arabia received the first shipment of the vaccine on December 16, with more than 100,000 people having registered to be vaccinated, Health Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah told state TV last week.

SPA published a video of Prince Salman getting the vaccine shot in his left arm.

Duke University’s women’s basketball team will not play the remainder of the 2020-2021 season, citing health and safety concerns stemming from Covid-19, the school announced Friday.

“The student-athletes on the Duke women’s basketball team have made the difficult decision to conclude their current season due to safety concerns,” Michael Schoenfeld, chief communications officer for Duke University, said in a press release.
“We support their decision, as we have supported the choices made by all student-athletes at Duke during this unprecedented time. Duke will maintain our current schedule of competition in other sports and will continue to observe our rigorous health and safety protocols, which include daily testing for all student-athletes and are based on guidance from leading medical experts.”

Duke announced on December 16 that it was pausing team-related activities for the women’s basketball program due to two positive Covid-19 tests and contact tracing among individuals within the travel party.

Duke’s last three games had been postponed, including contests against Miami, North Carolina State and UNC Wilmington. The remainder of its schedule was Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Duke finished the season with a 3-1 record, with Kara Lawson in her first season as the Blue Devils’ head coach. Lawson recently became the first NCAA Division I Power Five head coach to win her first three games by 25 or more points.

Passengers arriving in the United States from the United Kingdom must test negative for Covid-19 before departure, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Thursday.

Passengers will be required to have a negative PCR or antigen test within 72 hours of boarding their flight from the UK to the US. Passengers are also required to provide documentation of their laboratory results, either as a hard copy or electronic.

Airlines are required to confirm the test results before the flight, and passengers will not be permitted to board if they refuse a test or do not provide documentation. 

New variant: The order is in response to a new coronavirus variant that is said to have originated in the UK and is potentially more transmissible. Since the discovery of the variant, more than 40 countries have restricted travel from the UK – as well as, in some cases, travel from other countries that have documented cases with the variant.

The agency said the order will be signed Friday and go into effect on Monday.

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December 24, 2020 - Orlando, Florida, United States - Travelers wearing face masks arrive at Orlando International Airport on the day before Christmas, ignoring health experts who recommend against holiday travel as the coronavirus pandemic hits record levels across the United States, on December 24, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Related article CDC to require negative Covid-19 test for all passengers traveling to US from UK

Los Angeles County public health officials reported 148 new Covid-19 deaths on Thursday, the second day in a row that the county reported its highest number of new deaths.

“A person now dies every 10 minutes in LA County from Covid-19,” county Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “And since many of these deaths are preventable, our collective focus should be on doing right to save lives.” 

According to the Department of Public Health’s Thursday news release, there are about 6,500 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in the county, 20% of whom are in intensive care units – a pandemic high. In the last week alone, the department said, the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals increased by more than 1,600. 

“I hope we can each find the strength and courage to take responsibility for each other’s well-being,” Ferrer said, urging Southern Californians to follow public health guidelines like staying home and wearing a mask while out in public. “These are the only tools that will work right now.”

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A team of health care workers wear personal protective equipment (PPE) while turning a patient from their stomach onto their back in the Covid-19 in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana, California on December 18, 2020. (Photo by Apu GOMES / AFP) (Photo by APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)

Related article One person is dying from Covid-19 every 10 minutes in Los Angeles County

A Boston health care worker with a history of allergies developed an allergic reaction after receiving a Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on Christmas Eve.

This is the first known case of allergic reaction from a Moderna coronavirus vaccine, though there have been at least six reported cases of allergic reaction in the US associated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

“After I got the vaccine, I felt tachycardic, but I felt like it was probably anxiety because I was scared after learning about Pfizer’s reactions in the US, especially with those people who have shellfish allergies, like me,” Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh told to CNN.

Tachycardia is a medical term describing rapid or irregular heartbeat. 

After having his vitals checked, Sadrzadeh realized his heart rate had spiked.

“My heart rate was 150, my normal heart rate is 75 but … six, seven minutes after the injection of the vaccine, I felt in my tongue and also my throat having, like some weird sensation of tingling and numbness, the same reaction that I had before to my shellfish allergy,” Sadrzadeh said.

Sadrzadeh said his blood pressure dipped so low it wasn’t even detectable with a monitor. That was when he decided to use his EpiPen, and the staff rushed him to the emergency room.

Sadrzadeh was monitored for four hours before he was able to drive home.

“The main concern for me as a human being and as a physician … I have to get the word out to people … People should have the EpiPen with them if they have allergy reactions,” said Sadrzadeh, urging Moderna to investigate further.

A spokesperson from Moderna said the biotechnology company couldn’t confirm the incident, but it “reported the potential adverse event through its internal safety reporting system and Moderna is further investigating.”