Here's what you need to know about getting the Covid-19 vaccine
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What you need to know
Advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that health care staff and long-term care facility residents be first in line to get any Covid-19 vaccines that get emergency authorization.
Everyone in the US who wants a Covid-19 vaccine will be able to get one by June, according to an official with the White House vaccine initiative.
Cases are surging in the US: More than 4.4 millionnew infections were reported in November — nearly as many as the total number of cases reported in the US during the first five months in the pandemic.
Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has moved here.
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Japan tops 150,000 Covid-19 cases, record number of people are in intensive care
From CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo
Japan surpassed 150,000 Covid-19 cases Wednesday after reporting 2,029 new infections in the past 24 hours, according to the country’s Health Ministry.
The nationwide total number of cases now stands at 151,098.
The Health Ministry also added 33 new deaths, bringing the country’s death toll to 2,185.
Japan has seen nine straight days of a record-high number of coronavirus patients in intensive care and on respirators, with 493 people on Tuesday, up 21 from the previous day.
Tokyo reported 372 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the capital’s total number of infections to 41,311.
Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said on Monday the country is facing “a sense of crisis.”
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US nursing home coronavirus cases hit highest peak since the spring, new report shows
From CNN Health’s Lauren Mascarenhas
A resident sits in a wheelchair at an assisted living facility in Boston on September 2, 2020.
Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Nursing homes in the United States recently reported their highest weekly new coronavirus cases since the spring, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said in a report published Tuesday. The rise correlates with a surge in infections nationwide.
Nursing homes in the Midwest were particularly hard hit, with a more then 400% increase in weekly cases since mid-September. During the week of Nov. 15, 49% of new nursing home cases were in the Midwest.
Between mid-September and the week of Nov. 15, there was a 177% rise in new weekly nursing home cases nationwide. The rise in cases has been accompanied by a rise in coronavirus deaths in nursing homes.
The report cites data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Health experts say that rising community spread of the virus is a good indicator for surges in nursing homes.
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China has promised millions of coronavirus vaccines to countries globally. And it is ready to deliver them
From CNN's David Culver and Nectar Gan
Inside a gray warehouse at the Shenzhen International Airport in southern China, a row of white chambers sits in a cordoned-off corner, each fitted with a display screen showing the customized temperature inside.
A security worker in face mask, surgical gown and rubber gloves stands guard. Anyone entering this part of the warehouse has to either complete two weeks of quarantine or wear a head-to-toe hazmat suit.
These climate-controlled rooms, totaling an area of 350 square meters (3,767 square feet), are soon to be filled by rows and rows of Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccines – after they receive approval from the country’s drug regulators. From there, they’ll be loaded onto temperature-controlled compartments of cargo jets and flown to continents around the world.
In the coming months, China will be sending hundreds of millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines to countries that have conducted last-stage trials for its leading candidates. Chinese leaders have also promised a growing list of developing countries priority access to its successful vaccines.
This global campaign presents China an opportunity to repair its image, which was damaged for its initial mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak – rather than being blamed for the primary spread of the virus it can potentially be esteemed for helping to bring an end to the pandemic.
A medical worker walks outside of the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn on December 1, in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The United States set a record for the number of people currently hospitalized with Covid-19, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
On Tuesday, 98,691 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized, according to CTP. This is the highest number of Covid-19 hospitalizations the nation has ever experienced.
Per CTP, this is more than double the number of hospitalizations reported on Nov. 1, and more than triple the number of hospitalizations reported on Oct. 1.
Today’s count is a more than 60% increase from peaks in the spring and summer, according to CTP data.
According to CTP data, the highest hospitalization numbers are:
Dec. 1: 98,691
Nov. 30: 96,053
Nov. 29: 93,265
Nov. 28: 91,665
Nov. 26: 90,443
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Oregon reports highest number of Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began
From CNN’s Jennifer Henderson
Oregon reported the highest number of deaths in a single day from Covid-19 since the pandemic began, according to a release from the state’s Health Authority.
At least 24 deaths from Covid-19 were reported Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 936, according to the state’s Heath Authority.
The state recorded 1,233 new cases of Covid-19, both confirmed and presumptive for a total of 76,654 cases, the release said.
A total of 577 people remain hospitalized, and 111 Covid-19 patients are in intensive care, the release stated.
Note: These numbers were released by the Oregon Health Authority and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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First shipments of Pfizer vaccine to be delivered on Dec. 15
From CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas and Kristen Holmes
A health worker injects a person during clinical trials for a Covid-19 vaccine at Research Centers of America in Hollywood, Florida, on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The first shipments of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine will be delivered on Dec. 15, according to an Operation Warp Speed document.
The document provided to governors ahead of a call with Vice President Mike Pence and obtained by CNN, also estimates the first shipment of Moderna’s vaccine will be delivered on Dec. 22.
The US Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet on Dec. 10 to consider authorizing Pfizer’s vaccine. The document outlines a four-day window between Dec. 11 and Dec. 14 for review by the FDA and CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. On Dec. 15, the first doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine will be delivered, according to the outline.
Next, the VRBPAC is scheduled to consider Moderna’s vaccine on Dec. 17. After a four-day review window from Dec. 18 to Dec. 21, the document states that the first shipments of Moderna’s vaccine are estimated to be delivered on Dec. 22.
The document includes a vaccine manufacturing forecast, estimating 22.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 18 million doses of the Moderna vaccine will be manufactured in December.
A list of “essential tasks” is included for governors to complete by Dec. 4, including pre-ordering Pfizer vaccines, enrolling providers in the Covid-19 vaccine program and completing microplans for distribution and administration.
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Maine governor is in quarantine after member of protection detail develops Covid-like symptoms
From CNN’s Evan Simko-Bednarski
Maine Gov. Janet Mills speaks at a news conference where she announced new plans for the stay-at-home order and other measures to help combat the coronavirus pandemic, on Tuesday, April 28, in Augusta, Maine.
AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Tuesday that she will begin quarantine after exposure to a member of her protection team believed to have Covid-19.
Mills said in a statement that she has not yet developed any symptoms of the disease.
“I am feeling fine and not experiencing any symptoms whatsoever,” Mills said. “But as we have said all along, no one is immune from exposure to this virus.”
A member of Mills’ executive protection unit developed Covid-like symptoms Monday, according to the governor’s office, and is awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test. The individual was not identified, but Mills’ office said that the governor was last in contact with that individual Saturday, when they were both in the same car together.
Mills’ office said that both the governor and the member of her protection detail were wearing face masks in the car, and that they were not in the car together for more than 10 minutes.
Mills is scheduled to receive a Covid-19 test on Thursday, and will remain in quarantine until Dec. 12, according to her office.
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CDC will decrease coronavirus quarantine time
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond
Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, informed Vice President Mike Pence and coronavirus task force members on Tuesday that the CDC will soon issue new guidelines reducing the number of days close contacts should quarantine following a suspected exposure, two senior administration officials told CNN.
The new guidelines will recommend close contacts of those infected with coronavirus should quarantine for seven to 10 days after exposure, down from the 14 days currently recommended, the official said. Individuals can end their quarantine after seven days if they receive a negative test, or 10 days without getting tested.
Redfield announced the forthcoming guidelines during a coronavirus task force meeting on Tuesday, the officials said, describing the change as a data-driven decision that has been under review for weeks.
One official said Pence has been pushing the CDC for months to review the guidelines.
The CDC did not immediately return CNN’s request for comment.
Health experts continued to stress the importance of communicating and implementing mitigation measures to decrease the alarming number of coronavirus cases across the country, the official said. There was no discussion of President Trump getting involved in public messaging around those mitigation measures.
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San Francisco plans new restrictions amid Covid-19 surge
From CNN's Alexandra Meeks
A health care worker administers a test at a Covid-19 testing tent outside a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, on Monday, Nov. 30.
David Odisho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Health officials will implement additional rollbacks and restrictions this week to temper the spread of the virus, Public Health Director Grant Colfax said at a news conference Tuesday, warning there is “little time to spare.
“We are going to further reduce the number of people who can gather, especially from multiple households and we will be analyzing the capacity restrictions for indoor shopping and other indoor services,” Colfax said. “We are looking at potential travel quarantine orders and some of these orders can be issued as early as tomorrow.”
In the past two weeks, San Francisco health officials have taken numerous actions to try and slow the spread by halting indoor dining, closing nonessential businesses, and limiting the capacity at some essential businesses. However, none of these actions have slowed the rate of spread, Colfax said.
As a result, Mayor London Breed said officials are weighing the possibility of closing outdoor dining entirely, a measure that would follow a similar outdoor dining ban that took effect in Los Angeles County last week.
“I want to be clear that unfortunately we can’t rule it out,” Breed said about halting all outdoor dining. “As soon as we know when or if it happens, we will make sure that we provide as much notification as we can.”
In the last three weeks, positive cases in San Francisco have tripled to a higher point than all previous surges in the city, according to latest public health data. On Oct. 22, San Francisco was reporting an average of 34 new cases per day. It is now averaging 140 new cases per day, or about four times more new cases than a month ago.
To date, San Francisco has reported 15,639 total cases and 160 deaths. Covid-19 hospitalizations in the city have doubled over the past 10 days. If this trend continues, the city will experience a hospital bed shortage around Christmas, Colfax warned.
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US adds more than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths in a day
From CNN’s Virginia Langmaid
The United States has reported more than 2,000 deaths from Covid-19 today, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Currently the country has reported 2,324 new deaths today.
This is the 22nd day that the US has ever added more than 2,000 new deaths. The US added more than 2,000 deaths on Nov. 24 and 25. Prior to last week, the country had not seen numbers this high since May 6.
One thing to note: Many states did not report cases and deaths on or around Thanksgiving Day. In the days following, more than half of those states reported their highest single day of new cases – simply because they reported at least two full days of new cases and deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
As the week progresses, the data should smooth out before the anticipated Thanksgiving wave occurs.
According to Johns Hopkins data, the United States has also added 154,839 cases today, for a total of 13,696,060 cases.
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Democratic senator blasts McConnell for rejecting bipartisan relief package
From CNN's Josiah Ryan
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin today criticized Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for rejecting a $908 billion bipartisan coronavirus stimulus bill, warning that 12 million Americans face a financial cliff when they fall off unemployment the day after Christmas.
“Senator McConnell will not accept this,” said Durbin of the proposal which was hammered out by a bipartisan group of centrist senators including Republican Sen. Mitt Romney and Democratic Sen. Mark Warner.
“He wants something else. It’s unfortunate,” added the Illinois Democrat.
McConnell earlier on Tuesday summarily dismissed the bipartisan proposal, telling reporters “we just don’t have time to waste time.” He added that he knows what kind of relief package would garner a signature from President Trump.
McConnell and some Republicans have proposed a slimmed down $500 billion “targeted relief” plan.” He added he believes it is critical to have a package signed into law before lawmakers depart for the holidays.
Speaking with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer today, Durbin agreed, saying it is critical that lawmakers provide relief to suffering Americans before the holidays.
“It is important for us, if we want to go home and celebrate with our families with a clear conscience, to do something,” he said.
“This is a middle ground,” Durbin added of the bipartisan proposal. “This is a compromise. It’s a good bill.”
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L.A. County shatters Covid-19 case and hospitalization records
From CNN's Sarah Moon
Cars are lined up at Dodger Stadium for Covid-19 testing on the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend on November 30, in Los Angeles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Los Angeles County reported its highest number of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations since the start of the pandemic, with 7,593 new cases and 2,316 hospitalizations, according to a news release from the L.A. County Department of Public Health on Tuesday.
“Today, Tuesday, December 1, 2020, is the worst day thus far of the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles County,” the county’s Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said in the release. “However, it will likely not remain the worst day of the pandemic in Los Angeles County. That will be tomorrow, and the next day and the next as cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase.”
The number of new Covid-19 cases reported Tuesday easily surpassed the previous high of 6,124 new cases seen last week, signaling “that the virus is infecting more people at a faster rate than ever seen in L.A. County before,” the health department said.
The daily test positivity rate has nearly doubled to 12% from 7% one week ago and the number of hospitalizations has increased nearly every day since November when the number of hospitalizations was about 799, the release adds. With 2,316 hospitalizations, “this exceeds the peak of 2,232 people hospitalized with Covid-19 during the July surge.”
The public health department is urging all residents to stay home as much as possible. The county also issued a modified stay at home order that went into effect on Monday. Outdoor dining and gatherings with people outside a single household are prohibited under the new order.
Since the end of August, the public health department issued a total of 352 citations to non-compliant businesses, according to the release.
To date, Los Angeles County has reported a total of 408,396 coronavirus cases and 7,700 deaths.
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CDC vaccine advisers to meet again after FDA committee decides on a coronavirus vaccine
From CNN's Maggie Fox
Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet again after their counterparts at the US Food and Drug Administration decide whether to recommend authorizing a coronavirus vaccine, likely next week.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices voted Tuesday to recommend that if and when a vaccine gets emergency use authorization from the FDA, it should go first to both health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, who have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
The next meeting will come after the FDA’s advisers, known as the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee or VRBPAC, meet on Dec. 10 to decide on Pfizer’s application for an EUA, said ACIP’s executive secretary, Dr. Amanda Cohn.
“We anticipate that the next ACIP meeting will occur sometime after the VRPBAC meeting,” Cohn said. ACIP will vote to recommend whether any vaccine the FDA authorizes should actually be given to anyone in the US.
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Texas reports more than 15,000 new Covid-19 cases
From CNN's Raja Razek
Volunteer Daisy Valdivia, left, of Forth Worth, Texas, takes down information from a person waiting in line to receive food items during a Tarrant Area Food Bank mobile pantry distribution event in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020. Thanksgiving holiday food items were distributed to over 5,000 families during the event that took place in a parking lot outside AT&T Stadium. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Texas reported Tuesday a record 15,182 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases to 1,184,250, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard.
The state also reported 170 new Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 21,549.
There are currently 9,047 Covid-19 patients in Texas hospitals.
Note: These numbers were released by the Texas Department of Health Services and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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CDC advisers vote to recommend that health care staff and long-term care facility residents get vaccine first
From CNN's Maggie Fox
Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted 13-1 on Tuesday to recommend that both health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities be first in line for any coronavirus vaccines that get emergency authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.
The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices voted to include both groups in what they’re calling Phase 1a of the CDC’s coronavirus vaccine distribution plan.
“Long-term care facility residents are defined as adults who reside in facilities that provide a variety of services, including medical and personal care, to persons who are unable to live independently,” the CDC said.
“Health care personnel are defined as paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure or infectious materials.”
The CDC says long-term care facility residents account for 6% of coronavirus cases and 40% of coronavirus deaths in the US. More than 240,000 health care workers have been infected with coronavirus and 858 have died, the CDC says.
The single vote against the recommendation came from Dr. Helen Talbot of Vanderbilt University, who said she was worried that the vaccine had not been studied in residents of long-term care facilities.
“We hope it works and we hope it’s safe. That concerns me on many levels,” Talbot told the meeting.
But Dr. Jose Romero, who chairs ACIP, said he believed these residents are at exceptional risk.
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CDC committee starts voting on who gets coronavirus vaccines first
From CNN's Maggie Fox
The US Center for Disease Control And Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is about to begin voting on recommendations about who should get a coronavirus vaccine first.
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Connecticut's Covid-19 positivity rate jumped to more than 5%
From CNN's Laura Ly
A technician gives a Covid-19 test at a drive through testing facility in Greenwich, Connecticut, on November 13.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
Just one day after Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont expressed cautious hope that the state’s Covid-19 positivity rate might be declining, new data released by the state instead showed that Connecticut’s daily positivity rate jumped to 5.88% on Tuesday.
The state previously reported a positivity rate of 4.4% on Monday and had averaged a rate of 4.7% over the previous week, state data shows.
Rising cases in the state brought Connecticut’s overall case count to 118,754, with 1,459 new cases reported on Tuesday. With an additional 20 deaths announced Tuesday, the state has now lost 5,040 residents to Covid-19.
Hospitalizations also continue to rise in Connecticut, with an additional 54 people admitted on Tuesday, with 1,152 people hospitalized overall, new data from the state shows.
Note: These numbers were released by the state of Connecticut and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Stock market closes higher on investor optimism over stimulus and vaccines
From CNN's Anneken Tappe
People walk past the New York Stock exchange at Wall Street on November 30 in New York City.
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
December started out strong with a stock market rally.
Wall Street finished higher on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both logging fresh all-time highs, surpassing their records from last week.
Investors are optimistic that there will be additional government stimulus before the end of the year, and are hopeful that the near-term distribution of a vaccine will help the economic recovery.
Here’s how things closed on Tuesday:
The Dow closed 0.6%, or 185 points, higher.
The S&P climbed 1.1%.
The Nasdaq finished 1.3% higher.
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Oklahoma nears 200,000 total Covid-19 cases
From CNN's Kay Jones
Oklahoma is nearing 200,000 total Covid-19 cases, according to state data.
The state is reporting at least 199,492 cases of Covid-19, up 1,737 from Monday’s report. There are also 15 new deaths being reported today, bringing the total to 1,758.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health shows that at least 1,718 patients are currently hospitalized with the virus. The dashboard shows that the state currently has 57 ICU beds available.
Note: These numbers were released by the state’s public health agency and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
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Michigan's Covid-19 positivity rate is now 13% across the state
From CNN’s Lauren del Valle
Registered nurse Erica Fairfield, right, works at the Hackley Community Care COVID-19 curbside testing site in Muskegon Heights, Michigan, on November 13.
Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press/AP
Michigan recorded 10,428 new Covid-19 cases and 98 new deaths Sunday and Monday, according to the state Covid-19 dashboard.
The average number of new confirmed cases was 5,214 per day, according to the dashboard.
The positivity rate is now 13% across the state, down from 14% on November 16, Michigan Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said at a press conference Tuesday.
It is too soon, however, to determine whether the statewide “pause” will be extended next week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at the press conference.
Whitmer said state officials are bracing for a holiday-related surge in cases, despite the first two weeks of the three-week limited shut down showing positive results.
Note: These numbers were released by the state’s health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and our Covid tracker.
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