December 29, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Ovidiu Dugulan/iStockBy ROSA SANCHEZ, ERIN SCHUMAKER and IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 80.2 million people worldwide and killed over 1.7 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Here’s how the news is developing Tuesday. All times Eastern:

Dec 29, 8:38 am
TSA screens over 1 million people Monday

The TSA screened 1,111,751 travelers at checkpoints across the U.S. on Monday. This marked the seventh day within the last 11 days that more than 1 million people were traveling.

Dec 29, 7:10 am
Vaccinations begin at Massachusetts long-term care facility, a COVID hot spot

Staff and residents of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, will begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations Tuesday.

The long-term care facility had one of the country’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.

On Tuesday, CVS pharmacists with inject patients with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

In the spring, 76 veterans who lived at the home died of the virus, and a resident who had been living in an off-site nursing facility since April died earlier this month.

Two former top administrators pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence charges connected to the residents’ deaths, WCVB reported.

U.S. states have begun vaccinating patients at long-term care facilities in an effort to keep the most vulnerable Americans safe from the virus.

The government’s goal is to have 20 million Americans vaccinated by the end of the year.

Dec 29, 12:42 am
COVID vaccines given to general public in Kentucky a ‘mistake,’ governor says

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear spoke out Monday after Walgreens stores in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, gave COVID-19 vaccines to members of the general public.

Beshear said at a press conference that last week, the pharmacies were left with extra doses of the vaccine after administering it to long-term care facilities, so, they offered the leftover doses to average citizens. This, the governor said, does not follow government protocol, as the vaccine is not yet being given to the general public.

“I don’t think that this was intentional, and we have to understand that in an undertaking this massive that mistakes are going to happen,” Beshear said. “I believe that here a mistake happened in the thawing, but the reaction wasn’t what it should’ve been.”

In a statement, Walgreens said that per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can be at refrigerated temperatures for only five days, so, to avoid wasting doses of the valuable vaccine after giving it to at-risk adults in long-term care facilities, they used the leftover doses they had on residents.

The doses were offered to local first responders, Walgreens pharmacy and store team members and residents of the community, many of whom were over age 65, Walgreens said.

“These measures were taken to ensure every dose of a limited vaccine supply was used to protect patients and communities,” the company added. “We will utilize excess vaccine inventory in priority patient populations and continue to work closely with state and federal health agencies in our efforts to vaccinate residents in long-term care facilities and ensure requested doses meet their needs.”

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 28, 2020 • No Comments • National News

iStock/MattGushBy: IVAN PEREIRA and MATT SEYLER, ABC News

(ROCKFORD, Ill.) — The Army Green Beret accused of killing three people and wounding three others during a shooting at an Illinois bowling alley this weekend was ordered to be remanded to jail.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Duke Webb appeared virtually Monday at a Winnebago County, Illinois, courtroom for his arraignment on murder and attempted murder charges in connection with the shooting at the Don Carter Lanes in Rockford, Illinois. The judge denied a request for bond.

Prosecutors told the judge that Webb, 37, a Florida resident, allegedly admitted to opening fire Saturday and pointed to the weapons he used.

His next court appearance will be on Feb. 16.

Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley told reporters the entire incident was captured on surveillance cameras. Webb was on leave from the Army and visiting family in Illinois, according to Hanley.

Although the two-floor bowling alley was closed to games, it was open for takeout and limited food service due to COVID-19 health orders, investigators said.

A 16-year-old girl was sitting on a table with other teenagers on the first floor when Webb allegedly opened fire, Hanley said. She was shot in the shoulder but was later treated at the scene and released, according to officials.

A 14-year-old victim was shot in the face and was in critical condition at a Madison, Wisconsin, hospital, Hanley and officials said.

Thomas Furseth, 65, was on the first floor and ran toward Webb, who allegedly shot him in the torso, according to Hanley. Furseth died at the scene.

Webb then allegedly made his way up to the second floor, where there were 20 to 25 people at the bar and opened fire, according to Hanley.

Dennis Steinhoff, 73, was shot in the torso and died at the scene, Hanley said. Jerome Woodfork, 69, was shot in the neck, and an eyewitness said he then fell off a balcony, according to Hanley. He was also pronounced dead at the scene.

A 62-year-old man was in critical condition after being shot multiple times, Hanley said. Isiah Box, a friend of the wounded victim told ABC’s Chicago station WLS-TV that he was in surgery last night.

Hanley said police found two handguns at the scene that were behind a bag belonging to Webb. “Based on our information, they were not service weapons,” Hanley said.

The suspect was immediately arrested at the scene.

Webb’s attorney, Elizabeth Bucko, told reporters outside the courthouse that her client would be undergoing mental health evaluations.

“There are some indications of PTSD and brain injury,” she said.

Hanley would not comment on Bucko’s statements.

Investigators said they are still trying to determine Webb’s motives but reiterated that none of the victims were targeted.

The Army released new information Monday about Webb’s service.

The Green Beret served four tours in Afghanistan: from August 2009 to December 2009; from October 2013 to April 2014; from October 2014 to April 2015; and from January 2020 to July 2020, the Army said.

Webb, who is currently assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, has several Army awards, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal, officials said.

The Army said it is cooperating with the investigation.

“The alleged actions of Sgt. 1st Class Duke Webb are abhorrent and are absolutely not representative of the Special Forces Regiment,” MG John W. Brennan, the commander of 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), said in a statement.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 28, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Myriam Borzee/iStock

By ROSA SANCHEZ, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 80.2 million people worldwide and killed over 1.7 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Here’s how the news is developing Monday. All times Eastern:

Dec 28, 9:31 am
TSA reports highest number of airline passengers since pandemic hit

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Sunday saw the highest number of people screened at the airport since the pandemic hit, a spokesperson tweeted Monday.

The 1,284,599 people screened at airports nationwide marks the sixth day in the last 10 with more than 1 million airline screenings. “If you choose to travel, please wear a mask,” Lisa Farbstein, the TSA spokesperson, wrote on Twitter.

Dec 28, 8:00 am
US may not see 3rd wave of COVID-19: HHS assistant secretary

Health experts have been worrying about a third wave of COVID-19 hitting the U.S. after the holidays, as already 9 million people have traveled during the season. But speaking to “Good Morning America” Monday morning, Adm. Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the country may not see another big spike in cases.

“How bad it will get really depends on what people do. After Thanksgiving, in the Midwest and the Northern Plains, we did not see a spike in cases, and in fact, it continued to go down,” he said.

He added that while traveling does put people at higher risk of contracting the disease, we will not necessarily see another spike if people follow the rules.

“Limit travel if you can. If you’re sick, please don’t travel. Always wear a mask and watch your distance. And be careful, it’s not really the travel, but it’s mixing your bubble with a new bubble once you get there,” Giroir said.

He added that this week, 4.7 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to the U.S., getting the country closer to the government’s goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of the year.

Dec 28, 7:56 am
‘No evidence’ coronavirus variant is in US: HHS assistant secretary

Adm. Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spoke to Good Morning America Monday morning to discuss the new coronavirus variant taking over the U.K.

“We don’t have proof that it’s here, but we do suspect that it is likely here, given the global interconnectedness,” Giroir said. “We have no evidence that it’s here. It’s certainly not widespread here, but we need to look and make sure it’s not here.”

He added that while “there is increasing evidence that it really is more transmissible” or contagious, due to the viral load that people with that strain have been shown to have, there is “no evidence that it is more serious.”

There is no evidence that people who become infected with the variant are more likely to be hospitalized or die, Giroir said.

“And we still believe — don’t have absolute proof — but we have very good evidence and a good belief that the vaccines will still be effective,” he added.

Dec 28, 4:24 am
California hospital explains how it will allocate medical resources in case of shortage

Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California, released a patient information sheet documenting how they will use their medical resources should they see a shortage due to an overwhelming number of new patients following the holidays.

“We are not currently in this situation, but could be based on ongoing increase in hospitalized COVID-19 patients,” they told ABC News, adding that on Sunday they had their highest number of patients (189) in a single day.

In the letter, the hospital explained that due to rising cases of COVID-19 in the community, they may experience limited resources. These include life support machines (like a ventilator or breathing machine), intensive care unit (ICU) beds and healthy medical staff to care for patients.

If there is a shortage of resources, a team of medical professionals will review the cases of all patients who are critically ill to determine how these resources should be shared throughout the hospital.

“If a patient becomes extremely sick and very unlikely to survive his/her illness (even with life-saving treatment) — limited medical resources may go to treat other patients who are more likely to survive,” the letter reads.

“Our community is facing a public health emergency that has severely constricted the medical resources available to patients in the Los Angeles County and greater Southern California region. Hospitals such as ours are working hard to meet the dramatic rise in needed care during this COVID-19 surge. We expect to face additional challenges moving forward after the holiday season,” the hospital said in a statement.

Dec 28, 1:59 am
CDC issues new guidance on vaccinations for people with underlying health conditions

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines for people with underlying health conditions planning to take a COVID-19 vaccine.  

They CDC said that adults with underlying medical conditions — who are more at risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 — can receive a vaccine against the virus as long as they have not had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in it.

The new guidelines state that people with HIV and those with weakened immune systems due to other illnesses or medication should be aware that information about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for their group is not yet available. While people with HIV were included in clinical trials, more data is required to provide safety guidelines regarding the effects a vaccine could have on them. The same is true for people with autoimmune conditions.

People who have previously had Guillain-Barre syndrome or Bell’s palsy may receive a COVID-19 vaccine, though experts are still acquiring more data about their groups as well.

The CDC added that people should continue to follow coronavirus health measures — such as wearing a mask and staying 6 feet away from others — after receiving the shot, as experts have more to learn about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 26, 2020 • No Comments • National News

kali9/iStockBy MEREDITH DELISO and AARON KATERSKY, ABC News

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Authorities are looking at a “number of individuals” and do not believe there is another subject as they investigate an explosion that rocked downtown Nashville on Christmas.

Law enforcement agencies have received nearly 500 tips after a parked recreational vehicle exploded Friday morning, causing extensive damage.

“We are continuing to follow every lead we have,” U.S. Attorney Don Cochran said during a press briefing Saturday afternoon.

FBI agent Doug Korneski declined to confirm if a person of interest has been identified, but he said the FBI is “not looking for another subject.”

“There are a number of individuals that we’re looking at,” Korneski said. “At this point, we’re not prepared to identify any single individual.”

There are no known additional explosive threats at this time, authorities said.

“Nashville is safe,” Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during the briefing. “We feel and know that we have no known threats at this time against our city.”

Authorities urged people to avoid the area, as a curfew is in effect until Sunday afternoon.

Drake asked residents and business owners to “be patient” Saturday while the investigation is underway.

“Just know that your businesses are safe,” Drake said in a video address Saturday afternoon. “We have law enforcement officers at each corner to protect the area, so no one will be allowed access into your business.”

Announcements coming from an RV said a potential bomb would detonate within 15 minutes, police said, before it exploded around 6:30 a.m. Friday, blowing out the windows of nearby buildings. The explosion is believed to have been an intentional act, authorities said.

Officers worked to evacuate nearby buildings before the explosion. The department identified them Friday night as Officer Brenna Hosey; Officer James Luellen; Officer Michael Sipos; Officer Amanda Topping; Officer James Wells; and Sergeant Timothy Miller.

The officers were lauded as heroes during a press conference Friday, as they “took swift action and directed people away from danger,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said.

“The officers saved lives today,” Drake also said. “They immediately began knocking on doors, not knowing if the bomb was going to go off immediately. They didn’t care about themselves, they didn’t think about that, they cared about the citizens of Nashville.” . Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee also praised the “swift action” of Nashville police and local law enforcement after touring the site of the explosion Saturday morning.

“The damage is shocking and it is a miracle that no residents were killed,” he said on Twitter.

Three people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Human remains were found at the scene, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News. The remains have not been identified as of Saturday afternoon.

Multiple buildings on Second Avenue were damaged, some extensively, authorities said.

Gov. Lee said he has requested an emergency declaration from President Donald Trump “to support ongoing efforts and relief.”

The vehicle exploded outside an AT&T transmission building. Service continues to be impacted in Nashville and surrounding areas because of damage to its facilities.

A fire reignited overnight, leading to the evaluation of the building, AT&T said in a statement Saturday morning. Teams have drilled holes into the building in an attempt to reconnect power to critical equipment, and are also rerouting services to other facilities in the area, it said.

The company has set up two portable cell sites in downtown Nashville, “with numerous additional portable sites being deployed in the Nashville area and in the region,” it said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary flight restriction for Nashville, classifying the airspace as National Defense Airspace. Pilots who do not follow the restriction could be detained, the FAA warned.

The FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are leading the investigation. The FBI has fielded nearly 500 tips as of Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The FBI is asking anyone with information to submit a tip on its website.

ABC News’ Josh Hoyos, Ahmad Hemingway and Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 26, 2020 • No Comments • National News

pinkomelet/iStockBy ROSA SANCHEZ, EMILY SHAPIRO, and IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 79.8 million people worldwide and killed over 1.7 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Here’s how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.

Dec 26, 11:12 am
Increase in MIS-C in children seen

An increasing number of children are being infected with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C), according to a statement Saturday relased by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, Supervisor to the First District.

“It is heartbreaking that every day, more than 14,000 Los Angeles County residents are testing positive for COVID-19. It is even more painful to see an increasing number of children being infected by MISC-C. There is a misconception that COVID-19 only impacts those who are older or those with underlying health conditions. At this point in the crisis, we can say for certain that COVID-19 causes severe consequences in people of all ages, including children, and even without underlying health conditions. In Los Angeles County, the Latinx community is bearing the brunt of COVID-19 and MISC-C cases,” the statement read.

There have been 51 total cases of MIS-C in children, including one child death. All 51 children with MIS-C were hospitalized and nearly 50% of the children were treated in the ICU. Of the children with MIS-C, 31% were under the age of 5 years old, 38% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 31% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latinx children account for nearly 73% of the reported cases, according to the statement.

Experts say the inflammatory syndrome, recently named by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), resembles toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, itself a rare inflammatory disease typically affecting children under the age of five, and has the potential to be deadly.

-Matthew Fuhrman, Olivia Rubin, Soo Rin Kim

Dec 26, 9:07 am
Boston Medical Center responds to report of doctor’s serious allergic reaction to Moderna vaccine

“The employee received the Moderna vaccine Thursday and as is our standard practice was being observed post vaccination by trained nurses. He felt he was developing an allergic reaction and was allowed to self-administer his personal epi-pen. He was taken to the Emergency Department, evaluated, treated, observed and discharged. He is doing well today,” Boston Medical Center said in a statement to ABC News.

– Aaron Katersky

Dec 26, 8:57 am
7 million people traveled by plane in last 7 days

Despite health official warnings to stay home this holiday season, and while overall air travel is down nearly 60% from this time last year, the Transportation Security Administration’s numbers have jumped, showing more than 7 million people hitting the skies in the past seven days, according to a “Good Morning America” report Saturday.

Over 7.8 million travelers were screened by the TSA since last Friday, Dec. 18 — the busiest stretch of travel since the beginning of the pandemic.

Dec 26, 12:35 am
Doctor has serious allergic reaction to Moderna vaccine for 1st time

A person receiving the Moderna vaccine has had a serious allergic reaction apparently for the first time.

Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncology fellow at Boston Medical Center, had the serious reaction when receiving the vaccine earlier this week.

“The employee received the Moderna vaccine Thursday and as is our standard practice was being observed post vaccination by trained nurses,” Boston Medical Center said in a statement Friday. “He felt he was developing an allergic reaction and was allowed to self-administer his personal epi-pen. He was taken to the Emergency Department, evaluated, treated, observed and discharged. He is doing well today.”

There have been a handful of reports about recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine suffering allergic reactions, but this is the first known via Moderna’s shot.

Sadrzadeh told ABC News that he specifically chose to get the Moderna vaccine — as opposed to Pfizer’s vaccine — because he had a history of allergic reactions.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices hearing last week discussing approval for the vaccine, Moderna scientist Dr. Jacqueline Miller discussed some cases in the trials.

“At the time of our EA submission, we’ve had two anaphylaxis reactions that have been reported as unsolicited and one was in a placebo group occurring 10 days after the first [shot],” Miller told the panel. “And that subject has reported a history of allergy to shellfish.”

Sadrzadeh also had a shellfish allergy.

“They injected the vaccine, and just like less than a minute after injecting the vaccine, I felt that my heart is racing,” he told ABC News late Friday. “I asked the nurses to come and just take my vital signs … and interestingly, for the first time in my life, I saw my heart rate is 154. I felt like tingling, numbness in my tongue and also in my throat. It was like a similar feeling that I had before with my allergic reaction.”

Sadrzadeh said his blood pressure was so low it did not register on the machine and at that point asked if he could inject himself with his EpiPen.

“It was not the first time that I had this experience, but I would say that it was the worst experience after my first experience at age 11,” he added.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s foremost infectious disease expert, said people who are prone to these types of severe allergic reactions might want to get their vaccine at a medical facility that’s equipped to take care of them, in case they experience a severe reaction.

ABC News’ Zohreen Shah and Sean Sanders contributed to this report.

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