(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized use of a second COVID-19 vaccine for people age of 18 and over, a move that will trigger the shipment of millions more doses to hospitals and nursing homes next week.
Like its competitor Pfizer, the Moderna vaccine was believed to be both safe and highly effective. After tracking some 30,000 volunteers, Moderna estimated it as 94% effective in preventing COVID-19 illness with few serious side effects.
“With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn.
The Moderna vaccine though does not require the same ultra-cold storage, making it more user-friendly, particularly in rural areas that might be less equipped.
The authorization comes after federal advisers — an independent group of infectious disease experts, doctors and scientists — agreed overwhelmingly on Thursday that the benefits of the Moderna vaccine outweighed any potential risks based on trial data. The vote was 20-0 with one abstention.
As with volunteers who took the Pfizer vaccine, fatigue, headaches and swelling at the injection site were noted.
Unknown still is whether the vaccine stops transmission. The study only looked at whether people became serious ill.
Also unclear is the potential for allergic reactions. A few incidents have been reported following shots of the Pfizer vaccine.
At Thursday’s meeting on Moderna, Dr. Doran Fink, a senior vaccine official at the FDA, said researchers didn’t have all the information. But he noted that “these cases underscore the need to be vigilant during the early stage of the campaign” and communicate those findings to the public.
Fink said the FDA was working with Pfizer to further revise fact sheets and warnings to health care providers to make clear that any facility administering it “should ensure that medical treatment for managing serious allergic reactions is immediately available.” He said the FDA plans to do the same for Moderna.
“I have never been more hopeful that we will eventually turn the corner on this pandemic,” said Rich Besser, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and head of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The 5.9 million doses shipped from Moderna would be in addition to the 6.4 million doses provided by Pfizer-BioNTech.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Wednesday that people shouldn’t be concerned about having to choose between Moderna and Pfizer. An internal assessment by the FDA already found that the Moderna data showed the benefits likely outweigh the risks.
narvikk/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR, EMILY SHAPIRO, ERIN SCHUMAKER, IVAN PEREIRA and MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 75 million people worldwide and killed over 1.6 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 Friday. All times Eastern:
Dec 18, 9:38 am Walgreens begins administering Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in long-term care facilities
Walgreens began administering the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to residents and staff at long-term care facilities in the United States on Friday.
It’s the first time the U.S. pharmacy chain is offering vaccines in such facilities, like nursing homes.
Walgreens pharmacy teams members are currently providing the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at just 10 facilities in Connecticut, Ohio and Florida, including many in rural and urban medically-underserved areas. But the company will soon expand the vaccinations nationwide as more states finalize their distribution plans and receive vaccine allocations, according to Dr. Kevin Ban, Walgreens’ chief medical officer.
“Next week, we’ll be in 12 states in over 800 clinics. We’re moving and ramping up to 35,000 clinics across the entire country, we’re going to vaccinate more than 3 million people in these long-term care facilities,” Ban told ABC News’ Cecilia Vega in an interview Friday on Good Morning America.
Ban said only people who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under their state’s Phase 1 distribution plan can get it. But once states move into Phase 2, residents and staff at long-term care facilities that have selected Walgreens as their vaccine provider will be able to make an appointment in advance.
“We’re in the middle of a pandemic,” he said, “and we don’t want people all coming at once.”
Dec 18, 8:17 am Pence receives Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on live TV
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated against COVID-19 on Friday morning in Washington, D.C.
Pence received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on live television, along with his wife, Karen, and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
All three were wearing face masks, as were the health care workers who administered the injections.
Dec 18, 8:04 am Moderna vaccine could be authorized in US ‘as soon as today,’ HHS secretary says
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration could grant emergency-use authorization for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine “as soon as today,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said Friday.
“The FDA has communicated to Moderna that we expect to grant their emergency-use authorisation. That could come as soon as today,” Azar told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview Friday on Good Morning America.
If the FDA does give the green light Friday, Azar said “trucks will roll, planes will fly this weekend,” with “5.9 million doses of Moderna vaccine allocated for next week.”
“This is an exceptionally safe vaccine,” he said, “it’s a shockingly effective vaccine — the Moderna vaccine as well as the Pfizer vaccine.”
Some 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be available across the United States for the month of December, according to Azar, who urged people to get the shot.
“All of us have complete confidence in the independence and quality of the FDA’s review process,” he said. “That’s why you’re seeing the vice president, the second lady, the surgeon general today getting vaccinated.”
Azar said a number of government officials and leaders will be inoculated against COVID-19 “over the coming weeks.”
“I plan to get vaccinated next week as long as the White House physician says that it’s appropriate to do so and do so on TV,” he added. “We just want to make sure people know we have supreme confidence in the process and confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, and we wouldn’t ask you to do something that we wouldn’t do.”
With several governors saying that they have been told to expect far fewer doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the coming weeks, Azar cited “a miscommunication.”
“There’s nothing actually to fix. There was some misunderstanding,” he said. “We had put into the planning tool some base scenarios just so they could do some rough work on planning. The allocations, though, are always what Pfizer tells us or Moderna now tells us is available and ready for shipment. We’ve always said this week that they would have 2 million doses of Pfizer available for next week for an allocation. We’ll work to clear up any misunderstanding they’ve got, but it’s really just a miscommunication between the governors and us.”
Azar said his wife, Jennifer, is “doing very well” after recently testing positive for COVID-19, and that he tested negative himself “just minutes ago.”
“We’re following all the CDC protocols, I’ve talked directly to director Redfield as well as the White House physicians of doing exactly what they say to do,” he said.
Dec 18, 7:21 am Federal prisoner scheduled to be executed in January tests positive
A federal prisoner scheduled to be executed in January has tested positive for COVID-19.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) notified attorneys for Dustin Higgs on Thursday that their client was diagnosed with the disease, according to one of Higgs’ lawyers, Shawn Nolan.
“This is surely the result of the super spreader executions that the government has rushed to undertake in the heart of a global pandemic,” Nolan told ABC News in a statement Thursday evening. “Following the two executions that took place last week and one other two weeks prior, the COVID numbers at the federal prison in Terre Haute spiked enormously. Now our client is sick. We have asked the government to withdraw the execution date and we will ask the courts to intervene if they do not.”
Higgs was convicted of ordering the 1996 murders of three women — Tamika Black, 19, Mishann Chinn, 23, and Tanji Jackson, 21 — at a national wildlife center near Beltsville, Maryland. Prosecutors allege Higgs and two friends kidnapped the three women after Higgs became enraged because one of them rebuffed his advances at a party earlier that night.
Higgs is scheduled to be executed on Jan. 15
A BOP spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that other federal death row inmates at the U.S. penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, the only site in the country where federal executions are carried out, have tested positive for COVID-19 but declined to say how many or provide further information, citing “pending litigation and privacy interests.”
The spokesperson also said that a BOP employee assigned to the Special Confinement Unit (SCU) — which houses federal death row inmates at the Terre Haute complex — was found to be positive for COVID-19, following a contact investigation that was conducted per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify any potential exposures in connection with the unit.
“This employee had no contact with BOP staff involved with executions in November or December,” the spokesperson said. “We can also share that as inmates in the SCU continue to be tested, those who are positive and/or symptomatic for COVID-19 are being placed in isolation until they are considered recovered by medical staff as determined by CDC guidelines.”
“All inmates are managed per CDC guidelines,” the spokesperson added. “While a number of inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at USP Terre Haute in recent weeks, many of these inmates are asymptomatic or exhibiting mild symptoms. Our highest priority remains ensuring the safety of staff and inmates.”
Dec 18, 4:01 am US reports over 233,000 new cases
There were 233,271 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the United States on Thursday, bringing the country’s cumulative total soaring past 17 million, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
It’s the 45th straight day that the U.S. has reported more than 100,000 newly diagnosed infections, and the second straight day with over 200,000. Thursday’s tally falls just under the country’s all-time high of 247,403 new cases confirmed a day earlier, according to Johns Hopkins data.
An additional 3,270 deaths from the disease were also registered nationwide on Thursday, down from a peak of 3,656 fatalities recorded the previous day. It’s only the fifth time since the pandemic began that the country has reported more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, according to Johns Hopkins data.
A total of 17,212,496 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 310,782 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins data. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.
Much of the country was under lockdown by the end of March as the first wave of the pandemic hit. By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up over the summer.
The numbers lingered around 40,000 to 50,000 from mid-August through early October before surging again to record levels, crossing 100,000 for the first time on Nov. 4 and reaching 200,000 for the first time on Nov. 27.
Dec 18, 3:10 am Former US President Jimmy Carter to get vaccine
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter plans to get vaccinated for COVID-19, his foundation announced Thursday night.
“After consulting with his doctors, President Carter is looking forward to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to him,” The Carter Center wrote in a statement on Twitter.
Carter has not said when he will receive the vaccine or whether it will be on camera like other former presidents have indicated they will do.
All living former U.S. presidents have now announced they will get the vaccine.
Dec 18, 1:12 am Inmates on death row test positive
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed to ABC News that various inmates on death row have tested positive for COVID-19, although they declined to say how many, citing ongoing litigation.
They also said a staff member has tested positive.
“We can confirm that inmates in the Special Confinement Unit (SCU) at the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Terre Haute, Indiana, have tested positive for COVID-19,” a BOP spokesperson said in a statement.
They added that as inmates in the SCU continue to be tested, those who are positive and/or symptomatic “are being placed in isolation until they are considered recovered by medical staff as determined by CDC guidelines.” Many inmates, they said, are either asymptomatic or exhibiting mild symptoms.
“Our highest priority remains ensuring the safety of staff and inmates,” the BOP spokesperson said.
The BOP’s statement came after it was announced Thursday that Dustin John Higgs, a federal prisoner scheduled to be executed just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, tested positive for the virus.
Dec 18, 1:02 am 75 cases linked to church Christmas event in North Carolina
The Henderson County Department of Public Health said Thursday that it has identified 75 positive COVID-19 cases associated with the Hendersonville First Baptist Baptist Church in North Carolina.
The Henderson County Department of Public Health said the holiday event took place on the weekend of Dec. 5.
“To date, the Health Department has identified 75 individuals who have tested positive as a result of the event,” they said in a statement. “The Health Department is working to identify any additional close contacts of these individuals. The CDC defines close contact as being within approximately six feet of an infected person with COVID-19 for a cumulative 15 minutes.”
The news comes as Henderson County continues to see an increase in COVID-19 cases linked to parties, family gatherings and social events.
(Chapel Hill, N.C.) — Twenty-one people were arrested in a “brazen” drug ring that allegedly involved members of fraternities at several North Carolina universities, authorities announced Thursday.
The suspects, who allegedly moved thousands of pounds of marijuana, hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and other narcotics, include current and former students at the University of North Carolina, Duke University and Appalachian State University, according to Matthew Martin, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.
“This is a large drug network and supply chain fueling a drug culture at fraternities and within these universities and around these universities and towns,” Martin said during a press briefing. “These are 21 hardened drug dealers.”
The federal investigation started two years ago, when the Drug Enforcement Agency uncovered alleged illegal drug distribution occurring at or near some UNC fraternity properties, authorities said.
“Court filings to date specifically allege illegal drug activity involving the UNC chapters of Phi Gamma Delta, Kappa Sigma and Beta Theta Pi occurring between 2017 and the spring of 2020,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Greensboro.
The drug ring employed “very sophisticated methods,” Martin said, including encrypted apps and electronic payment methods. The proceeds were in excess of $1.5 million.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood called the operation “brazen.”
“The amount of illegal narcotics being sold and used in this case was not only astonishing, it is also reflective of a very serious public health crisis,” he said.
Twenty defendants were charged between July and December, authorities said, with many charges carrying a mandatory minimum of five years. Seven defendants pleaded guilty to one or more charges against them and are scheduled to be sentenced next year, authorities said. The first person charged in the investigation — identified by the Department of Justice as a primary supplier — also pleaded guilty and was sentenced last month to 73 months, authorities said.
Authorities said they hope the ongoing investigation sends a message to universities and national fraternities.
“University administrators at Chapel Hill, Duke and App State can’t turn a blind eye any longer,” Martin said. “We cannot let this culture continue.”
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said he was “extremely disappointed” to learn of the allegations on its campus.
“The University is committed to working with law enforcement to fully understand the involvement of any university individuals or organizations so that disciplinary action can be taken,” he said in a statement. “Although none of the individuals named today are currently enrolled students, we will remain vigilant and continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and address any illegal drug use on our campus. Our community can be certain that the University will enforce the student conduct code to the fullest extent possible.”
Appalachian State University and Duke University also said they’re fully cooperating with the investigation.
“We are committed to providing a safe campus, and will continue our work with education and prevention, as well as utilizing student conduct and law enforcement processes, to do so,” Appalachian State University said in a statement.
Duke University spokesperson Michael Schoenfeld said the institution takes the allegations “very seriously.”
“The use and distribution of narcotics is against the law, it is against our code of conduct, and it endangers the health and safety of our students and community,” he said in a statement. “Duke will respond accordingly through our disciplinary process.”
The announcement comes on the heels of a drug ring bust at the University of Texas at Austin earlier this month, in which 13 people, including current and former students, were arrested for allegedly selling and distributing drugs.
During the federal investigation, two suspects died from drug overdoses, authorities said.
Myriam Borzee/iStockBy MORGAN WINSOR, EMILY SHAPIRO, ERIN SCHUMAKER and IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 73.9 million people and killed over 1.6 million worldwide, 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 Thursday. All times Eastern:
Dec 17, 9:23 am Tokyo raises alert to highest after record rise in cases
Tokyo raised its alert for medical preparedness to the highest level on Thursday for the first time, as hospital beds across Japan’s bustling capital fill up with COVID-19 patients.
Following a coronavirus committee meeting, Tokyo officials raised the alert level to “red” and warned that the city’s health care system was on the verge of crisis.
The move comes after 822 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Tokyo on Wednesday, the highest single-day count the city has recorded since the start of the pandemic.
Wednesday’s tally shatters Tokyo’s previous record of 678 new cases confirmed a day earlier, according to data released by the Tokyo metropolitan government.
Dec 17, 8:52 am European leaders go into quarantine after French president tests positive
Several European leaders announced Thursday that they are going into quarantine after French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19.
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who had lunch with Macron at the French presidential palace in Paris on Wednesday, said he is self-isolating as a preventative measure and canceling any events that require his physical presence. Costa said he also took a COVID-19 test on Thursday morning as was originally planned ahead of his now-canceled trip to Africa.
Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, who had lunch with Macron in Paris on Monday, said he will suspend all his activities and quarantine until Dec. 24
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who met with Macron in Brussels last week, said he will get tested Thursday and then self-isolate while he awaits the result.
Dec 17, 8:51 am 885,000 US workers filed jobless claims last week
Some 885,000 workers filed for unemployment insurance last week, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday, as the pandemic continues to upend the labor market.
This is an uptick of 23,000 from the previous week’s figure.
More than 20 million people are still receiving some form of unemployment benefits through all programs as of the week ending Nov. 28, the DOL said. For the comparable week in 2019, that figure was 1.8 million.
The latest economic data comes as COVID-19 cases continue to climb across the country. The United States on Wednesday hit a record high of 247,403 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 3,656 additional deaths from the disease.
The latest tally of weekly unemployment claims also comes as lawmakers have struggled to reach a deal on new relief. On Wednesday, after months of stalled negotiations, a source told ABC News that congressional leaders were close to reaching a deal that could include enhanced federal unemployment benefits.
The national unemployment rate in the U.S. was 6.7% last month, according to the DOL’s most-recent jobs report. In February, prior to the pandemic, the unemployment rate was 3.5%.
Dec 17, 7:41 am Texas woman dies from COVID-19 just two months after giving birth
Jennifer Mendoza, of Grapevine, Texas, gave birth to her fourth child in October.
A few days after coming home from the hospital with her healthy baby girl, Mendoza developed breathing problems.
Mendoza returned to the emergency room and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. She never went home.
Mendoza died on Dec. 3, her 34th birthday, according to a report by Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA-TV. She is survived by her husband and four young children.
“Her kids were everything,” Mendoza’s brother, David Mendoza, told WFAA in a recent interview. “To her last minute, she still kept fighting for them.”
“I’m going to tell them every day for the rest of their lives that their mother was the most beautiful person on this earth,” he added, “the most compassionate and the most big-hearted.”
Dec 17, 7:17 am US on track to get 2nd vaccine as FDA panel reviews Moderna data
The United States is on the cusp of a second vaccine for COVID-19, with a key Food and Drug Administration panel set to review data Thursday from Moderna that suggests its two-dose vaccine is safe and 94% effective.
An endorsement from the independent federal advisers would pave the way for an official green light by the FDA to begin distributing next week some 5.9 million Moderna doses to the nation’s front-line health care workers and nursing home residents. An internal assessment by the FDA already found that the Moderna data show the benefits likely outweigh the risks.
The Moderna batch would be in addition to the 6.4 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that started to roll out this week after being the first to get emergency-use authorization.
One primary difference is that the Modern vaccine requires fewer specific handling instructions because it does not need ultra-cold storage conditions like the Pfizer/BioNTech one.
Moderna also is seeking authorization to use its vaccine on people ages 18 and older, whereas Pfizer’s enrollment of older teens in clinical trials this fall paved the way for authorization of anyone 16 and older.
Dec 17, 6:35 am French president’s wife is self-isolating but has no symptoms
Brigitte Macron, the 67-year-old wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, is self-isolating and will be tested for COVID-19 soon, although she is not showing any symptoms, her office said in a statement Thursday.
France’s presidential palace had announced earlier that Emmanuel Macron, 42, tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating.
“Brigitte Macron is a contact case and has no symptoms of the disease,” her office said. “She also tested negative for Covid-19 on Tuesday, December 15, before making a visit to a pediatric ward at Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris. She has placed herself in isolation and will continue her work by videoconference. She will be tested very soon as a precaution.”
Dec 17, 6:09 am Alaska health care worker suffers ‘serious’ allergic reaction to Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
An Alaska health care worker was hospitalized Wednesday, shortly after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
The unnamed staff member at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, “showed signs of an anaphylactic reaction” 10 minutes after inoculation, “with increased heartbeat, shortness of breath and skin rash and redness,” according to a press release.
“She was given epinephrine and Benadryl, admitted to the hospital, and put on an intravenous epinephrine drip,” Bartlett Regional Hospital said in a statement Wednesday night. “Her reaction was serious but not life threatening.”
The staff member, who had no known previous allergies or adverse reactions to vaccines, “is recovering and will remain another night in the hospital under observation,” according to the press release.
“She is still encouraging her colleagues to get the vaccine,” the hospital said.
It’s the first known adverse allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, which was granted emergency-use authorization in the United States last Friday.
A second staff member at Bartlett Regional Hospital “experienced eye puffiness, light headedness, and scratchy throat” 10 minutes after being injected with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday, according to the press release.
“His reaction was not considered anaphylaxis,” Bartlett Regional Hospital said in the statement Wednesday night. “He was taken to the Emergency Department and administered epinephrine, Pepcid and Benadryl. He felt completely back to normal within an hour and was released.”
“He too does not want his experience to have a negative impact on his colleagues lining up for the vaccine,” the hospital added.
Both incidents were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which Bartlett Regional Hospital said “is providing guidance and support.” The symptoms in each case were discovered during the 15-minute observation period after inoculation recommended by the CDC.
“We were expecting these things and we had all the right systems in place,” Charlee Gribbon, an infection control practitioner at Bartlett Regional Hospital, who is overseeing a mass operation to vaccinate as many staff as possible, said in a statement Wednesday night.
Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Anne Zink said there are “no plans to change our vaccine schedule, dosing or regimen.”
Dec 17, 5:16 am French President Emmanuel Macron tests positive
French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Elysee Palace, the official residence of the president of France, announced Macron’s diagnosis in a statement Thursday morning.
“This diagnosis was established following an RTPCR test performed at the onset of the first symptoms,” the palace said.
Macron will self-isolate for seven days in accordance with public health instructions.
“He will continue to work and carry out his activities remotely,” the palace said.
With more than 2.4 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19, France has the fifth-highest tally in the world, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Dec 17, 4:30 am A record 113,069 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19
There were 113,069 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 across the United States on Wednesday, according to data compiled by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the U.S. outbreak.
It’s the highest number of current COVID-19 hospitalizations that the U.S. has logged since the start of the pandemic.
Dec 17, 4:08 am US hits fresh record highs of 247,403 new cases and 3,656 deaths
There were 247,403 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the United States on Wednesday, marking a fresh record high, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
It’s the 44th straight day that the U.S. has reported over 100,000 newly diagnosed infections. Wednesday’s tally shatters the country’s previous all-time high of 231,775 new cases confirmed on Dec. 11, according to Johns Hopkins data.
An additional 3,656 deaths from the disease were also registered nationwide on Wednesday, setting yet another record. It’s only the fourth time since the pandemic began that the country has reported more than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day. The country’s previous peak of 3,300 fatalities was recorded on Dec. 11, according to Johns Hopkins data.
A total of 16,979,777 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 307,501 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins data. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.
Much of the country was under lockdown by the end of March as the first wave of pandemic hit. By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country’s cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up over the summer.
The numbers lingered around 40,000 to 50,000 from mid-August through early October before surging again to record levels, crossing 100,000 for the first time on Nov. 4 and reaching 200,000 for the first time on Nov. 27.
Dec 17, 12:06 am Interior Secretary David Bernhardt tests positive for COVID-19
Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt has tested positive for COVID-19. The department spokesman, Nicholas Goodwin, confirmed the news Wednesday, after an inquiry from The Washington Post.
Bernhardt received his test results prior to President Donald Trump’s Cabinet meeting Wednesday and did not attend the session.
“He is currently asymptomatic and will continue to work on behalf of the American people while in quarantine,” Goodwin said in an email.
As a result of Bernhardt’s diagnosis, various high-ranking department officials who were in close contact with him this week are now getting tested.
He is the third top official at the department known to have tested positive for the virus since November. Interior’s top attorney, Daniel Jorjani, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Aurelia Skipwith also tested positive.
ABC NewsBy MAX GOLEMBO, EMILY SHAPIRO and MELISSA GRIFFIN, ABC News
(NEW YORK) –A nor’easter is hitting the Northeast U.S., where it’s set to drop 1 to 2 feet of snow and possibly bring near-blizzard conditions.
“This could be the biggest storm in several years,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned.
The forecast:
Heavy snow is falling Wednesday night in northern New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania and some of southern New England.
Winds could reach 50 mph in some areas, especially along the coast.
Overnight, snowfall rates could reach 1 to 2 inches per hour with near blizzard conditions possible in New York, New Jersey and New England.
The heaviest snow — 1 to 2 feet — will be from central Pennsylvania through New York’s Hudson Valley and Catskills, and into southern New England.
The storm has led to over 750 flight cancellations. The latest: DC, Philadelphia
Snowfall has slammed the Washington, D.C., area, but it’s expected to quickly change to a wintry mix and rain. The rain and sleet ends Wednesday night, leaving about 1 to 2 inches of snow behind.
Snow is also falling in Philadelphia, but by the evening it’ll mix with sleet and rain. The city could see a total accumulation of 4 to 8 inches, while suburbs to the west and north of the city could see 1 foot or more. New Jersey
In New Jersey, where over 1 foot is possible in some areas, Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency beginning at 2 p.m.
Newark Airport reported a 2-inch-per-hour snowfall rate between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. One to 2 inches per hour “are becoming common across the region,” it said. New York
The New York City area could see 6 to 14 inches of snow.
New York City has issued a travel advisory, urging residents to stay off the roads as much as possible.
Indoor dining is already banned in New York City and outdoor dining is suspended as of Wednesday afternoon, when the sanitation department’s “snow alert” went into effect. Restaurants, which are required to remove or secure outdoor furniture and remove their electric heaters, will be permitted to reopen when the “snow alert” ends.
New York City is canceling in-person learning on Thursday. New York City’s snow will end around noon. Boston
Boston’s snow is expected to begin around 10 or 11 p.m. on Wednesday, continuing with heavy snow overnight and reaching a total accumulation of 6 to 12 inches.
Boston Public Schools will be closed Thursday as the snow is expected to continue through the day.
Behind the storm, the coldest air of the season will hit the Northeast. Wind chills — what it feels like — will fall to the teens and single digits Thursday night into Friday morning.
pinkomelet/iStockBy ANNE FLAHERTY, ABC News
