November 25 coronavirus news

Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

The United States is living in the most dangerous public health moment since the 1918 influenza pandemic, Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said Wednesday.

“The challenges we have before us right now with the ever increasing number of cases, rapidly increasing number of cases in many areas, that we are going to see our hospitals literally on the verge of collapse,” Osterholm told CNN’s Jim Acosta. “That’s what we have to understand we’re where we’re at right now.”

The US is seeing close to 200,000 new Covid-19 cases every day, and health experts have predicted that number could increase.?

“So, we have to understand we’re in a very dangerous place. People have to stop swapping air. It’s just that simple,” he said.

“And if we don’t, we’re going to see many, many of our friends, colleagues and loved ones ending up in a hospital and, unfortunately, some of them not making it,” he added.

The United States reported more than?2,000?deaths from Covid-19 today, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.?

Currently the country has reported?2,046?new deaths today.?

This is the?22nd?day that the US has ever added more than 2,000 new deaths. US had not seen new death numbers this high since May.?

In this Feb. 10, 2020, file photo, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon addresses a joint session of Wyoming Legislature for the State of the State address in Cheyenne.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon tested positive for Covid-19 Wednesday, his office confirmed.

The governor is experiencing “mild symptoms” and will be working from home in isolation for an indefinite period, his spokesperson Michael Pearlman told CNN.

Gordon’s diagnosis comes one day after the state Capitol in Cheyenne was closed because an unidentified member of the governor’s staff had received a positive test.

Pearlman said they do not know whether the governor caught the virus from his staffer.

Medical workers of the ASB (Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund) charity aid agency conduct rapid antigen tests for Covid-19 infection for technical staff, journalists and party members prior to the virtual German Greens Party federal congress during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic on November 20, in Berlin.

Germany will extend its partial nationwide lockdown until at least Dec. 20 or potentially stretch it until January, keeping existing curbs in place as a way to slow the spread of coronavirus, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced at a news conference on Wednesday.

“Infection numbers remain at a level that is far too high,” Merkel said.

The partial nationwide lockdown means the German government requires restaurants and bars to remain closed, people to avoid travel, to keep their contacts to an absolute minimum and to limit public meetings to members of only two households. Schools and shops have remained open.

Despite the extension, restrictions are expected to ease from Dec. 23 until Jan. 1, with “closest family or friendship circle” allowed to meet in groups of up to 10 people — “not counting children,” Merkel said.

Merkel also announced that mask-wearing is now obligatory in all pedestrian high-traffic areas and city centers.

These announcements come after Germany?recorded 410 deaths related to coronavirus in the past 24 hours — the highest single-day jump in fatalities since the outbreak began,?the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country’s disease and control agency, said on Wednesday.

Pennsylvania sent an emergency alert the afternoon before Thanksgiving, urging people to stay home as cases rise.

The alert also urged residents to download the state’s contact tracing app, COVID Alert PA.

The alert was the state’s first use of the national Wireless Emergency Alert system for the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Gov. Tom Wolf’s office.

Alarming Covid-19 case increases in Los Angeles County could lead to a shortage of both regular hospital beds and intensive care beds within the next two to four weeks if the current trajectory holds.

Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly presented the grim outlook for Los Angeles County, which is mid-surge with 4,311 new cases announced Wednesday. Ghaly estimates that one in every five residents has had Covid-19 and about one in 145 are currently infectious. Nearly 60% of those who are infected are not currently experiencing pronounced symptoms.

Average daily cases climbed 113% during the first two weeks of November, and hospitalizations have increased 70% over the past two weeks.

“What is stretched most thin within both public and private hospitals across Los Angeles County is the availability of staff,” Ghaly said. The county will be able to find flex space within hospitals, using pre- and post-operative space, unused wings, or the emergency department to hold patients, but finding trained staff will be more difficult.

Los Angeles County residents should be prepared to potentially have nonessential surgeries or procedures canceled so that hospitals can make room for additional patients, Ghaly advised.?

“I cannot stress enough how concerning this is, as we know these numbers represent actions that were taken several weeks ago,” said Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis. “Simply put, we need to turn this around immediately, but it will not be easy.”

Despite his concern, Davis has yet to strengthen the health officer orders for the county of about 10 million. Noting that a state order is already in place limiting movement, he said his staff is still working to answer questions and give businesses more time to prepare for further restrictions.?

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

Healthcare workers process people waiting in line at a United Memorial Medical Center COVID-19 testing site on November 19 in Houston.

Texas?reported Wednesday a?record?14,648?new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 1,130,980, according to the state’s Covid-19 dashboard.?

The state also reported 200 new Covid-19-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 20,950.?

There are currently 8,585 lab-confirmed 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.

Younger children are likely to be recruited to coronavirus vaccine trials so that any vaccines that are eventually authorized can be used to protect kids, a top US Food and Drug Administration official said.

Right now, children as young as 12 are testing Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. If it looks safe in children that young, regulators will consider testing the vaccine in younger kids, said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

“I suspect that there’ll be some discussion about whether there were enough individuals in that age range to allow vaccination of younger individuals. There may or may not be,” Marks said during a web event with Vaccinate Your Family on Tuesday.

With adults and teens, researchers vaccinate half the volunteers with the vaccine and half get a saline shot as placebo, and they wait to see how many people in each group get infected naturally. But with the younger kids, Marks said,?doctors may simply look to see if the children develop antibodies, or develop T-cell immunity.

“I suspect those studies will start very, very soon. Because, obviously, after the adult population is vaccinated, and obviously it would be ideally simultaneously, we will start to get children vaccinated particularly children at risk. But ultimately we all need to be vaccinated to stop this cycle of transmission,” Marks said.

Workers at the Judiciary Square Covid-19 testing site get information from people waiting in a line in Washington, DC, on November 18.

It remains unclear exactly how many people in the United States have had Covid-19, but a new study suggests that most do not appear to have antibodies and are likely susceptible to infection.

Across the country, the prevalence of Covid-19 antibodies appears to range from fewer than 1% to 23%, according to the study?published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s JAMA Internal Medicine on Tuesday.?When someone recovers from Covid-19, their blood plasma can contain?antibodies?that helped fight the coronavirus that caused their illness — and therefore antibodies serve as clues to a past infection.?

The new study included data from blood serum samples taken from 178,000?people across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.?Samples were obtained for routine screening or clinical care during four collection periods: July 27 to Aug. 13; Aug. 10 to Aug. 27; Aug. 24 to Sept. 10; and Sept. 7 to Sept. 24.

The researchers — from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Quest Diagnostics, BioReference Laborites and the company ICF Inc. — found that the prevalence of antibodies among those samples?ranged from 0% in South Dakota in collection period 2 to 23.3% in New York in collection period 1.

“In nearly all jurisdictions, fewer than 10% of people in the US had evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the researchers wrote in the study. SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

“Seroprevalence varied across regions and between metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas, with estimates as high as 23% in the Northeast and 13% in the South, while estimates in the Midwest and West were less than 10%,” the researchers wrote.?

“Seroprevalence was often lowest in older age groups,” they wrote. “Our results reinforce the need for continued public health preventive measures, including the use of face masks and social distancing, to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the US.”?

For certain states — such as Iowa, Pennsylvania and Tennessee?—?more people living in?metropolitan counties?had antibodies. In?other states — such as Alabama and Mississippi?—?people living outside metropolitan areas were more likely to have been infected, according to the study.?Changes over time, from collection period 1 to 4, also varied across states. The researchers found that the largest drop in prevalence occurred in New York and North Dakota, while large increases occurred in Georgia and Minnesota.

The study was not designed to produce a nationwide estimate of prevalence. More research is needed to determine whether similar findings would emerge among a larger group of people representative of the general public.

Kansas is reporting over 5,000 new Covid-19 cases over the past two days.

According to the latest numbers released by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the 5,738 new cases bring the state’s total to at least 147,797.?

KDHE is also reporting 47 new deaths since Monday’s report, bringing the state’s total to at least 1,503.?

There are 144 new hospitalizations this week, with 1,126 patients currently hospitalized across the state. KDHE shows that 35% of the state’s ICU beds are currently available.?

The positivity rate in November is currently at 18.7%, the highest monthly positivity rate since the pandemic began.?

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.???

Pennsylvania announced 144 new Covid-19 deaths, for a total of 10,095 since the start of the pandemic, according to the state’s department of health.

Department spokeswoman Maggi Mumma said the increase in deaths was not attributable to reporting delays, but that Tuesdays often saw an increase after lower numbers over the weekend and Mondays.

“This follows a similar trend to previous weeks,” Mumma said in an email.

The state also had 6,759 new cases of Covid-19, for a total case count of 327,829.?

Almost 3,900 Pennsylvanians are hospitalized with the virus.

In its latest press release, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reminded residents that masks are required outside the home.

Note: These numbers were released by the state of Pennsylvania, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.?

Medics adminster COVID-19 tests on November 19 at PrimaryOne Health in Columbus, Ohio.

The state of Ohio is reporting 10,835 new cases on Wednesday and 156 new deaths, according to the state dashboard, though thousands of results are still pending.?

An additional 417 people were hospitalized in the state.

Since the start of the pandemic, Ohio has reported at least 382,743 cases and at least 6,274 deaths.?

The state dashboard notes that the data for Wednesday “is incomplete. Thousands of reports are pending review. Additionally, today’s date included positive test results that were delayed because of technical issues in lab reporting. Please bear with us as we work through the surge in testing.”

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 the Covid Tracking Project.

Vehicles line up as healthcare workers help to check-in people for testing at the COVID-19 drive-thru testing center at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on November 22.

Florida health officials reported 8,376 new cases of Covid-19 and 97?resident deaths?on?Wednesday, according to the Florida Department of Health.??

This is the second consecutive day Florida has reported more than 8,000 cases, CNN’s tally shows.??

According to the?Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, there are currently 3,723 people in Florida hospitalized with Covid-19. As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, 22.03% of intensive care unit beds in the state are available, AHCA data shows.??

The state’s total coronavirus cases stand at?961,676,?the health department’s?data shows. The resident death toll is now at?18,254, and 228 non-resident deaths have been reported, according to?the health department.??

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.

People queue up in their cars for a COVID-19 test at the Alliant Energy Center on November 24 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Nearly 5,500 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Wisconsin on Wednesday, according to the state’s Department of Health.

The Wisconsin Department of Health reports 5,469 new cases, bringing the state’s total to 369,442.?

A day after reporting a record number of deaths, the state is reporting 63 new deaths, bringing the total to 3,178.

At least 1,986 Covid-19 patients are currently hospitalized. There are seven patients currently at the alternate care facility, located at the Wisconsin State Fair Park.?

The health department also reported that 14% of staffed hospital beds are currently available in Wisconsin.

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.

People wait in lines for coronavius tests at a walk-up Covid-19 testing site on November 24 in San Fernando, California.

California has set a Covid-19 daily case record again, adding a staggering 18,350 new cases, nearly 3,000 more than the previous record set less than a week ago.

Cases climbed by 1.6% overnight, according to new data published by the California Department of Public Health. The total number of cases in the Golden State is 1,144,049.?

California’s 14-day positivity rate has swelled to 5.9%, having risen a full point in just one week. The seven-day rate is even higher, at 6.5%.

The surge continues in hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions. Currently, more than 7,000 people are hospitalized with Covid-19, a nearly 6% jump from Tuesday. Fewer than 2,000 ICU beds are available statewide.

Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined a surge plan Monday that could add 11 facilities and another 2,000 hospital beds within a matter of days.

More than 94% of the state’s population is living in areas under the state’s most restrictive guidelines, yet the surge in cases advances.

Health officials continue to urge residents to keep Thanksgiving celebrations to their own household, and suggest moving events outside and wearing face coverings to mitigate the spread.

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

Georgia’s Fulton and DeKalb counties sent alerts to residents’ cellphones ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, reminding them to safeguard against Covid-19.??

This is the message Fulton County sent:

“Fulton Board of Health: STAY AT HOME this Thanksgiving & stay safe from COVID-19 & flu. Keep your distance from anyone outside of your household. Celebrate virtually or outdoors, if possible. To stop the spread: wear a mask, wash your hands, & stay 6 feet from others. Remember, people without symptoms can still spread COVID-19 or flu.”

The alert includes a link the Fulton County Board of Health website.?

Meanwhile, DeKalb County sent a similar alert to residents for the holiday reminding them to wear masks.??

Here’s that message:?

“Emergency Alert: Official Message from DeKalb County Government: As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, please continue to follow DeKalb County’s mask ordinance when in public and CDC guidance to enjoy hosting safely: Don’t travel; wear a mask; host gatherings outdoors; wash your hands often, and practice social distancing. After the turkey is gone, get tested!”

?Both Fulton and DeKalb counties are in the Atlanta area.

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, speaks during an interview on November 25.

States are negotiating to get their shares of any coronavirus vaccine that may be distributed, once one or more are authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration, Illinois’ state health officer told CNN Wednesday.?

Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said she asked for 400,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government but has been told they will get fewer.?

“We have had a readjustment of the numbers that were quoted to us and I have talked to other state health officials – all of them have a proportional decrease in their counts,” Ezike told CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson on “Inside Politics.”

“We are still waiting to see answers, and understand maybe why that is, but it seems that the initial allotment we thought would be ready to go out – that number has decreased. So as a result, all the states are going to get a smaller amount.”

The FDA has yet to authorize any vaccine but has scheduled a meeting for Dec. 10 for its advisers to consider Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine. Federal officials have said they would start rolling out vaccine within 24 hours of emergency use authorization, and predict they would have 40 million doses ready for the country in December.

In the meantime, hospitals are filling up and staffing is short, Ezike said.

“We have hospitals reaching out, saying that they have had large number of staff that are either infected themselves or on quarantine,” she said.

“There are numbers of individuals in the emergency room that are waiting to get a bed to be transferred for the continuation of care. So we are starting to see that. So we really need to stop the number of infections on the front end so that we can give a break to our amazing hospital workers who did this in the first wave and are starting this again.”

She hopes people stay home Thursday for Thanksgiving.

“I’m still making the urgent plea imploring people to reconsider their plans. If they were planning a larger gathering, if they were planning plan on mixing households, mixing extended family, people who are not already within your home, we don’t want to infect the ones we love,” Ezike said.

“We want to protect the ones we love and we can do that by sacrificing the way we do Thanksgiving. We’re not cancelling Thanksgiving but we do?need to transform it into something that respects what Covid can do and has done, and not make this Thanksgiving holiday one that we will regret in years to come because of what happened at this day of Thanksgiving.”

Dr. Ken Remy, a St. Louis critical care physician, speaks during an interview on November 25.

Dr. Ken Remy, a St. Louis critical care physician, made a video simulating a Covid-19 patient being intubated as a warning, saying, “I hope that the last moments of your life don’t look like this.”

“I’ve just seen too many people die and lose their life from this disease,” he said in an interview on CNN. ”And frankly,?after calling almost 11 families?last week and telling their?loved ones in the middle of the?night that their loved one has passed?or died, it’s just real difficult?to continually do this.”

“The?only way that I know, outside of?when you get to the ICU, to?protect your life is to keep you?out of the ICU,” Remy added.

He said he was spurred to make and post the video on social media after he witnessed his colleagues’ sadness when a patient died.?

Remy said health care workers will “first and?foremost” take care of patients and their loved ones during the pandemic.?

“But my hope is that we can?get to a place where everyone?realizes that it’s much more?comfortable to wear a piece of?cloth on your face than it is?for me to put a piece of plastic?into your airway,” he said.?

Watch:

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice speaks during a press conference on November 25.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice pleaded with his residents to wear a mask to curb Covid-19.

Wearing a mask is “really the only bullet in the gun,” Justice said during a news conference Wednesday. “Whether you believe in or don’t believe in it, we’re all inconvenienced by it. … What’s the downside?”

The governor said he is not in favor of shutting down businesses or schools — but wearing a mask can help stop the spread of the virus.?Masks are required to be worn in public places, according to an executive order.??

West Virginia’s numbers: There are at least 510 Covid-19 patients currently hospitalized — which is a record high, Justice said. Of those patients, 144 are in intensive care.?

The governor said there were 28 reported deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday and the state added 967 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Justice asked residents as they celebrate Thanksgiving to “have common sense.”?

“Just be safe and be smart and enjoy the holiday and love your family because it’s a really, really important time,” he said.

“We’ll get through this. We’ll get through this and there’ll be a lot, a lot, a lot of bright days ahead. But we want to be at our best — at our best when things are tough — and right now things are tough,” Justice said.?“Just try as best you can to enjoy tomorrow.”

Peter Navarro, director of the National Trade Council, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 28.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro echoed remarks from last night during a Wednesday appearance on Bloomberg, calling for additional stimulus to help the economic recovery.

He noted today’s “uptick” in jobless claims and personal income levels going down.

He declined to say whether he supports Mnuchin’s decision to end emergency lending programs at the end of the year.

“That’s for Sec. Mnuchin to have that conversation,” he said, calling for a targeted phase four relief bill that could include a “top up” of the Paycheck Protection Program and extending unemployment insurance.

“People are hurting, that’s going to hurt consumer spending and the like,” he said. “What we need is a fiscal bridge to the point where the vaccines kick in.”

He told reporters afterward that the jobless claims are a “good, bad, and an ugly story,” citing additional data on homebuilding and other metrics.

The uptick in jobless claims is “of concern,” he said as PPP and compensation programs get exhausted.

“What I’m worried about is there’s millions of Americans who are at risk for falling into this chasm where they don’t have sufficient support, and this is why a phase four program on a bipartisan level is so important,” he said – neglecting to mention that the Trump administration has been part of the negotiation stalemate.?

He declined to take a question on government funding or stimulus talks, saying he wasn’t privy to those conversations.

“There’s clearly some issues ahead that we need to deal with now,” he said.

Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, said he’s “extremely concerned” about holiday gatherings because “the?rapid increase in [Covid-19] cases across?the country has led to a rapid?increase of cases in nursing?homes.”

The American Health Care Association represents more than 14,000 long-term health care facilities across the country. Parkinson told CNN’s Kate Bolduan that last week 12,500 people in nursing homes were diagnosed with coronavirus “and the tragedy of that is that we know that 20% of them will die.”

Parkinson urged the general public to consider the lives impacted by the pandemic when making plans for Thanksgiving weekend.

“The decisions that we all collectively make over the next four days will determine whether thousands of more people die or whether we will make the small sacrifices we need to make to keep them alive. And as Dr. [Anthony] Fauci has said, in just a few more months, once we have the vaccine, to get together and celebrate then. It’s really up to us,” Parkinson explained.

He added that the virus “is so contagious that even under the best of infection control, we’re not able to keep it out. The answer is socially distancing in the general public. Celebrate Thanksgiving, but celebrate it at home with people that you live with.”

Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine vials.

The US Food and Drug Administration has posted to Twitter more details about an upcoming meeting of its outside advisory committee to discuss Pfizer and BioNTech’s emergency use authorization application for a coronavirus vaccine candidate.

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet on Dec. 10.?

“Starting Friday, the public will be able to submit comments to the public docket for this meeting, and those comments will be reviewed by the FDA,” the agency tweeted on Wednesday.?“Although the VRBPAC members provide advice to the agency, which may include advice on the safety and effectiveness data submitted in the EUA request, final decisions on whether to authorize the vaccine for emergency use are made by the FDA.”

In a series of tweets, the FDA also noted that the committee is made up of scientific and public health experts and the committee meeting will be live-streamed on the agency’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels and from the FDA website.

The holidays are upon us and one tech company is already in the giving spirit.

Zoom announced earlier this month it will lift its timed meeting limit on Thanksgiving so “your family gatherings don’t get cut short.”

The video communications company?announced in a tweet?that the 40-minute time limit it usually has on its free meetings will be lifted globally on Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving Day).

If you’re hosting a Zoom Thanksgiving this year, read up here on how to make it a holiday to remember.

A view of the Jennie-O float as Macy's unveils the new fleet of floats joining the 94th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? on November 18 in New York City.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, after his repeated call for families to celebrate their Thanksgiving safely, said he was excited for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which he said would be, like many other things, much different this year during the pandemic.

“It will be different, it will be smaller, it will be made for TV it is not a spectator event in person,” he said at a briefing today. “We’re letting people know it’s going to be a very limited area and we’re not asking people to show up, of course there will be plenty of measures to make sure there are no crowds but you will be able to see it on television, it’s going to be exciting. There will be floats, there will be balloons.”?

And for children, “there will also be a very important visitor from the North Pole at the end of the parade.”

The parade will also honor elements from parades that were cancelled throughout the city earlier this year.

“It’s going to be great also because Macys went to the extent of making sure that some of the other parades that we didn’t get to have this year got some representation so they’ll have some wonderful performances from the west Indian day parade, from the Puerto Rican parade – things we normally look forward to all year – and from the cast of Hamilton. It’s going to be something very special,” the mayor said.

He thanked Macys for coming up with a safe plan.

Later he thanked those in the education community for their work during the pandemic, as well as food service workers, those in pantry’s and soup kitchens, for their extraordinary help to provide meals to those in need.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks during a press conference in New York City, New York, on November 25.

The daily number of people across New York City admitted to hospitals for Covid-19 jumped, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday, though he added that overall hospitals are doing “very, very well.”

The daily number of people admitted to hospitals for Covid-19 is at 141, under the 200 threshold, but still higher than in recent days which de Blasio said is a “concern.”

The confirmed positivity rate for Covid-19 for those patients is 45%.

“Overall our hospitals are doing very, very well but that jump is a concern,” he said.?

The percent of people who tested positive for Covid-19 city wide is 2.74%. The seven-day rolling average is 3.05%, he said.?

There have been at least?12,613,248?cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least?260,190?people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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

So far today, Johns Hopkins has reported?22,085?new cases and?265?reported deaths.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a pre-taped update.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’s in contact with CVS and Walgreens leadership, and is told once a Covid-19 vaccine is available “they are ready to deploy to Florida’s over 4,000 long-term care facilities.”??

In a short pre-taped video update, DeSantis said more than 3,000 long-term care facilities have already signed up to receive vaccines.??

“As more vaccine becomes available, we of course are going to want to get that into the broader senior community first, and then into the broader community at large,” said DeSantis.??

DeSantis has said there will be no vaccine mandate in Florida, CNN has reported.??

DeSantis did not address the rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths in his state nor did he provide an update on daily cases.?

DeSantis hasn’t hosted a Covid-19 press conference in three weeks. Since November 4, DeSantis hasn’t held a single live news conference.?

Lakeview Pantry CEO Kellie O’Connell speaks during an interview in Chicago on November 25.

The CEO of a Chicago food bank that is seeing a 200% increase in demand ahead of Thanksgiving says many people are coming to them for the first time ever.?

“Especially hospitality workers?or hard-hit industries, so many?people are coming to us for the?first time that never have had?to before,” she added.?

O’Connell said that the pantry is also seeing larger families with children seeking out meals.?

Watch:

Click here to find out how you can get help if you are facing food insecurity today. ?

A person leans out of a vehicle to use a self-administered swab at a Covid-19 testing site in Westbrook, Maine, on November 9.

It’s the morning before Thanksgiving in the United States and the coronavirus pandemic is raging across the country.

If you’re just reading in now, here are the latest Covid-19 trends and headlines for the US:

Here’s where new Covid-19 cases are increasing compared to the previous week:

The White House is strongly considering lifting sweeping restrictions on travel from the European Union and the United Kingdom, an administration official confirmed.

Discussions have been ongoing for several weeks about lifting the restrictions, which ban entry to most foreigners who have been to Europe in the two weeks before their arrival in the US. Reuters first reported on the discussions.

An administration official told CNN that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expressed some reservations about lifting the restrictions, but the agency is not expected to block the move.

The discussions come at a time when the US is experiencing its worst surge of coronavirus, and as many European countries also face higher levels of coronavirus cases.

President Trump has yet to sign off on the move, but once he does, the restrictions are unlikely to be lifted until the US and European countries have established a protocol for safe travel between the two countries.

The White House did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention directed CNN to the White House and the Health and Human Services Department when asked for comment.

Trump first banned most travel from the European Union and UK in March as the pandemic escalated. The EU soon followed suit, restricting most travel from the US and other countries.

Dr. Joseph Varon on November 25.

Dr. Joseph Varon, chief medical officer at Houston’s United Memorial Medical Center, says he expects an influx of sick patients after Thanksgiving.?

Today is Dr. Varon’s 251st continuous day of working due to the coronavirus pandemic.?

He said that he is “running out of fumes” but he “can’t?get a day off, because nobody?cares for the patients that I?can care for.”?

He said that he sees people who still do not listen to guidelines. “You go outside, and it’s?like nothing has happened.?People are out there,?restaurants, bars, I mean, just name it,” he said.

Watch:

More than 259,000 people in the US have died from coronavirus since the pandemic began earlier this year.

That means, for thousands of American families, this will be their first Thanksgiving without a loved one. Empty chairs at dining tables across the US are somber reminders of the pandemic’s toll.

CNN spoke to some of these families. You can listen to their stories here.

People line up in their cars at a food distribution site at Lake-Sumter State College in Clermont, Florida, on November 21.

The recovery in the American job market is still painfully slow. Another 778,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week on seasonally adjusted basis.

That was more than the 735,000 initial jobless claims that economists were expecting, and it’s also higher than last week’s revised number of 748,000.

It’s the second straight week that first-time claims rose.

The latest unemployment benefits figures were released by the Labor Department on Wednesday, a day earlier than usual because of the Thanksgiving holiday.?

The report also showed that continued jobless claims, which include people who have applied for benefits for at least two weeks in a row, was 6.1 million on a seasonally adjusted basis. That was down from the previous week.

And 4.5 million more people had received Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits from the government as of the week of Nov. 7. There is a two-week lag with PEUC data.

Overall, more than 20.4 million Americans were still receiving some form of unemployment benefits as of Nov. 7.

Travelers walk at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on November 24.

Thanksgiving week air travel is expected to remain strong enough to set a pandemic era-record, despite urging from federal health officials to spend the holiday at home, according to Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Andy Post.??

The agency receives passenger information from the airlines as part of its screening responsibilities, and the data do not show widespread cancelations in recent days, Post said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last week that Americans do not travel for Thanksgiving to prevent coronavirus spread.

Approximately 4.8 million people have boarded airplanes since that warning.?More than 900,000 passed through security at America’s airports on Tuesday, the TSA said.??

Officials still expect Sunday – when everyone heads home from their holiday travels – to be the busiest day travel since the pandemic began.

Europe has been a couple of weeks ahead of the US at every phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday.

“The one thing we do not want is if we get a surge now, George, over Thanksgiving, we’ll have that slope up, plateau, and then slope up again that we’ll see in three weeks,” he said.

This is why Fauci and others in the administration are trying to so hard to get the message out that people need to be safe and careful over Thanksgiving, he said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci attends a news conference at the White House on November 19.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, offered a final message to Americans before the Thanksgiving holiday.

“We all know how difficult that is, because this is such a beautiful, traditional holiday,” Fauci added on Good Morning America on Wednesday. “But by making that sacrifice, you prevent people from getting infected.”

He said that people with no symptoms can innocently go to a party or gathering that is indoors, let their guard down, and have to take a mask off if eating or drinking. “Try to avoid that as much as possible,” he said.

“A sacrifice now could save lives and illness and make the future much brighter as we get through this,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “Because, George, we’re going to get through this.”

“What we don’t want to see is yet another surge superposed upon the surge that you just described,” Fauci said. “Which we’ll realize three, three and a half weeks from now, if we don’t do these public health things.”

Last week, Fauci said his three adult daughters, who live in separate parts of the country, decided that they did not want to put him, as an elderly person, at risk. Fauci is 79 years old.?

He and his wife will have a meal and Zoom with his daughters to spend time with them.

A trial volunteer in Oxford, England, is administered a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

A handful of countries have announced their coronavirus vaccine distribution plans, with some prepping for as early as mid-December.

Here’s where each stand:

AUSTRIA:

Austria became the latest country to announce a plan for distribution when Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced today that the country was hoping to roll out the vaccine to the elderly, carers and medical workers by January.

Speaking at a press conference in Vienna, Kurz thanked the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for procuring vaccines for European countries, calling them a “game changer.”

The European Union has signed deals for the supply of millions of vaccine doses with multiple drugmakers, including AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer.

Kurz said he believes that Austria will return to “normalcy” by next summer.

ITALY:

On Monday, Italy also announced that it hoped to start distributing the vaccine by the end of January.

Speaking on the on Italian television channel La7 on Monday, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the vaccine will be available first to the “fragile and most exposed to danger.”

Conte also said that the vaccine would be administered on a voluntary basis for now.

When asked if he would get vaccinated, Conte said he “will definitely do it,” because when it will be distributed it will be “absolutely safe”.

GERMANY:

German Health Minister Jens Spahn is optimistic a vaccine could be available by December.

“There is reason to be optimistic that a vaccine will be approved in Europe this year. And then we can start with the vaccinations immediately,” Spahn said on Monday, according to CNN affiliate NTV.

Spahn also said that he had asked the country’s 16 regional states to establish immunization centers by mid-December in anticipation of the vaccine approval.

SPAIN:

Spain’s health minister, Salvador Illa said that he expects to receive the country’s first coronavirus vaccine doses in January.?

During a press conference on Tuesday, Illa presented the government’s plan that will prioritize the most vulnerable, which includes about 2.5 million people. Nursing home residents and staff will be first, followed by the disabled and general health workers, he said.

Spain’s strategy aims to vaccinate a significant part of the population within the first six months of 2021, with the plan expected to be completed in three stages.

The first one will begin in January until March with a limited number of doses available, followed by a second stage from March until June, when authorities expect to increase the number of vaccinations with a final stage starting in June, which is expected to cover a wider segment of the population.

The health minister also said he was confident his government’s plan will be able to provide vaccines for the whole country, noting that they had signed agreements that should allow for 140 million doses to

“According to the agreements we have signed, we estimate that Spain will receive 140 million doses to immunize approximately 80 million people, obviously this (number) is higher than our country’s population”

He said that the vaccine won’t be mandatory and will be available free of charge.

US:

The first Americans could receive a coronavirus vaccine by December 11, according to Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the head of the government’s effort to develop a vaccine against Covid-19.

On Friday, Pfizer submitted an application to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for their Covid-19 vaccine candidate, and an FDA vaccine advisory committee is slated to meet?December 10.

Slaoui told CNN that means, if approved, the vaccine could be rolled out the next day.

“Our plan is to be able?to ship vaccines to the?immunization sites within 24?hours from the approval, so I expect?maybe on day two after?approval on the 11th or the 12th?of December,” he said.

UK:

The UK’s Health Screechy Matt Hancock said in a statement on Monday that its national health service would be “ready to deliver” the Covid-19 vaccine following regulatory approval.

“The NHS has vast experience in delivering widespread vaccination programs and an enormous amount of work has taken place to ensure we have the logistical expertise, transport and workforce to roll out a vaccine according to clinical priority, at the speed at which it can be manufactured,” Hancock said.

Britain is expected to receive a total of 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by the end of 2021 – which is “enough to vaccinate up to a third of the population, with the majority of doses anticipated in the first half of next year,” according to a statement from the Department of Health on Monday.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will only be authorized for supply by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) “if it meets strict standards of quality, safety, and effectiveness, and if they are satisfied the vaccine can be consistently manufactured,” it said. ?

A Christmas tree illuminates a street in London on November 19.

As many European countries prepare to relax coronavirus restrictions for the upcoming Christmas holidays, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, has called on EU leaders not to ease measures too quickly:

Addressing the European Parliament in Brussels, von der Leyen said, “Relaxing too fast and too much, is a risk for a third wave after Christmas.”?

EU countries are taking differing approaches for the Christmas holidays. Here’s a look at what some of them are doing:

Today, the Irish government announced that it will ease restrictions for nearly two weeks around the Christmas period and is considering allowing up to three household to gather for the holidays, deputy premier Leo Varadkar told state broadcaster RTE on Wednesday.

The country has been under the strictest “Level Five” restrictions since October, which prohibits social gatherings at homes or in gardens — with restaurants, cafes and bars only open for takeaway.?

Varadkar told RTE these restrictions would be eased “in phases” and would only be put back in place in January “if the virus is taking off again.”

The number of Covid-19 infections in Ireland has steadily declined in the last two weeks, according to government data, with six deaths and 226 cases confirmed in the 24 hours up to Tuesday.?

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday night a relaxation of lockdown measures in the country. France’s lockdown could be lifted on Dec. 15, if the daily number of cases drops under 5,000 and there are only 2,000 to 3,000 patients in ICUs. There were 4,438 patients in ICUs as of Monday.

In Britain, up to three households will be allowed to gather in the days around?Christmas?in an easing of Covid-19 restrictions, the UK government said Tuesday.?Those households will be allowed to form a “Christmas?bubble”?and mix indoors, outdoors and in places of worship from Dec. 23 to 27?in all four nations of the UK.??There will be no restrictions on travel across the country for that time period, even if?some areas are under tighter measures under a tiered system than others.?

Poland has taken a more cautious line, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki urging people not to make any trips nor visit any attractions during the holidays. He said in a press conference at the weekend that a maximum of five people would be allowed to meet indoors, with those who live together not included in that limit.

Similarly, in Germany, people will be allowed to gather in groups of up to five from two households. The country is to announce a more detailed plan in the next few days.

Italy is adopting a careful approach, with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte saying the “upcoming Christmas season will need tailored measures” because the country cannot allow itself to repeat what happened during the summer.

In Spain the government and regions are discussing plans but no consensus has yet been reached.

Belgium’s Consultative Committee — made up of leaders from the three regional governments and federal government — is due to meet on Friday to assess the coronavirus measures currently in place and how the country would be able to celebrate Christmas.?

Shops are closed in Brussels, Belgium, on November 2.

As Belgium’s neighbors begin opening up their stores, the Belgian federation of commerce and services Comeos has warned the country “will not become an island of closed shops but rather an island of bankrupt shops, while Belgian money is spent abroad.”?

“Figures show that 1 in 3 Belgian families cross the border no less than nine times a year to make purchases. It is a billion euros less each year and this, without coronavirus,” said Dominique Michel, CEO of Comeos in a statement. “If everything remains closed with us, everyone will go across the border also for their Christmas shopping,” he said.

According to Comeos, which represents 18 business sectors in Belgium and over 400,000 employees, half of all Belgians live within 50km of an international border.

Earlier this week, the Belgian National Crisis Centre urged Belgians not to travel abroad over Christmas and New Year, warning trips to neighboring countries would “cancel out our efforts” in reducing the spread of the coronavirus.

Belgium’s Consultative Committee – made up of leaders from the three regional governments and federal government – is due to meet Friday to assess the coronavirus measures currently in place and discuss ways the country would be able to celebrate Christmas.?

All non-essential retail has been closed since the end of October, when the national lockdown was announced; it is scheduled to end on December 13. When announcing the lockdown, Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said a decision would be made by December 1 regarding a possible re-opening of shops and services.???

There have been 561,083 Covid-19 infections in Belgium so far and 15,938?deaths. The country’s head virologist, Steven van Gucht, says Belgium is “on the right track” in reducing coronavirus infections.

A poodle in Hong Kong has tested positive for Covid-19, Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said Wednesday.

The dog was sent to quarantine on November 20 after its owner had been in close contact with a confirmed Covid-19 case, the AFCD said.

“Samples collected from the dog by the department tested positive for the COVID-19 virus,” AFCD added.

The poodle, who lives in Hong Kong’s?Tsuen Wan?district, is not showing any symptoms at the moment.

The AFCD said that it would continue to “closely monitor the dog and conduct repeat testing.”

The department added that it was urging pet owners to adopt good hygiene practices and avoid kissing their animals, but emphasized that there is currently “no evidence to show that pets are playing a role in the spread of infection with the COVID-19 virus among humans.”

But scientists say continued testing is one way to remain vigilant in the face of a previously unknown pathogen.

In the US, the vast majority of the tests have been in household cats and dogs with suspicious respiratory symptoms. In June, the United States Drug Administration reported that a pooch in New York was?the first pet dog to test positive?for the coronavirus after falling ill and struggling to breathe. The dog, a 7-year-old German Shepherd named Buddy,?later died.

Officials determined he’d contracted the virus from his owner.

Workers wearing Personal Protection Equipment(PPE) are seen attending to people waiting for a test at a Covid-19 testing center in Hong Kong, on November 24.

Hong Kong reported 85 Covid-19 cases from Tuesday, another highest single-day increase in cases since August 7, health authorities said on Wednesday.

Starting on Thursday, all bars, karaoke centers, public bathhouses, night clubs and party rooms will have to be closed for a week after the recent spike in cases, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said during a press conference on Tuesday.??

Earlier Wednesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam ruled out the possibility of a citywide lockdown as it will likely take at least four weeks to test 7 million people based on the last timeline when the city carried out the universal community testing scheme. During the city’s last universal testing scheme, 1.3 million people were tested within two weeks.?She added that

Lam said in her policy address on Wednesday that a certain amount of vaccines developed or produced in China will be reserved for use by Hong Kong people when necessary.

Covid-19 cases in Asia are rising but compared to the West they are still much lower.

As the global acceleration in Covid-19 cases slowed down over the past week – with around four million new cases?reported – death rates continue to increase, with over 67,000 new deaths reported across the world, the World Health Organization reported on Tuesday.

Europe is still the largest contributor to those cases and deaths. Here’s the breakdown of those numbers from the European Region over the past week:

The WHO said on Tuesday that the data indicates “that the re-introduction of stricter public health and social measures in a number of countries over the last few weeks is beginning to slow down transmission.”

In Africa, while cases numbers remain relatively low, the continent reported the highest increase in new cases (15%) and deaths (30%) this week, according to the WHO’s COVID-19 weekly report.

The highest new case and death counts were reported in South Africa, Algeria and Kenya.?

South Korea reported 382 new Covid-19 cases for Tuesday, 363 of which were locally transmitted.

Some 255 of the local cases were found in the Seoul metropolitan area. The South Korean capital declared an “emergency period” on Monday and raised its social distancing measures to Level 2 restrictions, including limiting gatherings to 100 people for weddings and funerals.

Mask wearing is mandated in all indoor facilities under Level 2 restrictions, with takeout only at cafes and for restaurants after 9 p.m.

Other areas of South Korea, including North Jeolla and South Jeolla provinces, and parts of Gangwon province, have moved into Level 1.5 measures.

Under Level 1.5 restrictions, restaurants are required to use dividers or distance tables, and entertainment venues are limited to one person per 4 square meters.?

South Korea has reported 31,735 Covid-19 cases in total, with 513 deaths, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Victoria's Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, Martin Pakula speaks to the media during a news conference in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 14.

The 2021 Australian Open tennis tournament scheduled to begin on January 18 will “likely” be postponed for up to two weeks, according to the Victoria state government on Wednesday.

The annual Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis event of the year, is traditionally held in the last two weeks of January at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, capital of Victoria state.

Tennis Australia says it has been in “urgent talks” with the state government regarding the quarantining and biosecurity arrangements needed for the tournament to go ahead.

Pakula on Wednesday flagged an “extremely rigorous testing regime, that will apply to the tennis players, both before they leave the port that they’re coming from and when they arrive. And then I imagine consistently through the time they’re in the bubble.”

While a second wave of Covid-19 forced Melbourne into a strict 112-day lockdown over the southern hemisphere winter, the majority of restrictions have now been eased.?

There has not been a new case of Covid-19 in Victoria since Oct. 29.?

Germany recorded 410 deaths related to coronavirus in the past 24 hours – the highest one-day jump in fatalities since the outbreak began,?the Robert Koch Institute (RKI),?the country’s disease and control agency, said on Wednesday.?

It was the first time more than 400 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in Germany in a single day, as the country?grapples with a recent surge in new coronavirus cases. A total of 18,633 new infections were registered in the past 24 hours, according to RKI.?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to meet state governors on Wednesday to decide on new measures to try and get the surge of infections under control.

Among the measures up for debate is an extension of the current lighter restrictions until the end of December, additional mask mandates for schools, and further limits on the amount of contacts people are allowed to have both in public and private.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam delivers her annual policy address at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, on Nov. 25.

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that the city is on “is on the brink of another wave of outbreak,” during her policy address on Wednesday.?

The city has seen a steady rise in cases over the past few days with clusters originating from dance halls. Hong Kong has already experienced three waves of the coronavirus pandemic.?

Lam further announced that China’s central government “will reserve a certain amount of vaccines developed or produced in the mainland for use by Hong Kong people when necessary”.?

Mexico?recorded its highest daily increase of new coronavirus cases Tuesday,?with 10,794 infections reported in the past 24 hours, the country’s health ministry said.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country now stands at 1,060,152.?

The ministry also reported 813 new fatalities related to the virus, bringing the death toll to 102,739.??

Tuesday’s new infections surpassed a previous high reported on Aug. 1 of?9,556 cases.

Note: On Oct. 5, Mexico reported 28,115 new daily coronavirus cases, but according to the Mexican health authorities, the spike was due to an adjustment in the counting methodology that included lagged data reporting.

The United States reported 2,146?deaths from Covid-19 on Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.??

This is the?21st time that the US has added more than 2,000 coronavirus fatalities in a day and the highest new death numbers since May. The most deaths in a single day were recorded April 15 – 2,603 people.

The US also?reported 172,935 new coronavirus infections Tuesday, according to JHU. The nationwide totals now stand at?12,591,163 confirmed cases?and?259,925 deaths.

CNN is tracking US cases:

N-95 masks are to be used once and should not be washed, but some can be decontaminated and reused, the FDA said.

Some face masks can be used even if their manufacturer’s expiration date has passed, the US Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

The FDA posted extensive new guidance about face masks, surgical masks, and respirators on its website Tuesday, with advice about when to use each kind.?

Hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities have reported shortages and problems managing protective personal equipment, including face masks. But certain types should not be re-used, the FDA said.?

“The?CDC does not recommend the reuse of disposable surgical masks?that are intended to be used once. The FDA recognizes that there may be availability concerns with surgical masks during the COVID-19 public health emergency, but there are strategies to conserve surgical masks,”?it said.?

Respirators, such as N-95 masks, are to be used once and should not be washed, but some can be decontaminated and reused. “The FDA has issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for devices that decontaminate certain respirators,” it said.

Mask protection: While the FDA referred frequently to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its new website doesn’t reference the CDC’s latest guidance that suggests face masks protect the wearers as well as those around them.

Fred Sasakamoose, a trailblazer for Indigenous players in the National Hockey League, died Tuesday at 86, according to his son Neil Sasakamoose, who delivered the news in?an emotional video on Facebook. Fred Sasakamoose’s death came five days after being hospitalized in Saskatchewan, Canada, with Covid-19.

Sasakamoose played 11 games for the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1953-54 season, according to?NHL’s website. He is widely believed to be the first Indigenous player in the league’s history, though the NHL tells CNN this is impossible to determine.

Read more:

Former Chicago Blackhawks player Fred Sasakamoose, the first indigenous pro hockey player, is honored at the Edmonton Oilers-Chicago Blackhawks NHL hockey game Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Related article Fred Sasakamoose, Indigenous NHL trailblazer, dies at 86 after battle with Covid-19

Brazil’s health authorities reported 630 new coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday, bringing the country’s total death toll to 170,115.

Additionally, Brazil recorded 31,100 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday. The country’s overall case count is now 6,118,708, according to official data.

Brazil’s death toll is the second highest worldwide after the United States, and the country ranks third for most Covid-19 cases globally after both the US and India, according to Johns Hopkins University.

CNN is tracking worldwide cases:

Senior Indian politician Ahmed Patel, a member of the country’s main opposition Congress party, died on Wednesday at the age of 71 due to complications after testing positive for Covid-19 last month.

In a tweet, his son Faisal confirmed the death of the western Gujarat state parliamentarian.

“With profound grief & sorrow, I regret to announce the sad and untimely demise of my father, Mr. Ahmed Patel at 25/11/2020, 03:30 AM. After testing positive for COVID-19 around a month back, his health worsened further due to multiple organ failures,” he tweeted, requesting well-wishers adhere to Covid-19 restrictions by avoiding mass gatherings.

Patel served as political secretary to Congress party president Sonia Gandhi for several years. While he never held a position within the government, he was considered one of the most influential senior leaders within the party.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted his condolences, writing, “Saddened by the demise of Ahmed Patel Ji. He spent years in public life, serving society. Known for his sharp mind, his role in strengthening the Congress Party would always be remembered. Spoke to his son Faisal and expressed condolences. May Ahmed Bhai’s soul rest in peace.”

Thanksgiving is "potentially the mother of all super spreader events," CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner said.

With millions of Americans ignoring guidelines against holiday travel, the United States could see an explosion of Covid-19 infections in the weeks following Thanksgiving, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner said Tuesday.

“One of the ways we think the Midwest was seeded with virus during the summer was with the Sturgis, South Dakota, motorcycle rally where people were infected and then dispersed out through the Midwest.”

“Now imagine that on a massive scale – people leaving from every airport in the United States, and carrying virus with them,” he added.

Why tests don’t guarantee safe travel: Reiner cautioned that testing doesn’t always reveal whether someone is infected at a given point in time. For example, if a person is infected with Covid-19 and has a test a day or two later, there might not be enough viral RNA to detect the virus, he said.

So, testing as a litmus test for traveling won’t work, unless it reveals a positive result and the person stays home as a result, Reiner said.

White House warning: Reiner also said he’s opposed to White House plans for Christmas parties this year.

The US government’s Operation Warp Speed effort is trying to understand discrepancies in data coming out of trials of AstraZeneca’s experimental coronavirus vaccine, Moncef Slaoui, chief science adviser to the mission, said Tuesday.

It might be possible to adjust the US trial arm if it turns out a different dose of the vaccine works better, he said.?

AstraZeneca said Phase 3 trial data from testing in Britain and Brazil indicated the vaccine was 62% effective – except for a batch tested in 3,000 volunteers that looked to be 90% effective in preventing infection. The vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, is also being tested in the US but there’s no data from that arm of the trial yet.

AstraZeneca said surprisingly, the stronger effects were seen in volunteers who got a half dose of the vaccine, boosted by a full dose a month later. The 62% efficacy was seen in the majority of volunteers who got the proper dosing for both shots.

“We have been made aware of what’s called now the half dose at the time it happened, was a change in the way the quantity of vaccine put in a vial was tested,” Slaoui said.

He seemed to indicate the half dose was given by mistake. “And when they realized there was an error or change in the approach, technique used, they corrected it. In the meantime, about 3,000 subjects were recruited, half in the placebo and half in the vaccine group.”?

That would skew the results. Clinical trials are carefully designed, and results that came from mistakes usually are not included in the final reports of those trials. But clinical trials can be adjusted if mistakes show a different dosing regimen, for instance, can provide better outcomes.

Medical staff treat a patient in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center on November 19, in Houston.

The United States set a record for the number of people currently hospitalized with Covid-19 on Tuesday, according to the Covid Tracking Project.?

As of Tuesday, 88,080?people are currently hospitalized with Covid-19, according to CTP.?This is the highest number of Covid-19 hospitalizations the nation has ever experienced.?

According to CTP data, the highest hospitalization numbers are:?

Some areas of the United States will soon see their health care systems overwhelmed, as coronavirus hospitalizations surge around the nation, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday.?

“In some areas, we are going to see the health care system overwhelmed,” Redfield said in an interview with Fox News.

But he said Americans are not defenseless against the virus, and can blunt the surge by practicing mitigation measures.

He said definitively that safety precautions, such as wearing masks, work.

“Hope’s on the way with a vaccine,” Redfield said, adding that until then, “We still need to really be vigilant about these mitigation steps, and stop the debate about whether they work or not.”

US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said?that discussions about whether to issue an emergency use authorization for a potential Covid-19 vaccine could take “days.”

Once the FDA’s?Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meets on Dec. 10?to discuss?Pfizer and BioNTech’s application for an emergency use authorization for their coronavirus vaccine, the FDA could deliberate for days on whether to issue an EUA.

“There are several steps to the vaccine authorization process. First, a company must apply to the FDA. Then, the FDA must go through the application and?send it to an outside review board called the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee,” Hahn said. “That committee meets on Dec. 10 and will send the FDA its comments and recommendations. Only then can the FDA make a final decision on a vaccine.”

The United States could start distributing doses of a Covid-19 vaccine “soon after” Dec. 10, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday.

The US Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet on that date in December to discuss?Pfizer and BioNTech’s application for an emergency use authorization for their coronavirus vaccine.

“We believe we can distribute vaccine to all 64 jurisdictions within 24 hours of FDA authorization. Then we hope administration could begin as soon as the product arrives,” Azar said. “One of the private sector partners we’ve enlisted, CVS Health, has said that they expect to be vaccinating residents of nursing homes – one of the top priority groups – within 48 hours after FDA authorization.”