As global cases surged, 1 death every 7 seconds
The United States on Tuesday reported a record 3,725 deaths from COVID-19, Johns Hopkins University data shows. That’s more than double the deaths reported a day earlier. Holidays have closed labs, government offices and testing sites, creating delays.
The U.S. is not alone in the surge, as record numbers are popping up around the world, the data shows.
Global deaths hit a record last week, with 81,693 people dying in the week ending Dec. 23, with someone dying on average every 7.4 seconds in the world. The U.S. share of the deaths at the time was 22.9% – nearly double what it had been less than two months earlier.
Global cases peaked in the week ending Dec. 16, when 5,247,355 cases were reported – or nearly 9 cases every second. The European Union peaked in mid-November, but other areas with large populations are surging now, including the United Kingdom, Brazil and Russia.
In recent weeks, the U.S. has accounted for roughly 30% of the world’s cases, though it has about 4.3% of the world’s population. The U.S. has more than 19.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 340,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global totals as of Wednesday: More than 82.3 million cases and 1.8 million deaths.
Calif. governor urges schools to open in 2021
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday encouraged schools to resume in-person education next year, starting with the youngest students, and promised $2 billion in state aid to promote coronavirus testing, increased ventilation of classrooms and personal protective equipment.
The recommendation was driven by increasing evidence that there are lower risks and increased benefits from in-person instruction particularly for the youngest students, he said.
Newsom called for a phased approach focusing first on those in transitional kindergarten through second grade, as well as children with disabilities, those who have limited access to technology at home and those who he said “have struggled more than most with distance learning.”
Other grades would be phased in during the spring, but remote learning would continued to be allowed if parents and students wish, and for those who have health vulnerabilities that make it risky to return to the classroom.
The state extended its regional stay-at-home order for Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, where there is no ICU capacity. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s health and human services secretary, said the order is in effect “for the time being” with no set expiration for the restrictions, the Los Angeles Times reported. Ghaly said ICU projections will determine when the orders will be lifted.
Other top headlines from the US
The COVID-19 quarantine period in New York state has been reduced to 10 days instead of 14 days under new state Department of Health rules.
A top Texas health official on Tuesday ordered providers to begin offering the COVID-19 vaccine to people over 65 and those with medical conditions, including pregnancy, who are at greater risk of a severe case of COVID-19.
Alaska’s largest city will ease some COVID-19 restrictions starting Friday. Anchorage’s acting mayor, Austin Quinn-Davidson, on announced that bars and restaurants can reopen for indoor service at 25% capacity; gyms, retail and personal care services can operate at 50% capacity; and entertainment facilities can reopen at 25%.
Kentucky Auditor Mike Harmon and his wife tested positive after he received his first vaccination dose alongside a bipartisan delegation in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday. Harmon and his wife have mild symptoms, he said in a statement. He was possibly exposed shortly before or after taking the vaccine, Harmon said.
“While the timing of my positive test comes one day after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, I still have full faith in the vaccine itself, and the need for as many people to receive it as quickly as possible.”
It can take weeks for a person’s body to build up immunity after getting vaccinated, per the CDC.
China says it has an efficacious vaccine
China’s state-owned company Sinopharm said Wednesday that is has an effective COVID-19 vaccine. Data from Phase III clinical trials shows the vaccine made by its Beijing Institute of Biological Products is 79% efficacious, according to a brief press release.
Sinopharm said it had submitted an application for authorization to the State Food and Drug Administration, but the nation has already begun offering the vaccine to wide swaths of its population. China plans to vaccinated 50 million people before Lunar New Year in February, the South China Morning Post reported earlier in December.
Meanwhile, a new study from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that 10 times more people were infected in Wuhan than previously reported. Using a sample, researchers found about 4.43% of Wuhan participants tested positive for antibodies, suggesting half a million people – not 50,000, as reported by local officials – may have been infected.