November 22 coronavirus news

By Nectar Gan, Jenni Marsh, Rob Picheta, Mike Hayes and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, November 23, 2020
27 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
10:59 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

Here's where coronavirus cases are rising in the US

The US is seeing an unprecedented pandemic resurgence, and nearly a quarter of all Covid-19 cases reported in the United States so far were recorded in November.

Records are being set in some states: Mississippi reported a single day record in the state with 1,972 cases on Saturday, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

In New Mexico, records were set on Saturday with 825 hospitalizations, a tweet from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said.

Overall, 37 states are reporting more coronavirus cases in the past week than they did in the previous week. Another eight are seeing a steady number of new cases, and just five are seeing declining numbers.

Here's a look at where cases are rising:

10:44 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

GOP senator who campaigned with Loeffler will stay at home until she gets her Covid-19 results

From CNN’s Caroline Kenny

Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue wave to supporters at a campaign rally in Canton, Georgia, on November 20.
Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue wave to supporters at a campaign rally in Canton, Georgia, on November 20. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Sen. David Perdue campaign spokesperson Casey Black says the Georgia senator will remain at home until Sen. Kelly Loeffler receives confirmation of her test results. 

What is this about: As CNN reported Saturday, Loeffler’s campaign confirmed that the Georgia Republican tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday but a subsequent test came back as inconclusive on Saturday evening.

Loeffler was maskless with Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Perdue during campaign events most of the day Friday. The trio rode on a bus from the airport to two campaign events for Georgia senate seat runoff elections. 

10:15 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

Here's how US medical experts are celebrating Thanksgiving this year

As Americans prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, some doctors shared what they're planning for the holiday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told NPR’s Rachel Martin on Morning Edition Tuesday that his Thanksgiving will be "significantly" different this year than previous holidays.

His three adult daughters — who live in separate parts of the country — said 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.

“I don’t like it that way, but I think they’re making a prudent decision in trying to protect their father and I’m proud of them for that,” he said. 

CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta also said he won't be visiting family this year.

"I have three daughters, and with my elderly parents living in a different state, this is usually the time of year when we get to see each other," he wrote in an article explaining why he's staying home. "But this holiday season, our interactions will be on screens -- with promises and hopes that next year will be different."

And CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen — who has urged Americans to skip indoor gatherings, but said it's possible to visit family by socializing outdoors — described how she has hosted outdoor get-togethers.

"I like to have a big table in the middle, where I put all the drinks and plates," she said. "I also have chairs set up so that every household is spaced at least 6 feet apart. I'll pour drinks and then have people come up, individually, to pick them up. Food should be plated separately; no buffets or people reaching into a common bowl. We won't share food or drinks."

10:12 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

White House vaccine czar says political pressure had nothing to do with Operation Warp Speed timeline

From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas

The expedited timeline of Operation Warp Speed has had nothing to do with political pressure, its chief scientific officer, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union on Sunday. 

“One hundred percent,” Slaoui told Tapper when asked if the timeline was due to health reasons, not because of pressure from any politician. “The operation has operated on full speed, based on science, focusing on patients and people’s need. No political interference, no bureaucracy, no red tape.” 

He continued to tell Tapper it’s been “an incredible visionary approach to put together science and the Department of Defense and industry in incredible partnership, frankly it’s been, it’s been exceptional.” 

9:31 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

More than 1 million Americans traveled by air on Friday ahead of Thanksgiving

From CNN's Chuck Johnston

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, more than 1 million passengers traveled through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at US airports on Friday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

This is only the second time during the pandemic that the US saw that high passenger volume. The TSA topped 1 million passenger screenings at the end of the long Columbus Day weekend.

Here's a look at the numbers this weekend:

  • On Friday, 1,019,836 passengers went through TSA checkpoints across the US. 
  • On Saturday, 984,369 passengers went through TSA checkpoints across the US. That’s the third most passengers since the beginning of the pandemic.  

March 16 was the last day going into the pandemic that the US routinely had 1 million passenger days, according to the TSA. On March 16, 1,257,823 passengers traveled through TSA checkpoints. The following day, March 17, that number dropped below a million passengers with 953,699 passengers.

9:40 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

Here's the White House vaccine czar's message to Americans concerned about getting a vaccine

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the head of the White House's coronavirus vaccine effort, said he hopes that the high efficacy rates of the vaccine candidates will encourage those who may we have concerns about vaccines to get one.

"I think people have misunderstood the level of efficacy that the FDA aimed for, which was to say, at least 50% efficacy. Maybe people thought that was the efficacy of the vaccine," he told CNN this morning. "It's 95%. It's almost a full insurance against this pandemic. I think and I hope that's gonna change people's perception."

He added that it's "very unfortunate" that the vaccine development process has become political.

"I really think it's very unfortunate that the whole process has been politicized and, therefore, the context has created conditions whereby people's perception has been exacerbated and we are where we are today," he said.

He added that the vaccines are safe for Americans.

"We know it's safe over a short period of time. And we can project that it's going to be safe over the longer time and we will measure that," he said.
9:23 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

White House vaccine czar says he expects children could receive a vaccine by mid-2021

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the White House vaccine czar, told CNN's Jake Tapper today that he expects children will be able to receive the coronavirus vaccine some time in the middle of next year.

Slaoui, who is the head of the US government's efforts to develop a vaccine, said at this point the lowest age that children have received a vaccine during the trials has been 12- to 14-year-olds in the Pfizer trials.

"I don't know whether the FDA will approve the vaccine for use down to that age. Maybe they will stop at 18 years of age and above," he said.

Slaoui said that the government is planning to run clinical trials into younger adolescents, and then toddlers and infants on "an expedited basis" in the coming months.

He said that he expects by May 2021 that " toddlers, 4, 5 years old and down to 12 months old" could receive a vaccines, adding that first, "we need to run those clinical trials on an expedited basis." 

9:20 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

US vaccine chief says first Americans could be vaccinated on Dec. 11

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the head of the government's effort to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, said the first Americans to receive a coronavirus vaccine could get it as soon as Dec. 11.

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 said 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 told CNN Sunday morning.

Remember: Experts have said that initially there won't be enough vaccine for everyone. The highest-priority groups, which include health care workers, the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions, will get the vaccine first.

9:23 a.m. ET, November 22, 2020

Pence campaigned with a GOP senator who tested positive. He's now waiting for a "confirmatory test."

From CNN's Daniella Diaz,  Kevin Liptak and Alison Main

Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kelly Loeffler wave to the crowd during a campaign rally in Canton, Georgia, on November 20.
Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kelly Loeffler wave to the crowd during a campaign rally in Canton, Georgia, on November 20. Ben Gray/AP

Vice President Mike Pence is waiting for Sen. Kelly Loeffler's "confirmatory test” whether it is confirmed the Georgia Republican is positive for Covid-19,  according to Pence’s spokesperson. 

“As he awaits a confirmatory test from Senator Loeffler, Vice President Pence is in regular consultation with the White House Medical Unit and will be following CDC guidelines as he has in other circumstances when he has been a close contact," Devin O'Malley told CNN in a statement.

Pence campaigned alongside Loeffler Friday in Georgia in her runoff campaign to keep her Senate seat. Neither were wearing masks.

The Republican senator tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, but a subsequent test came back as inconclusive on Saturday evening, according to campaign spokesperson Stephen Lawson. 

Pence is tested every day for coronavirus.

Following a coronavirus outbreak among his staff ahead of the election, Pence continued to travel and campaign, citing US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for "essential workers” which his staff said he was.