December 3 coronavirus news

By Ben Westcott, Adam Renton, Meg Wagner and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 12:08 AM ET, Fri December 4, 2020
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2:46 p.m. ET, December 3, 2020

US surpasses 14 million Covid-19 cases

From CNN's Amanda Watts and Haley Brink

There have been at least 14,012,378 cases of coronavirus in the United States and at least 274,648 people have died from Covid-19, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University

It took the United States 248 days to reach 7 million Covid-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data. It only took the nation 69 days to reach the second 7 million cases.

Johns Hopkins recorded the first case of coronavirus in the United States on Jan. 21.  

  • 98 days later, on April 28, the US hit 1 million cases
  • 44 days later, on June 11, the US hit 2 million cases
  • 27 days later, on July 8, the US hit 3 million cases
  • 15 days later, on July 23, the US hit 4 million cases
  • 17 days later, on Aug. 9, the US hit 5 million cases
  • 22 days later, on Aug. 31, the US hit 6 million cases
  • 25 days later, on Sept. 25, the US hit 7 million cases
  • 21 days later on Oct. 16, the US hit 8 million cases
  • 14 days later, on Oct. 30, the US hit 9 million cases
  • 9 days later, on Nov. 8, the US hit 10 million cases
  • 7 days later, on Nov. 15, the US hit 11 million cases
  • 6 days later on Nov. 21, the US hit 12 million cases
  • 6 days later, on Nov. 27, the US hit 13 million cases
  • 6 days later, on Dec. 3, the US hit 14 million cases

According to Johns Hopkins, 13 other countries in the world have reported more than 1 million total Covid-19 cases:

  • India has over 9 million total cases
  • Brazil has over 6 million total cases
  • France and Russia have over 2 million total cases
  • Spain, United Kingdom, Argentina, Italy, Colombia, Mexico, Germany, Poland and Iran all have over 1 million total cases each
12:39 p.m. ET, December 3, 2020

Trump says he would sign GOP Senate leader's proposed stimulus package

From CNN's Betsy Klein

President Donald Trump listens during a ceremony to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former football coach Lou Holtz on Thursday, December 3 in the White House.
President Donald Trump listens during a ceremony to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former football coach Lou Holtz on Thursday, December 3 in the White House. Evan Vucci/AP

President Trump said Thursday that he would sign the coronavirus stimulus package presented by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.  

“I will, and I think we’re getting very close and I want it to happen and I believe that we’re getting very close to a deal,” he said of McConnell’s package.  

McConnell said on the Senate floor this morning "compromise is within reach" on a stimulus. 

Trump’s comments come as relief is badly needed – another 712,000 Americans filed for first time unemployment benefits last week. 

It also comes amid a worsening pandemic. Trump spoke Thursday from an Oval Office filled with dozens of attendees as he presented Lou Holtz with the Medal of Freedom.

Many of the attendees, who were tightly packed around reporters in the back of the Oval Office, did not wear masks. That included Sen. Lindsey Graham and White House counsel Pat Cipollone.

12:13 p.m. ET, December 3, 2020

The UK approved a Covid-19 vaccine before the US. Here's why.

From CNN's Zamira Rahim

The UK became the first Western country to authorize a Covid-19 vaccine yesterday, marking a pivotal moment in the global fight against coronavirus.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been granted emergency authorization by British regulators, and the first doses are expected to be rolled out from early next week.

The UK leapfrogged both the European Union and the United States with this announcement.

The vaccine was granted emergency authorization in the UK by its independent regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which has played a crucial part in the process.

The MHRA began a rolling review of Pfizer and BioNTech data from October, with each "package" of data reviewed as soon as it became available. This allowed regulators to examine the data in detail before a final authorization application was submitted.

According to the MHRA, a rolling review "can be used to complete the assessment of a promising medicine or vaccine during a public health emergency in the shortest time possible."

This approach helped accelerate the authorization process, and a formal review of all the necessary information began in the UK on Nov. 23, leading to Wednesday's announcement.

"I think the advantage is that the MHRA has been undertaking a rolling review, which means that as Pfizer accumulated data on how they manufactured the vaccine ... MHRA could keep pace with that," David Salisbury, associate fellow in Chatham House's Global Health Programme, told CNN. "That has allowed the MHRA to be nimble and keep pace."

1:27 p.m. ET, December 3, 2020

Here's how CVS is preparing to distribute and store the coronavirus vaccine

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

A CVS Pharmacy sign is photographed on March 16 in Wantagh, New York.
A CVS Pharmacy sign is photographed on March 16 in Wantagh, New York. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

CVS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Troy Brennan explained how the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine will actually work once one is approved.

Brennan told CNN’s Kate Bolduan that CVS is prepared to first administer vaccines to nursing facilities.

“Our plan is to be ready to go as early as December 15, waiting for the state approvals,” he said. 

On Tuesday, vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to recommend that both health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities be first in line for any Covid-19 vaccine.

Brennan said vaccinations on a state-by-state basis will be “challenging,” because each state’s plan is expected to be different.  

“Some states will say just vaccinate the people in the skilled nursing facility. Some states will want us to vaccinate not only the people in the skilled nursing facilities, but the health care workers in those facilities. … We're working directly with the states now to understand sort of what the parameters are,” he said. 

Brennan also discussed the transportation and storage of the Pfizer vaccine. He said CVS will be using Pfizer’s special containers, utilizing dry ice to maintain the vaccine at very cold temperatures.

“We’re pretty comfortable that we're going to be able to store [the vaccine] for up to 20 days…simply by reloading these special containers with dry ice. So it sounds very difficult, but it turns out, from a logistic point of view, to be really quite trackable,” Brennan said. 

He said once the vaccine is available to a wider population, people will need to make an appointment to receive it at stores. CVS will make phone calls and send texts to remind people about their second doses. 

“We will keep after you to make sure you come back for that second vaccination,” he said. 

Remember: The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, a panel of independent experts, will meet on Dec. 10 to review Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine candidate and make a recommendation about whether to authorize the vaccine.

A similar FDA committee meeting for Moderna's vaccine candidate is set for Dec. 17. FDA officials say their decisions on the vaccines could come days to weeks after the meetings — it depends on what questions come up.

See the interview on CNN:

11:50 a.m. ET, December 3, 2020

NYC mayor: "It's quite clear the second wave is upon us"

From CNN's Sheena Jones

NYC Media
NYC Media

The percentage of people that tested positive for Covid-19 citywide is 3.9%, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, and the seven-day rolling average, which the mayor said has really increased, stands at 5.19%.

“It’s quite clear the second wave is upon us,” de Blasio said.

At least 174 people have been admitted into the hospital for suspected cases of Covid-19 in which the mayor referred to this number as a "serious increase" and the confirmed positivity rate is 49.07%, the mayor said.

The threshold for hospitalizations is 200, which would trigger more restrictions, according to de Blasio.

The mayor added the city isn't seeing the stress that they saw on their hospitals in the spring, but the city is continuing to remain vigilant.

On a seven-day average, at least 1,962 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported, that number is above the 550 threshold, according to de Blasio.

The indicators show that “everyone needs to take maximum precautions now,” the mayor said.

Note: These numbers were released by the city’s health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and our Covid tracker.

11:38 a.m. ET, December 3, 2020

McConnell says compromise on stimulus "within reach," but two sides still far apart

From CNN's Lauren Fox, Manu Raju, Ted Barrett and Daniella Diaz

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to the Senate Floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, December 3.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to the Senate Floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, December 3. Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor this morning "compromise is within reach" on stimulus talks.

"This has always been about policy differences,” McConnell said..

"Compromise is within reach. We know where we agree. We can do this. Let me say it again, we can do this. And we need to do this. So let's be about actually making a law," he said

Where things stand: There are three separate attempts happening right now on Covid relief and all of them — at least at this point — are a long shot.

McConnell released his own new economic relief proposal Tuesday, a bill he has been working on closely with the White House, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Mnuchin. The bill includes many of the same provisions from the earlier, targeted $500 billion proposal that failed along party lines. It's not expected to win support of Democrats now.

10:47 a.m. ET, December 3, 2020

US is "tracking just as badly" as 1918 flu pandemic, Dr. Sanjay Gupta says

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, on December 3.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, on December 3. CNN

The United States health care system is quickly heading toward a “breaking point” as the country reported its highest one-day death toll since the coronavirus pandemic began, CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta said.

Gupta said he fears hospitals and health workers will be overwhelmed and Americans will not be able to get the level of care they are used to. 

Gupta also said that the US is “tracking just as badly” as it was during the 1918 influenza pandemic.

“We’re three times the population that we were back then. But we also have better hospitalizations, ICUs, therapeutics, an ambulance system. And despite that, just if you look at the numbers, we are tracking just as badly as back then,” Gupta said. “Which speaks to the fact that no matter how good we get scientifically, in terms of these therapeutics and all of the wonderful things that medicine can do, despite all that, human behavior is still sabotaging us.”

Gupta said that there were more alternatives as Covid-19 emerged in the spring, when patients were mainly concentrated in the Northeast — such as sending patients elsewhere or bringing in health care workers from less-affected areas.

“If the entire country is on fire, what is the escape hatch? It's becoming increasingly hard to find one,” Gupta said. 

An ensemble forecast released Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now projects there will be 303,000 to 329,000 coronavirus deaths in the US by December 26.

“I don't know where this peaks at this point. I mean, this is starting to defy the models — even the aggressive ones — in terms of how bad things could get,” he said. 

He said “circuit breaker” lockdowns in hotspots would help ease the spread of the virus. 

Watch:

11:12 a.m. ET, December 3, 2020

House Democratic leaders say lawmakers won't leave until they pass a Covid-19 stimulus deal 

From CNN's Manu Raju

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, left, and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, left, and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

On a caucus call this morning, two top Democratic leaders — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn — tell their members the US House of Representatives won’t adjourn for the year until a Covid-19 relief bill is passed, a source on the call tells CNN. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t give much of a readout on the state of talks, this source said. 

Remember: There are three separate attempts happening right now on Covid relief and all of them — at least at this point — are a long shot.

  • The bipartisan framework: These talks between Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy and Mitt Romney alongside Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin, Mark Warner and Jeanne Shaheen and Angus King, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, have been going on for weeks and were born out of a frustration that nothing was getting done. Eventually, a group of House members from the Problem Solver's Caucus got engaged making the effort bicameral. But, the $908 billion framework released Tuesday is just a starting point.
  • McConnell's plan: Senate majority Leader Mitch McConnell released his own new economic relief proposal Tuesday, a bill he has been working on closely with the White House, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Mnuchin. The bill includes many of the same provisions from the earlier, targeted $500 billion proposal that failed along party lines. It's not expected to win support of Democrats now.
  • The Democratic leadership offer to McConnell: While substantive discussions between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, McConnell and McCarthy haven't occurred still, Democrats did quietly send an offer to Republican leaders Monday evening. The proposal was a non-starter in part because it didn't include the language on liability protections, a red line for McConnell. The existence of the offer became public after McConnell alluded to it during his news conference.
10:35 a.m. ET, December 3, 2020

Delta will contact trace international travelers coming into the US

From CNN's Pete Muntean

A Delta Air Lines plane lands at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, on October 19.
A Delta Air Lines plane lands at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, on October 19. Nik Oiko/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Delta Air Lines said it will begin asking international travelers coming into the United States for coronavirus contact tracing information.

In a new memo released Thursday, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said passengers can voluntarily submit their name, address, email and two phone numbers to “provide essential tracing information directly to the Centers for Disease Control, if needed." 

No major coronavirus outbreaks have been traced to a commercial airline flight in the United States — but there have not been any widespread tracing efforts.

Delta’s move is a first by a US carrier after the White House coronavirus task force asked airlines to administer contact tracing programs themselves rather than having the government handle.

In June, Vice President Mike Pence told major airlines to move forward with an industry-led solution for contact tracing of passengers.