December 5 coronavirus news

California has reported a new record high of 25,068 new coronavirus cases on Saturday.

The state also reported that an additional 325 Covid-19 patients are hospitalized. That brings the statewide total to 10,273 people across the state in hospitals.

There are 209 new deaths reported as well today. The state total is now 19,791 deaths.

The statewide 14- day positivity rate has jumped to 7.6%.

One of the challenges with a Covid-19 vaccine is debunking misinformation that comes along with it.

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta has cleared up some common misconceptions:

The platform for the vaccine was designed in two days. Isn’t that too rushed? 

“It’s remarkable how fast the vaccine was developed. But it was more like taking the code, the genetic code, and plucking out a piece of that code that will be used to make the vaccine,” Gupta explained.

He also noted that research on the technology for mRNA vaccines began decades ago.

“A lot of the scientific development around this has been ongoing for some time,” he said.

Do I need the vaccine if I’ve had Covid-19?

You should still get a vaccine even if you’ve been infected with the coronavirus, Gupta said.

While you likely did develop antibodies, “we don’t know how long that sort of protection lasts,” he said. 

Will getting a Covid-19 vaccine infect me with the virus?

You are not actually receiving any of the coronavirus with this vaccine, Gupta said. 

“In this case, you’re just giving the genetic code for a portion of the virus. As a result, you’re not actually giving any virus — certainly no live virus at all in the vaccine — and you really can’t get infected,” he said. 

Watch:

A healthcare worker administers a Covid-19 test at the William Penn Highway Park & Ride on December 2 in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has reported another record day of new Covid-19 cases, recording 12,884 additional cases, according to the state’s health department.

This is the highest daily increase of Covid-19 cases in the state since the pandemic started, breaking Friday’s record of 11,763 cases. To date, 411,484 cases have been recorded in Pennsylvania.

The state is also reporting an additional 149 deaths, bringing the state’s Covid-19 death toll to 11,262.

The statewide positivity rate was recorded at 14.4% from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, the health department said. 

To 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.

Dr. Peter Hotez speaks with CNN on Saturday, December 5.

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said that Americans should get the coronavirus vaccine once it is made available to them. 

Through studies with the City University of New York, he said that 70-80% of the population would need to be vaccinated for it to be effective in society as a whole.

While scientists do not know how long the timeframe of a vaccine’s protection will be, Hotez said not to let that delay you.  

Hotez also said that people should wear masks even after they get vaccinated. 

Watch:

Russia reported 28,782 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, the highest number of cases it has ever reported in a single day, according to data from the country’s coronavirus response center.

The total number of coronavirus cases in Russia as of Dec. 5 is 2,431,731. 

The country reported 508 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall official toll to 42,684. 

Russia’s counting methods of Covid-19 deaths have been questioned by independent observers and demographers with CNN previously reporting the numbers could be vastly understated. 

On vaccines: Vaccination centers across Moscow started to distribute Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine on Saturday.  

The vaccine, developed by Russian scientists, still hasn’t completed Phase 3 of human trials. 

“Civil vaccination has started at 70 points in Moscow today. We work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week,” Natalya Nikolaevna Kuzenkova, chief doctor of Moscow’s Hospital 68, told CNN. 

“Since our hospital took part in the post-registration trials, this vaccine is not new for us. We have vaccinated a fairly large number of the population during these studies, and all of our doctors and nurses know how to work with this vaccine,” she said.

Pedestrians cross a street in downtown Los Angeles, on Thursday, December 3.

Southern California counties could face a stay-at-home order after the percentage of available intensive care unit beds in the region dropped below 15%, the threshold set by new measure announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this week. 

On Friday night, the percentage of available ICU beds in the Southern California region dropped to 13.1%, according to data released by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Newsom divided California into five regions in order to best monitor and regulate Covid-19 in the state: Northern California, Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.

The Southern California Region includes 11 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. 

The new Regional Stay Home Order, which is aimed at stopping the Covid-19 surge and preventing overwhelming regional ICU capacity in the state, “prohibits private gatherings of any size, closes sector operations except for critical infrastructure and retail, and requires 100% masking and physical distancing in all others,” among other things according to the order.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III rushes the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers

Super Bowl LV is scheduled to take place in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 7, but right now the NFL’s path threatens to be derailed by a global pandemic running wild in the US.

According to Johns Hopkins University’s tally, there have been over 14 million cases of coronavirus in the US and more than 270,000 people have died.

An update from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) on Friday projected more than 500,000 Americans could die from the coronavirus by April.

Every loss has a ripple effect, devastating families and communities.

Professional sports leagues, including the NFL, have had to make tough choices, balancing the need to keep their players safe and bring in revenue.

“It’s not about whether or not guys want to play,” said Baltimore Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III this week after Wednesday’s 19-14 defeat by the Pittsburgh Steelers. “It’s about whether or not our safety is actually being taken into account. I can’t say much more than that.”

Read more:

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 02: A fan displays a sign during the third quarter of a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field on December 02, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Related article Covid-19 threatens to derail NFL's path to the Super Bowl

Courtney Farr says one of the hardest parts of losing his father to Covid-19 earlier this week was knowing he wasn’t surrounded by his loved ones in his last moments.

“When my mother passed away about two years ago, I was able to sit with her … and I was able to hold her hand and caress her face, I was able to be present with her,” Farr told CNN Friday night. “And I was able to comfort her the same way that she had comforted me so many times in my life.

“With my father, we couldn’t do that, because he was in isolation,” Farr said.

He says his family was able to say goodbye to his father, Marvin James Farr, virtually, the morning before he died.

Farr’s story echoes the experiences of thousands of other families across the US who have had to say a final goodbye to parents, siblings and other family members through a device because of Covid-19 isolation protocols.

Read more:

Courtney Farr

Related article 'Harder, scarier and lonelier than necessary.' Kansas man pens powerful obituary after losing father to Covid-19

Dr. Cleavon Gilman wants a temporary stay-at-home order. Without it, he says, "the virus will implement its own shutdown."

Across the US, the numbers of daily Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths just reached all-time highs.

And the crisis is only going to get worse.

Dr. Cleavon Gilman served in the Iraq War, but he said that doesn’t compare to the battle he’s fighting as an emergency room physician in Arizona.

“This pandemic is a lot worse than being in Iraq just because when you’re in a war zone, you can leave that war zone. You can fly out of Iraq; you’re OK here in the United States,” the Yuma doctor said.

Now Gilman and other health care workers are pleading for more public safety rules – such as mask mandates or stay-at-home orders – to prevent hospitals from bursting past capacity.

“You can’t overwhelm a hospital and expect that care is not going to be compromised as a result,” Gilman said.

Read more:

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2020, file photo, medical personnel prone a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles. The raging coronavirus pandemic has prompted Los Angeles County to impose a lockdown to prevent the caseload from spiraling into a hospital crisis but the order stops short of a full business shutdown that could cripple the holiday sale season. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Related article As hospitals start to max out, medical workers beg officials for new Covid-19 mandates

Britain's Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty speaks during a virtual press conference inside 10 Downing Street in central London, on November 23.

Despite the UK becoming the first western country to license a vaccine against Covid, the country’s four chief medical officers have warned that it will only have a “marginal impact” and festive gathering are likely to put additional pressure on the National Health Service (NHS).

In a joint letter to healthcare colleagues, England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and others from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, said health services needed to be ready for the “social mixing which occurs around Christmas.”

It is likely that by the spring the effects of the vaccination will begin to be felt and deploying vaccines safely and rapidly presents “a very considerable logistical exercise”, they added.

The letter praised workers across the health system, who have been “remarkable in their contributions to researching this new disease,” but that even once full vaccination has occured, Covid-19 is not expected to disappear.

“It is therefore absolutely essential that we use the next months to learn as much as we can as we expect COVID to be less common in the future,” they said in the letter. “This will allow us to have the best chance of a strong evidence base for managing it over the coming years.”

The warning comes after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was granted emergency authorization by British regulators on Wednesday, with the first doses expected to be rolled out from early next week.

Pedestrians walk at a crossing in Tokyo's shopping district of Ginza on July 25, 2020

Japan has a record number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care since the pandemic began, according to its health ministry.

The number of daily Covid-19 related deaths has matched the previous record from May 8 at 43 deceased. 

Japan’s Health Ministry also announced 2,432 new coronavirus infections for Friday.

The country’s total nationwide infection stands 158,386 (157,674 on land and 712 on Diamond Princess cruise ship) and death toll to 2,296 (2,283 on land and 13 on cruise ship.)

A further 131,176 patients have been already discharged from the hospitals.

Tokyo reported 449 new cases on Friday, bringing the total number of infections there to 42,793 and 53 patients are in critical condition.

Osaka reported 394 news cases while Hokkaido counted 212.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in a press conference Friday night that “the new infections and severe cases of the coronavirus infection are hitting record high levels and the situation continues to be extremely alarming. We see the strain on the hospital beds for severe cases and we are dealing with the situation with a full awareness of the crisis.”

Ho'okipa Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii

What better way to survive a pandemic than to do it on a beach in Hawaii?

For anyone who finds the idea dreamy, Hawaii is offering free round trip tickets to Oahu to out-of-state remote workers who want to live and work there while contributing to the state’s economy.

The state launched the temporary residency program, known as “Movers and Shakas,” in collaboration with schools and businesses. It’s accepting its first group of applicants until December 15.

“Movers and Shakas is a small step towards economic recovery and diversifying our economy,” Jason Higa, the group’s founder, told CNN.

“The pandemic,” he said, “has normalized remote work for the foreseeable future, so we believe this situation presents an opportunity for local residents to return home, and for out of state professionals to experience Hawaii, not as tourists, but as contributing members of our community.”

Fifty people will be chosen for the first cohort. Later applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis. To apply, you must be a remote worker and at least 18 years old.

Read more:

Fewer-than-usual people are seen at Ala Moana Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 29, 2020, amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Kyodo News via Getty Images)

Related article Hawaii is offering free round trips to remote workers who want to live there temporarily

As Covid-19 infections surge across California, state correctional facilities have recorded more than 4,000 active cases among inmates and another 1,430 among staff – the highest numbers recorded since the pandemic’s start.

That means California’s total number of inmate infections is now up to more than 22,300, including 90 deaths.

That translates to about 227 Covid-19 cases per 1,000 over the course of the pandemic – or some 20% of the total inmate population, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Statewide among the public, that number is about 32 cases per 1,000 people.

The soaring numbers across prison facilities come as local and state officials are also trying to control a rampant spread across California’s communities. On Friday, the state shattered its previous case record, reporting more than 22,000 new cases. Hospitalizations are also at record-high levels, with more than 9,900 Covid-19 patients across the state – about 2,200 of whom are in intensive care units.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying the state was at “a tipping point in our fight against the virus,” announced a strict regional stay-at-home order this week, which will go into effect 48 hours after ICU capacity drops below 15% in one of five regions, Northern California, the Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, the San Joaquin Valley or Southern California.

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An aerial view of Pleasant Valley State Prison near Coalinga, California in Fresno County.

Related article Covid-19 is raging through overcrowded California prisons

Travelers wait in line for security screening at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, on November 29.

Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are at record-high levels nationwide, and officials expect the US will soon bear the full brunt of another surge of infections fueled by Thanksgiving gatherings.

“We have not yet seen the full effect of a potential surge upon a surge,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Friday night. “The travel associated with Thanksgiving, the congregating at family and social gatherings with people indoors, sometimes without masks. So that may peak two to three weeks from now.”

And that surge will come right as travel and social gatherings will likely pick up again for the Christmas holiday.

“So, we’re really very concerned,” Fauci said.

The bleak forecast comes as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine advisers are scheduled to meet to discuss Pfizer’s and Moderna’s applications for emergency use authorization of their Covid-19 vaccines, which some state leaders say they’re expecting to get the first doses of in the coming weeks.

But health officials warn that while some Americans may receive a vaccine by the end of the year, the country likely won’t see any meaningful effect until late spring.

In the meantime, experts project an incredibly challenging next few months.

Read more:

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 30: In an aerial view from a drone, cars are lined up at Dodger Stadium for COVID-19 testing on the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend on November 30, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Health officials in Los Angeles County have issued a new limited stay-at-home order in effect for the next three weeks amid a surge in coronavirus cases. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Related article US reported more than 10,000 Covid-19 deaths in four days. And the impacts of Thanksgiving will only make things worse, experts warn

Cars line up for rapid Covid-19 tests in Jericho, New York, on December 3.

At least 227,885 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in the US on Friday, a new single-day record and the fourth time the country has topped 200,000 cases in a single day.

The previous record was set Thursday.

Another 2,607 virus-related deaths were recorded, bringing the nationwide total to 278,932 fatalities.

Since the pandemic began, at least 14,367,462 infections have been identified in the country.

Track cases here:

This May 4 file photo shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. 

State health departments and governors’ offices across the US are finally being told by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Operation Warp Speed how many doses of the coronavirus vaccine they will initially be receiving once the vaccine is authorized – and it’s not enough.

With the Pfizer vaccine emergency use authorization expected later this month, and perhaps also for the Moderna vaccine, states are learning there’s not enough for them to fully vaccinate those designated as their first and top priority.

Earlier this week, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that the very first batch of Americans to get vaccinated should be frontline health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. Together, they add up to about 24 million people.

Federal officials estimate about 40 million vaccine doses will be available by the end of the month if both Moderna and Pfizer get US Food and Drug Administration authorization – only enough to vaccinate 20 million people in the country, because two doses are needed for each person.

Read more:

Pfizer manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, MI.

Related article First shipments of coronavirus vaccine will fall short

Susan Froehlich and her husband Dr. Thomas Froehlich speak to Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta about their experiences while participating during the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine trial.

A Moderna Covid-19 vaccine participant discussed her experience after taking two shots of the experimental drug in August and September.

Susan Froehlich recounted the illness she experienced after taking the second shot, which she said could have been a placebo and not the vaccine.

Froehlich said she took 440 milligrams of Naproxen, which cleared her symptoms but “it was like every part of my body was hurting for about four hours.”

“If I hadn’t Naproxen right away, I think those symptoms would’ve abated more quickly. But my muscles hurt, my joints hurt, my bones hurt, my jaw hurt. But it was for such a short time,” she said.

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar speaks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 19.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Friday attacked the World Health Organization and – without naming it – China for what he said was a lack of timely sharing of information about the origins and spread of the coronavirus.

In recorded remarks played at the United Nations General Assembly, Azar complained about “dereliction of duty” while praising the US for speeding coronavirus vaccines to market.

Azar did not mention that the US withdrew its support for WHO under President Donald Trump, or Trump’s constant barrage of blame, accusing China of spreading the virus.

He did not say who he meant by “some countries.”

Los Angeles County set records Friday for the highest number of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations for the third time in a single week.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday’s numbers would have been unimaginable just a few weeks ago, and called the surge “the greatest threat to life” the city has ever faced.

The county reported 8,860 new cases and 2,668 hospitalizations on Friday, according to a press release from the local Department of Public Health.

Los Angeles is projected to reach half a million coronavirus cases by the end of this year, according to Garcetti.

Public health officials are urging residents not to travel this holiday season, and stay home if possible.

Once 85% of ICU beds are filled in the Southern California region, Los Angeles County will impose additional closures to some businesses including personal care services like nail and hair salons, and family entertainment centers like zoos and museums.

Garcetti said he expects the region will pass the 85% ICU bed capacity threshold in the next few days.

##Hotspots#

Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Another 500,000-plus people in the US could die of Covid-19 between now and April, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.

Speaking to CNN during its global coronavirus town hall, Fauci said the number of US fatalities could get as bad as that predicted by a reliable model from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

That model predicts another 539,000 people could be killed by the virus.

Fauci said the US was yet to see the effects of any Thanksgiving holiday-related surge.

However, Fauci said the country could stem the tide if the public wears masks, practices social distancing and avoids crowds.