December 5 coronavirus news

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.

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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.

The sharp rise in Covid-19 cases across the US has placed the health care system under strain -- which may cause temporary lockdowns, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's top infectious disease expert, told CNN.

Fauci specifically referenced conversations he's had with medical colleagues in Los Angeles, California, where the health care system "is really strained."

Fauci added: "If it requires doing more drastic things, or draconian things, like maybe a temporary shutdown some areas, I think some of the areas of the country are thinking about that, I know as a fact. In California, in some places, they are thinking about that."

Masks are "critical" to controlling the spread of coronavirus -- and that includes at home sometimes, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.

A CDC review of what works makes it clear that mask use, physical distancing, avoiding crowds and washing hands all could help control the spread of the virus -- and would allow kids to go back to school and businesses to reopen.

"Consistent and correct use of face masks is a public health strategy critical to reducing respiratory transmission of SARS-CoV-2, particularly in light of estimates that approximately one half of new infections are transmitted by persons who have no symptoms," the CDC summary of guidance reads.

The CDC has gradually been strengthening its recommendations on mask use.

"Compelling evidence now supports the benefits of cloth face masks for both source control (to protect others) and, to a lesser extent, protection of the wearer," the CDC's Margaret Honein, Dr. Henry Walke and colleagues wrote.

Read more here.

Most average, healthy Americans who are not elderly and have no underlying conditions will likely be able to get a Covid-19 vaccine at the end of March or start of April, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Fauci said it's important for everyone to get vaccinated because the quicker that's done, the quicker the US can establish "an umbrella of herd immunity" so the pandemic stops spreading at its current rapid rate.

Herd immunity, Fauci said, "is so, so important in bringing the level of virus to way, way down to below the threatening level. The sooner we get there, the better we are."

A powerful vaccine: Fauci said he did not expect the vaccines awaiting FDA approval to be as effective as they are.

Mexico reported 12,127 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours -- setting a new single-day record for fresh infections in the country.

Its total confirmed cases stand at 1,144,643, according to the health ministry. 

The ministry also confirmed 690 more related deaths Friday, taking the country's total death toll to 108,863.  

Mexico has the fourth-highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world, trailing only the United States, Brazil and India, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.

The US Food and Drug Administration said Friday it has authorized the first emergency use for a combination coronavirus and flu test for at-home sample collection. It can detect both Covid-19 and influenza A and B.

Health care providers can prescribe the test for people suspected of having Covid-19 for sample collection at home, the FDA said.

The new test is a “significant step” in the agency’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said Friday in a statement.

Hahn said the test, which comes as flu season ramps up in the US, allows suspected Covid-19-positive patients to remain in quarantine at home while waiting for test results.