December 9 coronavirus news

Operation Warp Speed, which is overseeing the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in the US, announced Wednesday that it has approved supply shipments in advance of the anticipated Pfizer vaccine. 

Items like syringes, needles, and alcohol wipes should begin going out today and through the end of the week, officials told reporters on a press call.

The news comes ahead of tomorrow's crucial meeting of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee that will consider authorizing emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is planning to host holiday parties in the near future despite his current executive order limiting gatherings due to a surge in coronavirus cases across the state, Mississippi Today first reported. 

State Rep. Chris Bell told CNN affiliate WAPT that he received an invitation to one of the governor's parties, but he is respectfully declining to attend because the virus is still out of control. 

CNN reached out to the governor's office on Wednesday. While the governor's spokesperson Bailey Martin didn't specifically address the holiday invitations, Martin said in a statement that any event held by the governor and the first lady are conducted safely in accordance with the governor's executive order. 

It's not clear how many people are invited to each event.

Currently, state orders limit indoor gatherings to fewer than 20 people, but the governor has said he will be announcing more restrictive measures this week.

The latest numbers: The Mississippi Department of Health reported at least 1,732 new single day cases of coronavirus and 56 additional deaths for Monday, December 7, bringing the state to a total of at least 167,926 Covid-19 cases and 4,017 reported deaths. 

Note: These numbers were released by Mississippi’s public health agency and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

North Carolina set a record with the highest number of single-day coronavirus cases as well as hospitalizations on Wednesday since the start of the pandemic. 

The North Carolina Department of Health reported 6,495 new Covid-19 cases and 2,440 hospitalizations. 

Wednesday marked the 13th straight day North Carolina set a new high in Covid-19 hospitalizations, according to the state's Covid-19 dashboard. 

To date, the state has recorded 410,527 total cases of coronavirus and at least 5,661 deaths. 

Note: These numbers were released by North Carolina’s public health agency and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Wednesday that she will be extending her safer-at-home order that includes a statewide mask mandate for another six weeks. 

During a news conference Wednesday morning, Ivey said no changes will be made to the existing order which will extend until Jan. 22. 

Under the existing order, individuals will be required to wear a mask or other facial coverings when in public and in close contact with other people as described in the order. 

Currently the state has recorded at least 280,187 Covid-19 cases and approximately 3,985 deaths since the start of the pandemic. 

Alabama's Health Officer Scott Harris said the state is "in some pretty dark days" with the surge in Covid-19 cases. 

Harris said there is optimism with the rollout of the vaccine which Alabama is expecting to receive its first doses by early next week. 

The state is expected to receive approximately 41,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the first shipment, which Harris cautions will not be enough for the first priority group. Harris said there will be more flexibility with distribution once the state receives the first doses of the Moderna vaccination. 

Note: These numbers were released by Alabama’s public health agency and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday the state will be focusing on a three-part plan in regards to the Covid-19 vaccine, including education, equitable distribution and a fast delivery process. 

Step one: Education

The state will be launching a public education plan to encourage residents to get the vaccine. For the vaccine to be effective, 75-85% of the population needs to get it. Right now, 50% of the population is saying they don't want to get it, according to the governor.

The campaign will focus on a "real public education to dispel the skepticism that already exists," he said. 

Step two: Equal distribution

Secondly, the state will be focusing on equitable distribution of the vaccine in Black and brown communities, since these communities have been impacted by higher infection and death rates, Cuomo said. 

"We want to make sure that when we do the vaccine that it is done in a just and fair and equal way," Cuomo told reporters. 

Step three: Speed of distribution

Lastly, Cuomo said that the state is working on how to quickly distribute the vaccine across the state, which he said is a huge undertaking. 

"I can't think of a government operation that has been commenced that is more difficult and intricate than what governments will be asked to do here," he said. 

While the state has a good record of tackling challenges like testing capacity, this will "test capacity across the board," he added. 

CNN and Sesame Street are coming together for a new town hall on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. ET to help children and parents understand the latest issues surrounding coronavirus, including details about the vaccine, celebrating the holidays safely and how to stay healthy and happy during the winter months ahead.

The hour-long special will be hosted by CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anchor Erica Hill, along with Sesame Street’s Big Bird.

Leave your questions for them below.

New York reported an additional 95 deaths from Covid-19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.

New York currently has a 5.44% positivity rate for Covid-19 across the state, the governor said. Without the microclusters, the positivity rate is at 4.86%, but it is at 7.08% in the microcluster zones, he said. 

One note: These numbers were released by the(state’s public health agency, and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project

The Pentagon confirmed Wednesday that a small number of senior leaders would be among the first to receive the coronavirus vaccine, an action that is being taken in order to help convince military personnel that the vaccine is safe. CNN first reported on Tuesday that senior leadership would be among the first to receive the vaccination.

While the bulk of senior military leaders will receive the vaccine after medical personnel, a select few will receive it in the earliest phase.

“Right now we would be looking at current senior leaders, the top four,” he added, listing Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, Deputy Secretary David Norquist, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten, and the senior enlisted adviser would receive the vaccine in the earliest phase to help convince Department if Defense personnel that the vaccine is safe.

Officials said there were no current plans to offer the vaccine to President-elect Joe Biden’s designate for Defense secretary, retired Gen. Lloyd Austin.

The Pentagon is expected to receive 44,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the coming days.

“Of those 44,000 a huge majority will be for first responders, critical healthcare people and a very very limited number to critical national capabilities in this first tranche,” Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place, the Defense Health Agency director said.

Senior leaders are considered “critical national capabilities” by the Pentagon.

The vaccine “is voluntary for everyone” Place said, due to it being expected to only receive emergency use authorization from the FDA, while adding that “the Department is strongly encouraging everyone to take it,” Place said.

The UK can expect to have a “portfolio of three or four vaccines” in use by the middle of next year, England’s Chief Medical Officer told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Thousands of people were vaccinated on Tuesday, the first day of the national rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. 

Asked by lawmakers when the UK regulator would decide on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, chief of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency June Raine said she could not provide a firm date for a decision on authorization.

Raine said regulators have “great interest” in how the two dosing regimens produced different efficacies, and if there is a scientific basis to the different immune responses. 

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine showed 90% efficacy in one dosing regimen — when the vaccine was given as a half dose, followed by a full dose at least a month later. It showed 62% efficacy in a second regimen — when two full doses were given to people at least a month apart.

On the issue revaccination, Whitty told lawmakers that the situation may arise where vulnerable people will need to be revaccinated, as it is yet unknown how long protection against the virus can last.

“It might last for a very long time, it might last for […] nine months, I think it's more likely to be somewhere between those two,” Whitty said. 

Asked what lessons have been learned from the pandemic, Whitty admitted that in the early stages of the pandemic, officials underestimated asymptomatic spread.

“We drew comfort wrongly from SARS,” Whitty said, referring to the respiratory illness brought on by a coronavirus that killed more than 700 people in 2002 and 2003.

“In SARS, the great majority — if not all — of the transmission was from people who were symptomatic,” Whitty said. 

Whitty went on to say that the pandemic could have been managed better in the early stages if “data streams” were more complete on mask effectiveness, lockdown timings and travel quarantines. 

He said that limited testing capacity meant officials hadn’t realized how widespread the virus had become in the UK or across Europe. 

On communicating health guidance to Britain’s minority ethnic groups – who have suffered disproportionately from the pandemic – Whitty acknowledged that officials did not get the messaging right in the early stages, adding that social research was and still is not strong enough.