The US has reported at least 20,427,780 coronavirus cases
The United States has reported at least 20,427,780 coronavirus cases, including at least 350,186 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.
On Saturday, Johns Hopkins University reported 299,087 new cases and 2,398 additional deaths.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
Note: Daily totals may be affected by the New Year's Day holiday; CNN is aware of at least one state that did not report Covid-19 data on Friday but included additional cases on Saturday.
For the latest Johns Hopkins University US numbers, check here.
For the latest US Center for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine numbers, check here.
State by state list of vaccine doses administered and tracked by Johns Hopkins University can be found here.
These former nurses were asked to leave retirement and return to the front lines
From CNN's Alisha Ebrahimji
These retired nurses and many others were in urgent demand this year to fight Covid-19. From left to right: Mary Milliard, Evelyn Ochoa-Celano, Juliana Morawski. Courtesy Mary Millard/John Tabaniag/CNN
Juliana Morawski has realized that she most likely couldn't go back to working in an emergency room, even if she wanted to. As a retired emergency nurse of 30 years, that realization is hard for someone who just wants to lend a helping hand on the front lines.
But even though she isn't in the ER, Morawski, 69, is working at an Illinois clinic, answering phones and administering Covid-19 vaccines, and she told CNN she takes comfort in knowing that "anything is better than nothing."
She said due to her age and some minor health problems, she thinks ER managers would consider her a high risk.
I still, honestly, feel guilty that I'm not able to help (in the ER) because they (nurses) are so burned out," she said.
"They're definitely getting hammered and hammered, daily."
Morawski got a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine last week and said she's looking forward to the second dose next month.
Call to action: In March, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, along with officials from around the world, put out calls for qualified healthcare workers to dig out their scrubs and return to their craft to help fight on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Evelyn Ochoa-Celano, 63, answered that call despite having retired from nursing, three months prior. Unfortunately a few months later, she died of coronavirus herself.
Ochoa-Celano retired from a city hospital in the Bronx, New York, her son, John Tabaniag told CNN, but was picking up part-time shifts at a nursing home on Long Island to stay busy.
After Cuomo's letter came out, Ochoa-Celano called her son to say she was transitioning back to full-time work at the nursing home.
As much as Tabaniag was proud of his mom for wanting to fight on the front lines, he was worried about her health. Having lost his stepfather and younger brother, he feared losing his mother, too.
Dangerous Covid-19 conspiracy theories are here to stay
From CNN's Tara John in London
Protesters holding placards as they take part in a demonstration in Trafalgar Square organized by the group Stand Up X in London, on August 29, 2020. Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
At a recent Saturday protest outside London's Stratford train station -- comprised of bindi-wearing hippies, conspiracy theorists in balaclavas, and middle-aged men in waterproof jackets -- a protester with the grassroots, anti-lockdown group StandUpX yelled into a megaphone.
"The vaccine is there to make you infertile... that vaccine is just going to make them able to control you," they shouted.
Listening to the dangerously false spiel was 24-year-old Rebekah, who we are only identifying by her first name. A survivor of domestic abuse, Rebekah said she was living in a Manchester safe house when the first UK-wide lockdown began in March. "If I was still living at home [with her abuser] in lockdown, I probably would have died," she told CNN.
But Rebekah's concerns about the crushing social and economic effects of pandemic restrictions took a conspiratorial turn after she read an Instagram post that she said made her question "information shared by the media." She researched the matter online, churning up information that, while not supported by facts, nonetheless backed up her growing suspicions.
Conspiracy theories spread: Many conspiracy theories have found legs during the pandemic, and one of the first ones that Rebekah found was the widely debunked claim that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was profiting from coronavirus vaccines.
In 2021, experts fear this alternative, fact-free universe will fuel hesitancy in taking the vaccine, a vital weapon in the fight against the virus.
"To beat Covid-19, we also need to defeat the parallel pandemic of mistrust that has consistently hindered our collective response to this disease," Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, warned in a virtual briefing to the UN Correspondents Association on November 30.
India conducts nationwide Covid-19 vaccine drill as vaccines get emergency approval
From CNN's Eric Cheung in Hong Kong
A vaccination officer registers a volunteer during a mock drill for Covid-19 vaccine delivery at a healthcare center in New Delhi, India on January 2. Mayank Makhija/NurPhoto/Getty Images
India conducted a nationwide Covid-19 vaccine drill Saturday ahead of plans for mass vaccinations, India's state-run broadcaster Doordarshan has reported.
The drills come as India moved to formally approve two Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use, one made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other developed locally.
India has reported the second highest number of coronavirus infections, trailing only the United States.
The first phase of India's vaccination plan covers almost as many people as the entire US population.
The drill was conducted at 286 sites across India, and was aimed at familiarizing officers on all levels with the operational guidelines, Doordarshan said.
Some 114,100 workers have been trained on tasks such as verifying personal data, conducting cold chain and logistics management, and uploading information using government software, it added.
The Indian government has been planning a massive vaccination drive amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first phase, authorities are aiming to vaccinate 300 million people, including health care workers, police, soldiers, and vulnerable groups, such as citizens above the age of 50 and those with serious comorbidities.
Arizona ICUs at 93% capacity as state reports 8,883 new Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Claudia Dominguez
Arizona’s Department of Health reported 8,883 new Covid-19 cases and 46 deaths on Saturday.
Hospital ICUs are at 93% capacity, with 61% of beds being used by Covid-19 patients and 32% by non-Covid patients. Additionally, 57% of ventilators across the state are in use, according to the Health Department’s data dashboard.
At least 80,000 vaccines have already been administered to health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities, according to the state’s Health Department.
2:43 a.m. ET, January 3, 2021
Coronavirus vaccine appointment turns into surprise marriage proposal for South Dakota couple
A Covid-19 vaccine appointment at a Canton, South Dakota hospital turned into a marriage proposal for one healthcare couple.
Robbie Vargas-Cortes, 31, a paramedic and EMS supervisor, was scheduled to get his vaccination on December 23, and knew his boyfriend of five years was one of the vaccine administrators at Sanford Canton-Inwood Medical Center.
"I wanted for it to be a surprise," Vargas-Cortes told CNN.
Eric Vanderlee, a registered nurse, told CNN he had no idea the proposal was coming. When Vargas-Cortes rolled up his sleeve and there was already tape on his arm, he thought his boyfriend was jokingly indicating where the vaccine should go, "like a bulls eye or something."
But Vargas-Cortes had taped a ring to his arm.
"It just kind of dawned on me and I was like, 'absolutely, of course, yes.' It was just an amazing moment after I figured it out," Vanderlee said.
Vanderlee then had to administer the vaccine to his new fiancé.
And within 10 minutes, Vargas-Cortes, vaccinated and engaged, was out the door responding to an ambulance call.
"Congratulations, Eric and Robby!" Sanford Health said in a Facebook post along with video of the proposal.
Vargas-Cortes said he had the ring for three years, and was waiting for the right moment to pop the question. "We're nearing the end of the pandemic. The vaccine is kind of like a new chapter," he said.
Inequities partly to blame for California Covid-19 surge, says Cuban-born doctor
From CNN Health’s Virginia Langmaid
Dr. Jorge Rodriguez an internal medicine specialist and CNN medical analyst speaks with CNN, on January 2. CNN
The current surge in Covid-19 cases in California is driven in part by economic disparities, Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, a Cuban-born internal medicine specialist and CNN medical analyst, said on Saturday.
“The huge inequity in both healthcare and living and bias is coming to roost. There are people that are having to work multiple jobs and then you see other people that are more privileged having parties and going to visit Puerto Vallarta. It’s so diverse,” Rodriguez said. “But also, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few weeks from now, we find out this much more contagious variant of the virus is also here,” added Rodriguez, who is in private practice in Los Angeles.
Rodriguez said he is concerned about the emergence of a new, potentially more infectious Covid-19 variant that could further strain the healthcare system.
“I’m concerned because what it’s going to do is it’s going to have more people that are ill, more people that are going to be contagious, and therefore it is going to burden our healthcare system even more than it is right now,” he said. “This is not just going to affect people that are Covid positive. This is going to affect people that have heart attacks, women that are having trouble with their pregnancy, diabetics that have to go to the hospital. It affects the whole community.”
2:10 a.m. ET, January 3, 2021
US has administered more than 4 million vaccine doses, according to the CDC
From CNN Health’s Virginia Langmaid
A person receives the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 24, 2020. Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images
More than four million vaccine doses have been administered in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of 9 a.m. Saturday, the CDC Covid Data Tracker reported that 13,071,925 doses had been distributed and 4,225,756 had been administered.
Distributed doses and administered doses include both the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.
2:03 a.m. ET, January 3, 2021
India formally approves two Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use
From CNN’s Vedika Sud and Swati Gupta in New Delhi and Eric Cheung in Hong Kong
Doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are seen at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, on January 2. PA Images/Sipa USA
India has formally approved the use of two Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use, one made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other developed locally, the country's Drugs Controller General said in a Sunday briefing.
"After adequate examination ... vaccines of Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech are being approved for restricted use in emergency situations," said VG Somani, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
Both vaccines will have to be administered in two doses and are to be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees to 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit), he added.
The Serum Institute of India has been producing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in India, while Indian biotech company Bharat Biotech developed Covaxin.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the announcement a "decisive turning point" on Twitter.
“DCGI granting approval to vaccines of @SerumInstIndia and @BharatBiotech accelerates the road to a healthier and Covid-free nation," he wrote. "Congratulations India. Congratulations to our hardworking scientists and innovators."
Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the Serum Institute of India, said all the risks the Institute took with stockpiling the vaccine have finally paid off.
"India's first COVID-19 vaccine is approved, safe, effective and ready to roll-out in the coming weeks."
Last month, Bharat Biotech, the private company developing Covaxin with the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said that the vaccine "demonstrated acceptable safety profile and high immune response. . . No serious (grade 3-4) adverse events were reported."
The background: India has reported the second most coronavirus cases in the world,trailing only the United States.
The first phase of its vaccination plan covers 300 million people -- almost as many as the entire US population. India conducted a nationwide Covid-19 vaccine drill on Saturday ahead of plans for mass vaccinations, India's state-run broadcaster Doordarshan reported.
