December 14 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Adam Renton, Emma Reynolds, Ed Upright, Melissa Macaya and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 4:06 p.m. ET, December 15, 2020
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4:06 p.m. ET, December 15, 2020

More than 193,000 new Covid-19 cases reported in the US on Monday

From CNN’s Virginia Langmaid

On Monday, Johns Hopkins University reported 193,454 new cases of coronavirus in the US.

Monday also marked the day that the US gave out the the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. Health experts are warning it's likely the US won't see any meaningful, widespread impacts from vaccinations until well into 2021.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this post misreported the number of new Covid-19 cases in the US on Monday. There were 193,454 new cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

10:01 p.m. ET, December 14, 2020

California will receive nearly 400,000 more doses of Pfizer vaccine next week, governor says

From CNN's Sarah Moon

California is expected to receive an additional 393,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine early next week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a short video posted on his Twitter account Monday.

California received its first vaccine shipment of 33,150 doses on Monday, and expects a total of 327,000 doses this week.

The first vaccines were distributed to four locations in the state, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Eureka, and San Francisco, Newsom said.

He added that 24 additional locations will have received vaccines by Tuesday, and five more locations on Wednesday. 

Surging infections: This comes as California recorded more than 30,000 new Covid-19 cases for the fourth straight day on Monday, continuing an unprecedented surge of infections and hospitalizations that is stretching health care facilities to the brink.

7:59 p.m. ET, December 14, 2020

Biden addresses Covid-19 deaths: "My heart goes out to each of you in this dark winter of the pandemic"

In remarks following today's Electoral College vote that affirmed his election victory, President-elect Joe Biden took a moment to acknowledge the US' latest solemn coronavirus milestone.

Earlier today, the US surpassed 300,000 deaths since the pandemic began.

"Today our nation passed a grim milestone: 300,000 deaths due to this Covid virus. My heart goes out to each of you in this dark winter of the pandemic, about to spend the holidays and the new year with a black hole in your hearts, without the ones you love at your side," Biden said.

He continued: "My heart goes out to all of you who have fallen on hard times through no fault of your own. Unable to sleep at night, staring at the ceiling, weighed down by the worry of what tomorrow will bring for you and equally important for your family."

Biden, who will take office on Jan. 20, said the US will get through the pandemic together.

"We've faced difficult times before in our history. I know we'll get through this one — but together. That's how we get through it: together," he said.

Watch Biden speak here:

7:51 p.m. ET, December 14, 2020

US hits record number of Covid-19 hospitalizations

From CNN’s Virginia Langmaid

The United States reported 110,549 Covid-19 hospitalizations on Monday, setting a new record high since the pandemic began, according to the Covid Tracking Project (CTP).

This is the thirteenth consecutive day that the US has remained above 100,000 hospitalizations. 

According to CTP data, these are the highest hospitalization numbers:

  • Dec 14: 110,549 people hospitalized
  • Dec. 13: 109,298 people hospitalized
  • Dec. 12: 108,461 people hospitalized
  • Dec. 11: 108,108 people hospitalized
  • Dec. 10: 107,276 people hospitalized
7:48 p.m. ET, December 14, 2020

Perna tells governors another 4.3 million Pfizer doses authorized for release this Friday

From CNN's Sara Murray

Operation Warp Speed’s Gen. Gustave Perna told governors today that another 4.3 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine would be authorized for release this Friday, according to a source familiar with the call.  

Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also suggested that there would be additional recommendations coming no later than Saturday on how to determine who should be in group 1b for vaccinations.

As far as the spread in the US, Dr. Deborah Birx said there was “evidence of improvement” in the middle of the country, but warned that caseloads are rising on the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts.

Administration officials also appear to be grappling with how best to capitalize on monoclonal antibody treatments.

Birx, Vice President Mike Pence and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar all encouraged governors to push the use of monoclonal antibodies early in treatment for coronavirus.

Azar said it’s “almost too late” to use monoclonal antibodies once a patient is already admitted to the hospital.

7:38 p.m. ET, December 14, 2020

The finish line is in sight, but US is not there yet, US surgeon general says

From CNN’s Shelby Lin Erdman

As the first Covid-19 vaccines were administered in the United States Monday, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned there’s a still a long way to go.

The US death toll from the coronavirus just surpassed 300,000 and hospitals are nearing capacity in cities across the country.

“The finish line is in sight and the last couple of miles are the hardest, but we've got to keep running,” Adams told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

“Because even if you weren't worried about Covid, your loved one who's in labor may not have a hospital bed, your loved one who's having a heart attack or who gets in a car accident may not have a bed,” Adams said.

“I was in Montana over the last several days and I talked to hospitals around the state. They're over capacity in those hospitals. You've got hundreds of health care workers who are either in isolation or quarantine.”

Adams said Americans need to continue wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands frequently.

He also urged people who have recovered from Covid-19 to donate plasma.

Adams encouraged anyone with questions about the new vaccine to talk to their health care provider. 

“It's okay to have those questions. It's not okay to let misinformation cause you to make decisions that are going to hurt you or hurt your community,” he said.

Watch the moment:

 

8:11 p.m. ET, December 14, 2020

US surgeon general calls first Covid-19 vaccinations "a shot of hope"

From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams speaks at George Washington University Hospital on Monday, December 14, in Washington.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams speaks at George Washington University Hospital on Monday, December 14, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AP

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams called the rollout Monday of the nation’s first Covid-19 vaccine “tremendous.”

“This is just tremendous and I’m smiling bigger than I’ve smiled in a long time because it has been a hard year for so many people out there, including me personally,” Adams told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

“Today we really did get a shot of hope,” he added.

Adams was at George Washington University Medical Center Monday as frontline health care workers got the vaccination.

“We’re not talking about development. We're not talking about the approval process -- actual vaccines going into arms,” Adams said.

But he cautioned that there’s still a long road ahead: “We've got a long way to go, make no mistake about it, and we still need to be appropriately cautious,” Adams said.

“We still need to understand how severe this virus is and the surge that is going in the wrong direction, but we've got some hope finally,” he added.

All 50 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have now received their first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine, according to statements from the state departments of health, governor’s offices and local hospitals.   

Watch the moment:

6:43 p.m. ET, December 14, 2020

FedEx and UPS say they've completed first-day Covid-19 vaccine shipments

From CNN's Pete Muntean and Greg Wallace

Shipping companies FedEx and UPS tell CNN they completed all first-day coronavirus vaccine deliveries as scheduled Monday.

FedEx said the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was delivered to 70 to 80 sites on Monday.

UPS spokesperson Matt O’Connor told CNN that it “delivered 100% of its Covid vaccines on-time today.”

Operation Warp Speed, the federal government operation overseeing the vaccine program, said roughly 145 sites would receive the vaccine on Monday with another 425 on Tuesday and the remaining 66 deliveries on Wednesday.

Vaccine shipments began on Sunday morning when trucks departed Pfizer’s massive manufacturing facility near Kalamazoo, Michigan.

6:48 p.m. ET, December 14, 2020

All 50 US states have gotten their first Pfizer vaccine shipments

HN Milan Torres prepares a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 14, in Bethesda, Maryland.
HN Milan Torres prepares a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 14, in Bethesda, Maryland. Manuel Balce Ceneta-Pool/Getty Images

All 50 states — as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico — have received their first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, according to statements from the state departments of health, governor’s offices, and local hospitals.   

Remember: Not all of these states have begun administering the vaccine, but they have received it.