By Helen Regan, Adam Renton, Eoin McSweeney, Ed Upright and Meg Wagner, CNN
From CNN's Amanda Watts
There have been at least 17,000,408 cases of coronavirus in the United States and at least 307,770 people have died from Covid-19 since the pandemic began, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
On Dec. 12, the US hit 16 million cases. Five days later, on Dec. 17, the US hit 17 million cases.
From CNN's Tina Burnside
As the state prepares to administer its first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is urging all residents to be vigilant and to continue acting responsibly during this pandemic.
Lee says although today is a historic moment and turning point in this pandemic, the sobering reality is that Tennesseans are getting sicker.
On Wednesday, the state reported 11,410 new cases, a new record high since the start of the pandemic. Lee said decisions people made over the Thanksgiving holiday is having a severe reality on the hospital system across the state.
"One thing this vaccine will not solve, or cure is selfishness or indifference to what is happening to our neighbors around us," Lee said.
Lee also stated that the vaccine is not a cure for foolish decisions on how we gather, or one's refusal to wear a mask and it won't cure the idea that someone else's decision won't impact another person's life.
Lee said there is darkness before dawn happening in Tennessee and is urging all Tennesseans to recognize and adhere his message.
Today, the state is expecting 56,550 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to start arriving to their hospitals statewide.
Earlier this week, the state Department of Health announced it is holding the first shipment of 975 doses of the Pfizer vaccine as an emergency backup in the event a hospital's supply is damaged.
From CNN's Roxanne Garcia
About 5,200 healthcare workers have been vaccinated so far in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a Thursday briefing, adding the "numbers are going to grow rapidly each day."
A total of 42,900 doses have been delivered so far, he said.
"The virus keeps causing us a challenge, the rate of infection keeps going up in this city, hospitalizations keep going up, we’ve got a serious issue here."
"That’s why we need the vaccine to fight the virus," he said.
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
Delaware is set to begin vaccinating staff at three long-term care facilities Thursday, according to the governor’s office.
The state received 7,800 doses Wednesday, and delivered them to three Genesis Healthcare Inc facilities which plan to start vaccinating staff Thursday.
Residents will begin receiving the vaccine the week of Dec. 28, the release said, adding Walgreens and CVS pharmacists are partnering with facilities to vaccinate the residents.
"We are all relieved to see that this vaccine has arrived at our long-term care facilities to protect Delaware’s most vulnerable citizens from COVID-19," Gov. John Carney said in the Thursday release
"But we’re not through the woods yet. We still face a difficult winter surge of cases and hospitalizations. Stay vigilant until we can widely distribute the vaccine," he added.
From CNN’s Florencia Trucco
Ecuador has authorized the use of the Pfizer/BioNtech’s vaccine against Covid-19, the country’s health ministry said in a statement Wednesday, adding that the first doses will arrive in country around January 2021.
Through a "public-private alliance," the vaccine will be administered to 60% of the population, the statement said.
The plan will be conducted in three phases, beginning with a "pilot" stage consisting of vaccinations for frontline staff and senior living center workers. The following phase, expected end of March or early April, will be to vaccinate health workers, authorities, the vulnerable and "strategic sectors," the statement adds.
As of Wednesday, Ecuador has reported at least 203,461 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 9,373 confirmed deaths and 4,542 probable deaths.
From CNN's Jen Christensen
Dr. Doran Fink, deputy director of the Clinical Division of Vaccines and Related Products Applications, said medical providers should monitor patients who get the Covid-19 vaccine for an allergic reaction.
Two Alaska health care workers had an allergic reaction minutes after getting the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine earlier this week. Both have recovered. Scientific experts have said that, while possible, allergic reactions should be rare.
"We learned of these cases through established safety surveillance systems that worked exactly as designed," Fink said at the VRBPAC meeting convened today to consider the authorization of Moderna’s vaccine, which is similar to Pfizer/BioNTech’s.
"The FDA is coordinating with CDC to further investigate the cases in the US, and to communicate our findings in a timely manner with vaccine providers and recipients."
Fink added that the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention are also in touch with public health authorities in the UK. Two health care workers with a history of vaccine allergies also had an allergic reaction to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Both are said to have recovered quickly.
"At this point we and CDC are continuing to investigate these cases and consider data that – at this point – we don't have enough information to make definitive recommendations one way or another. And as we continue to investigate and evaluate the data, we will consider whether additional recommendations need to be made," Fink said.
Fink said the FDA is working with Pfizer to revise the fact sheets and prescribing information that accompany the vaccine to emphasize the CDC guidelines that require medical providers to monitor people for allergic reactions, and to have medical treatment available immediately if someone does have an allergic reaction. Fink said they will do the same for the Moderna vaccine if it is granted an emergency use authorization.
"While the totality of data at this time continue to support vaccinations under the Pfizer EUA without new restrictions," Fink said. "These cases underscore the need to remain vigilant during the early phase of the vaccination campaign."
From CNN's Eric Levenson and Jacqueline Howard
Moderna's coronavirus vaccine candidate is similar to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that was authorized and shipped out to the first Americans earlier this week.
But there are a few key differences. Most importantly, Moderna's vaccine can be stored in normal freezers and does not require a super-cold transportation network, making it more accessible for smaller facilities and local communities.
Here's a look at what we know about both of them:
Efficacy
Both Moderna's and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have shown similar efficacy levels of near 95%.
"They appear to be roughly equivalent," said Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA's vaccine advisory committee, during an appearance on CNN's "New Day" on Tuesday.
Structure
Both vaccines rely on mRNA, or messenger RNA, to work, although with slightly different structures and makeup.
"Even though they're both messenger RNA vaccines, they're really different messenger RNA molecules, they have different so-called lipid delivery systems, meaning the sort of fatty droplet in which the messenger RNA is located," Offit said on Monday. "That's why they have different storage and handling characteristics."
Cold storage
Most importantly, Moderna's vaccine does not need to be kept at super-cold temperatures, like Pfizer's.
The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at about minus-75 degrees Celsius, about 50 degrees colder than any vaccine currently used in the US. The vaccine can be put in the refrigerator for only up to five days before it expires.
To accommodate that, the CDC created a complex set of handling and storage requirements known as the "cold chain" that included expensive ultra-cold freezers and lots of dry ice.
In contrast, Moderna's vaccine can be kept at about minus-20 degrees Celsius, or about the temperature of a home freezer, according to Moncef Slaoui, the head of the US effort to develop a vaccine for Covid-19. Moderna's vaccine can also be kept in a refrigerator for 30 days before it expires.
"So that's more manageable and much more commonly available," Slaoui said Tuesday.
These differences suggest that Pfizer's vaccine may be used more for major institutions with established infrastructure like hospitals, while Moderna's may be more useful to smaller facilities like a local chain or pharmacist.
Dosage and timing
Moderna's vaccine is administered as two 100-microgram doses given 28 days apart. Pfizer's vaccine is administered as two 30-microgram doses given 21 days apart.
Age
If authorized, the Moderna vaccine would be used in people 18 and older, while the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for people 16 and older.
You can read more about both both vaccines here.
From CNN’s Matt Egan
The stock market opened solidly higher Thursday even as evidence mounts of trouble in the jobs market.
The Dow jumped 150 points, or 0.5%.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both gained 0.6% to intraday record highs.
The rally comes despite grim news on the economic front as the pandemic intensifies. The Labor Department said another 885,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week. That was well above what economists were bracing for.
The good news is that Congressional leaders continue to make progress on a federal relief package aimed at stabilizing the economy.
From CNN's Dan Kamal
New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has tested positive for Covid-19, according to a statement released by the NFL team Thursday.
The team says Garrett will continue to work remotely, and tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens will call the Giants’ offensive plays this weekend.
The 5-8 Giants currently sit 2nd in the NFC East and will face the 9-4 Cleveland Browns – 2nd in the AFC North – on Sunday night.