The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines

By Nectar Gan, Adam Renton, Tamara Qiblawi and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 2119 GMT (0519 HKT) December 24, 2020
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11:25 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

Serbian prime minister becomes first PM in Europe to receive Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine

From CNN's Jennifer Hauser

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic became the first prime minister in Europe to take the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine Thursday.

"I am honored to be the first PM in Europe to be vaccinated. Vaccination is a huge step in this fight," she tweeted

Here's her full tweet:

The European Commission granted a conditional marketing authorization (CMA) for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine earlier this week, making it the first Covid-19 vaccine authorized in the EU.

The authorization came after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine a conditional marketing authorization, green lighting the drug for distribution.

8:57 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

TSA says almost 1.2 million people flew on Wednesday, a new pandemic record

From CNN’s Pete Muntean

Travelers pass through O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on December 23.
Travelers pass through O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on December 23. Scott Olson/Getty Images

The TSA says it screened nearly 1.2 million people at airports on Wednesday, a new air travel record of the pandemic.  

At least 1,191,123 people passed through security checkpoints, more than the previous pandemic record set the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

This marks the sixth straight day of air travel numbers near or greater than one million people, stoking new fears from health the experts that there will be another spike in coronavirus infections like after Thanksgiving. 

8:23 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

"Every dose that these hospitals and clinics have is going into people’s arms," Nebraska doctor says

From CNN's Naomi Thomas

There are a couple of reasons for the difference between vaccine doses distributed and vaccine doses administered, Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Public Health, told CNN’s John Berman Thursday.

The first is “just data gaps,” he said. “We don’t have good timely systems that are actually reporting how many doses are being administered as opposed to how many are delivered, so some of it is just the data gaps.”

The second, he said, are true delays. “It takes a while to unpack the vaccine, inventory the vaccine, thaw it and put it in people’s arms and it takes a while for clinics to get their logistics down,” he said.

However, from his personal experience in Nebraska and what he is hearing across the US, Khan said “there is no place in the US where this vaccines sitting in a clinic or hospital and it’s not being used. So every dose that these hospitals and clinics have is going into people’s arms.” 

Just over a week since the first Covid-19 vaccine was authorized, more than 1 million people have received their first shot.

The government has said it intends to distribute 20 million first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in the coming weeks, slightly later than it had originally planned.

8:39 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

California has surpassed 2 million Covid-19 cases. Here's how other states compare. 

From CNN's Eric Levenson

Health care workers in Long Beach, California, prepare and hand out Covid-19 self-administered tests on December 9.
Health care workers in Long Beach, California, prepare and hand out Covid-19 self-administered tests on December 9. Allen J. Schaben/The Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Over two million people in California have tested positive for Covid-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, more cases than in all but a handful of countries.

The state's grim new milestone comes as ICUs are near or at full capacity across the state.

California hit 1 million cases on November 12, and it has taken less than six weeks for the state to add another million cases. Given the state's population of 39.5 million, about one out of every 20 people in California has tested positive for the virus.

In all, the US reported 228,131 new cases of the coronavirus and 3,359 new deaths on Wednesday, the third-most deaths in a single day. There were 119,463 hospitalizations reported on Wednesday, according to according to The Covid Tracking Project.  This is a new record high. 

Here's a look at how California's cases and deaths compare to other states:

7:37 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

Over 567,000 Americans will have died from Covid-19 by April, key virus model predicts

From CNN Health's Jamie Gumbrecht

An update from an influential coronavirus model has upped its predictions of Covid-19 deaths in the US from 562,000 to 567,195 by April 1, 2021.

The impact of vaccines: 33,200 lives will be saved by a projected vaccine rollout, according to the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation model. A rapid rollout would save 45,000 lives.

Why masks are crucial: Mask wearing has increased to 74% in the US, but expanding mask wearing to 95% would reduce deaths by 49,000 by April 1.

If states ease coronavirus mandates, the model projects 731,000 deaths by April 1.

Even as daily deaths increase nationally, some states in the Midwest are seeing flat or declining cases or hospitalization, IHME notes.

“Daily deaths are expected to rise into mid-January and then begin declining if state governments impose mandates on gatherings, bar and restaurant openings, and other major locations for transmission,” the Institute of Health Metric and Evaluation (IHME) said.
“Daily deaths in the absence of concerted government action can reach over 5,000 by mid-February.”
7:01 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

French Health Authority approves Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

From Barbara Wojazer in Paris

French Health Minister Olivier Véran, right, looks at a box containing the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine while visiting a distribution center in Chanteloup-en-Brie, France, on December 22.
French Health Minister Olivier Véran, right, looks at a box containing the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine while visiting a distribution center in Chanteloup-en-Brie, France, on December 22. Geoffroy Van der Hasselt/Pool/AP

France's National Authority for Health has approved authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, according to a statement released on Thursday.

The Authority has confirmed that the vaccine “can be used for those aged 16 years old and above,” given its “satisfactory efficiency and safety profile.” 

The statement also confirmed the government’s strategy to prioritize high-risk members of the population, beginning with elderly people living in care homes. 

According to French Health Minister Olivier Véran, the vaccination process is expected to begin on Sunday in care homes across France, with vaccine deliveries expected to arrive on Saturday.

6:53 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

French President Macron ends self-isolation

From Barbara Wojazer in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the press in Paris on December 16.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the press in Paris on December 16. Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron is no longer exhibiting coronavirus symptoms and will now be able to leave self-isolation, the Elysée has confirmed in a statement. 

“The President is no longer exhibiting covid symptoms,” the statement said. 

“In accordance with health protocols, the President’s self-isolation can end after seven days,” the statement added. 

Macron tested positive for coronavirus on December 17 after experiencing symptoms, but has continued to carry out his duties while in self-isolation.

According to the Elysée, President Macron “wishes happy holidays to the French people in such special times, and knows he can rely on each and every person to stand together” against the coronavirus.

6:49 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

China suspends flights to and from the UK over new variant

Wang Wenbin, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, speaks at a briefing in Beijing on November 9.
Wang Wenbin, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, speaks at a briefing in Beijing on November 9. Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images

China has suspended flights to and from the United Kingdom due to the new coronavirus strain, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at the daily press briefing, Wang said:

"Considering the nature of the mutated virus and its possible impact, in order to ensure that Chinese people and people from foreign countries travel safe and sound, after much consideration, China has decided to follow the example of other countries and suspend flights to and from UK. China will closely monitor relevant developments and dynamically adjust control measures depending on the situation."

Outside the UK, this strain has been detected in countries such as Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia. A similar but separate variant also has been identified in South Africa.

6:39 a.m. ET, December 24, 2020

"I have not taken a day off since mid-January," says Fauci

From CNN Health's Lauren Mascarenhas

Dr. Anthony Fauci is pictured before receiving his first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine on December 22 in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is pictured before receiving his first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine on December 22 in Bethesda, Maryland. Patrick Semansky/Pool/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci says he has worked 18 hours a day, seven days a week this year.

“I have not taken a day off since mid-January of this year,” Fauci told CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that after months of working at this pace, the days begin to blur together.

“You just kind of have to dig deep and suck it up, because the problem itself is of such enormity that it just requires that you have to put a full effort into it,” Fauci said.

Fauci celebrates his 80th birthday Thursday, but says he will break with tradition and will not spend it with his three daughters.

“I really feel strongly that I need to practice what I preach to the country,” Fauci told CNN.

“I definitely feel sad,” Fauci said. “This is the first holiday season of Christmas and my birthday that I have not spent with my daughters since they were born.”

He said his family will make the most of it and is looking forward to better days ahead.

“Next year, hopefully at this time, we'll have a real in-person celebration with a lot of hugs, that we can't do right now,” Fauci said.