The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines

More than 600,000 in the United Kingdom have received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, according to a statement released Thursday by the Department of Health and Social Care. 

The latest data shows that 616,933 people in the UK received the first dose between Dec. 8 and Dec. 20.

"The vaccine roll out in care homes in England began on Wednesday 16 December, with hundreds of residents vaccinated across seven care homes... Larger care homes with 50-70 beds will be prioritised at first, with around 2,900 care homes of this size in England," the statement added. "Over the coming weeks and months the rate of vaccination will increase as more doses become available and the programme continues to expand, with more vaccines being delivered direct to care homes."

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, “In just over three weeks, the NHS in every part of the UK has already set up hundreds of vaccination sites to ensure those most in need can receive their jab as quickly as possible. This is just the beginning and we are continually expanding our vaccination programme to help everyone get back to normal in the future.”

Mexico, the first country in Latin American, will begin its coronavirus vaccination campaign today, according to officials in a Twitter post. 

Hospital nurse María Irene Ramírez in Mexico City was the first person to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as part of the government’s strategy to focus on healthcare workers first before moving on to the elderly, who are considered most at risk.

"We will pull through. Well yes, we’re very afraid, but we have to pull through because someone has to lead this effort and I am willing to continue on the battle front," she added

New York reported 12,568 new cases of Covid-19 as of Dec. 23, according to the state’s Covid-19 dashboard. 

The state has 6,928 total Covid-19 hospitalizations, according to a tweet from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

New York reports a 5.55% test positivity rate, according to the tweet. 

“Sadly, there were 129 fatalities,” according to the tweet.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is requiring all United Airlines passengers with flights originating in the UK and flying into Newark Liberty International Airport to have a negative Covid-19 test before arriving in the state, according to a release from the governor’s office.

This comes after the UK announced the discovery of a new variant of Covid-19 in the country. 

Passengers will be required to test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours of their flight. 

Earlier this week, three other airlines agreed to test all passengers coming from the UK into New York for Covid-19.

Arizona reported the highest day of hospitalizations for the second day in a row, a graph tweeted by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey shows.

The number of inpatient Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Arizona increased to at least 4,221 from 4,163 yesterday, the governor said in a tweet Thursday.

Intensive care unit beds in use by Covid-19 patients decreased Thursday from 972 to 965 and the number of ventilators in use decreased to 620 from 673, Ducey said in a tweet.

The percentage of patients with Covid-like illness seen in Arizona hospitals is now at 16.6%, the governor tweeted.

There were at least 7,046 new Covid-19 cases and 115 new deaths reported Thursday for a total of 480,319 cases and 8,294 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Arizona Department of Health Service dashboard.

A total of 3,107,007 Covid-19 tests have been reported in the state of Arizona, with 23,378 of those test results being reported Thursday, the ADHS website shows.

The safest way to celebrate the new year during the pandemic is at home with the people you live with, or online with friends and family, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in guidance posted to its website on Wednesday.

For those that host a celebration, CDC suggests staying outside, limiting the number of guests, making extra masks available and keeping background music low to avoid shouting. 

When attending a celebration, the agency says masks should be worn indoors and outdoors and alcohol and drugs that can alter judgement should be avoided. 

“While it is possible that some people may receive COVID-19 vaccines before New Year’s Eve, continue taking steps to protect yourself and others for some time to come,” the CDC says.

CDC also suggests other activities, such as having a virtual celebration with loved ones, planning a New Year’s party for the people who live in a household, reaching out to friends, family and neighbors, watching live streamed fireworks or planning an outdoor activity. 

“It’s okay if you decide to postpone or cancel your gathering. Do what’s best for you,” the guidance says.

If celebrating with people outside of your household, CDC suggests wearing a mask – even under a scarf when outside – and staying at least 6 feet apart, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, washing hands, staying home if sick and getting a flu shot as soon as possible. 

Holiday travel may also increase a person’s chance of getting and spreading Covid-19, and CDC continues to recommend postponing travel.

Lebanon reported at least 2,708 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest number of daily infections recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, the country's Ministry of Public Health said Thursday.

On Wednesday, Lebanon set a previous record of 2,246 new cases.

The country now has a total of 165,934 cases. There were also 20 new deaths recorded in the past 24 hours, raising the national death toll to 1,353, the ministry added.

On Christmas Eve, Italy surpassed 2 million coronavirus cases.

The country reported at least 18,040 new cases bringing the total to 2,009,317, according to the health ministry.

There were an additional 505 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 70,900 deaths.

There are at least 2,589 people in intensive care — that's down from 35 patients the previous day.

Players, assistant coaches and coordinators have all missed National Football League games this season under league Covid-19 protocols, but never has a head coach been absent from the sidelines.

But – according to a statement from the Detroit Lions Thursday – that will change this weekend when the team’s interim head coach Darrell Bevell will be forced to sit out Detroit’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because he is a close contact of someone who tested positive for Covid-19.

In addition to the team’s head coach, the Lions also announced four other coaches – defensive coordinator Cory Undlin, defensive line coach Bo Davis, defensive backs coach Steve Gregory and linebackers coach Ty McKenzie – will also miss the game due to NFL Covid-19 protocols.

The 5-9 Lions host the 9-5 Buccaneers Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.