December 28 coronavirus news

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday reported a statewide positivity rate of 8.3%, which he called a “big increase” from the 5.9% seven-day average. 

“For it to go up in two days is dramatic and very, very fast, so we are studying what that uptick actually means,” Cuomo said. 

At least 114 people have died from Covid-19 in New York. There has also been an increase of 376 hospitalizations, bringing the total to 7,559. The number of patients in intensive care units is up 35 for a total of 1,222. 

Cuomo said 140,000 New Yorkers have already received one vaccine, with 259,000 vaccines expected this week. At least 139,000 doses will be coming from Pfizer and 119,000 will come from Moderna, Cuomo said. 

Note: These numbers were released by State of New York and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on President Trump to not "just talk" but to "act" and to urge Senate Republicans to "support $2,000 in relief (checks)."

Speaking at a news conference in Brooklyn, New York, on Monday, he said:

Schumer added that he "will be on the floor of the Senate tomorrow urging that to happen, asking for what's called a unanimous consent request, and if Republicans go along, it will happen. We need that money. People are desperate. They need the help."

The New York Democrat noted that right now, there are "not enough" Senate Republicans for it to pass.

On Trump signing the relief bill late Sunday, he said, "We’re glad the President finally signed the Covid relief bill yesterday. New Yorkers can breathe a momentary sigh of relief."

At least 75 US Army and Air Force medical personnel have been deployed to California to assist in the pandemic response.

The latest situation: Since the Thanksgiving holiday, California has faced a surge of Covid-19 infections unparalleled across the United States, leading to continued daily record highs in hospitalizations and deaths.

Most of the state remains under stay at home orders triggered by a region's intensive care unit capacity falling below 15%. According to the state Department of Public Health, intensive care unit bed capacity in both the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions are at 0%, and it's likely the stay home orders will be extended for most of the state.

The US House of Representatives could pass a provision Monday night that would increase the amount of money individuals and families receive in stimulus checks.

A Republican leadership aide tells CNN that while the Republican side is not whipping the bill, "there’s a good chance it can pass." It’s far from certain, but aides are warning it’s possible. 

The bill, which would require a 2/3 majority to pass because it is going to occur under suspension, would increase the amount of the stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 per individual.

Eligibility for the checks is determined by a person’s most recent tax returns. Anyone who made under $75,000 as an individual, or $150,000 as a couple, would receive the full amount. The amount individuals receive decreases by $5 for every $100 a person makes over $75,000. In short, that means that individuals who make over $99,000 would not be eligible, nor would couples making more than $198,000.

If the bill actually passes the House with a strong Republican vote, it will put Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a tough position of having to decide whether to bring the provision to the floor in the Senate as a standalone bill. 

While the President has been urging Republicans to up the payments, many Republicans in McConnell’s ranks have made it clear they don’t think an increase is warranted, given how much it would increase the price tag of the stimulus bill.

A vote on the checks would likely divide the GOP conference and force some members to endure President Trump’s ire in his final days in office.

Reminder: The Covid-19 relief legislation was passed by Congress last Monday and was flown to Mar-a-Lago on Thursday to await Trump's signature. But after sitting on the sidelines during the negotiations, Trump emerged with an eleventh-hour complaint that a separate provision in the deal, which the President's own White House helped broker, would only provide up to $600 in direct payments.

Trump wanted to send out $2,000 checks. 

Trump signaled in a statement Sunday night that he signed the coronavirus relief bill only after securing a commitment for the Senate to consider legislation to increase stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, did not reference that commitment in his own statement Sunday night praising the President for signing the relief bill.

The United Kingdom is reporting at least 41,385 coronavirus cases on Monday, breaking its daily record since the pandemic began.

A further 357 people have died from the virus.

A new coronavirus variant, that experts say can spread easier than others, has prompted the UK to lock down as other countries impose travel restrictions.

Monday night's English Premier League fixture between Everton and Manchester City has been postponed following positive Covid-19 test results within the City squad. The game was slated to kickoff at 8 p.m. local time at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England.

Manchester City did not disclose how many cases the team has in total but in a Monday statement, the team said the additional positive tests are in addition to four cases previously announced on Christmas Day. 

A make-up date for the match has not been decided.

The Premier League says further testing will be conducted on Tuesday.

Five cases of the new coronavirus variant, first detected in England, have been found in southern Spain among travelers who returned to the region of Andalusia from the UK in recent days, according to local authorities.  

A statement released by the Andalusia regional government on Monday said these are the first known cases with the variant to be detected in the region. Three of these cases are patients in Malaga province and the other two are in Granada province. Four other cases are under study, it said.

This comes after Madrid’s health advisor Antonio Zapatero said Saturday that the city had detected four cases of the variant. One of the cases is a person who arrived from the UK, and the three others are family members, he said. 

Cases have also been detected in Finland and Sweden.

Here's what we know and don't know about the UK coronavirus variant.

The distribution of 200 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is "scheduled to be completed by September 2021," a European Commission spokesman told CNN Monday. 

"The Commission and the Member States are working to activate the additional 100 million doses," the spokesman added. 

In November, the European Commission concluded a contract with Pfizer for 300 million doses. The first batches were delivered to countries in Europe on Dec. 26, ahead of the first day of vaccinations in the European Union on Sunday Dec. 27.

The deliveries of this vaccine "will continue in December and on a steady weekly basis during the following months,” the spokesman told CNN.

"For most contracts concluded, the majority of delivery is foreseen to be completed in 2021. Under some contracts, first deliveries are expected to already start in the first quarter of 2021," the spokesman added. 

In addition to its contract with Pfizer-BioNTech, the European Commission has also established contracts with:

The above information is according to the Commission’s website.

Famous Mexican composer and singer, Armando Manzanero, age 85, passed away Monday morning in a Mexico City hospital after battling Covid-19 for weeks, Mexico's Society for Authors and Composers confirmed to CNN.  

Manzanero was hospitalized in mid-December after testing positive for Covid-19, CNN reported at the time.  

Manzanero was a prolific composer with more than 600 songs to his name, according to the Mexican Society for Authors and Composers. Some of his songs were interpreted by artists from around the world such Elvis Presley, Dionne Warwick, Perry Cuomo, Spanish singer Raphael, and fellow Mexican start Luis Miguel.  

Manzanero won a Latin Grammy in 2001 for his album "Duets". He later went on to win a Lifetime Achievement award in 2014, becoming the first Mexican to receive this honor.  

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador expressed condolences in the artist's passing.  

"Armando Manzanero was a sensitive man, a man of the people. That's why I lament his death. He was also a great composer. He also represented Mexican authors and composers," he said during a press conference on Monday.  

Mexico's Secretary of Culture, Alejandra Frausto, released a statement on Twitter, saying she mourns the death "of the Yucatecan musician Armando Manzanero, author of hundreds of songs performed by national and international artists, and a great connoisseur of the bolero tradition of Latin America. RIP."   

Manzanero will be cremated in Mexico City and his remains will be taken to his hometown of Merida, in Mexico's Yucatan state.