December 29 coronavirus news

By Julia Hollingsworth, Adam Renton, Amy Woodyatt, Harry Clarke-Ezzidio and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 12:00 a.m. ET, December 30, 2020
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10:58 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

US adds record number of daily Covid-19 deaths

From CNN’s Virginia Langmaid

Reggie Elliott, a funeral transporter, writes on the side of a box before depositing the remains of a Covid-19 victim at Maryland Cremation Services in Millersville, Maryland on December 24.
Reggie Elliott, a funeral transporter, writes on the side of a box before depositing the remains of a Covid-19 victim at Maryland Cremation Services in Millersville, Maryland on December 24. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

The United States reported a record-high number of new Covid-19 deaths on Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU). 

So far on Tuesday, 3,708 additional Covid-19 deaths have been reported, according to JHU. 

The US is currently averaging 2,210 additional deaths per day and has reported 338,544 total deaths, JHU data shows. 

The days with the highest number of new deaths according to JHU data are: 

  1. Dec. 29: 3,708
  2. Dec. 16: 3,682
  3. Dec. 22: 3,401
  4. Dec. 23: 3,359
  5. Dec. 17: 3,346

Note: This is an ongoing tally. The final numbers will not be available until overnight tonight. 

11:01 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

Lack of resources and advanced planning put vaccination distribution behind, Biden Covid-19 board member says

From CNN Health's Shelby Lin Erdman

Dr. Atul Gawande
Dr. Atul Gawande CNN

A lack of resources and little advanced planning has delayed vaccine distribution and administration in the United States, a member of the Biden-Harris Transition Covid Advisory Board said in an interview Tuesday. 

“We've had a pattern of consistently underestimating the virus and over promising what's going to happen and that has to change,” Dr. Atul Gawande, who is also a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told CNN’s Brianna Golodryga.

“I'd say we're still not at the bottom of why all of the problems are there,” Gawande said.

Gawande said there had not been the advanced planning and resources to stand up the vaccination sites and capabilities required.

“I'm very involved in standing up vaccination sites in Massachusetts and it's been a big problem that there weren't the resources to get them going weeks ago,” Gawande said.
“And then you know the protocols and transparency about who's being prioritized when all of that came down just in the last couple of weeks and that's not enough time to expect all of the distribution to already be happening.”

Gawande said he expects President-elect Joe Biden to be “upfront about what the challenges are” and “transparent about where the bottlenecks are.”

Operation Warp Speed had promised that 20 million doses of vaccine would be administered before January 1. The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that just over 11 million doses have been distributed and only 2.1 million have been administered to people.

9:13 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

US will likely see "homegrown variants" of Covid-19 similar to UK strain, health expert says

From CNN Health’s Lauren Mascarenhas

The United States will likely see “homegrown variants” of Covid-19 similar to the United Kingdom variant identified in Colorado on Tuesday, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

“That variant from the UK was noted in the UK back in September, and it's probably been in the US since September,” Hotez told CNN’s Jim Acosta Tuesday.

While the variant seems to be more transmissible than previously identified Covid-19 strains, health authorities from around the world have said it does not appear to be more deadly. 

Hotez said that if the US starts performing more virus genomic surveillance, it will likely identify additional strains of the virus in the country.

“We're going to see homegrown variants that are similar in character in terms of transmissibility, I can almost promise you that,” he said.

8:47 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

Here's what we know about the new Covid-19 variant found in Colorado

From CNN's Amir Vera

The first known case of the new Covid-19 variant in the United States was discovered in Colorado Tuesday, according to state health officials. 

The variant, called B.1.1.7, has been linked to the United Kingdom. The Colorado man who was infected is in his 20s, is isolating in Elbert County and appears to have no travel history, according to Gov. Jared Polis.

No close contacts of the man have been identified yet, but health officials are working on contact tracing, Polis said.

Here's what we know about the new Covid-19 variant:

  • It came from the UK: The new variant is believed to have originated in southeast England, according to the World Health Organization.
  • It spreads quicker: Scientists advising the UK government have estimated the variant could be up to 70% more effective at spreading than others. Peter Horby, chair of the UK's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), said last week that scientists were "confident" the new variant is "spreading faster than other virus variants."
  • It raises questions about vaccines: But there are no signs yet that the current vaccine front-runners won't work against this new variant, experts and drugmakers have said.
  • It's appeared in other countries: The variant has already spread globally. Aside from the US, it has also been detected in several countries, including Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia, according to WHO.

Read more:

8:34 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

UK Covid-19 strain "almost certainly in multiple states," Biden task force member says

From CNN Health’s Shelby Lin Erdman

Dr. Atul Gawande.
Dr. Atul Gawande. Source: CNN

The UK Covid-19 variant is “almost certainly in multiple states, a member of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID Advisory Board said Tuesday.

“It is almost certainly in multiple states and I think we will be seeing evidence of that in the days to come,” Dr. Atul Gawande, who is also a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told CNN’s Brianna Golodryga.

On Tuesday, a Colorado man in his 20s with no known travel history became the first confirmed case of the variant in the United States.

“An unknown travel history mean that this person picked it up the community,” Gawande said.

“Exactly how prevalent it is, is the real question,” he said. “If it's been spreading, how, how dominant is it?”

“We know it is a more contagious variant and that's a serious concern if it is only just now beginning to spread, given that our hospitals and ICUs, in particular, are already being filled,” he added.

The UK Covid-19 strain appears to be more transmissible. Gawande said that’s a big part of his concern because he expects the surge underway in the United States to get worse before it gets better.

“If this mutation, this mutated virus, which is more contagious, is not widespread yet and beginning to spread, that means it will be even more important to follow the approaches we know work,” he said.

Most experts have suggested the UK variant is not necessarily associated with more severe illness, or increased risk for hospitalization and death. 

8:01 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

US hits record number of Covid-19 hospitalizations

From CNN's Virginia Langmaid 

The United States reported 124,686 current Covid-19 hospitalizations on Tuesday, setting a record high since the pandemic began, according to the Covid Tracking Project (CTP).

This is the 28th consecutive day that the US has remained above 100,000 current hospitalizations.  

The highest hospitalization numbers, according to CTP data, are: 

  • Dec. 29: 124,686
  • Dec. 28: 121,235
  • Dec. 24: 120,151
  • Dec. 23: 119,463
  • Dec. 25: 118,948
7:10 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

Texas sets new Covid-19 hospitalization record

From CNN's Raja Razek 

Dr. Joseph Varon and other medical staff members perform a procedure for hypothermia treatment on a patient in the Covid-19 intensive care unit on Christmas Eve at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston.
Dr. Joseph Varon and other medical staff members perform a procedure for hypothermia treatment on a patient in the Covid-19 intensive care unit on Christmas Eve at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. Go Nakamura/Getty Images

Texas reported Tuesday a record number of coronavirus patient hospitalizations; 11,775 people across the state, according to the state's coronavirus dashboard. 

The state's last record number of Covid-19 hospitalizations was Monday with 11,351 people.

According to the Texas Covid-19 dashboard, there are 653 available intensive care unit beds; 7,601 ventilators available, and 12,320 available hospital beds. 

Note: These numbers were released by the Texas Department of Health Services and may not line up exactly in real-time with CNN's database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

6:48 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

Moderna plans to immunize its workforce with new Covid-19 vaccine

From CNN's Shelby Lin Erdman

Nurse Leonida Lipshy gives Dr. Nadav Fields a shot of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on December 23, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Nurse Leonida Lipshy gives Dr. Nadav Fields a shot of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on December 23, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Biotech company Moderna announced plans Tuesday to immunize its workforce with its new vaccine.

The company issued a statement explaining that it is making the shot available to its workers in the United States “to provide an additional layer of Covid-19 protection” because Moderna workers are conducting essential services in developing, manufacturing and delivering the vaccine.

“The program will extend to adult household members of our team to reduce the risk of absenteeism and disruption due to a Covid-19 infection in an adult household member,” Moderna said. 

The company is also making vaccines available to board members.

“Participation in the program is confidential and entirely voluntary," the company added. 

The company is paying for the program, including the vaccine and the administration.

The vaccine that will be used is separate from the supply committed to the US government, Moderna said.

Some context: The US Food and Drug Administration granted the company an emergency use authorization for its shot just over a week ago, making it the second Covid-19 vaccine to receive authorization in the US.

6:00 p.m. ET, December 29, 2020

US treasury secretary says direct payments may start as early as tonight

From CNN's Kevin Liptak 

Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin said direct payments to Americans may begin to be deposited as early as tonight.

These would be the $600 payments included in the Covid-19 relief package President Trump signed on Sunday evening.

Read Mnuchin's tweet: