National Guard members have been practicing dry-run drills of quickly processing shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Ohio. USA TODAY
In California, the nation’s most populous state, each day brings dire new records. Confirmed infections have surged past 1.3 million. The state health department on Sunday announced more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases.
Most of the state entered a new stay-at-home lockdown Sunday that will last through Christmas, sparking backlash in some parts of the Golden State.
“This is my first episode of civil disobedience in my entire life. My whole family is in law enforcement. I’m a follow-the-rules kind of person,” said Brenda Luntey, owner of San Francisco Deli, a sandwich shop in Redding, more than 200 miles north of the restaurant’s namesake city. She is openly violating California’s order to close her restaurant to indoor dining.
“I want people to understand we are not thumbing our nose at the government,” Luntey said. “I’m trying to keep my business alive.”
Meanwhile, overseas, around 800,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were expected to be in place for the start of immunization on Tuesday.
Around 50 hospitals in the U.K.’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) started administering the COVID-19 inoculation to people over 80 who are either hospitalized or have outpatient appointments scheduled, along with nursing home workers.
Britain has Europe’s highest virus-related death toll at more than 61,000. Last week, the U.K. became the first country to authorize the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine for an emergency use program that is being closely watched around the world.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 14.9 million cases and over 283,700 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 67.5 million cases and 1.5 million deaths.
🗺️ Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak in your state.
📰 What we’re reading: Are there side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines? How much will they cost? And what are the ingredients? We’re answering your vaccine questions here.
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Colorado’s first gentleman in hospital for COVID-19 symptoms
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ longtime partner, first gentleman Marlon Reis, has been hospitalized as a precaution after experiencing shortness of breath and a worsening cough eight days after being diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Polis’ office said in a statement late Sunday that the governor, who also was diagnosed with COVID-19, drove Reis to a hospital “for review and treatment.” Polis was not experiencing severe symptoms, his office said.
Reis “has normal oxygen saturation, is in good spirits, and looks forward to returning home soon,” said a statement released by the governor’s office Monday evening. The first gentlemen has not required supplemental oxygen.
Polis and Reis tested positive Nov. 28 and both had been quarantining at home.
Trump to hold White House summit to tout vaccine development
President Donald Trump is set to kick off a summit at the White House on Tuesday to highlight the rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccine he is eager to take credit for despite criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The summit is designed to provide an update on the status of the administration’s ambitious plan to vaccinate all Americans against the coronavirus. Trump has repeatedly credited Operation Warp Speed, his administration’s public-private coronavirus response initiative, for the record development of vaccines but has not acknowledged a deadly surge in COVID-19 cases that’s led to more than 282,000 deaths in the U.S.
The White House was initially in talks to include both drugmakers but determined their participation was not required after the decision to include Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation.
“It was more appropriate not to have one or more vaccine companies with pending applications before the FDA also participating,” a senior administration official said on a briefing call with reporters.
– David Jackson, Courtney Subramanian
Wyoming issues statewide mask requirement
Wyoming will require people to wear masks in indoor public spaces across the state starting Wednesday and heading into the New Year, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Monday.
Previously, Gordon had left decisions on mask mandates to county governments. 16 of the state’s 23 counties had local orders.
But as the state topped 32,000 cases on Sunday, and Gordon tested positive Nov. 25, he said face coverings “will make a big difference, but it will take time.”
“These new orders are meant to support local leadership and we should all know that in Wyoming these mandates are not about citations, but about caring for others,” Gordon said.
Also announced: indoor and outdoor gatherings without distancing will be limited to 10 or fewer, starkly changing from the 25 or fewer allowed on Nov. 24. Bars, restaurants and cafes will be prohibited from serving in house between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Warriors’ Draymond Green, James Wiseman test positive
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, a three-time All-Star and former NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and rookie center James Wiseman have tested positive for the coronavirus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Both players missed Monday’s first group practice of training camp and will have to quarantine for 10-12 days. The absence from the team could be especially detrimental for Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in last month’s draft, as he begins his NBA career after playing only three games in college.
– Jorge Ortiz
COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY
Contributing: The Associated Press
