This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for December 24th, 2020. 

Pfizer and BioNTech will supply the U.S. with an additional 100 million doses of their vaccine under a second agreement. They expect to deliver all that by July 31. The Health and Human Services Secretary said this can give people confidence “we will have enough supply to vaccinate every American who wants it by June 2021.”

So far in the U.S., more than 1 million people have received their first shot of a Covid-19 vaccine. And the CDC says that number is low because recent figures haven’t been tabulated. Health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci warn most Americans won't get vaccinated until next year, so vigilance needs to continue. 

Canada’s health regulator authorized a second vaccine yesterday, the one from Moderna. They have ruled it to be safe, so shipments were expected to start within 48 hours.  

First there was a new strain in the U.K., now South Africa. In fact, two cases of the South African strain have been detected in the U.K. Scientists in South Africa believe the strain is likely more transmissible, may hit young people harder, and may be slightly more resistant to vaccines. But research is ongoing. 

In England, hospitals expect to be treating more patients on Christmas Day than at any other point in the pandemic. And there’s overall concern about NHS’ ability to cope with the surge over the course of winter. The projected number of hospitalizations on Christmas, 18,974.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Bent, CO. Guadalupe, NM. Crowley, CO. Dawson, MT. Lassen, CA. San Bernardino, CA. Lawrence, IL. Perry, IL. Glascock, GA. And Perry, TN. 

There are now 7,481,068 active cases in the United States. The current Top 10 states by number of active cases: California, Florida, New York, Arizona, Illinois, Virginia, Texas, Missouri, Georgia, and Colorado.  

The five states with the most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Tennessee, California, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, and Indiana.

The reproduction rate is currently highest in Maine, West Virginia, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and Hawaii. The states with the lowest reproduction rate are Alaska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Washington.

There’ve been a total 326,088 deaths in the US reported as COVID-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.79%.

The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 350. Texas 255. Pennsylvania 222. Illinois 171. New York 148. New Jersey 139. Alabama 135. Missouri 127. Florida 123. And Tennessee 111. 

Globally, there are 21,668,619 active cases.

There were 642,206 new cases around the world in the last 24 hours against a high of 748,974 reported on December 11. 

The five countries with the most new cases: the United States 232,342. Brazil 46,657. The U.K. 39,237. Germany 31,297. And Russia 27,250. 

There have now been 1,729,166 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. Up 7% over 14 days.  

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