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Coronavirus updates: US will soon have 'half a million' deaths, incoming CDC chief says

PHOTO: Mayor Eric Garcetti disinfects podium for next speaker at news conference held at the launch of mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Jan. 15, 2021.
3:06
Irfan Khan/Pool via Reuters
COVID-19 vaccine access proves difficult in multiple states
By Morgan Winsor, Erin Schumaker, Emily Shapiro, Julia Jacobo
Last Updated: January 14, 2021, 1:07 AM

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 94.2 million people worldwide and killed over 2 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Latest headlines:

  • New patient admitted every 30 seconds in UK
  • US will soon have 'half a million' deaths, incoming CDC chief says
  • Faster-spreading variant could become dominant by March: CDC
  • COVID-19 deaths top 2 million worldwide
Here's how the news developed this week. All times Eastern.

Jan 14, 2021 1:07 AM

US daily deaths from COVID-19 surpass 4,000 for 2nd straight day

The United States registered an additional 4,022 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to data collected by The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the U.S. outbreak.

That marks the second day in a row that the country's daily COVID-19 death toll crossed 4,000, and the third time since Jan. 7, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

Our daily update is published. States reported 1.8M tests, 219k cases, 130,383 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and 4,022 deaths. pic.twitter.com/SVEqztd3tJ

— The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) January 14, 2021

The seven-day average of COVID-19 deaths is up by 10% or more in 26 U.S. states as of Wednesday, compared to the previous week, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

The U.S. also confirmed 219,090 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, while 130,383 people remained hospitalized with the disease, according to The COVID Tracking Project.


Jan 14, 2021 12:49 AM

Mississippi runs out of COVID-19 vaccine supply

Mississippi has allotted its entire supply of COVID-19 vaccines and doesn't expect more doses until mid-February, the state health department announced Wednesday.

"Neither the county health department drive-through sites, nor the [University of Mississippi Medical Center] vaccine scheduling website was designed to accommodate the monumental surge we are currently experiencing," the Mississippi State Department of Health said in a statement. "At this time, we have no additional vaccine, and every appointment is tied to an actual vaccination."

The recent upsurge in COVID-19 vaccination appointments has now committed Mississippi's entire supply of vaccine. Appointment scheduling will resume after vaccine re-supply expected in mid-February: https://t.co/ODlGL35PxP

— MS Dept of Health (@msdh) January 13, 2021

New appointments are expected to resume after an anticipated vaccine resupply in mid-February, the department said.

On Tuesday, the state opened vaccine eligibility to people ages 65 and older and those with certain chronic health conditions, which led to an influx of calls to the state's COVID-19 hotline, officials said. Previously, vaccinations were prioritized for health care workers, long-term care residents and those over the age of 75.

"We decided to open vaccines to many more people. We knew it would cause a rush, but believe it is more fair than having government arbitrarily limit access," Gov. Tate Reeves said on Twitter Wednesday evening.

We decided to open vaccines to many more people. We knew it would cause a rush, but believe it is more fair than having government arbitrarily limit access. Moving fast—tens of thousands this week. Great explainer of what's happening and where we're going: https://t.co/BYT8iuyAf7

— Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) January 13, 2021

As of Tuesday, the state had administered 62,744 vaccinations over the last four weeks, Reeves said during a press briefing.

ABC News' Will Gretsky contributed to this report.


Jan 13, 2021 11:50 PM

Disneyland opens as mass vaccination site

Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, opened as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site Wednesday.

About 3,000 people were expected to receive the vaccine on the first day, with about an hour-and-a-half wait time, county officials said. The site ultimately should be able to vaccinate over 7,000 people a day, Orange County First District Chairman Andrew Do said at a press briefing.

PHOTO: Long lines form to get the COVID vaccine at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021.
KABC
Long lines form to get the COVID vaccine at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021.
KABC
PHOTO: Long lines form to get the COVID vaccine at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021.
KABC
Long lines form to get the COVID vaccine at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021.
KABC

Vaccinations are by appointment only. Those without an appointment and proper identification will be turned away, the Orange County Health Care Agency warned repeatedly on Twitter Wednesday.

🚨#OCCOVID19 vaccinations at #Disneyland Resort are by APPOINTMENT ONLY through https://t.co/VMdBmZYqsB. Those without an appropriate appointment and proper identification will be turned away. Showing up without an appointment stresses the system and depletes scarce resources.🚨

— OC Health Care Agency (@ochealth) January 13, 2021

Over 10,000 people signed up for a slot within two hours of online registration opening on Tuesday, officials said. Disneyland has been closed to parkgoers since last spring.

Other mass vaccination sites are slated to open in the hard-hit state, including Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Cal Expo in Sacramento. Petco Park in San Diego also opened earlier this week as a vaccination site.

People in Phase 1A -- health care workers and long-term care residents -- currently have the highest priority to receive vaccines in California.

On Wednesday, the state announced that people 65 and older are also now eligible, in an effort to help speed up vaccine distribution.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News.

ABC News Abigail Shalawylo contributed to this report.



Jan 13, 2021 11:10 PM

COVID cases at lowest levels in children: CDC

COVID-19 cases continue to be significantly lower in younger kids, even as some went back to school in-person, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The incidence of COVID-19 in children, particularly those ages 0 to 10, has been lower than that of young adults and adults throughout the entire second half of 2020, according to the CDC. The incidence of COVID-19 cases in kids was higher as the age increased.

While older teenagers and young adults saw a surge of cases near the beginning of the school year, this was not seen in younger kids, "suggesting that young adults might contribute more to community transmission than do younger children," the report said.

Children also had significantly lower rates of hospitalizations, intensive care unit stays and death than adults, the study found.

Fewer COVID-19 tests are performed on children, so the actual incidence may be higher than the data that's available. 

Teacher and school employee transmission risk also were not included in the data. 

The CDC continues to recommend strict mitigation strategies to prevent transmission in schools that are in-person.

-ABC News' Dr. Rose Marie Leslie


Jan 11, 2021 4:11 PM

Pope Francis' personal doctor dies from COVID-19

Pope Francis' personal doctor has died of complications related to COVID-19, the Vatican's newspaper L’Osservatore Romano announced Saturday.

Fabrizio Soccorsi, 78, was being treated for cancer at a hospital in Rome at the time of his death, according to the newspaper.

PHOTO: Pope Francis conducts a Mass for the Feast of Epiphany in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Jan. 6, 2021.
Vatican Media via Reuters
Pope Francis conducts a Mass for the Feast of Epiphany in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Jan. 6, 2021.
Vatican Media via Reuters

Soccorsi was chosen by the pontiff to be his personal physician in 2015.

In an interview with Italian television channel Canale 5 that aired Sunday night, Francis said COVID-19 vaccinations will begin at the Vatican next week and that he will get the shot.

ABC News' Phoebe Natanson contributed to this report.


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