Here ‘s what’ s happening Thursday with the pandemic of coronavirus in the US:
THREE THINGS TO FIND TODAY
– A second COVID-19 vaccine moved closer to entering the U.S. fight against the pandemic as a panel of experts endorsed safety and efficacy, paving the way for a final decision by the Administration Food and Drugs for Emergency Use.
– A huge amount of misinformation went into COVID-19 while circulating the globe in 2020, from the speculation that the coronavirus was created in a laboratory to counterfeit cures.
– The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose again last week to 885,000, the highest weekly number since September, due to a recovery of cases coronavirus threatens economic recovery since spring collapse.
NUMBERS: The seven-day follow-up average for new daily deaths in the U.S. over the past two weeks increased from 1,606 on Dec. 2 to 2,570 on Wednesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
DEATH TOLL: The U.S. death toll stands at 309,334 people, or about the population of St. Paul, Minnesota.
QUESTION: ‘This is coming a lot faster than anyone thought. Something that may have taken several years – to adopt and test and approve this new vaccine technology – was introduced within a year. ‘- Dr. Jesse Goodman of Georgetown University, former head of the FDA’s vaccination department.
ICYMI: The Associated Press pandemic atlas looks at the coronavirus in the U.S. according to statistics.
ON THE HORIZON: The FDA’s green light for emergency use of the Moderna vaccine is expected soon. Moderna would then begin delivering millions of doses, earmarked for health workers and nursing home residents, to encourage the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history.
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Find the full AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic