Coronavirus updates: 84% of California population to go on lockdown Sunday night

More than 33 million people in the state will be affected by the lockdown.

Last Updated: December 7, 2020, 8:34 AM EST

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 66.4 million people and killed over 1.5 million worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed this week. All times Eastern.
Dec 05, 2020, 2:55 PM EST

New Mexico may move to rationing care depending on patients' likelihood of survival

Hospitals in New Mexico may soon move to "crisis standards of care," meaning doctors would ration services based on a patient's likelihood of surviving.

The declaration was likely to come Monday, Gov. Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham said in an interview with the Washington Post., with each hospital making its own decision about whether to move to the crisis plan.

Michelle Lujan Grisham, governor of New Mexico, speaks during the virtual Democratic National Convention, Aug. 19, 2020.
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

As of Saturday, New Mexico had reported 104,935 infections and 1,706 deaths from the virus, according to the state health department.

Dec 05, 2020, 2:54 PM EST

US death toll passes 280K

The United States death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 280,000 Saturday afternoon.

At least 280,090 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. surpassed 270,000 deaths on Tuesday.

The seven-day average for daily deaths is 1,949, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted this week that the U.S. death toll from the virus could reach 329,000 by Dec. 26.

-ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway

Dec 05, 2020, 1:44 PM EST

Logistical details remain in handling of Pfizer vaccine

As states begin dry runs for distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer and the federal government are still hammering out logistics around handling the company's candidate, ABC News has learned.

HonorHealth in Phoenix ran a simulation on Friday for how it would distribute a vaccine to health care workers once the FDA approves a candidate. But it was incomplete due to the remaining logistical questions.

HonorHealth ran a vaccine distribution simulation in Phoenix on Dec. 4, 2020.
GMA

After each vial of Pfizer's vaccine is removed from ultra-cold storage at minus 80 degrees Celsius, it is thawed, then diluted with saline by trained chemists who then portion it out into five separate syringes.

But some intricacies of the process are unknown, such as how many times the vaccine's shipping container can be opened, how much time can elapse between thawing and injection, and how the dose should be transported to the injection site. 

The hospital is also uncertain how many doses it will receive and when, should the FDA authorize emergency use of Pfizer's vaccine.

Pfizer has not commented on the specific handling of the vaccine once it's taken out of the freezers and thawed.

-ABC News' Matt Gutman

Dec 05, 2020, 11:39 AM EST

MLB suing insurance companies over multi-billion dollar virus-related losses

Major League Baseball and its teams are suing their insurance providers, citing billions of dollars lost in the 2020 season related to the coronavirus pandemic, The Associated Press reported.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by AP, MLB alleges that "providers AIG, Factory Mutual and Interstate Fire and Casualty Company have refused to pay claims made by MLB despite the league’s 'all-risk' policy purchases."

“Due to COVID-19, the Major League Baseball entities, including those of the 30 major league clubs, have incurred significant financial losses as a result of our inability to play games, host fans and otherwise conduct normal business operations during much of the 2020 season,” the league said in a statement to the AP. “We strongly believe these losses are covered in full by our insurance policies, and are confident that the court and jury will agree.”

The insurance providers have not responded to a request for comment from the AP.

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