Coronavirus updates: 1st vaccines now on the way to all 50 US states

Two main trucks left the Pfizer facility on Sunday morning, the company said.

ByMorgan Winsor, Erin Schumaker, Ivan Pereira, Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso, and Rosa Sanchez
Last Updated: December 13, 2020, 3:59 PM EST

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 71.5 million people and killed over 1.6 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 13, 2020, 3:59 PM EST

Washington governor gives update on vaccine timing

The first vaccinations in the state of Washington could be distributed as early as Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee said.

The initial shipment of the Pfizer vaccine arrives in the state on Monday.

"This is just fantastic news ... we are getting this vaccine," the governor said, adding he will get the vaccine himself when it is appropriate for his age group.

"Health care workers and long-term care residents will receive the vaccine first," he said.

Dec 13, 2020, 1:11 PM EST

South Korea sees record-breaking rise in new cases

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 1,030 newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the country's total to 46,645.

This is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that South Korea broke the 1,000 mark in new cases and follows Saturday's record of 950 new cases.

Yonhap reports that President Moon Jae-in held an emergency meeting and called the current situation "the worst crisis" since the outbreak began and a "desperate time" when the government should make an all-out effort stem further infections.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Dec 13, 2020, 12:44 PM EST

Italy now has highest COVID-19 death toll in Europe

Italy's Civil Protection Agency reported 484 new deaths on Sunday, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country to 64,520, surpassing the United Kingdom which stands at 64,267, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

There were 17,938 new COVID-19 cases reported in Italy, representing an 11.7% positivity rate and brings the total number of diagnosed cases to 1,843,712.

People wearing a face masks do their Christmas shopping, Dec. 13, 2020, in Rome, Italy, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vincenzo Pinto/AFP via Getty Images

There have been a total of 372,965 deaths and 14,959,949 cases in the EU and the U.K., according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

Dec 13, 2020, 11:08 AM EST

Kuwait authorizes emergency use of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine

The gulf nation joins a list of countries -- including the U.K., U.S., Canada, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Mexico -- that have authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

-ABC News' Christine Theodorou

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