A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 90 million people worldwide and killed over 1.9 million of them, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Here's how the news developed this week. All times Eastern.
Jan 08, 2021, 3:31 PM EST
NFL stadium to open as 24/7 vaccination site in Arizona
State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, will open as a 24/7 vaccination site on Monday, Gov. Doug Ducey said.
The site aims to "vaccinate thousands more individuals each day as Maricopa County, the state’s largest county, moves into Phase 1B of vaccine distribution," the governor’s office said. “The start of that phase prioritizes protective service workers, teachers and K-12 school staff, child care workers, and those age 75 and older.”
State Farm Stadium will offer vaccines beginning Monday for law enforcement and other protective service workers. Appointments for others in Phase 1B and Phase 1A will be available starting Tuesday.
Jan 08, 2021, 2:16 PM EST
California reports over 50K cases in 1 day
California reported 50,030 new cases and an additional 493 deaths on Friday.
Hospitalizations in the hard-hit state are down just 0.1%.
Over 2.56 million people in the Golden State have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
ABC News’ Matt Fuhrman contributed to this report.
Jan 08, 2021, 12:15 PM EST
US reported more cases than ever before during 1st week of 2021
In the first week of 2021, U.S. states and territories reported more cases than at any point in the pandemic so far, according to ABC News’ analysis of data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project.
Cases are on the rise in every region of the country. The CDC reports that New Jersey leads the nation with the highest average of daily cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, followed Arizona, Rhode Island, Arkansas and California.
In New York, daily cases are nearly 50% higher than they were during the spring surge.
The U.S. surpassed 132,000 patients in hospitals this week -- meaning more people were hospitalized than during the peak of the spring and summer surges combined.
Arizona, Nevada and Alabama currently hold the highest hospitalizations rates per million people in the country.
Thursday marked the nation's deadliest day on record with 4,085 deaths, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
Now, one in every 905 Americans has died from the virus.
In the last week, the seven-day average of daily deaths increased by 18.6%.
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
Jan 08, 2021, 11:45 AM EST
Biden will move to release more vaccine doses when he takes office
President-elect Joe Biden will move to release more vaccine doses when he takes office, a departure from the current policy.
“He supports releasing available doses immediately, and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans' arms now,” Biden transition spokesperson TJ Ducklo said in a statement. “He will share additional details next week on how his Administration will begin releasing available doses when he assumes office.”
Transition officials have faith that the manufacturers that can produce enough vaccines to ensure people can get their second dose in a timely manner while also getting more people their first dose, according to one official.
ABC News also obtained a letter from a group of eight Democratic governors to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Operation Warp Speed Chief Operating Officer Gen. Gus Perna. “Our states are ready to work around the clock to ramp up distribution, get more shots in arms, and save more American lives.”
“General Perna, as you have stated before, ‘a vaccine sitting on a shelf is not effective.’ We couldn’t agree with you more,” the governors wrote in part. “That’s why we are asking for your help now.”