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.
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:
Record hospitalizations, deaths continue to rise
The U.S. has over 104,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday, setting a new daily record, according to The COVID Tracking Project.
The seven-day average of hospitalizations is also at a record high of 101,659, according to the health data.
The country reported 213,498 new cases and 2,622 new deaths Tuesday.
The seven-day averages for new cases and deaths hit records Tuesday, at 202,158 and 2,225, respectively, according to the health data.
Vaccine won't help curb cases until spring: White House report
The coronavirus vaccine will not substantially reduce the spread of the virus until the spring, according to the White House coronavirus task force's weekly briefing for governors. The report was obtained by ABC News.
The briefing said it will take at least 100 million Americans to be immunized before viral spread, hospitalizations or fatalities can go down.
"Behavioral change and aggressive mitigation policies are the only widespread prevention tools that we have to address this winter surge," the task force report said.
The task force noted that state and local governments aren't implementing the same mitigation policies that curbed cases back in the summer.
It also said 2,000 counties are in COVID-19 red zones.
"This current fall to winter surge continues to spread to every corner of the U.S., from small towns to large cities, from farms to beach communities," the report said.
-ABC News' Brian Hartman and Josh Margolin
Maryland could begin vaccine distribution next week
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced coronavirus vaccine distribution could begin as early as next week for critical health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff and first responders.
Hogan said the state will initially receive 155,000 first doses of the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine could begin distribution starting Dec. 14, while the Moderna vaccine could begin distribution a week later, according to the governor.
"The state has signed up all of the state's 227 nursing homes and 1,668 assisted living facilities for the federal distribution partnership through CVS and Walgreens," according to a statement from the governor's office.
Maryland will also roll out a campaign educating residents on the vaccine and encouraging residents to get the shots.
California hospitalizations up 70%
Hospitalizations in California have jumped 70% in the last two weeks and intensive care unit hospitalizations have increased by 68.7%, California Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said.
In Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, ICU availability has fallen to 10.1% and 5.6% respectively, he said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered any region with less than 15% ICU capacity to follow a three-week stay-at-home order. In those regions, restaurants, bars and personal care services are closed.
When it comes to the holidays, Ghaly said, "We ask you to cancel travel plans."
Travel is explicitly restricted in areas under regional stay-at-home orders.
6 states report over 10,000 new cases
As COVID-19 continues to surge across the U.S., six states reported over 10,000 new cases on Saturday, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
They were California, Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Another seven states reported over 5,000 new cases: Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Tennessee.
In total, according to the tracker, there were 223,365 new U.S. cases reported on Saturday, 2,477 deaths and a record 108,487 people currently hospitalized.