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.
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4 incoming Georgia sheriffs test positive for COVID-19, others await results
Four Georgia sheriffs just elected to their counties have tested positive for COVID-19.
In a joint statement sent out Wednesday night, Fulton County Sheriff-elect Pat Labat and Cobb County Sheriff-elect Craig Owens said they tested positive after attending a sheriff’s school in Pine Mountain, Georgia.
Gwinnett Sheriff-elect Keybo Taylor and Henry County Sheriff-elect Reginald Scandrett also said they tested positive for COVID-19.
Others who attended the conference are quarantining in their homes as they await their COVID-19 test results.
“We urge all Georgians to follow the advice of our dedicated health care workers and to wear masks and socially distance," the sheriffs said in a joint statement. "While the vaccine is forthcoming, the pandemic is not over yet, and we must all remain diligent to ensure the safety of our communities."
US records over 3,000 deaths for 1st time
The COVID Tracking Project reported Wednesday that 3,054 Americans died the previous day from the coronavirus, setting a new daily record.
The seven-day average of new daily deaths (2,276) also set a record, according to the health data.
"The 7-day average for COVID-19 deaths are at an all-time high as deaths are rising throughout the country. The previous single-day record was on May 7 at 2,769 deaths," the tracking project tweeted.
Daily hospitalizations also continued to set records as 106,688 Americans are currently hospitalized, according to the data. The seven-day average of hospitalizations was 102,580, another record.
Over 209,000 new coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday, according to the tracking project.
"[California] reported a new single-day case record at 30,851. This is the second-highest case count since 12/6," the tracking project tweeted.
US cases and deaths show dramatic increases: HHS
COVID-19 cases and deaths continued to grow dramatically following Thanksgiving, according to an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that was obtained by ABC News.
The country recorded 1,414,153 new cases between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, according to HHS. This represents a 25.4% increase from the previous seven-day period, the memo said.
There were 15,588 new deaths recorded from Dec. 3 to Dec. 9, which was a 44.9% jump in new fatalities compared with the previous week, according to the memo.
Roughly 31% of U.S. hospitals have more than 80% of their intensive care unit beds filled, HHS reported.
Several states saw new records during the last seven days, according to the memo.
In Alabama, new weekly coronavirus deaths increased by 158% with 312 new fatalities recorded, according to HHS.
On Dec. 7, 19 Georgia hospital ICUs could not accept any more patients, the memo said.
-ABC News' Josh Margolin
FDA authorizes over-the-counter home COVID-19 test
The FDA authorized LabCorp’s Pixel COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit Wednesday for use by patients 18 years and older without a prescription.
The test allows a customer to self-collect a nasal swab sample at home and then send that sample for testing to LabCorp. The company will phone the customer with the results.
The at-home test is currently available for purchase online and the company is taking requests from retailers to sell it in stores.
LabCorp told ABC News it will screen requests to limit it to people who meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for testing in order to limit backlogs in their labs.
-ABC News' Stephanie Ebbs and Ali Dukakis