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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California reports more record highs

California reported 35,468 new cases on Friday and 12,940 hospitalizations, both record highs.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued stay-at-home orders to regions if their intensive care unit capacity falls below 15%. The San Joaquin Valley, Southern California and the Greater Sacramento region all have fallen below that threshold, while the Bay Area and Northern California have not.

ABC News’ Matt Fuhrman contributed to this report.


US sets records for new cases, deaths, hospitalizations

The U.S. has set new records for the most deaths in one week, the highest number of new cases in a week and the most Americans hospitalized in one week, according to ABC News’ analysis of COVID Tracking Project data.

In the past seven days, the U.S. has reported more than 1.4 million COVID-19 cases -- roughly equivalent to 142 Americans testing positive for the virus every minute.

Daily case numbers have been on the rise for nearly three months, increasing nationally by 480% since mid-September.

The U.S. broke a hospitalization record again on Thursday, surpassing 107,000 patients, a 6.5% rise from a week earlier. Fifteen states have reported record numbers since Sunday.

With the U.S. is now averaging over 2,300 new coronavirus related deaths a day, more Americans are dying from COVID-19 every day than ever before.

“We are in the timeframe now that probably for the next 60 to 90 days we're going to have more deaths per day than we had at 9/11 or we had at Pearl Harbor,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said Thursday at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations.

In the 9/ll attacks, almost 3,000 Americans died, and more than 2,400 were killed when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.

ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.


New York City ending indoor dining

Indoor dining will end Monday in New York City to help stem the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

Outdoor dining and takeout will continue.

Indoor dining accounted for 1.43% of recent spread, said Cuomo, adding that a 74% spike in infections is linked to indoor gatherings at private homes.

Indoor dining capacity could be reduced elsewhere in New York depending on the numbers, the governor said.

Before the governor's announcement, Mayor Bill de Blasio said he felt "tremendous empathy for restaurant owners."

“I feel for them," the mayor added, "but sometimes it’s smart to say, 'Look, if you take an action now, you can stop much worse things from happening later.'"

ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.


Snow leopard at Louisville Zoo has virus

A snow leopard at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky has SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

Testing is ongoing for two other snow leopards.

“Samples from three snow leopards were taken after they showed signs of respiratory illness,” the Department of Agriculture said. “It is suspected that they acquired the infection from an asymptomatic staff member, despite precautions taken by the zoo.”

All three animals are expected to fully recover.

This is the first snow leopard in the U.S. to test positive for SARS-CoV-2, though there have been confirmed cases in other big cats in zoos and conservations centers.

ABC News’ Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.


Biden announces key members of health team

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Monday announced key nominations and appointments of his health team, a slate of experts and public officials who will lead his administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"This trusted and accomplished team of leaders will bring the highest level of integrity, scientific rigor and crisis-management experience to one of the toughest challenges America has ever faced -- getting the pandemic under control so that the American people can get back to work, back to their lives and back to their loved ones," Biden said in a statement. "This team of world-class medical experts and public servants will be ready on day one to mobilize every resource of the federal government to expand testing and masking, oversee the safe, equitable and free distribution of treatments and vaccines, reopen schools and businesses safely, lower prescription drug and other health costs and expand affordable health care to all Americans, and rally the country and restore the belief that there is nothing beyond America's capacity if we do it together."

California Attorney General Xavier Beccera is nominated to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Vivek Muthy, a physician and research scientist, is nominated to be the Surgeon General, a role he served during the Obama administration.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, an expert on virus testing, prevention and treatment, is nominated to serve as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, an expert on health care disparities, will serve as the COVID-19 Equity Task Force Chair.

As Biden said last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci will stay on in his current role as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Fauci will also serve as Biden's chief medical adviser on COVID-19.

Jeff Zients, co-chair of Biden's transition team who led the Obama administration's National Economic Council, will serve as coordinator of the COVID-19 Response as well as counselor to the president.

Natalie Quillian, a national security expert, will serve as deputy coordinator of the COVID-19 response.

ABC News' John Verhovek contributed to this report.