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.


0

Germany reports record rise in deaths

A record 590 new fatalities were reported in Germany on Wednesday, beating the record previously set Tuesday of 568 new deaths, the Robert Koch-Institute reported.

Germany has now lost 19,932 lives to COVID-19.

"A reversal of this trend so far is not in sight," German Deputy Government spokesperson Martina Fietz said, adding that in some regions, hospitals are reaching their limits.

"With more than 4,200 people in intensive care, the number is considerably higher than in the spring," Fietz said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke in parliament Wednesday, pleading with regional leaders to enforce tighter regulations to stop the spread.

Over 1.2 million people in Germany have been diagnosed.

ABC News' Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.


Canada authorizes Pfizer vaccine

Canada has authorized the Pfizer vaccine, becoming the third country to do so after the United Kingdom and Bahrain.

Canada's health department said, "after a thorough, independent review of the evidence, Health Canada has determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine meets the Department's stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada."

A rollout date was not announced. Initial supplies will be limited with more doses available in the spring, officials said.

Health Canada is also reviewing another three vaccines.

ABC News' Kirit Radia and Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.


Baltimore mayor shuts down indoor, outdoor dining 

Baltimore will shut down indoor and outdoor dining beginning Friday, said Mayor Brandon Scott, who was sworn in on Tuesday.

Restaurants can offer takeout and delivery.

Scott’s order also sets a 25% capacity limit at retail stores, religious institutions, gyms and malls.

The new rules come as Maryland reported a record number of hospitalizations during the pandemic -- 1,715 patients -- surpassing the previous peak in April.

ABC News' Dee Carden contributed to this report.


Rudy Giuliani says he'll be discharged from hospital today

President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, told WABC Radio that he'll be discharged from the hospital Wednesday afternoon following his COVID-19 diagnoses.

“I feel just about 100% right now," he said.

Giuliani said he will isolate for a few more days “because the way they calculate it, I probably got it [the virus] about seven, eight days ago.”

Seven days ago, Giuliani was in Michigan, testifying at the state's House Oversight Committee hearing for suspicion of voter fraud. The next day, he appeared at a hearing at the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee to contest that state's results.

ABC News' Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.


UK prepares for Tuesday's rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations

Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have been delivered across the United Kingdom, ahead of the launch of the country's immunization program.

The potentially life-saving vaccine will be administered nationwide starting Tuesday morning, and some 800,000 doses were expected to be in place for the first day of what will be the largest-scale immunization program in U.K. history.

Vaccinations will be rolled out in phases, with elderly care home residents and their carers first on the priority list, followed by anyone else aged 80 and over, as well as frontline health and social care workers.

Last week, the U.K. became the first country in the world to authorize the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use. The vaccine was shown in late-stage clinical trials to be more than 95% effective in preventing COVID-19.