The coronavirus disease COVID-19 is currently reaching pandemic levels in various countries.
In 2020, the state of California leads the USA with 25,308,284 coronavirus tests performed, followed by New York (20,968,000), Florida (15,788,910), and Texas (13,591,688), reported the U.S. CDC. Overall, there have been over 226 million tests confirmed by the CDC.
And as of December 17, 2020, the U.S. FDA had authorized 304 coronavirus diagnostic tests, including 232 molecular tests, 62 antibody tests, and 10 antigen tests.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it is urging its European members to strengthen measures against a new variant of COVID-19 currently circulating in the United Kingdom. In response, European nations including Germany, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Romania, The Netherlands, and Belgium said they were moving to block air travel with the UK.
For example, the Netherlands announced a no-fly time for air traffic with passengers from the United Kingdom as of December 20, 2020, at 6 a.m. local time. The flight ban will apply until 1 January 2021 at the latest. A spokeswoman for WHO Europe told AFP that "across Europe, where transmission is intense and widespread, countries need to redouble their control and prevention approaches."
Dr. Julian Tang, Honorary Associate Professor/Clinical Virologist, University of Leicester, recently stated “Regarding the N501Y mutation within the new B.1.1.7 lineage, part of the 20B/GR SARS-COV-2 clade, it was already defined in a EuroSurveillance paper published on August 13, 2020.
Japan's capital city of Tokyo recently reported its 541st fatality related to COVID-19 this year. When compared to a population basis, Tokyo's 37 million residents have been minimally impacted by COVID-19 compared to New York City's 8.3 million residents and over 24,000 COVID-19 related fatalities.
Experts indicate the traditional use of face masks has been the key to reducing the COVID-19 caseload in Japan. The country has certain other cultural advantages, such as residents naturally bow instead of exchanging handshakes or kisses.
Another pandemic precaution is the Japanese government announced the suspension of its subsidy program for promoting domestic tourism during the New Year holidays amid a surge in coronavirus cases. The "Go-To-Travel" campaign has been halted until January 11, 2021.
The US Department of Defense (DOD) reported on December 20, 2020, there have been about 97,000 coronavirus cases amongst Active Duty personnel, but only 14 fatalities related to COVID-19 this year.
And, Travel Restrictions have been lifted at 101 of 231 DOD installations (44%).
FedEx employees in the Memphis, Tennessee, area were reported to be boxing up the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (mRNA1273) on December 20, 2020, preparing to ship the newly authorized product.
The U.S. FDA announced an emergency authorization on December 18, 2020. Then, the U.S. CDC's vaccine committee voted for their approval on December 19, 2020.
The City of Austin and Travis County, Texas, announced they extended the “Stay Home, Mask, and Otherwise Be Safe” Orders through February 16, 2021. These orders inform Austin-Travis County's 1.3 million residents that 'socializing in groups of 10+ individuals outside of the same household are prohibited.'
As of December 19, 2020, there have been 45,070 confirmed coronavirus infections and 516 COVID-19 related fatalities reported in Austin - Travis County since the pandemic began.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock initially informed the UK government that a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, VUI-202012/01, had been identified on December 14, 2020, reported the BMJ.
One of the most significant changes is an N501Y mutation in the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to bind to the human ACE2 receptor. Changes in this part of spike protein may, in theory, result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people.
“An examination of the global GISAID SARS-COV-2 sequence database shows that this N501Y mutation was actually circulating, sporadically, much earlier in the year outside the UK: in Australia in June-July, the USA in July and Brazil in April 2020. Whether or not these viruses were brought to the UK and Europe later by travelers or arose spontaneously in multiple locations around the world (in response to human host immune selection pressures) requires further investigation," stated Dr. Julian Tang.
Sharon Peacock, director of COG-UK, told the Science Media Centre briefing, “Mutations are expected and are a natural part of evolution. Many thousands of mutations have already arisen, and the vast majority have no effect on the virus but can be useful as a barcode to monitor outbreaks.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new coronavirus variant was spreading rapidly, and Tier-4 restrictions would apply in all areas in the South East, London, and the East of England. The variant has accounted for over 60% of new COVID-19 cases in London over the past week.
People living in Tier-4 areas must follow the expanded rules over the Christmas period. This means that you cannot meet other people indoors unless you ordinarily live with them, or they are part of your existing support bubble. And when outdoors, you can only meet (1) person from another household.
First Minister Mark Drakeford stated Wales would also lock down from Sunday as "hundreds of people" had caught this new "more aggressive" strain, reported the BBC on December 20, 2020.
A new study offers several insights into COVID-19–related preventive behaviors among cancer survivors. These researchers found that cancer survivors frequently reported practicing recommended behaviors such as wearing a face mask, maintaining social distance, and avoiding crowded areas.
In this study published on December 19, 2020, cancer survivors reported canceling doctor's appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced telehealth and limiting healthcare appointments to only essential cancer-centric appointments.
The Moderna COVID‑19 Vaccine (mRNA-1273) was authorized on December 18, 2020, for use under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for active immunization in individuals 18 years of age and older to prevent COVID‑19 that is caused by the SARS‑CoV‑2 coronavirus.
Moderna's COVID‑19 Vaccine is investigational and not approved by the FDA.
Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, stated, “We were able to create and manufacture the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in 11 months from sequence to authorization while advancing clinical development with a Phase 1, Phase 2, and pivotal Phase 3 study of 30,000 participants. We remain focused on scaling up manufacturing to help us protect as many people as we can from this terrible disease.”
Based on the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance data available on December 17, 2020, the U.S. CDC reported 13.3% of the deaths occurring during the week ending December 12, 2020 (week #50), were due to pneumonia, influenza, and COVID-19 (PIC).
Among the 2,897 PIC deaths reported for week #50 by the NCHS, the current increase in PIC mortality is due primarily to COVID-19 and not influenza.
Moderna, Inc. announced that the European Commission had exercised its option to purchase an additional 80 million doses of mRNA-1273, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, bringing its confirmed order commitment to 160 million doses.
The first deliveries of the experimental mRNA-1273 vaccine to European countries from Modena’s dedicated European supply chain are expected to commence early in 2021 following the EMA's regulatory approval.
Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said, “As we shift our focus now to prepare for the delivery of our vaccine candidate, pending a positive opinion from the EMA and other regulators, we remain committed to working with governments and partners globally to address this pandemic.”
About 219 million RT-PCR diagnostic tests, excluding antibody and antigen tests, have been performed to confirm if a person has a SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, reported the U.S. CDC on December 17, 2020.
Overall, the state of California leads the USA during 2020 with 23,457,173 coronavirus tests performed, followed by New York (20,521,423), Florida (15,513,315), and Texas (13,303,469).
The Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration Stephen M. Hahn M.D. wrote on December 17, 2020: 'Following today’s positive advisory committee meeting outcome regarding the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has informed the sponsor that it will rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization.'
'The FDA has also notified the U.S. CDC and Operation Warp Speed so that they can execute their plans for timely vaccine distribution.'
The U.S. Department of State updated the Travel Advisory for Mexico, which says 'visitors should reconsider travel to Mexico due to COVID-19.' Moreover, there is still not enough data to evaluate with certainty epidemiological trends in December 2020. And The Mexican government has not yet approved a COVID-19 vaccine.
In many Mexican states, there has been a considerable increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations. Mexico City, Mexico State, Nuevo Leon, Guanajuato, and Sonora report the highest number of active cases for the preceding two-week period as of December 9, 2020, reported the State Department.
Two of Mexico's states are designated “red” under the federal system; Baja California and Zacatecas. Under the Red designation, only essential activities are allowed by the local government.
