One of the most challenging things about 2020 is that it's become an act of kindness during life's difficult moments to stay away from friends and family rather than to gather near them. This year, a member of my extended family passed away, but it wasn't possible to gather for a funeral; recently, my grandmother needed an emergency surgery, but I needed to make due with calling her on the phone instead of seeing her in the hospital. These moments have made it all the more difficult when I see people I love and respect violating social distancing in photos posted on social media; it can start to feel like the people choosing to go out to dinner with a big group of friends are on the opposing team in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
That's why I could relate to a question from a reader who said that she was running out of ways to talk to her friends about her choice to socially distance. She wrote that she had decided to take steps to keep herself safe; why was it that her friends couldn't seem to respect her decision? At the heart of this question, I think, is a deeper one: why don't our friends or family share the same values that to us are based on common sense: listening to scientists and protecting the health of ourselves and others?
After speaking to a pair of experts about this predicament, I came to realize that the truth is that there's only so much we can do to persuade other people to take COVID-19 as seriously as we do. If our goal is to maintain relationships with them, the key may be to focus on the positive: the things we do have in common with our friends and loved ones, and the things we value about them. It's essential to continue social distancing, and to encourage other people to do so, but there's nothing to be gained from nursing anger at those around us. In the end, remaining connected and compassionate to other people will strengthen our relationships with them—and, potentially, give us an opportunity to nudge them in the right direction.
A panel of experts met today to decide whether to recommend that the Food and Drug Administration authorize the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the U.S. If the panel determines that the vaccine is safe and effective enough, the FDA is expected to approve it possibly as soon as later today, which means that the first U.S. vaccines could be administered within days. During the meeting, the experts are expected to address the systems that are in place to monitor side effects and plans to address vaccine hesitancy. The FDA has said that data from a study of the vaccine have shown it to be more than 90% effective, and that no major safety problems have been detected.
Canada, meanwhile, authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine yesterday, becoming the third country (following the U.K. and Bahrain) to approve the drug. Health Canada issued the interim authorization under a special order for drugs related to COVID-19, stating "the approval of the vaccine is supported by evidence that it is safe, effective and of good quality."
Johnson & Johnson is shrinking the size of its COVID-19 trial in the U.S. from 60,000 to 40,000 participants because the virus is so widespread that volunteers are likely to get exposed to it, STAT reports. The company said that interim data from the trial are expected by the end of January, and an emergency use authorization application could be completed as soon as February.
The Global Situation
Nearly 68.9 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 1 a.m. E.T. today, and more than 1.5 million people have died. On Dec. 9, there were 668,873 new cases and 12,302 new deaths confirmed globally. Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here is every country with over 1 million confirmed cases:
South Korea, which has long been praised for keeping its case rate low, may be facing its toughest outbreak yet, the New York Timesreports. Its daily case count spiked to 686 yesterday, its highest one-day figure since February. The current wave is thought to be tougher to target because, while earlier waves involved mass clusters that were relatively easy to track and trace, this one is spreading through smaller gatherings in places like restaurants, factories and nursing homes. But help is on the way: the government says it has ordered enough vaccine doses from companies such as AstraZeneca and Pfizer to inoculate 86% of the population, although the first doses won’t arrive until March. The country’s health minister has said that it has decided not to hurry vaccination to allow more time for potential side effects to emerge, according to Reuters.
South Africa yesterday declared it has entered a second wave of coronavirus, with Health Minister Zweli Mkhize warning the country "should expect faster rising numbers with a higher peak than in the first wave," Bloomberg reports. The country reported 6,709 new cases yesterday, bringing its total to 828,598. The country has reported the most cases of coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. had recorded nearly 15.4 million coronavirus cases as of 1 a.m. E.T. today. More than 289,000 people have died. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
At least 3,124 people died from COVID-19 in the U.S. yesterday—more than any day since the start of the pandemic. Michael Osterholm, a member of President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 advisory board, said on CNN today that the U.S. should toughen its message about the holidays, saying that there should be "No Christmas parties." "There is not a safe Christmas party in this country right now," he said.
Jobless claims climbed sharply last week, with seasonally adjusted initial claims jumping to 853,000 during the week ending Dec. 5—an increase of 137,000 from the previous week, according to the Department of Labor. The rising claims are likely a sign of the toll that increasing COVID-19 cases are taking on the economy. Congress is currently considering a $908 billion bipartisan relief package that would reportedly include student loan forbearance and an additional $300 a week in unemployment benefits, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office has signaled that Senate Republicans are unlikely to support the proposal, per CNBC.
Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal attorney, has left the hospital a few days after being diagnosed with COVID-19, NPR reports. Since October, many White House staff members have tested positive for the virus. Giuliani has acknowledged that he has received treatments that are unavailable to most Americans, and that he likely would not have been hospitalized if not for his celebrity status, per the New York Times.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Dec. 10, 1 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
'Vaccine Nationalism' Threatens World’s Poor
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned about the creep of "vaccine nationalism," saying that countries should treat the COVID-19 vaccine as a "global public good" in a U.N. meeting with the African Union, the AP reports. Read more here.
California's Effort to House Those in Need Is Struggling
A California program that placed unhoused seniors and medically vulnerable people in hotels to slow the spread of COVID-19 aimed to place them in permanent housing. However, 86% of those discharged have ended up in shelters, tents, cars or other unstable living situations, NPR member station KQED reports. Read more here.
COVID-19 Devastates South Dakota Town
The town of Mitchell, S.D., grappled with whether to pass a mask mandate as a growing number of residents passed away from the virus, the Washington Post reports. The town ultimately decided to pass a mask mandate, but removed the city’s fine. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Tara Law and edited by Elijah Wolfson and Alex Fitzpatrick.
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