The coronavirus pandemic
As coronavirus cases rise across much of the US, an expert says the virus is spreading "faster" than ever before. The US surpassed 12 million coronavirus cases Saturday — an increase of more than 1 million cases in less than a week.
Here's the latest on the pandemic across the US:
- Surging cases across the US: On Friday, more than 195,500 new infections were reported — the country's highest for a single day, and far beyond what the nation was seeing just weeks ago. The highest number of single-day cases during the country's summer surge was a little more than 77,100 in July, Johns Hopkins University data shows.
- Long lines at food banks: With less than a week until Thanksgiving, the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is forcing some Americans to go to food banks for the first time. At a food drive in DeKalb County, Georgia, people lined up at 5:30 a.m. ET today for an event that was not supposed to start until 10 a.m., CNN’s Natasha Chen reported. Meanwhile, at the First Unitarian Church in Los Angeles, volunteers are working to ensure residents do not go hungry this Thanksgiving. They expected about 1,000 people to line up today. If you are facing food insecurity today, learn how to get help here.
- About Thanksgiving travel this year: The CDC this week urged against Thanksgiving holiday travel. The nation's top health experts are urging Americans to alter their holiday plans this year, too: White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Americans should limit indoor gatherings to immediate households this Thanksgiving. And Dr. Anthony Fauci said he'll be having a Thanksgiving Zoom call with his three daughters.
- The good news? Experts say promising vaccines are on the horizon. On Friday, Pfizer and BioNTech submitted an application to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for their Covid-19 vaccine candidate. Earlier this week, Pfizer said a final analysis of the Phase 3 trial of the vaccine showed it was 95% effective in preventing infections, even in older adults, and caused no serious safety concerns.