WTF Just Happened Today

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

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1/ The U.S. recorded 2,249 COVID-19 deaths on average over the last seven days – breaking the previous mark of 2,232 set on April 17. Coronavirus cases per day, meanwhile, have surpassed 200,000 on average for the first time – an increase of 15% from the average two weeks earlier. (Associated Press / New York Times)

• ???? Dept. of “We Have It Totally Under Control.”

• Global: Total confirmed cases: ~68,693,000; deaths: ~1,566,000

• U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~15,330,000; deaths: ~289,000

• Source: Johns Hopkins University

• Live Blogs: New York Times / Washington Post / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / CNN / ABC News

• Canada became the third country to authorize use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA is expected to authorize use of the vaccine as early as this weekend. (Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

• At least 31 countries have reserved more COVID-19 vaccine per capita than the U.S. It is behind the 27 European Union countries, and sandwiched between Chile and Japan in 31st and 33rd, respectively. (Bloomberg)

• U.S. emergency stockpile of COVID-19 personal protective equipment is short of targets. In May, the Trump administration said it would increase its supply of N95 respirator masks to 300 million. By mid-November, the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile and the Federal Emergency Management Agency held 142 million N95 masks. (Wall Street Journal)

2/ More than a third of Americans are living in areas where hospitals have fewer than 15% of intensive care beds available, according to data released by the Department of Health and Human Services. One in 10 Americans in the Midwest, South, and Southwest live in areas where intensive care beds are either full, or fewer than 5% of beds are available. (New York Times)

• Rudy Giuliani’s “star” witness alleging voter fraud in Michigan will not self-quarantine and will not get tested despite Jenna Ellis and Giuliani’s positive coronavirus tests. Mellissa Carone, who TK TK , said she’s “not concerned at all” about COVID-19....

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