US records 1M cases in week; Moderna's vaccine 94.5% effective — 6 COVID-19 updates

Gabrielle Masson and Mackenzie Bean -

New COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have risen every day for more than a month, with the daily case average twice as high as it was at any point this summer, according to rolling seven-day averages from The New York Times.  

Five more updates:

1. The U.S. hit 11 million COVID-19 cases Nov. 15, an increase of 1 million over one week, reports The Washington Post.  

2. Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is 94.5 percent effective, according to Phase 3 study results published Nov. 16. The first interim analysis included 95 COVID-19 patients, 15 of which were 65 or older. Moderna plans to apply for FDA emergency use authorization in the coming weeks based on a final analysis of 151 cases and a follow-up of more than two months. The Moderna results are "quite impressive," Anthony Fauci, MD, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Nov. 16 on The Today Show. "I think this is a really strong step forward to where we want to be about getting control of this outbreak," Dr. Fauci said.

3. Americans can assess their risk of contracting COVID-19 when attending an event this holiday season using a tool created by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The "COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool" examines the risk that at least one individual infected with COVID-19 is present at an event based on its size and geographic location.

4. Washington state rolled out four-week COVID-19 restrictions statewide that ban indoor dining and social gatherings with people from other households. The restrictions are in effect through Dec. 14.  

5. Michigan also issued new COVID-19 restrictions Nov. 15, pausing indoor dining and limiting indoor social gatherings to just two households for three weeks. The emergency order also cancels in-person learning at high schools and colleges.

Snapshot of COVID-19 in the U.S.

Cases: 11,041,979
Deaths: 246,236
Recovered: 4,185,463

Counts reflect data available as of 8:30 a.m. CST Nov. 16.

More articles on public health:
Number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, state by state: Nov. 16
23 states where COVID-19 is spreading fastest, slowest: Nov. 16
Face mask policies by state

 

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