The U.S. hit its second consecutive daily COVID-19 case record Nov. 5, reporting more than 115,000 cases, according to The Washington Post.
Twenty states also set new daily COVID-19 case records Nov. 5, reports the Post.
Five other updates:
1. Some COVID-19 patients report parosmia, an often temporary and unpleasant odor distortion, reports The Washington Post. "It's more debilitating in some ways than loss of smell," said Richard Doty, PhD, director of Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania's Smell and Taste Center. Thousands of accounts of parosmia and phantosmia, or smelling scents that aren't there, have flooded social media platforms in the last few months, reports the Post.
2. The first available doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will go to healthcare workers, José Romero, MD, head of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, told NPR Nov. 5. As the CDC's vaccine advisory group, the committee will recommend how a COVID-19 vaccine should be used and who should receive the first doses once one is approved. Dr. Romero said the group anticipates vaccines being available for healthcare workers in December or early January.
3. Adults who test positive for COVID-19 are two times more likely to have exclusively worked in an office or school setting in the two weeks prior to their illness, according to a Nov. 6 CDC report. The finding is based on 314 symptomatic adults who had COVID-19 tests at 11 outpatient sites nationwide July 1-29.
4. Children who contract COVID-19 produce weaker antibodies than adults, according to a small study published Nov. 5 in Nature Immunology. Researchers at New York City-based Columbia University Irving Medical Center found children also had fewer types of antibodies in their systems than adults. Both findings suggest that children are able to clear the virus from their bodies earlier, according to The New York Times.
5. Hospitals in the greater Washington, D.C., area are better equipped for another surge than they were at the start of the pandemic, hospital officials told The Washington Post. Officials said they have more information on how to treat COVID-19 patients, have enough protective equipment and are addressing staff burnout. Despite spiking COVID-19 cases, the area has not hit record hospitalizations. Washington, D.C, Maryland and Virginia hospitals are working with local officials to monitor case rates and map out surge scenarios.
Snapshot of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Cases: 9,619,421
Deaths: 235,030
Recovered: 3,781,751
Counts reflect data available as of 8:45 a.m. CST Nov. 6.
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Number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, state by state: Nov. 6
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22 states where COVID-19 is spreading fastest, slowest: Nov. 6