Tuesday, November 17, 2020

The AM Rundown: Fauci Calls Second Vaccine "Truly Striking"


➤SECOND CORONAVIRUS VACCINE IN TWO WEEKS SHOWS EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG RESULTS: One week after Pfizer reported exceptionally strong preliminary data results from final-stage testing of its coronavirus vaccine, Moderna revealed Monday that it's vaccine also showed extremely good early results in Phase 3 testing. Moderna said the preliminary data shows their vaccine appears to be 94.5 percent effective. Last week, Pfizer said its vaccine appeared to be 90 percent effective. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, called the results "truly striking," stating, "The vaccines that we’re talking about, and vaccines to come, are really the light at the end of the tunnel." Both vaccines require two shots several weeks apart, but Moderna's, unlike Pfizer's, doesn't have to be kept at very cold temperatures, but can be stored in a regular refrigerator. 


But that optimistic news comes are the fall-winter surge of the coronavirus is continuing and more states are reimposing restrictions or announcing them for the first time. 

Infographic: U.S. Covid-19 Hospitalizations Soar To Record High | Statista
You will find more infographics at Statista

The Covid Tracking Project said Monday that more than 73,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19, the highest number of hospitalizations due to the virus that the nation has had since the pandemic began. The number as of yesterday is at least 10,000 more hospitalizations than the spring and summer peaks we had. 



➤BIDEN URGES TRUMP ADMIN TO COORDINATE ON TRANSITION, WARNS 'MORE PEOPLE MAY DIE' WITHOUT IT: President-elect Joe Biden yesterday urged President Trump to let his administration coordinate with his team on the transition, particularly on matters related to the coronavirus pandemic, vaccine plans and national security, warning, "More people may die if we don't coordinate." Biden made the comments, his toughest to date on Trump's ongoing refusal to concede the election and allow cooperation on the transition, during a news conference in Delaware.

Meanwhile, Georgia's Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, said yesterday that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked him whether he was able to reject certain absentee ballots, which he took as a suggestion that he throw out legally-cast votes. Raffensperger told The Washington Post that he's been facing growing pressure from fellow Republicans who want to see Biden's narrow lead in Georgia erased. Graham said what asked about what he said to Raffensperger that he was trying to find out how signature matching is done for absentee ballots, and dismissed as "ridiculous" the idea that he was suggested legal ballots be thrown out. Raffensperger also told the Post that he and his wife have gotten death threats.

That news came as Georgia worked to complete a hand recount of the presidential votes. More than 2,500 votes were found in one county that hadn't been counted in what appeared to be an isolated problem. They added around 800 votes for Trump, far from what he'd need to overcome the 14,000-vote lead Biden had.


➤'N.Y. TIMES': TRUMP ASKED LAST WEEK ABOUT POSSIBLE MILITARY STRIKE ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITE: President Trump asked his senior aides last Thursday about what options he had for a military strike on Iran's primary nuclear site, the New York Times reported yesterday. The request came a day after an International Atomic Energy Agency report said Iran's uranium stockpiles had reached 12 times the limit set in the landmark nuclear deal reached during the Obama administration that Trump took the U.S. out of in 2018. The Times reported that Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley were among the senior advisers who convinced Trump not to launch a military strike, warning it could escalate into a larger conflict in his final days as president.

➤HURRICANE IOTA MAKES LANDFALL IN NICARAGUA AS CATEGORY 4 STORM, NEARLY SAME PLACE AS ETA: Hurricane Iota made landfall in Nicaragua late Monday as a powerful Category 4 storm with sustained winds near 155 miles per hour, coming on shore just 15 miles south of where Hurricane Eta did 13 days earlier, also as a Category 4. Forecasters had warned that the saturated soil in the region left by Eta increased the risk of landslides and flooding from Iota. Hurricane Iota is the record 30th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and is also the ninth storm to rapidly intensify this season, something that is increasingly happening.

➤UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AGREES TO $73 MILLION SEX ABUSE SETTLEMENT INVOLVING EX-GYNECOLOGIST: The University of California system has reached a proposed $73 million settlement filed in court Monday with seven women who accused former gynecologist Dr. James Heaps of sexual abuse that took place between 1983 and 2018 when he worked at the UCLA student health center and UCLA Medical Center. As part of the class-action lawsuit, more than 6,600 patients of Heaps could receive part of the settlement, even if they haven't accused him of abuse. The 63-year-old Heaps has also been charged in a separate criminal case and his medical license has been suspended. He has denied wrongdoing.



🏈VIKINGS TOP BEARS 19-13: The Minnesota Vikings topped the Bears 19-13 in Monday Night Football last night in Chicago. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was 25 of 36 for 292 yards and threw for two touchdowns. After going into the fourth quarter tied at 13-13, Cousins threw a six-yard touchdown early in the quarter to Adam Thielen, and the Vikings held on for the win. A bright spot for the Bears in their losing effort was a 104-yard kickoff return by Cordarrelle Patterson on the opening kick of the second half, the longest kickoff return in franchise history. 

Bears quarterback Nick Foles was taken off the field in a cart in the game’s final minute, with head coach Matt Nagy saying his leg and hip were being evaluated after he got slammed on the right side as he threw the ball away.

🏀MARCH MADNESS TO BE HELD ENTIRELY IN ONE PLACE, LIKELY INDIANAPOLIS: The NCAA announced Monday that it will hold the entire 2021 "March Madness" men's basketball tournament in one place to help reduce the risk from the coronavirus. Indianapolis will likely be the location, with the NCAA in talks with city officials. Games would be played at sites around the host city. There was no immediate word on plans for the women’s basketball tournament. 2020's March Madness was canceled earlier this year because of the pandemic. 


🏈BREES REPORTEDLY HAS RIB FRACTURES, COLLAPSED LUNG: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has multiple rib fractures and a collapsed right lung, ESPN first reported yesterday. The 41-year-old Brees was reportedly hurt in a strong hit by the San Francisco 49ers' Kentavius Street in the second quarter of the Saints' win Sunday. He is expected to be out for several weeks. Jameis Winston is likely to start in his place.

🏈THREE MIAMI GAMES POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS CASES: The Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday (November 16th) rescheduled Number 12 Miami's three remaining football games, against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and North Carolina, because of coronavirus cases in the program. This coming weekend's games between Mississippi and Texas A&M and between Charlotte and Number 15 Marshall were also postponed yesterday due to the coronavirus cases.

⚾PADRES PITCHER CLEVINGER TO HAVE TOMMY JOHN SURGERY: The San Diego Padres announced yesterday that pitcher Mike Clevinger needs to have Tommy John surgery, and will miss the entire 2021 season because of it. The Padres just acquired Clevinger on August 31 in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Indians.
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