COVID-19 spreading with astonishing speed - 100,000 new cases in L A County in little more than a week sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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A volunteer prepares supplies for a food bank in Los Angeles, California, December 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
WASHINGTON (AFP) US lawmakers struggling to reach a critical pandemic relief and federal spending deal struck a last-minute agreement Friday to avert a midnight shutdown of the government and extend negotiations through the weekend.
Congressional leaders are frantically trying to resolve sticking points in a roughly $900 billion measure aimed at providing emergency relief for millions of Americans on the verge of losing key benefits.
Because the pandemic relief plan is tied to passage of a separate $1.4 trillion federal spending package, the impasse threatened to temporarily shut down the government a scenario not unheard of in politically divided Washington, but disastrous given the worsening economy and record daily death tolls from COVID-19.
“Historically with a vaccine, the terrible (serious adverse events) that we’re always worried about actually present themselves in a matter of weeks,” Djavaherian, an ER doctor who leads the pandemic response at Carbon Health, a national primary and urgent care provider. “We’re not seeing that type of spike . in the weeks we see people taking the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.”
Experts say Americans should feel confident in the vaccines now based on the data. The U.S Food and Drug Administration released a 53-page evaluation that confirmed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is highly effective and safe.
Another 54-page FDA evaluation also confirmed Moderna’s vaccine is safe and effective. It is likely to be authorized Friday by the FDA.
The number does not necessarily mean there are no
ICU beds available, since the state adjusts the percentage downward if counties have a higher-than-expected ratio of COVID-19 patients occupying
ICU space.
FILE – In this Nov. 19, 2020 file photo, Dr. Rafik Abdou, right, and respiratory therapist Babu Paramban check on a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles. California reported more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases and 293 deaths on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, setting new daily records as hospitals struggled to keep up with the surge. Southern California and the state’s Central Valley regions that together include 23 counties and most of the state’s nearly 40 million residents had exhausted their regular supply of intensive care beds and many hospitals were tapping into their “surge” capacity. (AP Photo/Jae Hong, File)
2020/12/18 05:09 FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2020, file photo, medical personnel prone a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills sect. FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2020, file photo, medical personnel prone a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles. Hospitals across California have all but run out of intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients, ambulances are backing up outside emergency rooms, and tents for treating the sick are going up as the nation’s most populous state emerges as the latest epicenter of the U.S. outbreak. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)