White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx plans to meet with President-elect Joe Biden’s team Monday.
She will be briefing them on the nation’s response to the virus.
She says they’ve developed databases over the last nine months that are bringing together information from across the country down to the county level.
The information includes who is being admitted to hospitals, who is getting sick, and where the virus is moving in communities.
Concerns are growing that Thanksgiving gatherings could fuel the already surging COVID-19 infection rates. Birx says anyone who traveled for the holiday should get tested.
And as cases rise, so do deaths caused by the virus.
Last week Michigan ranked third in the nation for the number of COVID-19 deaths. Detroit hospitals are reported to be at almost 90% capacity.
In California, new stay-at-home restrictions go in effect Monday in Los Angeles County, urging people to only gather with members of the same household.
And New York City plans to start reopening public schools for in person learning next Monday after shutting down a week ago for rising infection rates.
The long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine is in its final steps toward approval and distribution.
A panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold a meeting this week to discuss who should receive the vaccine first after approval.
“They will have further discussions on how to prioritize that vaccine primarily because we know that the vaccine will be available in very limited doses.”
An FDA Vaccine Advisory Committee will meet on Dec. 10 to discuss Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use.
Some doctors predict there should be enough doses for 20 million people by the end of the year.
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