INDIANAPOLIS — Tuesday's latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump demands Congress send bill with $2,000 stimulus checks; Pelosi concurs
President Trump threatened to torpedo Congress’ massive COVID-19 relief package in the midst of a raging pandemic and deep economic uncertainty, suddenly demanding to increase the amount of money for stimulus checks.
Trump assailed the bipartisan $900 billion package in a video he tweeted out Tuesday night and suggested he may not sign the legislation. He called on lawmakers to increase direct payments for most Americans from $600 to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for couples.
Trump did not specifically vow to veto the bill, and there may be enough support for legislation in Congress to override him if he does.
US nears deal for millions more Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses
The U.S. government is close to a deal to acquire tens of millions of additional doses of Pfizer's vaccine in exchange for helping the pharmaceutical giant gain better access to manufacturing supplies.
A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the deal is under discussion and could be finalized shortly.
Holcomb COVID-19 update
Gov. Holcomb and other state leaders gave an update on the state's fight against COVID-19.
State health commissioner Dr. Kristina Box reported an error the state has identified in calculating the positivity rates being reported each day. Box said with the corrected calculations, she expects the state's positivity rate to increase by 2-3 percent. Some counties, however, may see a decrease in their positivity rates. Despite the error, Box said the numbers for positive cases and deaths were always accurate.
More than 33,000 Hoosiers have received the COVID-19 so far. That number is expected to grow to 40,000 by the end of the day.
Vaccinations for residents and staff in long-term care facilities will begin next week, through partnerships with CVS Health and Walgreens.
ISDH daily update
The Indiana State Department of Health reports 3,758 more cases of COVID-19 and 143 more deaths from the virus. Indiana has now seen a total of 471,876 confirmed positive cases and 7,244 total confirmed deaths. There are another 337 probable deaths — those doctors believe were due to COVID-19 but patients did not have a positive test result on file.
The positivity rate between Dec. 9 and Dec. 15 was 12.2 percent for all tests and 24.2 percent for unique individuals.
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients jumped above 3,000 again Monday, with 3,064 patients being treated in hospitals across the state.
City of Fishers restricts indoor dining for bars, restaurants starting Christmas
The City of Fishers announced all restaurants, bars, taverns, nightclubs, retail food establishments, and other establishments providing in-person food and/or drink service must be closed to indoor customers between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. beginning on Christmas Day.
Carryout business will still be allowed during those times under the order. The order will remain in effect through Jan. 8, 2021.
Click here to read the entire order.
Gov. Holcomb to give weekly update today on state's fight against COVID-19
Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box will be providing an update on the state's fight against COVID-19 on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
The weekly updates typically happen on Wednesdays but will take place on Tuesday this week.
U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) is scheduled to be part of Tuesday's briefing as well.
The virtual briefing is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.
BioNTech CEO confident vaccine will work on new UK COVID-19 strain
German pharmaceutical company BioNTech is confident that its coronavirus vaccine works against the new UK variant, but further studies are needed to be completely sure, its chief executive said Tuesday.
The variant, detected mainly in London and the southeast of England in recent weeks, has sparked concern worldwide because of signs that it may spread more easily. While there is no indication it causes more serious illness, numerous countries in Europe and beyond have restricted travel from the UK as a result.
“We don’t know at the moment if our vaccine is also able to provide protection against this new variant,” CEO Ugur Sahin told a news conference the day after the vaccine was approved for use in the European Union. “But scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variants.”
Sahin said that the proteins on the UK variant are 99% the same as on the prevailing strains, and therefore BioNTech has “scientific confidence” that its vaccine will be effective.
“But we will know it only if the experiment is done and we will need about two weeks from now to get the data,” he said. “The likelihood that our vaccine works ... is relatively high."
Should the vaccine need to be adjusted for the new variant the company could do so in about 6 weeks, Sahin said, though regulators might have to approve the changes before the shots can be used.
New poll finds most Americans would support nationwide mask mandate
A recent survey conducted by STAT and The Harris Poll finds most Americans think the Biden administration should mandate several changes to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 2,000 people took part in the online poll between Dec. 11-13. It found that more than 75 percent of people support the idea of a nationwide mask mandate when in public. Both Democrats (87 percent) and Republicans (60 percent) were in favor, on average.
Around 65 percent of people think the Biden administration should ban gatherings of 10 or more people. Democrats and Republicans had differing opinions though, with 83 percent of Democrats supporting a ban and 48 percent of Republicans in support.
The poll also asked if there should be a temporary closure of non-essential businesses. Fifty-eight percent of people were in support, but the two political parties disagreed here as well: 73 percent of Democrats voted in favor, while 43 percent of Republicans supported a temporary closure.
Click here for more findings and analysis.
Latest US, world numbers
There have been more than 18.04 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. as of 3:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 319,000 deaths in the U.S.
Worldwide, there have been more than 77.39 million confirmed cases with more than 1.7 million deaths and 43.66 million recoveries.
The real number of people infected by the virus around the world is believed to be much higher — perhaps 10 times higher in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — given testing limitations and the many mild cases that have gone unreported or unrecognized.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness like pneumonia, or death.
Congress passes COVID-19 relief bill, including $600 stimulus checks
Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Monday night that would finally deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
The relief package, unveiled Monday afternoon, sped through the House and Senate in a matter of hours. The Senate cleared the massive package by a 91-7 vote after the House approved the COVID-19 package by another lopsided vote, 359-53.
The bill goes to President Donald Trump for his signature, which is expected in the coming days.
The bill combines coronavirus-fighting funds with financial relief for individuals and businesses. It would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses, restaurants, and theaters and money for schools, health care providers and renters facing eviction.
Zoom to lift 40-minute time limits over Christmas and New Year's Eve
Zoom says it will lift 40-minute time restrictions for all free accounts during Christmas, New Year's and Kwanza.
The company announced in a blog post that the time restrictions will be lifted between 10 a.m. ET Wednesday, Dec. 23 and 6 a.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 26 for Christmas. Another period of lifted time limits are planned from 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 30 to 6 a.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 2. Zoom says the limits will be automatically lifted.
Zoom allowed similar access for Thanksgiving and the final day of Hanukkah.
Normally, free Zoom meetings are capped at 40 minutes before it needs to be restarted. To exceed a 40-minute meeting time, normally one would have to buy a license starting at $149.90 for a year.