While the global count of COVID-19 cases tops 80 million, the U.S. continues to lead among nations
Here’s what’s happening Saturday with the pandemic in the U.S.:
THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY
— The U.S. is by far the leading nation in COVID-19 cases as the number of infections globally topped 80 million. Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University reported the mark Saturday morning after 472,000 cases were recorded worldwide Christmas Day. The number of deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic across the globe stands at 1.75 million. The U.S. has reported 18.8 million infections, followed by India with 10.2 million and Brazil with 7.45 million.
— The pandemic’s impact on the Census count of the homeless has authorities concerned. Federal officials and advocates fear the 2020 Census has vastly underestimated the number of homeless residents. The Census Bureau identified 33,000 homeless camps last spring for census takers to visit but postponed the count until the fall because of COVID-19. Now the General Accounting Office says the pandemic-ravaged economy might reduce the count because employed people who answered the Census last spring might now be jobless and on the street.
— The COVID-19 community hotline was among emergency communications that were out of order in Nashville, Tennessee, after a recreational vehicle exploded in the city’s downtown early Christmas morning. An AT&T central office was affected by the blast, knocking out police emergency systems across Tennessee and Kentucky. Authorities believe the blast was intentional but have said they don’t know the motive.
THE NUMBERS: The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. declined the past two weeks from 1,841.7 on Dec. 11 to 1,747.9 on Dec. 25, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
DEATH TOLL: The number of COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. stands at 330,345.
QUOTABLE: “If I was white, I wouldn’t have to go through that. This is how Black people get killed, when you send them home, and they don’t know how to fight for themselves,” Dr. Susan Moore, a Black physician, said in a Facebook post in which she accused an Indianapolis hospital of treating her COVID-19 differently because of her race. Moore died Dec. 20. IU Health North Hospital in Carmel has promised a “full external review.”
ICYMI: The Duke women’s basketball team has ended its season amid the coronavirus pandemic. The team’s roster made the decision Friday. The team had postponed three games since Dec. 16 because of two positive tests in the women’s basketball community.
ON THE HORIZON: President Trump is spending the holiday weekend golfing at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Springs with a COVID-19 relief package sent him by Congress in doubt. He indicated again in a Friday night tweet that it should include $2,000 stimulus checks to most Americans instead of $600. A spokesman said he had been briefed on the Nashville bombing but made no public statements about it.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic