This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for December 4th, 2020.

The U.S. recorded over 3,100 COVID-19 deaths in one day, obliterating the record set last spring. The CDC’s Dr. Robert Redfield said, “The reality is December and January and February are going to be rough times. I actually believe they’re going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.”

Pfizer has cut in half their original estimates for how many vaccines would be shipped globally by the end of this year. The Wall Street Journal reports there are supply-chain issues. Which may be frustrating, but to keep things in perspective, this vaccine development has been one of the fastest in history. It typically takes 10 years for a vaccine to get regulatory approval.

IBM security researchers detected a cyberespionage effort against the World Health Organization. It used targeted phishing emails to try to get information on their initiative for vaccine distribution to developing countries. The researchers said they couldn’t be sure who was behind it or how successful it was.

Sweden appears to be changing its mind about lockdowns. Public confidence in authorities’ ability to handle the crisis are sliding. Sweden’s anti-lockdown approach is being challenged by mounting numbers of deaths and new cases. High schools there are switching to distance learning December 7.

How do you encourage people to take the vaccine? The CDC thinks giving people who do a nice shiny button might do the trick. They’re planning to offer health care providers a template they can use to print buttons or stickers that’d display a person's vaccination status.

The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Lincoln, CO. Crowley, CO. Crockett, TX. Brewster, TX. Prairie, MT. Bent, CO. Republic, KS. Richland, MT. Renville, ND. And Crane, TX.

There are now 5,690,940 active cases in the United States. The current Top 10 states by number of active cases: California, Illinois, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Michigan and New York overtake Missouri, then Virginia, and Maryland.

The five states with the most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska.

The reproduction rate is currently highest in Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire, Virginia, and California. The states with the lowest reproduction rate are Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Illinois.

There’ve been a total 276,148 deaths in the US reported as COVID-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.98%.

The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Illinois 228. Texas 224. Pennsylvania 206. Michigan 193. California 145. Colorado 127. Florida 103. New York 101. Tennessee 93. And Minnesota 92.

Globally, there are now 18,645,430 active cases.

There are 600,856 new cases around the world in the last 24 hours against a high of 656,099 on November 12.

The five countries with the most new cases: the United States 218,576. Brazil 50,866. India 38,309. Turkey 32,381. And Russia 28,145.

There have now been 1,504,443 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. Up 9% over 14 days.

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