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Monday US COVID News

US hits record number of Covid-19 hospitalizations
“The United States has reported at least 103,000 current Covid-19 hospitalizations on Monday, setting a new record high since the pandemic began, according to the Covid Tracking Project.” CNN

VACCINE
“Trump officials passed when Pfizer offered to sell more vaccine doses months ago.” New York Times

“The U.S. will not be able to buy more doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine until late June or July, sources said Monday, after other countries bought most of the company’s supply” Washington Post

“The initial US contract, an advanced purchase agreement with Pfizer was for 100 million doses with the option to purchase more. The 100 million doses would be enough to vaccinate 50 million people, because it’s a two-dose vaccine.” CNN The United States has a population of over 331 million.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a letter to colleagues Monday referred to those killed in the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack in calling for unity in the fight against the coronavirus. Pelosi's letter to colleagues notes the more than 2,400 killed on Dec. 7, 1941, in the Japanese attack, which occurred 79 years ago. For most days in December, there have been more than 2,000 deaths reported, with several days with more deaths than those killed in the Pearl Harbor attack, according to that count.” NBC News

#1 CAUSE OF DEATH IN USA
“Data show coronavirus is no flu -- it's a killer on a par with cancer, heart disease"
The Times Picaytune

SUPER SPREADER”
Rudy Giuliani's COVID-19 diagnosis could mean dozens of people were exposed to coronavirus as President Donald Trump's personal attorney spent much of last week crisscrossing the country as part of the campaign's effort to overturn the Nov. 3 election.“ USA Today

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Today was another Stay-at-Home day for us.

My husband did his normal 9 to 5 job remotely
as he’s been doing since mid March.
I merely continued to decorate our Christmas tree.
Life in “Safer at Home” mode is a new normal
with some elements from the old normal.

The Christmas ornament in the photo above is another new one in 2020. He’s my 3rd "Hippopotamus for Christmas" & may go on a wreath I plan to make up. Unlike the Hippo I posted yesterday, this one doesn't "sing a song". However, the string of lights that he is wearing do light up.

For those who feel that many of my photos don’t match the grim news of the day, I’m doing my best to keep an even keel during these difficult times for the world. We’re pretty much stuck at home. So some light heartedness keeps the soul from being crushed under the weight of constant stress. Many others must feel the same way during these times of a deadly pandemic. Most of our neighbors put their Christmas decorations (both inside and outside) up back around September 1st this year. However, I just began to get our Christmas stuff out after Thanksgiving. Now, I'm going to enjoy the holidays; even if they are spent in "Stay-at-Home" isolation.