Monday, January 4 top news briefs
Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It’s 2021, a new year, so this is a new look. I am filming here at DPAN.TV studios in Ferndale, Michigan. We have a small team here and we’re staying safe by wearing masks.
Here are today’s top news stories.
December is officially the deadliest month in the coronavirus pandemic for the U.S. with 77,572 deaths. It surpasses the 60,000 deaths in April. USAToday said in December, one American died from the coronavirus every 35 seconds. Dr. Anthony Fauci said January will likely be worse than December.
CNN reported that about 4.2 million people have received their first doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, but that number is far behind the 20 million figure that government officials hoped for by the end of December. The chief of Operation Warp Speed said the U.S. might start giving half-doses of Moderna’s vaccine to people ages 18 to 55. The FDA will meet this week to consider that idea. Analysts told CNN that the main issue right now is bottlenecks in vaccine distribution because there have been 13 million doses already shipped out, but only 4 million have gone into people’s arms.
Fox News reported that today, the U.K. is the first country in the world to begin administering the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines. The U.K. is now struggling with a mutated strain of the virus that is more contagious. There were new lockdowns ordered today that will close schools and most retail businesses until February. The U.K. is now reporting about 50,000 new cases daily. Now U.K. officials are considering extending the three-week period between the two doses for both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to 12 weeks so more people can be vaccinated.
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CBS News reported that Indonesia plans to vaccinate working-age adults ahead of the elderly with an aim to reach herd immunity and revive the economy. The first in the vaccine lines will be healthcare workers, then public servants, and then working-class adults. Indonesia is using a vaccine from China’s Sinovac Biotech and will also receive shipments of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine later this year.
A staff member at a hospital in San Jose may have infected 44 staff members at a Christmas party because the person was wearing an inflatable costume with a small fan in it while infected with Covid-19. That means the fan may have been blowing out virus particles. The staff member did not have Covid-19 symptoms and it is considered an accident. A hospital spokesperson said inflatable costumes are now banned.
A pastor of a church in Winona, Texas (about 100 miles east of Dallas) was shot and killed on Sunday morning by a man who was hiding in the church from the police. ABC News explained that on Saturday night, the suspect, Mytrez Woolen (21), was suspected of brandishing a shotgun through his car’s sunroof. Police officers pursued him in a car chase, but he escaped into a wooded area. Police gave up their search in the area about 2 a.m. The man eventually got into the church. The pastor, named Mark A. McWilliams (62) found the man hiding in the church bathroom with a firearm and holding a red bank bag. There were no services at the time and the pastor was there to prepare for services. The pastor was armed and drew his gun, but the man grabbed it and shot and killed him. The man shot a second person and then stole the pastor’s vehicle and drove east before being found and arrested. Authorities said they do not think the shooting had anything to do with religion. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said our hearts are with the victims and the families of those killed or injured.
NBC News reported that Iran has resumed enriching uranium up to 20 percent, which is the biggest breach of its nuclear deal with countries around the world that is supposed to limit it at 3.5%. NBC News explained that 90% enrichment is needed to produce a nuclear warhead. Iran had been at 4.5% until the current 20% figure. There are tensions between the U.S. and Iran because it is the one-year anniversary of the U.S.-ordered killing of a top Iranian general. The Iranian military has seized a South Korean-flagged ship in the Persian Gulf. The Pentagon has ordered the USS Nimitz to stay in the Middle East due to threats from Iran.
In Norway, there was a landslide that hit a village north of the capital, Copenhagen, killing seven people. Three people are still missing. First responders are searching for the missing in below-freezing temperatures. The landslide caused the earth to open up in a ravine that was 2,300 feet long and 1,000 feet wide. Many homes and buildings were destroyed. News videos showed apartments and homes hanging on steep, ragged edges. ABC News reported that in 2005, government authorities warned people not to construct homes in the area because it was a high risk zone for landslides, but people still built homes there.
That is all the top news briefs for today. Check out our other videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/01/04/covid-news-california-texas-us-deaths-350-k/4120523001/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html
https://www.foxnews.com/health/uk-launches-first-astrazeneca-vaccinations-worldwide
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iran-resumes-20-percent-uranium-enrichment-nuclear-facility-state-news-n1252708
https://news.usni.org/2021/01/03/pentagon-carrier-uss-nimitz-will-stay-in-middle-east-after-threats-from-iran
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sheriffs-deputy-dead-hurt-shooting-texas-church-75024096
https://tylerpaper.com/news/crime/mugshot-of-suspect-in-fatal-shooting-of-east-texas-pastor-released-bond-set-at-3/article_6b2d334b-7820-5e67-a3b0-4650d6c46d41.html
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hope-fades-norway-landslide-left-dead-missing-75031989