A Premier League match on Wednesday match between Tottenham and Fulham has been postponed following a number of positive coronavirus cases from players and staff members.
Why it matters: This is the third Premier League match to be postponed this season and the second this week, after a Monday game between Everton and Manchester City was called off due to an outbreak.
For the first time, the highly influential dietary guidelines from the federal government feature recommendations for babies and toddlers
Why it matters: "The dietary guidelines, which are updated every five years ... shape school lunch programs, mold state and local health-promotion efforts, and influence what food companies produce," the Wall Street Journal notes.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University was approved for use in the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The U.K. is the first country to authorize this coronavirus vaccine that's cheaper and easier to store than others. It's less than three weeks since British regulators became the first in the West to give emergency approval for a COVID-19 vaccine — Pfizer-BioNTech's.
Rep.-elect Luke Letlow (R-La.) died in a Louisiana hospital intensive care unit on Tuesday night "due to complications from COVID-19," his spokesperson Andrew Bautsch confirmed. He was 41.
The big picture: Letlow was due to be sworn into Congress this Sunday. He announced on Dec. 18 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and was admitted to the Ochsner LSU Health ICU in Shreveport on Dec. 23.
California's regional stay-at-home order has been extended for Southern California and San Joaquin Valley, officials announced Tuesday.
Driving the news: The expected move came as the ICU capacity in both regions remained at 0%, the state health department said. Southern California and San Joaquin Valley have been under the order since Dec. 6.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received her first dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine in D.C. Tuesday morning.
Why it matters: Although the FDA has found the vaccine to be safe and effective, the 56-year-old Harris wanted to get the shot live on television as a way of bolstering public confidence in the vaccine.
Argentina and Belarus on Tuesday became the first countries outside of Russia to begin coronavirus vaccinations using the Sputnik V vaccine, AP reports.
Why it matters: Although both countries authorized the vaccine last week, Russia has yet to complete advanced studies to ensure that Sputnik V is safe, effective and adheres to scientific protocols.
Anthony Fauci told CNN on Tuesday that Operation Warp Speed will not reach its goal of having 20 million Americans receive the coronavirus vaccine by the end of December.
By the numbers: Only 2.1 million people have received the first dose of the vaccine, with nearly 11.5 million doses distributed as of Monday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
President-elect Biden, who has vowed to be clear-eyed and straight about the pandemic, plans a renewed warning in remarks on COVID-19 in Wilmington today, a transition official tells Axios.
Driving the news: Echoing a CDC forecast from last week, Biden is expected to say that, tragically, the infection rates and the number of deaths are expected to increase in the coming weeks.
World Health Organization chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told a virtual briefing Monday people who've been vaccinated for COVID-19 "need to take the same precautions" as those who haven't "till there's a certain level of herd immunity."
Driving the news: Swaminathan was asked whether international travel without quarantine would be possible after mass coronavirus vaccinations. "I don't believe we have the evidence on any of the vaccines to be confident that it's going to prevent people from actually getting the infection and therefore being able to pass it on," she said.
Spain is creating a registry of people who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccination and will share this with other European Union member states, the country's Health Minister Salvador Illa told broadcaster La Sexta Monday.
The big picture: Spain become on Monday the fourth European nation to surpass 50,000 deaths from the coronavirus, after the United Kingdom, Italy and France, per Johns Hopkins. It's confirmed nearly 1.9 million cases. Illa said vaccinations are free and not mandatory. Data on those who refuse inoculation won't be publicly disclosed "and it will be done with the utmost respect for data protection," he added.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) plans to filibuster the Senate’s veto override of the bipartisan defense bill unless the chamber holds a vote on the $2,000 stimulus payments included in the COVID relief bill, Politico reported Monday.
Why it matters: Though it's unlikely Sanders will stop the vote on the veto override, delaying it until New Year's Day could create new hurdles for the Republican Party.
