(NEW YORK) — When Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, takes stock of the coronavirus pandemic, she knows it’s far from over. But she also believes it won’t last forever.
For Walensky, one of the key signs the United States is exiting the pandemic will be when hospitals are no longer filled to the brim with COVID-19 patients. And when the number of daily deaths starts to plummet.
“We’ve gotten pretty cavalier about 1,100 deaths a day,” Walensky told ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton in a rare in-person interview from CDC headquarters in Atlanta.
“That’s an extraordinary amount of deaths in a single day from this disease,” Walensky said. “We can’t — I can’t — be in a position where that is OK.”
For the nation’s public health experts, deaths and hospitalizations have become a more reliable benchmark for progress than overall cases.
The more scientists have learned about the virus, the more they have moved away from concept of herd immunity — the idea that the virus will one day be stopped in its tracks when enough people are immune.
Instead, scientists agree that some mild breakthrough cases are still likely to happen, even among the vaccinated. In a world where almost everyone was vaccinated, COVID-19 cases would still happen.
The virus would still spread among us, akin to the seasonal flu. And like the flu, some people would still be hospitalized, and some would die — but dramatically fewer than 1,100 deaths per day.
Right now, roughly 65% of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. The more people who get vaccinated, the more deaths and hospitalizations are driven down.
The CDC’s real-world data is already demonstrating this to be true, with unvaccinated people 14 times more likely to die and 11 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19.
Despite the grim daily death count, Walensky said she believes that one day we’ll leave behind one of the key symbols of the pandemic: the face mask.
“Masks are for now, they’re not forever,” Walensky said. “We have to find a way to be done with them.”
And the best way to put the pandemic — and masks — in the rearview mirror is to “lean in” to the current strategies we know work, Walensky said.
And for now, Walensky is urging patience as public health guidance evolves to reflect new science.
“Science is hard in a two-minute soundbite,” she said. “Know that every single decision — as hard as they are — have been grounded in science.”
(NEW YORK) — Thousands of Formula One fans will pack Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday to watch the highly anticipated conclusion of this year’s nail-biter season.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton could win his eighth world championship, a feat no other F1 driver has accomplished in the sport’s 70-year history. Hamilton and his No. 1 rival, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, are tied in the standings.
The glitz and glamour of F1, the world’s premier motor racing series, are constantly on display: the podium champagne sprays, elephantine yachts anchored in the French Riviera for the Monaco Grand Prix, globe-trotting teams that travel to far-flung destinations for races closely followed by 1.9 billon spectators.
With the hit Netflix F1 docuseries “Drive to Survive” helping to grow the fanbase, the sport’s sustainability efforts and commitments are drawing attention, too. Hamilton, the winningest F1 driver, and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion, have been calling on F1’s governing body to actively change its practices.
Lewis, who has banned plastic from his home and office, sold his private jet and is an investor in U.K. vegan burger chain Neat Burger, said the sport can harness new, synthetic fuels to reduce its carbon footprint.
“I’m having conversations, trying to hold people in the sport more accountable,” Hamilton told Wired magazine. “I’m constantly sending emails, I’m constantly on Zoom calls with Formula One and challenging them.”
Jennie Gow, an F1 presenter for the BBC who is featured on “Drive to Survive,” said Vettel has the “biggest agenda in terms of influencing the green movement.”
“He has a clear idea of where he stands with regards to our impact on the environment and how he would like to make a bigger contribution,” she told ABC News.
In July, Vettel joined 300 volunteers to pick up trash and debris left behind at the track after the British Grand Prix. He also helped build a bee hotel in the shape of an F1 race car with students to highlight the world’s dwindling bee population and toured Iceland’s Climeworks Orca plant, the largest direct air capture and storage plant that permanently removes CO2 from the air.
“If you look at the bigger picture, there’s a certain responsibility we have as Formula 1 when we go to different places in the world and we set up these huge events which bring massive excitement,” Vettel told The New York Times earlier this year. “We cannot just go there, do our show, and then leave everything else behind. To ensure that nothing is left behind, we need to be ready to take a little bit of our margin off and invest into those things because they do come at a cost.”
It’s not just the drivers who are taking sustainability seriously. Pirelli, F1’s exclusive supplier of tires, recycles the teams’ used tires — more than 1,600 per race — at the company’s seven factories. But the Italian manufacturer wants to do even more to lower its carbon footprint.
“We are investigating many areas to be more green — from the production process to raw materials to water usage and sustainable energy in factories and transportation,” Mario Isola, head of F1 and car racing at Pirelli, told ABC News. “The process is constantly under revision. We’re discussing if we can reduce the number of tires we transport.”
Moreover, the company has increased its use of renewable materials, eliminated single-use plastics from its trackside operations and has successfully complied with a number of sustainability audits that focus on carbon emissions. Pirelli also set a company-wide target of reducing overall CO2 emissions by 25% (compared to 2015 levels) by 2025 and purchasing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources.
“Sustainability is a must for Pirelli,” Isola said.
Stefano Domenicali, F1’s chief executive, said the sport’s mission is to achieve a net zero carbon footprint by 2030 and transition to 100% renewable electricity at all F1 and team facilities. Solar panels have been installed at the French and Canadian circuits, with the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain 100% renewably powered. Approximately 256,000 CO2 equivalent tonnes are generated in an entire race season, according to F1.
In 2025, sport officials plan to unveil a new, second-generation hybrid power unit that will be carbon neutral and powered by a drop-in advanced sustainable fuel, a top priority for the series. A global fan survey, conducted this year by Nielsen Sports, Motorsport Network and F1, found that two-thirds of respondents from 187 countries “are aware of F1’s drive towards introducing sustainable fuels by mid 2020s.”
Williams Racing, a storied team in the F1 series, announced in October that it has committed to becoming climate positive by 2030. The team is a signatory of the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework and recently gained FIA Three-star environmental accreditation.
“Formula One has the ability to create technical solutions to help tackle the challenges we face as a planet. As we progress towards our goal to be climate positive in the years ahead, my hope is that Williams Racing can inspire all those connected with our sport and beyond, using motorsport as a catalyst for significant and long-lasting change,” Jost Capito, CEO of Williams Racing, said in a statement.
Fred Smith, a contributing editor at Road & Track, said F1 has been slow to enact sustainable policies and programs. He pointed to the extreme race schedules that require the 10 teams and support staff to crisscross various continents week after week.
“It’s the weight of a circus,” Smith told ABC News of the teams’ air travel. “Heavy carbon offsets are needed.”
He added, “F1 is less interested in sustainability than the drivers. It’s not too concerned about local or environmental issues.”
Smith would like to see F1 take a similar approach to Extreme E, a new concept in motorsports where drivers compete in electric SUVs in five remote landscapes that are “already damaged or severely under threat of climate change from a range of serious issues including melting ice caps, deforestation, desertification and rising sea levels,” according to the racing series.
Scientists voyage with the five Extreme E teams aboard RMS St Helena, a former British Royal Mail cargo ship that has been refurbished and transformed into a “floating paddock” and scientific base. Fans are not allowed to attend the off-road races and each team is limited to eight people (two drivers, one engineer and five mechanics).
Extreme E has even appointed an independent scientific committee to advise on the series’ education and research programs, event logistics and impact as well as recommending initiatives that support local communities in each race location. F1’s Hamilton is the founder of team X44.
The constant travel will likely not change in F1, according to Gow, and untapped markets like Africa could be added to the demanding racing schedule in coming years.
“Races will continue to happen all over the world. F1 is a global sport and appeals to many different markets,” she said, adding, “F1 is taking a lot of steps when it comes to reducing its carbon footprint. It has a real sustainability agenda.”
(NEW YORK) — A devastating tornado outbreak in western Kentucky has claimed the lives of at least 50 people, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
The total could reach 75 to 100 people, he added, calling it “one of the toughest nights in Kentucky history.”
“Dozens” were killed at a candle factory in Mayfield, where 110 people were working when the storm hit Friday night, Beshear said.
One tornado was on the ground for 200 miles, he said, devastating towns like Mayfield and Princeton late Friday. At least four tornadoes tore through western Kentucky.
Beshear has activated the National Guard with 181 guardsmen deployed for search and rescue and recovery operations.
“We will make it through this, we will rebuild,” Beshear said at a 4 a.m. press conference. “We are strong, resilient people, and we will be there every step of the way.”
In southern Illinois, in Edwardsville, an Amazon distribution warehouse was hit by an apparent tornado, causing massive damage to the facility, officials said. Officials there confirmed at least two fatalities, but called the search and rescue operations still ongoing. Several dozen workers were able to escape from the building on their own, Edwardsville Police Chief Michael Fillback said Saturday morning.
There were at least 18 reported tornadoes across four states: Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri.
Michael Dossett, director of Kentucky’s Division of Emergency Management, compared the storms to the April 1974 outbreak that spawned hundreds of tornadoes across several states and killed more than 30 in Kentucky alone.
“Rescues and search efforts are ongoing, even before the wind stopped blowing, crews were out working,” Dossett said Saturday morning.
Beshear declared a state of emergency and has already submitted a request for a federal emergency declaration.
In Madisonville, Kentucky, a train derailment was caused by the storms, though there were no reported injuries. The freight train was carrying hazardous materials, Beshear wrote in his letter asking for a federal emergency declaration.
The storms began to cause tornadoes in the early evening hours west of Kentucky.
Shortly before 7 p.m. local time, a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” was confirmed near Jonesboro, Arkansas, moving northeast at 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
A tornado near Hornersville, Missouri, was on the ground at about 8 p.m. local time.
Tornadoes were also confirmed on the ground in Mayfield, Kentucky, at about 9:30 p.m. local time and in Princeton, Kentucky, just after 10 p.m. local time.
In Monette, Arkansas, one person was killed at a nursing home when a suspected tornado moved through Friday night, Craighead County, Arkansas, Judge Marvin Day told Jonesboro ABC affiliate KAIT. Authorities had initially said two people were killed. Five others suffered serious injuries.
Beshear said despite a COVID-19 surge in Kentucky, hospitals were in good shape.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway, Matt Foster and Hope Osemwenkhae contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — A major storm is moving from the Rockies to the East Coast over the next two days, bringing with it heavy snow to the Upper Midwest and severe thunderstorms to the east.
A winter storm warning has been issued in the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes where snow is set to blow through Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A winter storm warning is in effect for cities including Aspen, Sioux Falls and Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, from Arkansas to Tennessee to Kentucky to Indiana, the threat will be strong tornadoes and damaging winds on Friday night.
Shortly before 7 p.m. local time, a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” was confirmed near Jonesboro, Arkansas, moving northeast at 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Tornado watches have also been issued in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee.
The worst tornado threat is from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Tornadoes are especially dangerous at night because residents may sleep through alerts.
Temperatures are forecast to climb to 62 degrees in Boston, 66 in New York, 73 in Washington, D.C., and 77 in Savannah, Georgia.
Wind alerts are being issued from Chicago to Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Power outages are possible.
(NEW YORK) — The countdown is on for “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan and the Blue Origin crew of astronauts to blast off to space aboard New Shepard.
The team completed its Flight Readiness Review and confirmed the vehicle has met all mission requirements for launch.
The Dec. 11 mission will be the New Shepard rocket’s third human flight this year and marks the first with a full astronaut manifest of six crew members in the capsule, according to Blue Origin.
The “GMA” co-anchor took part in a training camp with his fellow crew members ahead of today’s launch from Blue Origin’s “Launch Site One” facility in a remote area in the West Texas desert.
Dec 11, 5:31 am
What Strahan will bring to space
Strahan told “GMA” that he’s bringing a few personal items to space including his Super Bowl and Hall of Fame rings, his retired Giants jersey, special watches and the shell casings from the gun that was fired at his father’s military funeral. Strahan said he also added his grandfather’s pocket watch that was given to him by his mom.
“This is a once in a lifetime experience, of course, you want to have your most prized possessions and meaningful belongings with you,” Strahan said.
Dec 11, 5:26 am
Meet the crew
Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard who was the first American in space and the fifth man on the moon, will follow in her father’s footsteps on Saturday. She told “GMA” her father would tell her to enjoy the moment and take in the view.
Space industry executive and philanthropist Dylan Taylor, investor Evan Dick, and Bess Ventures founder Lane Bess and his child, Cameron, will also be part of the crew for New Shepard’s 19th mission. Lane and Cameron Bess will become the first parent-child pair to fly in space.
Dec 11, 5:18 am
Thursday launch delayed, pushed to Saturday
Strahan and five others originally trained and prepared for a Thursday launch from West Texas, but the Jeff Bezos-owned aerospace travel company made the call Wednesday to delay due to weather.
“Due to forecasted winds on Thursday, December 9 and Friday, December 10, the New Shepard launch team has made the call to delay the launch of NS-19 to Saturday, December 11,” Blue Origin said in a statement. “Liftoff from Launch Site One is targeted for 8:45am CST / 14:45 UTC.”
(KENTUCKY) — A devastating tornado outbreak in western Kentucky has claimed the lives of at least 50 people, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.
The total could reach 75 to 100 people, he added, calling it “one of the hardest nights in Kentucky history.”
One tornado was on the ground for 200 miles, he said, devastating towns like Mayfield and Princeton late Friday. At least four tornadoes tore through western Kentucky.
Beshear has activated the National Guard for search and rescue and recovery operations.
“We will make it through this, we will rebuild. We are strong, resilient people,” Beshear said at a 4 a.m. press conference.
Tornadoes were also confirmed on the ground in Princeton, Kentucky, just after 10 p.m. local time, in Mayfield, Kentucky, at about 9:30 p.m. local time and near Hornersville, Missouri, at about 8 p.m. local time.
Tornado watches were also issued in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee.
Shortly before 7 p.m. local time, a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” was confirmed near Jonesboro, Arkansas, moving northeast at 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
In Monette, Arkansas, one person was killed at a nursing home when a suspected tornado moved through Friday night, Craighead County, Arkansas, Judge Marvin Day told Jonesboro ABC affiliate KAIT. Authorities had initially said two people were killed. Five others suffered serious injuries.
Meanwhile, a winter storm warning has been issued in the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes where snow is set to blow through Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A winter storm warning is in effect for cities including Aspen, Sioux Falls and Minneapolis.
This will be the first major winter storm for the Minneapolis-St. Paul region this season. The Twin Cities area could see more than 1 foot of snow.
Along the East Coast, record-high temperatures are possible Saturday afternoon.
Temperatures are forecast to climb to 62 degrees in Boston, 66 in New York, 73 in Washington, D.C., and 77 in Savannah, Georgia.
But strong thunderstorms may hit the Carolinas and the Northeast on Saturday night. There is a small chance of tornadoes in the Mid-Atlantic.
Wind alerts are being issued from Chicago to Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Power outages are possible.
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman and his longtime partner Chloe Mendel have joined the site, which allows you to purchase personalized video messages from celebrities, to raise money for their hometown no-kill animal shelter PAWS Chicago.
Corgan, of course, is a longtime supporter of PAWS Chicago — you may remember the adorable photo of him and his cats on the cover of a 2014 issue of PAWS Chicago magazine.
The Cameos cost $250 for personal use, and $4,500 for business use, in case you’re hoping to use Corgan’s words to inspire your employees or customers.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — The city of Columbus, Ohio, has agreed to pay $5.75 million in damages to people injured during a wave of protests last year, according to a settlement reached Thursday.
Protests had erupted across the nation and in Columbus after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck on May 25, 2020 while Chauvin was arresting Floyd.
Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd. He received a sentence of 22 1/2 years in prison on June 25.
Some protesters had filed a lawsuit against the city in July 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, alleging the police department used excessive force against them, violating their constitutional rights.
“During the protests in Columbus, some plaintiffs were significantly injured. Therefore, it’s incumbent upon the City to accept responsibility and pay restitution,” city attorney Zach Klein said in a statement. “Many Columbus Division of Police officers did perform their jobs professionally during that time, but this litigation highlighted serious issues that must be addressed.”
As part of the settlement, the city also agreed to a permanent injunction on the use of non-lethal force against peaceful protesters, who are not harming people or destroying property.The injunction bans the use of tear gas, pepper spray, flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets, wooden pellets, batons and more against peaceful protesters.
“While this has certainly been a difficult and painful moment for our community, it has yielded important, and in some instances long overdue, reforms to policing practices, policies, and oversight,” Klein said.
A federal judge had placed a preliminary injunction on the city earlier this year ordering police to stop using non-lethal force on non-violent protesters; the permanent injunction prevents police from reintroducing those tactics.
“We have implemented significant changes in protest response and training since last year’s protests,” said Columbus department of public safety director Robert Clark “Before there can be healing, there must be accountability,” he stated.
The settlement is conditional on the approval of the Columbus City Council, according to court filings. The funds to pay for the settlement will come from the city’s general fund account.
(LIMA, Peru) — The COVID-19 pandemic spread across South America at an alarming rate in 2021, with the death toll surpassing one million in Latin America and the Caribbean in May, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the prevalence of hunger is now at 9.1% — the worst rate in 15 years, according to a United Nations report published in 2021.
According to the report, the prevalence of hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 2% between 2019 and 2020, with 59.7 million people in the region suffering from hunger.
Number of omicron cases in US ‘likely to rise,’ CDC director says
In a small neighborhood outside the Peruvian capital of Lima, Olinda Huamani, who is a single mother of three, has struggled to feed her children.
Huamani said she used to clean houses for a living and her children would accompany her to work, but due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, she lost her source of income.
“We don’t have anything. Everything you see has been tossed out by others and were picked up from the trash,” she told ABC News.
“I would go to the garbage to look and would think there would be COVID in the trash but thankfully I didn’t get it. I would wash the fruit. I would wash it with hot water so my kids wouldn’t get sick and they didn’t. Only God protected us.”
Huamani’s family is one of millions in Latin American and the Caribbean who are dealing with hunger and in Peru, the situation is particularly dire.
According to a study by the COVID-19 resource center at Johns Hopkins University, Peru has the worst death rate per capita than any other nation in the world, with more than 600 deaths from the virus for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, in the United States there are 242 COVID deaths per 100,000 people, the study shows.
Patients overwhelmed the health care system, despite closed borders and nationwide lockdowns and amid the pandemic, the poverty crisis in Peru intensified and millions more faced hunger due to a rise in poverty.
In 2020, 30.1% of Peru’s population was affected by poverty – an increase of 9.9% since 2019, according to local statistics.
Victor Zamora, a former Peruvian health minister, told ABC News that there’s “hope” because the vaccination campaign has helped the situation, but people have yet to recover economically.
“I hope our leaders in Peru; economic and political, social leaders will find a way to lead the country out of this very poor situation,” he said.
The surge in poverty has made food distribution centers like Olla Comun, which means the “community pot,” essential for some families to survive.
“Sometimes we only think about kids but older adults need to be fed also to have a better quality of life,” a staff member at Olla Comun told ABC News.
Leybi Barrios Briceno, a mother to three young children, told ABC News that she had to move with her children to an orphanage so that they can have access to food and a safe place to spend the night.
“Someone I know told me about this place. Surely they saw I had nowhere to go or anything to eat so I came here and immediately they opened their doors to me,” she said.
“I don’t think any mother wants to sleep on the street with her kids and run the risk of them getting sick, hurt, kidnapped — all of that is scary.”
Meanwhile, Huamani is hoping that 2022 will bring better days for her and her family.
“Hopefully next year things get better. I have the hope they do,” she said.
Anderson .Paak announced Friday he is hosting his annual .Paak House charity holiday event for the first time in his Oxnard, California hometown.
The Grammy winner will perform with his group, The Free Nationals, and he will also present special surprise entertainment at the event on December 22. Anthony Anderson, Ty Dolla $ign, Snoh Aalegra, Jhené Aiko, Raphael Saadiq, Goapele, The Game, Schoolboy Q, Cordae, and Thundercat are among the celebrities who have appeared in the past.
“After a long year of studio sessions, promotional tours, and award shows, I’m excited to give back to the community. This year we are going to give Oxnard something they can remember for a lifetime,” Anderson said in a statement. “We can’t wait to see you all at .Paak House 2021!”
Tickets are on-sale now on the event website. For those not able to attend in person, .Paak House will be livestreamed.
This will be the fourth annual .Paak House, presented by the 35-year-old-singer’s Brandon Anderson Foundation. The event previously raised over half a million dollars toward community initiatives and served over 3,000 families providing them with basic hygiene care, food, toiletries, clothing, school supplies, and more.
Paak has released four solo albums, with his latest, Ventura, dropping in 2019. As a member of the duo Silk Sonic, with Bruno Mars, their debut single, “Leave The Door Open,” is up for four Grammy Awards:
Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance.
The smash hit also won an American Music Award for Favorite R&B Song, and Soul Train Awards for Song of the Year and Video of the Year.
