Source: Coronavirus state tracker: California reported 28,871 new cases, 64 new deaths Dec. 27 – San Gabriel Valley Tribune

The previous high of nearly 10,900 was broken as more than 11,300 Texans with COVID-19 were hospitalized Monday. Source: Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations reaches new record high | The Texas Tribune

Officials aimed to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of the month. Only 2 million have been vaccinated

Source: Trump’s Operation Warp Speed already admits it won’t hit vaccination goals | Salon.com

(a death toll of more than 186,000 Russians as opposed to 55,265 as reported earlier.)

Source: Russia acknowledges COVID-19 death toll is three times what was previously reported | TheHill

Thirty-three years after its original release, Linda Ronstadt’s Spanish-language album Canciones de Mi Padre has been enshrined into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The Recording Academy recently announced Ronstadt’s Grammy Award-winning, double platinum album, which features traditional Mexican folk songs, was one of 29 songs and albums to be added to the celebrated recordings.

Source: Linda Ronstadt’s ‘Canciones de Mi Padre’ Album Added To Grammy Hall of Fame

Source: Covid-19: South Africa announces new restrictions as cases soar | RNZ News

Arizona is reporting a record number of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) who have or are suspected to have the coronavirus, announcing more than 10,000 new cases and 42 more deaths due to the virus on Sunday.

The Arizona Republic reported on Monday that 4,390 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were confirmed the day before, significantly higher than the peak of 3,517 observed in the summer. Some 1,007 suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients were in ICUs, beating the previous record of 970 in July.

According to Arizona’s coronavirus data dashboard, 91 percent of ICU beds in the state are occupied and more than half by COVID-19 patients. There are currently fewer than 200 ICU beds and 1,000 non-ICU beds available, reports the Republic.

Source: Arizona sets record for COVID-19 patients in ICU | TheHill

The teams sent by the state would assess the needs of hospitals in terms of staffing, personal protective gear, oxygen machines and ventilators.

“We’ve been able to take that information and are sending a new team embedded at LA County hospitals to encourage load leveling and greater coordination,” said Newsom, meaning that hospitals will work together to transfer patients from those most severely impacted to those with fewer demands.

Newsom said the impacts to hospitals will begin to be seen among patients receiving care for non-COVID related issues. Across the state 86 hospitals were granted staffing waivers, but those changes have consequences that could result in care that’s below the quality patients typically enjoy. Those impacts can eventually lead to unnecessary deaths even for those people who might be at the hospital for reasons unrelated to COVID-19.

Source: State sends team to help with overflow coronavirus conditions at LA County hospitals, Newsom says – San Gabriel Valley Tribune