Around the globe, people celebrated the New Year in an understated way–staying home with the hopes of staying safe.
In London, Big Ben chimed at midnight but authorities canceled the traditional fireworks.
In Sydney, Australia, the one million who normally crowd the harbor stayed away.
And in New York City, the big ball dropped in a mostly empty Times Square after police fenced off the site to prevent large crowds.
Whether or not the limited gatherings will limit the spread of the virus is anyone’s guess.
There’s fresh concern about the spread of a more contagious strain first spotted in England.
Late Thursday, Florida health officials tweeted that it was found in a man in his twenties who had not traveled recently. That follows reports of three cases in San Diego county in California and a case in Colorado.
California followed New York and Texas this week, becoming the third state to surpass 25,000 coronavirus deaths, and some hospitals are reporting difficulty in finding enough beds for COVID patients.
There’s also concern about the pace of Operation Warp Speed. The federal government had hoped to roll out 20 million vaccines by the end of 2020. Instead, the CDC vaccination tracking dashboard shows just under 2.8 million so far.
In a New Year’s Eve video, the president touted the progress that has been made–calling the vaccine’s quick development a “truly unpredecented medical miracle.”
He promised that it would be available to every American in early 2021.
The president thanked everyone who made Operation Warp Speed possible and praised America’s “grit, strength and tenacity.”
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