The latest on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccines

During an Instagram live interview on Thursday with the Washington Post, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that he became very emotional while talking to his daughters on Zoom to celebrate his 80th birthday.

"But we ended it on a happy note because we know that sooner or later, very likely sooner, as we get into 2021 and things get better and vaccines help us, that this time next year, that we'll be back again with the Fauci family celebrating Christmas Eve and my birthday for my 81st birthday," he added.

Fauci has three daughters, who are in their late 20s and 30s, and last night he told CNN that this is the first time he has spent the holidays without them since they were born. 

Each year, children around the world write Christmas letters to Santa, but this year, some chose to send their letters to the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Coronavirus vaccines are at the top of their holiday wish lists. 

"Dear Pfizer, I heard you made a new vaccone for corenavirus. Good job. Can you please send some to the North Pole for Santa and his elves please. We want to save Christmas and make all the kids happy," one child wrote.

Another child's message went straight to the point, "Here is what my leter to you sase. All I want for Chrismis is for them to have anuf corora valtsens for arry won please." 

So, Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla responded.

"To Finn and Callum, who sent these letters, you are kind, compassionate and thoughtful young boys, and I want you to know that we are doing everything we can to help bring hope to people around the world. And we will make sure to take care of Santa and his elves, too."

But don't worry kids: On Saturday Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that he took a trip up to the North Pole to vaccinate Santa and he is "good to go" to deliver holiday cheer.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that he is optimistic that the company’s vaccine will protect against the new coronavirus variant detected in the United Kingdom. 

"We are doing specific studies that will be completed within 10 days from now or something like that let's say two weeks, that we are testing to see if this new strain is equally sensitive to our vaccine and also would be neutralized by the vaccine.”

Bourla explained during the town hall that adverse reactions to the vaccine were “very rare” in clinical trials. Now that the vaccine is being distributed to millions of people, a few will experience allergic reactions. Fewer than 10 have been reported in the United States. 

"Very rare, they are not common," he said of the allergic reactions. "One out of hundreds of thousands of people."

Bourla said everyone, especially those with preexisting conditions, should get the vaccine to protect themselves and their families. 

"Vaccines have been the most important health care intervention since clean water," Bourla explained. "Since the time that people were able to secure water, there is nothing that has saved more life. There is nothing that has created more scientific medical breakthroughs than vaccinations."

More than 600,000 in the United Kingdom have received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, according to a statement released Thursday by the Department of Health and Social Care. 

The latest data shows that 616,933 people in the UK received the first dose between Dec. 8 and Dec. 20.

"The vaccine roll out in care homes in England began on Wednesday 16 December, with hundreds of residents vaccinated across seven care homes... Larger care homes with 50-70 beds will be prioritised at first, with around 2,900 care homes of this size in England," the statement added. "Over the coming weeks and months the rate of vaccination will increase as more doses become available and the programme continues to expand, with more vaccines being delivered direct to care homes."

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, “In just over three weeks, the NHS in every part of the UK has already set up hundreds of vaccination sites to ensure those most in need can receive their jab as quickly as possible. This is just the beginning and we are continually expanding our vaccination programme to help everyone get back to normal in the future.”

Mexico, the first country in Latin American, will begin its coronavirus vaccination campaign today, according to officials in a Twitter post. 

Hospital nurse María Irene Ramírez in Mexico City was the first person to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as part of the government’s strategy to focus on healthcare workers first before moving on to the elderly, who are considered most at risk.

"We will pull through. Well yes, we’re very afraid, but we have to pull through because someone has to lead this effort and I am willing to continue on the battle front," she added

New York reported 12,568 new cases of Covid-19 as of Dec. 23, according to the state’s Covid-19 dashboard. 

The state has 6,928 total Covid-19 hospitalizations, according to a tweet from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

New York reports a 5.55% test positivity rate, according to the tweet. 

“Sadly, there were 129 fatalities,” according to the tweet.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is requiring all United Airlines passengers with flights originating in the UK and flying into Newark Liberty International Airport to have a negative Covid-19 test before arriving in the state, according to a release from the governor’s office.

This comes after the UK announced the discovery of a new variant of Covid-19 in the country. 

Passengers will be required to test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours of their flight. 

Earlier this week, three other airlines agreed to test all passengers coming from the UK into New York for Covid-19.

Arizona reported the highest day of hospitalizations for the second day in a row, a graph tweeted by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey shows.

The number of inpatient Covid-19 patients hospitalized in Arizona increased to at least 4,221 from 4,163 yesterday, the governor said in a tweet Thursday.

Intensive care unit beds in use by Covid-19 patients decreased Thursday from 972 to 965 and the number of ventilators in use decreased to 620 from 673, Ducey said in a tweet.

The percentage of patients with Covid-like illness seen in Arizona hospitals is now at 16.6%, the governor tweeted.

There were at least 7,046 new Covid-19 cases and 115 new deaths reported Thursday for a total of 480,319 cases and 8,294 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the Arizona Department of Health Service dashboard.

A total of 3,107,007 Covid-19 tests have been reported in the state of Arizona, with 23,378 of those test results being reported Thursday, the ADHS website shows.

The safest way to celebrate the new year during the pandemic is at home with the people you live with, or online with friends and family, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in guidance posted to its website on Wednesday.

For those that host a celebration, CDC suggests staying outside, limiting the number of guests, making extra masks available and keeping background music low to avoid shouting. 

When attending a celebration, the agency says masks should be worn indoors and outdoors and alcohol and drugs that can alter judgement should be avoided. 

“While it is possible that some people may receive COVID-19 vaccines before New Year’s Eve, continue taking steps to protect yourself and others for some time to come,” the CDC says.

CDC also suggests other activities, such as having a virtual celebration with loved ones, planning a New Year’s party for the people who live in a household, reaching out to friends, family and neighbors, watching live streamed fireworks or planning an outdoor activity. 

“It’s okay if you decide to postpone or cancel your gathering. Do what’s best for you,” the guidance says.

If celebrating with people outside of your household, CDC suggests wearing a mask – even under a scarf when outside – and staying at least 6 feet apart, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, washing hands, staying home if sick and getting a flu shot as soon as possible. 

Holiday travel may also increase a person’s chance of getting and spreading Covid-19, and CDC continues to recommend postponing travel.