VIRUS TODAY: US leads virus deaths, global count tops 80M

VIRUS TODAY: US leads virus deaths, global count tops 80M

SeattlePI.com

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Here’s what’s happening Saturday with the pandemic in the U.S.:

THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY

— The U.S. is by far the leading nation in COVID-19 cases as the number of infections globally topped 80 million. Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University reported the mark Saturday morning after 472,000 cases were recorded worldwide Christmas Day. The number of deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic across the globe stands at 1.75 million. The U.S. has reported 18.8 million infections, followed by India with 10.2 million and Brazil with 7.45 million.

— The pandemic’s impact on the Census count of the homeless has authorities concerned. Federal officials and advocates fear the 2020 Census has vastly underestimated the number of homeless residents. The Census Bureau identified 33,000 homeless camps last spring for census takers to visit but postponed the count until the fall because of COVID-19. Now the General Accounting Office says the pandemic-ravaged economy might reduce the count because employed people who answered the Census last spring might now be jobless and on the street.

— The COVID-19 community hotline was among emergency communications that were out of order in Nashville, Tennessee, after a recreational vehicle exploded in the city's downtown early Christmas morning. An AT&T central office was affected by the blast, knocking out police emergency systems across Tennessee and Kentucky. Authorities believe the blast was intentional but have said they don't know the motive.

THE NUMBERS: The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. increased in the last two weeks from 2,369.3 on Dec. 11 to 2,376.6 on Dec. 25, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

DEATH TOLL: The number of COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. stands at...

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