(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)BEIJING — China says it is now treating more than 1,000 people for COVID-19 as numbers of cases continue to surge in the country’s north. ___AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has distributed more than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. State health officials say Texas had more than 14,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals and its death toll has passed 30,000. ___COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina will now allow medical students, retired nurses and other qualified professionals to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. ___MADRID — Spain reported 35,878 confirmed coronavirus cases and 201 new deaths from the coronavirus.

As more frontline health care workers and elected officials receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, public confidence is beginning to grow, according to a recent Google survey of Texas residents. The survey asked Texans to rate their trust in the new vaccine on a 10-point scale, with 10 showing the most confidence. Out of 501 Texans surveyed from Sept. 26 to Oct. 6, only 23% of them — 119 in all — answered between 8 to 10, expressing great confidence in the vaccine. Between Dec. 10 and Dec. 19, about two months after the first poll, 501 Texans were asked the same question. In Texas, hospital officials and elected officials have publicly broadcast vaccinations in an effort to improve confidence in the vaccine.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON – The leader of the Trump administration's vaccination program says people who have been infected with the coronavirus — a group that includes President Donald Trump — should receive the vaccine. So I think, as a clear precaution, it is appropriate to be vaccinated because it’s safe," he said. Trump was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October and given an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment that he credited for his swift recovery. “From a scientific point of view, I will remind people that the president has had COVID within the last 90 days. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, is among those who have recommended that Trump be vaccinated without delay.

But when the latest shortfall hit the local allotment of new COVID-19 vaccine doses, Washington's neighboring states pitched in to help make up the difference. In a heartening demonstration of interstate collectivism, Maryland and Virginia are each sending 8,000 vaccine doses, more than tripling the amount available for health care workers in the nation's capital. The dosage allotments were based on population, but many of Washington's health care workers live in the intertwined neighboring communities of Maryland and northern Virginia. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had sent a letter to U.S. health officials claiming the “one-size-fits-all formula for distribution” would prove “woefully insufficient.”Govs. None of the three jurisdictions will receive anywhere close to enough doses in the first batch to cover all their health care workers.

The Pentagon has authorized nearly 50 top civilian and military leaders to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks to prove to the shots are safe and effective. Indoor restaurant dining will continue to be barred under the new state health department order that takes effect Monday. Laura Kelly is expressing little concern over a smaller-than-expected second shipment of a coronavirus vaccine for the state. The state also reported total 2,341 COVID-19 deaths, adding 88 to the tally since Wednesday. ___BERN — The Swiss government is ordering the closure of restaurants, bars, cultural venues and sports facilities next week because of increasing coronavirus cases.

Vice President Mike Pence receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex, Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, in Washington. Conspicuously absent: President Donald Trump, who has remained largely out of sight five days into the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history. Trump did appear at a White House “summit” ahead of the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the Pfizer vaccine last week. “Don’t let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines,” Trump has told reporters. “It simply isn’t good enough to have Vice President Pence as a proxy."

Surgeon General Jerome Adams will hold a press conference alongside faculty and administrators at George Washington University Hospital and the GW Medical Faculty Associates as part of the National Ceremonial COVID-19 Vaccination Kick Off Event. Relieved,” said critical case nurse Sandra Lindsay after getting a shot in the arm at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. Shipments of precious frozen vials of vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech began arriving at hospitals around the country Monday. But it’s a long tunnel,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said as he watched Lindsay’s vaccination via video.

First lady Melania Trump stands next to the 2020 Official White House Christmas tree as it is presented on the North Portico of the White House, Monday, Nov. 23, 2020, in Washington. “It is a longstanding tradition for people to visit and enjoy the cheer and iconic décor of the annual White House Christmas celebrations." That includes smaller guest lists, requiring masks, encouraging social distancing on the White House grounds and hand sanitizer stations placed throughout the State Floor. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Monday repeatedly evaded questions about indoor holiday parties scheduled at the White House while calling other Americans' indoor gatherings potential “super-spreader” events. Not long after, the first lady attended a small outdoor ceremony on the White House driveway to mark the arrival of the large Christmas tree that will adorn the White House Blue Room.

Spain has a national 14-day cumulative number of 527 coronavirus cases per 100,000 population, one of the highest in Europe. The rolling average of daily deaths rose from 10.1 to 15.3 and the positivity average increased from 8.9% to 11.8%. ___THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Netherlands reported coronavirus cases fell by 5%, the first decrease in weeks. Dutch public health institute says confirmed coronavirus cases in the past seven days went from 67,542 to 64,087. It lays out new rules for what are considered “essential” items during a monthlong lockdown effort to slow coronavirus infections.

With a total of 8.2 million coronavirus cases during the pandemic, India is the second worst-hit country behind the United States. Still, health officials say New Delhi remains in the grip of its third and worst wave of infections yet. But health officials elsewhere say the virus is also spreading because people are still going to family gathering such as weddings, baby showers and barbecues. Adams and his aide were in Hawaii helping with a spike in coronavirus cases. The most recently available data from Johns Hopkins University says that as of Sunday there had been 937,317 COVID-19 cases reported in Texas.

HONOLULU – The U.S. surgeon general is set to be arraigned Wednesday in a virtual court hearing in Hawaii on charges he illegally entered a public park that was closed because of the coronavirus. The rural park offers a view of the famed Mokolii island, also known as Chinaman’s Hat for its cone shape. Adams' attorney, Michael Green, appeared for the surgeon general Wednesday and said his client understands the charge and will plead not guilty. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell had closed them at the time to try to prevent crowding that could spread the virus. It’s important that we all do the right things right now, even if we don’t feel we are personally at risk.”

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2020 file photo Surgeon General Jerome Adams, appears before a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Adams was cited for being in a closed Hawaii park in August while in the islands helping with surge testing amid a spike in coronavirus cases, according to a criminal complaint filed in court. (Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP,File)HONOLULU – The U.S. surgeon general was cited for being in a closed Hawaii park in August while in the islands helping with surge testing amid a spike in coronavirus cases, according to a criminal complaint filed in court. “We do not have a comment at this time,” said Kate Migliaccio-Grabill, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Surgeon General said. David Ige's office said he wasn't immediately aware the Surgeon General was cited while he was here.

“This is just good commonsense public health." Sandra Crouse Quinn, a University of Maryland professor who researches crisis communications during public health emergencies, said it’s critical not to overreassure people in a pandemic. Dr. Howard Koh of Harvard’s school of public health said unflinchingly communicating what’s known as soon as possible helps build trust that will be necessary as the pandemic progresses. Koh said the role of the White House in a pandemic is to galvanize national attention for public health officials and then step out of the way. As the fallout played out last week, Trump got some backup from Fauci, who told Fox News that he didn't get the sense that Trump had distorted anything.

WASHINGTON Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Sunday the Trump administration is trying to correct its guidance from earlier in the coronavirus epidemic that wearing face coverings was not necessary. With virus cases surging and many states and cities now issuing orders to wear masks in public, Adams said he and other administration officials were wrong back in March. When we learned better, we do better.Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins University, told Fox News Sunday that he would have liked to have seen administration officials wear masks sooner. Trump was seen wearing a mask in public for the first time Saturday during a visit to a military hospital. Read also:US grapples with pandemic as WHO experts trace origins in ChinaNearly 80 Texas counties are opting out of Texas mask order.

WASHINGTON Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is downplaying the risk of sending kids back to school despite surging coronavirus cases in many parts of the U.S.During Sunday TV interviews, DeVos stressed that kids attending school in the fall should be the rule, not the exception. She asserted that theres nothing in the data that suggests that kids being in school is in any way dangerous.But she was contradicted by public health experts who said the virus can still be dangerous to kids, even if the risk is lower. Last week, the Texas Education Agency issued guidance for school districts as the state continues to see an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Texas teachers caught in the middle of political battles over schools reopeningParents can choose to send their children to full-time on-campus or remote learning for the 2020-21 school year. Students will be able to switch formats at the end of grading periods.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)WASHINGTON The federal government launched a broad national campaign Tuesday aimed at reducing high suicide rates, urging the public to reach out to others, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, and acknowledge daily stresses in people's lives. Known as REACH, the government campaign is the core part of a $53 million, two-year effort announced by President Donald Trump to reduce suicide, particularly among veterans. With the coronavirus still raging across communities, officials expressed hope that the message of suicide prevention can aid the public more widely, not just veterans. The website offers information on risk factors for suicide and ways people can get help. By having this conversation, we will save lives, said Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, executive director of the suicide prevention effort.

The US Surgeon General on Sunday urged people to wear face coverings, saying they will promote freedom during the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Jerome Adams pushed back on the idea that face coverings infringe on freedoms, saying they're important to slow the spread of coronavirus and reopen the economy. "Some feel face coverings infringe on their freedom of choice- but if more wear them, we'll have MORE freedom to go out," Surgeon General Adams wrote in a tweet Sunday morning. He said face coverings lead to less asymptomatic spread of the virus, which leads to more places opening sooner. At the time, CDC cited growing evidence that people could spread coronavirus without feeling sick.

Of those, 1,036 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours. And by late Thursday, the virus had killed more than 108,000 people in the United States and infected at least 1.8 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. Officials fear those numbers will rise following the protests, and are urging those taking part to get tested for coronavirus. Those characteristics differ from those of classic Kawasaki disease, according to the study. Pepcid could ease coronavirus symptomsA common, over-the-counter drug used for treating heartburn may have provided relief to coronavirus patients.

(CNN) -- US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said to expect new outbreaks of the coronavirus resulting from the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd that have seen thousands of people gather in close proximity. The coronavirus pandemic has also disproportionately affected communities of color, an issue Adams has highlighted. "Based on the way the disease spreads, there is every reason to expect that we will see new clusters and potentially new outbreaks moving forward," he added. "We won't fix or remove all the obstacles and stressors that are affecting people's health and wellbeing - especially ones like racism- over night. CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta said on CNN Tuesday that the US may not see the impact of the protests on coronavirus infection rates and hospitalizations until three to four weeks later.

The United States' top doctor has one simple request: Stop buying face masks. US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams' message, posted to Twitter on Saturday, was a response to face mask shortages as people stocked up due to coronavirus concerns. "Seriously people," he began, and though it's a tweet, you can almost hear the exasperation in his plea. "STOP BUYING MASKS!" With coronavirus popping up in the United States, some have begun buying face masks as a form of protection, despite the likes of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Vice President Mike Pence saying they're unnecessary.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Surgeon General Jerome Adams made the announcement, with Azar calling marijuana "a dangerous drug." It's a commonly used drug among youths, they said, along with alcohol and e-cigarettes. Among pregnant women, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, with about 7% reporting they had used it within the past month in a 2017 study. HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir said pregnant women taking marijuana to relieve morning sickness should stop. Taking marijuana for morning sickness has never been shown to be safe and effective."