How many cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been confirmed in the US?

, as of today, December 4, 2020 at 8:26 AM, EDT, there have been:

The 5 states with the highest total confirmed cases are:

 with 34 775 reported fatalities, followed by 

 with 1 003 141 people who have recovered, followed by 

 California leads in number of persons tested

 with 24 474 642 people tested, followed by 

How many cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed globally?

Articles

Data from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 interactive map on coronavirus cases, mortalities, recoveries, and more.

COVID-19 Update: US and Global Cases, Deaths, and Recoveries as of December 4, 2020

After nearly a year of covering COVID-19 and the pandemic's impact on you, our healthcare provider readers and your patients, the editors at 

 are opting to offer a moment or 2 of—dare we say, fun? 

To help spread a little holiday spirit, we trolled more than a few online lists of 2020's gift recommendations for healthcare professionals. We passed up the espresso machines and soft leather doctor bags in favor some more frivolous selections, some of which may prove functional as well.   

Take a minute to check out our 10 gift suggestions—for a practice partner, a hard-working resident, the healthcare professional next door, or even yourself. 

In an effort to support some good-natured holiday healthcare gift-giving, editors at Patient Care® did some window shopping for you. Take a moment, take a breath, and scroll. 

10 Great Doctor Gifts Worth Giving... or, Having 

Women face a 20% increased risk of developing heart failure (HF) or dying within 5 years after their first severe heart attack vs men, according to a new study published November 30, 2020 in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal

Previous studies examining sex differences in heart health have often focused on recurrent heart attack or mortality, but the differences in vulnerability to HF between men and women after a heart attack is unclear.

“Close enough is not good enough...there are gaps across diagnosis, access, quality of care and follow-up for all patients, so we need to be vigilant, pay attention to our own biases and to those most vulnerable to ensure that we have done everything possible in providing the best treatment"

For this reason, researchers analyzed data on 45 064 patients (30.8% women) hospitalized for a first myocardial infarction (MI) between 2002 and 2016 in Alberta, Canada. Researchers focused on 2 types of heart attacks: ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) and non-STEMI (NSTEMI).

There were 20 327 patients in the STEMI group (26.5% women, 73.5% men) and 24 737 patients in the NSTEMI group (34.3% women, 65.7% men). Patients were followed for an average of 6.2 years.

In addition to the increased risk of developing HF among women, results showed women were older (median age, 72 vs 61 years), had more comorbidities, and had lower rates of diagnostic angiography vs men (74% vs 87%).

The development of HF either in the hospital or after discharge remained higher for women vs men for both STEMI and NSTEMI groups.

Women had a higher unadjusted rate of mortality in the hospital vs men in both the STEMI (9.4% vs 4.5%) and NSTEMI (4.7% vs 2.9%) groups, but this gap narrowed considerably for those in NSTEMI group after confounder adjustments.

Women had more complicated medical histories at the time of their first heart attacks, including hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Women were seen less frequently in the hospital by a cardiovascular specialist compared to men (72.8% vs 84%).

Regardless of whether their heart attacks were severe or less severe, few women were prescribed medications such as β-blockers or cholesterol-lowering drugs.

“Identifying when and how women may be at higher risk for heart failure after a heart attack can help providers develop more effective approaches for prevention,” said lead study author Justin A. Ezekowitz, MBBCh, MSc, a cardiologist and co-director of the Canadian VIGOUR Centre, University of Alberta, Canada, in a AHA 

. “Better adherence to reducing cholesterol, controlling high blood pressure, getting more exercise, eating a healthy diet and stopping smoking, combined with recognition of these problems earlier in life would save thousands of lives of women—and men.”

The next step—according to co-author Padma Kaul, PhD—is to further examine if all patients, particularly women, are receiving proper care and where interventions can address oversights.

“Close enough is not good enough,” said Kaul, co-director, Canadian VIGOUR Centre, professor, department of medicine, University of Alberta, in the same press release. “There are gaps across diagnosis, access, quality of care and follow-up for all patients, so we need to be vigilant, pay attention to our own biases and to those most vulnerable to ensure that we have done everything possible in providing the best treatment.”

New research found women face a 20% increased risk of developing heart failure or dying within 5 years after their first heart attack vs men. 

Study: Women at Higher Risk vs Men for Heart Failure or Death After First Heart Attack

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday 

 2 shorter quarantine options for people exposed to COVID-19: 10 days without appearance of symptoms and 7 days if a diagnostic test is negative. 

The revised options are based on review of new research and on an "acceptable risk" of transmission. Citing a desire to reduce the significant personal, social, and economic burden of the 14-day requirement, the agency also hopes the options will increase overall compliance and improve observance of public health recommendations. 

The CDC reduced the length of quarantine required for persons exposed to someone infected with SARS-CoV-2 from 14 days to 10 or to 7 with a negative test. 

CDC Reduces COVID-19 Quarantine Requirement

, as of today, December 3, 2020 at 10:27 AM, EDT, there have been:

 with 34 718 reported fatalities, followed by 

 with 993 151 people who have recovered, followed by 

 with 24 299 126 people tested, followed by 

COVID-19 Update: US and Global Cases, Deaths, and Recoveries as of December 3, 2020

The year 2020 has been one-of-a-kind as the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began to spread globally just after the new year and "social distancing" has become everyday language. 

Just like this unique year, there were a number of drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that were first-in-class or novel in another way in all 4 quarters of 2020. For example, the first and only FDA-approved COVID-19 treatment; the first adjuvanted, cell-based flu vaccine for use in persons aged ≥6 months; and a first-in-class adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase inhibitor to treat heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. In the slides below, we recap these drugs and 11 more to prepare primary care clinicians for 2021. 

14 Drugs Approved for Primary Care in 2020

Get a quick look at 14 of the many FDA-approved drugs in 2020 for conditions commonly seen in primary care. 

SGLT2 inhibitors in a series of landmark trials have shown significant benefits in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and in patients with chronic kidney disease - regardless of the presence of diabetes in either population. So, which specialty should be considered "primary" for prescribing the drugs: Cardiologists? Endocrinologists? Nephrologists? Primary care?

University of Glasgow cardiologist and lead investigator of the 

 of dapagliflozin is clear on the answer. He makes a "special plea for primary care physicians" as first-line prescribers. He explains his thinking in this short interview.  

Videos

Primary care clinicians should be the first to prescribe SGLT2 inhibitors for many reasons, as explained by Prof Jonathan McMurray in this Patient Care interview. 


DAPA-CKD Investigator: "PCPs Should be First-line Prescribers of SGLT2 Inhibitors"  

 is the first dedicated chronic kidney disease trial of a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor to include patients both with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D) and to specify renal outcomes as the primary endpoint.  The study's positive findings build on similarly notable outcomes from the earlier 

 of dapagliflozin used to treat patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) also with and without T2D.  

DAPA-CKD principal investigator John McMurray, Professor of Cardiology at the University of Glasgow Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, discussed the findings, the likes of which  his nephrologist colleagues "have never seen before" with Patient Care. 

DAPA-CKD investigator Professor John McMurray details the trial and renal and cardiovascular outcomes for Patient Care Online. 

Professor John McMurray Highlights DAPA-CKD Trial Outcomes 

, as of today, December 2, 2020 at 12:26 PM, EDT, there have been:

 with 34 662 reported fatalities, followed by 

 with 976 517 people who have recovered, followed by 

 with 24 161 313 people tested, followed by 

COVID-19 Update: US and Global Cases, Deaths, and Recoveries as of December 2, 2020

The Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom became the first global agency to authorize a supply of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine for emergency use.

The MHRA granted Pfizer and BioNTech a temporary authorization for emergency use of their COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, BNT162b2, following a global phase 3 trial that demonstrated a vaccine efficacy rate of 95%, according to a December 2, 2020, 

“Today’s Emergency Use Authorization in the U.K. marks a historic moment in the fight against COVID-19,” said Albert Bourla, chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), Pfizer, in the press release. “As we anticipate further authorizations and approvals, we are focused on moving with the same level of urgency to safely supply a high-quality vaccine around the world. With thousands of people becoming infected, every day matters in the collective race to end this devastating pandemic.”

In the phase 3 trial, BNT162b2 demonstrated a vaccine efficacy rate of 95% (

<.0001) in participants without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (first primary objective) and in participants with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (second primary objective), 7 days after the second dose.

The first primary objective analysis was based on 170 cases of COVID-19 and efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race, and ethnicity demographics, with an efficacy rate of >94% in participants aged ≥65 years.

Also, BNT162b2 was generally well tolerated with no serious safety concerns, according to the press release.

Both Pfizer and BioNTech have filed a request for emergency use authorization with the US Food and Drug Administration and a decision is expected in December. The first doses in the United Kingdom are expected to arrive in the coming days.

“We believe that the roll-out of the vaccination program in the U.K. will reduce the number of people in the high-risk population being hospitalized. Our aim is to bring a safe and effective vaccine upon approval to the people who need it,” said Ugur Sahin, MD, CEO, co-founder, BioNTech, in the Pfizer press release.

The United Kingdom became the first country to grant emergency use authorization for a vaccine to combat COVID-19. 