COVID Live Updates: US hits 12 million cases, but signs of hope on horizon

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New vaccines in the United States may soon come to the rescue, even as the numbers present a grim story with nearly 9,500 Americans dying in the past week.

The number of COVID cases in the United States is up to 12 million since the pandemic began.

Mona Kosar Abdi reports on the latest developments with COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer filed for emergency use authorization from the FDA for its vaccine on Friday, and Moderna expects to file by the end of the month.

However, there are concerns within the health industry that many Americans are not willing to be vaccinated.

On Saturday, the FDA granted emergency use authorization for Regeneron. The antibody cocktail was administered to President Trump when he was diagnosed with coronavirus last month.

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Here are more of today's headlines:

Two NJ schools switch to all-remote

Two Verona schools in New Jersey announced a switch to remote learning after a total of three individuals tested positive for coronavirus. Verona High School and H.B. Whitehorne Middle School will transition to fully remote instruction for the next 14 days.

Connecticut COVID update

The state of Connecticut reported Monday over 5,000 new cases and 43 deaths. The statewide positivity rate is 4.83%.

Sadly, there were 43 additional COVID-19 deaths this weekend.

LI hospital suspends emergency department visitation

Mount Sinai South Nassau announced it is suspending patient visitation in the Emergency Department (ED) until further notice due to the rise in the number of residents and patients testing positive for COVID-19. The hospital said ED staff will keep visitors/companions updated on the condition and status their loved ones by phone. The only exceptions are for parents of pediatric patients and end of life.

Columbia University bans 70 students from classes after COVID travel violation

Students at New York's Columbia Business School who recently violated the university's COVID-19 travel policy are temporarily prohibited from attending in-person classes.

Cuomo receives International Emmy Award for COVID leadership

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo received the Founders Award at the 48th International Emmy Awards in recognition of his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuomo: 'Staten Island is a serious problem'

Governor Andrew Cuomo says the southern part of Staten Island is now an orange zone and could be headed to a red zone. He says "we're running into a hospital capacity issue on Staten Island." In addition, Cuomo said Upper Manhattan and parts of Long Island have moved into the yellow zone.

Thanksgiving Travel TSA

Despite the CDC's new guidance this week advising Americans against traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday, daily figures show TSA processed 1,019,836 passengers on Friday. That's the second-highest number since March 17 (1,031,505 passengers were screened on October 18). That's still down more than 1.5 million passengers from a year ago the same day. The CDC says "the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with."

'A vortex of bad facts,' Murphy says of rising COVID rates in New Jersey

The number of people suffering from COVID-19 are in New Jersey hospitals remains at its highest level since late May. 537 people in ICU is the most since June 3. Governor Phil Murphy told "Good Morning America's" George Stephanopoulos, "We do have some realities that are stark." The cases of coronavirus continue to rise in New Jersey and it's only getting worse Murphy says due to colder weather, more people indoors, pandemic fatigue, and transmission happening behind closed doors.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be very different this year amid COVID-19 pandemic

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will go on this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, but it will be very different than normal. The Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of the biggest traditions nationwide, and the company had previously said the parade will be "re-imagined," similar to the way the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks were over the summer. The 94th edition of the iconic event will usher in the holiday season with a televised celebration featuring giant character balloons, animated floats, incredible street performances, musical acts, and the one-and-only Santa Claus -- but there will be no audience or media with millions watching safely at home.

Poll: 1 in 3 parents say family holiday gatherings worth the risk of catching, spreading COVID-19

One-third of parents believe the benefits of gathering the family together for Thanksgiving is worth the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19, according to a new poll published Monday. That's despite the fact that nine out of 10 parents said grandparents -- one of the highest-risk groups for severe infections -- were typically at their Thanksgiving gathering. Polling results were based on responses from nearly 1,500 nationally representative parents with at least one child age 12 or under.

"Our report suggests that while many children have spent less time with relatives during the pandemic, some parents may have a hard time foregoing holiday gatherings in order to reduce COVID-19 risks," said Sarah Clark, co-director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at Michigan Medicine.

Chart-topping R&B singer moved off ventilator

Chart-topping R&B singer Jeremih, who was born Jeremy Felton, has been transferred out of the ICU at a Chicago hospital after experiencing complications due to COVID-19, his mother says.

"A couple of hours later he was calling me saying, 'Mom, I need to go to the hospital.' All of a sudden he couldn't walk," said his mother Gwenda Starling. "He was barely walking. He was holding his stomach."

Jeremih was at his mother's Chicago home when he suddenly felt sick and went to lie down for a minute. Jeremih was diagnosed with COVID-19 and quickly went downhill. He's been in a Chicago hospital since Nov. 5.

AstraZeneca: COVID-19 vaccine 'highly effective' prevention

AstraZeneca said Monday that late stage trials of its COVID-19 vaccine developed with Oxford University were "highly effective'' in preventing disease. The results are based on interim analysis of trials in the U.K. and Brazil of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca. No hospitalizations or severe cases of COVID-19 were reported in those receiving the vaccine, AstraZeneca said.

Know your NYC COVID Zone

You can find your COVID zone at NYC.gov/covidzone.

CDC updated Thanksgiving guidelines

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut out-of-state travelers information

New CDC guidelines on masks

New York City Positivity Tracker

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