Coronavirus updates: Joe Biden pledges to deliver 100M doses in 100 days; US reaches 15M infections; Trump holds vaccinne "summit"

Coronavirus updates: Joe Biden pledges to deliver 100M doses in 100 days; US reaches 15M infections; Ohio-State Michigan football game off The US surpassed 15 million coronavirus cases Tuesday – with almost exactly 1 in 22 Americans testing positive. Latest COVID-19 news. John Bacon, Elinor Aspegren and Grace Hauck USA TODAY

The U.S. surpassed 15 million coronavirus cases Tuesday – with almost exactly 1 in 22 Americans having tested positive – while the United Kingdom became the first western government to start vaccinating its population.

The U.S. could begin its own mass vaccination within days. And it can't come soon enough. With about 4.3% of the world's population, the United States represents about 22% of the world's reported cases. With 284,887 deaths, the United States represents about 18.4% of the world's reported deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University's dashboard. 

Meanwhile, Mexico announced plans to begin vaccinating its people later this month, starting with health workers. Russia is beginning mass vaccinations as well. But there is a hitch: Recipients aren't supposed to drink alcohol for almost two months. That's a tough ask in a country where some polls indicate only about 25% of the population was willing to get vaccinated.

• President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday outlined his top three goals once he's sworn into office, with one being to deliver 100 million vaccinations during the first 100 days. The vaccinations are expected to require two inoculations for each person, so his goal would be to vaccinate 50 million people. ...

• President Donald Trump, his days in office numbered, touted an executive order Tuesday he said will prioritize Americans for COVID-19 vaccines amid questions about how many doses will be available and how soon they will be distributed.

  The White House "summit," which Trump used to highlight the speedy development of several vaccine candidates and their expected FDA authorization, came as the administration is facing scrutiny over whether it ordered enough doses to rapidly inoculate the public from a pandemic that has already killed more than 284,000 Americans.

  Trump signed an order asserting the government must ensure Americans have access to the vaccine before it is shipped to other countries. But the practical implications of the order and how it would be enforced are unclear given that drug manufacturers are obligated to honor contracts signed with other governments.

  White House officials did not immediately provide the text of the order. 

   

• An FDA panel on Thursday will consider an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine now being used in England. Around 50 hospitals in the U.K.'s state-run National Health Service started administering the COVID-19 inoculation to people over 80 who are either hospitalized or have outpatient appointments scheduled, along with nursing home workers.
• For the first time in more than 100 years, the University of Michigan and Ohio State University won't face off in its annual rivalry game due to the coronavirus pandemic.