Coronavirus live updates: The quest for toilet paper rolls — why panic buying has returned to Bay Area

58 min readNov 25, 2020

1of9City SF COVID testing site at Pier 30 in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, November 12, 2020. California hit 1 million COVID cases on Thursday as the pandemic continues practically unabated across the country.

The Chronicle’s Live Updates page documents the latest events in the coronavirus outbreak in the Bay Area, the state of California and across the U.S. with a focus on health and economic impacts.

Resources on COVID-19 and California’s reopening: Use our interactive page to track the state and Bay Area’s reopening by county. For detailed maps and new city-by-city Bay Area data, check out The Chronicle’s Coronavirus Tracker. Find Bay Area COVID-19 testing sites that don’t require doctor referrals in our interactive map. To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

Total coronavirus cases:

• 1,147,392 cases in California, including 18,873 deaths

• 142,865 cases in the Bay Area, including 1,933 deaths

• More than 12.6 million in the U.S., including more than 260,000 deaths. Other states with the highest death tolls are New York with 34,339; Texas with 21,049; Florida with 18,085; New Jersey with 16,772; Illinois 12,111 and Massachusetts with 10,531. Click on the Chronicle’s Coronavirus Tracker for a state by state case count and tally of deaths.

• More than 59 million in the world, with more than 1.4 million deaths. More than 38 million people have recovered.

Latest updates from today:

8:59 a.m. Fauci says ‘of course’ he’d serve on Biden task force: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said he’d “absolutely” serve on President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force if asked. “Of course, yes. The answer is absolutely,” Fauci replied to a CSPAN interview question on Wednesday. Fauci, a member of President Trump’s coronavirus task force, has endured sidelining and disparagement from the president, who has downplayed the pandemic often does not like the science-based warnings and information Fauci presents.

8:46 a.m. How much is that video in the window? This holiday season, the dowtown San Francisco Macy’s window still has adorable little kittens and puppies showing off their cuteness, but like so much else in pandemic times, they are virtual this year. In lieu of live animals that each year encourage people to adopt a pet, three video monitors play short video clips of them — a change meant to keep potentially coronavirus-spreading crowds from gathering on the sidewalk. The Chronicle’s Steve Rubenstein has the story.

8:37 a.m. U.S. death toll passes 260,000: More than 260,000 Americans now have lost their lives to the coronavirus, according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University as of Wednesday morning. Case numbers are increasing at an unprecedented clip across the country, with more than 12.6 million people infected since the start of the pandemic.

8:27 a.m. Another Trump lawyer infected: Boris Epshteyn, a member President Trump’s legal team, tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday. He tweeted that he had “mild symptoms” and was quarantining. Epshteyn was at a news conference last week with Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani’s son Andrew Giuliani, a White House aide who announced the next day he had tested positive for the virus, the New York Times reports.

8:20 a.m. Contact tracing guidelines scaled back: The coronavirus is spreading so fast and far that overwhelmed state and local health officials are scaling back one contact tracing efforts, or even abandoning them altogether, the New York Times reports. On Monday, the CDC released new guidance calling on health departments to focus contact tracing on people who tested positive within the past six days and especially those at the greatest risk of infecting others. Patients infected more than 14 days ago should not be traced, the new guidance says.

8:14 a.m. U.S. adds 2 million cases in 2 weeks: For the first time since the coronavirus outbreak hit the United States, the country has added more than one million cases in each of the past two consecutive weeks. COVID-19 deaths, which lag reported cases by weeks, are also at a level not seen since the spring.

7:49 a.m. Jobless claims rise, tamping down stocks: The Dow fell below the record 30,000 mark it set Tuesday. Weekly jobless claims rose to 778,000, marking a second week of increasing unemployment as the surge in coronavirus cases and tightening restrictions affected more businesses.

7:36 a.m. East Oakland nonprofit makes world of difference at Thanksgiving: The East Oakland Collective organized two Thanksgiving meal distributions this week — handing out a home-cooked meal with turkey, cornbread stuffing, green beans, mashed sweet potatoes and apple crisp — thanks to a partnership with a new nonprofit Chefs for the People, formed by two Berkeley chefs who were concerned about pandemic food insecurity and wanted to give back to the black community. Read the story here.

7:25 a.m. Hunger in U.S. hits new highs: More Americans are going hungry now than at any point during the deadly coronavirus pandemic, according to a Washington Post analysis of new federal data, as the economic downturn has tightened its grip and government relief programs have expired or will terminate at the end of the year. In some states, cars wait by the hundreds in free food lines. Experts say it is likely that there’s more hunger in the United States today than at any point since 1998, when the Census Bureau began collecting comparable data.

7:14 a.m. When your day centers around Costco’s toilet paper restock: Panic buying is back — big time. Consumers are emptying store shelves of essential items, with toilet paper in particular a hot commodity in the Bay Area. But why — when the supply chain can meet demand? Annie Vainshtein delves into what’s behind people’s need to stuff their pantries.

Updates from Tuesday, Nov. 24:

10:43 p.m. Muni operator dies from COVID-19 complications: A Muni operator has died from COVID-19 complications, Muni and local union officials said Tuesday. In a YouTube announcement, Muni director Jeffrey Tumlin said the operator had been on long-term leave since before the coronavirus pandemic began, and “had not come into contact with anyone in recent months.” Read the story here.

Map: COVID-19 cases across California

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See how COVID-19 outbreak unfolded across the Bay Area

10:40 p.m. Los Angeles County records the highest death toll in months: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 51 new deaths on Tuesday, the highest number on record since Sep. 9. “COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to accelerate at alarming speed,” the agency said in a statement. County officials added that there are 1,575 people currently hospitalized and 26% of these people are in the ICU. They are urging residents to avoid gathering for the Thanksgiving holiday and observe safety measures.

6:15 p.m. The college basketball season is set to begin Wednesday: But virus issues have upended schedules for several Bay Area teams; e.g., Stanford announced Tuesday that its opener scheduled for Wednesday against Utah Valley has been canceled because of virus issues with the Utah Valley program. Check out the men’s and women’s teams that are playing Wednesday.

5:40 p.m. Convalescent plasma is ineffective in treating COVID-19 patients, study says: Convalescent plasma does little to improve the health status or reduce the risk of dying in patients battling pneumonia caused by the coronavirus, according to data from a clinical trial in Argentina. The method of injecting the plasma from COVID-19 survivors into very ill hospitalized patients was touted by President Trump as a “historic breakthrough,” but did not produce better results than placebo according to the study published Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

5:25 p.m. Farm workers ask for priority in vaccine distribution: United Farm Workers say that farm workers should receive priority when a coronavirus vaccine is distributed in California. “It is imperative field laborers be among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines,” UFW Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres said in a statement on Tuesday. The foundation is part of the state’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee, which will help come up with a plan for the eventual distribution and administration of vaccines. “UFW Foundation will work to ensure vital information reaches farm workers in rural communities and assure members of the community that being vaccinated is safe and vital once the life-saving immunizations become available,” Torres said.

3:15 p.m. More than 5,000 turkeys donated to S.F. residents hurt by pandemic: A city partnership with the A. Philip Randolph Institute of San Francisco enabled delivery of donated dry goods and more than 5,000 turkeys to San Francisco residents who were “severely” financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor London Breed’s office said Tuesday. City human services officials and the mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development delivered the turkeys in lieu of large giveaway events that could not be held due to the pandemic.

3:05 p.m. Map shows where people are conforming to Thanksgiving health guidelines: The New York Times has a map showing the geographic variation in people’s plans across the nation to have Thanksgiving with people outside their households. Data is from interviews conducted by the global data and survey firm Dynata which obtained more than 150,000 survey responses from Nov. 13 to 23. The survey found that only around 27% of Americans plan to dine with people outside their household. The story and map are here.

2:53 p.m. Crime rings involving prisoners steal pandemic jobless aid: Scammers have made off with hundreds of millions of dollars meant for unemployed Californians using the names of jail and prison inmates, according to district attorneys across the state.A letter from a task force of district attorneys asked Gov. Gavin Newsom for his personal involvement and significant resources to fight “what appears to be the most significant fraud on taxpayer funds in California history.” Investigators found that 35,000 unemployment claims were filed in the name of California state prison inmates between March and August, including that of convicted murderer Scott Peterson, and that at least 20,000 had been paid out, said Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. Read more here.

2:49 p.m. White House task force issues dire warning: The White House coronavirus task force this week issued a dire warning to states of “aggressive, rapid, and expanding” spread of cases that requires a “significant behavior change” from all Americans ahead of the holidays. The task force report to states, obtained by The Hill, says that states pursuing “aggressive mitigation” are beginning to see a stabilization of cases. The report cites community spread in more than 2,000 counties, and calls for forceful efforts to “flatten the curve to sustain the health system for both COVID and non-COVID emergencies.”

2:31 p.m. Government targets mid-December vaccine shipment: Around mid-December, 6.4 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine will be shipped to every state, eight territories and six major urban areas after the vaccine receives an expected emergency authorization, officials leading the Trump administration’s push to fast-track a vaccine said on a call with reporters on Tuesday. The first doses are expected to go to health care workers and potentially a few vulnerable groups, and quantities will be based on how many adults live in each jurisdiction. “We wanted to keep this simple,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

2:25 p.m. Trump administration looks at shortening quarantine: President Trump’s coronavirus task force is considering shortening the recommended quarantine period for COVID-19, Assistant Secretary for Health Administration Brett Giroir confirmed Tuesday at a Health and Human Services news briefing. Citing a “preponderance of evidence” that the current 14 days isn’t needed, he said officials are considering a recommendation for fewer days, but he didn’t quantify it. “We are actively working on that type of guidance right now, reviewing the evidence, but we want to make absolutely sure,” Giroir said. “These kinds of recommendations aren’t willy-nilly. They’re worked on with a variety of experts.”

2:18 p.m. YouTube suspends OANN for spreading COVID-19 misinformation: YouTube temporarily banned One America News Network, one of President Trump’s favorite media outlets, from its platform Tuesday for posting new videos that spread misinformation about the coronavirus. The ban will be for one week, a YouTube spokesperson told CNN. “After careful review, we removed a video from OANN and issued a strike on the channel for violating our COVID-19 misinformation policy, which prohibits content claiming there’s a guaranteed cure.” The channel was suspended “from the YouTube Partner Program” also “due to repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy and other channel monetization policies,’ YouTube said.

2:11 p.m. Airlines’ multi-billion-dollar losses predicted: Airline fortunes are flagging as coronavirus cases spike in the U.S. and Europe. Airlines will lose more than $157 billion over this year and next because of the pandemic, their main trade group, the International Air Transport Association, said Tuesday. That was worse than the group’s June estimate of $100 billion in losses. The trade group’s chief said that without government aid, the airline industry would have suffered “massive” bankruptcies.

2:02 p.m. France to gradually ease confinement: French President Emmanuel Macron outlined Tuesday a gradual deconfinement plan that would stretch into late January but would also allow more mobility in the run-up to Christmas and New Year’s. More freedom of movement would be permitted starting Saturday, with residents allowed to travel farther beyond the 1-kilometer radius of home — although still with exemption forms. But France’s confinement period would continue until Dec. 15, assuming the number of new daily infections was less than 5,000. Cinemas and museums will reopen then, but restaurants, bars and gyms will remain closed until Jan. 20, Macron said.

1:57 p.m. Vaccine diplomacy means stockpile or share: China and Russia have rushed to share their own state-backed coronavirus vaccines with nations scrambling for supply, positioning themselves to possibly expand their political and economic interests in the process, the Washington Post reports. By contrast, the Trump administration is focused on domestic distribution from private labs — a contrast that goes well beyond the pandemic crisis, reflecting how the post-World War II world order is challenged by the rise of authoritarian powers and the retreat of the United States during the outgoing Trump administration.

1:45 p.m. CDC may shorten quarantine to as little as 1 week: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is finalizing guidance to shorten its recommended length of time that people should self-quarantine after potential exposure to the coronavirus, so more people would comply, two agency officials said Tuesday. The new guidelines would probably be seven to 10 days instead of the current 14 days, the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reported. The hope is to “help make quarantine less burdensome’ and thus increase compliance,” an official told the Times.

1:23 p.m. Record-breaking day on Wall Street: The Dow Jones industrial average rallied Tuesday, closing above 30,000 for the first time. Positive vaccine news, hope for a strong economic recovery next year and the presidential transition moving ahead all helped to propel the blue-chip index higher. It added 455 points, a gain of 1.5%, with San Ramon’s Chevron posting a 5% gain to lead the 30 Dow stocks to its record. The S&P 500 also hit a record, gaining 1.6% to close at 3,635, and the small-cap Russell 2000 gained 1.9% to a record 1,853. The Nasdaq advanced 1.3% to 12,037.

1:18 p.m. Biden team gets coronavirus briefing, Azar says: President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team has been briefed on the Trump administration’s COVID-19 response, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Tuesday. He said Rear Adm. Erica Schwartz, who leads the transition planning, briefed the Biden team Monday night on efforts to get coronavirus vaccines to the public in record time. “We are immediately getting them all of the pre-prepared transition briefing materials,” Azar said, CNBC reports. He promised a “professional, cooperative and collaborative” transition.

1:12 p.m. S.F. buys ultra-cold freezers for vaccine storage: San Francisco has purchased three “ultra-cold” freezers in anticipation of storing vaccine once the federal government begins distributing doses to states, said Dr. Grant Colfax, head of the Department of Public Health. Two of the most promising vaccines, both of which are reported to be more than 90% effective, must be kept at below-freezing temperatures and require specialized storage equipment. Local and state officials say the first vaccines may be distributed to high-priority groups, mostly frontline health care workers, before the end of the year.

1:02 p.m. Trump uses his pet ethnic slur for virus at turkey-pardoning event: President Trump took the occasion of a lighthearted Thanksgiving week tradition, the presidential turkey pardoning, to thank pandemic health care workers, and to use his repeated slam at China which he blames for the coronavirus. He called the current emergence of vaccines as “one of the greatest medical achievements that this planet has ever seen.” At the Rose Garden ceremony, he said: “During this Thanksgiving, we extend our eternal gratitude to the doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and scientists who have waged the battle against the China virus, and we give thanks for the vaccines and therapies that will soon end the pandemic.”

12:46 p.m. Hospitalizations in California up 81.3% in two weeks: The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized across California increased 81.3% in the past 14 days, Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s top health official, said Tuesday. The number stood at 5,844 as of Tuesday. The dramatic rise was accompanied by an equally troubling increase in patients in intensive care — a number that rose 51.4% in the past 14 days, and stood at 1,397 as of Ghaly’s data on Tuesday. “Our hospitals are stretched,” he said, as a fall surge gallops across the state, and health experts warn it’s likely to get worse with cold weather.

12:43 p.m. Several counties slip backward: A number of counties in California fell back to more restrictive tiers when state health officials announced the new tier assignments in the state’s reopening blueprint on Tuesday. Falling into the purple, most restrictive, category were Colusa, Del Norte, Humboldt and Lassen counties. Dropping back to red, the second most restrictive level, was Calaveras County. Reassigned to the orange, moderate, tier were Alpine and Mariposa counties.

12:38 p.m. S.F. stays red while other Bay Area counties clamp down: While San Francisco did not move into the most restrictive tier of California’s economic reopening plan as expected Tuesday, several Bay Area counties will tighten their restrictions following a sharp rise in infections and hospitalizations across the state. Read the whole story here.

12:29 p.m. Just say no — there’s a pandemic raging: Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of California Health and Human Services, offered some ways for residents to politely decline invitations to Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings. His tips: Be clear (“say no”); offer alternatives (“ask if there is another way to connect”); be honest (excuses can “easily backfire). “There’s never a more important time than now to let your friends know you are making a decision to reduce transmission and not gather,” Ghaly said during a Tuesday press briefing.

12:19 p.m. San Francisco escapes having to move to purple tier: San Francisco remained in the second-most restrictive tier of California’s reopoening blueprint when the tier assignments were announced Tuesday by state officials. The city, with cases rising, had anticipated the prospect of moving into the purple tier, the most restrictive in terms of what activities can occur, along with most of the rest of the state.

12:05 p.m. Positive test rate rises 51%: California’s 14-day rate of positive coronavirus test results, at 5.6%, is up a troubling 51% from 3.7% just two weeks ago, Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state health secretary said Tuesday. The 7-day rate is an even more ominous 5.9%. While the numbers may sound small, Ghaly told a briefing, “for us it’s a major difference” because “that trend will likely continue upwards.” The state’s most recent one-day new coronavirus infections, at 15,329, cap a 7-day average of 12,532 new daily cases.

11:54 a.m. L.A. requires visitors to sign quarantine form: Beginning Wednesday, out-of-state travelers arriving in Los Angeles by air and train must sign a form acknowledging the state’s 14-day quarantine advisory, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced. Signs in airports and train stations will remind travelers of the requirement, and airlines will notify passengers. Failure to fill out the form could result in a fine of up to $500, the Los Angeles Times reports. Garcetti said, “Our hospitals won’t have any spare beds by Christmas,” if behavior does not change to get the coronavirus under control.

11:50 a.m. Feds push to increase number of immigrants held in California: Against the backdrop of the latest and potentially most difficult wave of COVID-19 cases across the state and country, ICE officials are pushing to increase the number of immigrants detained in California, the Los Angeles Times reports. At the same time, advocates are urging California leaders to stop transfers from state prisons and jails to ICE custody and exercise public health oversight.

11:41 a.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren unveils relief bill: Sen. Elizabeth Warrn, D-Mass., on Tuesday announced she’ll introduce an $8 billion COVID Community Care Act, providing emergency funding to Black, Latino and Native American communities that have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. Warren described it as the Senate version of House legislation by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland. But its fate could well lie with the outcome of two Georgia runoffs for U.S. Senate seats.

11:30 a.m. Santa Clara County will enforce COVID-19 safety rules for Black Friday weekend: Santa Clara County is ramping up “business compliance efforts” for the Black Friday weekend from Thursday through Sunday, officials announced Tuesday. Compliance staffers in yellow vests will visit “high traffic shopping areas” to ensure businesses comply with COVID-19 density rules and other safety measures. Violators will face fines of $250, potentially into the thousands of dollars. Grocery stores must “limit capacity to 50% and clothing and retails stores (including malls) have a 25% capacity limit,” a news release said.

10:45 a.m. Tokyo set to host Olympics in July: Despite increasing coronavirus infections in Japan, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said the city is determined to host the Olympics on July 23. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach in Tokyo last week assured people the event will take place with spectators next summer. “We are putting a really huge toolbox together in which we will put all the different measures we can imagine,” he said, according to Japan Times. He vowed “to ensure a safe environment for all participants in the games.”

11:15 a.m. Britain relents to allow holiday reunions: British authorities gave the green light Tuesday to holiday reunions for millions, relaxing restrictions on social mixing over Christmas and offering arriving international travelers a way to cut short quarantine if they test negative for the coronavirus. The U.K. government, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, agreed to ease limits on travel and socializing between Dec. 23 and 28: up to three households can form a “Christmas bubble” and members can move freely between them. Inter-household visits currently are barred in much of the U.K.

10:48 a.m. Advisory panel to CDC says vaccine side effects must be outlined: Members of an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, in a Monday meeting to discuss use and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine, that patients need to be warned about the potential side effects of getting a COVID-19 vaccine so they are not discouraged from getting a second dose. Doctors worry patients might not return for the second needed vaccine dose if they experience unexpected side effects from the first one.

10:25 a.m. Daily cases climb in S.F., San Mateo County: San Francisco reported another 120 new coronavirus infections Tuesday, continuing an upswing and steady increase in 7-day averages of new cases, and bringing its total since the start of the pandemic to 14,662 cases. San Mateo County confirmed another 227 cases Tuesday, for a cumulative total of 13,561 infections so far.

10:10 a.m. U.S. consumer confidence down: U.S. consumer confidence fell in November as rising coronavirus cases pushed American optimism down to the lowest level since August. The November reading of 96.1 released Tuesday by the Conference Board represents a big drop from a revised 101.4 in October, reflecting lower consumer expectations for income, business and labor market conditions. Consumer confidence is closely watched for signals of how willing households are to spend.

10:01 a.m. Wide Iowa nursing home outbreaks: Iowa reported 143 nursing homes with coronavirus outbreaks on Tuesday, and thousands of residents have tested positive for the virus. More than 4,500 residents of care centers are infected with the virus, state health officials say. State data shows 1,008 residents of long-term care facilities have died with COVID-19 in the past eight months.

9:50 a.m. NHL teams report several players are infected: Two National Hockey League teams say multiple players have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Columbus Blue Jackets told the Associated Press that “several” players recently tested positive and went into quarantine. The Vegas Golden Knights confirmed that four players are self-isolating and recovering from virus infections. Both clubs have closed off-ice facilities at their training centers through the Thanksgiving holiday.

9:41 a.m. L.A. County considering stay-home order: Officials in the nation’s largest county on Tuesday were looking at a possible stay-home order just days before Thanksgiving after a spike of coronavirus cases surpassed a threshold set by Los Angeles public health officials to trigger one. An “impressive and alarming surge” of more than 6,000 new cases put Los Angeles County over a five-day average of 4,500 cases per day, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Monday, a day before the county supervisors meeting.

9:32 a.m. Hearing loss underscored by mask-wearing: Hearing specialists across the U.S. say they have seen an uptick in visits from people who only realized how much they relied on lip reading and facial expressions when people started wearing face masks, the Associated Press reports. Many probably had some hearing loss before, but they had adapted. Masks themselves reduce sound levels, and social distancing adds to the problem.

9:28 a.m. Dow jumps above 30,000 for 1st time: The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded above 30,000 points for the first time Tuesday as investors were encouraged by coronavirus vaccine progress and news that the transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden will finally begin. Traders were also encouraged by Biden’s pick of Janet Yellen, a widely respected former Federal Reserve chair, as Treasury secretary.

9:02 a.m. Biden team finally gets keys to government for coronavirus planning: This week President-elect Joe Biden’s transition can finally dispatch what are known as landing teams to the Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FDA. With the official government go-ahead for transition cooperation to begin, Biden will be getting enormous briefing books that detail nearly everything the agencies have been working on, as he also inherits something nobody would want: an accelerating national crisis, with 45 states recording sustained coronavirus caseload increases — nine with more than twice as many new cases a day as they did two weeks ago.

8:55 a.m. Meals on Wheels gets new S.F. quarters as pandemic burden rises: Meals on Wheels is opening its big, gleaming, Bayview industrial kitchen just as the pandemic has amped up need. Shelter-in-place orders mean many more older adults are staying home and needing food delivered. Meals on Wheels serves meals to about 3,700 older and disabled people, and delivers groceries to another 500 homebound seniors. Since July it’s also provided meals and groceries for people quarantining due to COVID-19 illness or exposure, adding another 600 to 1,200 people a week to its caseload. Read more here.

8:36 a.m. More than half of Americans adjust Thanksgiving due to pandemic, poll finds: Six in 10 Americans are dialing back this year’s Thanksgiving plans because of the pandemic — cutting guest lists, canceling travel or scrapping the gathering altogether, polling by the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index finds. The trend toward caution comes amid signs of increased trust in the federal CDC and a growing confidence that a safe and effective vaccine is coming soon. For the first time in the poll, more than half of Americans (51%) said they’re likely to take a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available.

8:25 a.m. White House bars talking to Biden team without specific permission: With President-elect Joe Biden’s team eager to gain cooperation from the Trump administration on coronavirus planning and other policy preparation,White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows directed presidential staff Monday night not to speak with them “unless specifically authorized,” the Washington Post reports. Meadows acknowledged in an email that the transition is underway with the GSA go-ahead Monday. “Unless specifically authorized,” he wrote, the president’s executive office staff “are not permitted to speak directly with a member of the Biden Transition Team or the Federal Transition Coordinator.”

8:13 a.m. Anti-Semitism grows during pandemic in Germany: A German official warned Tuesday that anti-Semitism is emerging among people protesting pandemic lockdown measures who otherwise come from widely differing political backgrounds. Felix Klein, who heads government efforts to combat anti-Semitism, said that hatred against Jews in Germany has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, with anti-Semitic conspiracy theories spread by people who believe in alternative healing and peace campaigners as well as by Germany’s far-right scene, the Associated Press reports.

8:09 a.m. Spain’s surge takes a toll on morgue workers: After successfully bringing its daily coronavirus death count down from over 900 in March to single digits by July, Spain has seen a steady uptick that brought those fatalities back to over 200 a day this month. With that relapse, the body collectors have returned to making the rounds of hospitals, homes and care facilities.

7:55 a.m. Daily new cases double since October: On the verge of Thanksgiving, with many people planning to flout public health warnings on indoor gatherings to varying degrees, the nation is averaging 172,000 new coronavirus cases per day, nearly doubling since the end of October, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.

7:46 a.m. More backsliding predicted within tiers: California was coiled in anticipation Tuesday morning as more counties were expected to shift into the most restrictive, purple, tier of the state’s reopening blueprint. San Francisco expected to be among those after its coronavirus cases tripled over the past month. Landing in the purple tier means having to halt most indoor activities — continuing the red-tier ban on indoor gatherings with people from different households, and requiring under purple that any such gatherings outside be ended by 10 p.m.

7:40 a.m. The signs don’t look good: Bay Area health experts are bracing for an uptick in deaths in the coming weeks, with cases already climbing rapidly and many residents eschewing public health entreaties not to travel or gather with more than their own household members for Thanksgiving. Read more here.

7:18 a.m. Experts caution against online tools to make behavioral decistions: Several online risk assessment tools have emerged that let users gauge the possibility of becoming infected with coronavirus in different scenarios. But experts say they have limitations as the virus is running rampant in California and across the U.S. and health officials plead with the public to completely forego Thanksgiving travel. Read the full story here.

7 a.m. Biden transition lifts vaccine hopes, and stocks: The Trump administration’s acknowledgement of President-elect Joe Biden as the apparent winner of the presidential election have lifted expectations for a smooth rollout of coronavirus vaccines. Stocks rose Monday with the Dow nearing its 52-week high.

Updates from Monday, Nov. 23:

11:08 p.m. California’s new cases in a day reach record 20,654: California on Monday recorded a record-high 20,654 new cases of the coronavirus, according to The Chronicle’s tracker, breaking a record set a week ago of 13,412.

7:06 p.m. California breaks record, exceeds 19,000 new coronavirus cases in a day: California on Monday recorded a record-high 19,566 new cases of the coronavirus, according to The Chronicle’s tracker, smashing previous single-day records as the state and the rest of the country continues to see explosive growth and spread of the virus. Monday’s tally could partially be attributed to a lag in weekend reporting, but is sure to be a troubling sign for public-health experts as people begin traveling across the country for the Thanksgiving holiday. The previous statewide record of 13,412 cases was set just one week ago.

4:37 p.m. COVID deaths on the rise across California: Can Bay Area avoid a major uptick? Deaths from COVID-19 have started to increase statewide, a harbinger of what could be a deadly holiday season if cases spike as expected from Thanksgiving get-togethers, public health experts warned Monday. More than 450 people died in California last week, up about 60% from the week before, according to data compiled by The Chronicle. That’s the first significant uptick since August, when deaths spiked at 945 in one week during the peak of the summer surge. Bay Area deaths have not yet increased — 44 people died of COVID-19 last week in the nine counties. But public health experts warned that with cases climbing rapidly, deaths likely will increase over the next few weeks. Read the story here.

4:23 p.m. Newsom says certain California workers could get vaccine by early December: California could start administering coronavirus vaccines to as many as 2.4 million of the state’s highest-priority health care workers in early December, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. The state is making vaccine distribution plans around the assumption that the first vaccines will be authorized by the FDA in early December. That first approval will likely be for the vaccine made by Pfizer and German firm BioNTech, followed by the vaccine made by Moderna. Federal health officials have said states will begin receiving doses within 24 hours after the first vaccine receives FDA authorization. Read the story here.

4 p.m. U.S. to begin distributing Regeneron’s COVID-19 therapy Tuesday: The U.S. government will start distributing Regeneron’s newly authorized COVID-19 antibody combination on Tuesday. The administration will initially distribute 30,000 doses of the drug, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said during a press briefing on Monday. The first doses will be distributed to the states with the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The treatment called REGN-COV2 received emergency use authorization from the FDA on Saturday. The company, which received a $450 million grant as part of Operation Warp Speed, expects to produce 300,000 doses by early January.

3:35 p.m. Scott Altas responds to Stanford condemnation: President Trump’s top coronavirus advisor Dr. Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist from the Hoover Institution at Stanford, on Monday published a response to the condemnation he received from the elected representatives of Stanford University’s faculty last week. “I fear that this precedent could further embroil the University into politics and raises the threat that the University will criticize other faculty who disagree with Stanford’s institutional views on these or other issues,” Atlas wrote in a post on the Stanford Review. The denouncement from the faculty came after Atlas called for U.S. citizens to “rise up” against coronavirus restrictions.

3:30 p.m. Just when it seemed it would never happen, Trump signals he’s ready to concede: In a series of tweets on Monday, President Trump signalled he was ready to concede he lost the election, thanking GSA Administrator Emily Murphy who is in charge of signing off on the transition to the Biden administration. He said he was continuing to fight, but “Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.” He thanked Murphy “for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused — and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!” Trump tweeted.

3:14 p.m. GSA OKs transition process for Biden to work with government agencies: The General Services Administration has informed President-elect Joe Biden the administration is ready to begin the formal transition process, according to a letter from administrator Emily Murphy sent on Monday afternoon and obtained by CNN. Biden’s team has said President Trump’s refusal to allow the transition process, as he continues claiming baselessly that he won the election, is starting to impede the incoming administration’s progress and efficiency in planning for coronavirus response, including with the latest government information and plans on vaccine distribution.

3:09 p.m. Bay Area does not see same death upward trend as California: Coronavirus deaths in California have started to rise, as of mid-November, with 18,735 lives lost to the virus so far, as of data on Monday afternoon. The Bay Area, however, has yet to see the same curve up.That may in part be due to Bay Area counties’ continued caution over the last few weeks around restricting activities compared to other parts of California, said UC Berkeley epidemiologist Art Reingold. Read more details here.

2:59 p.m. COVID-19 is nation’s 3rd leading cause of death: More than 257,000 Americans now have lost their lives to the coronavirus, according to data by researchers at Johns Hopkins University as of Monday afternoon. The seasonal flu — which President Trump has tried to use comparatively to downplay the coronavirus — has taken far fewer lives, between 12,000 and 61,000 deaths annually since 2010. With another five weeks of the year remaining, COVID-19 places third in the nation’s causes of death, according to CDC figures from 2018. №1 is heart disease which killed 655,381 in 2018, and №2 is cancer which took 599,274 lives.

2:50 p.m. Newsom says his family tested negative on Sunday: Gov. Gavin Newsom said he first became aware that his three children were exposed to the coronavirus through contact with a CHP officer who tested positive on Friday. He said based on direction from a local health officer, his family decided to wait 48 hours before testing. His family members all took tests on Sunday and received negative results later that evening. “We will do subsequent tests,” he said. They began their 14-day quarantine on Sunday.

2:44 p.m. Newsom revisits French Laundry fracas, ‘That was a mistake’: Asked if felt he lost credibility over his French Laundry dinner — which he attended while urging California residents to observe stricter coronavirus protocols than occurred at the fancy restaurant — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that he regretted the incident and is working to move on. “That was a mistake. I let my guard down. I apologized for it and we’re moving to correct for it,” he told a news briefing. “I never made that mistake before. I won’t make it again. Period. Full stop.”

2:40 p.m. Why is the California curfew set for 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.? Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s top health official, said on Monday that he is aware that the coronavirus does not behave differently after dark, but acknowledged that people do. “What we do know is nonessential gathering does happen without the best protective tools,” Ghaly said. He said those are the hours that people let down their guard, especially if alcohol is involved. “People take off their masks. They come closer than they should; that allows transmission to come quickly,” Ghaly told a news briefing.

2:34 p.m. Judge rejects bid for indoor dining, gyms in San Diego County: A San Diego Superior Court judge on Monday denied a request to temporarily restore indoor service at San Diego County gyms and restaurants that were forced to move outside due to coronavirus concerns. The judge said there is scientific evidence to support the state’s sweeping pandemic orders to restrict business activity. Two restaurants and two gyms sued on behalf of their industries, asking that California’s four-tier system of pandemic restrictions be declared illegal. San Diego, like nearly all counties, was moved into the most restrictive tier and forced to move many business operations and religious services outside.

2:20 p.m. New cases and hospitalizations continue spike in California: Hospital coronavirus admissions in the state rose 77% over the last 14 days, while intensive care units saw a 55% increase in admissions over the same period, state data shows. The 7-day average positive test rate in California also continues to rise, now at 5.8%. Gov. Gavin Newsom said people in the 18–49 age-range now make up nearly 60% of the state’s COVID-19 cases. The state’s 7-day average of new daily cases is 11,591. Hospitals across the state are seeing increasing hospital caseloads “that they’ve never seen before,” said state health chief Dr. Mark Ghaly.

2:14 p.m. Newsom says $28 million from feds so far is not enough for distribution needs: The federal government has allotted California $28 million initially for distribution of the coronavirus vaccines that are expected to win authorization, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday, with $10 million allocated so far for local government planning, and $6 million for local staffing. The state will need much more, he said, adding he is anxious to work with the incoming Biden administration and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on meeting the state’s needs in the next funding round.

2:09 p.m. ‘Mass vaccinations’ unlikely until mid-2021, Newsom says: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday outlined the prioritization for distributing pending coronavirus vaccines in California, saying health care workers and people at skilled nursing facilities would most likely be the first in line. “Mass vaccinations unlikely to occur anytime soon,” the governor said, saying that phase of the distribution effort would most likely take place sometime between March and June 2021.

2:04 p.m. Newsom says no concerns so far on vaccines: California’s independent scientific review committee has “no concerns so far” on safety based on the first two phases of trials of coronavirus vaccines being developed by Pfizer and Moderna, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. He said the state is eager to promptly review the Phase 3 data in which both companies reported high degrees of effectiveness in their trials. The state has no intention of slowing availability of the vaccines when they are approved by the federal government, he said, but wants “to just have another set of eyes on data.”

2:02 p.m. Newsom says tea caused coughing fit during press briefing: Gov. Gavin Newsom coughed briefly Monday as he conducted his weekly press briefing from home, where he is quarantining after his family was exposed to the coronavirus. But he made it clear he is not battling COVID-19. “Forgive me, that’s tea that got in my throat just a minute ago — nothing more,” Newsom said.

2 p.m. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade goes straight to video: The 94th edition of the annual Macy’s parade will occur on a shorter stretch of 34th Street in New York without an audience or media present, but will be televised as usual. “Since we aren’t marching down the streets of NYC this year, the only place to see all the performances, gigantic balloons & fabulous floats is from the comfort & safety of your home,” organizers said in a statement. The parade will air at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26 on NBC affiliate stations.

1:54 p.m. Pope blasts conspiracy spreaders: Pope Francis is blasting COVID-19 skeptics and media organizations that spread their conspiracies in a new book. In “Let Us Dream,” Francis also criticizes politicians who whip up rallies in ways reminiscent of the 1930s, and the hypocrisy of “rigid” conservative Catholics who support them. For Francis, the pandemic offers an unprecedented opportunity to imagine and plan for a more socially just post-coronavirus world. The book outlines his vision of a a world where the poor, the elderly and the weak aren’t left on the margins and the rich are not just consumed by profits.

1:38 p.m. Sugar Bowl opens Friday: Sugar Bowl, a popular ski option for Bay Area residents, opens for the winter season on Friday. The resort, at Donner Summit, is the latest in Lake Tahoe to open, following Heavenly and Northstar, with Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, due to open Wednesday. Most, including Sugar Bowl, are cancelling walk-up ticket sales this season, instead requiring day passes be bought online in advance. Read more here.

1:30 p.m. Markets have a good day: All four major stock indexes rose Monday amid optimism about coronavirus vaccines. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1%, the S&P 500 0.6%, the Nasdaq 0.2% and the Russell 2000 1.8%.

1:20 p.m. Newsom’s un-distanced partygoing is window into how politics works: When Gov. Gavin Newsom succumbed to the lure of a fancy restaurant dinner party, instead of leaving as he later said he should have done due to coronavirus protocols, he enjoyed the company of influential figures with regular business before his administration. The event, first reported by the Chronicle, has highlighted the close ties and revolving door of government that make Sacramento turn, frustrating those who can’t be in the room where it happens. Read the story here.

1:09 p.m. Pliny the Younger breaks tradition: For the first time in a decade, there will not be crowds of thousands lining up in Santa Rosa in early February for a chance to taste Pliny the Younger, the triple IPA from Russian River Brewing Co. that is one of the world’s biggest cult favorites. That’s all been canceled due to coronavirus concerns. The beer itself will still be brewed, and included in a mixed case of Russian River beers available on the brewery’s website in either late January or early February. Read the story here.

12:55 p.m. Cop in Benicia infected: The Benicia Police Department announced Monday that a city police officer informed city officials on Sunday he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He begain experiencing symptoms 11 days earlier, but the police department determined he had “no direct exposure to the community,” based on CDC’s guidelines defining exposure as being 6 feet or closer to an infected person for 15 minutes. CDC has amended the guidance to say that the 15 minutes could be spread over a day, not necessarily in a consective block.

12:47 p.m. GM abandons Trump suit against California: General Motors abandoned President Trump’s battle to nullify California’s fuel economy rules meant to curb global warming, signalling corporate America is moving on and adapting to an incoming President-elect Joe Biden who has promised swift action to reduce climate-warming emissions in the auto sector. Research has found that coronavirus patients in air polluted areas are more likely to die from the infection

12:39 p.m. Guitar Center files for bankruptcy: The largest U.S. retailer of musical instruments and equipment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Saturday, citing financial losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. Guitar Center, which owns nearly 300 stores across the country, is negotiating with creditors to reduce debt by nearly $800 million, according to Reuters. The company said business operations will continue without any interruption.

12:36 p.m. Overburdened hospitals could stem improvements in survival rates: COVID-19 patients in hospitals are surviving at higher rates than early on in the pandemic. Data and experts suggest that is driven by a more refined understanding of the disease and how to treat it, and less strain on hospitals, as well as wider use of steroid treatment, and younger patients being hospitalized, Stat reports. But clinicians warn that this progress won’t withstand crushes of patients again overwhelming hospitals, as is now occurring in many states. An analysis for Stat by the nonprofit FAIR Health found that the mortality rate of select hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the U.S. dropped from 11.4% in March to below 5% in June, a threshold the rate has stayed below since.

12:13 p.m. Short shelf life imperils success of Pfizer vaccine. The short shelf life of Pfizer’s pending vaccine and uncertainty over how to get the shots to priority recipients — including health care workers, frail seniors and others — could mean thousands of doses may go to waste once vials are taken out of cold storage and cracked open, Politico reports. Priority recipients would be scheduled to start receiving vaccine shots as soon as mid-December: If not enough people are ready for the shots within six hours or opening vials, the vaccine spoils.

11:59 a.m. California 3rd behind Texas, Illinois in hospitalizations: As California reached another post-summer high in the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide, Texas and Illinois, with about 10 million and 6.4 million fewer residents, respectively, surpassed California’s total. California recorded 5,918 COVID-19 hospital patients on Sunday, to 8,174 in Texas and 6,072 in Illinois, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

11:48 a.m. S.F. mayor announces $3.1 million in nonprofit grants: Mayor London Breed on Monday announced that San Francisco will allocate $3.1 million in financial assistance for nonprofit organizations as they struggle in the pandemic-era financial downturn. The grant funding will help nonprofit organizations that serve low-income residents acquire space, relocate or renovate their facilities, and secure long-term leases or ownership, according to a statement from the mayor. The incentive is part of the city’s economic recovery program. Nonprofits support the most vulnerable, advance racial equity, and expand appreciation for the arts and culture during the pandemic, the mayor said. Noprofits employ one of every 14 workers in San Francisco, accounting for some 49,000 jobs, including 37% of all healthcare and social assistance workers.

11:40 a.m. Biden secretary of state choice will reverse Trump aversion to WHO: The first priority of President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of state, Tony Blinken, will be rejoining global agreements and institutions, the New York Times reports. That includes returning the U.S. to the Paris climate accord and remaining in the World Health Organization, which President Trump has heavily criticized and threatened to withdraw from — even during the midst of the pandemic.

11 a.m. CDC releases four guiding principles for vaccine distribution: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday outlined the four ethical principles that will guide decision-making on how vaccines, once approved, will be allocated. Compiled by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, they include: maximizing benefits and minimizing harms; promoting justice; mitigating health inequities; and promoting transparency. Recommendations also will be based on characteristics such as safety and efficacy, as well as storage and handling requirements.

10:30 a.m. Government warnings apply to White House, surgeon general says: U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams was asked Monday about the planned White House holiday parties that counter official administration guidance on indoor gatherings during the pandemic. Adams told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations “apply to the White House, they apply to the American people, they apply to everyone.” He said, “We want everyone to understand that these holiday celebrations can be super-spreader events,” and should be as small as possible and outside.

10:21 a.m. White House plans indoor holiday party: The White House plans to hold indoor holiday receptions despite ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at the White House and in contradiction of guidance from the CDC and federal health experts who are pleading with Americans to refrain holiday gatherings to curb the virus spread. ABC News obtained an invitation from first lady Melania Trump to a Nov. 30 “holiday reception.” Her spokeswoman said the White House parties will take place in “the safest environment possible,” with masks required and available, and social distancing measures encouraged, ABC reported. The White House has repeatedly held events that do not enforce such measures.

10:15 a.m. Surgeon general says ‘I’m begging you’ to keep Thanksgiving small: U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams on Monday pleaded with Americans to keep Thanksgiving “small and smart,” with fewer than 10 people and outdoors as much as possible. Adams on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” said, “I want the American people to know that we are at a dire point in our fight with this virus by any measure: cases, positivity, hospitalizations, deaths. We’re seeing more Americans negatively impacted than ever before. Citing the good news in vaccine development, he said, “I’m begging you, hold on just a little bit longer,” and follow CDC guidelines for holiday gatherings.

10:07 a.m. Pandemic batters seafood industry: The U.S. seafood industry has seen a precipitous fall in imports and exports and a drop in catch of some species during the pandemic, according to a group of scientists who sought to quantify pandemic damage to America’s seafood business. Consumer demand for seafood at restaurants dropped by more than 70% during the early months of the pandemic, according to the scientists, who published their findings in the scientific journal Fish and Fisheries.

9:58 a.m. Nevada on 3-week pause: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced a three-week “pause” beginning Tuesday, with further restrictions on businesses and mask mandates intensified. Sisolak, a Democrat, tweeted that the move is an effort to get the coronavirus under control: “I’m not issuing a shutdown order. My goal is to aggressively try to attack this spread, while maintaining some portion of our economy and our daily life.” He said private gatherings will be restricted to 10 people or fewer, from no more than two households, whether inside or outdoors.

9:46 a.m. Poll finds parents willing to risk family health for Thanksgiving: 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. Nine out of 10 parents said grandparents — a high risk group — typically join their Thanksgiving gathering, CNN reports. Polling results were based on responses from nearly 1,500 nationally representative parents.

9:37 a.m. Marketing campaign to try and persuade Americans on vaccine: The Ad Council, a nonprofit advertising group, wil lead a planned $50 million marketing campaign to persuade skeptical Americans to immunize themselves against the coronavirus once vaccines are ready, the New York Times reports. The federal government, which has sent mixed messages about the deadly pandemic, is not involved in the private sector effort, which comes as polls increasing numbers of Americans are wary of getting the shot.

9:30 a.m. Pandemic spurs Chicago-area nursing home strike: Nearly 700 nursing home workers walked off the job Monday at 11 mostly Chicago-area Infinity Healthcare Management facilities, saying they won’t return without higher wages and safer working conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic that’s hit nursing homes hard.

9:24 a.m. Australian airline will require vaccination to fly: Qantas will require travelers on international flights to be vaccinated against the coronavirus once an inoculation is ready, CEO Alan Joyce said. “Whether you need that domestically, we’ll have to see what happens with COVID-19 in the market, but certainly for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country, we think that’s a necessity,” Joyce said in a Monday interview with the “A Current Affair.”

9:10 a.m. Santa Clara free testing: Santa Clara County is offering free coronavirus testing for people without COVID-19 symptoms at Central Park Library on Homestead Road, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday. Appointments are available online. There are no insurance or immigration status requirements.

8:55 a.m. Italy, the early virus nation, now is more desensitized: During a week when somebody in Europe has died of COVID-19 every 17 seconds, according to the World Health Organization, Italy recorded the highest tolls on the continent: 731 people one day, 753 the next. But as it nears its first-wave levels, which froze the country in fear and put much of the world on alert, Italy now is becoming emblematic of another pandemic point: the dangers continue unabated but many are desensitized, fatigued and preoccupied with economic survival, the Washington Post reports.

8:29 a.m. Illinois sees more than 10,000 cases per day: Illinois public health officials reported more than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday for the fourth consecutive day. The last time the daily count dipped below 10,000 was Wednesday when it was 8,922, the state says. The state reported another 76 additional deaths, for a total of 11,506 lives lost to the pandemic.

8:06 a.m. Two more Congress members infected: Two additional House members, Joe Courtney, D-Conn., and Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said Sunday that they tested positive for the coronavirus after experiencing mild symptoms. They are self-isolating.

8:01 a.m. Black Friday doorbusters, like everything else, are different: Instead of one-day doorbusters, retailers like Walmart and Lowe’s are rolling holiday deals, making it easier for shoppers to get the best sales online. Sales last longer and curbside pickup is expanded. So far, that early start to holiday sales seems to be giving retail sales a lift. In October, U.S. sales of general merchandise from apparel and beauty items to office supplies and toys grew 14% year over year, CNBC reports.

7:57 a.m. Stock indexes start holiday week with modest gains: The Dow rose 188 points, or 0.6%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.6% and 0.5%, respectively. Travel stocks got a boost early as more news over a potential coronavirus vaccine lifted hope of a strong economic recovery.

7:53 a.m. Britain to end lockdown: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday that a nationwide lockdown in England will be lifted next week, but the easing will come with conditions. Johnson told Parliament that the country’s lockdown will end on Dec. 2, almost a month after a second lockdown was imposed. “For the first time since this wretched virus began, we can see a route out of the pandemic,” he said.

7:41 a.m. More than 1 million travelers at airports: More travelers were screened at airport security checkpoints on Sunday than on any day since the pandemic took hold in March, despite strong warnings by Dr. Anthony Fauci and other health experts against risking coronavirus spread at a precarious time when it is surging nationwide. The TSA screened just over 1 million people Sunday, according to federal data Monday. That’s down by about half from 2019, but more than double most any given day in the spring.

7:13 a.m. AstraZeneca vaccine shown to be 70% effective: Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Monday that its coronavirus vaccine was 70% effective in trials, and up to 90% when the dosing was changed. The vaccine is the third to now show late-stage high effectiveness against the virus. Unlike the ones from Moderna and Pfizer, AstraZeneca’s, developed by Oxford University, does not require extreme cold-temperature storage.

7:01 a.m. China tests millions after cases flare up in 3 cities: Chinese officials are testing millions of people and imposing lockdowns after multiple locally transmitted coronavirus cases were discovered in Tianjin, Shanghai and Manzhouli, The Associated Press reported.

6:54 a.m. S.F. study could bring U.S. closer to coronavirus tests that report results in minutes: A small study by San Francisco researchers could bring the U.S. a step closer to having reliable, fast coronavirus diagnostic tests that generate results in minutes, instead of hours or days. The study found that a new, rapid antigen test performed almost as well as state-of-the-art tests at detecting positives among people who had high levels of the virus and were thus likely infectious. And the results come back to users much quicker, which could improve the coronavirus testing landscape. Read the full story from The Chronicle’s Catherine Ho here.

Updates from Sunday, Nov. 22:

11:06 p.m. Newsom, family in quarantine after virus exposure: Gov. Gavin Newsom and his family are in quarantine after three of Newsom’s four children were exposed to a person from the California Highway Patrol who later tested positive for the coronavirus. The Chronicle’s Kate Galbraith has the story.

8:03 p.m. San Francisco expected to join purple tier this week: San Francisco on Sunday again avoided being banished to the state’s most restrictive purple tier, even as as coronavirus cases surged. But it’s still likely to happen this week, officials said — and that will trigger a curfew and the shutdown of many indoor businesses. Read the story from The Chronicle’s J.K. Dineen.

7:30 p.m. Sale of Bank of America building, part-owned by Trump, on hold due partly to pandemic: The building, at 555 California St. in San Francisco, may be put on sale again after the vaccine arrives. The Chronicle’s J.K. Dineen has the story.

6:56 p.m. No doggies in the window as Christmas tradition goes virtual at Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco: No puppies will climb over each other in the windows at Macy’s in San Francisco this season, and there will be no kittens rolling around. Instead, when the SPCA’s annual Holiday Windows exhibit opens Tuesday, people pressed against the glass will see orphan pets doing what they always do — but on video monitors. The Chronicle’s Sam Whiting has the story.

5:45 p.m. At SFO, travelers take coronavirus risk in stride during Thanksgiving rush: While some people are canceling their flights as virus warnings grow increasingly dire, others are determined to see loved ones. The Chronicle’s Tatiana Sanchez has the story.

5:03 p.m. G20 leaders vow unified front in virus battle: In closing remarks, leaders of 20 major economies attending a virtual two-day summit pledged in a joint statement “to spare no effort to protect lives, provide support with a special focus on the most vulnerable, and put our economies back on the path to restoring growth, and protecting and creating jobs for all.” They vowed to make a vaccine accessible and affordable to all. President Trump did not attend the closing remarks for the meeting, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia.

4:51 p.m. NYC trucks hold bodies of those who died in spring: Hundreds of bodies are still stored in freezer trucks at a disaster morgue set up during New York City’s coronavirus surge in the spring. Many of the 650 bodies at the disaster morgue on the Brooklyn waterfront are of people whose families can’t be located or can’t afford a burial, officials told the Wall Street Journal. Normally, the deceased would be buried within a few weeks in a gravesite for the indigent on Hart Island. But as deaths surged in April, with as many as 800 in one day, the city pledged that mass burials in temporary graves wouldn’t be done. The coroner has had trouble finding relatives of about 230 deceased people, officials said.

4:44 p.m. Georgia Sen. Loeffler’s test negative after a positive: The latest coronavirus test of Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., came back negative, the Associated Press reported. Her campaign said she will continue to quarantine at least until another negative result. She faces a crucial Jan. 5 runoff in the state’s twin Senate races, as does fellow Republican Sen. David Perdue. Loeffler and Perdue campaigned with Vice President Mike Pence a day before Loeffler tested positive on Friday.

4:34 p.m. Pfizer sets rollout date for vaccine: Pharmaceutical company Pfizer set Dec. 12 as a tentative date to begin distribution of its coronavirus vaccine, the Associated Press reported. Pfizer officials will meet with the Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 10 to seek emergency authorization and hope to start distributing the vaccine two days later.

4:24 p.m. Coronavirus cases reach record levels in Oregon: New coronavirus cases hit a record high for the third straight day in Oregon on Saturday, the Associated Press reported, with 1,517 registered, bringing the state total to 65,170. The state reported one additional death Sunday, a 65-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive Nov. 15 and died the same day. With the state’s death toll at 820, officials urged residents to cancel indoor Thanksgiving plans and those that involve large groups.

4:13 p.m. Los Angeles shuts down restaurant dining: The largest metro area in California joined almost all of the rest of the state by adding coronavirus restrictions, including at least a three-week prohibition on dining at restaurants. Los Angeles will halt in-person dining at 10 p.m. Wednesday after the five-day average of new coronavirus cases topped 4,000. Restaurants and bars can open only if they offer takeout, drive-through or delivery.

1:37 p.m. California hospitalizations top 5,000 for the first time since mid-August: The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state reached 5,170 on Saturday — the first time it’s been over 5,000 since Aug. 18. Just two weeks earlier, the figure was far lower — 2,902 — reflecting the alarming speed of the surge.

12:05 p.m. California cases surge ahead of Thanksgiving: The number of cases statewide has spiked to its highest levels since the start of the pandemic, the Associated Press reported, calling it a “significant outbreak.” Before the Thanksgiving holiday that has officials concerned about gatherings, California reported more than 15,000 cases Saturday, by far the highest level since the pandemic began in March.

10:29 a.m. Record highs for virus cases in Japan: The daily tally of reported coronavirus cases in Japan hit a record for the fourth day in a row, with 2,508 people confirmed infected, the health ministry said Sunday. Japan has had fewer than 2,000 coronavirus-related deaths so far, avoiding the toll of harder hit nations. But fears are growing about another surge, the Associated Press reported. A flurry of criticism has erupted, from opposition legislators and the public, slamming the government as having acted too slowly in halting its “GoTo” campaign, which encouraged travel and dining out with discounts.

10:25 a.m. Biden says Americans should be able to attend religious services in pandemic — as long as it’s safe: President-elect Joe Biden says all Americans should be able to attend religious services during the pandemic — as long as they do so safely. Biden made the statement in response to a reporter’s shouted question as he walked out of church Saturday evening in Delaware. Specifically, Biden was asked whether all Americans should be able to attend religious services during the pandemic. He responded, “Yes, safely.” He did not answer a follow-up question about whether indoor services should be allowed. Some in-person church services across America have been closed as state leaders grapple with social distancing safeguards as the pandemic surges.

10:22 a.m. National Guard called in to help at El Paso morgues: The Texas National Guard sent a 36-member team to El Paso to assist overwhelmed morgues in the border region with the number of dead from COVID-19. The pandemic is blamed for 853 deaths in El Paso County, including more than 300 this month. Texas on Saturday reported a one-day high of 12,597 new cases with nearly 20,500 dead since the pandemic began. Only New York has recorded more deaths in the U.S.

10:05 a.m. Fauci warns about Thanksgiving airport crowding: The nation’s top infectious diseases expert said he’s worried that crowding at U.S. airports from Thanksgiving travel could lead to a perilous situation as COVID-19 cases surge. Dr. Anthony Fauci told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the “people at airports” despite federal guidance to avoid travel “are going to get us into even more trouble than we’re in right now.” He noted that new COVID-19 cases from Thanksgiving won’t become evident till weeks later, making it “very difficult” as the virus spirals out of control heading into colder weather and the December holiday season.

9:58 a.m. Bay Area sees racial shift in coronavirus: For the first time since the pandemic hit in full force, cases among Latino residents — who for many months have borne the brunt of COVID-19 — are decreasing, while cases among white residents are increasing in parts of the Bay Area. Read the full story here.

Updates from Saturday:

10:58 p.m. Curfew now in effect for six Bay Area counties: Bars closed by 10 p.m. under the new curfew for counties in the purple tier — including Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa and Sonoma counties. The Chronicle’s Lauren Hernández reports on last call in San Jose.

8:34 p.m. Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler tests positive, awaits more results: Loeffler got a positive PCR test but then another came back inconclusive, CNN reported, adding that “Loeffler was maskless with Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. David Perdue during campaign events most of the day Friday.” Loeffler and Perdue both face run-off elections in Georgia.

7:32 p.m. San Francisco was flattening the curve. What happened? Was it Halloween? Indoor dining? San Franciscans are not behaving as well as they should, writes Chronicle columnist Heather Knight.

6:07 p.m. San Mateo County reports highest number of new daily cases since pandemic’s start: The number of new cases reported Saturday, 215, eclipses the county’s previous high of 208 on Aug. 10, according to data from The Chronicle’s coronavirus tracker.

5:30 p.m. Curfew approaches in six Bay Area counties: At 10 p.m. tonight, a coronavirus curfew takes effect in Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara counties. San Francisco could get a curfew as soon as Tuesday. Read The Chronicle’s Q&A on who’s affected and what it means.

5:23 p.m. Antibody treatment used by President Trump given emergency F..D.A. authorization: The monoclonal antibody treatment, made by the pharmaceutical firm Regeneron, can now be offered to patients diagnosed with coronavirus and at significant risk of disease after the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency authorization on Saturday. President Trump was briefly hospitalized with COVID-19 this fall but recovered rapidly after receiving the Regeneron therapy, among other treatments. The New York Times has the story.

5:11 p.m. Golden Gate Park areas to be free to low-income families: As people look for more outdoor space during the pandemic, San Francisco has waived admission fees for the Botanical Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers and the Japanese Tea Garden for visitors enrolled in one of several public assistance programs, including CalFresh, SNAP and Medi-Cal. The Chronicle’s Jason Fagone has the story.

4:19 p.m. San Franciscans unwisely tossed their masks away on this day in 1918: A whistle blew, church bells rang, and citizens who had battled the Spanish influenza tore off their mandatory masks and threw them into the streets on Nov. 21, 1918. “After four weeks of muzzled misery, San Francisco unmasked at noon yesterday and ventured to draw its breath,” The Chronicle reported the next day. “Despite the published prayers of the Health Department for conservation of gauze, the sidewalks and runnels were strewn with the relics of a torturous month.” It wasn’t a wise move, as the The Chronicle’s Peter Hartlaub writes in this strangely relevant tale from the archives.

3:57 p.m. California hospitalizations continue to climb alarmingly: The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state has more than doubled in less than a month. Some 4,989 people were hospitalized with the disease on Friday, the highest number since mid-August and a dramatic rise from 3,531 from just a week earlier.

3:26 p.m. How to be a responsible Bay Area shopper: This holiday season promises to be unlike any other. The Chronicle’s Shwanika Narayan offers tips on how to stay safe while shopping, and also help stores navigating an unprecedented economic crisis.

2:08 p.m. College football game canceled hours before kickoff: Saturday’s game between №4 Clemson and Florida state was called off just hours before the start after doctors from both schools couldn’t agree that it was safe to play in Tallahassee, Fla., the Associated Press reported. While there have been 81 college games postponed this year, including the Stanford-Washington State contest Saturday, the Clemson game is believed to be the first one canceled on game day.

11:58 a.m. Nevada faces dilemma as cases rise and economy tanks: As the number of coronavirus cases soar, Nevada is facing a hard choice of tightening restrictions while still staying open for the high-rolling tourists who are the state’s economic lifeblood. The state set a new record with 2,416 confirmed COVID-19 cases Thursday, with 80% of the state’s hospital beds filled, the Associated Press reported. Gov. Steve Sisolak said he is on the verge of ordering new restrictions, but still wants to welcome out-of-state visitors.

10:06 a.m. Mask mandates worked in Kansas: Kansas counties that required people to wear masks in public had far fewer new cases of COVID-19 than counties without the mandate, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 24 counties that complied with Gov. Laura Kelly’s July 2 mask requirement saw a net 6% decrease in cases, compared to a 100% net increase in the 81 counties that opted out of the governor’s mandate.

9:16 a.m. More than 200 coronavirus cases reported at Golden Gate Fields: More than 200 people living or working at Golden Gate Fields race track in Albany have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a joint statement from the race track and Berkeley’s health department. Live racing was suspended Nov. 13 after 24 cases were reported. Those testing positive for the virus have been isolated away from the track, the statement said. Live racing will not resume until at least early December. Read the story here.

Updates from Friday, Nov. 20:

10:55 p.m. Newsom’s child quarantines after possible exposure, reports say: One of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s children started a two-week quarantine after they may have been exposed to the coronavirus at school, Associated Press reported. A spokesman told the Associated Press that “The family has taken the potential exposure seriously and is following all state protocols” after the child’s classmate tested positive for the coronavirus.

4:18 p.m. Bay Area’s soaring coronavirus cases could ‘overwhelm our local health care system,’ experts warn: Skyrocketing coronavirus cases are putting heavy demand on Bay Area hospitals and some counties fear they could exceed capacity in the next two to three weeks. Read the whole story here.

4:15 p.m. Biden and leading Democrats push for coronavirus relief bill: President-elect Joe Biden, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a joint statement on Friday that Congress should pass coronavirus economic aid package in its current session, according to Reuters. “That package should include resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, relief for working families and small businesses, support for state and local governments trying to keep frontline workers on the payroll, expanded unemployment insurance and affordable health care for millions of families,” the statement released by Biden’s office said.

4:10 p.m. WHO recommends against the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 patients: The World Health Organization issued a conditional recommendation against the use of Gilead’s remdesivir in hospitalized patients, regardless of disease severity. “There is currently no evidence that remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes in these patients,” said the agency’s recommendation, which was released on Friday. This recommendation was developed by an international group, which includes 28 clinical care experts, four patient-partners and one ethicist.

3:19 p.m. Donald Trump Jr. tests positive: Donald Trump Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus, The Associated Press reported Friday. He has been isolating and has exhibited no symptoms.

2:54 p.m. Toronto goes on lockdown on Monday: Canada’s largest city and its surrounding areas will go into lockdown mode starting Monday to slow down a sharp rise in coronavirus cases that are threatening to strain the country’s the health-care system. The province of Ontario reported 1,418 new cases on Friday, including 393 in Toronto. “We have flattened the epidemic curve before and I am confident we can do it again,” Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said. The Public Health Agency of Canada projects the country will register 20,000 daily COVID-19 cases by mid-December if mitigation efforts are not imposed.

2:50 p.m. Stanford’s game vs. Washington State canceled: Stanford’s home football game against Washington State on Saturday night has canceled, marking the third straight week that the Cardinal have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The game was scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. and probably would have ended around 11 p.m. It’s still unclear if the game was canceled because of the new curfew in Santa Clara County that disallows non-essential workers from being out between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Read the latest from The Chronicle here.

1:35 p.m. Santa has COVID-19 immunity, Fauci says: Public health leaders may be urging people to avoid inviting guests into their home over the holidays, but one visitor gets a free pass from the nation’s top infectious disease expert. “Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an interview with USA Today on Friday. “Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody.”

1:22 p.m. Santa Clara County could exceed hospital capacity in two weeks: Dr. Sara Cody, the health officer for Santa Clara County, said at a news briefing Friday that hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased 50% over the past week, and the county is on track to exceed its hospital capacity in two weeks or less. She also said the county reported 407 cases on Friday, the most on any one day so far. “Cancel your holiday plans,” Cody said. “The choices each of us make in the next two weeks may mean the difference between enough hospital capacity to care for all of us and not enough.”

1:19 p.m. Stocks stumble a bit: The three major indexes all fell a bit while the small-cap Russell 2000 rose slightly Friday. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.8%, the S&P 500 0.7% and the Nasdaq 0.4%. The Russell went up 0.1%.

12:46 p.m. Bay Area aims to cap car commutes even after pandemic: In a bid to slash greenhouse gas emissions, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is considering allowing only 40% of many companies’ workforces to commute by car. It would be one of the strictest requirements in the nation, but it’s nonetheless a watered-down version of the agency’s original proposal. The Chronicle’s Roland Li has the story.

12:40 p.m. Kaiser expands Pfizer coronavirus vaccine trial to include younger teens, adolescents: Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara and Sacramento counties, which has been enrolling adults in clinical trials for the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, is expanding enrollment to include people between the ages of 12 and 15. Kaiser recently began enrolling 16 and 17-year-olds as well. Kaiser is one of dozens of sites for the global clinical trial, which has enrolled tens of thousands of people.

12:23 p.m. SF hospitals could become overwhelmed by December: Based on the city’s projections, Dr. Grant Colfax said on Friday, “We could conceivably have hundreds of people in the hospital by late December, early January.” He urged city residents to engage in mitigation efforts to slow the spread of the virus warning that the surge of cases could cause San Francisco’s health care system to struggle much like the rest of the country. “It is entirely plausible that unless we slow the spread of the virus we could be there,” Colfax said.

12:22 p.m. ‘Do not gather for the holidays,’ warns top SF health official: During a press briefing on Friday, Dr. Grant Colfax urged residents not to travel or gather with people outside of their households for Thanksgiving or the upcoming holiday season. Citing a sharp spike in new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the city, he said, “We are in the middle of the worst surge we have seen during this pandemic.” Colfax asked that people do not let their holiday activities become super-spreader events. “The best gift we can give this season is the gift of good health,” he said.

12:20 p.m. San Francisco could join California curfew by next week: San Francisco likely will land in the state’s most restrictive purple tier early next week, placing the city under California’s new curfew order and forcing almost all indoor activities to shut down as coronavirus cases continue to spike, public health officials said Friday. The retreat to the purple tier could come as early as Sunday. Indoor operations such as museums, movie theaters, gyms and places of worship would have to stop within 24 hours of the city being placed in the new tier. The curfew, which will require nonessential work and gatherings to stop between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., would go into effect two days after the move to purple. Read the whole story here.

12:05 p.m. S.F. on track for purple tier, experienced 75% increase in new cases in a month: Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said San Francisco will most likely move into the purple, most restrictive tier of the state’s plan to reopen the economy as soon as Sunday. He said during a press briefing on Friday that the city saw a jump of more than 250% in the number of new cases between Oct. 12 (217) to Nov.16 (768).

11:52 a.m. Rachel Maddow says partner is seriously ill with COVID-19: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow said Thursday that Susan Mikula, her partner of 21 years, tested positive for the coronavirus almost two weeks ago and was seriously ill. “This thing is scary as hell,” she said on her Thursday night broadcast. “Whatever you’ve been willing to do to risk getting it, just don’t.” Maddow warned viewers not to gather for Thanksgiving, saying it was not worth it. Mikula, 62, is expected to recover.

11:46 a.m. California requires companies to test workers exposed to coronavirus: Companies will be required to notify workers in California of exposure to coworkers with the virus and to pay for testing when cases crop up, as part of a broad new rule the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopted Thursday. The Chronicle’s Chase DiFeliciantonio has the story.

11:14 a.m. California unemployment rate drops to single digits: The state’s unemployment rate dipped to 9.3% last month, the first time since March it has gone below 10%. Job gains could be temporary though as increased coronavirus restrictions are implemented statewide.

10:18 a.m. White House official Andrew Giuliani, Rudy’s son, has the coronavirus: The son of Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, announced on Twitter on Friday that he tested positive for the coronavirus. “This morning, I tested positive for COVID-19. I am experiencing mild symptoms, and am following all appropriate protocols, including being in quarantine and conducting contact tracing,” said Giuliani, who was in attendance at a news conference Thursday with his father, Rudy Giuliani, contesting the 2020 election results with baseless accusations of voter fraud.

9:54 a.m. Rick Scott becomes latest Congress member to test positive: Florida Sen. Rick Scott said Friday that he tested positive for COVID-19, and is quarantining at home in Naples. “After several negative tests, I learned I was positive this morning,” he said in a statement. “I am feeling good and experiencing very mild symptoms.” Since Nov. 12, eight members of Congress have tested positive for the virus.

7:34 a.m. ‘The virus doesn’t care — day or night’: Is there real science behind COVID curfews?: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced a curfew for California counties in the purple reopening tier to control the spread of the coronavirus. But experts are mixed on whether such measures have any tangible effect. Read the latest from The Chronicle’s Annie Vainshtein here.

7:03 a.m. Quiet opening for stock market: The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were essentially level in early trading. Fear of the worsening pandemic is balanced by rising hopes that a vaccine is coming soon.

7:01 a.m. Pfizer to seek regulatory clearance for vaccine Friday: Pfizer and BioNTech said they’ll apply for an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration Friday for the coronavirus vaccine they’re developing. If approved, it would allow the companies to roll out limited batches of the vaccine to select groups, like health care workers and people at the highest risk of severe illness and death.

See previous updates in The Chronicle’s comprehensive timeline of the coronavirus outbreak in the Bay Area.

Coronavirus live updates: The quest for toilet paper rolls — why panic buying has returned to Bay Area

Written by wuruthbarrett