Published December 21, 2020 •
Updated on December 22, 2020 at 12:48 am
NBCUniversal Media, LLC
The U.S. has recorded more than 18 million coronavirus cases and over 319,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to a tally by NBC News.
With doses of the Moderna vaccine arriving in hospitals around the country Monday, scientists were also working to assess the risk from an emergent new strain of the virus that appears to spread more quickly.
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Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package, which would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans. The bill is now headed to the White House for President Donald Trump's signature.