^{Surprise!  It hits the fan.}

25% jump over our previous record.

Coronavirus cases in NC skyrocket as hospitalizations continue to rise
https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases-in-nc-skyrocket-as-hospitalizations-continue-to-rise/19412700/

I don't think we've really seen much of any holiday surge at the hospitals yet. In today's press conference, Newsom said they were expecting it to hit in about a week or two.

New travel restrictions in CA go into effect when a region has less than 15% of the ICU beds empty. But it won't matter. No real enforcement, so the "rules" are more like "gentle reminders" or maybe just PSAs. "Remember, our ICUs are full, so please wear a mask while skiing this Christmas."

First signs of Thanksgiving COVID-19 wave emerge

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/529271-first-signs-of-thanksgiving-covid-19-wave-emerge

The previous daily record in our county was ~200 confirmed cases and yesterday we had 694 or something like that. There was a big outbreak at the prison here (about 700 confirmed cases) and those are going into the daily numbers for the last couple days and probably more hitting today so it is a bit artificially inflated but even taking those cases out we are still not trending well. I think the post-Thanksgiving surge is hitting here and I expect some big numbers this week.

I would guess the spike after Christmas will be worse. The governor extended the "no social gatherings with people outside of your home" recommendation for three more weeks. The people who ignored that for Thanksgiving will ignore again for Christmas and there will also be another group of people who sucked it up and complied for Thanksgiving hoping they could do a larger gathering for Christmas will ignore it this time and go ahead with their plans.

Just spoke to someone on the Covid response team. There is no ICU space in our county (we don't have any to start with) or the county we normally send to. Single digit availability in the next furthest counties.

His comment: "Don't get a heart attack"

NC shatters record for new COVID cases, reporting 'staggering' 7,540 cases in one day

"The surge in cases comes two weeks after Thanksgiving, illustrating the impact of holiday gatherings"

https://www.heraldonline.com/news/state/north-carolina/article247779660.html

UK: Christmas five-day relaxation period 'a mistake'

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55279371

'Like ants on sugar': Covid-fatigued Texans shrug off mandates for holiday fun | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/18/texas-coronavirus-mandates-fredericksburg

^Ooph!

AAA expects 85 million Americans to travel over holidays, raising fears of more viral spread | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2020/12/18/COVID-19-coronavirus-spread-winter-travel-Christmas-holidays-New-Years-vacation-AAA-TSA-flights/stories/202012180161

COVID travel: TSA screened 1 million passengers as holiday travel starts

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/12/19/covid-travel-tsa-1-million-passengers-holiday-travel-christmas-cdc-advice/3964377001/

TSA screens highest number of travelers since pandemic began - Axios
https://www.axios.com/tsa-pandemic-sunday-screened-ca7d90fd-9446-4862-b617-57a935517fc8.html

UK coronavirus variant has surfaced in over 30 countries since Christmas - The Jerusalem Post
https://www.jpost.com/international/uk-coronavirus-variant-has-surfaced-in-over-30-countries-since-christmas-654034

The US has recorded over 4,000 COVID-19 deaths in one day for the first time | SBS News
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-us-has-recorded-over-4-000-covid-19-deaths-in-one-day-for-the-first-time