People over 75, front-line essential workers should get vaccine next, CDC panel says

The U.S. recorded 3,400 new coronavirus =-related deaths Wednesday, a new daily record, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

This comes one week after the U.S. recorded its first day with 3,000 deaths.

"The new 7-day average for deaths in the South is at an all-time high. The region reported 1,053 deaths today, a new single-day record," the tracking project tweeted.

Hospitalizations also reached a new record-high Wednesday, with 113,069 Americans hospitalized with the virus, according to the health data.

"The 7-day average for deaths is rising in 23 states across the US. There are 16 states reporting higher per-million deaths than the summer peak in AZ," the tracking project tweeted.

The seven-day average of deaths, 2,507, and seven-day average of hospitalizations 109,945, were also record-highs, the tracking project said.

The Food and Drug Administration said it's looking into an incident in Alaska where a Pfizer vaccine recipient had an anaphylactic reaction shortly after it was administered to them.

"The agency will continue to work with CDC and Pfizer to better understand what occurred," the FDA tweeted.

The agency added that Pfizer and all vaccination providers must report all serious adverse effects of the vaccine to the federal government's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

"The vaccination provider fact sheet notes: severe allergic reactions have been reported following vaccination & appropriate medical treatment used to manage immediate allergic reactions must be immediately available for administration in event of any acute anaphylactic reaction," the FDA tweeted.

Vice President Mike Pence will publicly receive a COVID-19 vaccination Friday at the White House, his office announced Wednesday evening.

Pence will be the highest level White House official to publicly receive the vaccine. He will take the treatment "to promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people," according to his office.

Second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams will also be vaccinated at the Friday event, according to the vice president's office.

More details on the vaccination event at the White House will be revealed at a later date, the office said.

The NBA and NBA Players Association released their latest update on their coronavirus testing, less than a week before the start of the new season.

"Of the 549 players tested for COVID-19 since Dec. 10, one new player has returned a confirmed positive test," the league and union said in a joint statement.

The unidentified player is in isolation, according to both organizations.

Teams are currently playing preseason games and are scheduled to officially start the season on Dec. 22.