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

Based on early data, COVID-19 is now likely the leading cause of death in the U.S., ahead of heart disease and cancer, according to a research letter in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

The official death statistics will not be available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until next year.  

By October, “COVID-19 had become the third leading cause of death for persons aged 45 through 84 years and the second leading cause of death for those aged 85 years or older,” JAMA said. “Between November 1, 2020, and December 13, 2020, the 7-day moving average for daily COVID-19 deaths tripled, from 826 to 2430 deaths per day, and if this trend is unabated will soon surpass the daily rate observed at the height of the spring surge.”

The letter concluded, “The need for the entire population to take the disease seriously—notably to wear masks and maintain social distance—could not be more urgent.”

ABC News’ Sony Salzman and Shiela Beroukhim Afrahimi contributed to this report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed Thursday that he still hasn't been inoculated with his country's COVID-19 vaccine because the shot is not yet permitted for people older than 60.

"For those like me, the vaccine hasn't reached us yet," Putin, 68, told reporters from the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow during his annual end-of-year press conference, which was held online due to the pandemic. "I am quite a law-abiding person, I listen to our specialists and so far haven't taken it."

However, Putin said he "definitely" will get the so-called Sputnik V vaccine once those over 60 are allowed to.

Russia controversially registered Sputnik V in August before starting crucial late-stage clinical trials, declaring itself the first country in the world to authorize a COVID-19 vaccine. The Russian government has said the trials so far show a vaccine efficacy of 91-95%.

Although key Phase 3 trials for Sputnik V are currently ongoing, the Russian government has already launched a mass vaccination program.

Putin told reporters that Russian scientists are looking into developing a "light" version of Sputnik V that would only require one dose instead of two, allowing for faster mass immunization. Putin noted the lighter version would be slightly less effective than the existing one but would produce antibodies faster.

"It will work quicker," he said. "The level of protection will be less, but all the same -- it'll get up to 85%."

ABC News' Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.

Tokyo raised its alert for medical preparedness to the highest level on Thursday for the first time, as hospital beds across Japan's bustling capital fill up with COVID-19 patients.

Following a coronavirus committee meeting, Tokyo officials raised the alert level to "red" and warned that the city's health care system was on the verge of crisis.

The move comes after 822 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Tokyo on Wednesday, the highest single-day count the city has recorded since the start of the pandemic.

Wednesday's tally shatters Tokyo's previous record of 678 new cases confirmed a day earlier, according to data released by the Tokyo metropolitan government.

ABC News' Anthony Trotter contributed to this report.

Several European leaders announced Thursday that they are going into quarantine after French President Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19..

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who had lunch with Macron at the French presidential palace in Paris on Wednesday, said he is self-isolating as a preventative measure and canceling any events that require his physical presence. Costa said he also took a COVID-19 test on Thursday morning as was originally planned ahead of his now-canceled trip to Africa.

Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, who had lunch with Macron in Paris on Monday, said he will suspend all his activities and quarantine until Dec. 24

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who met with Macron in Brussels last week, said he will get tested Thursday and then self-isolate while he awaits the result.

ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud contributed to this report.