Summary:

Tokyo raises alert level to highest

Chuck Grassley tests positive

Illinois casinos ordered to close

Pfizer just days away from filing for emergency use order

NY releases latest numbers

Maryland expected to impose curfew

Ohio imposes 21-day 2200 curfew

Maryland announces restaurant curfew

NYC positivity rate stays below school closure threshold.

NJ ICU occupancy quadruples

Italy reports most new deaths in seven months

Dr. Fauci says COVID will disappear if 75% get vaccinated

French bars, restaurants expected to remain closed until mid-January

Scotland imposes lockdown in Glasgow and Stirling

Moderna strikes deal with the UK to sell 5MN doses

Grassley to quarantine after exposure

Global cases top 55 million

US hospitalizations at new record

US seeing 150k new cases per day

India outbreak continues to slow

Australian PM heads to Tokyo

Illinois, Michigan more than 10k+ new cases

Update (1745ET): Tokyo has just raised its alert level to the highest setting, warning that the virus is spreading through the capital as Japan grapples with its biggest outbreak yet.

In other news, Sen. Chuck Grassley, an 87-year-old GOP senator from Iowa, has tested positive for the coronavirus.

He had been quarantining after coming in contact with an infected person.

Update (1555ET): Illinois Gov Pritzker just announced that starting Friday, all regions of the state will move to "Tier 3" mitigation in an attempt to avoid another statewide stay at home order.