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As the United States prepares to launch a COVID-19 vaccine, officials warned Thursday that hackers were targeting companies essential to the plan.
In a blog post published Thursday, IBM said it had uncovered a phishing plot targeting “organizations associated with a COVID-19 cold chain,” referring to the chain of people and companies responsible for keeping the vaccine in the necessary cold temperatures.
The U.S. Cyber Security and Infrastructure Agency shared the report on Thursday along with a warning to anyone involved in vaccine-related operations.
“The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encourages Operation Warp Speed (OWS) organizations and organizations involved in vaccine storage and transportation to review the IBM X-Force report,” the post reads.
Earlier this week, consultants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that health care workers and nursing home residents should be the first Americans to receive the vaccine.
Peak of infection
News of the phishing plot came as the United States was battling the most serious and widespread wave of COVID-19 infections. According to data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, more than 3,100 Americans died from COVID-19 on Wednesday, by far the highest number of deaths in a day since the pandemic began.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday a state-wide ban on gatherings and “non-essential activities”. The state has so far recorded 1.3 million confirmed cases and 19,400 deaths from the virus.
The CDC warned Wednesday of a bleak winter ahead as the country continues to see nationwide spikes in COVID-19 cases.
“The reality is that December, January and February are going to be tough times,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a live streaming presentation hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “I actually believe it will be the most difficult time in the history of this nation’s public health.”
The United States passed 100,000 hospitalizations for the virus Wednesday for the first time since the start of the pandemic, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
Our daily update is published. States have reported 1.4 million tests, 196,000 cases and 2,733 deaths. There are 100,226 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States – the first time hospitalizations have exceeded 100,000. pic.twitter.com/8QSKujBGao
– The COVID monitoring project (@ COVID19Tracking) December 3, 2020
While many Americans have grown tired of following social distancing guidelines and wearing the mask, Redfield has urged people to adhere to these practices in the coming months.
Millions of Americans traveled for Thanksgiving last week, despite advice from health experts against flying and gathering in large groups indoors.
Quarantine guidelines
Also on Wednesday, the CDC said Americans should quarantine for 10 days after potential exposure to the virus, shortening the previous guideline to a 14-day quarantine.
The United States has recorded more than 276,000 deaths and more than 14.1 million confirmed coronavirus cases this year, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
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