CDC sees 'distressing trend' in COVID-19 cases

The coronavirus outbreak has been worsening in recent weeks as cold weather pushes Americans indoors, raising the chance of contracting the virus. Some 38 U.S. states and two territories have reported rising case counts. More than 8 million Americans have been infected with the novel coronavirus and more than 220,000 have died.

CDC Director Robert R. Redfield said the U.S. was "approaching a critical phase."

Jay Butler, the CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases, said the surge in cases is likely due to cooler temperatures driving Americans indoors.

"Unfortunately, we are seeing a distressing trend here in the United States," Butler said. "Smaller, more intimate gatherings of family, friends and neighbors may be driving transmission as well, especially as they move indoors."

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the U.S. is likely to have enough safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available to inoculate the most vulnerable Americans by the end of 2020.

"There is hope on the way in the form of safe and effective vaccines in a matter of weeks or months," Azar said.

All three officials at the news conference said the U.S. government is "cautiously optimistic" that one or two vaccines, likely from Pfizer or Moderna, will be available by the end of the year and can begin to be distributed to Americans.

Azar said he expects all seniors, healthcare workers, and first responders will be able to receive a vaccine as soon as January, with the rest of the American public able to get a vaccine by April.

Companies participating in the U.S. government's effort to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, have begun developing manufacturing capabilities even before any vaccinations have been authorized by regulators.