Coronavirus outbreak update: Dec. 18, 2020

As of 11 p.m., Friday, Dec. 18

• Tokyo reported 664 daily cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, with its cumulative total topping 50,000, as concern about the strain on Japan's medical system continued to grow.
  
  
• U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday tested negative for the novel coronavirus after a close aide contracted the virus, a spokeswoman said.
  
  
• U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. on Friday requested Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approve its novel coronavirus vaccine, making it the first drug maker to file such a request in the country.
  
  
• Japan's government upgraded on Friday its economic growth forecast for fiscal 2021 to a record real 4.0 percent, expecting its latest coronavirus stimulus package to boost the economy back to a pre-pandemic level.
  
  

As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 17

• French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Elysee Palace said Thursday.
  
  
• Months after the coronavirus outbreak aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship berthed in Japan cast a dark shadow on the cruise industry, some cruise lines have recently launched roundtrip cruises with no port calls dubbed "cruises to nowhere" in Singapore.
  
  
• Tokyo's daily novel coronavirus cases topped 800 for the first time on Thursday, an official said, amid growing concern over the strain on the medical system.
  
  
• A health care worker in Alaska has shown a serious allergic reaction to the coronavirus vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE, local authorities said Wednesday.
  
  
• Para athletes taking part in the postponed Tokyo Games have been asked to arrive at the Paralympic village no earlier than seven days before the start of their first event, the International Paralympic Committee said Wednesday.
  
  
• The price of digital currency Bitcoin topped $20,000 for the first time Wednesday as continued monetary easing by major central banks amid the coronavirus pandemic prompted investment in the cryptocurrency market.
  
  
• Japanese health authorities have found it difficult to reach a conclusion on the effectiveness of anti-viral drug Avigan in treating COVID-19 patients based on the results of clinical testing by its developer, government sources said Wednesday.
  
  
• U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be in quarantine after having come into contact with a person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.