Nowhere Else To Go: Grandmother, Millions Of Others Face Eviction

Grief has piled on grief in the nine months the coronavirus has gripped the United States and killed more than 300,000 people. Those who died are people you've never heard of but whose absences leave a hole in the hearts of the people who loved, depended on and knew them as more than a statistic.

Of the more than 300,000 human stories behind the wave of funerals, here are seven of them.

7 Stories From America's Coronavirus Graveyard: Deaths Pass 300K

ACROSS AMERICA — In several ways, Garnell Hodge is like millions of other Americans.

Hodge, who lives in Atlanta, lost her job in the service industry because of the coronavirus pandemic. And, like so many others, she's also facing eviction at the end of the month should Congress allow a federal eviction moratorium to expire Dec. 31.

One report says anywhere from 30 million to 40 million American renters could be evicted from rental housing by the end of 2020. No state will be untouched, the report warns, and people of color are especially vulnerable.

Hodge worries about herself and about her 9-year-old granddaughter, whom she's raising.

"I also don't have anywhere to go because places are so high and I don't have much income," Garnell told CNN.

In Houston, Texas, although 29-year-old mom Kenia Madrigal eventually found a home with the charitable help of others, she stared down real fear earlier this year as she tucked her four children in for the evening in a small SUV that had become the family's home.

For a time, her mind had swirled with questions: How could she possibly keep her kids safe from the coronavirus, which hurtled them into crisis when she lost first her job and then the mobile home she had been renting for two years? How could she keep them safe from unseen dangers the nighttime brings? How could she shield them from the emotional wounds homelessness inflicts?

"You have to go day by day," Madrigal said. "You never know what the next night will bring, or the next day."

READ MORE: 40M Americans Could Lose Homes In Coronavirus Eviction Crisis

The Latest

A day after the nation recorded yet another record number of COVID-19 deaths, a second coronavirus vaccine received emergency approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The decision paves the way for the vaccine to help fight a pandemic that's now killed nearly 314,000 Americans.

The emergency authorization of Moderna's vaccine comes just a week after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to a similar vaccine by drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

Prior to the FDA's decision, Gen. Gustave Perna, who oversees Operation Warp Speed and the federal effort to distribute vaccines, said the government was preparing to ship almost 6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to 3,285 locations in the week following approval.

To show trust in the vaccine's safety, Vice President Mike Pence on Friday received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on live television. In doing so, Pence became the highest-ranking U.S. official to receive the vaccine.

During the broadcast, Pence celebrated the milestone as "a medical miracle" that could eventually contain the raging pandemic.

Second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received shots during the White House event in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Later in the day, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also received the first doses.

READ MORE: FDA Issues Emergency Approval Of Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine

Pence, Wife Karen, Surgeon General All Get COVID-19 Vaccines

Meanwhile, Congress on Friday pushed off a decision on a new coronavirus relief package by passing a two-day stop-gap funding bill, averting a government shutdown and buying itself two more days to negotiate final terms of the $900 billion aid package.

Since the measure is looped into a $1.4 trillion government spending bill, Congress originally had until midnight Friday to approve the bill and avoid a government shutdown.

If approved, the proposed aid could deliver additional "paycheck protection" subsidies to businesses, an additional $300 per week to the unemployed, and stimulus payments to most Americans, likely in the amount of $600.

READ MORE: Shutdown Deadline Looms Over COVID-19 Relief Talks

As the federal government continues negotiations, California has turned into the new epicenter of the crisis in the United States.

The state reported more than 50,000 new cases on two separate days this week, a surge that's already overwhelming hospitals — statewide, California reported 3 percent availability of ICU beds on Thursday.

"I've seen more deaths in the last nine months in my ICU than I have in my entire 20-year career," Amy Arlund, a nurse at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center, told the AP.

In many California counties, intensive care unit capacity is at less than 1 percent, and morgue space is also running out.

New York, the original epicenter of the virus, broke its own record Thursday for most positive tests reported on a single day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday.

The number, 12,697, exceeded the previous high of 11,571 on April 14, when about one-ninth as many tests were being conducted.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the United States topped 17 million on Thursday, just five days after the country surpassed 16 million. India is the only country that has more than half the number of cases reported in the U.S.

Newest Numbers

At least 2,878 new coronavirus deaths and 242,838 new daily cases were reported in the United States on Friday, according to a Washington Post database. Over the past seven days, the United States has averaged more than 219,300 cases each day.

As of Saturday, 48 states and Puerto Rico remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days. Currently, only Hawaii, Vermont and Washington, D.C. are under that threshold.

More than 17.47 million people in the United States had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Saturday morning, and more than 313,700 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or Washington Post.

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• Teen From Georgia Jailed In Caymans For Breaking Quarantine
• Pima County, Arizona Health Director Tests Positive For Coronavirus