People over 75, front-line essential workers should get vaccine next, CDC panel says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a COVID-19 vaccine live on TV Saturday, making himself the first person in Israel, and one of the first world leaders, to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

"This is a very great day for the state of Israel," Netanyahu said upon getting the first dose of Pfizer's vaccine. "I have asked to be vaccinated first, together with Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, in order to serve as a personal example and to encourage all of you to be vaccinated."

Medical staff and those older than 60 will be vaccinated starting on Sunday.

By the end of the month, there will be "millions of vaccines here, and additional millions will come afterward," Netanyahu said.

-ABC News' Bruno Nota contributed to this report

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 11-0 to recommend Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine to patients 18 years and older under the emergency use authorization.

Three members recused themselves in Saturday's virtual vote.

The ACIP is an independent group of medical experts that advises the CDC.  

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

New COVID-19 deaths have increased nearly 14% week-over-week, according to an internal U.S. Health and Human Services memo obtained by ABC News.  

There were 18,358 deaths recorded from Dec. 12 to 18 -- marking a 13.8% increase compared with the previous week, the memo said.

During that time, there were over 1.5 million new cases, up 5.6% from the previous seven-day period.

Across the country, 32% of hospitals have more than 80% of their intensive care unit beds filled, 23% of inpatients have COVID-19, and 34% of ventilators in use are occupied by patients with COVID-19.

Hospitalization rates are surging in Arizona, New Hampshire, Nevada, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C., the memo noted.

Fatalities rose 171% in Colorado between the weeks ending Dec. 8 and Dec. 15, it said. 

-ABC News' Josh Margolin

The first Moderna vaccines will likely be administered on Monday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.  

They will begin delivery on Monday, at which point "we will likely see the first vaccinations with this vaccine," Azar said on Twitter Saturday.