BATON ROUGE, La. — The number of people in Louisiana hospitalized with COVID-19 has reached heights exceeding the state’s summer surge of the disease that can be caused by the coronavirus.

The more than 1,600 hospitalizations announced Thursday mutes some excitement surrounding this week’s first virus vaccinations.

Dr. Catherine O’Neal is an infectious disease expert at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. She says the Baton Rouge hospital admitted the most COVID-19 patients over the previous 24 hours than it has seen in a similar period since July.

O’Neal says: “Our hospital’s full. Every hospital in the state is full.”

Gov. John Bel Edwards says at least 7,000 of Louisiana’s hospital workers have received vaccines so far.

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THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

Health experts are convening to discuss the Moderna vaccine data. The panel of physicians and medical researchers is expected to endorse it, followed by the FDA's OK soon after. A Pfizer vaccine got the go-ahead last week.

French president Macron tests positive for the coronavirus and is self-isolating. Macron recently met with numerous European leaders. The French and Spanish prime ministers are among many top officials in quarantine.

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Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas’ coronavirus infections in the latest 24 hours rose above 3,000 for the first time in the pandemic.

The Department of Health reported 3,039 new cases Thursday, raising the state’s total to 194,543. Officials said 38 people died of COVID-19, increasing the pandemic's toll to 3,112.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson says the new high in cases is “a milestone we did not want to reach.”

Space in Arkansas’ intensive care units continued to shrink, with only 46 of its 1,154 ICU beds unused. About a quarter of the state’s 9,037 hospital beds were available.

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ATHENS, Greece — NBA basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo has appeared in a commercial in his native Greece, released ahead of Christmas to urge people to observe public safety measures during the pandemic.

“All victories start with defense,” the Milwaukee Bucks star said, speaking in Greek in the minute-long spot edited in black and white.

The ad features photographs of Antetokounmpo growing up in an Athens neighborhood, the son of struggling Nigerian immigrants, and scenes from his participation in the games with the Greek national basketball team.

“I have learned in life to look my opponent in the eye. But for the first time in my life, I’m playing against an invisible opponent,” the player said in the commercial. “I can’t see it but it’s there. That’s how I see the virus, Covid. Now we have to play defense.”

The ad was launched in a tweet from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Greece launched a nationwide lockdown on Nov. 7 that will remain in effect for two months. Public health officials have issued daily appeals for people to remain cautious over the Christmas holidays, as hospitals in high-infection areas remain close to capacity.

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HARTFORD, Conn. -- Labor unions are accusing Connecticut court officials of refusing to address concerns about the coronavirus and putting workers at risk of contracting COVID-19. A coalition of unions representing nearly 4,000 court system employees said Thursday that they’re calling for an immediate meeting with Chief Justice Richard Robinson and Judge Patrick Carroll III, the chief court administrator. Union officials say the Judicial Branch has not curtailed work activity in its buildings, despite rising virus cases. Carroll says judicial officials have been meeting regularly with union officials to address their concerns, and the Judicial Branch has been following coronavirus guidance from state health officials to keep people safe.

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AUSTIN, Texas — More than 1 million Texans are expected to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of the month as part of the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday.

Texas had received about 95,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine through Wednesday with another 129,000 doses to be delivered Thursday, Abbott said. That number is expected to grow if the Food and Drug Administration quickly approves a second vaccine from the drugmaker Moderna, Abbott said.

At a press conference Thursday, Abbott said he had not yet been vaccinated but planned to do so after front-line health care workers are inoculated.

The vaccine is arriving as cases of COVID-19 and virus-related hospitalizations are on the rise. Texas reported 9,528 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 252 more fatalities from the disease caused by the virus Wednesday. Intensive care units in some regions were at or near full capacity, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

There were 728.5 new cases per 100,000 people in Texas over the past two weeks, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. One in every 268 people in Texas tested positive for the virus in the past week.

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LOS ANGELES — California health authorities have reported a one-day record of 379 coronavirus deaths and more than 52,000 new confirmed cases.

The staggering new figures released Thursday mean California has seen more than 1,000 deaths in the last five days and nearly 106,000 cases in just two days.

Many of the state’s hospitals are now running out of capacity to treat the severest cases.

California’s pandemic death toll now stands at 21,860. The state has also seen the most cases in the nation with more than 1.7 million confirmed.

In Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous, authorities reported Wednesday that two people are dying every hour as hospitals struggle to keep up with the surge of coronavirus patients.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Rep. Mike Rogers said Thursday he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms, becoming the second Republican member of Alabama’s congressional delegation to announce he had contracted the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

Rogers, 62, said he was self-isolating after consulting with the House physician.

“I am experiencing mild symptoms but otherwise I am in good spirits and looking forward to getting back to work soon,” he said in a tweet.

Rogers, of Saks, won a 10th term representing east Alabama’s 3rd District last month.

Rep. Robert Aderholt of Haleyville announced last month he had tested positive for COVID-19 but wasn’t experiencing symptoms. Aderholt spoke Monday at the Alabama Capitol during a ceremony that coincided with the meeting of the Electoral College

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OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma school teachers have been moved to a higher priority on the lists to receive the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday.

“I’ve directed the state department of health to move K-12 teachers and support staff who interact with students up to phase two of our vaccine distribution plan,” Stitt said.

Stitt said the change helps accomplish his goal of returning all the state’s schools to in-person classes in January, following the Christmas holiday break. State health commissioner Dr. Lance Frye said no one in the second phase to receive vaccinations will be removed. Front-line health care workers are to the first being vaccinated, followed by long-term care providers and residents, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and pharmacy staff who will administer the vaccine in long-term care facilities.

The second phase includes first responders, health care workers providing outpatient care to COVID-19 patients, those 65 and older, anyone with underlying conditions making them susceptible to the virus and staff and residents of congregate settings, such as prisons.

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BERLIN — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is appealing to rich nations to support the purchase of coronavirus vaccines for poor countries.

Guterres says the U.N.-backed COVAX program needs $5 billion until the end of January. The program, created to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, currently faces a shortfall of more than $20 billion, he says.

“At the same time, I see countries that have bought more vaccines than several times the volume of their population or at least made the bids in that regard,” said Guterres, urging governments to donate excess doses to COVAX.

He notes it is in the best interest of the world to ensure broad immunization because “nature always strikes back.”

“If we don’t eradicate the disease, a virus can mutate,” he says, “and vaccines that at a certain moment are effective can no longer be effective if things change.”

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ROME — Italy has added 683 more deaths to its confirmed coronavirus toll.

The government also opened temporary hiring for 15,000 medical personnel to administer COVID-19 vaccines once they are approved.

The health ministry opened a special portal for doctors and nurses, including pensioners, to apply for nine-month contracts to work in the 1,500 hospitals and clinics to distribute vaccines. Italian officials hope to begin administering the shots before the end of the year, assuming approval by the European Medicines Agency.

The health ministry reported another 18,236 confirmed cases Thursday. The government is weighing whether to impose a tighter lockdown over Christmas to prevent gatherings.

Italy has registered more than 1.9 million cases. It has Europe’s highest confirmed death toll at 67,220, the fifth highest in the world.

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BRUSSELS — The EU’s top official says the COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the bloc will start on Dec. 27 if the the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine is approved by the EU regulator next week.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, says in a message posted on Twitter that EU citizens will receive the first anti-coronavirus shots from Dec. 27-29.

The European Medicines Agency is expected to give its go-ahead Monday, with the first batch of vaccines to be dispatched to member states on Dec. 26. The European commission has secured around 2 billion doses of potential vaccines for the 27 member states.

The EU’s executive arm says once a vaccine is ready, all EU countries should have access to it at the same time.

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MOSCOW — Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has so far received a wary, mixed response.

There are reports of empty Moscow clinics that offered the shot to health care workers and teachers, who have been designated as the first to receive the vaccine. Kremlin officials and state-controlled media touted the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine as a major achievement after it was approved in August.

But among Russians, skepticism reflects concerns about how it was rushed out while still undergoing final-stage testing to ensure its safety and effectiveness.

Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Institute that developed the vaccine said last week more than 150,000 Russians had already received the shots.

Its developers say study data suggests the vaccine was 91% effective, a conclusion based on 78 infections among nearly 23,000 participants. A poll conducted in October by the Levada Center, Russia’s top independent pollster, showed 59% of Russians were unwilling to get the shots even if offered for free.

Russia, a nation of 146 million, has recorded more than 2.7 million confirmed cases and more than 48,000 confirmed deaths.

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WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s government announced a “national quarantine” that involves several restrictions from Dec. 28 to Jan. 17.

Health Minister Adam Niedzielski says the it will involve a 10-day quarantine for international arrivals, the closure of hotels, ski slopes and shopping centers and stores – except for those providing basic needs like food and medicine.

The measures are aimed at keeping families from traveling and socializing ahead of the possible reopening of schools on Jan. 18. Niedzielski says restrictions are necessary “because we cannot count on the vaccinations to protect us in the near future.”

Poland, as a member of the 27-nation European Union, could start vaccinating small numbers in late December. The mass vaccination program is expected to start in January.

Poland is reporting about 10,000 new daily cases, with a total of nearly 1.2 million confirmed cases and more than 24,000 confirmed deaths.