As a citywide lockdown entered its third week, there were signs of the outbreak spiralling, with a record increase of 38 new cases in the last 24 hours
The United States has now ordered a total of 500 million Moderna vaccine doses to date, with 110 million set for delivery in the fourth quarter and 90 million to be delivered in the first quarter of 2022.
Moderna, which has supplied 217 million doses of its shot to the US government as of Monday.
US Secretary of State added fuel to the fire on Monday when he told a congressional hearing in Washington that discussions would begin on a trade deal.