Coronavirus live updates:  L.A. mayor orders stay-at-home; U.S. hospitalizations cross 100,000

A dedicated Covid-19 cybersecurity task force at IBM said they uncovered an email phishing scheme targeting global coronavirus vaccine supply chains and urged cold-chain companies to remain on “high alert.”

The fraudulent emails impersonated a Chinese business executive at a credible cold-chain supply company dating back to September. IBM said the attacks likely targeted organizations linked to Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, which is working to supply low and middle-income economies with an affordable Covid-19 vaccine. 

“We are working closely with our partners on security awareness to continue to strengthen these best practices,” a Gavi spokesperson told CNBC.

IBM’s analysts said the attack has the “potential hallmarks of nation-state tradecraft,” though it wasn’t made clear which countries could be behind the emails. It also wasn’t clear whether the attacks were successful, the company said.

—Noah Higgins-Dunn

Delta Air Lines became the latest airline to warn that the recent surge in coronavirus cases is hurting travel demand. The trend is likely to add $2 million to Delta’s daily cash burn this quarter, bringing it to as much as $14 million, up from a previous forecast of between $10 million and $12 million.

Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian said in an employee note that the airline is still on track to break even in the spring. Fourth-quarter revenue will come in at around 30% of last year’s levels, Bastian said.

Despite a spike in Thanksgiving travel, airlines have recently said that the rise in Covid-19 infections is driving down demand.

—Leslie Josephs

The leaders of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus told CNBC they believe there is momentum in Washington to pass their $908 billion coronavirus stimulus bill, following months of deadlocked negotiations between Republicans and Democrats.

“The bottom line is, this is right in the range of reason. It’s not a perfect bill, but it is a compromise bill that can bring people together,” Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., said on “Squawk Box.”

Reed’s Democratic counterpart, Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, added: “I think there’s a deep recognition ... that we’ve got to get something done. People are really hurting. Small businesses are going out, scores of them, every single day.”

—Kevin Stankiewicz

As the U.S. hits grim milestones for Covid-19 deaths and hospitalizations, Walmart is offering bonuses to hourly employees who have been on the pandemic’s front lines.

It marks the fourth pandemic-related bonus to Walmart workers since the spring. Full-time employees will get $300 and part-time and temporary employees will get $150 on Dec. 24.

For grocery workers like those at Walmart, the spread of Covid-19 in small towns and cities has meant putting their own health at risk each day. It’s inspired recent calls by a major grocery union to reinstate “hazard pay.”

—Melissa Repko

The United States on Wednesday reported a record 2,800 deaths caused by Covid-19, the highest single-day death toll recorded to date, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. reported just over 2,600 deaths on April 15, the previous record, during the first phase of the Covid-19 surge this spring. Those were clustered mostly in the Northeast and a handful of other cities across the country.

Coronavirus data has become challenging to interpret following the Thanksgiving holiday, as states work to resume normal reporting schedules, so the single-day figures may be at least partially a result of delayed reporting. The trends, though, all point to an outbreak that is growing more severe by the day.

—Will Feuer