Another 212,000 New Cases Of COVID Reported In US
Thursday's tally set another record for the number of infections confirmed in a single day. Meanwhile, in a single month, hospitalizations in the U.S. doubled. And the global death toll reaches 1.5 million people.
The Washington Post:
Vaccines Offer Hope For End To Pandemic, But Brutal Months Lie Ahead
Coronavirus vaccines are poised to be approved and distributed in the coming weeks in the United States, but that promising news comes amid record levels of infections and hospitalizations, with experts warning that the most brutal period of the pandemic lies ahead. This is a split-screen moment: Progress on vaccines means people can now plausibly talk about what they will do when the pandemic is over. But with new infections topping 212,000 Thursday — another daily record, topping one set Wednesday — it won’t be over in a snap. This remains a dismal slog. (Achenbach and Del Real, 12/4)
The Atlantic:
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Have Doubled In One Month
As expected, our picture of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in the past week is muddied by incomplete and delayed data, the result of the Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. Although cases, tests, and deaths appear to have declined, we believe this is largely an artifact of data reporting and not reflective of the true toll the coronavirus is taking on the nation right now. The one metric not substantially affected by holiday reporting makes clear exactly how severe the pandemic is: More than 100,000 people in the United States—that’s one in 3,300 people—are now hospitalized with COVID-19. (12/3)
Reuters:
Coronavirus Claims 1.5 Million Lives Globally With 10,000 Dying Each Day
Over 1.5 million people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 with one death reported every nine seconds on a weekly average, as vaccinations are set to begin in December in a handful of developed nations. Half a million deaths occurred in just the last two months, indicating that the severity of the pandemic is far from over. Nearly 65 million people globally have been infected by the disease and the worst affected country, United States, is currently battling a third wave of coronavirus infections. (Ahluwalia and Sangameswaran S, 12/3)
The Hill:
US Records Over 14 Million Coronavirus Cases
The United States has officially recorded more than 14 million coronavirus cases as of Thursday, less than a week after the country topped the 13 million-infection threshold, a sign that the virus is spreading at an alarming rate. According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has had a total of 14,102,562 coronavirus infections, with at least 275,729 deaths as a result of the virus. (Castronuovo, 12/3)
Also —
AP:
Data Shows Americans Couldn't Resist Thanksgiving Travel
Americans couldn’t resist the urge to gather for Thanksgiving, driving only slightly less than a year ago and largely ignoring the pleas of public health experts, who begged them to forgo holiday travel to help contain the coronavirus pandemic, data from roadways and airports shows. The nation’s unwillingness to tamp down on travel offered a warning in advance of Christmas and New Year’s as virus deaths and hospitalizations hit new highs a week after Thanksgiving. U.S. deaths from the outbreak eclipsed 3,100 on Thursday, obliterating the single-day record set last spring. (Groves, 12/4)
AP:
Birx Says Americans Must Be Strict For Pandemic
The White House coronavirus response coordinator says Americans must not gather indoors with outsiders or take off their masks at any time when they are outdoors -- even when they are eating and drinking. Dr. Deborah Birx says people also have to observe social distancing and wash their hands to contain the coronavirus pandemic. She says some states are taking these measures, but in others it’s “not happening at the level that they need to happen.” (12/4)
CNN:
There's A Light At The End Of The Tunnel, But Coming Months Will Be Covid-19 'Worst-Case Scenario,' Expert Says
Across the US, preparations are well underway to quickly distribute Covid-19 vaccines once authorized, but experts say before that promise of relief, the coming months will likely be difficult. What will come next is likely the country's "worst-case scenario in terms of overwhelmed hospitals, in terms of the death count," according to emergency medicine physician Dr. Leana Wen. (Maxouris, 12/4)
