The latest data by Worldometer shows that there have been more than 15.5 million cases of the novel coronavirus in the US and more than 292,000 related deaths. Worldwide, there have been more than 68 million cases and 1.5 million deaths.
The United States is beginning to show signs of a post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID-19 cases, with health experts getting increasingly concerned that December may become the deadliest month of the pandemic to date.
Specifically, the latest tally by the New York Times shows that there has been an average of 201,778 cases per day in the last week, which is an increase of 17% from the average two weeks earlier. In addition, the number of hospitalized patients on December 7 was 102,148, the highest figure recorded yet.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told CBS’ Norah O’Donnell on Monday during the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit that the US has yet to see the entire impact that Thanksgiving gatherings will have on COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
“The blip from Thanksgiving isn’t even here yet,” Fauci told O’Donnell.
Before the Thanksgiving holiday took place late last month, health experts were already urging people to avoid travel and large gatherings.
As cases continue to spike, US states are preparing to distribute a vaccine this month. Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer have both completed phase 3 clinical trials of their vaccines and have applied for emergency approval for their drugs from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Documents published Tuesday by the FDA shows that the vaccine made by Pfizer and German company BioNtech provides strong protection against the novel coronavirus within 10 days of the first dose, the New York Times reported.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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