American Coronavirus: As United States Closes To 350,000 Covid-19 Deaths, Model Predicts About 115,000 More Could Die In Next Four Weeks

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More people have died in the United States than anywhere else: nearly 348,000 Americans since the start of the pandemic. About 115,000 more could die in the next month, according to projections by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

“We are also concerned that at some point we will soon have a hard time finding the space and staff necessary to take care of all the sick patients who arrive with Covid-19 and who really need our help,” a said Dr Nicole Van Groningen of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

And Friday’s dark milestone also means the country has also recorded the most Covid-19 infections by far. This is double what India – the country with the second highest number of cases – reported and almost triple what Brazil – the third country online – reported.

But the worst may not be over yet: Experts fear that in the coming weeks – following travel and holiday gatherings – the United States will see a new wave of cases that could also lead to even higher hospitalizations and deaths.

Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN earlier this week that the country had experienced a surge that “had just gotten … out of hand,” and the weeks ahead could be even worse.

“Once you’ve met a lot of people at an indoor dinner, poor ventilation and air circulation, that’s where you are in trouble,” he said. “That’s what concerns us – that in addition to the push, we’re going to have an increase superimposed on that push that could make January even worse than December.”

“I think we just have to assume it’s going to get worse,” Fauci added.

How states fare at the start of a new year

In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Friday the state had reported more than 4,300 new cases – a record he said comes “in the wave after Christmas trips and gatherings.”

“As we move into this new year, our first resolution should be to follow the guidelines. We all need to do our part,” he wrote on Twitter.

Georgia announced a total of more than 8,700 new cases of Covid-19 in the state on Friday – a new record. Maryland reported its second highest number of daily cases the same day. New York, meanwhile, added nearly 16,500 new cases – a day after reaching its highest number of cases in one day.

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“As we begin 2021, I encourage all New Yorkers to look to their best angels and continue the practices we know to stop the spread of this virus – wash your hands, socialize and wear a mask, ”Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

Texas health officials reported record hospitalizations for Covid-19 statewide for the fifth day in a row, with more than 12,400 patients.

In California, a state that has battled a sharp wave of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths, health officials have reported a record number of deaths per day: more than 580 people have lost to the virus.

Critical care capacity in many parts of the state remains dangerously low. In Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley, no beds are available. A health official said earlier this week that the influx of patients was pushing hospitals “on the brink of disaster.”

California hospitals stressed on brink of disaster by coronavirus outbreak

And that’s because some hospitals have infrastructure issues that prevent them from providing high pressure oxygen supply to patients.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said design and construction experts from the US Army Corps of Engineers are deployed to the Los Angeles area to “assess and, if necessary, improve the distribution systems of the United States. ‘oxygen in six hospitals “.

Hospitals in the region, the office said, are treating an “unprecedented” number of Covid-19 patients and “the internal oxygen delivery systems built into many older hospitals are overloaded with the volume of oxygen flow required to treat patients with respiratory problems. originate from Covid-19. “

Fauci: US will continue to administer vaccine doses weeks apart

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 vaccinations are underway – but at a slower rate than some officials had hoped.
More than 12.4 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed nationwide and more than 2.7 million doses have been administered, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far, vaccines approved in the United States require two doses a few weeks apart. And the country will continue to do so and will not follow the UK’s decision to potentially delay second doses, Fauci told CNN on Friday.

A new year brings the same problems with the late distribution of vaccines

“I wouldn’t be in favor of that,” said Fauci, when asked about the UK’s new dosing schedule. “We will continue to do what we are doing.”

Earlier this week, UK officials said “the UK will prioritize giving the first dose of the vaccine to those in the highest risk group” and allow the second dose to be given until 12 weeks later.

The UK has adopted this strategy in order to get as many people as possible the first dose as quickly as possible, saying it offers some protection.

“The point is, we want to stick with what science tells us and what data we have for both. [vaccines] indicate that you are giving a bonus, followed by a boost in 21 days with Pfizer and 28 days with Moderna. And right now, that’s how we’re going with it, and that’s the decision that’s been made, ”said Fauci.

“We are making decisions based on data. We have no data about giving a single dose and waiting more than the normal period” to administer the second dose, he added.

CNN’s Rebekah Riess, Elizabeth Cohen, Naomi Thomas, Cheri Mossburg and Raja Razek contributed to this report.



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