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As the world welcomes the new year, the coronavirus pandemic continues to increase, with authorities announcing that a variant of the virus first discovered in the UK has emerged in several parts of the United States.
On the last day of 2020, the United States passed 20 million confirmed cases of coronavirus. The country has also recorded more than 345,000 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to an NBC News tally.
Here are the latest coronavirus updates from the United States and beyond:
California hits record 585 virus deaths in 1 day
California started the new year by reporting a record 585 coronavirus deaths in a single day.
The State Department of Public Health said on Friday that more than 47,000 new confirmed cases had been reported, bringing the total to more than 2.29 million.
State hospitals ended the year on the brink of disaster, a health official said as the pandemic pushed death and disease to frightening levels and some medical centers scrambled to provide care. oxygen to seriously ill people.
Getty Images A sign with COVID-19 safety instructions is displayed at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort in Newport Beach, Calif. On Thursday, December 17, 2020 (Photo by Paul Bersebach / MediaNews Group / Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced on Friday that California will begin working with the US Army Corps of Engineers to assess and upgrade outdated oxygen delivery systems at six Los Angeles-area hospitals.
The collaboration comes as older hospitals struggle to maintain oxygen pressure in aging infrastructure, and some scramble to locate additional oxygen reservoirs that released patients can take home.
California this week became the third state to surpass 25,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
December was the deadliest and most infectious month since the start of the pandemic in the United States
The United States closed 2020 with the deadliest and most infectious month since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, while also surpassing 20 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, NBC News reported.
More than 77,000 people lost their lives in December from COVID-19, while 6.4 million contracted the virus amid the emergence of a new variant of the virus and delayed efforts to get people vaccinated. The second deadliest month was April 2020, with more than 58,000 dead.
Funeral set for elected US congressman who contracted COVID-19
Funeral services will be held on Saturday for an elected congressman from Louisiana who died of complications from COVID-19. Republican Luke Letlow died on Tuesday. He was 41 years old and his swearing-in was scheduled for Sunday.
Her funeral will be at the North Monroe Baptist Church, The News-Star reported.
The family said all COVID-19 restrictions would be followed and masks would be needed. North Monroe Baptist will be broadcasting the 2 p.m. service live on its social media platforms.
Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Letlow, and their children, Jeremiah, 3, and Jacqueline, 1.
Governor John Bel Edwards has said he will order half-stick flags on Saturday.
MP-elect Luke Letlow, R-La., Has died of complications from the coronavirus at the age of 41.
West Virginia health officials mistakenly gave 42 people COVID Regeneron IV treatment instead of a vaccine vaccine
Dozens of people in West Virginia have mistakenly received COVID-19 antibody treatment from Regeneron instead of the Moderna vaccine, the West Virginia National Guard said Thursday.
The state National Guard said 42 people received the treatment, administered intravenously, at a vaccination clinic staffed by the Boone County Health Department, CNBC reports. The National Guard said it learned of the mistake on Wednesday.
Everyone who has received the antibody treatment instead of the vaccine, which is given by injection into the arm, has been contacted, Boone County Health Department administrator Julie Miller told CNBC by email. She added that “we do not believe there is a risk of harm”.
Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment, which is to be given by intravenous infusion, is seen as a promising treatment for COVID-19 – especially when given early in the infection. But the confusion in West Virginia is just one example of confusion in the rush to distribute the vaccine to tens of millions of people. Deployment was slower than expected and marked by logistical challenges.
“It was determined that this was an isolated incident,” Miller said. “Everyone affected will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine today.”
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More cases of viral variant reported in southern California
San Diego County has reported three more cases of a new, more infectious strain of coronavirus, the county said Thursday. The news comes a day after the county reported its first, and second in the United States, case of the variant, NBC San Diego reports.
The new cases of the British strain have been found in men, two in their forties and one in their fifties. Contact tracing shows two men have not traveled outside the county while the third case has yet to be fully questioned. None of the men had any known interactions with each other.
The four people who tested positive for B.1.1.7. live in La Mesa, Mission Beach, Otay Mesa and the Carmel Mountain / Rancho Bernardo area, the county said.
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