As the holidays approach, Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths are occurring at a faster rate

© Go Nakamura / Getty Images
HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 10: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Medical staff treat a patient with coronavirus in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC) on November 10, 2020 in Houston , Texas. According to reports, COVID-19 infections are on the rise in Houston, the state of Texas having reached more than 1,030,000 cases, including more than 19,000 deaths. (Photo by Go Nakamura / Getty Images)

New hospitalizations and deaths linked to Covid-19 are accelerating at alarming rates, and health experts fear they will worsen before the upcoming holidays.

More than 241,000 people have died from coronavirus across the country – a number that is growing rapidly every day.

“This is a humanitarian disaster – possibly one of the worst stories I’ve covered in my career here at CNN,” the network’s chief medical correspondent Dr Sanjay Gupta said Thursday.

The United States recorded 1,893 deaths on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The tally would reflect a new high since May, although it could be skewed by an inordinate number from Georgia which could include late deaths.

More than 110,000 more people in the United States are expected to die from Covid-19 in the next two months alone, according to the University of Washington Institute for Health Measurement and Evaluation.

Wednesday marked the second consecutive day of record Covid-19 hospitalizations, and the United States has surpassed 100,000 daily infections for at least nine days in a row.

“ Accelerating the spread of the community ” and “ significant deterioration ”

The White House Coronavirus Task Force warned of “accelerating community spread in the upper half of the country” in reports distributed to states this week.

The panel, which last week warned of “a significant deterioration in the Sunbelt”, said this led to “the most diffuse spread known to date”.

A separate forecast of conditions for the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital policy lab projects will worsen in the west coast, northeast and mid-Atlantic states over the coming weeks.

Hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and ventilator use are increasing in every state, the lab said.

“In every state in the Midwest, COVID-19 patients occupy more than 25% of intensive care beds,” he reported.

This is how the United States reported the highest number of hospitalizations of all time on Wednesday – with more than 65,000 patients with Covid-19 nationwide, according to the COVID follow-up project.

“The almost universal increase in hospitalization rates statewide, especially in our colder regions, is a pattern that will develop as we move into the holiday season,” said the political laboratory.

Some hospitals have reached full capacity and are referring patients. And doctors are imploring the public to get more serious about wearing masks, hand washing, and physical distancing.

Critical vacations ahead

But experts fear their warnings may fall on deaf ears as some Americans prepare for Thanksgiving – when the gatherings could easily spark new epidemics.

“On a personal level, the most prudent thing families can do this holiday season is to choose not to reunite in person with their older, high-risk parents. However, this pandemic has had such an emotional impact on children and the elderly we suspect many families will likely take the risk of coming together, ”the policy lab said.

“For those who do, outdoor events are safer than indoors, and careful spacing of vulnerable elderly people from the rest of the family will be important,” he said. “But even more important is a commitment to quarantine before visiting family.”

The holidays also mean that many college students will likely return home to spend Thanksgiving with their families and may unknowingly bring the virus back with them.

University campuses in all 50 states have reported cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Syracuse University has said it is switching to fully online learning after “an increase in COVID-19 cases among our student body.”

And the University of Maryland football program said it was suspending all team-related activities after “a high number of COVID-19 cases within the Terrapin program.”

Poll Says Most Americans Would Not Give In To Another Stop

Less than half of Americans say they are very likely to comply with another lockdown, according to a new Gallup poll.

About 49% of Americans surveyed between October 19 and November 1 said they would be very likely to stay home for a month if health officials recommended it following a coronavirus outbreak in their community. This is down from 67% in the spring.

While 18% said they were quite likely to comply, a third of people said they would be unlikely to comply with foreclosure orders, according to the results.

While Americans are less willing to stay at home, the results show they are actually more concerned about the pandemic – 61% of them saying the situation is getting worse, up from 40% in April.

The results show a political divide among those who wish to stay at home. About 40% of Republicans surveyed said they were prepared to comply with a stay-at-home order, up from 74% in the spring.

In contrast, 87% of Democrats said they would likely comply, down slightly from 91% in March and April.

Health experts said using masks could significantly reduce the need for more downtime.

Security measures aren’t going away anytime soon

Even with good news regarding Covid-19 vaccines, a senior global health official said it was important to manage expectations.

For example, preventive measures – like wearing masks and social distancing – must be maintained.

“While we hope to have more good news about vaccines, it will take time to ramp up production to get them out to all countries and then get enough people vaccinated so that life can be traced back to pre-Covid times.” World Health The organization’s chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan said on Wednesday.

And even when a vaccine arrives, people may need booster shots in the future, said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“I don’t think it will be one and done, as they say,” Fauci told the Financial Times on Wednesday.

But a vaccine will likely suppress the spread of the virus below pandemic and epidemic levels. But “as people who are immune lose their immunity, they can become resensitive,” Fauci said.

“Traditionally, if you look back on cold coronaviruses and the experience we have, it’s not the kind of virus that typically grants lifelong immunity.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly implied that Doctors Without Borders is currently working in the United States to help fight Covid-19. The humanitarian group said it worked at key sites in the United States between April and October and has since handed over its programs to local health authorities and organizations.