COVID hospitalizations in the United States surpass 90,000 for the first time

More Americans than ever are in hospital with the coronavirus. On Thanksgiving Day, hospitalizations hit a record high of more than 90,000, according to the COVID Tracking Project, and about 50 Americans are now dying every hour.

More than 13 million Americans have now been infected with the virus – and it shows no signs of slowing down. Hospitals, already on the brink of collapse, are bracing for another wave after 6.5 million people flew this holiday week.

Thirty-two states are seeing an increase in new daily cases, with Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Massachusetts breaking records. And the actual number of cases could be much higher, given an expected drop in positivity rates linked to an increase in pre-holiday testing.

“A lot of people have flocked to testing programs to get tested before traveling for Thanksgiving,” said Dr. Emily Landon of the University of Chicago Medical Center, adding, “But they’re reducing positivity rates by flooding the testing market with a low number of people. ”

Landon informed those who learned that someone from their Thanksgiving gathering tested positive for quarantine, and warned that “there are so many cases right now that you probably won’t hear any a contact tracer. “

The CDC now says the actual number of cases in the United States is probably eight times higher than previously thought, due to underreporting, false negatives and asymptomatic carriers who have never been tested .

The NFL’s Baltimore Ravens face a serious outbreak that is testing the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. The team’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed twice after 12 Ravens, including star quarterback Lamar Jackson, were put on the Reserve / COVID-19 roster.

On the vaccine front, the CDC committee focused on vaccine distribution announced that a vote at an emergency meeting on Tuesday would recommend who gets the vaccine first if it is approved by the FDA .