[ad_1]
The United States on Friday set another record for new coronavirus cases, at nearly 250,000, even when a second vaccine, from Moderna, was approved.
According to Johns Hopkins University, 249,709 new cases have been recorded, up from more than 247,000 as of Thursday and part of the workload close to 17.5 million. There were 2,814 deaths, up from more than 3,300 on Thursday, but still among the deadliest days in US history. The death toll stood at 313,406.
According to the Covid Tracking Project, 114,751 people were hospitalized, another record. Nearly 22,000 people were in intensive care.
With Congress unable to agree on a new stimulus and relief package – and narrowly avoiding a government shutdown on Friday – states were struggling to cope.
California, the most populous state, has recorded more than 41,000 new cases and 300 deaths, both among its highest totals in a single day during the pandemic. In the past week, California has reported more than a quarter of a million cases and 1,500 deaths.
Hospitals are scrambling to find beds, fearing the explosion of infections will drain resources and workers. Nearly 17,000 people in California were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 infections on Friday, more than double the previous peak in July. A state model showed that number could reach 75,000 by mid-January.
More than 3,500 confirmed or suspected Covid-19 patients were in intensive care.
“There’s no room at the hostel, so to speak,” Mark Uffer, general manager of Corona Regional Medical Center, told The Associated Press. “Literally every nook and cranny of the hospital [near Los Angeles] is in use. “
Some areas are “just at this point of being overrun,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease expert, said at an event hosted by the California State University system.
“We still have physical beds available,” Dr. Amy Herold, chief medical officer at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “But we need staff to take care of the patients. It doesn’t do a lot of good to be sitting in a bed with no one looking after you. People are working overtime over and over again and they are exhausted and it just gets worse.
There was good news in Michigan, where lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer agreed to a $ 465 million pandemic spending plan, including relief payments to businesses and workers. The bill received overwhelming Senate support on Friday night and is expected to pass the House on Monday.
Almost half of the funding would be used to continue, until March, a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment benefits per year instead of 20. The bill would provide $ 45 million in assistance to employees who have been laid off. on foot or have seen reduced hours due to a state order banning indoor dining and closed entertainment venues. A worker can earn up to $ 1,650.
Small businesses would receive $ 55 million in grants of up to $ 20,000 if they were to close, $ 15,000 if they partially closed. Concerts and other live entertainment venues may be eligible for $ 40,000.
In Washington, however, Democrats and Republicans in Congress remain unable to agree on a back-up plan. At the White House on Friday, as talks on Capitol Hill continued, Donald Trump announced the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Moderna vaccine, which follows a shot developed by Pfizer for general use.
“Congratulations, the Moderna vaccine is now available!” the president tweeted. The vaccine adds to the federal government’s resources and strengthens its efforts to make immunization accessible to everyone by spring or early summer 2021.
Amid unsubstantiated claims that his election defeat by Joe Biden was caused by voter fraud, Trump also retweeted a succession of messages claiming the lockdown and mask warrants, joint measures in an attempt to slow the spread of Covid-19, do not work.
Vice President Mike Pence was among lawmakers to be given a chance in public. President-elect Joe Biden will follow on Monday.
[ad_2]
Source link