A nurse takes care of a patient in a hospital hallway in Apple Valley, California.
Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images
The United States reported 3,865 deaths from Covid-19 on Wednesday, the highest number of deaths in one day since the start of the pandemic.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the country’s death toll as of Thursday is more than 364,500, while the number of people infected is more than 21.53 million.
The most recent forecast from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projects that there will be between 405,000 and 438,000 deaths by the end of the month.
JUST IN – we can expect a total of 405,000–438,000 #COVID-19 deaths in the United States ** on January 30 alone ** if current models hold up. However, they are not fully responsible for the more contagious B117 variant, with 40-80% greater transmittance.
➡️ I think 500,000 may be possible by the end of February. pic.twitter.com/XttogiNc49
– Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 7, 2021
The previous forecast, published Dec. 30, predicted 424,000 deaths by Jan. 23.
The continued spread of the virus and the increasing number of deaths are happening even as the US is busy distributing vital Covid-19 vaccines, a process that has been criticized for being too slow.
Group recommendations for vaccines are not mandatory
The American Surgeon General, Jerome Adamssaid that Thursday states that can vaccinate outside of the phase 1a recommendations, including health professionals and residents of long-term care facilities, they should.
“Not only can states, but vaccines MUST aggressively expand into other phases if current supply exceeds phase 1a demand,” the surgeon general said on Twitter.
Meeting with@CDCDirectorThe fact is, you don’t have to worry.@RTLnewsand Tony Fauci.
We would like to reiterate that ACIP guidelines are recommendations, not mandates. States cannot aggressively expand vaccinations to other stages only if the current supply exceeds the demand in stage 1a! pic.twitter.com/dKfjcAHmFE
– US Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) January 7, 2021
In an interview with NPR, Dr. Anthony Fauci said so the launch of the vaccine will take a few more weeks to catch up with previous projections. But if it doesn’t, he said, “then we really need to make some changes to what we’re doing.”
Nearly 6 million people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccines, the CDC reported, and an additional 21.4 million doses have been distributed.
That’s very short of what was promised: Federal government officials at Operation Warp Speed had previously promised that 40 million doses would be distributed and 20 million vaccinated by the end of December.
California is suffering disaster in its hospitals
Hospitals are still inundated with coronavirus patients, with a record 132,476 admitted patients, the Covid Tracking Project reported Wednesday.
At the epicenter of the virus is California, a state that has been one of many to report record hospital admissions, increased deaths, and health care systems struggling to meet demand.
There were 459 new deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday and a record 22,820 patients were treated in hospitals for the virus. reported the California Department of Public Health.
More than 8,000 patients are hospitalized in Los Angeles County, where the emergency medical system is under great strain, the health department said.
Till Thursday, a person from Covid-19 in Los Angeles County dies every 8 minutes.