Another record of the American coronavirus; vaccine shipments

First, Theresa Pirozzi’s 85-year-old father fell ill and was taken to hospital by ambulance. Days later her mother was so weak she could barely walk. Now, instead of getting ready for Christmas, Pirozzi anxiously awaits updates from the hospital where both of her parents are in intensive care with the coronavirus.

‘I’m not putting up any decorations here. It just doesn’t make sense now, ”Pirozzi said from her parents’ home in Oak Park, California. “I am physically ill with worry.”

The pair is symbolic of the crisis deepening at an alarming rate in California, where hospitals are being stretched to their limits as the virus explodes in the state. Nearly 17,000 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections as of Friday, and a state model using current data to predict future trends shows the number could reach an unfathomable 75,000 by mid-January.

With more than 48,000 new cases in California leading the way, the United States as a whole added a record 249,709 new cases of COVID-19 in one day, according to Johns Hopkins University. Another 2,814 people died nationwide, bringing the death toll to more than 313,000.

Texas, Florida, New York, and Tennessee each registered more than 10,400 new cases. In the past two weeks, the seven-day moving average for new cases in the US has increased from 183,787 to 219,324 per day, an increase of nearly 20%.

Before Thanksgiving, things took off, and festive gatherings made them even higher. Health officials now fear the increase will only be exacerbated by Christmas and New Year. In many places, health officials say, people wearing face masks and staying away from others are simply ignoring suggested precautions.

Although federal regulators have approved two vaccines to fight the disease and doses have already been given to thousands of people, mostly health professionals, widespread vaccinations for the general public are not expected before spring.

Several states have said the federal government has told them shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine next week will be smaller than originally planned. The military general responsible for distributing COVID-19 vaccines in the US apologized Saturday for “miscommunication” with states about the number of doses to be administered in the early stages of distribution.

Of the more than 272,000 injections of the Pfizer vaccine given Saturday morning, US health officials said they had seen six cases of serious allergic reactions. One of six people had a history of vaccination reactions, they said.

With a potential complication, UK Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Saturday that the UK had informed the World Health Organization that officials believe a new variant of the coronavirus could spread more quickly. The British health secretary said this week that the new variant is reportedly linked to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in South and South East England.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed tougher restrictions on the region on Saturday, meaning millions have to cancel Christmas gatherings and most shops in London will have to close for the holiday. New but less stringent restrictions were imposed on the US capital, with indoor dining in restaurants banned from next week until mid-January.

In California, hospitals across the state are collapsing under a wave of patients, and space in the morgue is running out. Hospitals have almost no beds in the intensive care unit and patients are cared for at various overflow locations. In some places, the sick are tented and ambulances reverse outside the emergency room because there is nowhere to accommodate patients.

When Pirozzi’s father, Jerry, arrived at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousands Oaks, it was so crowded with patients that he had to spend two days in the emergency room before an intensive care bed opened, Pirozzi said. She kept calling the hospital, but ER nurses told her they had no rooms, she said.

“I’m sure that was very difficult for him, being confused, not being able to breathe, being alone,” said Pirozzi. “They’re doing their best, but they’re just completely stressed out and overworked.”

Her mother, Shirley, was taken to the same hospital four days later and moved to a separate room, she said. Pirozzi said her family did not tell Jerry that his wife of over 57 has also been hospitalized; she fears that would only make him worse.

“I want it to be a little bit stronger so it doesn’t roll backwards,” she said. “Because I know he only cares about his bride.”

Pirozzi said both her parents have had panic attacks. Since relatives cannot visit, she delivers written notes in a plastic bag that she asks the nurses to read to them.

She begged the public to take the virus seriously.

“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, as they both go down within five or seven days of each other,” she said. “Do what you can to protect yourself because you don’t want this to happen to you.”

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Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press writer Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama, contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s pandemic coverage: http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.