As the world welcomes the New Year, the coronavirus pandemic continues to intensify, with authorities announcing that a variant of the virus first discovered in the UK has surfaced in several areas in the United States.
On the last day of 2020, the US surpassed 20 million confirmed coronavirus cases. The country has also experienced more than 345,000 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to a count by NBC News.
Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus from the US and elsewhere:
California achieves a record 585 virus deaths in 1 day
California kicked off the new year with a record 585 deaths from the coronavirus in one day.
The State Department of Public Health said on Friday that more than 47,000 new confirmed cases have been reported, bringing the total to more than 2.29 million.
Hospitals across the state ended the year on “the brink of catastrophe,” a health official said as the pandemic pushed deaths and illness to dizzying levels and some medical centers rushed to deliver oxygen to the seriously ill.
Getty Images A COVID-19 safety guidelines sign will be displayed at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort in Newport Beach, CA on Thursday, December 17, 2020. (Photo by Paul Bersebach / MediaNews Group / Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office announced Friday that California would partner with the US Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and upgrade legacy oxygen delivery systems at six Los Angeles hospitals.
The collaboration is because older hospitals are struggling to maintain oxygen pressure in aging infrastructure, and some rushed to find additional oxygen tanks for discharged patients to take home.
California became the third state this week with more than 25,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic outbreak.
December was the deadliest and most contagious month since the start of the pandemic in the US.
The United States ended 2020 with its deadliest and most contagious month since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, while also surpassing 20 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, NBC News reported.
More than 77,000 people were killed by COVID-19 in December, while 6.4 million people contracted the virus amid the emergence of a new virus variant and efforts to get people vaccinated slowed. The second deadliest month was April 2020, with more than 58,000 dead.
Funeral kit for US elected congressman who has contracted COVID-19
A funeral service will be held on Saturday for an elected Louisiana congressman who has died of COVID-19 complications. Republican Luke Letlow died on Tuesday. He was 41 and his swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for Sunday.
His funeral will be at North Monroe Baptist Church, The News-Star reported.
The family said all COVID-19 restrictions will be followed and masks will be needed. North Monroe Baptist will live stream the service from 2 p.m. on its social media platforms.
Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Letlow, and their children, Jeremiah, 3, and Jacqueline, 1.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has said he will order flags flown with half-staff on Saturday.
Congressman Luke Letlow, R-La., Has died of complications from the coronavirus at the age of 41.
West Virginia health officials falsely gave 42 people Regeneron IV COVID treatment instead of vaccination shot
Dozens of people in West Virginia mistakenly received Regeneron’s COVID-19 antibody treatment in place of the Moderna vaccine, the West Virginia National Guard announced Thursday.
The state National Guard said 42 people received the treatment, which is administered intravenously, at a vaccination clinic staffed by the Boone County Health Department, CNBC reports. The National Guard said on Wednesday that it had learned of the error.
Anyone who received the antibody treatment in place of the vaccine, which is delivered through an injection in the arm, has been contacted, Julie Miller, an administrator for the Boone County health department, told CNBC by email. She added that “we don’t believe there is any risk of harm.”
Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment, which must be administered via an IV infusion, is seen as a promising treatment for COVID-19 – especially when given early in the course of infection. But the confusion in West Virginia is just one example of confusion in the rush to distribute the vaccine to tens of millions of people. The roll-out was slower than expected and was characterized by logistical challenges.
“It has been determined that this was an isolated incident,” Miller said. “All affected individuals will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine today.”
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More cases of virus variant have been reported in Southern California
San Diego County reported three more cases of a new and more contagious strain of coronavirus, the county announced Thursday. The news comes a day after the county reported its first case, and the second in the US, of the variant, NBC San Diego reports.
The new cases of the British type were found in men, two in their forties and one in their fifties. Contact tracing shows that two men have not traveled outside the province, while the third case has not yet been fully interviewed. None of the men had a known interaction with each other.
The four persons who tested positive for the B.1.1.7. tribe live in La Mesa, Mission Beach, Otay Mesa and the Carmel Mountain / Rancho Bernardo area, the county said.
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