The USA sets records for virus cases, California is preparing a new lockdown.

Health experts believe the US is heading for a wave of coronavirus cases that could kill around 3,000 people every day.

The governor of California says he will order some of the nation’s toughest home visits in the coming days, when intensive care units are expected to reach capacity, as the United States continues to post records in new infections and deaths.

More than 200,000 new cases and 2,900 new deaths were confirmed Thursday, according to a Johns Hopkins University census. Nationwide, the novel coronavirus is blamed for more than 275,000 deaths and 14 million confirmed infections.

California’s latest round of restrictions, which goes further than any other US state, will be triggered on a regional basis when the available bed capacity in intensive care units in any of five geographic areas falls to 15 percent of capacity.

Home residence restrictions in California, the most populous state in the United States, begin with 48 hours notice and remain in effect for at least three weeks once ordered [Akte: Gabriela Bhaskar/Reuters].

Governor Gavin Newsom said four of the regions, including Southern California, are well on their way to hitting the 15 percent threshold this week, with the San Francisco Bay area expected to follow in mid to late December.

House arrest restrictions will be announced 48 hours in advance and will remain in effect for a minimum of three weeks once ordered. California is the most populous US state with nearly 40 million people.

“If we don’t act now, our hospital system will be overwhelmed. If we don’t act now, we will see the death toll continue to rise, ”Newsom said on a livestream newscast from his Sacramento home.

As part of the tightening, Californians will be required to stay home and avoid travel unless required for permitted activities such as grocery shopping, doctor visits, dog walks, and individual exercise.

When the arrangement is activated, it also places new restrictions on a number of commercial activities.

There are currently more than 100,000 people in the hospital, according to the COVID tracking project, a number that has more than doubled in the past month [Shannon Stapleton/Reuters].

State and local authorities across the country have imposed a variety of restrictions on social and economic life in hopes of mitigating the alarming resurgence of coronavirus infections after a late summer lull.

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said earlier this week that December, January and February are likely to be “the most difficult time in the history of public health for this nation.”

“Before we see February, we could be nearly 450,000 Americans who have died from this virus,” Redfield said.

Former US Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have volunteered to get their COVID-19 vaccinations on television to help keep them safe [Akte: Richard Carson/Reuters].
Hopes rest on vaccines

Vaccines offer a glimmer of hope as two promising candidates are close to receiving emergency clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration later this month.

But vaccinations have met with reluctance to do so among a significant number of Americans who fear the safety of vaccines that were developed in record time. Some also oppose calls by political leaders to wear face masks in public and at social distance.

Former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have volunteered to have their COVID-19 vaccinations on television to help keep them safe.

President-elect Joe Biden said Thursday he would also publicly get a coronavirus vaccination. He has the nation’s top pandemic advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, asked to remain under the Biden administration.

President-elect Joe Biden said he would also be publicly vaccinated against the coronavirus [Akte: Leah Millis/Reuters].

In the meantime, states have drawn up plans for who will go to the front lines when the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are available later this month.

Because initial supplies of the vaccine will certainly be limited, governors and other state officials weigh both health and economic concerns in deciding the order in which vaccinations will be given.

States have Friday until Friday to submit requests for doses of the Pfizer vaccine and indicate where to ship them, and many appear to be following non-binding guidelines passed by the CDC this week to target health workers and nursing home patients to put first.

Plans for the vaccine are currently being drawn up as the pandemic inundates U.S. hospitals and nurses and other medical workers are understaffed and burned out.

According to the COVID tracking project, more than 100,000 people are currently being admitted to hospitals across the country, a number that has more than doubled in the past month.

Because first-line vaccine supplies will certainly be limited, governors and other state officials weigh both health and economic concerns in deciding the order of vaccination [Lucy Nicholson/Reuters].

Lawmakers in Arizona and California said they want

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