The United States registered this Wednesday more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths in a single day, an all-time high amid a widespread rebound in cases and hospitalizations that hasn’t stopped in several weeks.
The country also recorded another record with more than 222,000 infections in a single day.
More than 290,000 people have lost their lives since the start of the pandemic and there have been more than 15 million infections, according to data from our sister network NBC News.
The high number of people currently hospitalized, of more than 100,000, suggests that deaths will not drop significantly in the coming weeks.
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“We have more deaths than September 11. This will continue like this every day or so for three weeks most likely. I can’t really understand it and I guess no one can. It’s heartbreaking, horrifying and infuriating, ”tweeted journalist Chris Hayes from our sister network MSNBC.
Meanwhile, the United States and the rest of the world pin their hopes of containing the virus on vaccines under development and those that have already been approved in some countries.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed the efficacy and safety of Pfizer’s vaccine and is in the process of authorizing its emergency use. In Canada, Pfizer’s vaccine received approval on Wednesday and in the UK the first people injected themselves on Tuesday.
According to regulators, the vaccine will be effective seven days after a person receives the second dose, although there is some kind of protection 12 days after the first.
However, authorities warn that it will take months if not more than a year to inoculate the majority of the population. Experts say that vaccines will not be able to offer widespread protection until at least 70% of the population receives them.
Health workers in Los Angeles, California, help a patient into the ambulance; on December 8, 2020.AFP via Getty Images
It is not clear when this mark could be reached. In the United States, there will be around 40 million doses, which will serve to inoculate 20 million people who will receive two injections. But there are more than 330 million people living in the country.
Each state will determine who will receive them first, but the Centers for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that they be priority to health workers, older adults in homes for the elderly and the employees who work there, as well as workers on the front lines of contagion.
Last week, the United States recorded an average of 205,601 cases per day and 2,260 deaths per day. That’s up from 158,396 cases and 1,176 deaths per day four weeks ago.
