MISSION, Kansas, USA (AP) – Just as the United States appears to be on the verge of obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine, the pandemic figures look more dire than ever: more than 3,000 deaths in a single day, more than on D-Day or September 11, 2001. One million new cases in five days. More than 106,000 people in the hospital.
The crisis across the country is overwhelming medical facilities and leaving health personnel and officials exhausted with bouts of crying and nightmares.
In total, there are more than 290,000 deaths and more than 15 million confirmed cases.
The United States recorded 3,124 deaths on Wednesday, the highest number to date for a single day, according to Johns Hopkins University. As of last week, the peak had been 2,603 deaths on April 15, when New York City was the national epicenter.
Wednesday’s figure surpassed that of American casualties on D-Day, the first day of the Normandy invasion during World War II: 2,500, out of about 4,400 among the Allies. Additionally, it surpassed the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001, of 2,977.
New cases reach more than 209,000 a day on average, a record number, according to Johns Hopkins University. Additionally, the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 sets new records almost every day.
A US government advisory panel met Thursday to decide whether to support the mass use of Pfizer’s vaccine against COVID-19. If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the panel’s recommendation, the vaccine could go live in a matter of days, in what would be the most extensive vaccination campaign in U.S. history.
In St. Louis, respiratory therapist Joe Kowalczyk said he has seen entire floors of his hospital filled with COVID-19 patients, some of them up to two per room. The supply of ventilators has been reduced, he added, and the inventory is so scarce that his colleagues on duty found it necessary to provide assisted ventilation to a patient using a BiPAP machine, similar to the devices used to treat sleep apnea. .
He says that when he goes home to rest in the morning after his exhausting night shift, he sometimes suffers from nightmares.
In New Orleans, Health Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno described her recent visit to a hospital where she observed doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other personnel exposing themselves to the contagion in a long and futile attempt to save a patient’s life. with COVID-19. Some even burst into tears after failing, he said.
“These are experienced emergency and critical care personnel,” he said. “We don’t cry very often, and especially not several of us at the same time.”
In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam, a physician by training, announced a midnight curfew and extended the requirement to wear masks or other protective face gear outdoors, not just indoors.
Ellen DeGeneres, meanwhile, became one of the most recent celebrities to test positive for the coronavirus, although she indicated that “now she feels good.” Production staff for his show were sent home until January, and earlier episodes will air in the meantime.
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AP journalist Jocelyn Noveck in New York contributed to this report, as did The Associated Press journalists around the globe.
