WASHINGTON, Jan 6, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – The United States broke its own record
for the number of daily deaths from Covid-19 yet again Tuesday, recording
3,936 fatalities in 24 hours, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins
university. The worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic also recorded
250,173 new cases in the period up until 8.30 pm Tuesday (0130 GMT
Wednesday), the Baltimore-based university’s records showed.
That brings the US to more than 21 million cases and 357,067 deaths in
total since the start of the pandemic.
The number of people hospitalized is also at its highest since the
beginning of the pandemic, with more than 131,000 patients occupying beds due
to Covid-19, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project.
The situation is particularly dire in the south and west of the country.
Los Angeles ambulance workers have been told to stop transporting some
patients with extremely low survival chances to hospital, and to limit oxygen
use, as record Covid cases overwhelm medical resources.
The previous record for deaths in one day was set six days ago, with more
than 3,920 deaths. The United States has been facing a spectacular surge in
cases in recent months. Since the end of November, the number of daily deaths
has increased dramatically, regularly exceeding 2,000 and often 3,000 deaths
per day.
An expected surge driven by holiday gatherings is expected to aggravate
the situation further. The world’s wealthiest country is ultimately counting
on the vaccination campaign, which began in mid-December, to overcome the
epidemic.
But less than two percent of the population has so far been covered, with
4.8 million people having received a first injection.
On Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden, who will take office on January 20,
spoke with his future team in charge of the health crisis.
A number of options for accelerating vaccine delivery — including the
possibility of increasing the rol hrse of the federal government — were
discussed, according to a statement.