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The United States has recorded an unprecedented number of cases of Covid-19 disease and cases requiring hospital care, amid fears that these numbers will not decline until Christmas.
The number of people receiving hospital treatment exceeded 100,000 for the first time, double that recorded at the beginning of last November.
New cases rose to a record rate of 195,695 on Wednesday, and the daily death toll hit 2,733, approaching a new record high.
After an unprecedented spike in HIV cases, Los Angeles city authorities have ordered residents to stay home.
And nationwide, the total number of cases is now approaching 14 million, plus more than 264,000 deaths, according to data from the Covid Tracking Project.
The numbers have continued to grow in recent weeks, as 1 million new cases were reported every week in November, equivalent to 99 cases per minute.
In response to the increase in the number, US authorities have warned that the national health system faces unprecedented pressure this winter.
“The truth is December, January and February will be the toughest months in public health history for this country,” said Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California, Texas and Florida – the most populous states in the United States – are among the most affected areas in the country, each with more than a million cases.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an emergency order for residents to stay home with immediate effect, following an unprecedented increase in cases.
And something similar is already underway in Los Angeles County – the epicenter of the current wave of the outbreak in the United States – as some hospitals are close to filling capacity. Authorities announced the registration of 5,987 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 414,185.
US officials said they expect the number of infections to continue to rise in the coming days because so many people traveled around Thanksgiving, ignoring government advice.
“Traffic was high during Thanksgiving,” said Cindy Friedman, head of the Traveler Health Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Even if only a small percentage of these people carry the disease and pass it on to other people, this could result in hundreds of thousands of additional cases,” Friedman added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged people to refrain from traveling during the Christmas season.
However, the public health authority has also relaxed its restrictions on the mandatory quarantine period for a person after coming into contact with an infected person, as it reduced the period from 14 days to 7-10 days.
Although the death toll is still increasing, there is still a glimmer of hope regarding the relationship between cases and deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the percentage of cases that resulted in death decreased from 6.7% last April to 1.9% last September, which means health workers are more successful in ‘ cope with the disease.
It is expected to meet with US regulatory agencies on December 10 to discuss granting emergency approval for the use of a vaccine developed by the “Moderna” company. They will meet again on December 17 to discuss the possibility of using another vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and Biontech.
And federal officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed that priority should be given to the 21 million health workers across the country, in addition to the 3 million seniors living in nursing homes. However, disagreements remain on how to distribute the vaccine to other groups in society.
There are also concerns about the number of Americans who would be ready to receive the vaccine. A recent Gallup poll showed that 58% said they were ready to receive the vaccine, although this figure is high compared to the 50% shown in a previous poll conducted in September.
Meanwhile, prominent Democratic Party lawmakers have hinted that they will support a $ 908 billion subsidy scheme to help tackle the coronavirus, a major concession after months of stalled negotiations with Republicans.
The exact details of the plan have not been disclosed, but it generally includes funding for state and local governments, unemployment benefits, small businesses, and other aspects of the economy affected by the outbreak.
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