A patient is lying on a stretcher in a hallway next to other patients in the overcrowded Emergency Room at Providence St. Mary Medical Center amid a sudden increase in COVID-19 patients in Southern California on January 5, 2021 on Apple Valley, California.
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Almost 3,000 people in the US die every day, on average, from Covid-19, while top health officials warn that the worst is yet to come.
The US reported more than 3,400 Covid deaths on Friday, which pushed the seven-day average of new daily deaths to a record 2,983, an increase of 19% compared to just a week ago, according to an analysis CNBC’s data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
New daily cases are also reaching new peaks. Last week, the country reported an average of more than 247,200 new cases every day, an increase of 27% over the previous week, according to data from Hopkins. Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Friday that the outbreak will get worse before it gets better, echoing comments made earlier this week by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases.
“We will continue to see mortality in the range of 2,500-5,000 a day,” Redfield told McClatchy news agency in an interview. “This will continue to get worse in January and probably in parts of February, before we really start to turn the corner.”
Cases are already rising substantially almost everywhere, as the country experiences an expected increase in the virus caused by interstate travel and family reunions for vacation last month. The average new daily cases increased by at least 5% in 47 states, according to Hopkins data. Redfield warned on Friday that the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday will make the outbreak even worse.
“I think you have to anticipate that this is another emergency event. You have unmasked individuals in a non-distant way, who have passed through the Capitol, ”he said. “So, all of these individuals are going in cars, trains and planes coming home across the country now. So I think this is an event that is likely to lead to a significant dissemination event.”
Supporters of Donald Trump gathered to protest Joe Biden’s certification as the winner of the presidential election in the state capital, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Michael Siluk | Group of universal images | Getty Images
Redfield, who was appointed by Trump in 2018 to head the country’s top health agency, will be replaced by Dr. Rochelle Walensky under President-elect Joe Biden.
With the outbreak getting more severe by the day, authorities are rushing to quickly distribute doses of life-saving vaccines. The initial launch was slower than expected, but it is showing signs that it is picking up speed. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said the distribution effort started slowly in part because of the holidays, but the pace is expected to increase this month.
The United States administered nearly 800,000 shots in 24 hours, the CDC reported on Friday, down from about 600,000 the day before and the maximum in one day so far, according to agency data. More than 22.1 million doses were distributed, according to the data, but only 6.7 million were administered.
Amid criticism of slow initial implementation, HHS officials are now asking states to move beyond the first level of prioritization. Health professionals and residents of long-term care facilities should receive the vaccine first, in accordance with CDC guidelines. But HHS Secretary Alex Azar said earlier this week that states should open up to older and more vulnerable Americans if it accelerated the pace of deployment. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn reiterated his comments on Friday.
Also increasing the pressure to vaccinate quickly is the arrival of a new strain of the virus. The new variant, known as B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in the UK, has now been found in at least seven states. Although it does not appear to make people more seriously ill, CDC officials say they believe it will spread more easily. This could further worsen the outbreak and quickly overburden hospitals, warned CDC officials last week.
But states and hospitals are facing some substantial obstacles in administering vaccine doses. State funding for vaccine distribution was not approved until late last month, and much of it still needs to reach facilities that desperately need money to increase the workforce and maintain digital records, for example.