Hospitals in the United States are on high alert for the new and more contagious COVID-19 strain that first appeared in the UK and has since appeared in Colorado, California and now Florida.
Florida health officials announced this week that they have evidence of the first identified case of the strain in Martin County. In a Twitter post late on Thursday, the state health department said the man was in his 20s with no travel history.
The high-speed virus arrives as cases increase at a relentless pace, reports Tom Hanson of CBS News. More than 160,000 new COVID-19 infections were reported across the country on Friday, increasing the total number of cases over 20 million on the first day of 2021.
Nearly 350,000 Americans died of the disease. In California alone, the virus claimed 585 lives on New Year’s Day – on the same day 47,000 new cases were reported in the state, increasing the number of cases in hospitals.
“It’s like stepping into the water 30 meters below the surface,” said Scott Brickner, a nurse at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. “You are already drowning, but you need to keep trying, because that is what you can do.”
COVID-19 is killing one person every ten minutes in Los Angeles County.
Nationally, 40% of new cases occur in southern states. Texas hospitalization broke records for five consecutive days, an increase of 36% in the last month.
Against the bleak backdrop, defiant crowds danced in Philadelphia to protest the cancellation of the New Year’s Day Parade, and religious worshipers protested California’s limits to indoor meetings.
“There is a greater good than being here than being afraid of a virus,” said one person.
Meanwhile, the best hope of preventing the virus – vaccines – was tainted in Wisconsin when a pharmacist adulteration admitted with bottles at an Aurora Heath Center.
Jeff Blair, president of Aurora Health, said the individual was “suspended and admitted for intentionally removing the vaccine from refrigeration”. The person is in police custody and the matter is now under criminal investigation.
“The 57 recipients of these vaccines have been notified. At the moment, there is no evidence that the vaccines are harmful to them,” said Blair.
Even in the best of circumstances, however, inoculating the nation has been difficult so far. This week, 20 million first doses were supposed to be in people’s arms this week, but only 12.5 million were distributed and less than 3 million were actually administered.
Army General Gus Perna, responsible for the distribution of vaccines, expressed optimism about the implementation.
“Only 12 days have passed, there have been two holidays, there have been three major snowstorms and I believe that acceptance will increase significantly,” he said.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the goal is to vaccinate one million residents by the end of January. The city received 360,000 doses and administered about 98,000. Vaccine centers will be launched in an effort to accelerate distribution.