US Coronavirus: America reported more than 100,000 hospitalizations for Covid-19 in 40 consecutive days

“We really need to launch this vaccine more quickly, because this is really our only tool,” said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on CBS’s Face the Nation program on Sunday.

On Sunday, 129,229 people were in US hospitals with coronavirus, but the day marked only the sixth largest in pandemic history, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

Experts have long argued that the best defenses against the increase in cases are preventive measures such as masks and social distance, as well as widespread vaccination. So far, at least 22.1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been distributed and nearly 6.7 million have reached the arms of patients. Health officials expected to vaccinate 20 million people at the beginning of the new year, but the vaccine administration suffered delays and roadblocks.

“We need to recognize that it is not working,” said Gottlieb of the vaccination plan. “We need to restart and adopt a new strategy in an attempt to bring this to patients.”

Gottlieb’s warning comes just days after the United States crossed a dark threshold for the first time – reporting more than 4,000 new Covid-19 deaths in a single day on Thursday. Since the pandemic began, more than 374,322 people have died in the United States and more than 22.4 million people have been infected, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

More people, sites and online resources for vaccines

As the increase increases the numbers of infection, hospitalization and mortality in the states, authorities are working to make access to vaccines easier.

California one epicenter of the pandemic in the US, added 49,685 new cases on Sunday alone, bringing the total number of cases in the state since the pandemic began to more than 2.6 million.

Starting on Monday, the state will increase its vaccine distribution to include health professionals, residents and nursing home staff, and those living in congregated environments, such as assisted living or shelters, according to new health department guidelines. of State. So far, the state’s vaccination efforts have been difficult, and only about a third of the more than 2.1 million doses received have reached the residents’ arms.

In New York City, officials hope to expand access through vaccination sites. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday that three more vaccination sites 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, would open this week.

De Blasio spoke on Sunday of a website at the Bathgate Industrial Park, saying the city is “well underway” to reach 100,000 vaccinations by this week. He said earlier that he expects to have one million vaccinations completed by the end of the month.

The Georgia Department of Public Health launched a Covid vaccine locator website in the hope of increasing access in the state that administered the least vaccines per capita, according to the CDC’s Covid Data Tracker.

The website will not allow scheduling, but will provide contact details so people can schedule vaccines as soon as available, according to the statement.

A more deadly pace than 2020

More than 28,400 new deaths from Covid-19 were reported in the first 11 days of 2021 alone, according to data from Johns Hopkins.

At that rate, more people could die from Covid-19 in January than in any other month of this pandemic. December had a record 77,431 deaths due to Covid-19.

On Sunday, the US reported 1,814 new deaths from Covid-19, along with 213,905 new infections, according to data from Johns Hopkins.

At this rate, January will be the most lethal month of Covid-19 in the US

In Arizona, which has been hit hard, the crisis will worsen, said Joe K. Gerald, an associate professor at the University of Arizona’s Zuckerman College of Public Health.

“We must expect to establish new records of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the coming weeks. Political action is urgently needed to mitigate the worst possible outcome, ”wrote Gerald.

He also expressed concern about the “inevitable arrival of the most transmissible strain” of the coronavirus, which was first detected in the UK and spread to at least eight U.S. states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York , Pennsylvania and Texas.

“If it brings together a foothold, it will accelerate, lengthen and deepen the Arizona outbreak,” said Gerald.

Capitol disturbances are probably a ‘sudden event’ for Covid-19

The recent US Capitol riot would likely be a “sudden event” that “is likely to lead to significant spread” across the country, said the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
“You unmasked individuals largely in an undistant way, who were all over Capitol,” said Dr. Robert Redfield to the McClatchy group.

“So, all these individuals are going in cars and trains and planes coming home across the country right now.”

CNN medical analyst and emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen echoed that statement, saying to CNN’s Ana Cabrera on Sunday: “Individuals who have not worn masks or social distance on Capitol Hill are also likely not following these guidelines when they return to their communities . “

“And it is very likely that they are engaging in other risky behaviors and potentially spreading the coronavirus across the country, wherever they come from,” she said. “I hope that everyone who participated in these events will come back, quarantine and take the test.”

CNN’s Holly Yan, Hollie Silverman, Naomi Thomas, Cheri Mossburg, Jenn Selva and Evan McMorris-Santoro contributed to this report.

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