The United States surpassed 4,000 daily deaths in coronavirus for the first time, breaking a record set just a day earlier. The Johns Hopkins University count shows that the United States had 4,085 deaths from COVID-19 on Thursday.
The United States also had almost 275,000 new cases of coronavirus. More than 365,000 Americans have died of coronavirus since the pandemic began.
The numbers are yet another reminder of the worsening situation after vacation trips and family reunions, along with more time indoors during the winter months. There was an increase in cases and deaths in Arizona, Texas, Florida and California, where some hospitals are on the verge of rationing care.
Jae C. Hong / AP
A Los Angeles County hospital is so overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients that it has now set up a screening team that would decide the fate of those in critical condition.
“The hospital system is folded as much as it can and the next sound can be a snap,” said Cliff Daniels, director of strategy at Southern California Methodist Hospital.
“These are unimaginable decisions that would have to be made to deny service to people who need it because there are no resources available,” he said. “We have not yet reached that stage. We are in the rhythm to get there.”
Some hospitals are so crowded that patients are being sent hundreds of miles away for treatment.
The state’s Emergency Medical Services has set up an oxygen depot in Riverside County to help with the growing number of COVID-19 patients, according to CBS Los Angeles. The oxygen tank, which is made up of two large oxygen generators that will fill large tanks used by hospitals, will increase the local oxygen supply.