COVID kills 3,309 people in the US on the most lethal day of the pandemic so far while a record 232k new cases are recorded – as FDA chief tells public that doctors ARE prepared for allergic reactions to vaccine after UK patients were affected
- US death toll from COVID-19 approaching 300,000 as Johns Hopkins researchers say 3,309 died on Friday
- As of Saturday morning, there have been 15,851,735 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 295,539 deaths
- New figures come as US regulators gave the final go-ahead on Friday to the nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine
- Researchers in Washington State released projections showing that 502,000 Americans will die by April 1
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation says peak daily deaths have not yet been reached and will come in mid-January
- The IHME models predicts that 48 states are expected to have high or extreme stress on ICUs at some point in the next four months as hospitalizations continue to grow
The United States recorded more than 3,300 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday – the largest single-day toll since the start of the pandemic – as it authorized the use of Pfizer’s vaccine, with the first inoculations expected within days, marking a turning point in a country where the pandemic has killed more than 295,000 people. The Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization for the vaccine, developed with German partner BioNTech, which was shown to be 95 per cent effective in preventing the disease in a late-stage trial. It said the vaccine can be given to people aged 16 and older. Healthcare workers and elderly people in long-term care facilities are expected to be the main recipients of a first round of 2.9 million doses this month. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, 3,309 Americans died from coronavirus on Friday. The US also reported 231,775 new cases as the pandemic shows no signs of ebbing – despite the FDA’s approval of a new vaccine. As of early Saturday morning, there have been 15,851,735 confirmed cases of COVID-19. So far, 295,539 Americans have died.
‘Once you start implementing the actual utilization of the vaccine in a clinical setting, you’re talking about millions of individuals getting vaccinated. You might start seeing effects that might not have been picked up.’ Hahn on Saturday said he was ready for a vaccination as soon as available. The FDA chief also defended the fastest-ever vaccine process, saying the agency did not sacrifice safety in return for speed. FDA chief says COVID vaccine is safe and ready for distribution. On Friday, Nevada overtook South Dakota as the state with the highest number of hospitalizations per million people, as of IHME data up until December 7. Hospitalizations in Arizona are also climbing again and have almost reached the levels seen at the state’s peak during the summer. The record number of hospitalizations is placing extreme pressure on intensive care units throughout the country.
The IHME models predicts that 48 states are expected to have high or extreme stress on ICUs at some point in the next four months. Forty-two states will also have high or extreme stress on hospital beds at some point in December through February
The models, and predictions on death rates, could change if states increase mask use and introduce more intervention policies, the IHME said.
They estimated that, on average, 73 percent of people always wore a mask when leaving the home, but the practice was far lower in certain states. For example, mask use was lower than 50 percent in Wyoming, while it remains higher on the east and west coasts. After two days in which at least 3,000 Americans died from coronavirus, new daily deaths dropped to 2,749 on Friday, the seven-day average climbed to 2,379, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Deaths in North Dakota spiked in the past 24 hours, as it climbed above New York to become the state with the fifth highest death rate per million people. New Jersey’s death rate is still the highest in the country. The IHME predicted that there will be 221,000 additional deaths in the US from December 7 to April 1. This model, however, assumes that 32 states will re-impose mandates by April 1, lessening the number of new infections, it warns. It predicts that many of these states will implement mandates by the end of December. It also predicted that universal mask coverage – where 95 percent of the country wears a mask when they leave home – would result in 56,000 less Americans dying from COVID-19 in the coming months. If mask mandates are eased, however, the total number of deaths by April 1 could potentially reach 598,000. 