- On Wednesday, the US set a pair of grim new coronavirus records. For the first time, the country reported more than 2,800 Covid-19 deaths in a single day, as well as more than 100,000 people hospitalized by the virus. [CNN / Madeline Holcombe and Jason Hanna]
- As Vox’s Dylan Scott points out, that’s nearly as many people as were killed in 9/11 and far more than died from Hurricane Katrina. All told, there have been nearly 275,000 confirmed Covid-19 deaths in the US. [Vox / Dylan Scott]
- And in some parts of the country, record hospitalizations mean that hospitals are reaching a crisis point as they run short of ICU beds and staff. Other areas could be not far behind. [CNBC / Will Feuer]
- The US also reported just shy of 200,000 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the second-most ever and more than double the case record set just a month ago. [New York Times]
- Those records are likely just a preview of what’s to come: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield warned Wednesday that the next three months are “going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation.” [Reuters / Steve Gorman and Daniel Trotta]
- A coming Covid-19 surge could be fueled at least partially by Thanksgiving. More people passed through TSA screenings on Sunday than at any other point in the pandemic, despite public health recommendations to stay home. [The Guardian / Lauren Aratani and Lois Beckett]
- A continuing lack of federal Covid-19 relief also plays a role. Dwindling unemployment insurance, for example, “has forced many people to take any job they can get — even if that means exposing themselves and their families to the virus.” [Vox / Anna North]
- There may be good news on the horizon, however. A $908 billion compromise coronavirus relief measure, introduced earlier this week by a bipartisan group, has continued to gain traction on both sides of the aisle and with the White House. [Washington Post / Jeff Stein, Mike DeBonis, and Seung Min Kim]
- And at least one Covid-19 vaccine candidate could soon receive an emergency use authorization in the US, following a similar step by the UK Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration has scheduled an advisory vaccine panel meeting for next Thursday. [Stat / Matthew Herper]
|
|
