On November 21, the United States reached a record 12 million cases (archive)
The United States hit a record 16 million COVID-19 cases Saturday afternoon, with deaths approaching the 300,000 mark, even as millions of doses of a new vaccine were expected to begin rolling out nationwide on Sunday. .
The first vaccine was approved Friday night by the US Food and Drug Administration and is expected to launch a massive inoculation campaign of incomparable dimension to end the pandemic that has disrupted daily life and devastated the US economy
“THE FDA APPROVES THE PFIZER VACCINE FOR EMERGENCY USE !!!” President Donald Trump announced Friday night on Twitter. He promised Americans that vaccines would start in less than 24 hours.
But US Army General Gustave Perna said in a teleconference Saturday that the first shipments will begin Sunday and be delivered to 145 locations across the country on Monday.
The rest of the 636 delivery locations selected by US states and territories will receive doses on Tuesday and Wednesday, he said, adding that Pfizer will have more doses ready each week for distribution and administration.
The first batch of injections is expected to be aimed primarily at healthcare workers and residents and staff at long-term care facilities.
The approval of the drug Pfizer by the United States Food and Drug Administration marks a turning point in the United States, where the pandemic has killed more than 295,000 people, more than any other nation in the world, as it has. the recent increase in infections. overwhelmed health systems.
The country reported its highest daily cases, more than 232,700, on Friday, according to a Reuters tally. In the last 7-day average, the United States reports 2,411 deaths per day, the highest 7-day average since the pandemic began.
Coronavirus hospitalizations in the US were 107,684 at the end of Friday, the highest so far.
On November 21, the United States reached a record 12 million cases.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who along with several other governors promised to review the vaccine before allowing it in their states, announced Friday night that state officials gave the drug the green light.
“The vaccine, that’s the weapon that ends the war,” Cuomo said at a news conference on Saturday.
But he warned it could be June or later before life begins to return to normal as more of the American population receives the drug.
Urging people to be patient, Cuomo said: “Between now and June, that’s a long road.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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