United States Nears Final COVID Vaccine Review as Daily National Deaths Top 3,250

FILE PHOTO: A small shopping basket filled with vials labeled “COVID-19 – Coronavirus Vaccine” and medical syringes affixed to a US flag, in this illustration taken on November 29, 2020. REUTERS / Given Ruvic / Illustration

The United States crossed an ominous new threshold of more than 3,250 lives lost to COVID-19 in a single day on Wednesday, as public health officials stepped up preparations for a landmark vaccine campaign ahead of final regulatory review.

The steady move toward a vaccine launch on the eve of a critical review by top US medical experts comes as the COVID-19 case burden rose alarmingly, putting pressure on healthcare systems in some hot spots of the pandemic to the breaking point.

Intensive care units at hundreds of hospitals in cities and rural communities across the country were reported to be at or near capacity, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed.

Ten mostly rural counties across California reported no ICU beds at all on Wednesday, according to state health figures analyzed by Reuters. In Fresno County, home to 1 million people, only seven ICU beds were left empty Wednesday. The largely agricultural San Joaquin County just to the north was reduced to just five ICU beds.

The number of hospitalized COVID patients nationwide grew to a new all-time high of 106,217 on Wednesday night, 18% more than in the previous two weeks.

The United States has also documented an average of 2,259 deaths and 205,661 new infections each day over the past week, a toll that US health officials warn is likely to accelerate in the coming months before a vaccine becomes widely available. for the public.

At least 3,253 American patients died on Wednesday alone, according to a Reuters tally of state-by-state data.

The latest figure surpassed the previous December 3 record of 2,861 COVID deaths and marked the first time the virus claimed 3,000 or more American lives in a single day, exceeding the death toll from the September 11 suicide attacks. 2001 in the United States. kidnappers.

To date, the highly contagious respiratory disease has killed more than 289,000 Americans, of the 15 million known to have been infected since January.

Medical experts have said the crisis will only get worse in the coming weeks amid colder weather, especially if Americans continue to ignore warnings to avoid unnecessary travel and large gatherings during the holidays.

In addition to the monumental human cost, the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy, forcing millions out of work while public health authorities imposed radical restrictions on social and economic life in an effort to quell the contagion.

Congress, meanwhile, has struggled to end a months-long political stalemate on financial aid.

The Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives approved a week-long extension of federal government funding on Wednesday, giving lawmakers more time to haggle a broader spending package with coronavirus relief.

The Republican-led Senate was expected to vote on the measure Thursday and send it to President Donald Trump in time to avoid a government shutdown.

But disagreements persist over corporate liability protections demanded by Republicans and aid to state and local governments requested by Democrats before a final financial aid deal is reached.

Vaccines on the way

Offering a new ray of hope, some officials said vaccines could begin as soon as this weekend, and states have stepped up plans for what is likely to be a distribution effort of unprecedented dimensions.

“I cannot think of a government operation that has started that is more difficult and intricate than what governments will be asked of here,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a briefing Wednesday.

A panel of independent medical experts was due to meet Thursday to decide whether to recommend a vaccine from Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE. You must receive an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.

In a sign that approval could be swift, documents released by the FDA prior to the advisory review raised no new red flags about the safety or efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine.

FDA consent could come on Friday or Saturday, followed by the first American injections on Sunday or Monday, Moncef Slaoui, senior adviser to the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed ​​vaccine development program, told Fox News.

Britain became the first Western nation to begin mass inoculations with the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday. Canada approved the same vaccine on Wednesday after an expedited review process.

The United States is in dire need of a new mechanism to combat the pandemic, as many Americans have refused to follow the guidelines for wearing face shields and keeping distance from people beyond their own homes.

Medical experts expect another surge in infections and hospitalizations after year-end meetings, even as initial batches of vaccines are administered to high-priority recipients, including healthcare workers and nursing home residents.

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar told “CBS This Morning” that he expected vaccines to reach the general public in February, March and April, with enough vaccine supplies “for all Americans” during the second quarter of next year.

Still, a sizable percentage of the U.S. population has expressed skepticism about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, creating an additional challenge.

Biden has set a goal of vaccinating 100 million people, nearly a third of the United States population, within the first 100 days of his administration or before April 29.

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