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WASHINGTON: The United States recorded its 12th case of COVID-19 on Saturday (November 21), even as millions of Americans were expected to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, ignoring warnings from health officials about the spread of infectious disease.
More than 12,010,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported, according to a Reuters public health data tally, which tops a series of days with record infections, with the Midwest experiencing one of the most dramatic increases in cases per capita.
The COVID-19 epidemic has claimed more than 255,000 lives in the United States, more than in any other country, by Reuters tally, and the recent escalation has prompted more than 20 states to impose radical new restrictions this month to curb the virus. .
Reuters data shows that the pace of new infections in the United States has accelerated, with nearly 1 million more cases recorded in the past six days before the latest record. This compares with the eight days it took to go from 10 million cases to 11 million, and the 10 days it took to go from 9 million to 10 million.
More than 1 million people flew through US airports on Friday, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration, stoking fears of an even greater spread of the virus. It was the second busiest day for domestic air traffic since the pandemic began, despite pleas from health officials for Americans to stay home.
“This is the second time since the pandemic passenger volume has surpassed one million,” TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
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Friday marked another milestone in the United States, with the highest number of new COVID-19 cases reported: 196,815 infections in one day.
Health officials warned that the growing wave of infections could soon overwhelm the health system if people do not follow public health guidelines, particularly in regards to not traveling and mingling with other households for the traditional Thanksgiving celebration. from Thursday.
Still, video footage on Twitter showed more than 100 people, wearing masks, crowding the departure gates at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday. Lines for TSA checkpoints and kiosks at Chicago’s O’Hare airport were also long on Friday and “reminiscent of the days before the pandemic,” local television station WGN reported.
The number of air travelers on Thanksgiving Day was expected to decline by 47.5 percent from 2019, but 2.4 million people were nonetheless forecast to fly through the skies, according to a report to earlier this month from the American Automobile Association. He said the number of car trips was expected to drop by just 4 percent.
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“For those considering a trip, the majority will go by car, providing the flexibility to modify vacation travel plans until the day of departure,” AAA Senior Vice President Paula Twidale said in a statement.
The US Centers for Disease Control has issued a “strong recommendation” for Americans to refrain from traveling throughout Thanksgiving.
“We are alarmed by the exponential increase in cases, hospitalizations and deaths,” CDC official Henry Walke told reporters Thursday.
Seven Midwestern state governors – Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan – encouraged their residents to heed medical advice during the holidays and not celebrate Thanksgiving with people outside of their homes. homes.
In a video message, the governors also referred to Pfizer’s recent announcement that its COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90 percent effective. Pfizer said it would seek authorization for the emergency use of its vaccine from US regulators, the first application of its kind.
“This is great news, but it doesn’t mean we can let our guard down,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
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