The Deadliest Day: Coronavirus deaths surpass 3,000 – the highest in a single day since May – as a record 106k are hospitalized and Dr. Birx slams Trump over masks and myths

• At least 3,054 American coronavirus patients died on Wednesday in the pandemic’s most deadly day
• It marked the first time the virus has claimed 3,000 American lives or more in a single day
• The number of COVID patients hospitalized nationwide also grew to a new all-time high of 106,688 
• The number of patients hospitalized has climbed 18 percent in the past two weeks
• It is placing immense strain on the healthcare systems in some pandemic hotspots
• Ten counties in California reported having no intensive care unit beds available on Wednesday, as the state reported yet another record for new daily cases
• On Tuesday, Dr. Deborah Birx slammed the ‘myths’ about the virus pushed by the White House as she said that more had to be done to encourage the public to wear masks
• Operation Warp Speed, the White House response to the pandemic, urged Americans to continue mask-wearing and social distancing on Wednesday as it said a vaccine could be approved by the weekend

The United States on Wednesday crossed an ominous new threshold of 3,000 lives lost to COVID-19 in a single day as hospitalizations also reached a record level. 

The number of COVID patients hospitalized nationwide grew to a new all-time high of 106,688 by late Wednesday, up 18 percent over the previous two weeks.

At least 3,054 US patients perished on Wednesday alone, according to the COVID Tracking Project, marking the first time the virus has claimed 3,000 American lives or more in a single day.     

The previous single-day record was on May 7 at 2,769 deaths, their data shows.  

The worrying climb in fatalities comes as Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, takes a swipe at Trump for playing down the seriousness of the virus, questioning the death toll and dismissing the efficacy of masks. 

‘Messages need to be critically consistent,’ Birx said Tuesday at a Wall Street Journal conference of CEOs. 

‘I think we need to be much more consistent about addressing the myths that are out there – that COVID doesn’t really exist, or that the fatalities somehow are made up, or the hospitalizations are for other diseases, not COVID, that masks actually hurt you.’ 

Trump has repeatedly played down the seriousness of COVID-19, comparing it to the flu. While he has never dismissed its existence, he has suggested the death toll is wrong. He previously retweeted a QAnon conspiracy theory that questioned the official death toll and falsely claimed the CDC had reduced its toll from 154,000 to 9,000. Twitter later deleted Trump’s retweet and the original tweet because it breached its rules for false and misleading information about coronavirus. 

Trump has also repeatedly suggested that the USA has the lowest death count and death rate – which has never been the case.

The president doesn’t appear to have suggested masks will harm wearers but has dismissed their use, rarely worn one himself, and mocked people for wearing them.  

To date, the highly contagious respiratory illness has killed more than 288,000 Americans, and some 15.3 million are known to have been infected since January.  

The United States on Wednesday crossed an ominous new threshold of 3,000 lives lost to COVID-19 in a single day as hospitalizations also reached a record level. It recorded 3.054 deaths according to the COVID Tracking Project

According to the COVID Tracking Project, on Wednesday, the US hit record daily deaths, record hospitalizations and a record seven-day average in daily cases, deaths and hospitalizations. At least 3,054 US patients perished on Wednesday alone, marking the first time the virus has claimed 3,000 American lives or more in a single day

On Wednesday, the COVID Tracking Project reported 209,822 new daily cases out of nearly 1.8million tests performed. 

The US has documented an average of 2,276 deaths and 204,356 new infections each day over the past week, it added.  

The seven-day average for COVID-19 deaths is already at an all-time high as they increase throughout the country.

U.S. health officials warn the rise in cases is likely to accelerate even further in the coming months before a vaccine becomes widely available to the public. 

The Northeast and the West are currently experiencing the highest increase in cases, according to the data.

The 7-day average for cases per million people is up to 628 in the Northeast and 644 in the West, both higher than any point before this in the pandemic. 

The increasing spread of the virus in the first days of December has strained healthcare systems in some pandemic hot spots to the breaking point. 

Ten mostly rural counties scattered across California reported having no intensive care unit beds available on Wednesday, according to state health data analyzed by Reuters. 

The state had reported a new single-day record of 30,851 cases, as well as 196 new fatalities. 

In the agricultural heartland of the California’s Central Valley, COVID-19 admissions have overwhelmed some individual hospitals altogether. In Fresno County, home to 1 million people, only seven ICU beds remained unfilled on Wednesday. 

Governor Gavin Newsom is now bringing in hundreds of hospital staff from outside the state and preparing to re-start emergency hospitals that were created but barely used when the coronavirus surged last spring to cope with the new surge.  

Medical experts have said the crisis will only worsen amid colder weather, especially if Americans continue to disregard warnings to avoid unnecessary travel and large gatherings over the holidays. 

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, pictured above, on Tuesday took a swipe at Trump for playing down the seriousness of the virus, questioning the death toll and dismissing the efficacy of masks

Trump has repeatedly played down the seriousness of COVID-19, comparing it to the flu. He has never dismissed its existence, but has suggested the death toll is wrong and retweeted a QAnon conspiracy theory that questioned the official death toll

The Northeast and the West are currently experiencing the highest increase in coronavirus cases, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. The seven-day average for cases per million people is up to 628 per million in the Northeast of the country and 644 per million in the West, both higher than any other point before this in the pandemic

California reported a new single-day record of 30,851 cases on Wednesday, as well as 196 new fatalities

On Wednesday, public health officials stepped up preparations for a vaccine campaign of historic scope ahead of imminent regulatory approval. 

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

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

‘I can’t think of a government operation that has been commenced that is more difficult and intricate than what governments will be asked to do here,’ New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at a briefing on Wednesday.

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

In a sign that approval could come swiftly, documents released by the FDA on Tuesday in preparation for the advisory review raised no new red flags over the safety or efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine.

FDA approval could come as early as Friday or Saturday, followed by the first U.S. injections on Sunday or Monday, Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine development program, told Fox News on Tuesday.

During an Operation Warp Speed press briefing on Wednesday, they announced that nearly three million people will be vaccinated during the first rollout of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine in the US.

FDA approval for a COVID-19 vaccine could come as early as Friday or Saturday, followed by the first US injections on Sunday or Monday, said Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser to the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed vaccine development program. Pictured: A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Northern General Hospital, in Bristol, UK, December 8

Officials said 636 locations, mostly large health-care systems with enough storage capacity, will be receiving the jabs.  

According to chief operating officer Gen Gustave Perna, the initial shipment will include 2.9 million doses with the same amount 21 days later for the second dose.

That leaves aside a reserve of about 500,000 doses from the total supply of about 6.4 million doses currently available to the US.

He added that at least 36 states have told Operation Warp Speed they want a fraction of their first doses to go to long-term care facilities through the partnership program made between the administration and CVS/Walgreens. 

Perna also told reporters that distribution of the immunization will begin ‘within 24 hours’ of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.

At the same briefing, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said any American who wants a vaccine will be able to receive on by the second quarter of 2021. 

Azar said he expects 20 million Americans by the end of this year, 50 million total by the end of January and 100 million by the end of the first quarter of 2021. 

Despite the fact that vaccines are likely just around the corner, Azar encouraged Americans to continue following mitigation measures such as wearing a mask, social distancing and washing hands.  

‘Even as we have such a bright future ahead, we face extremely concerning trends in the spread of the virus,’ he said.

‘Hospitalization rates are now at the highest they have been during the pandemic. We are so close to being able to protect millions of Americans from this virus with the vaccine. For now, we need to double down on the steps that can keep us all safe.’

It comes just hours after the UK Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency warned anyone with a history of serious allergic reactions to not receive the vaccine after two British healthcare workers went into anaphylactic shock on Tuesday. 

The two workers both carry EpiPens but no other information has been given. They are now both said to be recovering well. 

At the briefing, Operation Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui said the FDA will consider this event as it decides whether or not to approve the vaccine for emergency use authorization.  

‘The expectation will be that subjects with known severe allergic reactions should not take the vaccine, until we understand exactly what happened here,’ he said.   

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

The US is in dire need of a new mechanism for fighting the pandemic, given that so many Americans have refused to follow guidance for wearing face coverings and keeping their distance for people beyond their own households.

Experts and officials expect yet another surge of infections and hospitalizations following year-end holiday gatherings. 

The expected post-holiday surge would be in full force by the time President-elect Joe Biden succeeds President Donald Trump on January 20. 

Biden set a goal of vaccinating 100 million people – nearly a third of the U.S. population, within the first 100 days of his administration, or by April 29. 

The prospect for a vaccine is giving Wall Street hope that the economy is nearing a more direct path to a full recovery.

But there could be more economic damage in store over the next few months and investors are still closely watching Washington for any developments on another shot of stimulus for people, businesses and state governments. 

Congress is still divided over the size and scope of any new package and the Trump administration has added to the potential plans with a new $916 billion proposal.    

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