It turns out the first two weeks were abysmal.
The United States simply shattered all-time records for the number of Covid 19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths reported in one day:
– On January 2, a record 302,506 new infections were reported in one day, according to Johns Hopkins University.
That’s an average of 3.5 people getting infected every second.
On January 6, a record 132,447 patients with Covid 19 were hospitalized, according to Cubid’s follow-up project.
Many hospitals are now full beyond their capacity, meaning that hospitals without Cubid 19 – for example, victims of road accidents – may not receive immediate treatment.
On Jan. 12, a record 4,462 deaths were reported in Covid 19 in just one day, according to Jones Hopkins.
why is it happening?
“If you’re going to a party with five or more people, you’ll almost certainly have someone with Cubid 19 at that party,” said Dr. Peter Hotz, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
One of the reasons the coronary virus spreads so easily is because people can be contagious without knowing they are infected – and can get the virus without looking or feeling sick.
“This means that at least half of the new infections are caused by people who are unaware that they are contagious to others,” the agency said.
Falling out of the holidays may still creep across the United States for weeks to come.
“It takes two to three weeks until patients are sick enough to need the hospital after they are infected with the virus,” said Dr. Anish Mahjan, chief medical officer at Harbor Medical Center-UCLA.
Even though Christmas was less than three weeks ago, “we’re already full.”
“We no longer have the capacity for intensive care,” Mahjan said. “All the hospitals in the area put intensive care patients in unusual places in the hospital just to find a place for them.”
Then there are newly identified versions
The cases in the U.S. were found in 12 states: California, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin and Georgia, according to CDC data released Wednesday.
Understanding the genetic makeup of a virus and how it changes is critical to ensuring vaccines stay effective.
All viruses change over time, and new variations are common.
Although it may be more transmitted, there is no evidence that this version first identified in the UK is more deadly or causes more serious illness, the CDC said.
But the strain first discovered in the UK is not the only cause for concern.
This strain was first observed two months ago in South Africa and is found in 12 countries. As of Thursday it has not been detected in the United States.
Why can we not get vaccinated soon?
As of Thursday morning, about 10.2 million vaccine doses had been given, out of about 29.3 million doses distributed throughout the United States, according to the CDC.
And the two vaccines currently being distributed in the United States – Diffuser / Bio-Tech and Moderna – require two doses per person.
But either way, millions of Americans will have to wait months before they get vaccinated.
What does all this mean for you?
If you want to bring life closer to normal (and faster), it’s time to double down on safety:
Maintain a social distance. Wash your hands frequently. And do not think that you are invincible – even if you are young and healthy.
“Whether it’s due to … a higher dose of the virus, whether they have genetic changes they don’t know about – we just don’t understand,” he said.
“Therefore, we can not reliably predict who will treat this virus well and who will not.”
Elizabeth Cohen, Maggie Fox, Michael Nadelman and CNN’s Amanda Watts contributed to this report.
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