Coronavirus: America hits harrowing new COVID-19 record

The United States has been breaking coronavirus records on a daily basis, but this morning the nation hit a truly harrowing new milestone.

The United States has been breaking coronavirus records on a daily basis, but on Thursday the nation hit a harrowing new milestone.

Overnight, the nation recorded more than 3000 COVID-19 deaths in a single day, a pandemic record. That’s more than the entire death toll of the 9/11 attacks in 2001 which claimed the lives of 2,996 people.

Critics of the US Government’s handling of the crisis have reacted with anger to the news, pointing out the comparisons with the 9/11 death toll and the fact that the COVID toll is now surpassing it on a daily basis.

BREAKING—United States recorded more than 3,000 #COVID19 deaths in a single day, a pandemic record.

➡️US also now topped 296k confirmed deaths—more deaths than all US military combat deaths during WWII fighting in Germany, France, Italy, North Africa, and the Pacific—combined. pic.twitter.com/vzWFvYZ3Ph

— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) December 10, 2020

US tallies more than 3,000 deaths in a single day. And we still haven't hit the expected Thanksgiving wave of deaths. It's going to be a rough winter.

— Markian Hawryluk (@MarkianHawryluk) December 10, 2020

For the first time ever, the US reports more than 3,000 Covid-19 deaths in a single day.

More people died today in the US than on 9/11.https://t.co/elPhf9q1Cv pic.twitter.com/nvpYSu5tDD

— Cameron Peters (@jcameronpeters) December 10, 2020

Meanwhile the number of new cases rose back above 200,000 and hospitalisations due to the virus hit a record for the third day in a row.

America reported more than 215,000 new cases for Tuesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the first time since December that the daily tally has topped 200,000.

New cases in California surpassed 20,000 for the sixth consecutive day, while Virginia reported its second-highest daily tally and infections in Idaho topped 2000 in a single day for the first time since the pandemic began.

Pressure is growing for American regulators to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, with officials due to meet on Thursday to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency approval.

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A nurse prepares to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Guy's Hospital in London. Picture: Frank Augstein/AFP

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It is not confirmed when the US Food and Drug Administration will issue the emergency authorisation, but Health Secretary Alex Azar indicated that officials have early next week in mind.

“Now we actually get to do something that hopefully will bring this... pandemic to an end,” said Terri White, a nursing education specialist at UW Health in the state of Wisconsin, where staff are being trained to administer the vaccine.

“I know our whole team is really excited about that prospect... to help our lives return to normal.”

Top US government scientists said, however, that people with a known history of severe allergic reactions would be asked not to take the Pfizer vaccine, following a similar warning in Britain.

US Army General Gus Perna, who is overseeing logistics nationwide, said he had given the order Wednesday to begin distributing syringes, needles, alcohol wipes and dilutants required for the Pfizer vaccine, a process expected to be completed by Friday.

The next vaccines to receive approval might be those made by Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca, most likely in that order.

The US hopes to vaccinate 20 million people this month, with long term care facility residents and health care workers at the front of the line. The goal is to reach 100 million by the end of February and the whole population by June.

-With AFP