/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5fd1fe215541e2136b2f46fe/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=9504&cropY1=482&cropY2=5831&w=1200&resize=1200,741&ssl=1 "More People Died From Covid-19 In The U.S. On Wednesday Than During 9/11 Attacks")
Topline
More than 3,000 people in the U.S. who had coronavirus died on Wednesday, the highest number in a single day seen so far in the pandemic both nationwide and anywhere else in the world, as U.S. regulators are set to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in the coming days.
Medical workers transport a patient outside a hospital in New York on Dec. 8, 2020
Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images
Key Facts
3,124 people died across the nation on Wednesday, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University, with just over 221,000 new infections on the same day.
Meanwhile, the number of hospitalizations across the U.S. reached a new high for the fourth day in a row, with 106,668 people in medical facilities as of Wednesday, Covid Tracking Project figures show, around double the numbers seen on Nov. 5 and suggesting that the latest death toll may get even worse.
Average daily deaths linked to Covid-19 are now at a record 2,276, as of Wednesday.
Zooming in, out of those hospitalizations, a record number of people are now in ICU (20,922) and on a ventilator (7,624), as of Wednesday.
According to the Covid Tracking Project, average daily cases over the past week are either rising or staying the same in all but four states.
Wednesday’s death toll exceeds the 2,977 Americans who died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Big Number
289,431. That’s how many people have died in the U.S. after catching Covid-19, the most anywhere in the world.
What To Watch For
An advisory panel will meet on Thursday to discuss U.S. approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is shown to be 95% effective at preventing infections and is already approved for emergency use in the U.K. and Canada. Emergency use approval from the Food and Drug Administration could come as soon as Friday. According to Health and Human Services secretary Alex Azar, the wider population could start to be vaccinated as early as February, he said on Wednesday.
Key Background
The coronavirus pandemic has shown no sign of abating in the U.S., with new infections skyrocketing over the past month as the holiday season has got underway. Despite health officials warning Americans against travelling during the Thanksgiving period to avoid a fresh wave of infections, with 10 million people travelling by air over the Thanksgiving week, the highest number of travellers since March. Meanwhile, top infectious disease officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, has warned that the colder months ahead could spell worse infection rates as more people gather indoors, particularly over Christmas.
Tangent
Outgoing President Donald Trump has appeared to show little public interest in the worsening crisis, giving less time delivering public messaging on the virus and more voice to post-election legal battles since his loss to President-elect Joe Biden was cemented. Biden, on the other hand, has already assembled his own coronavirus taskforce and pledged to make mask-wearing compulsory where he can in his first 100 days. Meanwhile, after a deadlock, Congress appears to be nearing a further $908 billion stimulus deal in the coming days.
Further Reading
California Shatters National Record (Again) With Over 30,000 New Covid Cases In 1 Day (Forbes)
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine faces last hurdle before US decision (AP)
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