More Than 2,000 People Died Of Covid-19 In The U.S. On Thursday, With Around 80,000 Now Hospitalized

Topline

More than 2,000 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in the U.S. on Thursday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), making it the deadliest day of the pandemic since early May and various projections expect that number to grow considerably over the next few weeks.

Key Facts

Surprising Fact

According to the IHME model, universal mask usage — where 95% of the population wears masks — could save as many as 17,000 American lives by January 1 and 65,000 lives by March 1.

Key Background

The spike in Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. has followed a steep climb in the number of cases since mid-September and a subsequent increase in hospitalizations. The CDC’s own forecast, which combines various independent projections, expects an increase in deaths over the next month with anywhere between “5,500 to 13,400 new deaths likely to be reported in the week ending December 5, 2020.” Earlier this month, Pfizer and Moderna both announced that their vaccines are 95% and 94.5% effective in preventing the disease, something health experts flagged as a very promising sign. However, most Americans will likely not be able to receive a vaccine — which is yet to be approved — until sometime next year. In the meantime, the lack of a coordinated national mandate means that most experts suggest that the U.S. might be at the beginning of the worst four months of the pandemic. The country’s response to the coronavirus surge has also been hobbled by the Trump administration’s unwillingness to begin the transition process with President-elect Joe Biden’s team, which Biden has warned will delay the deployment of vaccines. President Trump himself has reportedly stepped away from actively managing the situation and has not attended a White House coronavirus task force meeting in five months.

Further Reading

‘Mind Numbing’ 250,000 Death Toll Could Jump To 300,000 By End Of Year, Former CDC Chief Warns (Forbes)

U.S. Military Sees Record Increase In Covid-19 Cases, Bases Move To Tighten Restrictions (Forbes)

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