At the current rate of daily fatalities, the US death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic may surpass 400,000 before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Wednesday.
Another 14,400 Americans are projected to die from the virus over the next six days, according to an ensemble forecast published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This comes as the nation’s health care system scrambles to keep up with the influx of new patients, with more than 128,000 people hospitalized across the country, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The City of Laredo, Texas, tweeted an “emergency message” Thursday saying their medical professionals are overwhelmed with the surge in Covid-19 cases.
“Our medical professionals are overwhelmed with the surge in COVID-19 cases. Lives are at stake, and we are asking you to stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary … save a life,” the tweet said.
Since the pandemic began, more than 388,000 people have died from Covid-19, according to Johns Hopkins University data. And on Thursday, the US recorded its 10th day in a row of more than 200,000 infections.
As front line workers struggle to keep patients alive and hospital ICU wings operational, the success of the vaccine rollout remains inconsistent.
People wait in line to receive a Covid-19 vaccine at Disneyland Resort on January 13.
At least one state, however, says its distribution is ahead of the game.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told CNN that as of Monday, every vaccine dose received by the state had been administered or assigned to be given within a day or so. The state leads the nation in terms of first doses administered per capita, according to the CDC data, nearly doubling the national rate.
CNN
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