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WASHINGTON: The United States far exceeded its previous daily record of new COVID-19 cases, adding 201,961 cases in 24 hours, according to the tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The high number, partly due to data delayed over the weekend, took total cases in the US to 10,238,243, with a total of 239,588 deaths. In the 24-hour period, 1,535 deaths from COVID-19 were registered, a record in recent months as it struggles to contain the spread of the pandemic.
For a week now, the number of new infections has trended at over 100,000 each day. Coronavirus hospitalisations have also hit an all-time high, with more than 60,000 people hospitalised across the country.
President Donald Trump, who has refused to concede defeat in the November 3 election, has repeatedly mocked people for wearing masks and claimed the virus would go away by itself. His victorious opponent Joe Biden has vowed to take a more proactive approach, telling the nation this week that face coverings are the single best way to get the virus under control.
US pharma giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced that their vaccine candidate was 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19, marking a major breakthrough in the search for a vaccine.
California and several states across the US tightened restrictions on residents the nation’s top infectious disease specialist called on Americans to remain vigilant until a vaccine can be approved and distributed.
The new clampdowns were announced as the number of COVID-19 infections surged again in the United States with the onset of colder weather, straining hospitals and medical resources in some cities.
“There’s a real thing called COVID-19 fatigue, that’s understandable,” Dr Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said in an interview. “But hang in there a bit longer, do the things you need to do and we’ll be OK.”
California has seen coronavirus hospitalizations spiral by 32 percent over the past two weeks, Dr Mark Ghaly, the state’s health and human services secretary, told reporters at a briefing. Intensive-care unit admissions had spiked by 30 percent, he said.
Three California counties home to about 5.5 million people – San Diego, Sacramento and Stanislaus – must reverse their reopening plans and go back to the most restrictive category of rules as a result of the spikes. Those regulations ban indoor dining in restaurants as well as indoor activities in gyms and religious institutions.
About 59,000 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized across the United States, the country’s highest-ever number of in-patients being treated for the disease. The United States, the world’s third-most populous country behind China and India, has logged the greatest number of cases and deaths.
