The United States set another record for coronavirus deaths in one day on Wednesday, with 3,865, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University.
The number of deaths only increases as cases and hospitalizations increase. More than 132,000 Americans are in the hospital with COVID-19, also a record, as the number continues to rise, according to the COVID follow-up project. The country averages more than 200,000 new cases every day.
A staggering total of more than 361,000 Americans have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins.
Many Americans are tired of pandemic restrictions, despite urgencies from public health officials to keep them going. President Trump
Donald Trump: Trump recognizes the end of the presidency after Congress certifies Biden’s victory. has been largely silent on the crisis as it focuses on reversing the election result and while a pro-Trump crowd stormed the Capitol on Wednesday.
Many rulers have also been reluctant to impose new restrictions.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel with vaccines, but the distribution effort is slowly starting, as officials from the Trump administration say they are working to speed it up.
But with months until the vaccine is widely available, a new strain of coronavirus poses an even greater threat, as it is believed to be more contagious, though not more lethal.
This strain has already been found in several states, and experts say it will clearly become much more important since it is easier to spread.
Even without the new strain still dominating the United States, hospitals in some areas are already overflowing, especially in Los Angeles. Ambulance teams were recently instructed not to transport some patients with a low probability of survival to hospitals due to capacity issues.