The tally to date….16.0+ million cases and 298,000+ deaths.
The good news is that there is a vaccine on the horizon and Americans will soon be given the opportunity to be vaccinated….
The rest of the news is not all that cheery….sad to say…..
The FDA is expected to issue emergency authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine as soon as Saturday, reports the New York Times. That means “we could see people getting vaccinated Monday, Tuesday,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Friday on Good Morning America. Some 2.9 million doses will be shipped within 24 hours of approval, per the Times. It’s welcome news at a difficult time. On Wednesday, the US recorded a record 3,124 COVID-19 deaths, more than the roughly 2,900 that occurred in the 9/11 attacks and the roughly 2,400 deaths that occurred in the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, according to John Hopkins University. While Thursday’s count was slightly lower—3,110, per NBC News—CDC Director Robert Redfield says the US is likely to see at least 3,000 deaths “for the next 60 to 90 days,” reports the Hill.
“The reality is the vaccine approval this week’s not going to really impact that I think to any degree for the next 60 days,” says Redfield. He’s urging Americans to “double down” on basic precautions, like wearing a face mask. About 72% of Americans wear masks. But some 56,000 lives could be saved if that figure rose to 95%, according to forecasts from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, per CNN. In contrast, vaccinations will only save between 25,200 and 44,500 lives by April, according to the institute. It predicts 500,000 US deaths by that time, up from the current death toll of 292,382, according to John Hopkins. Depressingly, that toll is more than all US deaths recorded on World War II battlefields, per NBC. The Department of Veterans Affairs lists 291,557 “battle deaths” over the course of four years, not including 113,842 “non-theater” deaths.
Sorry that I did not have better news…..
Be Well…..Be Safe…..
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
The vaccinations may have started here, but there are still around 500 people dying every day in England. Yet others are complaining about bars and restaurants having to close early.
Best wishes, Pete.
I read that there have been some violent reactions to the serum……I have to admit that my city is enforcing the rules and masks are being worn….like it or not. chuq
People with existing severe allergies have reacted badly. But only a few cases of that so far.
Then that is promising….chuq
I was thinking the yesterday that people can’t even agree to wear masks and social distance while 3,000+ are dying daily, there’s no way they’ll behave rationally for however long it takes for the majority to receive vaccinations.
Indeed! There is a wealth of stupid chuq
Good old Trump! He has done you guys proud. What a kindly genius that man is.
Sarcasm….love it! chuq