U.S. reports record high COVID-19 daily death toll
The United States hit another grim COVID-19 landmark Tuesday with its highest daily death toll since the pandemic started.
At least 3,725 Americans died Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tracker, more than 1,000 fatalities higher than the previous peak on Dec. 16.
More than 247,000 new cases were also reported Tuesday.
The coronavirus outbreak has magnified as winter crept in and the holidays encouraged people to travel and mingle despite harsh warnings from local officials.
More than 1.1 million people were screened by the Transportation Security Administration at airports on Saturday, making it the third busiest day for air travel since March.
Colorado on Tuesday reported the first known stateside case of the faster-spreading COVID strain that is currently wreaking havoc in Europe.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Sunday that the worst may be yet to come.
“The reason I’m concerned, and my colleagues in public health are concerned also, is that we very well might see a post-seasonal — in the sense of Christmas, New Year’s — surge, and, as I have described it, as a surge upon a surge,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“If you look at the slope, the incline of cases that we have experienced as we have gone into the late fall and soon-to-be-early winter, it is really quite troubling.”
More than 2 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered so far, a small glimmer of hope.
