Reports from a the Cable Network has stated that December has been America’s deadliest month since the Covid-19 pandemic’s start — with more than 63,000 Americans lost to the virus in the past 26 days.
In comparison, the entire month of November saw about 36,964 deaths.
According to the report, the grim death toll comes on the heels of several brutal months for the US, with Covid-19 ravaging communities from coast to coast, crippling hospital systems and prompting new widespread restrictions.
The authorization of two Covid-19 vaccines earlier in December offered some hope of a light at the end of the tunnel. But experts continue to warn that while the end is in sight, the pandemic is not over and another surge stemming from the Christmas holiday could be on its way.
Dr Anthony Fauci said that they might see a post-seasonal — in the sense of Christmas, New Years — surge. He made this in reference to holiday travel and private gatherings taking place despite the advice of health experts.
According to TSA, more than 1.1 million people were screened at airports on Saturday, marking the third busiest day for US air travel since March. More than 616,000 were screened on Christmas Day alone, and hundreds of thousands more traveled in the days leading up to the holiday.
Covid-19 hospitalization numbers across the US are already at record-high levels.
According to the COVID Tracking Project,
on Saturday, the country recorded its fifth-highest number of hospitalizations — with more than 117,300 Covid-19 patients nationwide.
Another surge of cases and hospitalizations will, inevitably, mean more deaths — on top of an already devastating death toll.
The US surpassed 19 million coronavirus cases, yet another milestone for the pandemic, coming just over 11 months after the first case was recorded in the US in late January.
Nearly 332,000 Americans have died of Covid-19. Another 193,000 could lose their lives over the next two months, according to predictions from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine said that people can still save the lives of their loved ones by practicing social distancing and wearing face masks. He also pointed out that vaccines are around the corner.
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