Virus update: On hopeful day for vaccine, US grapples with deadliest day of pandemic so far
The United States should be celebrating a day of great hope today, as a Covid-19 vaccine could get authorized for emergency use very soon.
Instead, it’s a day of devastating loss. The daily death toll from Covid-19 reached a record high of 3,124 Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
That’s more deaths than those suffered in the 9/11 attacks. And experts say the death toll will get worse.
A new composite forecast from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects a total of 332,000 to 362,000 Covid-19 deaths by January 2. That forecast combines modeling from 40 independent research groups. Read more:
Here’s an update on all developments. Scroll or swipe further for in-depth coverage.
- A U.S. government advisory panel convened on Thursday to decide whether to endorse mass use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to help conquer the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans.
- The number of people applying for unemployment aid jumped last week to 853,000, the most since September, evidence that companies are cutting more jobs as new virus cases spiral higher.
- The European Central Bank unleashed another half-trillion euro ($600 billion) wave of stimulus as a winter surge in COVID-19 infections shuts down large parts of the economy and wipes out pre-Christmas sales revenue ahead of the region’s most important holiday.
- California’s coronavirus surge has caused so many hospitalizations and deaths that the numbers brought usually stoic public health officers in major metropolitan areas to pleas — and even near to tears — as they urged people to heed safety rules.
- Pope Francis will celebrate Midnight Mass earlier than usual to comply with Italy’s anti-coronavirus curfew and will deliver his Christmas Day blessing indoors to prevent crowds from forming in St. Peter’s Square.
For more summaries and full reports, please select from the articles below. Scroll further for the latest virus numbers.
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