The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 registered in the US since the beginning of the pandemic exceeded 19 million on Sunday, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The US outbreak is growing rapidly, with one million cases added in the last five days and one million cases added in the previous six days. After registering more than 100,000 cases in a single day for the first time in early November, the nation registered 226,274 cases on Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins. The COVID follow-up project says the US had an average of 185,000 cases a day between December 19 and 26.
The nation has recorded 332,502 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began.
The latest gloomy stage comes as health experts warn that an increase in cases is likely in the next few weeks as a result of travel and holiday gathering. Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciSunday shows preview: COVID-19 relief awaiting Trump’s signature; The government continues to launch the Serenada Fauci vaccine, the first to respond, with “many years” AIDS activists recruit Barbra Streisand for Fauci’s surprise party on Zoom MORE, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, predicted that hospital systems in many cities could reach a breaking point.
“As we move from late fall to early winter, the numbers are really quite worrying,” Fauci, a member of the White House’s COVID-19 response team, told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
“With over 120,000 hospitalizations, we are indeed at a critical stage,” he continued before adding Christmas gatherings, “Even if we advise you not to, it will happen.”
India, the country with the second highest total number of cases, has registered just over 10 million coronavirus infections since Sunday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Brazil has more than 7.4 million cases.
A more infectious strain of the virus is also spreading mainly in the UK, even though both the US and the UK are starting to distribute two COVID-19 vaccines. Officials have moved to impose heavy restrictions on travel in the UK, but have warned that some people carrying the new strain may have already arrived in the US