The U.S. set new single-day records Wednesday for COVID-19 reported cases and hospitalizations. The Covid Tracking Project reports there were 195,695 new cases reported Wednesday and 100,226 reported hospitalizations, the first time daily hospitalizations have exceeded 100,000.
The Covid Tracking Project also reports 2,733 deaths Wednesday, which they say is the second-highest U.S. daily death count since May 2. However, overnight data posted by Johns Hopkins University shows there were at least 3,157 deaths from COVID-19 over a 24-hour period on December 2 — 180 more than the 2,977 victims who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Johns Hopkins further notes Wednesday’s number of fatalities exceed the previous highest total, set on April 15, when the U.S. saw 2,607 deaths. The U.S. daily death count remains greater than one death every minute of every day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated their forecast to estimate there will be from 303,000 to 329,000 COVID-19 deaths reported in the U.S. by the week ending December 26. The previous forecast was for between 294,000 to 321,000 coronavirus fatalities in the U.S. by the week ending December 19. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a livestreamed interview on Wednesday that he anticipates the death toll to climb another 150,000 to 200,000 deaths by next February.
As of Wednesday morning, there were at least 13,925,990 reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and 273,847 reported deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, accounting for 21.5% and 18.3% of global cases and fatalities, respectively.
A day of grim COVID-19 milestones with record hospitalizations, cases; over 3,000 deaths Wednesday
