U.S. not 'out of the woods' as nation nears 500,000 COVID-19 deaths

[webfact]

U.S. not 'out of the woods' as nation nears 500,000 COVID-19 deaths

 

NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci wears a lab equipment-themed mask as he arrives for a COVID-19 response event with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States faces a dark milestone despite a recent decline in COVID-19 cases as it prepares to mark a staggering half million deaths this week, nearly a year after the novel coronavirus pandemic upended the country with dueling public health and economic crises.

 

While the number of COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth straight week and officials scrambled to inoculate the population, the nation prepared to soon reach 500,000 deaths from the highly infectious respiratory disease. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR)

 

"It's nothing like we've ever been through in the last 102 years since the 1918 influenza pandemic... It really is a terrible situation that we've been through - and that we're still going through," Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House COVID-19 medical adviser and the nation's top infectious disease official, told CNN's "State of the Union" program on Sunday.

 

The White House has said it will memorialize the moment but had no immediate comment on Sunday about its plans.

 

President Joe Biden last month observed America's COVID-19 deaths on the eve of his inauguration with a sundown ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool.

 

Biden will use "his own voice and platform to take a moment to remember the people whose lives have been lost, the families who are still suffering ... at what is still a very difficult moment in this country," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday.

 

More than 28 million COVID cases have rocked the United States and 497,862 have died, even as daily average deaths and hospitalizations have fallen to the lowest levels since before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The virus took a full year off the average life expectancy in the United States, the biggest decline since World War Two.

 

While the decline "is really terrific ... we are still at a level that's very high," Fauci said in a separate interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press" program. "We want to get that baseline really, really, really low before we start thinking that we're out of the woods."

 

Fauci told CNN that Americans may still need masks in 2022 even as other measures to stop the virus' spread become increasingly relaxed and more vaccines are administered, and they may need a booster shot depending on how variants emerge.

 

Less than 15% of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine dose, with nearly 43 million getting at least one shot and nearly 18 million getting a second shot, U.S. statistics show.

 

Meanwhile, more localities are easing some restrictions, such as on indoor dining, and moving to reopen schools even as millions await their shots, sparking debate over the safety of teachers, students and others.

 

Financial pressures also continue to weigh even as economists express optimism for the year ahead. Congress is weighing Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package, with the House is expected to vote on it this week and the Senate seeking to pass it before March 14.

 

(Reporting by Linda So, Michael Martina, Nandida Bose; additional reporting by Will Dunham; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-22

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

[donnacha]

Interesting to note that Fauci's mask contains covert instructions on how to produce your own vaccine.

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by donnacha

[SunnyinBangrak]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Meanwhile, more localities are easing some restrictions, such as on indoor dining, and moving to reopen schools even as millions await their shots

Is this an unspoken admission that GOP run Florida without lockdowns actually faired better than democrat run California which made lockdowns and control an artform? Interesting to see the scientists unable to explain this, more so considering we are told the Biden response is pure science based. 

[Tug]

36 minutes ago, car720 said:

How can this have happened to the most powerful and technologically advanced country in the world?

There is only one answer.

Yup you are spot on cowardice at the top combined with dereliction of the oath of office mental illness and just plane old incompetence on an epic scale costing American lives in the hundreds of thousands it just beggers belief 

[vandeventer]

Notice how little media coverage on this subject when Biden is in power. He said he had all the answers to end covid19.

[Jeffr2]

1 hour ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Is this an unspoken admission that GOP run Florida without lockdowns actually faired better than democrat run California which made lockdowns and control an artform? Interesting to see the scientists unable to explain this, more so considering we are told the Biden response is pure science based. 

As usual, Trump supporters try to twist things to make the democrats look bad. It's a very complicated issue. No easy answers, though some try to make them.

 

Scientists have explained this. But you won't read about it on the right wing media outlets.

[Jeffr2]

38 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

Notice how little media coverage on this subject when Biden is in power. He said he had all the answers to end covid19.

It was widely covered. Please show where he said that he had all the answers. Otherwise admit your just guessing. Or trolling.

[Credo]

39 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

Notice how little media coverage on this subject when Biden is in power. He said he had all the answers to end covid19.

I suspect you are watching source that don't like generally positive news.   Hospitalizations are down 64%.  The death rate, although stubbornly high, is declining precipitously as well.  

The news I watch still covers Covid extensively.   

https://abcnews.go.com/US/covid-19-cases-hospitalizations-continue-massive-drop-january/story?id=75896236

[placeholder]

1 hour ago, vandeventer said:

Notice how little media coverage on this subject when Biden is in power. He said he had all the answers to end covid19.

So much falsity in so few words. Trying to be Trump's Mini-me?

[PatOngo]

3 hours ago, car720 said:

How can this have happened to the most powerful and technologically advanced country in the world?

There is only one answer.

Easy! Total lack of leadership on the part of the ex president!

[PatOngo]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Notice how little media coverage on this subject when Biden is in power. He said he had all the answers to end covid19.

Maybe he's doing something about it, unlike the clown he deposed!

[PatOngo]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Notice how little media coverage on this subject when Biden is in power. He said he had all the answers to end covid19.

I hope you've had your injection of disinfectant today and inserted some white light internally! 

 

 What utter rubbish!

[Isaan sailor]

I feel better now.  Joe Biden promised enough vaccines for 300 Americans by early or mid summer.

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

I feel better now.  Joe Biden promised enough vaccines for 300 Americans by early or mid summer.

We're all so thrilled that we have agents standing by to amplify every innocent gaffe that the very popular President Biden happens to make. Happy happy Joy Joy.

[Jingthing]

8 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Notice how little media coverage on this subject when Biden is in power. He said he had all the answers to end covid19.

I haven't noticed. I'm seeing constant coverage on facts and reality based media.

[Sujo]

12 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

I feel better now.  Joe Biden promised enough vaccines for 300 Americans by early or mid summer.

And he will. Another promise kept.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Sujo

[onthedarkside]

A trolling foreign language comment and reply have been removed.

[Jingthing]

16 minutes ago, Sujo said:

And he will. Another promise kept.

The full 300 million? Who knows. But doggone it we know that he's really going to try. What a relief to have a president that is not anti science and who clearly cares about the well being of all the American people instead of only himself.

[Blue Muton]

8 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Notice how little media coverage on this subject when Biden is in power. He said he had all the answers to end covid19.

 

I missed him saying that he had "all the answers". I've tried to find it without success, can you post a link please or is this simply some BS that you made up to suit your own agenda?

[placeholder]

9 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Is this an unspoken admission that GOP run Florida without lockdowns actually faired better than democrat run California which made lockdowns and control an artform? Interesting to see the scientists unable to explain this, more so considering we are told the Biden response is pure science based. 

Whatever gave you the idea that Florida fared better than California? On a per capita basis, according to official statistics, Florida has more deaths than does California. Moreover, under Governor Desantis, Florida has also acquired a well deserved reputation for using all sorts of deceitful methods to understate actual mortality. 

California managed to make it until November without a major spike in deaths. Florida had a huge spike during the summer and another in winter.

Also, California has been hit with 2 kinds of more dangerous Covid variants. Florida (and Texas) with only one.

[placeholder]

1 hour ago, Isaan sailor said:

I feel better now.  Joe Biden promised enough vaccines for 300 Americans by early or mid summer.

 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

We're all so thrilled that we have agents standing by to amplify every innocent gaffe that the very popular President Biden happens to make. Happy happy Joy Joy.

It's not a gaffe. The Biden adminstration has purchased 600 million doses vaccine to be delivered by the end of July. Which is enough to fully innoculate 300 million Americans.

 

Biden says U.S. will have enough vaccine for 300 million people by end of July

President Joe Biden said Thursday his administration had finalized deals for another 200 million doses of the two coronavirus vaccines authorized in the United States, securing sufficient shots to cover everyone currently eligible for inoculation by the end of July.

In remarks capping an afternoon tour of the National Institutes of Health, Biden said the federal government had purchased 100 million more doses from Pfizer and German company BioNTech, as well as 100 million more from Moderna, using options built into existing contracts with those companies.

The announcement was the centerpiece of an emotional address from Biden, who made a point of speaking through his mask as he called it a “patriotic responsibility” to wear one.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/fauci-predicts-open-season-for-vaccinations-by-april/

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, placeholder said:

 

It's not a gaffe. The Biden adminstration has purchased 600 million doses vaccine to be delivered by the end of July. Which is enough to fully innoculate 300 million Americans.

 

Biden says U.S. will have enough vaccine for 300 million people by end of July

President Joe Biden said Thursday his administration had finalized deals for another 200 million doses of the two coronavirus vaccines authorized in the United States, securing sufficient shots to cover everyone currently eligible for inoculation by the end of July.

In remarks capping an afternoon tour of the National Institutes of Health, Biden said the federal government had purchased 100 million more doses from Pfizer and German company BioNTech, as well as 100 million more from Moderna, using options built into existing contracts with those companies.

The announcement was the centerpiece of an emotional address from Biden, who made a point of speaking through his mask as he called it a “patriotic responsibility” to wear one.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/fauci-predicts-open-season-for-vaccinations-by-april/

The member said he said 300 not 300 million. I don’t even know if he made that gaffe or not, nor do I care.

Gaffes are literally nothing compared to constant big lies, gaslighting,  and insurrectionist incitement of the former.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Jingthing

[Stargeezr]

Half a million dead so far, likely nearly 1 million when the virus is finally under control.

  Then there are those anti Vaxxers who want their freedom, what will happen to them.

  They have the right to bare their arms, I guess. 555

Geezer

[onthedarkside]

An off-topic election-related post has been removed.

 

[placeholder]

On 2/22/2021 at 5:16 PM, Jingthing said:

The member said he said 300 not 300 million. I don’t even know if he made that gaffe or not, nor do I care.

Gaffes are literally nothing compared to constant big lies, gaslighting,  and insurrectionist incitement of the former.

Now I see. This was in the same speech where Biden announced an increase in the weekly supply of vaccines to the states and that a purchase of another 200 million doses was in the works. I wonder if Isaan Sailor is an agricultural worker. He sure is a gifted cherry picker.

Edited February 23, 2021 by placeholder

[Jingthing]

Such a high number is difficult for people to process.

I want to share this item as a way for people to better understand what most of those now dead people went through and how serious this problem still is globally.

I realize the pandemic denialists will see information such as this as fear mongering. Oh well. 

 

Covid-19 US deaths: What it’s like to die from the coronavirus - Vox

 

 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Jingthing