The US sees its deadliest Covid-19 week since April, with more than 15,600 deaths

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Tue, 2020-12-08 09:34 — mike kraft

The US sees its deadliest Covid-19 week since April, with more than 15,600 deaths As the US nears 15 million reported Covid-19 infections, it's adding case numbers at its fastest rate ever -- and officials are racing to ramp up vaccine protocols as well. Madeline Holcombe, CNN CNN

(CNN) As the US nears 15 million reported Covid-19 infections, it's adding case numbers at its fastest rate ever -- and officials are racing to ramp up vaccine protocols as well.

Coronavirus metrics at every level have been on the rise. In the five days since December 2, the US has added more than a million new cases, bringing the total to more than 14.9 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The nation has also reported 15,658 deaths over the last seven days, making it the deadliest week for the coronavirus since April.

And for the sixth day in a row, more than 100,000 people are being treated for the virus in hospitals across the country.

"We probably are just going to start seeing the brunt of what it means when you have people traveling and congregating in seemingly innocent settings," Fauci told CNN Monday. "The situation is that as we enter now from the Thanksgiving holiday season into the Christmas holiday season, it's going to be challenging." ...

As the impacts of the virus move through the US, state leaders are managing the strain on their hospital systems.

As of Friday, hospitals in Massachusetts will curtail elective procedures to free up staffing and beds for spiking coronavirus cases, Gov. Charles Baker said Monday....

Pennsylvania is also in an increasingly "dire" situation when it comes to hospital beds, Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday. Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said patients are already being diverted to other facilities due to full emergency rooms.

"If the worst happens, hospitals will not be able to treat all sick Pennsylvanians," Wolf said.

"They'll be forced to turn away people who need treatment, and that means more Pennsylvanians will die."

And in Arizona, where 92% of ICU beds are occupied, nearly half the beds are filled with coronavirus patients, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. ...

ALSO SEE: California coronavirus shutdown will last through Christmas as deaths explode past 20,000

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